The fireworks are over, the kids are safely home, the leftovers are being appreciated today, slime is being pulled out of the rugs and I am dozing on and off today as we recuperate from celebrating our 250th birthday of our nation.

I was never much into history growing up. I remember fondly my history teacher, Mr. Bauste, with his signature mustache which he would smooth out often when lecturing. I remember Mr. Bauste and his mustache, but I do not remember anything he taught me about history. History was taught by writing facts on the chalkboard, me scribbling them down in endless notebooks, memorizing them for a test, acing a test, and then purging the information.

Fast forward to today. Living on the east coast near a lot of historical places has certainly helped me to look at history differently. I could actually visit the places described in textbooks and would often bring our growing kids to these places as well. It made it real.

Lately, however, I love that Netflix has offered a series of docu-dramas on several of the presidents. We watched one on Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore and Franklin Rosevelt and Grant. They were amazing at bringing to life the history through acting but also narrated by historians and military experts.

This year my entire family was all together. That was cause for celebration. I love a good family get together and all its chaos. It inspires me to clean, organize, cook, bake and decorate. I didn’t go overboard as I am trying to pare down what I have and keep things to a minimum.

One of the things I did was slightly rearrange my sitting room cabinet with a simple nod to red, white and blue. This was simply pulling in the few blue plates and red platters that I have. My thrift find of wheat dishes a couple of years ago were the perfect foundation for the ”Amber Waves of Grain” on the bottom shelf. Subtle, pretty, cozy and patriotic.

My favorite room is the three season porch. Last winter we installed a mini-split so we could enjoy it year round. I love this room! It’s where I plan my garden, gather our kids for a family meal, play games, celebrate birthdays, read in a corner, gather and sort from my garden, and nurture plants. This is the room where I feel compelled to decorate my long table for the seasons and holidays.

I wanted to do something special since all the kids would be home and we would need the space to spread out and gather together to celebrate.

A pretty tablecloth, pulled together some simple mason jars with red, white and blue flowers and little flags, a special crocheted throw that my mother-in-law made my husband and layered a quilt on the back of the couch instantly transformed the room. But it needed a little more.

I envisioned a pendant banner but I really wanted something I could use over and over again as paper pendants just don’t hold up from year to year. So I made a beautiful fabric one with the fabrics that would pull it all together. Since it is reversible you can enjoy it from the living room as well.

Now for the family. We only get together once a year if we are lucky. We were grateful this year to have all fourteen of us together again.

And while we’re at it, let’s throw in an 8th birthday celebration!

Happy 250th birthday to America and 8th birthday to my granddaughter, Charlotte. Here’s to many more!

Denise