A Fabulous 4th of July

Hi pals, happy Monday! Like many of you, I'm just coming off a four-day weekend so I am in a very chipper mood :) 

Did you all have a great 4th of July? I hosted a BBQ in my mom's backyard - she's got the grill and the pool so why not? - and we had a great time!

That's the Paperless Post I sent out to our friends. Everyone arrived at 2pm ready to eat and drink their hearts out! We had tons of beer, booze and mixers, and I mixed up a batch of sparkling cranberry lemonade vodka punch. Here's Ram playing bartender:

The true mark of a solid 4th of July party is the food - everyone knows that. We did a semi-potluck and it was delicious! My friend Rachel brought delicious homemade guacamole and chips, Abbie pitched in with a hummus and veggie platter, Serena brought all the burger toppings, and I made a crazy good grilled corn dip - I'll be sharing the recipe tomorrow!

GB made that ridiculous mac & cheese and Amanda made a delicious tomato, mozzarella, and basil platter. I whipped up that salad - it's brussel sprouts slaw with poppyseed dressing.

Ram manned the grill with his partner in crime, Stevie, and our burgers, hot dogs, and sausages were juicy and delicious! I'm now on a mission for us to get a grill in the near future so he can continue his new role as Grillmaster Supreme :) 

After we ate til we were stuffed, we managed to find room for dessert - fruit salad by Ashley, smores bites, cookies, fruit pie from Alexandra, and.....

...the piece de resistance... homemade berry funfetti cake, made by moi! It was just as delicious as it looks. Mmmm!

I love our friends! Everyone said they had such a good time!

The most popular party guest? Definitely Joey the puppy! 

Hard to believe this was our THIRD 4th of July together! 

I am so grateful to live in this country. God bless America, y'all!