Coffee Sips and Lovely Links: 4th of July Edition

The 4th of July has always just been about family for me. I know it's supposed to be about celebrating our independence and all, but I've always just considered it a good excuse to eat yummy cookout food, hang out with my awesome family, and see some fireworks at the end of the night. My Grandaddy and Nana would always host the festivities, grill hamburgers and hot dogs, and Grandaddy and my uncle would shoot off fireworks. They lived on the waterway up until very recently, so that cool ocean breeze would usually make an appearance at some point in the evening.

These were such fun times and I am very appreciative of them. But now that I am married, we live in Charlotte and my Grandparents no longer live on the coast, so things are a little different. I still plan to go see my family for the forth, and I can probably still find a place to watch fireworks, but it's still different. It's not as easy now because I am over here learning to make my own traditions and adjust to not having all my family within a 15 minute drive.

Maybe you are in a similar place. Maybe you are not able to visit family or follow the same traditions this year. Or maybe you are just tired of the same ole, same ole and want to change it up this year. Either way, today's Coffee Sips and Lovely Links segment is all about Independence Day and some fun ideas for celebrating this July 4th!

Food

These red, white, and blue M&M cookie bars look fantastic for a July 4th dessert!

This Easy Flag Fruit Dessert by Family Fresh Meals is super cute and would add a little nutrition to your cookout! 😉

You could even make your own gourmet hot dog topping bar.

Fashion

Want something uber-cute but still casual and comfy? Summer has got your back with this off the shoulder top. So perfect!

Looking for something a little bit different? Chelsie has three more outfit ideas for you that might be what you are looking for.

Games

4th of July Bingo? Yes please!

You could also make your own Family Summer Olympics! How fun is that!?

You could also try this 4th of July Water Blob for Kids!

Safety

For fire safety, check out this Fire Safety Info-graphic!

For pet safety, this very short article has some important reminders.

Need more pet safety tips? This pet safety info-graphic might be what you are looking for!

I hope that everyone stays injury-free during the fireworks, but just in case, here's some info on firework injuries.

A Little Side Note

Now, I don't want to diminish what July 4th is about. I appreciate the freedoms we have in America, and I am thankful for people who risked their lives (as well as their emotional health) for my sake and the sake of others. Things in America aren't even close to perfect, but we should always be thankful that people who don't even know us are willing to protect us. People like my father-in-law, and my sweet friend Vanessa of Pursue Simple Joy- they gave so much. So don't forget to thank those around you who served to make our independence remain possible. Don't forget that as you are grilling, laughing, and watching the fireworks.

Revisit Your Goals (July Goals)

As I looked at the date on my phone, I felt somewhat panicked. How could it already be July 1st? I haven't accomplished any of my goals yet (not the big ones anyway), and I am running out of time!

Do you find yourself feeling similar emotions lately? Have you realized that you have slacked on the things that are important to you, and now you want to play catch up?

I don't do goal posts very often, but since I have so many things I need to get back on track with (and some things I'm just dying to do), I figured now would be a good time to revisit my goals.

Read the first half of "You and Me Forever" with Taylor

Taylor and I are very blessed, but I've really been struggling with the fact that we don't see each other enough to really do something significant together. By the time we hang out, we are exhausted and just want to watch Netflix or take a nap together (yes, my husband and I are secretly 60 years old).
But even in this season of busyness, I want us to spend our time together in a way that will glorify God and further His kingdom.

I bought "You and Me Forever" a year and a half ago. We read two chapters and haven't touched it since. It may seem like a small thing, but reading that book together and growing in our faith and in our relationship is something that I would really like to do this month.

I want things in our lives to become more fruitful- because when your life is go-go-go, it's easy to throw important things to the way-side.

I know it's totally unrealistic to think we will finish the book in July, but I would at least like us to read the first half together.

Listen to Audio Bible 4 times/week

It's pretty embarrassing that every time I do a "goals" post, my Bible reading/listening hasn't gotten any better. I just can't seem to make myself, which is awful. I'm really going to make a concerted effort to listen to the Bible at least 4 times a week throughout July.

Increase my walking distance to (at least) 8 miles per/week

It probably doesn't seem like a lot, but right now I am walking between 4-6 miles per week. Between my hip injury and the Charlotte heat, that's all I've been able to muster (especially since I have a baby and her dog with me while I'm walking). But if I am going to lose weight, I have to keep growing my distances. 8 Miles/week is doable. It's challenging me to step it up, without being overly tough on myself.

Finish Wild and Free

If you haven't heard about Wild and Free, you really should check it out! Though I am only on the third chapter, I highly recommend it so far. It's all about letting go of the expectations that others place on us, as well as those we place on ourselves. It's about seeing ourselves through God's eyes and living a life of freedom- the way He intended.

I am reading through this book with The Mountainside Gathering- a Christian Facebook group filled with some amazing ladies!

Go to the pool as much as possible

I haven't found a good place to go to the pool in Charlotte, which is sad because I was so determined to do a lot of swimming in these stiflingly hot months! I am going to look into a place near work that has month-to-month sign-ups, and if the price is good, I'm going to try to get a pass. I am really tired of longing for the water, but never getting to be in it!

GO TO THE BEACH

No joke, people- I am getting to the beach. It will happen. Nuff' said!

Create my opt-in freebie

Back in the winter, I started on this project and got a whole 3 paragraphs written...I haven't touched it since. I really want to provide encouraging material for those who opt-in to my mailing list, but I just haven't gotten around to it. 

My original goal was to have launched this by June 1st, but that obviously didn't happen. I wanted to get it launched by September 1st at the very, very latest, so keep your eyes peeled!

My goals are pretty simple this month. Some are important, while others are simply recreational. And that's ok. I've been struggling to keep up with life lately, I and don't want to put so many expectations on myself that I feel like a failure if I don't reach those goals. 

Sometimes, we just have to give ourselves time and grace- no matter how tempting it is not to.

What are your goals this month? Are you having trouble staying on top of everything this summer? Comment below :)

Precious Souls

Amidst all the face-stuffing and patriotism of Independence Day, I had the amazing opportunity to witness the Imani Milele Children's Choir. I spoke a little bit about what the organization does here, but as a brief reminder, all the kids in the choir are either orphans or from extremely impoverished homes. Imani takes these kids in and provides them with an education, access to the arts, and most importantly, the gospel.

The age of the children in the choir ranges from 8-20 years of age. The gospel is never forced upon these children, but it is presented openly. Though not all the children in this organization become Christians, many lives have been drastically changed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I had the opportunity to get to know a few of them.

This is Samuel. Samuel is 17-years-old and comes from a Christian background. When Samuel was young, however, his dad left his mom, leaving his mom unable to pay for Samuel's education. Samuel's Uncle agreed to help for a while, but he couldn't do that for forever. Imani stepped in and provided a full education for Samuel. Samuel is now in the 8th grade. He loves school.

This is Shariff. Shariff is 13-years-old and comes from a Muslim background. He is an orphan, who's sickly grandmother took him in as a young boy, but she cannot provide much of what he needs. Shariff was taken in by Imani as a boy. This enables Shariff to attend school for most of the year, but he goes home and stays with his grandmother on school breaks. Shariff became a Christian about a year ago and he seems to have such joy and love of life!

I also met Abraham and Lydia.
Lydia turned 17 on Sunday. Apparently in Uganda, when it's your birthday, you get a bucket of water dumped on you. Not only was it Lydia's birthday, but it was also our pastor's son's birthday (I think he's 20?) so all the Ugandan kids chased Lydia and Matt around outside and dumped water on them. It was hilarious. They ended the chaos with "happy birthday" and lots of pictures of the sopping wet spectacles.

I didn't learn much about Abraham, but I am pretty sure he is the cutest thing ever!

They also had a little shop set up with handmade jewelry, carvings, home accessories, They were very reasonably priced and all the money went towards continuing their tour to get the word out about the ministry.

I was so impressed by the joy these kids have. They are so happy and excited about life. Honestly, if you saw Americans in the same situation as these kids, they'd probably be walking around sulking, lashing out, and rebelling. But not these kids. These kids are so thankful- so glad that Imani provided an education. They want school. And many of them are so grateful that Jesus saved their souls. We could all learn a few things from these kids!

This ministry seems pretty solid and I love what they are doing. Their choir is incredibly talented and entertaining. There were so many awesome testimonies for Jesus and these kids seem to have such a beautiful hope for a life that once seemed impossible to them. If you are interested in checking out the ministry further, buying a CD, or even sponsoring a child, check out their website here and their Facebook page here.

July 4th and Imani Children

I normally spend July 4th with my parents, brother, grandparents, uncle, his wife, and my cousins. We all sit around my grandparent's big dining room table, stuffing our faces with ribs, BBQ chicken, and corn on the cob (yu-flippin'-um!). After dinner, Grandaddy would always shoot off fireworks for all of us. It's something he always did for the family.

Last year, I wasn't able to make it down to the coast, and I'm not able to this year either. And though I miss my family gatherings down there tremendously, I am glad I get to be in the mountains for the 4th this time, because our church is doing something that I am very excited about.

This Saturday, July 4th, Providence Church is putting on an Independence Day celebration at the Maggie Valley Campground. There will be games and food, which is always awesome, but the most exciting part is that we will be welcoming the Imani Milele Children's Choir to sing for us after dinner.

Imani Children's Choir is a part of the whole Imani ministry. The Imani Milele Ministry is a non-profit organization that takes in orphans from Uganda. I looked up a more comprehensive view of their mission on their website, and this is what it said:

"We provide assistance to orphaned and vulnerable children as well as the communities from which they come from, affected by the challenges resulting from extreme poverty, illiteracy and poor sanitation.We work with the communities to develop sustainable solutions to the lives of the people, while providing the children with life-transforming opportunities through education, medical assistance, food, clothing among others."

The Facebook page for the group was also very informative:

"Imani is a Swahili word for Believe.Imani Children's Choir is a choir of Imani Milele Children Inc. whose purpose is to promote, educate and bring awareness to the plight of orphaned and at-risk children in Uganda, through their art of Music and Dance."

I love what I have seen of African culture. I have always been inexplicably drawn to it. So when I found out this children's choir was coming to us, I became incredibly excited!

After the group sings, there will also be fireworks. The next day, the children's choir will also be performing at our church, and the leader of the traveling choir will be delivering the sermon.

If you live in Western North Carolina, please considering coming to one or both of these events. It is not just for our church. It is designed for the entire community, here and in surrounding areas. We want to welcome these children with open arms and as many smiling faces as we can find!

Saturday, July 4th:
The picnic  starts at 2pm. Food will be served at 4pm.
The Children's Choir starts at 6pm, and the fireworks will be at 9pm.

Sunday, July 5th:
Church starts at 10:45am, and there is lunch following the service.

Come and be our guests at these events. We would love to have you there, and you know that you love free food and awesome singing!