Gina Rae Mitchell

2021 Friday Finds July 2 | Books, Recipes, Crafts | Blog Catch-up

My weekly wrap up:

I survived the first family gathering in well over a year. You know it was a successful party when you are still cleaning up bits of confetti, busted water balloons, and random toys for the entire week after the party!

An epic water balloon fight was held, with the entire family participating. Things have come a long way since the old days. Now they make a pack that screws onto your garden hose that fills 50 water balloons at a time. You just give it a shake to release them into a cooler or tub. This is so worth the bit of extra cost. Each family brought a couple of packs resulting in about 750 balloons. Thanks to Bunch-O_Balloons, a fun time was had by all ages!

We kept the food super simple, just burgers and hotdogs on the grill with a few standard sides, followed by a fantastic Wild Kratts birthday party for the summer grandkids.

   

It was such a pleasure to have the immediate family all together once again. Despite reminders from several of you lovely readers, I was so busy having fun; I forgot to take many pictures. Maybe next time? All the kiddos have grown and changed so much that I really need new pictures for the walls. With the heatwave we’ve been under, the swimming pool was put to good use!

The last guests rolled out on Sunday, and I haven’t been worth a darn all week. I’ve randomly cleaned, rested, read, rested, done laundry, rested. Did you catch that theme? Lol.

Well, enough about that. Let’s move on to this week’s goodies.

In honor of the United States birthday celebration, I went with a bit of a patriotic, summer party theme for the 2021 Friday Finds July 2 edition.

Have a fabulous week, my friends!

Gina

ps. Tell me your thoughts on the comment contest. Does it turn you off or are you excited about the possibility of winning a small prize?

2021 Friday Finds July 2 –  Books

I’m participating in a worldwide summer reading multi-blogger extravaganza hosted by the lovely Carol of The Reading Ladies in the near future. This is the book I will be reviewing.

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Three generations of women in the Ferrari family must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst

Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother’s wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. She just never expected to face a choice that might change the course of her life.

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Are you looking for some cool activities to keep the kids learning over the summer? You can’t go wrong with this highly-recommended book!

The Everything Kids Science Experiments Book by Tom Robinson

Science has never been so easy—or so much fun!

With The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teacher Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons from biology, chemistry, physics, technology, and engineering—to outer space.

You’ll discover answers to questions like:
—Is it possible to blow up a balloon without actually blowing into it?
—What is inside coins?
—Can a magnet ever be “turned off”?
—Do toilets always flush in the same direction?
—Can a swimming pool be cleaned with just the breath of one person?

Whether you’ve always been interested in STEM or you’re looking for a cool science fair project, you’ll want to test these fun and educational experiments for yourself!

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Historian Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace.

Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, it is the only volume to tell America’s story from the point of view of—and in the words of—America’s women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As Zinn shows, many of our country’s greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women’s rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.

In case you missed it on the blog this week!

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon | Review

Your Writing Matters by Colleen M. Story | Review

The New Enchantress by Sunayna Prasad

Eat Your Heart Out by Shirley Goldberg | Review

Bob the Banana Goes Bad | Review

Finding My Sunshine by Shannon Leith McGuire | Spotlight & Giveaway

Darkness Hides by JC Gatlin | Review | Gripping – 5 Stars

I am loving all the great books coming my way through author and publisher requests as well as several blog tour companies.

2021 Friday Finds July 2 – Recipes

The United States is celebrating the birth of our nation this weekend, and several other nations have celebrations around this time, I’m looking at more delicious picnic/party recipes.

Flag Slab Pie from Pillsbury

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Sausage Stuffed Pretzel Bites with Cheesy Mustard Dip

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https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/05/easy-taco-salad-flag.html

 

2021 Friday Finds July 2 – Creative Projects

If you’ve left your decorations to the last minute, I found a couple of fun, quick projects you can whip up in no time at all.

Firework Handprint Art Printables 

These neat printables are a quick download. All you supply is the printer & the handprint!

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A 4th of July Clothespin Wreath from the Krazy Coupon Lady

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That wraps up the 2021 Friday Finds July 2 edition. Be sure you scroll down to reply and let me know your favorite find this week.

For all the wonderful ” read to the bottom of the post” people, be sure you leave a comment on this post. You never what kind of delightful thing might befall you.

I also share many of my reviews and posts on the following websites:

• Lovely Audiobook’s Monthly Link-up (Not limited to audiobooks)
• The Inspire Me Monday Link Party
• Inspire Me Monday with Anita Ojeda
• Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Monthly Link Party
• Esme’s Salon Monthly Link-up