4th of July At Old Sturbridge Village

 At 12:00pm today we got a text from Grace saying the parade was at 1:30pm so we dropped what we were doing and hightailed it over! We made it shortly after they had lined up. Perfect timing!  

After the parade the Declaration of Independence was read. 

Once the reading of the Declaration was done everyone headed back to the various houses/buildings. Grace was in the Fitch House (one of my most favorite houses at OSV. My other favorite is the parsonage)  so we decided to go peek in on what she was doing over there. 

Today, she was helping in the kitchen where they were making Independence Cake. Sadly, because she's not eighteen she's not able to eat anything that they cook or bake (due to things being unpasteurized). 

The 4th of July celebration at Old Sturbridge Village is one of our most favorite days at the village. This is the one day that Grace really wanted to be at OSV and we are so glad that she was able to be one of the Junior Interns there today. It wouldn't feel like Independence Day to us if we didn't go to the village, watch the parade and listen to the reading of the Declaration. It's such a simple celebration, but so very meaningful. Happy Independence Day, everyone! xo 

On The 4th Of July

S'mores and Hamilton on Disney+ . Perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July this year.  xo

{This Moment} Stars and Stripes

{This Moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo -no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. xo 

Today At Old Sturbridge Village

In which our rebel girls commit the ultimate rebellion and sign the Declaration of Independence. 

The stage is ready for all who will become American citizens today. 

And the Freeman Farm is getting ready for the Charlotte's Web shows which will start later this month! 

This web is even more amazing in person! 

It wouldn;t be Independence Day at The Village without some fife and drum music. 

Our traditional "checking out the Field of Flags" picture. I have one of them like this from every year since OSV started their Field of Flags program. One year I should put them all in one blogpost! Then we can watch the girls grown before our very eyes! 

Wishing you all a Happy Independence Day today! I have to admit, I have been struggling with celebrating this holiday more this year than last. I have taken comfort in these words, and these and even these. For those who, like me, are struggling, I hope you find comfort in their words as well. xo

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 241st birthday, America! xo

On The 4th Of July

As has been our tradition for many years now we ventured to Old Sturbridge Village to join in the Independence Day celebration there! While we are still disappointed that they are no longer hosting fireworks at night in honor of the 4th of July we do so love the sweet and simple and old fashioned ways that they recognize America's birthday. This year, for the first time ever, we got to witness as 140 people became United States Citizens! It was truly incredible to witness this ceremony and it really added such a special layer to the day. After we took our leave from the festivities (it takes a long time to call everyone up individually) we explored a bit, got some ice cream and then began our journey home. It was an absolutely glorious day at the Village and we are so happy to have been able to celebrate another 4th of July there! xo

Happy 240th Birthday, America!

After a year of not being flown our flag is finally back in its rightful place (thanks to Dave putting the flag holder back up)! Since we missed our chance to have it back for Flag Day we figured that the 4th of July was just as fitting! Happy 4th of July, friends! May your celebrations this evening be as lovely as this day has been today! xo

Presidents And First Ladies

When the girls and I were in Connecticut at the beginning of June my mom sent us home with a bunch of stuff that she thought might be fun. Today, as we were tackling our to-do list, we opened up one of the bags that she had sent back with us and discovered three boxes of flash cards from when I was a kid. One was the states, one was the Presidents (to the first President Bush) and one was the First Ladies (which, incidentally had never been opened). The girls were absolutely intrigued with the boxes containing the cards of the Presidents and First Ladies, and decided that they just had to match up the husbands with their wives! Thanks, mom, for sending us back with these cards! The girls had a fabulous time matching the Presidents with their First Ladies! It was an absolutely perfect way to spend some time on this Fourth of July weekend! xo

In Celebration Of America

It's our tradition to go to Old Sturbridge Village on the 4th of July. Due to less than stellar weather, and the Village not hosting their usual fireworks display this year we decided that we'd put off our annual 4th of July visit until the next day. And while we are sad that we did not get to meet up with our friends we are so very happy to have waited as the weather was much, much better the next day!

We arrived just in time for the afternoon parade, which lead right into the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Hearing the Declaration of Independence read on the 4th of July just really brings home why it is we are celebrating in the first place! From there we went to peek at the sawmill, the gristmill and the carding mill. The girls were really captivated by the potter making inkwells, and he mentioned to them that if we were to go to the Asa Knight Store we could see some of what they make in the pottery barn there in the backroom just as people in the 1830s would have. While the girls and I went to the store, Dave went over to the cannon firing demonstration to behold them firing the new cannon (and to take some pictures). Even though the girls and I knew it was being fired it still took us by surprise! The Asa Knight storekeepers shared with us that they were not using cannon balls since they can travel up to a mile and that means there would be a really good chance that one of them would have landed on one of the highways! Could you imagine?!

Before we left we each added our names to the Declaration of Independence that was hung outside of the Center Meetinghouse. Between hearing the Declaration read when we first arrived, and getting to sign it before we left, the reason we celebrate this holiday was definitely front and center yesterday. For those who celebrate the 4th of July we hope your holiday was just as lovely and as meaningful as ours was! xo