#yes Virginia there actually is a true White Hat out there

[gonzodangerfeels]

The waveform of sperm

The majestic gravity of the center of the womb

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jonathan M. Katz at Zeteo:

One of the many annoying things about Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House is having to rehash facts that should have been settled long ago. Here's one: in August 2017, after a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump claimed there were “very fine people on both sides,” praising the racists responsible for the violence. The backlash was immediate. Trump’s Republican allies distanced themselves. CEOs quit his advisory councils. A White House arts committee disbanded and called on the president to resign. For about two years, this incident stood as a glaring example of Trump’s coddling of white supremacists. Then came the revisionist spin. Weaving together a handful of moments, cherry-picked from days of typically Trumpian contradictions and doublespeak, the president’s defenders weaved together an alternate narrative. Trump condemned Nazis, they argued. He was merely defending peaceful, non-racist protesters who opposed removing a statue of Robert E. Lee. The idea that the whole thing was a hoax has become an article of faith on the right (just watch the video above). On a podcast taped the day before last month’s election, Elon Musk could work Joe Rogan into a frenzy simply by invoking the phrase “fine people.” [...]

The Facts

On Aug. 11 and 12, 2017, white supremacists from across the country held a rally called “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, the central Virginia college town home to the state’s flagship public university. As the name suggests, their goal was to unite neo-Nazis, the KKK, and other hate groups with the broader pro-Trump movement. Nominally, the event was tied to a local debate about removing Confederate statues, erected half a century after the Civil War as monuments to segregation, from the city’s public parks. But as the organizers said in internal chats, later revealed in court: “The rally was never about the Lee statue … It’s about increasing our ability to exploit circumstances in the real world and attract more activists to our cause.” Promotional posters made the event’s true purpose clear: to “end Jewish influence in America” and to create “a pivotal moment for the pro-white movement.” Several of the white nationalists wore MAGA hats, hoping to signal solidarity with the president.

[...] All eyes were now on Trump. The white supremacists had explicitly appealed to the president during the rally. David Duke had told reporters on the morning of Aug. 12: “We're going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That's why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he's going to take our country back.” Trump seemed to live up to Duke’s hopes when, a few hours after the car attack, he made his first public statement, vaguely criticizing “hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides.” He didn’t mention Fields’ car attack or the white supremacist violence. Instead, he tried to reject responsibility, saying: “It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama.” When reporters pressed him to denounce the Nazis, he walked out. The Neo-Nazi blog Daily Stormer celebrated: “Really, really good. God bless him.”

[...]

August 15

This was the backdrop for the third press event: the now-infamous Aug. 15 press conference at Trump Tower. (I encourage you to watch the press conference below.) What was supposed to be a news conference about infrastructure turned into Trump’s impassioned defense of his days of earlier comments. In a familiar pattern, Trump both doubled down and contradicted himself, insisting his first statement was “fine” and accusing critics of spreading “fake news.” He lashed out at reporters, repeatedly reminding them he had condemned neo-Nazis – albeit belatedly – while simultaneously blaming the left for the violence. When a reporter interjected to note, correctly, that the “neo-Nazis started this thing,” Trump launched into the key section of his comments:

[TRUMP: Excuse me, they didn’t put themselves down as neo-Nazis, and you had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.]

The first part was confusing. The Nazis “didn’t put themselves down as neo-Nazis” – to whom? Not to the city that issued the permit, knowing they were white nationalists; nor to the American Civil Liberties Union, who defended them. But the second part was a clear escalation of Trump’s rhetoric. Not only was he making the Nazis and some of the people they’d harmed out to be equivalently bad, but it sounded like he was making at least some of the Nazis out to be equivalently good.

As reporters shouted follow-up questions, Trump elaborated, claiming that among the neo-Nazis were people “there to protest the taking down, of to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.” He added, in the line that is most often cited as exoneration: “You had people – and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally – but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists, okay?” This could be a compelling argument. There’s just one problem: There has never been a shred of evidence produced showing that there was any discernable number of non-Nazi/pro-statue protesters on the streets of Charlottesville that weekend. Pressed for evidence, Trump referenced supposedly widely seen footage from “the night before” – Aug. 11. But the only public protest that night in Charlottesville, a town that is barely 10 square miles in area, was the Nazi torch rally.

[...] It’s more likely that Trump knew that some of the white nationalists were his supporters and did not want to push them away, so long as the trade-offs to his reputation weren’t too high. Having gotten away with it in Charlottesville thanks to the help of his supporters and credulous media, Trump would employ the same move again and again: with the Proud Boys in his first re-election bid, with a white supremacist dinner guest in the interregnum, and so on. Last month, Trump tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his nominee for secretary of defense. After the Charlottesville riot, Hegseth openly sympathized with neo-Nazis' racial grievances on air, describing them as “young white men” who believed they were being treated unfairly in America. He didn’t even bother to frame their actions as a color-blind defense of Confederate statues. In the next Trump administration, such thinly veiled excuses might be things of the past.

Jonathan M. Katz wrote in Substack the true facts about Donald Trump, Neo-Nazis, and Charlottesville.

Trump did indeed give praise to the Neo-Nazi torch brigade in Charlottesville, Virginia back in 2017 during his first term.

[gabekidd]

“The Worst Thing in the World” - Matt Jackson x OFC

Title: The Worst Thing in the World

Theme: @12daysofchristmas Day 12 - Mistletoe

Fandom/Character(s): AEW/Matt Jackson x OFC

Warnings: Some cursing and sexual language, alcohol use

Word Count: 2,514

Notes: I’ve done it. I’ve caved and written a Matt Jackson fic. BUT I’ve done it my way *smug smile* Also, I’m honestly pretty pumped about this because it’s sort of a prologue to something in the works? And I’ll just leave it at that. Enjoy!

Find more of my fics here.

Tag squad: @champbucks @hotyeehawman @freshlysqueezedmox @comeasyoudar @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @librathepheonix13 @exe-sadboi-exe @gabbynorth98

“Do you think this is gonna be weird?”

Katrina felt her palms starting to get clammy as she and Violet got out of their Uber. She looked nervously up at the house in front of them, trimmed with festive bright white icicle lights that twinkled in the dark. Normally, she’d be all about a Christmas party with their friends. But the circumstances were a bit different tonight.

Violet gave her a curious look. “Why would it be weird?” she asked; and then she answered her own question as she shut the rear passenger-side door of the car. “Because we don’t work for WWE anymore?”

Katrina just nodded, the fluffy white ball on the end of her Santa hat bobbing with the motion. Violet frowned.

“It won’t be weird. They might not be our coworkers anymore, but they’re still our friends,” she reasoned. “Besides, it’s a blended party, anyway. You know Britt and Adam invited AEW people, too.”

Katrina rolled her eyes when she said that. “Don’t remind me,” she groused and started up the driveway. Violet followed, a cheeky grin on her lips.

“When are you gonna stop pretending you don’t have the hots for Matt Jackson?”

“I do not have the hots for Matt Jackson,” Katrina returned with a look over her shoulder.

“He thinks you’re hot.”

“What? No, he doesn’t.”

“Yes, he does. He told me so.”

Katrina scoffed. “When? Before you sucked his dick back in Japan?”

“Actually, yeah,” Violet bluntly returned. It made Katrina stop and blink dumbly at her as they arrived on the doorstep. She smirked. “And I did way more than just suck his dick.”

The front door abruptly opened. Britt Baker and Candice Larae beamed out at them, drinks in both their hands, red sequined reindeer antlers atop Britt’s head and a green Christmas elf hat on Candice’s. The sound of Christmas music floated out from the house.

“Finally, more girls!” Britt proclaimed. “It’s a sausage fest in here.”

Violet snorted a laugh while Katrina bit back a smirk. That was an ironic turn of phrase, given what they’d just been discussing. Thankfully, Britt didn’t question what was so funny.

“You two look festive,” Candice complimented. She smirked at Violet’s black and red checkered flannel. “You and Page are twins.”

Violet gave her a surprised look. “Paige is here?”

“Wrong Paige,” Britt returned. But she didn’t clarify before she motioned for them to come inside. They all exchanged hugs and proper hellos, and then Britt took their jackets and the bottle of wine they’d brought and told them to help themselves to the drinks and food in the kitchen. They’d arrived fashionably late—which was, as usual, Katrina’s fault—and the party was already well underway. She’d barely taken two steps toward the kitchen when someone called out to her.

“Kat!”

Katrina halted. There was only one insufferable person who dared to call her that. “Matthew,” she gritted.

“Long time, no see.”

He pulled her into a hug. She reluctantly lifted one arm and patted him stiffly on the back. “Yeah, I wish it was longer.”

“That’s what she said.”

She gave him a cruel smirk as he stepped back. “I bet you’re used to hearing that.”

“I’m actually not,” he returned. “And I’d be more than happy to prove it to y—”

“Hey, stranger,” Violet interrupted at the perfect moment. She wrapped her arms around Matt’s middle and gave him a much warmer hug than Katrina had. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I was just catching up with my best friend Kat, here,” he grinned. Katrina rolled her eyes.

“I’m too sober for this.”

She started toward the kitchen again—but Matt caught her wrist. “Wait. There’s someone I want both of you to meet.”

His hand dropped from her, and he motioned with his head for them to follow. Katrina exchanged a look with Violet, but she just shrugged and walked after him; Katrina expelled a sigh and did the same. He led them into the great room where most everyone had gathered. Matt’s younger brother Nick stood with Adam Cole and a tall, blonde man dressed in a black and red checkered flannel nearly identical to Violet’s. Katrina knew who he was, but she didn’t know him. She presumed he was who Matt wanted them to meet.

“Hey, guys!” Nick proclaimed when he saw them. He exchanged hugs with them both, as did Cole, and then the awkward pre-introduction anticipation set in. Thankfully, it didn’t last long.

“Violet and Katrina, it’s about time you met Adam Page,” Matt said. “Adam, meet Violet and Katrina.”

Adam nodded and tipped his beer toward them. “Hey, it’s nice to finally meet y’all. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Violet smirked up at him. There was a glimmer in her eye that Katrina recognized all too well. She wanted to climb him like a tree. “Only terrible things, I’m sure.”

He smiled a handsome smile. “Well, you’re both from Virginia, right? So you can’t be too terrible. Plus, you clearly have impeccable fashion sense.”

He glanced down at her matching flannel. Katrina watched as Violet fidgeted. Yup, she wanted to fuck him.

“I heard y’all had a pretty intense rivalry with Matt and Nick back in the day,” he added with a glance at Katrina. She grinned.

“Oh yeah, we totally whooped their asses.”

“No, you didn’t,” Matt countered.

“Did too.”

“Yes, we did,” Violet added.

Nick’s eyebrows arched. “Are you shitting me?”

“It sounds to me like this rivalry isn’t settled,” Cole grinned. “Maybe it should be revisited. Your non-competes are up soon, aren’t they?”

Katrina nodded. “Yeah. But as if the TNT execs would let an intergender match happen.”

“You never know,” Nick shrugged. “And even if we can’t make it happen, I’ve already told you that Kenny wants you two in AEW.”

Katrina’s stomach did a little flip. But then Matt’s voice cut into her thoughts like nails on a chalkboard.

“Seriously, let us know when your non-competes are up. I know you’re dying to wrestle me again, Kat.”

He fixed her with that shit-eating grin she’d come to know so well. Her eyes narrowed. “Again, I’m too sober for this.” She looked back at Adam. “It was nice meeting you, but I need a drink.”

He nodded. “Yeah, we’ll get along just fine.”

She gave him a smile and turned to head toward the kitchen. Violet called for her to get her a drink, too, and when Katrina turned to tell her alright, she saw that Matt was following her. She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

“Come on, I was just joking,” he said.

“That doesn’t make it any less weird,” she returned.

“What? What’s weird?”

“Are you serious?” she shot him a look as she grabbed two cups. “You don’t think it’s weird that you flirt with me right in front of my best friend who you’ve fucked?” She ladled out mulled wine from the crockpot on the counter into the cups. When Matt didn’t say anything, she glanced expectantly him.

“Not really,” he offered. “Vi doesn’t care.”

“Well, I care!” she proclaimed. “It’s weird, and you’re not cute, so.” She left it at that and grabbed the drinks to march back into the great room, nearly smacking Matt in the face with her Santa hat as she whirled around, a period on their conversation.

But Matt couldn’t leave it at that, because of course he couldn’t. “Come on, I know you don’t hate me as much as you act like you do.”

“Pretty close. You’re literally the most annoying person on planet Earth.”

He laughed. “Oh, literally? Okay, so you’ve met every single person on planet Earth, then? All seven billion of them?”

She stopped and turned to face him again. “You’re literally the most annoying person I’ve met, then. Far and away.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’ve met Nick.”

“Whoa!” Nick proclaimed, suddenly appearing before them. “I am not the annoying one.”

“Yes, you are,” Katrina and Matt simultaneously returned. Matt smirked at her; she scowled at him.

“You’re both equally as annoying as the other,” she clarified.

Matt’s grin widened until he looked like the Cheshire cat. “Well then I’m not the most annoying person you’ve met, am I, Kat?”

Katrina growled in her throat. If there was anything she hated, it was when Matthew fucking Jackson got one up on her. But before she could think of a scathing comeback, Nick cleared his throat.

“Uh, guys. Look up.”

They both glanced at Nick, curious, and then they both looked up. Katrina froze. Hanging from the lintel above them was a small bunch of mistletoe, tied up in a neat red velvet bow—and they were standing right underneath it. 

She reeled back. “Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on.”

“You two have to kiss now,” Nick said. “Them’s the rules.”

Katrina snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, not happening.”

“Why not?” Nick asked.

Her eyebrows arched high onto her forehead. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he returned. “If you ask me, I think it’s pretty obvious that you two have some pent-up sexual aggression you need to release.”

Katrina’s mouth dropped. One, that was ridiculous. And two, it gave her the willies just thinking about kissing Matt. He’d hooked up with her best friend! Multiple times! She stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and shuddered. It was weird.

She looked back at Nick, eyes narrow. “Well it’s a good thing no one asked you, then,” she bit, and she stalked away from them, ridding herself of the disgusting thought of kissing Matthew Jackson.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thankfully, Violet had been right: the party wasn’t nearly as weird as Katrina had worried it would be. She was happy to see all their friends, and most of them seemed excited at the prospect of her and Violet going to All Elite Wrestling once they could. Which was funny, because they hadn’t really discussed what was next for them. Impact had reached out, as well, and they had women’s tag team championships, and Katrina wouldn’t be opposed to going back to Japan. However, judging by the way Violet had been making bedroom eyes at Page all night, it seemed like he’d already been added to her list of pros for going to AEW. That was fine with Katrina—anything to get Vi away from that Carolina Bastard she’d been hooking up with.

She got what she could of what was left of the mulled wine and decided to step out into the Florida room for a little privacy. Truth be told, she was buzzed and thinking about texting someone, half for advice on going to AEW and half for other reasons; but as she pulled out her phone, the sliding glass door opened behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and let out a groan.

“What?”

Matt stuck his hands into his hoodie. “Jeez, I can’t come see why you’re out here all by yourself?”

She scoffed. “It didn’t occur to you I wanted to be by myself?”

He pursed his lips. “I know you pretty well, Katrina. You’re a social drunk.”

She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that he hadn’t used the nickname she loathed for once. “Page and Vi seem to be hitting it off.”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, gauging his reaction. As long ago as their Japanese fling had been, she had a feeling Matt still had a little crush on Violet. But if he was jealous at all, he didn’t give it away.

“I expected them to.”

Her eyes widened. “Like that?”

His brow furrowed. “What, you think I’m jealous?”

She smirked and looked back at her phone. “You said it, not me.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Really? Because I think you have a little crush on her.”

“Why am I out here, then?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, because you’re chickenshit and you know that Page is way hotter than you.”

He gave her a flat look. She let out a laugh and brought her drink to her lips. But it died in her throat at what he said next.

“You know, maybe Nick’s right.”

She lowered her drink to look back at him in shock. He couldn’t be saying what it sounded like he was saying. Could he? “What?”

He moved closer. “Maybe Nick’s right about what he said earlier, when we were under the mistletoe. Would kissing me really be the worst thing in the world?”

Katrina’s nose crinkled as she pushed her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. A smart-ass comment sat at the ready on the tip of her tongue; but, before she could fire it off, Matt was right in front of her. Close. Close enough for her to feel his body heat in the chilly winter air.

“Because, for the record, I don’t think kissing you would be the worst thing in the world.”

His eyes lowered to her lips. She felt her pulse quicken. Matt had never looked at her like that before. It made her feel… something other than aggravation toward him, for once. She blamed the mulled wine. But then he raised his gaze to meet hers, and her senses returned to her.

“You’re full of shit,” she dismissed.

He smirked, crooked and cocky as ever. “Oh, am I?”

“Yeah, you ar—”

He bent forward and caught her lips in his, cutting her off. Katrina made a noise of surprise into his mouth; but she didn’t pull away or stop him, and for a second he just stayed like that, his lips pressed to hers, unsure what to do next, as if he was just as surprised as she was that he’d actually kissed her. But then, slowly, he started to move his mouth against hers. His lips were soft, juxtaposed with the scratchy stubble on his chin. His hands found her waist. Her hand that didn’t hold her drink lifted to slide tentatively up his chest to his neck. He deepened the kiss, gently, testing if she’d let him in. She did. He tightened his hold on her, drawing her body against his. And then, unexpectedly, a breathy, muffled moan escaped her.

Katrina pushed him away like his lips had shocked her. She had not made that noise. Matthew fucking Jackson had not made her make that noise.

His grin was cockier than ever. “What, enjoying it a little too much?”

“It was the wine.” She pushed past him back toward the house, a scowl on her lips and a blush on her cheeks.

“Uh huh,” he smirked after her. “Sure it was.”

She glared at him over her shoulder. “This never happened,” she said, and as she ripped open the door and went back inside, she decided that kissing Matt was the worst thing in the world. Because she knew he was never going to let her live it down.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Eugene/Beth Entanglement, Part 3 - “West” Symbolism

Okay, one thing we’ve noticed is that there are a lot of west, western, and going west references around Eugene.

Western/Native American Symbols

I’ve already talked about Eugene showing up with a deer draped over his neck in 9x06, right? This is also one of the first true signs of Eugene and a western connection. We've known that he has been growing his hair since season 4 but now it is quite long, and he always wears it braided with beads and jewelry that gives a Native American flavor.

Remember, there were quite a few Native American items, including rugs, dreamcatcher, and pictures in the cabin that the Governor went to in 4b (when he was a major Beth proxy).

There’s at least one major Native American symbol around Beth. It’s one of two magazines along with the blue backpack and a pack of playing cards from Coda. One magazine emphasizes the number 44 (comic number Andrea was shot in; Coda is the episode Beth was shot in; let’s not forget that Andrea survived and returned to TF later). 

The other magazine shows a female musical artist with eyes dark, feathers in her hair and a wolf tattoo on her arm. Father Gabriel noticed these items early in the episode, and Morgan passes them in the after-the-credits sequence.

So, let’s consider this entire sequence. The magazine suggests Native American + wolf symbolism. We see it near Father Gabriel (current Sirius character) and Morgan. Eight episodes later, in 5x16, Morgan has a conversation with Creepy Wolf Dude, where CWD tells Morgan a story about how the Native Americans who used to live in that area believed humans came from wolves.

Of course a few episodes later, in 6x02, we have the wolf attack on Alexandria, where they come face to face again. And by 6x08/09, we’re neck deep in a sequence that is clearly a foreshadow of Beth, the CRM war, and the spinoff.

And in 9x06, we see similar symbolism around Eugene. So clearly, he’s mixed up in this well and good.

I could go into colors as well. At various times we’ve seen him with black and white beads or feathers, and a myriad of other color combinations we’ve connected to Beth. Go back and rewatch episodes with him yourself if you want details.

More western symbolism around Beth include her turquoise looking bracelets. 

"Western” dialogue from Eugene

I was re-watching s9e6 Who Are You Now, he and Rosita and go to install a radio antenna for FG hoping to find other (good) people. Rosita and Eugene come across what looks like footprints of a good size walker herd. Rosita says, “tracts are fresh, maybe hundreds headed east.”

Eugene pointing says, “Luckily for us, west is where the deed gets done.” Eugene indicates that the direction they're traveling is west, and he's pointing at 2 (Beth) white (Beth) water towers (Beth), framed between 2 trees (Trunk Theories).

That connection alone tells me West = Beth.

In the same episode, we see Judith reading a math problem to Negan. “Airplane A and airplane B are 1000 miles apart. If airplane A is going EAST at 500 miles pre hour and airplane B is flying WEST at 650 miles per hour, how—” Negan interrupts her. So we have a combination of both the A/B and the East/West theme.

These aren’t by far the only A/B or East/West references. There are TONS of them. There were even a few I thought of but didn’t know which episodes they were in and didn’t want to spend time looking. But trust me, there are lots.

States, including Texas and New Mexico

In s9e1, A New Beginning, Tara rides on a horse, talking to Eugene on a walkie talkie. The sign that has the Route A. Highway 23 runs to Ohio. Just to note Toledo is in Ohio.

The other sign, U.S. Route 60 is an East-West U.S. highway that leads from Virginia all the way across the country, heading west through New Mexico. 

Okay, couple of things to unpack here. I’m going to talk more about Texas, specifically Dallas, where Eugene is concerned in a just minute. But we already  know the New Mexico symbolism is tied up with Daryl and Carol leaving, which will be at the end of S11/beginning of the spinoff. And obviously, New Mexico is a western state, and very far west of where they are right now in D.C.

So, in my mind, New Mexico = West = Beth.

Having it alluded to in the background while Tara talks to Eugene just entangles him in the western/New Mexico symbolism even more.

Let’s talk Texas. Specifically, Dallas.

In s10e6 Bond, Eugene has his first radio contact with Stephanie.

Stephanie: “Where are you from?”

Eugene: “Long star child at heart. I was born in the shadow of Big D. That's a well-worn nickname for Dallas, Texas.” A star reference along with a Texas one.

And if you remember, back in 5x05, we see a flashback of Abraham and Eugene’s first meeting. It doesn’t show that it happened specifically in Dallas, but it definitely happened in Texas.

However, we do know that a different meeting happened in Dallas. In 5x09, Crossed (yes the episode RIGHT before Beth was shot) Rosita tells Glenn and Tara that she met Abraham in Dallas.

She says, “We crossed paths in Dallas. Me and my group were fighting off some dead ones and he [Abraham] jumped in and out of nowhere with that big truck, rest in peace. He had Eugene in the cab and afterwards he told me he was trying to save the world and that he saw what I could do, and he wanted my help.”

There are SO many ways I could go with this. But the point is, the Dallas symbolism is everywhere around Eugene and I think this purports some kind of major meetup in Dallas.

In 5x11, The Distance, we saw a Dallas license plate. It wasn’t specifically around Eugene (he was there, but so was the rest of TF) but there was a white water tower involved, along with a “route 23″ which we also see on the highway sign above Tara. (To read more of my thoughts on the route 23 symbols, read THIS.)

There was also a Dallas reference in s6e4, Here's Not Here.

Morgan and Eastman sit at a table full of Beth symbolism having a conversation.

Eastman: “I was evaluating a man named Crighton Dallas Wilton. With a name like that sounds like he should own an oil company. A big hat, Crighton Dallas Wilton.” Anyone who ever watched the old program Dallas would immediately think of JR Ewing who was an oil tycoon that wore a big hat. Famously, they did a cliffhanger (Who shot J.R!?!) and no one knew whether he would live or die. (He lived; just saying.)

But think about this. Once again we have the symbolism (Dallas = west, west = Beth) entangled with both Eugene (bc Dallas) and also Morgan.

In the current timeline of Fear, Morgan and his group are actually IN TEXAS, and the group they’re currently entangled with (the current baddies on the show) are based out of Dallas.

So what does all of this mean? I’m going to give you a foreshadowing post tomorrow (or Thursday; *knock on wood*) about where we think this is going and what all these symbols are pointing to. For now, just notice how often they show up together. And how prevalent they’ve been in past seasons, even if we weren’t consciously noticing them.

Dog Symbolism

I’m REALLY not going to go in all these references, either, but Eugene has a fair number of both Serious/Sirius references and just general dog references. I found two, but i know there are at least a dozen over the years.

5x11: The Distance.

Tara: Are you serious?

Eugene: Serious as two copulating dogs.

(Yes, Eugene is talking about dog sex.)

More recently, 10x03:

Michonne: How long until the next wave [of walkers] gets here?

He tells her, then says, “Northern wave’s thicker than fleas on a farm dog.” 

You get the idea.

So, once again, this is all just to show how deeply Eugene is entangled with Beth’s symbolism. And of course we have to throw Morgan in there as well. 

So, is this the end of the Beth/Eguene entanglement?

Mmmm...nope. I got more. Stay tuned.  😉

[gothamsglam]

How Wonder-land-a-ful!

Transferring to SHIELD high did many things for Tony, one of them was reuniting him with James Rhodes. Just not how he wanted to.

Ever After High/Marvel Fusion. Ironhusbands, of course. (You don't have to know much about Ever After High to read this, think just some fairy tale AU and you'll be fine!)

AO3 LINK IN NOTES

I wanted to churn out one more story for the end of 2020, I thought something more silly would be a great way to end this uh year.

This idea has stuck with me for a while, and I finally wrote it.

Hope you enjoy!!!

~Vix

SHIELD High was so bland . Yes, it was grand of course, structured like the classically large fairy-tale castles of Ever After. The hallways were marble with lockers and vines lining the walls and trees and plants growing willy nilly around the school. Chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, and large arched windows showed off the beauty of the lands around them. In the distance, Tony swears he can see Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

But SHIELD high was just bland in comparison to home. To Wonderland . Not even the personalized dorms could make up for the fact that school was all year long— ew , who made that rule—instead of one day a year. Tony missed the nonsensical beauty of SI High, where the hallways ran instead of you, where you had to find the paintbrushes in passing period to paint the doors—free art credits!—, and the cafeteria that was switched with the auditorium.

But the castle-teria at SHIELD was just a long hall with rows and rows of marvel benches, pillars in the corners to honor the greek storylines and pay tribute to the last generation of Fairytale legends.

It was so boring. And just looking at it made Tony want to *poof* right there and then.

“Hi Tony,” Steve Rogers asked, coming behind him in the castle-teria, “Need a place to sit?”

Oh and this, this was another thing Tony wasn’t fond of. Transferring to SHIELD high meant he actually was walking among the children of fairy tale legend.  Disgusting.

Father was too fond of them, far too fond of them. Back when Wonderland and Ever After had many open portals between one another—back before the curse on Wonderland by the Evil Queen of the HYDRA family. Howard was an ambassador , the git.

Howard didn’t get the White Rabbit legacy as Tony did, no, Uncle Jarvis had. Howard was a part of the Wakandan court, one of many peace ambassadors to the other royal families, particularly the ones in Ever After. Oh, the tales Tony was told as a young bunny, of the Rogers Family’s legacy brought forth by the apple, of the Red Hooded Romanoffs, and the Rose pricked Wilsons.

Tony was glad he didn’t have to walk among them at SI High, he was content to only have to see them in the crowd at Legacy day. Tony was actually really excited for Legacy day, his own legacy wasn’t following his father, but rather his mother and Uncle Jarvis. Signing his page in the Storybook of Legends was a milestone Tony didn’t mind looking forward to.

However Tony also understood why James Barnes, heir to the Evil Queen, wouldn’t want to sign. To each their own, he supposes.

But ugh, SHIELD high had too many Princes, he hated it.

His nose twitching, Tony ducked away from Rogers—who was bigger, blonder, and oh the clocks was that a red crown on his stupid head? “Thanks, but no thanks, golden boy. I’ll just—uh—”

He looked out at the rows and rows of tables, at the heads of up-dos and flower pins, and the sea of gelled down curls and impeccable sleeves. Seriously how does no one have a stain on their shirt? It’s mud-loaf day!

There! Out in the crowd, a hand popped out waving him over, Tony grinned, popping up a bit and rushing away from the other guy, “See ya, Rogers!”

“Bye…?”

Resisting the urge to stick out his tongue, Tony padded away with swift steps, the click of his shoes drowned out by the noise of the castle-teria. Reaching the table in the back, he grinned at the sight of familiar friends.

He wasn’t the only one apart of the exchange program of course, in fact, he was the second wave of students, prepared by letters sent by the other students. Tony had his own assigned group of the next exchange student. A lovely little trio of kids. Peter would not stop asking about the royal classes offered at SHIELD and MJ was more interesting in the classes offered by Maria Hill. Tony wouldn’t know, of course, he switched out of those classes the second day after running into pig shit mid-chase. For a house on chicken legs, it was surprisingly very fast.

Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts was donned in swirls of light peach and blue with subtle armor around her waist and shoulders. Her hair was curled, pinned away from her face in a half updo, with the rest falling around her and nearly touching the table as she leaned in to pat the now empty spot across from her.

“Tony!” She exclaimed, freckles dancing across her face as she broke out into a smile, “got lost?” She teased.

Tony blew a raspberry, “Pssht, no, How could I get lost here? Wonderland was more interesting, this place is just boring,” he waved, twirling his fork in his food.

T’challa laughed, the matte gold detailing on his black jacket catching the light beans from the windows, it covered his purple and black card-like patterned dress shirt “That’s what you think, Stark. But with everything looking the same, you’ll pass by the same five classrooms over and over without noticing.”

Tony also laughed, “True. Remember, how—when you missed the upside-down sidewalk outside of bio-mechanics—you could end up in fishing class because of the fountain step? Every time the freshmen would come in dripping halfway through class.”

“Oh, does everyone still call them fish?” Sharon asked, pulling out Earl the dormouse from her empty teacup. He hopped up her shoulder to hide in her mini top hat. Her suit jacket was draped over her shoulders—rather than it being on the bench—and her cream shirt had mini hats detailed, blending in with the folds as it was only a few shades darker.

“Classically,” Tony replied with a wink. They turned back to their conversations, gossiping about their peers such as Maximoff—from Cinderella’s line—who was enamored with Vision—from the hunter’s line. Scandalous.

Tony halfheartedly listened to the discussion but was really on the verge of nodding off. His roommate—Justin Hammer, stupid son of the Cheshire cat—kept playing pranks on him and ruining his things with paint bombs. He almost got a fairy fail in physics because his latest essay had swamp goop over it! He had to stay up rewriting it, which wouldn’t be a problem normally but he had stayed up trying to make weld a new type of gear for his pet project.

Tony must have dozed off for a bit, because when he blinked open his eyes, he was resting on his elbows, folded under some familiar fabric. Blinking blearily at the side of his tray, Tony sat up. Well, that’s embarrassing, so much for his reputation. Pushing a hand through his hair, he avoided glancing around and instead went to look at his lap and pull out his pocket watch. However, someone else reached out to poke his side, resulting in a leap and an ‘eep!’.

“Hey there, sleeping beauty!” Rhodey smirked at him, “I think you and Wilson were supposed to have each other’s destinies. That was some impression you were doing.”

Damn him, Damn it all. Of course , Tony would fall asleep right then and there, drooling over his arms in front of James Rhodes . Of course the first time he’d see the precious son of the Alice bloodline—after literal years in different worlds—would be when he’s conked out in front of his dripping mashed potato tray in the flipping Greek castle-teria. Unbelievable, Tony.

And Rhodes— Rhodey —has the literal audacity to sit there with a playful smirk on his face. Sit there in his v-neck— v-neck!!! —map patterned shirt that should make him look like a dork but he doesn’t , and a necklace that dips over his collarbone —and oh stars —his hair .

Tony really should say something, “Uh—Hi, honey bear?” His voice cracks, because of course, it does.

“Hi, Tones,” Rhodey replies with a smile, and it’s dazzling . Tony just might scream.

Everything is muted, he couldn’t tell you if Pepper and Sharon were still talking, if T’challa had left the table or if lunch was even over. It feels like, for a brief moment, there’s only Rhodey.

Rhodey, who’s turning around to address someone else. Tony also looks away, trying to keep his ears from burning up and turning red.

“Tony, were you drawing in your mash potatoes?” Rhodey looks over, pressing slightly against Tony to peer over at his tray.

Which prompts Tony to dart out and pull the tray towards him with a, “Nooooo?”

Rhodes looks back at him, raising an eyebrow, “Really?”

“Maybe~?”

That prompted a laugh out of him, gaining the attention of Pepper sitting a bit away from them. “Oh, Tony’s still doing that? I thought that was only a Wonderland thing.”

“Hey!” Tony wrinkled his nose and glared at her, silently grateful at the fact that pulled him out of mentally gaping like a fish at his best friend—are they even best friends anymore? Rhodey probably has like a billion of them at SHIELD. “I can do it anywhere. It’s called art.”

“You wouldn’t know art if it slapped you in the face.”

Tony opened his mouth, literally about to say, ‘I mean if Rhodey slapped me in the face I would say he’s art.’ before he’s stopped by the one jellybean of a brain cell in the back of his mind.

Well that and Rhodey’s “If anyone can bring wonder with them to SHIELD, it would be Tony.”

Which, oKAY , Tony needs to stop exploding inwardly and actually say something, “Um, speaking of wonder, does anyone know anything about that one well myth?”

“The well of wonder?” Sharon asked, polling her hand from her mouth where she was probably stifling giggles, which rude, ok.

T’challa also answered, “I believe I might be of help. Why are you asking Tony?”

Tony darted a look at Rhodey—he can’t see his face because he’s looking at T’challa, but he swears that under the table his fist clenches. Weird—before looking at T’challa, “It’s a surprise,” He winked.

And it was! But for Rhodey. He was supposed to have it done pre-meeting him at lunch, but thanks to Hammer he missed his mental deadlines. It wasn’t like he had sought out Natasha Romanoff beforehand to ask about James’ schedule so he could know when they had lunch together or anything, absolutely not.

See—back when in Wonderland—, Tony and Rhodey would galavant about, exploring the lands and falling down many rabbit holes, quite literally. Tony remembers how in his workshop, Rhodey would always love seeing Tony design the swords and spears for the Wonderland card-guards—the Dora Milaje. However what Tony specialized in was watch-making, specifically enchanted watches. Watches with personality, with faces that weren’t just hands and numbers or mini mirror-pods, but near people like. Pixel-faires born of Tony’s creation. DUM-E was his first.

‘You’ was meant for Rhodey, he’d been making them ever since he heard he was chosen for the second era of exchange students. It really shouldn’t have taken so long, but without the wonder of Wonderland and his workshop, it was harder.

So when he heard about the well of wonder, the last remain flow between the two worlds, he knew he had to find it. Too bad it disappeared every night, popping up all over Ever After.

“It would be best to go with someone Tony,” Sharon said, “The well likes to frequent the forest.”

“I could go with you!” Rhodey exclaimed, well not exclaimed, that was just Tony projecting. Mostly... Maybe? No, probably.

“Really?” Tony asked, “You don’t—?”

“It’s my free period anyway," Rhodey shrugged, “Besides you’re already using my jacket, so now you can wear it in the forest too!”

“I—” Tony looks back at the table, and oh.

Oh , that’s what he was sleeping on.

T’challa mentioned stopping by their—his and Rhodey’s—dorm so they can get directions. There’s more regaling of the well, and mentions of seeing Bruce Banner and Thor frequenting the area, which ooo? But all Tony really remembers is seeing Rhodey reaching over, draping his jacket over Tony’s shoulder.

“It’s a date,” Rhodey grinned with a dazzling smile.

~FIN~

So do you like who is who? I didn't recast everyone, but I might continue this AU so maybe I will later down the line! Please let me know what you think in the comments and leave a kudo too! Love you all!!!

[kittykittycatnip]

RUBS MY LITTLE EVIL HANDS TOGETHER

daisy you already know them and have literally drawn them before but w/e

GABE’S OCS: CLUTTERED HELLFUCK EDITION

RICHARD - 44 - WHITE-TAILED DEER - HE/HIM

Ricky is a kind soul- he's never hurt a living creature on purpose, and he rarely gets angry. He's a family man at heart, and cares deeply about his wife and children. He prefers to stay in quiet places, and can more often than not found nestled in a good book. He loves to read and tends to dress repetitively, all of his clothes being the same patterns. He's very anxious and tends to be a bit shaky, and has bad handwriting (then again he does have hooves).

YES that is the only picture of rodeo i have

RODEO - 20 - VIRGINIA OPOSSUM - HE/HIM 

Rodeo is a wild guy. He is extremely erratic, sometimes bordering on chaotic and unpredictable. He's unhealthy and tends to eat a lot of junk food- literally. He eats other peoples' garbage. He can come off as a bit rude and uncaring, mainly because it's true- there's very little you can say to interest him. He's a party animal and loves to scream. He's never been seen without his trademark sunglasses, even indoors and at night.

these were my main two oc’s original bios but theyre a bit outdated (especially rodeo’s) SO ill add notes for the incorrect stuff

Ricky is a kind soul- he's never hurt a living creature on purpose [INCORRECT, he has attacked things in self defense]

, and he rarely gets angry. [kind of correct? he doesn’t show it and bottles it up but he actually does feel rage! sometimes.]

 He's a family man at heart, and cares deeply about his wife and children. He prefers to stay in quiet places, and can more often than not found nestled in a good book. He loves to read and tends to dress repetitively, all of his clothes being the same patterns. He's very anxious and tends to be a bit shaky, and has bad handwriting (then again he does have hooves).  [this all still holds up he’s a soft boy]

Rodeo is a wild guy. He is extremely erratic, sometimes bordering on chaotic and unpredictable. He's unhealthy and tends to eat a lot of junk food- literally. He eats other peoples' garbage. He can come off as a bit rude and uncaring,

 mainly because it's true- [hes a fucking gremlin but he aint a jerk]

 there's very little you can say to interest him. He's a party animal and loves to scream. He's never been seen without his trademark sunglasses, even indoors and at night. [this also holds up]

aside from those, that’s very very VERY little of their actual character traits!

ricky and rodeo are also both based on two skulls i actually have!! since theyre Fwiends i have rodeo sitting on top of ricky

some fun facts and trivia: -ricky’s family is mentioned but i have no idea what they look like and they don’t have names -ricky hates being called dick. he finds it annoying and obscene please be nice to him -rodeo’s real name is also ricky. rodeo’s his lifelong nickname and people just accept that’s what he was born with at this point (the reasoning for this is at the end of the post) -rodeo has those super beady opossum eyes and that’s why he wears sunglasses all the time, he’s self-conscious! -rodeo is a kleptomaniac. his fellow criminal buddy socks is too, sometimes they meet up and show all the cool things they’ve snatched from people’s pockets -rodeo always wearing sunglasses is also kind of projection! i wear a hat 24/7 and don’t take it off around other people, it helps with my dysphoria -rodeo is gay as FUCK and aromantic. ricky is cishet and probably neurotypical but he’s trying his best and im so happy for him -i’m so bad at drawing antlers that i usually draw ricky without them. i blame it on “oh deer shed their antlers every year!!! dont call me out” it only works a quarter of the time -as all my ocs from this universe are based on skulls i own, there are obviously gonna be a few that are banged up, broken or even shattered into fragments sometimes: -rodeo lost one of his closest friends (another criminal buddy) in a car wreck. this mirrors how the raccoon skull i was about to get was from a roadkill victim. it was broken and i wasn’t able to get it unfortunately. its name was bandit :[ -rodeo has ptsd as a result of the loss and blames himself for bandit’s death. he hates himself but he’d never admit it, he covers it up with fake pride -ricky really doesn’t like being involved with lawbreakers like rodeo, and would really prefer he just leave him alone. rodeo originally just did stuff to bother him, but now they kinda consider each other friends of sorts -the skull ricky is based on is from a doe, not a buck! this is another reason he usually is drawn without antlers -i have no idea what rodeo’s sex was when he was alive -my brother gave me ricky, and originally thought he was a dog skull. now that i know what those look like i can see how obnoxiously wrong he was. he was originally a badass biker wolf with rodeo’s personality more or less -after realizing he was a deer, his design was changed to match that; his new name was sputnik, a deer with the colors of the bisexual flag -sputnik is still technically an oc i guess, but his colors were lightened big time when he was basically converted into ricky -sputnik’s personality was very similar to ricky’s though with much MUCH less development. he was more of a hippie -rodeo was my first skull ever and after realizing opossums are also badass bikers, just more like rats, i projected ricky’s original personality onto him and it’s stuck ever since! -since ricky was rodeo’s original name, i kinda just tacked that on as being his real name -sputnik doesn’t --- wait hold the FUCK UP i can ditch ron gta 5 deer skull edition in favor of an actual oc NICE -socks doesnt even have a real name theyre just named socks BDGHJBFGJ -this is rodeo in real life! -and here’s ricky in real life!

okay holy FUCK that got long. oops!! ahh rant over

[mjtheterrible]

Back in the day Charlie Sheen had a catch phrase he used to say a lot when things were going his way. He would say "Winning!"

This past week was incredible! 

A side project business partnership a handful of my highly skilled white hat hacker friends and I started years ago signed a huge deal with Homeland Security this week, and other than the fact that we have to change the name of the company, because apparently having the word death in your company's name can be a drawback in certain situations, this deal was/is a game changer! 

After the deal was signed, my wife did what she does, and organized our world so that when we need to be in Virginia to fulfill this new massive contract, we will have a place to live.

Malia said she felt like a drug dealer sneaking around trying to buy a house, when everyone is supposed to stay inside due to the Corona Virus.

My wife, when she wants me to do something, she knows I won't want to do has a special way of convincing me to do it anyway. 

The house she wanted to buy was owned by someone that at one point in my life, made a decision that was so extremely destructive to my life, I still remember it like it was yesterday. 

When this person told me they had made the decision to reverse the previous Secretary's decision, I made the decision to rearrange his office right then and there, in a not so peaceful way, which led to being escorted out of his office by security personnel.

I am not a violent person. Everyone who knows me will tell you that I am a peaceful fun-loving guy. 

That said, in this particular secretaries office, let's just call it for this example, the Secretary of Defense's Office, his decision was so destructive to my life, that I made the decision on the spot to show him how I felt by reorganizing his office. I ripped pictures and awards off his walls, pushed everything on his desk onto the floor, etc.

It is one of those extremely rare times in my life where I lost it. Looking back at the situation, I don't think the more mature me now would have done that, but I still think he deserves it for what he did. 

And, he did it in such a condescending, I am better than you, I don't care about you or your life, you are nothing manner, that I think he deserved what I did, even though I shouldn't have done it.

I have heard that the nickname I used at the time to describe him ("Ashhole"), people still use to this day.

Malia knew I would never agree to buy Ashhole’s house, if I knew it was his house. 

To convince me to agree to buy the house before dropping the bomb on me that it was his, she showed me the house, talked about how it was everything that we wanted, etc. She even had a quickie with me in the bathroom, which is one of our things in this kind of situation. 

At this point, I agreed we should buy the house. Malia told me that before we officially signed the papers, she wanted to have dinner with the current owner of the home. 

When we pulled up in the driveway for dinner, Malia said- "Baby, please don't get angry when you see who the current owner of the house is. We are having tonight’s dinner for you. Please baby."

When we walked through the front door, there he was. Ashhole himself was standing right there. I could feel my heart racing immediately! Malia was standing next to me. She moved to where she was standing in front of me. She pulled my head down and whispered in my ear- "You wanted revenge on Ashhole for a long time. Now you have the chance to buy his ass! He brought you the baseball bat from his office. The one he heard you wished you would have grabbed first when you were destroying his office, because you could have used it to bust up his office more. He wants you to have it as a peace offering. I love you. I want this house, but I couldn't buy it unless you knew it was Ashhole's and you were okay with it." 

I whispered in her ear- "You called him Ashhole. You only ever called him by his real name before."

Then she whispered in my ear- "You are my other half. If he is Ashhole to you, he is Ashhole to me." 

I said out loud to Ashhole- "I had sex in your bathroom today." 

Malia pulled my head down and whispered in my ear- "That's the spirit baby, but don't take it too far because I want this house." 

Ashhole didn't say anything. He took a deep breath and asked me if I would join him in the sunroom. I said ok, and we walked back to the sunroom. 

Ashhole told me he brought me a gift. He told me he wanted to give me the autographed baseball bat that was in his office on the day I "acted like a maniac" in his office.

He told me we could go outside, and I could break it if I wanted to. I thought about it for minute. I opened the case and gripped the bat in my hand. Ashhole said- "That day, I wanted to tell you face to face. I thought you deserved that. In retrospect, I know I made the right decision. My decision hurt you. It helped a great number of people. I would make that same decision again today." 

I asked him why he didn't press charges against me for destroying his office. 

He said- "I knew the decision I made would negatively impact your life for years. Knowing that, I gave you a pass for destroying my office." 

I asked him if he would apologize to me for what his decision did to my life. 

He said- "Please read the letter." He pointed to an envelope next to the bat. 

I opened the letter and read it. It was 6 pages long. On page 4 I started tearing up. For a long time, I tried to figure out why Ashhole made the decision he did that day, but I was not able to. 

Ashhole's letter gave a detailed description of why he made the decision. Ashhole asked me not to let anyone else read the letter and he asked me not to tell anyone what the letter said. I agreed. 

I asked him why he didn't tell me about this on that day, because I wouldn't have tried to destroy his office.

He said- "You didn't have the clearance."

I asked him why he didn't try to run out of his office that day or try to hide behind something. 

He said- "I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I knew you were just angry. You wanted to let out your anger and frustration." 

I asked him if he would have done the same thing if he were me.

He said- "No, I would have gone straight for me and not stopped until security pulled me off." 

I said- "Are you saying I actually showed restraint?" 

He said- "Yes."

I asked him if I could put the letter in the time capsule, I am saving for my kids to have when they are older, and he said that would be fine. 

I asked him if he had any reservations about selling his house to me.

He said- "No." 

I asked him if he had anything else, he wanted to tell me or if he had anything else to say to me. 

He said- "Will you please stop calling me Ashhole? People still ask me if the rumor is true that "MJ The Terrible" went berserk in my office and called me Ashhole."

I smiled and so did he. It was a nice moment. It made me feel good to have closure about one of the darkest moments of my life. 

I asked him if he wanted to have dinner, and he said he would really like that. 

I walked over to open the door to the sunroom, and I see 5 armed guards standing outside the door. I looked back at Ashhole and he said- "I wasn't sure if you would let bygones be bygones." 

He told them they could all leave. I said- "You said you weren't afraid that I would hurt you that day in your office." 

He said- "I did say that. That is how I felt. I'm not sure why I felt the need to have security. I wanted to make sure peace was of the essence this evening."

I said- "I change my mind." I started to turn to walk towards the baseball bat. I was going to take it outside and break it, but then I saw Malia in the doorway behind where the security guards were standing with her hands on her pregnant belly. 

I walked slowly towards Malia. When I got to her, I put my arms around her and kissed her. Then I turned around facing the security guys and Ashhole. I said- "My name is Michael Johnson, and this is my wife Malia. If you want me to stop calling you Ashhole and let bygones be bygones, you need to stop thinking of me as "MJ The Terrible", and you need to let bygones be bygones as well."

Malia said- "You 2 are not ruining this. This is going to be our house! Security guys, leave! You 2, go to the dining room for dinner. Both of you are going to make peace tonight whether you like it or not." 

Then, the person who I will no longer be calling Ashhole, said- "Yes ma'am." I looked at Malia with almost disbelief. She said- "Go!" I walked towards the dinner room. 

That was the extent of the conflict. The rest of the evening was peaceful. We stayed a few hours and just talked after dinner. 

When we got back in the car to leave, Malia said- "If you don't want to buy the house I understand, but will you please at least think about it overnight before you tell me your decision?"

I told her that I had already made my decision. She looked down in disappointment. I said- "I love you. I signed the paperwork to buy the house before we came here today. You left the paperwork on the bed next to the mobile cribs. I saw who the owner was. I signed it because I love you. I want what you want, and if you want to buy this house, I want to buy this house."

I could see happy tears as she closed her eyes and smiled. I asked her if she thought I would sign the paperwork. She said- "I saw that you had signed the paperwork, and I knew you saw who the seller was."

I looked at her kind of surprised and said- "Why didn't you tell me that you knew?"

She said- "I wanted to make sure you were okay with it after seeing him." 

Then she said- "I know you love me and want to make me happy. I love you the same way, so I wanted to make sure you were okay with buying Ashhole's house." 

I kissed her and said- "Our house!" Malia fell asleep on me on the ride home. I carried her upstairs and put her in our bed. 

I sat there for a minute and looked at her. I thought about how lucky I felt to be married to her.

I kissed her forehead and went into our bathroom. 

Sometimes it takes the people we love forcing us to do something, to realize it is the right thing to do.

To the man who is no longer Ashhole, thank you for providing me with closure. Your baseball bat will sit in my office as a reminder that people can change. That not everything is always as it seems, and that peace can and should be made whenever possible. 

To Malia May Johnson, words can't express what you mean to me. Thank you for giving me a chance almost 9 years ago. I didn't deserve it, but you still gave it to me anyway. I will love you all of the days of my life!

Some days and weeks in our lives our easily forgotten, and some days in our lives will never be forgotten. 

This past week will be remembered! 

Sincerely,

Michael "MJ The Terrible" Johnson

[kinetic-elaboration]

Title: Since There’s No Place To Go

Author: kinetic-elaboration/elle_stone

Rating: G

Summary: West Virginia 2009. Clarke visits the Blakes and brings them a post-Christmas gift.

Prompt filled: Snow, Conversations Over Cocoa, Marshmallows, and sorta Scarf and Mittens if you’re being very generous

Length: ~2500 words

Tags/Warnings: Modern AU, Established Relationship, Winter, Fluff

Author’s Note: For @bellarkefanficfest ‘s Winter/Holiday round. Title is obviously from the song “Let It Snow.”

Read on AO3.

*

Past the blue bridge the road takes a sharp turn, curving left in a way that always makes Clarke’s stomach want to flip. This isn’t the first twist or bend in her morning’s journey, but it is the only one with a name—Jaha’s Curve, proclaims a tiny sign stuck in the dirt next to the shoulder—and when the road straightens out again, she knows she’s almost there. The mountains that have been guiding her along fall back, watching over her from a distance now and leaving a broad strip of flat land next to the road. The houses here are mostly square, one-story wooden structures, interspersed with converted trailers, the occasional free standing garage or wooden lean-to. The one that Clarke is watching for is painted white, with a small front porch decorated with red ribbons and a simple string of lights, and a wooden swing set structure off to the left. When she catches sight of it, she turns off the road and bumps into the driveway, parks her little two-door behind Bellamy’s truck, and gets out. There is a thin layer of snow on the ground. It crunches under her boots as she walks up to the door.

*

Bellamy wakes up to a quiet house. It’s so warm under the blankets piled up on his bed that he kicked off his thick woolen socks in his sleep; he finds the first shoved between the mattress and the baseboard and the other on the floor. Once they’re safely on his feet again, he shuffles into the kitchen, tripping himself up in the doorway when he yawns, wide enough to make his jaw pop, and rubs the sleep out of the corners of his eyes.

The kitchen’s not spotless but it’s not a mess either. There are a handful of dishes from last night still in the sink. But he ignores them. He stares out the window instead, at the backyard and the mountains rising up beyond it, watching over the small house, and everything covered in the remnant of last night’s snow. Everything utterly undisturbed. He smiles slowly and breaths in.

And when Octavia’s voice cuts through his thoughts, her voice calling “Bell! Bell! Bell, did you see the snow?” as her footsteps pound against the floor toward the kitchen, he just grins. He knew that was coming. His sister takes a wide turn through the doorway, hanging onto the edge of the doorway as her socks slip on the wood. She careens toward him, almost slips but she’s smiling too wide to notice, and he grabs her at the last moment and pretends to be annoyed.

“Hold on a second there, speedy,” he says, and swings her around and into one of the kitchen chairs.

O is undeterred. She kicks at the chair legs and asks, “Can we go out?”

“After breakfast,” he answers. “The snow will still be there after you eat. I promise.”

*

Clarke knocks on the door with one hand, holds the other behind her back. There’s no answer at first, so she plays with the fringe at the end of her scarf and looks around at the snow that’s blown in at the edges of the porch. Behind her, she hears a truck sweep down the road and through the slush, but other than that the morning is quiet and calm, not even a breath of wind to make the chill unpleasant or harsh.

She jumps when the door opens and then Bellamy is standing there, hair sleep-tousled, in his old Arkadia Astronauts hoodie and a pair of red and green plaid flannel pants, looking confused for just a moment before he beams at her.

“You look festive,” Clarke says, as he leans in for a kiss.

“I look like it’s my day off and I slept in. Not sure how you got ‘festive’ from that.”

She tugs at his pants pocket and repeats, “Festive,” and he just rolls his eyes. Then she takes her other hand from behind her back and presents him with a box of hot chocolate mix, wrapped around with a red ribbon, and adds, “I brought you this. Belated Merry Christmas!”

“And here I thought we’d already exchanged gifts,” Bellamy murmurs, taking the box from her, glancing over the front of it with a small smile. “Let me guess. This is from Kane and you’re re-gifting it.”

“Yeah, it might be slightly expired,” Clarke admits. “And I might have been the only one of his employees to actually show up to her shift yesterday.” She stomps her feet and rubs her hands together, making a show of chilliness. “So are you going to invite me in for hot chocolate or what? I’ve made it very easy for you.”

He opens his mouth, but before he can actually answer, they hear a sound like a small mob running toward them, and its source, one very excited elementary schooler, skids to a halt at his side. “I’m done! Hi Clarke. Snow now?”

Bellamy rolls his eyes. “That was the fastest breakfast I’ve ever seen you eat. Why can’t you be that quick when you’re getting ready for school, huh?”

“I think you know the answer to that one,” Octavia replies with a little eye roll of her own. She’s rocking back and forth on her heels, fidgeting, unable to stay still, and Clarke is about to say take pity on her, Bell, when he tousles her hair and says:

“Don’t forget your hat and mittens.”

“I won’t!” she promises, and then leaps off toward the closet for her coat. The little kick of her heels makes Clarke think of Speedy Gonzales, of little cartoon figures generating dust clouds with their feet, and she has to hide her giggles behind her hand.

*

Bellamy pulls on his boots and a hat, leaves the hot chocolate on top of the bookshelf by the door, and follows Octavia out. While she tracks footprints through the once-pristine snow of the front yard, he and Clarke settle down on the porch swing. She tucks her feet up underneath her, rests her head on his shoulder, hides her hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt; he wraps his arm over her shoulders and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

For several minutes, she doesn’t say anything, and neither does he.

His thoughts wander.

They’ve known each other for six months, he and Clarke, have been dating in a tentative, but remarkably easy, way for two. They met in an intro to poli sci course—Bellamy’s been taking classes part-time now for two years, whittling away at the requirements for his degree—and because the class was small, and he’d never seen her before, and because, in her bright pink dress and strappy sandals and rich designer glasses, she was hard to miss, he couldn’t help but wonder where she was really from. Obviously not from around here. She answered questions with a confidence that maybe should have been off-putting, how it bordered on arrogance, but wasn’t. After the second week he started to sit next to her, and they got to talking about everything but their life stories, and before summer session was even over he knew he was in deep.

“I don’t think that snow man is going to work out,” Clarke says, now, and nods over to Octavia. The snow is the dense, wet sort that packs together nicely but there’s just not enough of it to form anything more than a few snowballs, if that. Yet his sister will not be deterred.

“Maybe he’ll just be a very small snow man,” Bellamy answers. O’s been waiting for a snowfall since Thanksgiving, woke up disappointed on Christmas Day to the sight of nothing but dead grass and an overcast sky outside her window, and if this is the closest they’ll get to a white Christmas—a couple of inches on the 27th of December, some slightly-old hot chocolate to warm them when they finally tramp in from the cold—well that’s enough. He’ll take it.

And this too: how Clarke snuggles a little closer to him, squeezes him tight for a moment, and concedes, “Yeah. That’s true. He’ll be cute.”

*

Clarke has been to Bellamy’s house three times in the last week, most recently on Christmas Eve. They spent the whole evening together, exchanging gifts under Bellamy’s small Christmas tree, then watching holiday movies with Octavia until she fell asleep. Christmas Day itself she spent with her mom. She hadn’t been expecting much out of the holiday, hadn’t expected much from any part of her life for the last half year, since her family’s fortunes took their downswing, since she dropped out of school and moved with Abby to the old Mayfield farmhouse, the one Abby had never even put on the market, even though Grandpa Mayfield has been dead now for almost three years. The house was drafty and small and brought back old memories of childhood Thanksgivings and Easters. For a few weeks, Clarke hated every floorboard, every creak in the stair, every quiet breakfast.

Then she started to put herself back together again.

She enrolled in summer courses and she took a job at a small coffee shop downtown and she met a boy—an opinionated, combative, handsome, kind, dedicated, fascinating boy—which she thought was the least important thing, which she thinks now might be at least the nicest thing.

Once Octavia has built her mini-snowman, she runs back across the lawn and up the porch steps to them, asking them what they think. “He’s kinda missing a nose,” she admits, with a glance over her shoulder. “And eyes.”

“I’m sure we can find something inside to fix that,” Bellamy promises. He takes his arm from around Clarke and sits up a little straighter, getting ready to stand. “Hot chocolate break?”

Octavia nods quickly. “Yes, yes please. Definitely. You brought some, right?” she asks Clarke.

“Sure did,” Clarke answers, and stretches a little as she plants her feet back down on the ground. She’s about to stand when Octavia pulls on one of the strings of her hat, fingers curling around the little white pouf dangling there.

“I like your hat. These are really cute.”

“I like yours too.” She tugs gently on the red pom-pom on the top of Octavia’s head. “Also really cute.”

Bellamy has already stood up, and as he shoves open the front door with his shoulder he asks, “And what am I wearing that’s cute?”

“I don’t know,” Clarke answers, in a slow and thoughtful tone. “Those socks look pretty adorable.” She creeps up behind Bellamy as she speaks, then pretends to ambush him, her fingers tickling at his sides as they trip together over the threshold and through the door.

*

Bellamy flicks the gas on and a small blue flame pops up, with a quiet whooshing sound, beneath the back left burner of the stove. He sets a small pot of milk over it to warm. Behind him, Octavia is rummaging through the cupboards looking for the marshmallows she’s sure they still have somewhere. She finds them eventually, though they’re a little old and a little stale, but Clarke examines them carefully and declares they’ll do just fine, for the purpose.

Later, when the marshmallows are softening in the still-too-hot hot chocolate, and Octavia is sorting through a pile of mismatched buttons looking for the perfect snowmen eyes, Bellamy looks up and catches Clarke staring.

“Something on your mind?” he asks.

She shrugs, glances down into her mug for a moment, then back up. “Just thinking.”

“Yeah?” He shuffles his feet forward under the table, until his toes bump up against her toes. She traps his feet under feet and he bites back a smile. “About what?”

“New Year’s. I was—I was thinking.” She takes a deep breath, then lets it out, pretending it is nothing. “I was thinking maybe you and Octavia would like to come to my house? You could meet my mom. We’re not doing anything special so it would just be a low-key thing.” She sips at her hot chocolate, then flicks her tongue briefly across her top lip. “The house is kinda big for two people. We have spare rooms—you could spend the night, if you wanted.”

And he’d thought she was nervous about the meeting-her-mom thing.

They’ve never spent the night together, not straight through to morning; they’ve talked about it, shared silly domestic fantasies with each other, but he can’t leave Octavia alone, of course, and Clarke’s too wary of trying to explain her presence at the breakfast table if she woke up at the Blakes’. He’s never said as much, but Clarke has obviously gathered that she’s the first serious girlfriend he’s had since his mother died, that this has never come up before. The thought of waking up in the full light of day with Clarke right by his side strikes him as the best possible start to the new year.

All he does is nod and ask, “Would your mom mind?”

“No, I don’t think so. She wants to meet you.” Clarke smiles. “I told her only good things.”

“That must have been hard,” Octavia says, picking up a small black button and holding it up to the light.

Bellamy pretends to be offended, but Clarke just shakes her head. “Nope. Easiest thing I’ve ever done.” She reaches across the table and takes Bellamy’s hand in hers. “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s a date.”

She’s watching him, smiling and soft; he doesn’t know what she’s thinking but he can guess. He doesn’t realize that he’s wearing a mirror expression his own face.

“And I think you two should just kiss already, ‘cause you obviously want to,” Octavia declares, hopping up with her two chosen buttons in her hand. “Bell, do we have any carrots? Like any small ones? He’s gonna need a nose.”

“I think we can find something.” He stands up, but before he heads to fridge, he stops next to Clarke, and leans down, and tilts up her chin so that, when she stretches up just a little bit, their lips can meet in a gentle, sweet, lingering kiss.

He doesn’t realize Clarke’s hand is on his cheek until he pulls away.

*

Octavia ends up giving her snowman one black and one blue button eye, and a baby carrot for a nose, and two small sticks for arms. They check the weather forecast and it calls for cold temperatures all night and into tomorrow, no chance of anything melting for a day or two yet. So the snowman will live, for a little while at least. But they take a picture just in case, so that they can’t possibly forget.

[statusreview]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://ssmattress.tumblr.com/

[endlessarchite]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://bakerskitchenslimited.tumblr.com/

[truereviewpage]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://aireloomreview.tumblr.com/

[billydmacklin]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://carpetgurus.tumblr.com/

[yesterdaysdreams]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

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[interiorstarweb]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://novaformmattressreview.tumblr.com/

[lowmaticnews]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend’s insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we’re finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It’s such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let’s dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that’s how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter’s 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT’S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can’t resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn’t obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There’s even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host’s outfit. THAT’S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There’s also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It’s pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT’S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they’re not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people’s based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it’s not too much on Justine & John’s shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there’s always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it’s just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I’ve learned are called “Lil’ Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they’re always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil’ Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can’t have a big ol’ gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren’t as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine’s husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here’s the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter’s room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that’s a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here’s the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here’s a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine’s husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they’re legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There’s always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that’s Justin & John’s completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it’s so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it’s such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other’s company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I’ve ever done for a patriotic party? Here’s a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity published first on https://landscapingmates.blogspot.com

[acciodracarys-blog]

Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friend's insanely over-the-top party for the Fourth of July. And each year we gets tons of requests for a post with all the photos and links to the recipes she uses, so we're finally giving the people what they want. Our friend Justine has been hosting these backyard soirees for years – and the only way to describe them would be: EXTRA. And we love her for it. She and her husband John basically just throw this huge party every year for all of us to gather and hang out with our kids and each other. It's such a great time of year to get together (not as hard with schedules as things around the holidays for example) and when the party ends, her prep for the following year begins. Just kidding. But maybe not…

Let's dive right in. Each year she sets up a sun tent and decorates it to create a makeshift photo booth with some fabric, sparkly red tulle, and a banner along the back.

Now lean into your screen and really soak up this next sentence, because the success of a DIY photobooth hinges on this single solitary tip: SHE HAS THE BEST PROPS. Every July there are more of them on the little table off to the side for us to choose from. This year there were wigs and beards in addition to all of the oversized glasses and hats and giant inflatable gloves. She says whenever she sees something on sale after the 4th she grabs it for next year, so that's how the collection keeps growing.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that Justine is the one who, instead of a traditional baby gift, offered to make the cupcakes for our daughter's 4th birthday party (just a few weeks after our son was born). She turned out the most amazing stack of custom decorated treats. BECAUSE SHE ONLY HAS ONE PARTY MODE AND IT'S BEAST MODE. Which explains why she can't resist large inflatable presidents to greet guests on the hanging daybed on her back porch, for example.

Yes, all of the kids tackled them and smacked each other with them in the yard. And yes it was hilarious.

She also made this cute wooden sign a few years ago that comes out each July. It says things like “food”, “waterslide”, “drinks”, “photobooth”, etc. Are you thinking “this party is almost like a wedding!” – because if so, you are starting to get it. It has snowballed, so every year she has so many things to break out that feel festive and hilarious and even more over the top than the year before. At this point the party momentum cannot be stopped and can only be appreciated with an Abraham-Lincoln hat-tip, which of course is on the prop table.

Speaking of fun, she always rents a two story waterslide for the kids (and the adults, once we have enough jello shooters) because… well, SHE IS THAT DEDICATED TO FUN. The waterslide really takes things to the next level when you record slow-mo videos of other adults attempting tricks like barrel rolls and flips. Five stars, would recommend.

As for other things to do, there are epic cornhole tournaments – and in case it wasn't obvious, much like Puffy demands that everyone wear white to his parties, Justine demands that we wear red, white, and blue to her gathering each year. There's even a series of prizes for certain costume categories (we had a big winner in our family this year when it came to an extremely patriotic swimsuit & towel combo).

This is Justine-the-host's outfit. THAT'S AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED FLAIR POINTS, GUYS. She decorated those flip-flips herself with ribbon. I know. Commitment level: 1000.

There's also a leather sofa in the middle of the grass. Obviously for photo ops and general hanging out. It's pretty much full of people the entire night long. It also makes for a great place to spectate/heckle the cornhole players.

Justine also does things like rolling silverware in bandanas and tying them with twine BECAUSE THAT'S WHO SHE IS AS A PERSON. She actually confessed to me that each year she has a ton of these left over, so they're not that high maintenance. Note: her definition of high maintenance might be slightly different than other people's based on her ALL IN level of party-throwing.

The food is always fun and we actually do a pot luck thing so it's not too much on Justine & John's shoulders. We each bring a side dish for everyone to share and meat for our own family for the grill. Also, note the sock and shoe combination here. Just saying. We do not mess around when it comes to our costumes.

Since around 20-30 people come each year, there's always a giant amount of food – and a lot of it ends up being themed. Blue corn chips with red salsa for example, or this bean dip with little olives and tomatoes to make a flag (it's just a layer of refried beans, a layer of guacamole, a layer of cheese, and a layer of sour cream with the tomatoes and olives on top).

These mozzarella, basil, and tomato skewers are another example of the good eats that feel sort of themed (the blueberries add some blue, right?). Add some salt and pepper, drizzle them with balsamic glaze, and thank me later ;)

We always bring what I affectionately call “pigs in a blanket,” which I've learned are called “Lil' Smokies” here in Virginia. Still getting used to that name. The kids love them though – they're always completely gone by the end of the night.

The drinks are also, to borrow a term from Lil' Wayne: “off the chain.” These are jello shooters, for example – and the cherry is so clever because if you pull the stem it lifts the shooter out of the cup so you can suck it down and remark how amazing the hostess is. Here is a kid-friendly recipe without any alcohol (just add vodka if you want them to be true jello shots).

Justine also made these awesome red, white, and blue smoothies for the kids – all of whom raved about them except for one non-fruit-loving child. Let the record state that cute straws and the little jelly jars are the key to a ridiculous amount of serving flare, so do with that information what you will.

And you can't have a big ol' gathering without red, white, and blue margaritas for the grown ups. It should be noted that because I helped in the kitchen, these weren't as beautiful as they should have been. We think if we added more ice to thicken them that the red, white, and blue layers would have been more distinct. But as Justine's husband John so eloquently stated, “we were going for margarita speed over margarita perfection.” Here's the recipe for ya.

One of the biggest reveals of the night (there are usually 3-5 of these surprises because JUSTINE DOES NOT MESS AROUND) were these waffle cones that she had individually decorated with red white and blue melted chocolate and sprinkles. THE KIDS WENT HAM FOR THESE.

Also, I thought her use of the teal blue milk crates was so adorable and asked if she saw that on Pinterest and she said she had been standing in her daughter's room and looked at them and thought “those would be perfect for my cones!” which floored me. I mean this woman clearly has her own version of Pinterest running in her brain 24/7.

One other thing on the menu that I would definitely highly recommend was this amazing dessert called “Berry Lasagne” that Justine whipped up:

Yes, that's a white chocolate drizzle that she added right before bringing it out. And let the record state that any party that required me to drizzle white chocolate during the actual party would lead to me breathing into a paper bag in the kitchen, but Justine just has that party expert gene. Here's the recipe for the berry lasagne, and here's a shot of it all sliced and served on a patriotic plate:

After all the food and drinks (and competitive watersliding), we gather on the back porch and the patio to watch the fireworks that Justine's husband John takes a ton of pride in.

Every year they get bigger and more insane (they're legal here in Virginia for all of the Northerners wondering – I had to get used to that when I moved to VA). There's always a fire extinguisher nearby and it only had to be used one epic time when the table very slowly caught fire after the fireworks ended.

So that's Justin & John's completely over-the-top and SO MUCH FUN annual party. Hope the recipes and photos come in handy for anyone else who is walking around with their own personal Pinterest running through their brain. I always get a little mushy during the fireworks because it's so rare to get together with friends and family that you love – so it's such a treat to have these awesomely festive and completely committed friends to get us all in one place to enjoy each other's company every year. WE LOVE YOU J&J! Thanks for ALL THE MEMORIES (and all the photobooth props).

P.S. Wanna see the most extra thing I've ever done for a patriotic party? Here's a watermelon trick I learned years ago (John looks like a baby in that first picture). 

P.P.S. Did you know that we send out what basically ends up being a bonus blog post each week?! Sign up for our free weekly emails to get them delivered right to your inbox. 

The post Fourth of July Party Recipes, Ideas, & General Insanity appeared first on Young House Love.