4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. We go up to my family’s cabin at the lake in Montana every year with my extended family and we’ve made years of memories spending time together, so it’s always been a magical holiday just knowing it will be family time together, keeping up years-long traditions and making new ones. Every year we do a tea party and charcuterie board, this year I wanted to attempt one before we left for Montana with some of our friends and family here- it’s been on my bucket list to do a counter charcuterie board  (savory and sweet!), so we went all out with festive drinks, and a s’mores bar.

Here are some of the best hacks I found for pulling off the ultimate 4th of July party. Don’t feel like you need to incorporate all of them! Even just adding 1 or 2 will add a fun, festive touch to your holiday weekend.

DETAILS: RED CROPPED TANK (under $30 – S) | DENIM (under $40 – size 25) | STAR BOWLS

Hack #1: Color-Coordinated Cuisine

To create a festive spread, I knew I wanted to stick to a red-white-and-blue color-scheme for all the snacks. It made it so much easier to make everything flow together and stick to the festive 4th of July theme. I went to Sam’s Club and knew the fruit would be easy with all the red and blue berries, but I was surprised at how many other red/white/blue snacks and candies they had for the upcoming holiday – especially when it comes to the ‘sweets’ spread which I’ll share later. 😉

Hack #2: It’s All In The Details

MINI ALPHABET CUTTERS
STAR-SHAPED CUTTERS
TREATS: SAM’S CLUB

I’m always a sucker for the details at any event I attend, so I knew I wanted to include some cute, festive details wherever I could. Try using mini cookie-cutters to spell out words in watermelon or cheese. We also used the star cookie cutters from this set for the cheese and sprinkled them throughout the 4th of July charcuterie. I had a local company from Utah help me and they made the most beautiful salami roses! My aunt actually tried to teach me a couple years ago at the lake, just use the rim of a glass and stagger them while layering them around the rim to get that perfect round shape.

Hack #3: Sparklers, But Sweet

We made some fruit sparklers for the kids out of watermelon stars and blueberries for some healthy treat options. They look so cute on their own but we also added to the red-white-and-blue drinks we made for an added festive touch.

Hack #4: Let the Festivities Flow

DETAILS: GLASSES

Whether kid-friendly or adult beverages, drinks are a great excuse to go big for the holiday. We set up a drink table for the kids where they got to assemble their own drinks. I set out red, white, and blue Gatorade and Sprite for the base and then set out Kool-aid ice cubes, cotton candy, popsicles, licorice straws, and fresh fruits so they could get creative.

Hack #5: Don’t Skimp On The Sweets

My kids would eat candy all day every day if I let them so they were in heaven when they saw this full candy spread AND the decadent s’mores bar. I’m glad my affinity for going over the top with these sort of things won me some points. 😉 They kept saying it was the best 4thof July spread ever. 😂 We did a candy charcuterie board with all the red, white, and blue finds from Sam’s Club and was so simple to put together. We also did a s’mores bar for our new fire pit area and did a mix of different chocolates – milk chocolate, cookies and cream, Reese’s, Andes mints, and more. The dessert boards were such a cute addition and were super popular with the whole fam!

Let me know if you guys have any hacks or hosting tips you love for 4th of July!

Also this red top, I’m obsessed with the square neckline on it! It comes in lots of colors and its under $30!

Also shout out to Beck & Noelle Board Co., if your in utah and want a big charcuterie board, or want to learn how to they can help you set up or do the whole thing for you. I love learning and being a part of the process but they do both!

You can also see past holiday charcuterie boards I’ve done here.

xx, Christine

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Summer nights with the boys – we went out biking and skateboarding the other night and let the kids stay up late. June is flying by and I’m like oh man Father’s Day is JUST around the corner.

I found some Father’s Day gifts while I was trying to brainstorm gift ideas for Cody so I put together some of my favorites from Amazon, some of my favorite splurge-worthy gift ideas, and also asked Cody what’s on his Father’s Day wishlist this year – there are options at all price points so you can find something that works for your or your kids budget and things that he’ll use and be excited for.

Let me know if you guys have any ideas this year for Father’s Day you’re excited about! The more inspo the better, right? 🥰

NIKE LOGO SHORTS
BASKETBALL SNEAKERS
UNLIMITED POPCORN REFILL BUCKET (under $25)
NIKE DUNKS
ENGRAVED BRACELET
ENGRAVED DOG TAG NECKLACE

First on Cody’s Father’s Day wishlist this year was a new pair of basketball shoes since he gets so much use out of them. He prefers the lower sneakers so he liked these Lebron 19 Low shoes – love the bright orange color but they also come in black. I also loved this pair if your S/O or dad likes a higher sneaker. Cody wears this Scott Bros bracelet every single day – he wanted something engraved with the kids initials and had this tie bracelet already so I wanted to get him something a little different and ended up finding this engraved dogtag chain necklace. Super minimalist and easy to wear with everything so I think it will end up being another piece he wears daily. Cody also wanted this endless movie theater popcorn bucket with free refills (under $25) at his favorite theatre since we love going to the movies. This is such a simple and cute gift idea that any dad will appreciate! Lastly, Cody wanted some Nike Dunks because he loves matching the kids with theirs 🙂 and since he lives in Nike shorts, he also dropped a hint for a new pair. 😏

RAY BANS SUNGLASSES
ASH COLORED SWEATSHIRT (under $15)
POWER WASHER (on sale – 25+% off)
PICTURE FRAME (under $40)
CLOUD SLIDES (under $25)
ELECTRIC SHAVER
COLLAPSABLE LADDER
DOLCE & GABANNA COLOGNE (on sale 45% off)
BUTTON UP SHIRT (under $20)

I wanted to put together an Amazon gift guide with some of Cody’s tried and true favorites from previous years as well as some affordable gift ideas that will work for any budget. This collapsable ladder  has tons of high reviews and is more convenient to store than a regular ladder. Also this power washer (currently on sale for 27% off) which Cody has used a ton since he got it. I know we hit on this with Mother’s Day and talking about getting luxury appliances or household items haha so I cleared it with Cody and he agreed he would’ve loved to get either for Father’s Day gifts. For affordable dad-approved gifts these cloud slides (under $25) are a great option! Cody loves his just as much as I love mine and we both wear them a ton. Also you can’t go wrong with this sweatshirt – It comes in a bunch of colors. We both wear the XL in ash grey and share it) – it’s SO comfy and under $15!

PIZZA OVEN
RETRO KEYBOARD
FLOATING GOLF TURF
ESSENTIALS SWEATSHIRT (under $100)
SUNGLASSES
TOM FORD COLOGNE
PICKLEBALL SET (under $100)
NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES
BLENDER & HYDRATION SET
HAND HELD MASSAGE GUN

I picked out some splurge-worthy Father’s Day gift ideas too. I loved the idea of a pizza oven for the backyard – would be such a fun activity for the kids to do with Cody. I am also obsessed with the idea of this floating golf turf! We don’t really golf but I feel like all of my friends husbands do, and even though we don’t really know what we’re doing I could see us having hours of fun getting competitive with this at the pool or lake. Since Cody likes to workout everyday, I thought these items like the handheld massage gun for muscle soreness and this blender & hydration set are perfect since he always makes a protein shake right after. Also, these sunglasses and this Essentials brand sweatshirt (under $100) make such nice gifts as well!

Sharing a few more Father’s Day Gift Ideas at every price point below – feel free to add more ideas in the comments!

XX, Christine

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Happy Monday! Summer is officially here with the kids out of school now and all the warm days we’ve been having. I’ve been pulling out some of my favorite pieces from last summer and also found a few new ones I’m loving for the season, so I wanted to share some of my most-loved and also some of you guys’ most loved that are were the best sellers. Here is a roundup of May’s top 10:

| JELLY SANDALS (under $100) |
| OVERSIZED SUNNIES (under $15) |
| FLORAL BIKINI (under $25) |
| SCOTCHGUARD SPRAY (under $15) |
| MESH TOTE BAG (on sale – under $15) |
| MARBLE CHAIN DECOR (under $60) |
| WHITE BUTTON DOWN SHIRT (under $25) |
| CLOUD SLIDE (under $25) |
| DAD DENIM SHORTS (under $50) |
| TODDLER SMILEY FACE SANDALS (under $25) |

Top 10 Most-Loved Items:

These Amazon cloud slides are easily one of my most-loved and most worn sandals during the summer. The brand linked above is my favorite listing for these sandals – I’ve tried other brands before and haven’t loved the quality and color as much. These sandals are under $25 and come in tons of colors!

I’m loving this cute neon floral bikini from Amazon (under $25), I ordered the medium and the top is easily adjustable with the tie back. They also have a high-waisted version of the print here. 

A most-loved item each summer are these Amazon sunnies are an amazing designer lookalike and are under $15! The oversized fit is so cute and the quality of them is great. They come in other colors and prints too.

I found these jelly sandals for our most recent Florida trip – I got the color rose dust and they run true to size. They also come in other cute colors and are perfect for the pool and beach this summer as well as everyday sandals.

I can easily understand why this white button down shirt is one of May’s most-loved pieces…it’s such a summer staple! I have this one (under $25) and wearing the size XL. It’s one of my go-to coverups when I go to the pool or the beach when we are on vacation. It fits Cody too so it’s one of those pieces that do double duty – especially great when we’re traveling.

6. MESH TOTE BAG (on sale – under $15)

Another vacation and summer staple is this mesh tote beach bag from amazon. It comes in tons of colors and is currently on sale right now for under $15!

I’m loving the longer “dad” fit shorts right now which is slightly oversized and high-waisted. So cute with crop tops or even swimsuits as a coverup. This pair is under $50 and comes in multiple washes.

Lovee this decorative marble chain I found on amazon for under $60! I’m so impressed with the quality of it and there’s tons of ways you can style these. I styled it on top of some of our coffee table books on our entryway table.

My first job when I was 15 was at Lady Foot Locker I learned this hack and kept it up ever since. I always spray my new shoes now, especially with lighter colors or new sandals, etc. Total game changer! There are so many other uses for this Scotchguard Protective Spray too – I also use it on my couches to keep them cleaner for longer.

Found these cute smiley face sandals for Ollie to wear this summer. They come in tons of colors (I got the black and yellow for him.) They are under $25!

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