Happy 4th!

Today was an absolutely fantastic day!

We opted out of the usual family celebration, simply because it would cost an additional tank of gas, and I just didn't have the money to spare. Between having been off work for a week and a few additional and unexpected bills, we have to stay strictly on budget for the moment.

Despite the not-so-great reason that we stayed behind, I can honestly say I'm really glad we did!

We didn't have any real plans, and we bummed around far longer than we should have. I had planned to make mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini, green bean casserole -- all the Southern fare -- with a couple of bacon wrapped beef filets that have been in the freezer for a few months.

We had invited our friends Chris and Brenda last week, but we'd never made final plans. I had assumed that they'd do something with family since I hadn't heard from them. Brenda called around noon and said they'd be over later -- YAY!! They came over around 4 (sans children, since they're with a grandmother for the week).

I pulled a couple of extra of the filets from the freezer and got everything ready. They came with the grill, plus extra squash, sweet corn, and green tomatoes, all fresh from the garden. Oh yummy yum yummmmm!!

I had been a wee bit concerned that we might not have enough food, since I'm budget-limited this week, and I had to use what we already had on hand. We ended up with far more than we could eat! (Isn't that usually the case though? LOL!) We barely had room on the table for all of the food and our plates!

We ate far too much, which always happens at gatherings, and we had an excellent time just hanging out with friends and no pressures of having to get back home.

A day well spent!