Memorial Day Weekend

As a Military Family, it is never lost to us the sacrifices that so many (soldiers & family members alike) have made for our country's freedom, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  It's easy to get caught up in the fun of a 3 day weekend, cookouts, and celebrating the kick off to summer - but we also recognize that it's very important we never forget what the true meaning of Memorial Day Weekend is, and why we get that extra day off of work. 

As T's countdown to the end of his kindergarten year (ALREADY?!) constantly reminds us, summer is practically here! Summer in our house is an extremely busy time of year, and not long after summer ends, so will our time in South Carolina. While John and I may be counting down to the day we leave SC in the rear view, T isn't quite as ready to leave his friends behind and so we wanted to make sure this summer will be his best one yet!

Well, what better way to start off the best summer yet then with a neighborhood Memorial Day cookout?!
Wanting to make the neighborhood cookout more exciting to the kids then their typical afternoon in the backyard, we decided to rent an inflatable slip-n-slide! With a bit over 20 people on the invite list we took care of the hotdogs, hamburgers & some snacks, and asked each family to bring a side dish or drinks.

Loving party planning with a theme, I stuck to everything Red, White & Blue for the cookout. Not wanting to spend a fortune (the slip-n-slide alone was almost $200 - ouch!) I hit up the Dollar Tree for decorations and then picked some simple, inexpensive snacks that were cookout appropriate and could be spruced up to match the theme with some food coloring! Red White & Blue Rice Krispies, Cupcakes, and a white chocolate Trifle cake - check out pictures and the recipes below!

Red, White & Blue Rice Krispie Treats

Red, White & Blue Rice Krispies Quick & Easy to make and delicious! Check out my recipe for them here! Also, how cute is the star platter from the Dollar Tree?! 

Red, White & Blue Cupcakes

Red, White & Blue Cupcakes - Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting spruced up with a bit of blue food coloring. The flags and cupcake liners came from the Dollar Tree - cute right?!

Red, White & Blue Trifle - This recipe I got from skinny taste, with ingredients like white chocolate pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, and cool whip - you really can't go wrong! Check it out here!

What did you and your family do for the holiday weekend?