Say what you will, no one sings it like Whitney:

While the writers of the b5media Lifestyles Channel may be scattered about globally, one thing we all have in common is a celebration of fireworks.  Whether it’s the U.S. and our Fourth of July - or a very different kind of holiday in Perth - we all know the unique smell that penetrates the air and the sense of freedom the mere sound of them instill.  There is truly something so divine about a celebration of fireworks - they do create some of the most treasured memories.

Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.

Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.

Heather at A Creative Journal shares her first memory of firecrackers with a view from Australia.

Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out why Guy Fawkes is celebrated by the English and most commonwealth countries. It is indeed a blast from the past!

Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork, provides a quiz for her readers.  See how many of the quilt designs you can connect with historical Americana - events, objects or people.

Marye at Baking Delights reflects on just how much menu’s have changed over the years while at Kettle and Cup she shares a modern twist that many are sure to love with her Non-Alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea

Kelly Saunders at Thrifty Mommy shares her favorite 4th of July memory - I just can’t spoil the surprise - check it out. 

Char and Christine continue Camp Weary Parent with this weeks Patriotic activities:  Star Spangled Rocket and a week full of other fun projects

Marcie and Mary Emma are blasting through books with Fourth of July and summer recommendations at One Book Two Book. Make sure to check out Fourth of July Books for Teens and The 10 Best Fourth of July Picture Books

Linette at Robust Cooking shares 10 Healthy 4th of July Dessert Ideas.  At Mother Earth’s Garden she calls out the old saying about corn - “Knee high by the fourth of July.”  At She Knows Parties, she shares fond memories of her summers and holidays as a child.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy probably has the most reason to celebrate the fourth as anyone I’ve heard - join Karen as she shares family photos of one of the most memorable nights in her families lives.

Christina at SoloMother shares her own experiences of celebrating the 4th of July in the nations capital.

Susan at PlayLibrary shares her memories of playing the classic game of Zimm Zamm during her family’s annual July 4th barbecue celebration.

Eliza at Babylune reflects back on early holiday celebrations with baby on board and looks to this years celebration - their first out of the military.

And finally, there’s Gayla at MomGadget - Without fail, each year her memories race back to an earlier time when life was much simpler and she’d celebrate her summer holiday with relatives down in the holler in the hills of Kentucky - this year - she shares a Bluegrass Kinda Fourth of July.

To all our readers in the U.S. - we wish you the happiest and safest of holidays - and everyone else, thanks for allowing us to share our own memories with each of you.

July 4th is approaching and bloggers all over b5media are talking about what to see, wear, taste, and do on July 4th. Here’s just a sampling:

Marye at “Baking Delights” shares a variety of recipes for deviled eggs. Yum!

Linette at “Mother Earth’s Garden” talks about corn being “knee high by the fourth of July.” Is yours?

At “Busy Family Meals,” Cyndi shares her recipe for Cajun-Style Spiced Pork Chops, a good idea for the 4th

“The London Traveler” talks about July 4th at the British Museum.

Linette talks about July 4th party decorations at “She Knows Parties.

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Every midwest mom has a different variation of this patriotic dessert. I like the one pictured, using chocolate cake and white icing. The constant in all of the recipes is that a flag is created on the top of the cake using blueberries for the stars and strawberries for the stripes. For some other Flag Cake ideas, see:

• Breyer’s Ice Cream Flag Cake
• Flag Cake with whipped cream from Cooks.com
• The Barefoot Contessa’s Flag Cake from the Food Network
• Flag Cake with Jello and marshmellows from Glenda’s Attic Blog

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It’s time to start planning for that Fourth of July cook-out. MonkeySee gives a few hints about grilling hot dogs. Think you know all about grilling ‘dogs? I did too, but grillmaster, Mike Hedrick’s suggestion of scoring the hot dogs for maximum flavor is a good one. Check it out: