July Fourth Prep - Things to Do - And A Glass Tabletop Warning

I'm counting down my things to do as I move forward with preparations for our Fourth of July bash.  I've posted about my food wagon idea and menu and you can see that info here.  Can you believe how quickly time flys?  Once we move into July, we are on the downward slide towards Christmas, and  all we can do is hold on and take the ride. 

I bought some wood boards yesterday and have a pattern from J&J Crafts to make an Uncle Sam for the deck.  I got the idea from Painting Thyme Needfuls, from the one she completed and has posted on her site. She does such a great job with her painting and creations and I have no doubt that mine will look no where near as professional as hers, but you can't really go wrong with red, white and blue.  I'm hoping to get him finished by the weekend.  I made some red and white pillows last year and will be making some more to bring in lots of color. 

One thing I did not expect was to have to replace or repair my patio table.  I was walking by the patio door yesterday and just as I passed, I heard a loud cracking noise and turned my head just in time to see my Martha Stewart glass tabletop shatter into thousands of tiny pieces and fall to the floor.  I Googled it, of course, and found out that this is a common occurrence for Martha Stewart and Hampton Bay (made by the same manufacturer) glass tabletops and has been a known problem since around 2000...there is some problem with the glass that is manufactured on the tables and it is not an issue of if they will shatter, but when.  Some people had it happen as they were seated around the table.  If you have one of these tables, be warned.  We were lucky, no one was on the deck at the time.  My table is about 5-6 years old.  There is no recall or replacement and apparently the companies are denying that there is a problem but the number of reported occurrences says otherwise.  If you have children and you have one of these tables, you might want to think about replacing.

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/