Super Yummy 4th of July Dessert

I wish I could show this in steps, but I can't make this that far ahead of time due to the fresh fruit. But I wanted to share incase anyone wanted to try it! I make this every year for the 4th of July. I found the recipe here. It's very easy to make & very good!

You need:

vanilla pudding mix

2 frozen pound cakes

Snickers candy bars

Cool Whip

strawberries

blueberries

The recipe says 2 Cups whipped topping, but I have always needed two of the regular size packages. I'm putting in a Pampered Chef rectangular baker. It's always a hit and there is never any left!

What are your plans for the 4th? We always get together as a family. This year it's being held at our house for the first time. Last year we rented a big inflatable slide. We arent doing it this year, but I think the kids will still have a good time. I hope you have a great holiday!

A pumpkin update & another outdoor project

A small update on the pumpkins... They are no more. I went out to check on them and a few snapped right off the vine, and a couple were already halfway destroyed. One was still on the vine because the stem was still green & strong. The ones that were already loose had damage on one side. So they're all gone. But it's okay... I knew they would be ripe way before Halloween. We ripped up most of the garden and are going to replant greenbeans, so I think we might try some pumpkins, too. They ripened pretty fast so I'm not sure when to plant them. This is what we ended up with:

For the outdoor project... We got this rundown, raggedy bench from his dad. He got it free from somewhere, work I think. I really should have taken a picture of this before Mike didnt anything to it. But I didnt. Lets just say, this thing looked like hell. The wood was really weathered and warped, and I think broken in places. It was falling out of the end pieces. Some old cedar wood he had laying around, some bolts & a couple cans of spray paint later, we have this!

I kind of thought to myself it might look better white, but this green matches our chairs he just redid, and I think I'm pretty happy with it. Its a major improvement over what it was, and Mike did a great job!

Working on anything exciting this weekend?

Last Weekend Finds

Last weekend I decided to work on Saturday to get caught up. I havent been to the thrift store over there in forever, so I decided the kids & I (I took Blake and Layla to work with me!) could stop real quick. And I'm glad we did! I didnt get a ton of things, but I am happy with what I did get. These frames will obviously get a coat of paint!

Check out these pillow cases, I love the colors!

And my favorite find, another piece of Taylor, Smith & Taylor Boutonniere! I always seem to find a piece, but only at this store.

I love love the blue inside.

Mike already got his Father's Day gifts. He always seems to get stuff early ;). We have ribs cooking in the smoker and are going to have smoked corn & cornbread along with it tonight. And tomorrow is lasagna. Lots of yummy food this weekend!

Cuties

Dont you want one?

Fall?

Nope, just a poor pumpkin that came off the vine too quickly.

I'm too embarassed to show the garden as a whole, but it seems to be doing pretty good! Its SO hard to keep the weeds & grass out. How do you do it? I would have to be out there every day weeding to keep it clear. I guess after this season we'll have to do some research on how to keep it clear. Even with all the junk in it, its doing good. Maybe dumping all our veggie, fruit & yard scraps there helped. We dont actually have a compost pile, we just kind of throw it out there.

We decided to try black eyed peas this year. The kids & Mike have never had them, and I've never cooked them. I'll have to ask his his dad how he cooks them, he makes them so good!

Here is the largest one we have. Turning pretty orange already. You can kind of see that there isnt much plant left.

Here's a wider angle. I noticed today that the stem isnt as firm as it was, in fact, it's very week. Should we pick it soon?

Here is the other one growing on the same vine.

This is to the left of these, the only part of the plant that looks good.

It turns out those smaller ones are pumpkins. I think there are about 6 of them. Here are a couple.

Last year we tried planting watermelons. They would all get several inches around and then crack open. This year we didnt plant them, but they popped up all over anyway. Several vines have popped up, but only one melon so far, and its doing great! **knocks on wood**

Our corn also seems to be doing pretty good so far!

Unfortunatly, that pumpkin in the first photo didnt make it. I found it already off the vine, and the back looks like this:

Have a great weekend!

Saturday Finds

My favorite thrift store (the Catholic thrift) sent a card in the mail the beginning of this week, advertising a yardsale this weekend. I havent been yardsaling in awhile, so I decided we would stop by. Unfortunatly, I didnt find much. They had some stuff outside, that's where I found the frame above (ignore the ugliness inside!). There were a couple tables set up outside and the kids found some books. We went inside, but it's a very small building and there were just too many people inside to try and keep track of 2 kids and carry a carseat. The only other thing I got there was the blue & brown cloth things you see above.

So we stopped at another church sale we saw. Nothing exciting there at all. And came upon a yardsale and decided to stop. I found this yellow potato masher. I have two red ones, but this is the first yellow one I've found.

My favorite thing I think, are these birds! I just pray the cats & kids dont break them.

I picked up this metal tool tray for Mike.

And this neat metal stool.





Now for the cloth things. They had them with the placemats, but they dont really look like placemats to me. There are four of them. I liked the fabric, thats why I grabbed them for $.25. Any ideas what they are?

And just cause she's cute, a photo of Morgan from today! She's a little over 3 months old already. Can you believe it?!

Off topic, my house is clean, my coupons & grocery list are ready for tomorrow, and maybe I can convince Mike to take a look at my sewing machine. If not, I guess I'll just have a relaxing Saturday night. Have a great Sunday!