4th of July and Banana Pudding

 Ha! I gotcha at "pudding" didn't I? Keep reading and Ill get to that.

Hope everyone had happy Independence Day. Its always a great reason to celebrate weather you stayed in or went on a trip. A lot of people enjoyed time with family and friends. It was nice to have a long weekend off of work too!

I didn't do anything with my family, heck they didn't even call, but I still had a great time with my Husband. My daughter went out of town with her friends so it was just us two. We spent part of the day being lazy enjoying being together alone. We eventually made it up town where there was an all day celebration with street vendors, rides and bands.

 
Then had a nice dinner on a restaurant patio, enjoying the breeze. Later that night, was a firework show.

Saturday was a rather nice day too, we spent the day going for walks and riding around looking at cars. Yes, that was pretty exciting since I am in the market for a new one.

I spent Sunday with my daughter. After church we headed to a park nearby where we rode the paddle boats and walked around the two mile lake for exercise.

We also did a little shopping and then..................

To end off the weekend, I went bananas and made this delicious sugar free banana pudding. My brother-in-law makes these and they are delicious! No, its not as good as moms "cooked", fully loaded banana pudding or my Husbands special made banana pudding, but it was perfect for us since we are all on a diet. I didn't have my brother-in-laws recipe but I knew basically what he used in it so I guessed at it and it turned out great! You can't even tell there is not sugar in this stuff.   

 

Lite Banana Pudding

2 small boxes sugar free/fat free banana pudding

2 cups of milk

1 12oz container of sugar free cool whip

1 Box fat free Vanilla Wafers

6 Bananas

Mix the pudding and milk as directed on the box

fold in the whip cream

In a bowl, layer the cookies, slice banana, pudding mixture (about 2 or 3 layers)

I also added some whip cream on top to be pretty but its optional

Set in fridge overnight

Enjoy

Now its back to work for me.
The only thing I don't like about the fourth of July, is once its over, Summer starts slipping away and the stores will start putting out their Winter items. Im hanging on to Summer as long as I can.


Ive shared this at:
something-fabulous-wednesday at roubinek
made-by-me at jaqsstudio
full-plate-thursday mizhelenscountrycottage
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner
dare-to-share at pamspartyandpracticaltips

Crochet Cleaning Pad

Somewhere between resting after a days work, watching tv and looking over at the dirty dishes in the sink, I decided to make a dish sponge to try.

Its not limp like the dish rags I have made even though they are still wonderful too, this cleaning pad is just the right size to fit in my hand and since its double layered,  its sturdy and gets the job done. One side is bumpy for scrubbing and the other is smooth for wiping.

 

I used 100% cotton yarn. Cotton yarn is what I use for household items because its absorbent and washes up really well in the wash. And frankly, I like the natural, soft and clean feel of cotton.

You can make these any size you want but here is how I made mine.

I used an H hook and cotton yarn.
Special stitch is the popcorn stitch also known as the bobble stitch. Click here to learn how to make this special stitch.

Chain 15
Row 1: Starting in the next chain from hook, sc across (14), ch 1 turn.
Row 2: sc across (14)
Row 3: sc, sc, bobble stitch, sc ,sc, bobble (repeat to end), ch 1 turn
Row 4: sc across (this is the back side of a cloth or inside of the pad), ch1 turn.
Row 5-10: repeat row 3 and 4
Row 11: sc across, ch1 turn
Row 12-24:  repeat row 11
To finish off: fold in half and sc together all the way around,(including the fold side). making 2 sc in the corners.
sl stitch to beginning and tie off ends.

I have not tested the pattern since I typed it out, so let me know if it does not work for you. If it does work for you, id love to see your finished project.

This cleaning pad can be used on many different things around the house. The possibilities are useful anywhere.


Ive shared this at:
dare-to-share at pamspartyandpracticaltips
anything-goes-linky at bacontimewiththehungryhypo
submarine-sunday at usscrafty
monday-handmade-linkup-party at judyscardmakingandpapercrafts
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
worthwhile-wednesdays at thecraftiestallie