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All You need an angel food cake, a large container of Cool Whip, and a mix of berries (thoroughly washed and dried) and kiwi. Place the cake on your serving plate, ice it with Cool Whip and decorate with the fruit. One thing that I’ve started doing is cutting the cake into individual pieces and putting the pieces side by side and then icing with Cool Whip to make it look like a whole cake. This makes serving so much easier. Otherwise, it’s hard to cut the Angel Food Cake with all the Cool Whip and fruit on it.

Below is an example of a pre-cut cake that looks like one whole cake. Serving it was real easy. I usually decorate the sides of the cake also, but I didn’t on this particular cake because of the cake carrier I was using. I use Lite Cool Whip so this low-fat cake is light and refreshing.

Beware!!  If you’re traveling through Arkansas this summer, be sure and bring insect spray with you that works well on mosquitoes.  We spent the night in northeastern Arkansas recently, and we killed more than 25 mosquitoes in our motel room.   I’ve never seen so many mosquitoes in one room.  We kept thinking we had killed all of them, and then another one would appear.   We told the lady at the front desk about our problem and she said that because there were so many rice fields and soybean fields in this part of Arkansas, they can’t seem to kill off the mosquitoes.   They have small planes and trucks that spray the area but that doesn’t get rid of them.  So…if you’re planning on spending the night near rice fields, be sure to pack some insect repellent.   

We visited my mother-in-law recently and took a day trip to the area where she grew up.  We drove around the town square as she pointed out places she went as a young girl when her family would come to town.  One place that was fascinating to me was a tiny building that was still a beauty shop just like it was 70 years ago when my mother-in-law went there for her first permanent.  She said she was there several hours.  There was a machine with long attachments that connected to each roller on her head or something to that effect.  I can just picture her as a teenager with all these things sticking out of her head.  It’s so neat hearing stories first hand about the past.  It’s like taking a walk back through time and seeing history through the eyes of the person telling the story.  Now as I’m approaching the wonderful experience of being a grandmother soon, I will probably one day help our grandchild, when he’s older, to take a walk back through time and experience history.  How exciting that will be!! 

You’ve probably sung this song many times, but have you ever heard the 4th verse?  I read it recently and thought it was worth sharing.

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FIRST VERSE:

Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro‘ the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

………………….

FOURTH VERSE: 

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation,
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven - rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto –”IN GOD IS OUR TRUST.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Our daughter gave me this recipe, and I’ve made it several times and have had numerous requests for the recipe. It’s so easy to make. People are surprised when they find out just how easy it is. This is not a “healthy” recipe, but it’s a great time saver when you need a homemade dessert to have for company or to take to a luncheon. I did change a couple of the ingredients to reduced fat.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans crescent rolls (I use regular for the bottom crust and reduced fat for the top)

• 2 pkg of 8 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat)

• 1 stick butter ( I’m going to try it with less butter)

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Cinnamon

Unroll one can of crescent rolls and place in the bottom of a 9″x13″ ungreased baking dish. Pinch together the seams to mostly make a solid layer. In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and 1 cup of the sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mixture needs to be well blended. Microwaving it for a few seconds at a time improves being able to pour it in the pan. Pour mixture and spread over crescent roll layer. Unroll other package of crescent roll and lay on top. Don’t worry about pinching the seams together. In a small microwavable dish, melt butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour over top and spread. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. (we use a lot) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until top and sides are golden brown. Let cool about 15 minutes before cutting into squares and removing from pan. I usually cut it into 24 squares. Enjoy!