guilt free chocolate mousse

It's no secret I love chocolate.  As a diabetic I have to curb my desire for chocolate every day(sigh), so I am always looking for ways to feed the chocolate monster within.  This isn't quite as good as a full sugar and fat version but if you put a bowl in front of me I guarantee it will be gone in seconds.
here's what you need:

2 boxes sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding mix.  I use the cooked kind because I like the taste better, but I won't tell if you use instant.
4C low fat milk
1 8oz container of sugar free Cool Whip
1 Hershey bar grated (hey I said guilt free not perfect)  I have to hide these if I want them for a recipe.  AH can search out a candy bar like he has radar.
If you are doing the cooked pudding, prepare according to the package directions, press a piece of wax paper to the top of the pudding and cool completely.  If using instant  prepare according to directions and let it set up.
Once your pudding is ready carefully fold in about 3/4 of the Cool Whip, plop into pretty glasses or eat it from the bowl.  Top with a dollop of the remaining topping and add a sprinkle of the grated Hershey bar.  YUM!
You can also put this in a graham cracker crust and freeze it for a quick frozen desert.  This is also great with banana pudding if you cut up bananas in it, it could count as a fruit serving.

garden time





OWWW, I've spent the last few early mornings out working in the garden. I can barely move.  I love to garden, but this summer I have been very negligent about caring for things the way I think I should.  Out of town several times, family fun and visiting grand kids have all added up to less time.  The biggest culprit to garden neglect has to be the heat.  It's hard to get out side anytime except the crack of dawn and the the humidity has been ridiculous.  I know excuses, excuses.

I thought I'd share some of my garden spots today.

The first pic is the secret garden.  Two chairs inside my small gazebo.  When the grape vines are fully out (these pics were taken in June) you care barely see in there.  My grand kids love to go in and have tea parties or eat Popsicles.








This is a seating area under the last hard maple tree on the property, there use to be seven.  It's hundreds of years old and dying on the inside. this is a great spot for roasting marshmallows or taking a break on a hot afternoon.

 An old trike among the hostas.  I love unexpected surprises in the garden.



The bottom picture is a RS metal chair with the seat removed and an enamel pan, rusty holes already there for drainage.  It's stuffed full of begonias and coleus.  There is another chair just like it filled with white begonias.  I think I paid $5 for the pair of chairs and love the way they look.  This is almost instant garden decorating.  Always take a second look at things when your at GS or thrift stores, you never know what you'll find to use in the garden.
Another  wave of HOT sticky air is sitting on the Midwest.  Try to keep cool. Be safe and enjoy what you can in your garden.

summer pasta salad

My family loves this pasta salad, it's healthy and filling and makes a huge batch.  I don't make it unless we are haveing a bunch of company.  It is the recipe my family and friends request the most often.
Here's what you need:

1# box of whole grain pasta.  I use rotini or penne.
cook according to directions, rinse and cool.
4 chicken breasts cooked and cooled, just boil em and cut into 1" chunks.
1# of baked ham.  I just have the deli cut about a 1# chunk and then cut it into pieces myself.  Shaved deli ham will just get lost in the salad .
1 lg cucumber
2 lg tomatoes
1/2 of a sweet onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 16oz can green beans
1 16oz can black olives
8oz extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2C cider vinegar
1/4-1/2C olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the vegies and cheese into about 1/2" pieces, drain the olives and beans.
Dump everything into a huge bowl except the vinegar and oil.  I usually mix the V+O in a cup befor pouring over the salad.  If I'm feeling very Barefoot Contessa , I'll add fresh chopped parsley and sweet paprica to brighten it up.  Mix it all together and  if it looks a little dry add about 1/4C water.  You don't want it to be too runny.
Just plop the bowl in the middle of the table with hot rolls or bread and get out of the way.

junking bonanza

 

I recently spent the week in the big city.  I was helping my parents get settled in their new home.  Lots of hard work but I did manage to check out a few garage sales and hauled a huge pile of my folks stuff home.  A junkers version of a fabulous time.  One of the RS was in a very affluent neighborhood and they just wanted to get rid of things for fantastically low prices.  Made my heart go pitty-pat, made AH growl.  My van was so full there was barely room for me and the dog.  A lot of it will go to a mission here in town that provides everything for free.  Check out the pics.   There was a small box filled with these great brass flowers and silver leaves, there are a couple of different sizes but the ones in the pic are 2-3".  There are probably a hundred of each and a couple of other sizes maybe 20 of each.  All for $1.00.

Any ideas of what to do with them?

This next photo is how it all landed in my sun room after I got home.  Most of the mission stuff had been put back into my car for delivery.  There is a pewter lamp, a tote full of wood spindles, glass ware, a mirror, a marble pedestal, boxes of velcro, faux fruit, a quilt, tons of bedding and other treasures too numerous to mention.  All totaled I spent $42.. at the sales a fortune compared to what I normally spend, but what a haul.

The next picture are more of the sale treasures.

The drawing is a signed and dated print from an artist named Robert Sexton, a similar drawing sold on EBay recently for $169, I snagged this one for $3.00.  That's AH and I, 20 years from now.  The flat box is filled with long crystals 8 boxes 10 per box $5.00.  The quilt was made by my Mom and the colors fit great with my guest room redo. 

The large baking pan was handmade by my grandfather years ago.  He was a junker and crafter at heart.  He could fix and make almost anything.  He even made his own cough syrup every year.  It may not have stop the cough but it had enough Everclear in it to make you not care that you were sick.  I need to get that r4edipe from my Mom before winter.
I love to thrift shop and go to garage sales.  You never know what you will find.  There's a new treasure waiting around every corner, you just have to open your mind and eyes to find it.

grunge painting

I wanted this urn to go into the room I'm redoing.  It was a Hobby Lobby 80% off find.  It's a little dark so I wanted to brighten it up. 

Here's what you need:

Acrylic paints your base color and 2-3 others that will blend in (white, cream, forest, mushroom and acorn)

Paint brushes You are going to doing a lot of pouncing with these so don't use expensive brushes.  The brushes that look ready to throw away are better.

Paint pallet or paper plate

Water

Spray sealer
Forget fancy paint pallets I always use foam disposable plates to put my paint on.  If you slip it into a plastic bag you can use the paint the next day.
I rinse the plate off and use it over and over, it's better for the earth that way and I'm very, very cheap.

Paint your base coat (the color you want to see the most of)  pouncing in the crevasses, don't worry about getting it all covered, just most of it.

While the base coat is still wet pounce on the other colors thinning them with a little water to the consistency of ink.  Your project will look awful now, that's OK, let it dry.

Pounce on your base coat color and another color close in shade if wanted (white and cream) Use a wet brush and both colors at the same time.  Add color until you're happy.  let dry.

 You could put dibs and dabs of paint in 10-12 layers, that's OK just so you like it. The added colors will not show very much just hints here and there.

If you want an antique look mix about a teaspoon of burnt umber acrylic and 3-4 tsp of water.  Slap it on concentrating on the nooks and crannies.  Wipe off as you go.  Let dry.  Spray with clear sealer.

Don't make yourself crazy with this, you can't mess it up just keep adding more paint until you are satisfied with the look.

The last picture is still adding additional layers of cream and white.  You'll see the finished project in the room redo pics.  I also did this to some candlesticks that are in the room.



A huge thanks to all my friends and relatives who have responded to this blog endeavor.  Any suggestions on how to make it better or subjects to cover would be very appreciated.

guest room redo continued

Ah, only 70 out at 7:30.  Time to get out into the garden.  I love to garden but the last few weeks with traveling, redecorating, grandma time and the unrelenting heat my garden beds are looking pretty bad.  The grass in the cracks of the patio and my herb bed are first today.  Who would ever think highs in the mid to upper 80's was a cool wave.


 OK, if you're one of those wood purist who thinks you should never, ever paint wood, close your eyes, cause I'm gonna do just that.  As part of the guest room redecorating, I really wanted to lighten things up.  There are already two large cabinet in the room that are stained wood, so I decided to paint these two pieces.  Neither piece is a fine antique or has much value, but some people just can't stand the idea of painting any wood, what's with that?  The top piece is a GS $5.00 find that was missing it's drawers.  I just had the lumberyard cut 1x12's to size and slid them into place.  The box is a leftover blanket chest from when we made small furniture for a nearby theme park.
When I start a painting project the first thing I do is clean everything off, trying to get all the dust bunnies and cat hair.  Let that dry and apply a good primer, I use Kilz.  Let the primer dry a few hours and then apply your paint, check for drips and runs and let that dry.  If you have a box like this prop open the lid with a rock or twig so it doesn't stick.  I didn't bother to paint the inside of either piece, but you could if you wanted to.  When the pieces are dry if you want an antique look, sand, especially the places that would show wear and tear, like the edges and  around handles and feet.  Use regular stain, or my cheater stain recipe which is 1 part burnt umber acrylic paint and 4 parts water.  Wipe or brush it on concentrating on the

dings  and cracks, wipe off immediately.  The advantages of the cheater stain, are water clean up and you just make as much as you need at one time.

 Let everything dry and haul your new pieces inside.  Accessorize as you like. 
The only other advice I can give you is don't be an idiot and do this when it is 95 with a heat index of 107 outside.  That's just crazy.
I do think I'll make a burlap curtain for the dresser.  Just hem the fabric add a casing for a small round rod and attach with cup hooks screwed into the top edge of the dresser.  Since the top of this piece is in really bad shape, the next time we have a piece of MDF laying around I'll have AH cut it to fit and faux paint it to look like marble.

Most of the room is finished with the exception of a few details.  More projects and the reveal coming soon.

sponge balls

 While watching my sons filling, throwing and breaking water balloons during our recent camping trip, I thought there should be something easier to do.  Later that weekend I read about something similar in the Sunday newspaper.  Sponge balls.

Simple, easy to make and reusable.
Here's what you need:

kitchen sponges in a variety of colors.  You will use about 2 for each ball.
Heavy twine
Cut the sponges crosswise in strips about 1/2" wide
Stack about 12 pieces in the center  of twine 12" long.
Tie tightly at least twice, wrap around the ball and tie on the other side.  Trim excess string.  Let the kids help, they'll love it.
I bought  packages of 3 sponges at Dollar Tree and made 8 balls for $4.00.  Sometimes you can find big bags of sponges for a couple of dollars, so look around.
That's it, give the kids a couple of buckets of water to refill their sponge balls and stand back if you don't want to get wet.

running salad

Yeah it's just my take on gazpacho, but when the people insist they can't eat soup in July just call it running salad.
Here's what you will need:

2 tomatoes
1/2 of a sweet onion
2 small or 1 large cucumber
2 cloves garlic smashed
1 48oz jar vegetable blend juice
salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

Chop the vegies and garlic about 1/4"-1/2" pieces.  I've tried this in the food processor and it mushes it up too much.  Add to the juice and add seasonings, be sure to season liberally.  Chill for a couple of hours to blend flavors.  I usually let people add their own hot sauce since all of our tastes vary.  I usually take this out of the frig a little before serving, I don't like it ice cold.  This is great served with a simple omlet or grilled cheese.  For a  adult only version, add a shot of vodka to each serving, kind of a cocktail, appetizer and soup all in one.

20 minute pillows

That's right after the first one you can whip one of these baby's out in about 20 minutes or less.

Here's what you need:

Pillow form Save yourself lots of headaches, get one that is soft and squishy.

Fabric

Sewing machine and thread.  Don't try this with stitch witchery it just won't hold.

Lay your pillow form on the fabric to see haw much you will need to cover the pillow plus 10" lengthwise and 1"crosswise. 

A 14"pillow would need a piece of fabric 15" long and 38" wide.
Fold over the short edges of the fabric twice 1/2" pin press stitch.
Lay the pillow form in the center of the fabric and fold over the ends until they meet.  Pin one side, be sure to catch all the layers of fabric.  Remove the form and line up the other side, pin.
Stitch along both sides of the cover, trim, turn and press.

Stuff your pillow into it's new home, this the hardest part of the whole thing.  Hold your mouth just right and no cursing allowed.  Fluff it up and there you have it, a new pillow.  The pillows I made were 24" squares but you can make them any size, square or rectangle.

If you don't have a sewing machine use the friend bribing

methods in pickup valance post.

pick-up valance

A pick up valance is one of the quickest and easiest valances to make and the color and pattern can add a big splash to your room.

Here's what you need:

Decorator fabric  dressmaker fabric does not have body to drape nicely but I have used sheets in a pinch.
Lining if desired

Sewing machine and thread or stitch witchery

Ribbon, fabric or curtain tie backs

Measure your window, if it is more than 45" wide you will need 2 widths of fabric.  Most windows can use just a yard of fabric, 2 if it's wider.  My windows are very long so I used 11/4 yds per window.

I'll give the directions for unlined first.
Fold over the selvage sides of the fabric 1/2" 2 times, press and stitch down Do both sides.  The selvage is the factory finished edge.
Fold up the bottom edge the same way and stitch.  Look carefully many fabrics have a definite top and bottom to them.

Fold over the top edge 1/2" press, then fold over at least 11/2" for your rod casing.  Measure your rod unless it is a standard white rod this measurement may be different.  Pin, press and stitch.

if you want to line your valance cut the lining the same as the fabric, sew three sides together like a big pillowcase, leave the top open.  Trim, turn and press.  Follow the above directions to finish the top.  I always keep my eyes open for neutral sheets at GS to use as lining, if this creeps you out you can buy twin flat sheets at the big box stores for about $4 enough for 2 valances.

You can use anything from ribbon to tiebacks to do the pickup part of the valance.  The easiest way to do them is to slide the fabric on the rod, hand pleat the fabric about every 4" then slide the tiebacks or tie the ribbons etc when you hang the rods on the brackets. Adjust the pleats and folds until they look good to you.  Don't make yourself crazy trying to get two valances look exactly the same, it won't happen.  You can use 1 tie in the center  for a butterfly effect or 2 for a scooped look.  It sounds complicated but it really isn't unless you have fuzzy helpers like I do.

 Whoops the picture of the valance in the bedroom  did not come out right.  This is the kitchen, same valance.

if you don't sew you can do all of this with your iron and stitch witchery, the one that is about 1" wide.  I find this way much more time consuming.  If you don't have a sewing machine, bribe a friend with lunch, a home baked treat or margaritas.  Whatever it takes. When I sold custom window treatments, this treatment depending on fabric would run $150-$200.  Look how much you can save by doing it yourself.   Happy stitching!

If anyone has some good hints on doing pics in this program or a good tutorial please let me know. 

crazy people part two

We are tired, there's still a ton of laundry and the camper is a wreck but we survived our family camping trip.  Actually we had a great time.  The grand kids were well behaved and I only heard "I'm bored" once.  A suggestion to hang the offender by her toes in the whining tree stopped that.  The adult kids were slightly less behaved, but we expected that.  We ate, walked trails, ate, went to the playground, went swimming ate, had a water balloon fight, ate, did arts and crafts and ate again.  What is it about the outside air that makes everyone starving all the time?  We had such a good time we are already planning the next trip, but not in July!

Picture 1 how do you set up a tent?


#2 I've always said I got really lucky in the DIL department.  I've got the sweetest, nicest women married

to my sons.  This is Barb, married to Nathan.  My pic of Sara would not behave and kept leaving the page.  If you knew the real Sara you would know how unlike her that is.  DIL Brandi couldn't come, she was preparing for a work trip.  She was missed.

#3 cousins love to play together.  Brendan and Jaydin.












#4 our favorite camping activity, eating.

#5  Diva, camp mascot and guard dog.

The big boys used more water balloons on each other than they made for the kids.

Chase the little guy, loves to get dirty.  He was into moving gravel with a shovel this weekend.

Grandpa worn out, fell asleep in the middle of a pack of rowdy kids.

The whole gang below l-r Ronnie, Nathan, Rich I've been blessed with wonderful sons and grandkids.

Katelyn idolizes Kaylie.

crazy people

I'm pretty sure we could be considered certifiable when you hear of our plans for the weekend.  We are going camping.  Not so bad with a queen size bed, AC, a potty and running water.  We are taking all three sons(citified all of them) assorted wives and 5 grand kids ages 2-12.  They are all going to be sleeping in a tent.  That's meals, snacks, clothes,bug spray, towels and activities for 13 people.  Now do you think we're crazy?  I have bubbles, squirt guns(I get the biggest one in self defense), water balloons, a quilt square project for the kids on Sat and they will probably go into town to the pool in the PM.  There are trails to walk and a playground nearby, that should take care of the first hour or two. 
We've divided up the cooking, I'm doing pasta salad and garlic bread tonight.   It's already made and in the frig.  Bacon and eggs and coffee cake for breakfast Saturday.  Brats and burgers for dinner and pancakes and smokie links for breakfast Sunday.  And smores, and fruit, and cookies and juice boxes, and water bottles and chips, and candy bars.  The adults eat a lot, the kids want to snack all the time.  Did I mention it's gong to be in the 90's?  See I told you we were crazy, because we will love it every sticky hot demanding minute of it.  I'll post pics Monday.

choclate covered strawberries

I love chocolate and I love strawberries.  Add the two together and BLISS.

Here's what you need:
1 quart strawberries washed, hulled and dried.  I can't emphasize this enough, if the berries aren't dry they will mess up the chocolate.
1 cup chocolate chips I use semi sweet, but use what you like
1T shortening I f you don't have shortening you can use butter or oil.  Don't use margarine, that water thing again.

Wax paper

Melt the chips and shortening in a microwave or over a double boiler.  I just use the glass cup I measure in.  Start with 1 minute, stir, then in 30 seconds bursts until melted.

Using a skewer or two forks dip the berries, then place on the paper to dry.  There is wax paper on the counter it just doesn't show.  You don't have to cover the whole berry.  Make a puddle with the remaining chocolate to sneak later.

Store in the frig if they aren't devoured first.

These are also great with white chocolate.

steak salad aka. leftovers from the grill salad

This is a very loose recipe.  Add what you like and have lurking around the frig.

steak 6-8oz
cucumber
vadalia onion
tomato
corn on the cob (or use a can or frozen, I won't tell)
vinegar
olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Chop the meat and vegies into about 1/2" pieces, cut corn off the cob,  toss in a bowl with the vinegar and oil and seasonings.  Don't worry about measuring this ,but I use about 2-4T of each the vinegar and oil, do the seasonings to taste.  Feel free to add or subtract any ingredients for what you like.  This is also great with chicken.  Add some warm bread and dinner is served.

The reason I call this leftovers from the grill salad is that's what I used the first time I made this, just a happy accident.  Now I cook extra on purpose.

decorating on the cheap

I've been wanting to redo our guest room for a while.  It sits in the center of the house just off the kitchen, you have to go through it to get to the main bathroom, so everyone who comes here sees it on their trip to the potty.  It has been bright yellow with large floral prints for several years now. 

This is a hard room to decorate around.  It has five doors and two eight foot tall windows and eleven foot ceilings.  All the woodwork is painted white, and needs a new coat.  The carpet is industrial blue-grey carpet squares and not old enough to be cool or to replace.  The room is also the pass through to my workroom/studio and the office.  Oh yeah there are also three large cabinets full of dishes and I need to keep toys for the grand kids stored in here.  It's 12x17 so a good size, but a lot has to happen.  And did I mention it needs to be done dirt cheap?

I want the room to have a cottage look,  simple and uncluttered in soft aqua, cream white and blue.  My sister gave me a gorgeous blue, aqua, olive and cream fabric.  A GS steal at $10 for about 7-8 yards. I think I'll pair it with lace curtains, a white bedspread and a few touches of burlap.

We used the fourth of July weekend to strip the wall paper on the one wall, paint all the trim and get the walls painted a pale aqua..  I did everything as high as I could reach without a ladder and AH finished the top part.  When you are vertically challenged and have a knee replacement, ladders are not your friend.  The hardest part so far has been getting all the stuff out of the way, so it's everywhere.  The kitchen, living room and office all have things piled in them, but we are making progress.  I can see the top of my kitchen table for the first time in a week.  I'll keep you updated as we go along.

Top picture wallpaper before, bottom AH striping the top of the paper I can't reach.  He's great about things like that.  My fuzzy little helper and the fabric I'm using.  The moire water marking just doesn't show up in the photo.

Almost instant centerpiece

No, I'm not reinventing the wheel with this one, just reminding you of  an idea for a simple and if you have blooms from your garden, free summer centerpiece.
Pretty bowl, add water  and float in a few flowers such as hollyhocks, roses or marigolds with the stems cut very short.  The flowers need to be wide across the top, spikey flowers don't work .  It would be beautiful to have a row of smaller bowls down the center of your table, on a runner, or not, for your next dinner party.

New idea, do all of the above and add two very curious kitties who think this is a new play toy and supplementary water bowl.  Since the critters who live here rule, their human slave(that would be me) just keeps filling the bowl and picking up the flowers, which is a new fun game for them.  Often they will have the first flower out before I bend down and get the next one.

new toy

In the words of Elton John, "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.  I'm about to loose control and I think I like it."
 I got a new toy this week.  It's something I've wanted for years, since they first came out.  No guesses?  It's a Cricut Expression.  Now I rarely but anything new except socks and undies, unless it's deeply on sale, so you know I really, really, really wanted this.  I did wait til it was on sale, and  now it's here.  I feel like a little kid at Christmas!  In case you aren't a crafter, a Cricut is a cutting machine.  It works with a cartridge that has a program of designs with hundreds of options.  You just pick what you want, select the size and tell the machine to cut.  I've already played with it, trying to learn how everything works. I'm not a scrapbooker, but I do a great deal of crafting with papers.  This machine is amazing.  My techno geek, AH thinks it's awesome.  If I have it out when he's around he's right there checking it out.  I tried to bid for several cartridges on EBay, but was not successful.  I did find great prices on Amazon with none of the bidding stuff that aggravates me when I loose at the last second.  Patience is not one of my virtues.  Most of the cartridges on Amazon ran $20-25.  Not bad when the list prices are $69-89.  I'll share some of my projects when I get finished.  Several ideas are already mulling around in my brain.


On a more somber note, please keep two of my teacher friends in your prayers.  One father's daughter had to have a heart transplant last week (she's doing well) and one mother's son has just been diagnosed with leukemia.  As a parent I can hardly imagine the stress these young families are under.  I can't think of anything worse than having your child sick, being helpless to change what is happening and wishing you could take their place.

Deconstructed Cobb salad

Here's what you need:

Salad greens forget iceberg I used romain and spinach
Salad goodies raddishes, carrots, green onions, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes,  whatever your favorites are
Hard boiled eggs 1 for every 3 eaters

Cooked and crumbled bacon 1 slice per person Cheese, blue is traditional and a little goes a long way, I also like cheddar about 1 tablespoon per person

Cooked shredded chicken breast

Salad dressing of choice, low fat is best if you're going healthy.

Boil eggs and cook chicken and bacon first and let cool  or use leftover roast chicken

Clean and chop salad greens and goodies

A regular Cobb salad is a beautiful presentation of all the ingredients nestled on a bed of greens in rows, with the dressing already on it.  Unfortunately if served this way the leftovers get soggy and limp.  I serve the greens  in a   bowl with small bowls and plates of the other ingredients in a circle around the larger bowl..   Add the dressing of your choice.  This works great if you have picky people in your house, everyone gets the toppings they want.  By limiting the cheese,  bacon and  choice of dressing this is a really healthy meal.  Even guys that don't think salad is a proper meal can fill up with this one.  Add a loaf of warm crusty bread and dinner is ready. Just shove the leftovers in small zip top bags for storage.  This makes a great lunch the next day.

 BTW the cool salad bowl is a Salvation Army store find.  I think it was $5.00,  it had a $45.00 price tag still on it.

trailer trash trifle

The name of this recipe is not intended to offend anyone.  The words just go together.

How ironic that someone who as a diabetic,and  trys to eat healthy most of the time would have something so nutritionally awful for my first recipe.  Sometimes ya just gotta be bad!

Here's what you need:

1 box Twinkies or Suzy Q's

1 8oz container Cool Whip

1 lg box instant vanilla or chocolate pudding

3 cups milk

1 can cherry pie filling  peach, blueberry, or raspberry would be great too.

1 Hershey bar grated OK get two and eat the other one,know you want to.

Make the pudding according to package directions set aside to thicken

Take snack cakes apart or if using Twinkies slice horizontally, line the bottom and sides of a trifle (does anyone really have one of these) or salad bowl cream side in, breaking pieces to fit in the gaps.

layer in 1/2 of pudding, pie filling and cool whip. 

Add another layer of cake and the second half of your  other ingredients, ending with the cool whip.

Garnish with the Hershey bar.  Alas, AH ate all of ours, so no garnish.

This is so bad for you, only make it if your having company and a really healthy dinner.  Make your friends take half of the leftovers home. 

In my own defense I did use low fat milk and sugar free pudding, pie filling and Cool Whip.  Not quite as decadent as the fully loaded version but still very yummy.  The picture does not do this justice.  The layers are very pretty together.