Memorial Day Traditions and a Patriotic (NoBake) Cheesecake

     Hey y'all! I don't know about you, but our (homeschooling) household is CRAZY this time of year with summer right around the corner.  I'm so thankful for this holiday weekend to relax and slow down a little with my family.  I fully intend to get as much "project time" and time in the sun in as possible!
      After a few hours in the pool today, we're having our big Memorial Day cookout, for which I have put together my FAVORITE project this weekend- my husband's favorite dessert- a Red, White, and Blueberry (NoBake) Cheesecake! White chocolate, strawberries and blueberries come together to form the yummiest (and easiest) semi-homemade dessert ever!  It's so good I almost want to make two (one for the party- and one for me and my husband that we don't have to share!)


Red, White, and Blueberry NoBake Cheesecake

Prep time: 20 minutes

You will need:

• White Baking Chocolate (4oz at least)

• Whole Fresh Strawberries (8 strawberries halved lengthwise, and 3/4 Cup Strawberries sliced) 

• Graham Cracker Crust

• 3/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar (Powdered Sugar) 

• 3/4 Cup Skim Milk

• 1 Cup Cool Whip or 1 can Whipped Cream

• 8 oz. reduced fat Cream Cheese (softened, cut into cubes)

• 1 package (3.3oz) of Jello Instant White Chocolate Pudding (I use the sugar free kind)

• Handful of Fresh or Frozen blueberries  

• Waxed Paper

• Cookie Sheet 

 To make:

Prepare cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Then, in the microwave or heavy sauce pan, melt white chocolate and stir until smooth.  Dip the bottom half of each halved strawberry in melted white chocolate.  Place cut side down on waxed paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set.  Spread the remaining melted chocolate over the bottom and sides of crust.  Arrange sliced strawberries over bottom of pie. (Feel free to add blueberries as a second layer here too.  Makes for even yummier pie.)

In a  mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar til smooth. Gradually add milk, mix well. Beat in pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened (consistency will be sticky but spreadable-if necessary add tiny bit of milk or powdered sugar to adjust).  Spread evenly over sliced strawberries and seal to edges. Place blueberries in a circle on center top of pie.  Arranged sliced strawberries dipped in chocolate all around edge with dipped tips facing outwards.  Use cool whip or whipped cream to garnish between blueberries and strawberries.  Refrigerate until served. 

It's that easy!  If you try it, please let me know how yours turned out! If you have any questions, please ask!
     During all of your celebration time this weekend, please don't forget the most important part of Memorial Day is remembering our fallen heroes who made our great country what it is (and the Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty). My husband and I make it a point to keep Monday special- just for our family- and we take the children for an annual trip to the National Cemetery here in Jacksonville and to another local cemetery where many veterans are buried.  Often we take flags for the graves of our friends, or the children will write a thank you note and leave it for the family on the grave of a service member.  What are your Memorial Day traditions, and how do you appreciate the Gold Star families in your area?  God Bless You all this holiday weekend, and God Bless America!

Hobby-induced ADHD and my Nautical Crochet Starling Handbag

     Hey y'all!  Thanks for reading today!  Starting this blog has really made me examine all of the different hobbies and interests I have in order to gain a clearer direction of what I want to share here. I read somewhere recently that Charles Dickens once said "I could never have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time." Yeah, so- Charles Dickens and I do not share DNA.  I do not lack determination or diligence, or even order.  Punctuality I'm only so-so with.  Concentration on any one subject for an extended period of time, however, is nowhere in my wheelhouse.  So, the conclusion I've come to in my examination of myself is that I have hobby-induced ADHD.  It's the only plausible explanation I can come up with. I don't have one passion, I have a hundred. 
       I've been feeling the call of my yarn stash over the past few days.  It's been a couple of months since I've even picked up my crochet hooks and I almost can't stand the- well, guilt- that I've felt.  To assuage that guilt, I'm starting a new project, and introducing you to an old one. I first have to tell you that I love Alice Merlino's blog www.futuregirl.com.  I especially LOVE her Starling Handbag!  I made one last year and I have been dying to make a new one since (alas, I refer you back to my hobby-ADHD as a reason for having not made another since.) I love how quickly the beginning of this project works up.  An hour and ago it looked like the photo on the left.  Now I've finished the bottom panel and have begun the first row of the sides:

Unfortunately, the sides take longer than a few hours since this bag is built with hundreds (depending on the size it could be thousands) of single stitches.  To save you the suspense, I'll leave off with the beautiful nautical version that I made last year.

      I'll update as I make progress!  If you try the pattern as well, please post a photo in the comments!  I'd love to see it!  (Also, if you try the pattern- watch her video tutorials for the entire bag.  She's amazing, and makes it easy enough for a novice!)  Happy crocheting!!!   

Me, Henry Ford, and our Chalkboard Piano.

     Hey y'all!  Thank you so much for coming to visit my blog. My name is Faith, and my plan is to make Coastal Southern a place where I can express my love for the life I have be blessed with, for the projects I undertake, and for the people who make my full and wonderful.   Having said that- my life's not perfect.  Projects fail, I fail, and life's not always "beachy"- but finding joy in everything is essential. As Henry Ford said, "failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Being grateful for the opportunity to wake up and breathe air, love my family and friends, and continue to explore this life God's given me is how I strive to live. I encourage you to comment and make suggestions as I explore Pinterest, the Word of God, nature, and my own abilities in the kitchen!
     For the purpose of this inaugural post, I want to share one of my all time favorite projects (and a fairly simple one at that)- our chalkboard piano!
Last year, our church was renovating and our pastor promised my daughter her choice of the pianos that belonged to the church.  She chose the best option for quality of sound, but it had been sitting in the children's church area for quite some time, and was covered in glitter glue and crayon markings.  I couldn't wait to make it something extra special, and a highlight of our home.  When she chose chalkboard paint,  I knew just what I wanted to do with it!
      The process of turning this ugly and abused little upright into a treasure was simple and only took about a week or so.  My husband and I removed the hardware, then sanded the entire surface of the piano and used painter's tape to completely cover the keys (also-I did not remember to cover the pedals until later, but this is when it should have been done).  We then went about priming the piano to take the paint. I chose to use Rust-oleum Professional Spray Primer (silver can, grey lid) because it covers completely and does a really even job that holds paint well and requires NO experience to do a beautiful job.  (I'm not being paid to say so at all- I just love this primer.) It took 3 coats, and we were ready to move forward with the project!

      After finishing priming the piano, we used Valspar Chalkboard Paint in Black to begin turning this forlorn little piano into a beauty. (Again, I'm not being paid to promote any products- just telling you what I love.)

     3 solid coats of paint later (waiting 2 days between each to allow for dry time), and some simple glass drawer pulls from the local hardware store, and we were done!  (One side note about this Valspar paint- this paint does NOT require any prepping at all.  Once it's dry, chalk takes right to it.  Just make sure to always wait the suggested time before doing so.)

It really is a simple project- my first of this magnitude, and it turned out beautifully.  I hope you've enjoyed the post, and I look forward to hearing from my readers!