Happy 4th of July

I'm a sort of perfectionist. Most times I keep this trait hidden, but today it came out.

I was invited to a July 4th party and volunteered to bring a dessert. I had this idea in the back of my head. I would make a cake and decorate it like our flag. In my mind it was beautiful, in real life, not so much.

Because I doubled the recipe and used a larger pan, it stayed in the oven too long and some parts burned. Also, since I didn't use a true cake pan, the sides weren't straight. I started frosting it last night. I wanted an exact replica, so I counted the stripes making sure they were in the right position. I measured the cake so I would know how big to make the stripes. That worked out well on paper, but I kept having to readjust the size of the stripes and sometimes I scored the cake too deep.

No matter how much red food coloring I used, I just couldn't get the right color. After the stripes were done, it was time to do the blue background for the stars. Again, I just couldn't get the right shade of blue. I decided it was a flag that had been out in the sun too long and it faded. When I was doing the stars, I think I lost count and the arrangement wasn't quite right.

This is how it finally looked.

Finally, it was finished and I went to bed. As I laid there, I couldn't stop thinking about the cake. I just wasn't satisfied. I couldn't bring this out for everyone to see.

This morning, I decided to go with a tried and true dessert. I've made this for the 4th of July many times and it usually goes over very well. AND, it's very easy.

It was a success and everyone liked it. All it is is slice strawberries, Cool Whip (I don't keep whipping cream in the house) and blueberries. Perfect for this time of year.

Would anyone like a faded, slightly stale flag cake?