Bright Mama

French Toast

2011-07-08T04:53:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite breakfast recipe...

4 slices of thick whole grain bread (I made mine with this recipe)

2 eggs

2 tbs milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tbs sugar (or honey, rapadura, sucanat, etc.)

1/4 cup cream cheese

1-2 tbs honey

blueberries or sliced strawberries to throw on top

1. Heat skillet on medium and spray with cooking spray or add a little butter.

2. Beat together in medium bowl: eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar.

3. Submerge slices of bread into egg mixture until fully covered but not too soggy.

4. Put onto skillet and toast on both sides until egg is fully cooked and lightly browned.

5. Put cream cheese and honey into microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Stir together and pour onto your french toast.

6. Top with blueberries and enjoy!

Homemade Protein Bars

2011-06-28T09:56:00.001-07:00

This recipe is super easy, versatile and very tasty!

Basic Recipe:

2 cups Almonds

3/4 cups Peanut Butter

3/4 cups Dried Fruit- I normally use raisins and dates

Honey to taste (This depends on how sweet your PB is)

1/4 cup Coconut Oil (or olive oil)

Nutritional Add-ins:

Flax Seed

Wheat Germ

Dried Unsweetened Coconut

Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds

Pulse all your ingredients in a food processor until they are the right consistency to form a bar. If they are too dry and crumbly add a bit more honey and oil. If they are too sticky, add oatmeal or more nuts. Then press into an 8" square pan. Cool in fridge until they are hard. Slice and serve.

For a Treat:

Top with melted semisweet chocolate Chips. Let cool in fridge until they are hard before serving.

I never actually measure anything for these bars. I just throw some nuts, dried fruit, nut butter, some honey and then just whatever else I feel like adding. They end up tasting good no matter what.

Enjoy!

Summer Salsa

2011-06-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

I recently began participating in a local produce co-op, which is a nice way to get high quality fruits and veggies for a lower price. While the deal is a good one, I still found myself with a big bag of produce that contained a few things that I don't normally buy. In this case, cucumbers and corn. Enter a fancy new recipe! I found a recipe here and modified it to come up with this super delicious summer salsa:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 mango, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I really like cilantro:))

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon rapadura (or sugar)

1 teaspoon salt

Mix together and serve chilled with tortilla chips. If you give the flavors a little time to meld, say two or three hours, it tastes even better.

I think I'll start using cucumbers more often!

Tornado Relief

2011-05-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to fill you in on a Missouri blogger who is hosting a MEGA giveway for tornado relief. Check out Display Your He{ART} to enter.

Parenting Expert

2011-05-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

This post is written both as a warning for people who do not yet have kids and as encouragement for anyone with kids who doubts their ability to discern the proper way of dealing with all of the gray areas of parenting.

Hi my name is Lisa Bass and I was a parenting expert....before I had kids! I read the books while I was pregnant and had it all figured out. I knew how to get them to sleep well at night, play happily during the day and never throw a fit or disobey there mama. I'm sure any experienced moms reading this are laughing already. I even remember being judgemental of others who had disobedient children. I wondered why people had such a hard time with it. Come on, its obvious, if your child is having a tantrum for something you said no to, just don't give it to them and they won't try that again. A child's will is much stronger than that. Oh, and if they aren't sleeping well just let them fuss a few minutes and they will fall asleep. Again, my kids didn't get that memo! This is only a tiny sample of what I thought I knew. I was perfectly prepared to have the best behaved, hardest working, smartest children in town. They were also going to sit quietly through church. The nursery is only for kids whose parents' have no control over them. (If you've ever been at church with us you're giggling by now.)

My point in all this. Pride is ugly. The Bible says "God resists the proud" (James 4:6) Ouch. It makes one think they know better than anyone else and it keeps them from seeking out wisdom from others' that have walked the road before. It keeps us looking inward for wisdom instead of looking to the creator of all. It makes it hard for us to admit faults and keeps us from turning around when we have started down the wrong road.

A wise woman I know told me to be wary of any parenting "experts" with a one-size fits all solution, who claim they have all the answers and find it possible for parents to achieve perfection in their own strength. Those weren't her exact words but thats the gist. I think that is some great advice for new parents or parents to be.

Of course, I believe its impotant to teach children right and wrong, to raise them to be hard workers and show them how to have a relationship with Jesus. I'm simply addressing the pride isue here which leads us right into the trap of legalism and keeps us from enjoying God's fullness.

My take on Muesli

2011-05-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Muesli is loosely defined by Wikipedia as "a popular breakfast cereal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts." That's pretty broad, but here is how I do it and its a hit with my family!

6 dried figs
6 dates
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbs. honey

Pulse first four ingredients in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and then refrigerate 2-24 hours to soften and absorb liquid. (I let mine sit at room temp. for 12 hours in order to remove phytates from the oats.)

Our family scripture this week: Let the words of mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Blender Waffles/Pancakes...

2011-05-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

...a yummy healthy breakfast treat!

This recipe has been adadpted from a recipe I found here...

It is so delicious and easy. The best part about it is that you can incorporate grains that you don't normally eat (or don't really enjoy eating) We like to sneak rice and quinoa into these yummy waffles. This recipe needs to soak overnight, so make sure to mix them up in the evening if you want them for breakfast the next morning.

This recipe is awesome, in that it gives you the benefit of soaked grains, which is a very important preparation step to get rid of phytates, which bind to the nutritious parts of grains so that your body cannot absorb them. Read more on that topic here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole grain wheat flour (or other whole grain flour like spelt or kamut)
1/2 cup rice (or quinoa) You put in whole, uncooked rice. This sounds really weird but, trust me, it works.
1 and 3/4 cups cultured buttermilk (OR 1/2 cup yogurt and 1 and 1/4 cups water)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbs. olive oil

Put the above ingredients in your blender and blend on high for 2-3 minutes and then let them sit on your counter for 12-24 hours. (The soaking process only effectively removes phytates at room temperature. At first it feels weird letting buttermilk or yogurt sit out for that long, but I have done it many many times and it tastes great.)

The next morning add the rest of the ingredients:

2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Blend for about a minute. If your mixture is too thick to blend add an egg or two.

Pour onto prepard waffle iron and cook according to your iron's directions. If you don't have a waffle iron these also make fabulous pancakes.

Serve with butter and real maple syrup or honey.

Azure Standard

2011-04-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sure I'm probably the only one who just found out about this awesome company, but just in case you also missed it...http://www.azurestandard.com/

What is it?

Azure Standard is a place to order all natural and organic food for a lower price than one can typically find in a local grocery store or online. They have drop points all over the country (Ours is in Warrenton, MO less than half an hour from my house!) where you pick up your bulk order (placed once a month)

I found out about it from a friend and just placed my first order. I'm so excited!

I bought so much great stuff for really cheap. Ex. Organic apples for less than $.70/lb. 15 lbs. of organic PB (Unfortunately, that won't be hard at all for us to polish off.) 15 lbs. organic raisins and so much more!

Go to their website to find a drop location near you!

I still buy my wheat and oats from the Amish in Bowling Green. They have really great deals too. I'm convinced bulk whole foods are the way to go for health and money saving.

Our family's scripture this week: Psalm 23 (We are only focusing on the first sentence for Ruth.)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You annoint me head with oil; My cups runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

2011-04-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Missouri Morel Fever!!

Crock Pot Yogurt!

2011-04-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

I tried this overnight and wow! It was so easy and cheap. I made a half gallon of organic yogurt for $2! Check out ths link for the instructions:

http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/02/make-yogurt-in-your-crock-pot/

I've tried a couple other yogurt techniques, but none were near as easy as this one. The directions are easy to follow and it yields near perfect results. If you consume much yogurt, you should try this to save money.

The end result is plain yogurt (nonfat if you use nonfat milk and whole if you use whole, which is what I did. We buy our milk straight from a farmer in town that is organic, raw milk for only $4/gal.) You will want to sweeten it with honey or stevia and fruit, like blueberries, strawberries and bananas. You could also use it as a replacement for sour cream in recipes.

I use my yogurt to soak my whole grains to remove phytates, making my baked goods more easily digestible and healthy. Read more about that on this blog:

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html

The blog I just mentioned (Passionate Homemaking) is an awesome resource for any mama focused on being the best homemaker they can be for their family. I strongly recommend checking it out and browsing its content for ideas that can help your family.

Adult Skirt to Toddler Dress Sewing Tutorial

2011-04-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Skill level: Easy

Materials:

1 adult skirt

coordinating 1.5-2" wide ribbon

2 pieces of elastic no wider than 1" (18" and 20" long for size 2T)

coordinating thread

sewing machine

For this tutorial I found a very full adult skirt with extra layers of fabric, so it would make a pretty and full little dress.

1. Cut off the elastic around the top.

2. Measure two pieces of elastic. One is for the chest and the other is for the middle. For a size 2T-3T, like the one I made cut one piece 18" and the other 20"

3. Serge around the top. (where you cut off the elastic) If you don't have a serger, iron down 1/4" Then iron it down again to make a casing for your elastic. Ex. If you are using 1" elastic iron it down 1 and 1/4" so the elastic easily fits through. Then sew down your casing, leaving a 1" spot open, where you will eventually put the elastic through.

4. Measure the width around the skirt where you want the waist to be. Take that measurement and add 1/2" for overlapping, and cut a piece of ribbon that length.

5. Pin the ribbon around the area where you want the waist of the dress to be. Sew the ribbon edges right sides together at the side seam of the skirt, so you don't have to worry about fraying. If this part is too tricky just overlap the ribbon edges at the side seam.

6. Sew the ribbon all the way around the waist of the skirt on both the top and bottom of the ribbon, leaving a 1" spot when you are sewing the bottom of the ribbon, to put the elastic through. Make sure you sew the top and bottom stitches around the ribbon far enough apart to fit your elastic through.

7. Time to string your elastc through both of your casings (the one at the very top of the skirt and the ribbon) using a safety pin to push it all the way around.

8. Once you get it all the way around, overlap the elastic ends and sew a couple zig zag stitches to keep them together.

9. Sew your casings closed (the 1" spot you originally left open to put your elastic through.)

10. Cut two pieces of ribbon for the straps. Mine were 9" but yours may need to be longer or shorter depending on the size of your child. Pin them on your dress where you like them. You may need to do this while your child tries it on to make sure the straps are where you want them. Be careful not to poke her with a pin! Sew your straps on and you're done!

What I've been up to

2011-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing....a lot. I want to (eventually) post tutorials on how to make a lot of this stuff, but right now I do not have the time. Between two little ones, food to make, a home to keep, a Bible to study, a husband to love (and not in that particular order) etc. etc. I have time to sew a few garments and put them on my new etsy shop, but I'm finding little time to blog about them and make tutorials. But in the mean time, here are a few things I've sewn for my etsy shop ruthiebell.etsy.com

Oh and by the way I discovered an awesome new recipe!! Cheese Waffle BLT''s (with whole wheat flour and turkey bacon)

Here's the link for the recipe: http://jumboempanadas.blogspot.com/2007/05/w-blt-it-may-be-longer-to-say-but-itll.html

You should make them. They are delicious and healthy and take about 1o minutes!

2011-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

I had a baby!
OK, so it was almost 3 months ago.

But, here is a picture of the little darling!

Johanna Faye 6 lbs. on 11/18/10
I had an ideal birth. Very quick and no pain medication or pitocin.
I'm thanking God for such a wonderful birth, precious baby and my sweet little family!

The miraculous green smoothie!

2010-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this on an awesome blog, passionatehomemaking.com, and it has been a big hit in our home ever since.

Call it a "Shrek" or "Incredible Hulk" smoothie for the kids if you have to, but these incredible drinks are an easy way to get picky kids to eat their veggies.

I give it to my almost 2 year old all the time and she drinks it like its regular juice. Yum!

Put in blender:

2 cups fresh spinach

1 ripe banana

1 apple, cut up with peels still on

1/2 cup plain yogurt or kefir

Juice of choice (I use orange juice) Put enough juice in to make the smoothie thin enough to fit in a sippy cup, or a little thicker if it is for an older child

Honey, if needed (but not for kids under age one)

If it still tastes really sweet and delicious and you think you can get away with adding more spinach, do it!

Optional add ins:

1 ripe avocado (These are creamy and don't have a strong taste, so your child won't notice)

A carrot with peels on (Carrots are a sweet tasting vegetable, so they complement the juice nicely.)

Ground flax seed

Applesauce

Pears, strawberries or any other fruit you have.

Mix and match and experiment! Don't think that just because it sounds gross to an adult that your kids won't love it. How else are you going to get them to eat that much spinach?

Homemade Butter

2010-09-30T11:29:00.001-07:00

We decided to start making our own butter in order to have a product that is healthier and more frugal than store-bought butter. We use raw milk straight from a dairy farmer in a town nearby. Check out realmilk.com to find out all the health benefits associated with raw milk and to educate yourself on pasteurization and homogenization and what they do to destroy any health benefits that milk once had. You can also find a farmer in your area that sells clean, raw and, often, organic milk.

You won't believe how easy this is!!

Things you need:

1 jar

cream

1. Fill the jar 1/3 of the way with cream. (We just skimmed the cream off the top of the milk we purchased from the local farmer. You could also buy regular pasteurized cream from the grocery store, if that's all you have access to.)

2. Let it sit out on your counter until it reaches about 65 degrees. I pulled mine out of the fridge and put it on the counter for about 7 hours.

3. Shake the jar profusely. The butter will separate from the buttermilk. If you have a really good shaker, (my husband, in this case) it may only take 5 minutes until you have a big mass of butter in the jar. It may take up to 20 minutes. Just keep shaking until you have a clump of soft butter.

4. Drain off the buttermilk and rinse. I put mine through a strainer, then put the buttermilk in the fridge to use for pancakes. I then rinsed a little water over the butter to get the remaining butterrmilk off.

4. Add a little salt. Then put it in a little container and refrigerate. It will harden when cool, just like regular butter.

That's it! It's really that easy. Enjoy!

Maple Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

2010-09-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Easy, Delicious, Healthy!

4 pieces of chicken

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut in cubes

1 onion, cut in large wedges

2 tbs. olive oil

3 tbs. maple syrup

Salt and Pepper

1.Arrange chicken, onion and sweet potatoes in large roaster pan. (I just use a 9X13 baking pan)

2. Drizzle with olive oil and syrup and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.

3. Bake at 400 for about an hour, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and potatoes and onions are soft. I usually stir my potatoes and onions about half way through so they don't burn.

4. Enjoy this one pan dish!

2010-08-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Best Salmon Recipe Ever!! (I am 23 weeks pregnant and crave this!)

For the fish:

4 salmon filets
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp parsley
lemon pepper seasoning- to taste

For the sauce (This is what makes the recipe so yummy!):

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. dill weed

OK, so this recipe is really simple. Just bring your chicken broth and salmon to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, mix together mayo, yogurt, green onions and 1 tsp. dill weed.

When the salmon can be easily flaked with a fork it is done. Remove from the broth and sprinkle on 1 tsp. parsley, 1 tsp. dill weed and the lemon pepper. Then place a few tbs. of the yogurt sauce on each filet. Enjoy!

Serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice.

Ruffle Butt Bloomers

2010-06-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

So easy! So cute!

Start with 3 strips of cute fabric and some bloomers. (About 16" long and 5" wide.)

Next, fold your strips in half right sides together and sew down the side.

Next, turn the strips right side out. It is easiest to put a safety pin on one end and then work the safety pin through.

Now, turn your strips seam side down and iron them.

Next, its time to ruffle your strips. Set your sewing machine to a stitch length of 5 and sew down the middle of your strips, leaving a little thread on each end to pull your ruffles. Pull your string and work your matereial towards the center to create a ruffle that is a little less wide than your bloomers. It is easiest to just pull on one string, instead of both. Make sure to pull lightly. You do not want to break the string before you sew your gathered material onto the bloomers.

Pin the ruffled fabric onto the bloomers and then sew them on right down the center, tucking the ends under to hide raw edges. (Make sure you have put your stitch length back on the normal setting.)

Finally, use a seam ripper to pull out the long length stitcches you used for gathering. (Make sure to not accidentally pull out the shorter stitches you used to sew the ruffles on.)

All done!!

email me with questions: lisamariebass@gmail.com

Easy Summer Veggie Sandwiches

2010-05-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

makes: 4 sandwiches

need:

4 whole wheat bagels

a couple leafs of romaine lettuce

1 small red onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

4 slices colby jack cheese

1 tomatoe sliced

alfalfa sprouts (optional)

spicy brown mustard

Salt and pepper your tomato. Layer 1 slice of cheese, peppers, onion, tomatoe sprouts, lettuce and mustard on each bagel. This makes a really delicious sandwich. I really pile the mustard on mine.

How to make granola

2010-05-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Granola is very easy to make and is healthier and cheaper when you make it at home!

note: I do not measure when I make granola I just dash of this and that but I will explain to you as we go what it needs to look like and what the consistency should be.

These are the basic ingredients you need:

Oatmeal

Honey

Olive Oil

Nuts (I used walnuts and almonds here)

Rasins or Dried Cranberries or Blueberries

Flax Seed (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

Dried Unsweetened Coconut (optional)

Carob Chips or Chocolate Chips (optional)

First, you are going to chop all your nuts in a food processor (or buy them already chopped.)

Next, pour some honey and olive oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat. The amounts you pour in determine how big of a batch you want. I usually use about a cup of honey and 1/4 cup olive oil. Dont't let it boil, but get it warm enough to easily stir it.

Once it is combined, remove from heat and start pouring in your nuts and oatmeal. You want it to be about 3/4 oatmeal and 1/4 chopped nuts and you add enough until all the liquid is absorbed and it is crumbly. (You will use a lot more oatmeal than you think. I usually pour in a couple of cups, stir it around, and then add some more, until the liquid is absorbed and its not too sticky.)

As you get more familiar with making granola, it will be very easy for you to know how much of each ingredient tastes best, but granola is really so easy you can't really mess it up. You just want to make sure the consistency is crumbly and not too dry or too sticky. (Even if you don't get it exactly right it will still taste great!)

This is also the part where you stir in about 1/4 cup of coconut and flax seed, if you want. You can also stir in about a tablespoon of cinnamon, but these three ingredients are optional.

Now its time to bake!

Preheat the oven to 350 and spread the granola on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until slihtly browned. It will brown more quickly around the edges, so it is best to pull it out half way through and stir it so the outsides don't get burnt.

Once it is slightly browned, pull it out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, pour it into a big bowl and stir in your dried fruit and carob chips, if using. Just stir in as much as you want, depending on how big your batch is and how loaded you want it with dried fruit. The granola will still be rather soft but it will get hard as it cools completely.

You can be creative with granola and create your own recipe, like using real maple syrup instead of honey or dried apples with cinnamon and walnuts. You could even add peanut butter or almond butter to the honey and olive oil step or you could make it banana flavored by adding a mashed banana to the liquid part and dried bananas for the fruit. Its really very simple. Just focus on having a liquid component and dry component and combining them until they are crumbly, not sticky or too dry. Then bake it, stir in some dried fruit and your done!

Enjoy!

2010-04-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

30-minute "head-scarf"
skirt and matching bow.

For beginners!

What you need:

1 square scarf or bandana

matching thread

threaded sewing machine

safety pin

elastic

1. Start with 1 square head scarf or bandana.

2. Fold it in half and cut. Make sure the pieces are even, so they match up when you are sewing.

3. Cut off a couple of inches and set aside to use later on the matching bow.

4. Now take the main two pieces and put them right sides together and sew down the short sides. After you sew them together you will have one long piece, like the next picture shown.

5. Now you are going to make a casing for your elastic. So, fold down the top and iron your fold (make it just wide enough for your elastic to fit through, so the size of the fold depends on the width of your elastic.) You are ironing it so that it will be easy to sew down.

6. Sew down your elastic casing. (The part you just ironed.)

7. Now it is time to put in the elastic. First, measure the elastic around your little girl's waist. Don't pull it too snug; just make it as snug as you want the skirt to fit. Put a safety pin through it and start working it through your casing.

7. This is how it should look when your elastic is through it.

8. Now put right sides together and sew the open sides (the sides with the elastic sticking out) together. Make sure your sewing catches both ends of the elastic.

Flip the skirt right side out and it is finished!

9. Now it is time to make the bow. Take the pieces you cut for the bow earlier and cut them into little strips.

10. Tie all the little strips into knots, as shown.

11. Thread a needle and run the thread through each of your little knots to make a little bundle. Tie off the thread. You can then hot glue it or safety pin it to a clip or headband.

Now go dress up your little lady!

2010-04-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

FuzziBunz has all new colors! Here's a few of them. You can see all the new colors at brightmama.com.

Just saw the baby's heartbeat!

2010-04-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Luke and I found out about 3 weeks ago that we are going to be having a baby #2!! We are very excited! Sorry about not posting recipes; I am 7 weeks pregnant and struggling with sickness and anything healthy sounds absolutely repulsive. This is not how I normally am but I have to get through this first trimester somehow!! I have been craving pizza, so I will give you a seriously healthy pizza recipe today:

1 tsp. honey
1.5 C warm water
1 T instant active dry yeast
1 t salt
3 C whole wheat flour

Toppings: Organic pasta sauce, organic cheese, olives, green peppers, red onions....

In a large bowl dissolve honey in warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit until it has proofed (foamy) which should take about 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the olive oil and salt and then mix in the flour. Knead for about 10 min. Roll out to make an approx. 15 inch circle (or you can make a square crust if you want, it doesn't have to be perfect) Cover with towel and let rise in a warm, draft free area for about 45 min.

Preheat oven to 425 and then top your crust with desired toppings. For a really healthy pizza, top with organic pasta sauce with no added sugar, some organic cheese (Horizon is a good brand) and veggies, like red onion green pepper and black olives.

You can also get some basil pesto to spread on your pizza, which is very delicious and healthy.

As I said, I'm pregnant and I have been living off pizza and spaghetti the past week because its all I can handle. But, I admit, since smells have been bothering me so badly, I haven't really had the desire to bake my own healthy pizza but I have in the past and they are delicious and worth it!

2010-03-23T10:42:00.001-07:00

Hello Evereyone!

It is a gorgeous spring day in Missouri. It's so nice to hear the birds chirping and sun shining!

As you know, I am a big fan of new moms staying home with their children and finding creative ways to be frugal and resourceful. One cost that I think is unneccesary is diapers. My daughter is 15 months and we've never purchased diaposable diapers (except one small package when we were traveling the Oregon coast and no laundromat was avalailable.)

With that said, I would like to take the fear and worry out of the daunting idea, to many, of cloth diapering, by offering you a few tips and tricks.

One of the biggest reasons people choose to not take advantage of cloth diapering is that they are worried about clean up. I had my doubts as well, but once I got the hang of it, it was neither messy nor time consuming.

The clean up method will change as your child transitions from newborn to infant and when your child moves up from breast milk or formula to solid foods. When the child first comes home from the hospital, I found that the best method of clean up, for solids, was to use the little peri-bottle they gave me, after giving birth, to spray off solids into the toilet. You can also hold the diaper by one end and swish it around and lush the toilet. The swirling action of the toilet gets them really clean! There is no clean-up requirement for a diaper that is only wet.

One key thing to remember is, the diapers do not have to be clean when you throw them in the pail. You can simply smear the poo with some tp into the toilet and your washer will do the ret of the job. I was nervous about this concept at first, but now I seriously just throw them in the pail dirty, with the bulk of the mess off. They come out really clean anyway!

As my daughter got older, I noticed she made bowel movements much less frequently, so after the first couple of months cloth diapering was smooth sailing. When the child gets to be about 6 months, and is on a diet of a variety of solid foods, the clean up becomes easiest of all, because, if your child is like mine, the solids will just plop into the toilet. After removing the solids, you simply remove the liners and throw everything together into the wash. (I usually wash every other day.) It is best to use a detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes, so that your child's skin will not be irritated.

It seriously is way easier than you are expecting.

If you are interested in learning more and finding the many diferent brands and styles that are offered, visit my website, brightmama.com!

2010-03-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Recently I have gotten really into curtain making. First I stiched some from a cute upholstery fabric I found on sale for Ruth's room. The I made some white, simple curtains for our bathroom and yesterday I made two giant panels for our bedroom from an extremely large table cloth I found at Goodwill for $4.

I will eventually post instructions for many different designs, but today I want to tell you about my "5 minute curtains." You may not be able to find fabric just like the piece I found, but if you keep your eye out you will eventually stumbl upon a bargain. First, I will tell you what to look for.

-Make sure the piece is finished all the way around the edges. As you can see in this picture, mine is finished all the way around and also has little decorative cutouts, which made me really drawn to this piece.

-Make sure it is long enough for either one panel or two panels. (Know the project you are aiming for. If you want them to cover your bedroom window, it will need to be a length slightly longer than your window. I it is just for your kitchen or bathroom, it can probably be shorter.)

-Of course, make sure its a color you like and that the fabric is thicker than quilting weight, especially if you are concerned about a lot of light coming through (if it is in your bedroom.)

-Make sure the piece is square or rectangle shaped.

Once you have the right piece, the rest is sooo simple. For my curtains I simply cut the table cloth in half (because it was long enough for two panels) and then folded down the unfinished edge (the part I just cut) about an inch and sewed it with coordinating thread. If your urtain rod is wide, make sure you fold it down enough so hat the curtain rod can fit through it.

Since all the edges were already finished, that is all the sewing you have to do, just the part where you cut. If you only found a piece big enough for one panel, just fold a spot over on the top or bottom for the rod to go through.

It's literally a 5-minute curtain!

Tip: You can also use a shower curtain for bedroom curtains. Just loop some pretty ribbon through the holes and tie bows for each one around your curtain rod. (Just make sure its not viny material, but a fabric curtain.)

If you have questions about this project or any others, feel free to leave a comment and I can help you through it.

If you have any more simple and easy curtain ideas, leave you idea in the comments section.

2010-03-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

Hello friends!

I hope you are having a great week. I wanted to share a healthy and delicious recipe for today. This recipe is easy tasty and very healthy!

Fried rice

1 bag of frozen veggies (peas, carrots, peppers, onions or whatever you like)
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup alfalfa or bean sprouts (whatever is on sale)
1 can water chestnuts
2 eggs
olive oil
soy sauce

Cook rice by boiling 1 cup rice in 2.5 cups water and let simmer, covered, until water is absorbed (about 35 min.) Sautee the veggies, sprouts and water chestnuts in a little live oil until soft (I added in some herbs, salt and pepper and a chopped onion) The throw the eggs in and continue to cook until the egg is ully cooked Mix the rice with the veggies and egg mixture, and add soy sauce to taste.

Tomorrow: instrucions and ideas on how to make really simple curtains

A healthy recipe for today

2010-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, I have recently become really into nutrition for my family. I make sure to be really aware of the ingredients that are in our food. For example, I will never purchase something that has hydrogenated oils in it. You will find this is almost every processed food. (Be sure to buy all natural peanut butter.) Also, I watch for added sugar and anything that is "enriched," because when it has been enriched that means they originally took natural nutrition out and added man-made vitamins in, which is not a good idea. It is definitely possible for you to feed your family healthy, natural foods that have not been altered or processed. I learned a lot of what I know about this subject from a book called "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living," by Dr. Rex Russell. The premise is basically: God created certain things for food and He made that very clear. We get ourselves in a lot of trouble when we alter these God-given foods and thats why many people find themselves with so many health problems, which we were never intended to have. (I am not saying all health problems are avoidable. I am just saying a lot of them are naturally preventable.)

Todays very delicious healthy recipe:

4 tilapia fillets

1/2 cup unsweetened flake coconut

1/2 cup crushed nuts (almonds or pecans are best)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 egg

1 tsp. lemon pepper

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Get three bowls. Place the flour, lemon pepper and salt and pepper in the first bowl and put the egg in the second bowl. In the third bowl place the coconut and nuts. Then Take the tilapia fillets and coat them with the flour mixture, then the egg and then the cocnut and nuts. Bake them until they are white and flaky. (about 30 min.) My husband and 1 year old daughter love this recipe and it is made with only God-given, natural ingredients!

2010-03-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

It was sooo nice out today. We went on a 4 mile jog/walk/run! Ruth liked wearing her pink sunglasses. She was saying cheese when I took this pic!

Money saving tip of the day for stay at home moms: never use your dryer when its 70 degrees outside. Come on, why waste the electric when the sun is burning anyway?

I am convined that almost every family can afford to have the mom stay home if they stopped working to pay for convenience. Think about it, you work a full-time job, so you have to pay a babysitter to watch the kids, buy convenience food because your too busy to cook from scratch, use disposable diapers because the day care won't take cloth, buy baby food because there's no time to make it yourself, spend money on gas to drive to and from the office, the baby sitter and home, buy new clothes so you look nice at work and you have no time to read ads and find out the best grocery deals.....the list goes on and on and soon you have spent more money having a job than simply staying home with the little ones.

Of course the exception is single parents. You have to have at least one income. I truly believe, however, that almost all married couples could afford to have mama stay at home with just a few lifestyle changes.

The firt Bright Mama blog

2010-03-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

I thought I would keep this little blog attached to my website because I am always thinking/planning/dreaming of new things to put on my website but there just wouldn't be enough room, so I thought I would have a little online journal to relay my thoughts to you. I might not keep this up everyday or even every week, but just as I have things I just can't wait to share with other creative, resourceful and frugal mamas. Some things you can expect from my blog: some of my favorite recipes and nutrition info. (I am really into reading labels and being educated on what I am putting in the bodies of my most precious and dependent people, my family. ) I will also post basic household sewing projects and instructions on how to make simple and inexpensive dresses fo little girls. (Sorry, I don't know how to sew boy stuff yet, but I may include links to other people who do :) ) I hope to have links to good coupons and offers, too, and some tips on finding bargains at the grocery store. Thats just a preview and I can't say what for sure will come first. I hope you enjoy it and beneit from it!!