Mini-Sweeper

Our dining room is carpeted. Not sure why the builder thought that was a good idea, but that's what we have to work with. Not the ideal set-up with two young kids. My youngest is still in her high-chair with a big rubber mat underneath to catch the spills. But it was still a pain to clean up after mealtimes until I bought a mini hand-held broom and dustpan at Target in the dollar section. Makes clean up much easier and my four year old can help. Works for me!


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Make This Monday - Cherry Cheesecake Muffins

Batter: 1 box white cake mix, 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 2 eggs, ¼ cup sugar

Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, 1 egg

Crust: 2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup sugar, 6 Tbl. Melted butter.

Additional: ½ cup cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat batter ingredients for 3 minutes. Beat filling until smooth.

Make crust mixture. Pour batter into muffin tins and top each with 1 tsp cherry preserves.

Top with some filling and sprinkle with crust mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Family Fun Friday

This weekend we are having a lemon party. We'll be dressing in yellow, making lemon slushies, and crafting lemon trees out of felt.

Blog Hop 2010

Welcome to A Bright and Happy Home! Thanks for stopping by! My blog is meant to encourage others (and myself) in creating a bright, happy place for their families. I like to share crafts, recipes and natural/frugal living ideas. Take a look around and I would love it if you could leave a note to say Hi!

Visit other bloggers at the Blog Hop 2010!

Repurposing burp cloths

When my babies were little, it seemed like we could never have enough burp cloths around. Now that we are out of the spit-up stage of life, I have come up with a few ideas for re-using the burp cloths and saving money in the process.

The heavy-duty flannel burp-cloths make great table-toppers for our oldest. I lay one down for a messy art project or messy meal, then just wash in my next load of cleaning rags.

The lighter weight burp cloths have been great for wiping my one-year-old's face and hands after meals. No more wasting money on paper towels.

Embracing It

We live in the southwest and it is HOT here. We're talking 110 or more on most days throughout the summer. And summer lasts until mid-October. And I don't like the heat. Most years I complain about how much I hate it and count the days until we can go outside again. Makes for a long, miserable summer.

So this year, I am trying to embrace the season. Trying to join in with the rest of the country and their love of summer days. I am burning my summer scented candles - coconut, lemon meringue, etc. I am planning little summer - themed mini-parties for my girls ( although we have to do them inside). We have hit a few pools and splash pads, and hope to get to some more this month. I will be sharing a sponge-ball craft soon that will be a good way to have some fun while staying cool.

The shift in my attitude has really helped. It is August and I am still hanging in there! Embracing the season and trying to make the best of it works for me!


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Picnic Party

This weekend we had the latest in my installment of mini family parties. This time the theme was Picnic. On Saturday we spread a blanket in the living room for lunch. We made chicken salad sandwiches, carrots, juice and cookies. I let Krista help me pack it all into a basket and we used some of the leftover pink paper plates from her birthday party. Even Daddy joined in on the fun. It was a nice lunch and when we were all done my daughter looked at me and said "This was the best picnic ever. Thank you Mommy!"

What have you done to add some fun to your family's day lately?