New Direction

No one will really notice, but I deleted several posts from my blog because I have gone in a new direction with my life and this blog is here to stay. Usually when something changes I start ALL over and delete any hard work I may have worked up. But not this time. At least, I don't plan on starting over any time soon.

My most recent project has been mainly crochet. And my most popular item right now that I'm selling on Facebook (and I have a listing on Etsy!), are crochet baby sandals. They are the cutest thing! I have a few styles that I've worked up, my most recent being the most popular and honestly the cutest so far!

I was also asked if I could crochet a newborn Mermaid costume, and I did it! 

Put a pattern in front of me and most of the time I figure it out. Or I stare at the image long enough to figure it out in my own way if possible. I didn't expect much to come of it. I just thought it was a cute and fun idea. I have a ton of yarn to use up, and figured I would give it a try.

I make just about anything. Although I have yet to make stuffed animals (that will be on my Crochet Bucket list). I also have decent prices. I figure, any price is a good amount - especially when you don't have much. Anything helps. 

Maybe later on I will post everything I can make - although the list keeps growing every time I make something new. 

Baby Cereal Cookies

Infant Cereal Cookies 

(no added sugar & flour-free option) 

                                

With many moms on WIC (Women, Infants & Children), the accumulation of baby food can get a little bit overwhelming. Here in Ohio they offer infant cereals and jarred foods starting at 6 months of age. The cereals they allow are Gerber brand only (Rice, Oatmeal, Whole Wheat and MultiGrain). And a little goes a long way. Which means wasted or unwanted cereal. The picky stages of solid food feeding. My little Ems got teeth around 7 months and not long after that I tried more chunky foods with her, putting purées out of commission..mostly. And cereals until recently (before the cookie find). I would add whole milk and a fruit purée with a small dash of cinnamon in with her cereal and she seemed to love it.

----

So with that said...

Baby Ems has a crap ton of infant cereal (and jarred food). Since she eats more solid solids, the jarred Stage 2 variety have become unwanted, though I still try. Mainly I go the cereal and jarred fruit route + milk for the liquid, or to thicken some of her other foods.

I have been searching all over for some ways to use up some of the dozens of cereals and jars we have collected. I feel bad we have so many, but she can be picky, which is frustratingly normal.

I found two cookie recipes and made a few adjustments to each. I doubled each recipe and knocked out only one cereal container (which equals about 4 cups) and 3 jars of apples (equals about 1 cup). But even if I don't use even a quarter of them up by her first birthday (the end of February is around the corner) I will be donating them. I wanted to try these out and pass this along to anyone out there with these items collecting dust (not really)  in their pantries. 

I also adjusted the bake time and oven temperature according to my oven, but I will post links to the original versions.

Cookie #1 (not doubled) 

<< Original Recipe >> 

                                           

1 cup Infant cereal  -  (your choice, I used whole wheat)

1 cup flour -  (of your choice)

1/2 cup fruit or vegetable purée/mash -  (bananas, apples, sweet potato..etc.)

2 tsp coconut oil -  (or vegetable oil/substitute of your choice)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg  -  (or any spice/herb of your choice that goes well with the fruit/vegetable you chose)

1/2 cup water -  (or milk)

>> Original oven temperature is 400*

>> Original bake time is about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

**Adjust according to your baby, especially if there are known/possible allergies.**

These cookies are firmer, but by no means a teething cookie (neither of these are hard enough in my opinion). They aren't as soft and moist as the 2nd cookie, so they take a bit more effort. I like that I don't have to add sugar. I don't care for the flour, unless I go with whole wheat or a nut flour. 

But little Emi seems to like them.

                                   

Cookie #2 (not doubled)

**My personal favorite**  

                            

<< The recipe I followed was written in the description from a pin here >>

(The image used for the pin is actually this cookie cereal recipe)

 >> Contains eggs <<

1 cup infant cereal 

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 tbsp butter, unsalted (I used coconut oil)

>> Original oven temperature is 350*

>> Original bake time is 7-10 minutes

I liked these a lot better. More moist, almost muffin like, because of the egg and bananas. I added the same spices as the other recipe (cinnamon and nutmeg). Mommy and Daddy both thought these were yummy. And no added sugar! I ended up baking these in the bottom part of a cupcake tin, worked well to keep the size I wanted. 

                                            

2015

Finally a new year. And often times "a new me" follows those words.. I'm not one to make new years resolutions. I can set goals or get ideas (and according to Pinterest and past blogs I get lots of ideas). One day I will eventually live many of them out. In time, with motivation and in moderation I can start somewhere and soon. 

But..and there's always a but.. I like making lists. I like writing out my ideas. And usually thats where my ideas end up...on paper. Lost. Or on a blog post, lost in cyber space. 

I can easily blab and list all of my ideas, but I won't blab too much.

My main goal(s) for the years to come:

Have a happy and healthy family and self. One way to make this happen would be to get rid of as much negative as we possibly can and replace it with positive. A new focus. More hobbies. Do something more productive with our talents, time, money, words and effort. Learn new things. I want to self-educate myself more because while we are teaching our daughter new things everyday and watching her grow, I want more to offer her. I want to fuel my curiosity and fascination with military history, true crime and fun fiction. 

I also want to learn new recipes and excersizes. A new eating habit and make a healthier me from the inside out. But I have to start small. One thing at a time. Remove one thing and replace it with a healthier alternative. I have searched for many recipes on Pinterest (that magic 'P' word again). Low carb, vegan, vegetarian. You name it. Although low carb would suit me better because of my past diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome ), it is hard to make the plunge AND feed a growing baby (almost toddler). 

I want to be more frugal. That's pretty much self explanitory in the times we live in now.

So be on the look out for craft posts, recipes, tips and things in the future because my other goal is to post more often on this blog.

Just add bacon (going to be M-I-A)

Hey everyone. Sorry to announce, but I'll be temporarily absent from my blog for a while. We are in the middle of moving, but before I go I wanted to share something with you all...

A while ago I decided to whip up my infamous pot of chili (not so infamous, just add spicy tomato juice for extra flavor and heat)... Sad to say I walked away for too long with the stove on a bit too high and burned the bottom of the pot. I was devastated. The boys (my fiancé and my brother) thought it was pretty good with some cheese added in and crackers to dunk. I still wasn't buying it. I had one bowl and stored away the leftovers thinking I had ruined any chance of recovery.

Then one day, my brother dragged out the last bag of chili from the freezer, put it into a pot with water to thaw it out. 

I got to wondering how I could make it better and hide the smoky burned flavor (not the good kind of smoky either..in my opinion). 

Add BACON! Duh.

I added a pound of bacon and a little bit of ground hot breakfast sausage...it helped some. I added more seasonings and brown sugar to add sweetness to try and hide the bitter burnt flavor. Gotta say, it worked.. I added some shredded cheese, crackers and I was satisfied.

So the moral of the story is, just add bacon.

Crafty time of year

We are all moved in to our apartment and have been busy crafting. From candy making to crocheting with the help of Pinterest. I hope I can post what we've made soon! If you want to see my latest crochet projects just check me out on Pinterest @truebrytt!

I'm Baack!

Hey everyone!

The last month has been CRAZY and we have a lot of people to thank for helping us out along the way. My little family and I have finally moved into our own little apartment. There are a lot of people that made this place into the home it is beginning to become.

We have also hit the toughest bump in the road, but we are making things work with the help of a few close friends and family.

During the move we have had a lot of down time and I spent some time on Pinterest (go follow me! @truebrytt).. It's not a bad thing. I've found some really neat things I can do with my daughter, recipes, crafts and of course organizing and decorating ideas. I want to share those with you here. And I know I promised my homemade babyfood "adventures', and I will get to that eventually (sorry!).

But I just wanted to update you all and let you know I'm still here!

Mommy Pinterest

As many of my friends know, I'm a pretty big pinner... You know, on Pinterest.

Over a year ago, I'd say...especially around the time I found out I was pregnant, I was on that app/site almost 24/7. And being a new mom to a now 6 month old, I haven't slowed down much. 

But, like many of us on Pinterest (you can follow me here), we pin and pin but we rarely ever gather the materials needed for the projects. If you're like me, you organize your boards and find new ways to categorize your pins.

Since becoming a mommy, I've been pinning DIYs like crazy. And I have the imagination, motivation, creativity and means to actually try some of these projects out.
I did crochet a baby blanket for my daughter...was a great first attempt and I was proud of myself. I want to crochet more (we finally found my stash of yarn I SWORE I brought with me when I moved) and I want to try hand sewing. I made a pillowcase once...with a sewing machine. The second one went unfinished. Go figure.

But with all of that said, I have a lot of Mommy DIYs planned for the near future:
Taggie blankets and toys
Burp cloths
Pocket bibs