Nap Time Craft Time: No Carve Jack O Lanterns

Welcome to Nap Time Craft Time! Shhh, don't wake the kiddos!  These posts feature a craft that is so easy you can complete this project during nap time! This project can also most likely be completed with items you already have at home! Simple, cute, and free?! I know, awesome right!  

This is actually a craft that you might want to include the kiddos in because it is fun and the kids will like it because it's messy!  

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I started thinking about how every year we carve pumpkins and every year they get so nasty that I have to make Tyler throw them away because I can't stand to look at them anymore.  So I have come up with a different idea that I think is a super cute way to create a Jack O Lantern without having to actually carve the pumpkin.  

I did some "research" (okay I googled What paint will stick to pumpkins) and found this article. It gave three options: latex paint, spray paint, and puffy paint.  If this weren't a craft that I was going to do with Everett then I would have probably gotten out the spray paint, made a stencil, and went to town but since I wanted this to be his pumpkin I went with latex and puffy paint. 

Here's what you'll need: 

• A pumpkin (clean and dry) 
• Various paint colors
• Brushes (or fingers)
• Sponges cut in triangles (for eyes and nose) and smile
• Towel, sheet, something to paint on
• Clear spray paint (optional)

Here's what you'll do: 

• First make sure your pumpkin is clean and dry 
• Now spread out your towel, sheet, etc so you don't make a mess! I used "cling wrap" on Everett's highchair and that worked out pretty well. 

• I used the paints that I had to make darker more "fall" colors and put them on different bowls so that they wouldn't all start blending when Everett got his hands in them.

• Start your kiddo out with the lightest color and let them at it!  You will want to work from light to dark colors so that they will all show.  Also, ensure to rotate your pumpkin throughout the process so that the whole thing gets a nice paint job.

• After your little Picaso is finished (or is too messy) let your pumpkin dry fully.

• Now it's time to give this guy a face! Using sponges or free-hand paint on the eyes, nose, and mouth! 

• Once Mr. Jack O Lanterns face is dry, use a clear spray paint to seal the masterpiece. 

That's it!  Pretty easy and the great thing is that this baby will last through Thanksgiving so you will be able to enjoy it all harvest-long! 

Mouth Watering Wednesday: Snack Time

Don't touch my dip!

Welcome to Mouth Watering Wednesday! Spice up your life and try a new recipe! This week I am featuring two easy to create recipes that everyone in your family will love. 


First up is a salsa and cream cheese dip that my Grandma makes every time we come to visit... let's just say that it doesn't last very long!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of Pace medium salsa

Here's what you do: 

• Using an electric mixer (or a blender) combine both ingredients.  Note: It will be sort of chunky which is okay :) 

That is it folks. Seriously easy and oh so delicious! We gave some to Everett the other day and I think he is hooked.  You can eat this with corn chips, veggie chips, celery and carrots, whatever! :) 

Enjoy! 

Thompson Number Two: Week 8

Weight gained to date: -2 lbs, Since I was in and out of urgent care and the ER and I was dehydrated I haven't really put on any weight yet.  (Yay) 

Estimated size of baby:  Raspberry (.5 inches long)

Foods I am craving: SUBWAY! Once I started feeling better from being sick and could actually start eating again I think I have been to Subway three times! 

Foods I am staying away from: Sweets and peanut butter- so weird because I usually have a ridiculous sweet tooth!  I guess this will help me not gain too much weight!  

How I am feeling: Much better THANK GOODNESS!  Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts these past two weeks.   I am pretty tired but that is definitely a normal pregnancy symptom! :) 

An Update and an Announcement

After my visit to the emergency room on Sunday I was instructed to follow up with my doctor on Tuesday.  When I got to my doctors office I was still feeling very tired and not anywhere back to "normal."  My doctor checked me over to make sure that the ER hadn't missed anything or misdiagnosed me.  She said that I did have an infection and to continue on with the antibiotics but she was very concerned because I was extremely dehydrated.  She sent me over to urgent care to get some IV fluid in hopes that would help me get back on my feet. 

At urgent care I was given two full bags of IV fluids and they retested my dehydration levels.  Unfortunately after two bags of fluid I was still at the far end of the dehydration scale and to top it off, as I got up to leave I had to run to the bathroom to throw up.  Bummer. They gave me a shot of anti-nausea meds and sent me home with instructions to come back the next day (Wednesday) to get one more bag of fluids.  

Monday and Tuesday night, Everett and I stayed with Tyler's Meme so that she could take care of us.  We are back at home now and Tyler has taken today and tomorrow off.  I am really working hard at drinking lots of water, Gatorade, etc. as well as eating so that I do not start slipping back into dehydration!  

Oh and did I mention that I have been pregnant while this is all happening?  :)   Yes, you read that right, Everett's only child status is expiring in May of 2013! For those of you wondering, we have been monitoring the baby during this crummy time and s/he is growing like a weed!  So please send the prayers our way as I am still not back to feeling normal pregnant. 

Thanks y'all! 

An Apology and an Explanation

To all my wonderful Not So Average Momma followers, 

I appreciate all of the "blog love" and comments that I receive and I wanted to let you know why I have been MIA all of a sudden.  You may have seen my "Moving Day" post this past Saturday where I mentioned we were moving and that I had a migraine and an upper respiratory infection. I have been laying on the couch, unable to do anything since Monday night (September 24th) and went to urgent care on Friday where I was misdiagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and given a Z-pack.  By Sunday I was feeling worse and Tyler took me to the emergency room where further tests showed that I had a massive bacterial infection (on top of the migraine).  I was given a full bag of IV fluid, a shot of antibiotics, instructed to finish the Z-pack, as well as an additional antibiotic prescription. 

A BIG thank you to everyone who came out to help us move this weekend especially to Tyler's mom, Teresa.  We would not have half of our stuff if she wasn't there to help us pack it up.  Thanks to my parents; Tyler's parents, Uncle Scott, and Meme; Walter and Angelina; Jessica; and Krystal and Aaron. 

I am still laying on the couch but am slowly feeling a little better. I want to apologize for abandoning y'all but I am hoping to go back to regularly posting soon.

Lots of love,

Laura

Moving Day

Sorry for the lack of postage yesterday, we were super busy getting ready for our move!

Today was moving day and despite me having a migrane and an upper respitory infection, everything was moves successfully!  More to come!

Mouth Watering Wednesday: My Favorite Paleo Pancakes

Welcome to Mouth Watering Wednesday! Spice up your life and try a new recipe! This week I am sharing my favorite paleo pancake recipe.  I have tried a lot of different pancake recipes and they are either too egg-y or too banana-ish!  This recipe is from The Nourishing Home and I suggest you all try it! 

Fluffy Little Almond Flour Pancakes

 Yield: 20 silver dollar size pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup organic cultured buttermilk
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat griddle over medium heat.
2. In a small bowl combine the blanched almond flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Next, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in the melted butter. (Be sure the melted butter has cooled to touch before adding, otherwise you may end up with some cooked egg-yolk bits.) Next, whisk in the buttermilk, maple syrup and vanilla.
5. Then, add the dry mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking well to thoroughly combine, making sure there are no lumps in the batter.
6. Using a clean large wire whisk, whisk the egg whites rapidly until very foamy (about two minutes).
7. Then, use the whisk to fold the whipped egg whites into the batter; by gently turning the batter over and over again, until well combined.
8. Grease preheated griddle with butter (or coconut oil).
9. Ladle a spoonful of batter onto the griddle to form a silver dollar size pancake (about 3” in diameter).
10. Cook for a few minutes, until pancakes begin to dry out at edges and the bottoms are a golden brown. It’s important to keep a careful eye on them as almond flour pancakes burn easily. (I like to take a little peek under one of the pancakes to check, before flipping.)
11. Carefully flip and cook another few minutes until done, but not over-browned.
12. Serve hot off the griddle with cultured butter, pure maple syrup and a medley of fresh berries.

Notes

Fabulous Fruity Pancakes: To make fabulous fruity pancakes, do not add fruit directly into the pancake batter. Instead, once you ladle out the batter onto the hot griddle, add a small amount of fresh whole blueberries (or other diced fruit of your choice) to the top of each pancake prior to flipping. This ensures that the pancakes cook through evenly. It's also best to use fresh fruit, since frozen fruit tends to be excessively moist and may result in a soggy pancake.

Substitution: If you're dairy-free, eliminate the butter and substitute the buttermilk with organic unsweetened real coconut milk. For best results, do not use "lite" coconut milk, or coconut milk beverages. (Native Forest brand canned organic unsweetened coconut milk is BPA-free.)

Time Saving Tip: Make a double batch and allow extra pancakes to cool on wire rack. Then place cooled pancakes on baking sheets and place baking sheets in freezer. Once pancakes are frozen, remove from baking sheet and place frozen pancakes in freezer-safe container. Store in freezer for up to one month. No need to thaw, simply reheat frozen pancakes in toaster oven (at 275 degrees) for a quick, healthy breakfast.

Work, Work, Work

We have been super busy over at the new house getting it ready for the big move this weekend. Here's what we have been up to...

Saturday:
Tyler and his uncle cut a pass through in the wall between the kitchen and dining room
I painted the playroom
Sunday:
Tyler and my dad worked outside all day, trimming the bushes, mowing, weed eating, and power washing
My mom and I took turns watching Everett and cleaning the house while my friend Lisa started the mural in the playroom
Monday:
Tonya, Sonja, Anne, and I started painting the house- Tonya painted the ceilings in the house, Anne rolled the paint on the walls, and Sonja and I taped and cut in the edges.
My mom graciously watched Everett and Lilly in the playroom while we were painting.
We also had the gas turned on today.
Tuesday:
My mom, Tonya, Sonja, and Anne met up at the house this morning and have been painting the walls all day. Tonya is working on "mudding" the walls in the kitchen and hall bathroom.
We also had the carpet in the master replaced today.
I stayed home sick today. :-(
Wednesday:
The girls will be back at the house finishing up the painting tomorrow (THANK YOU!) and the driveway is being sealed.
Thursday:
We are having a cleaning service come in to deep clean the kitchen. My mom just told me today that she and my dad are having them clean the rest of the house for us. Thanks guys! :)

So lots of work is happening over at the new place in prep for the move. Pictures will be up soon!

Letters to Everett: 9/22/12

Everett, 

Wow baby!  You are growing so fast! I know that I say that every time but you really are! You are really showing your personality these days and it is so neat to see you learn new things.  You are great at sharing and enjoy playing with all of your friends. 

Momma and Daddy bought a house this month and we are really excited for you to grow up there!  You are going to have a pretty cool playroom to play in and plenty of backyard to explore. 

This month you have been trying to talk more but mostly what comes out is "ehhhhh urrr ahhh."  We are still trying to figure out how to communicate but luckily you know some signs which help us a lot! 

I love every minute with you and I am so glad that I get to spend every single day with you.  I love you so much!  

Here's what you have been up to this past month:

8/25/12: Momma spotted your first freckle

8/29/12: You found Momma's tattoos today and tried to pull them off, today was the first day that you had peanut butter

8/31/12: You learned how to spin in a circle today

9/02/12: You started dancing today

9/10/12: You started head banging today

Words you Say: 

• Daa-eee (Daddy)
• Daaag (Dog)
• Mommmma
• Bec (Becca)
• Tyler
• Rara (Laura)
• Hi
• This
• Yay
• Go
• Mine
• No
• Pa pa (Pig Paw and Paw Paw)
• Dumb
• Got it
• Did it
• Mowg (Mowgli)
• Uh oh!

Signs you Sign: 

• All done
• Arms up
• Dog
• Fan
• More
• Please
• Thank you
• Nurse

Momma and Daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxo,

Momma

Around the Nest: Playroom- Paint's Going Up!

Welcome to the new playroom... errr well the in progress playroom! I have big plans for this room and we are hoping to get most of the to-do list crossed off before we move in. 

Here is what the playroom looked like before any changes or improvements were done: 

Here is the to-do list for the playroom: 

• Dr. Seuss mural
• Paint the background
• Paint the characters 
• Create a book nook out of the closet
• Take the closet door off the hinges
• Add "bookshelves" 
• Add curtain and tie back
• Add some sort of seating (bean bag chair, etc)
• Move in all the "stuff"
• Futon
• Changing table
• Organizing shelf
• Toys
• Rugs

Not a large to-do list but it will take some effort to get it all done before the move in date. Today while Everett was playing at a friends house (thanks again Jana) I painted the background of the playroom.  I can't wait to see all of the characters up on the wall, my good friend Lisa is coming over tomorrow to paint them! 

Here's what the playroom looks like with the background (note: I didn't cut in the ceiling or around the tops of the windows because I forgot to bring a ladder!) 

Stay tuned for more fun!