Paper crafts

Life has been really crazy around here these days. We will just leave it at that but want to see what I've been using the last couple of nights....

You don't know what they are you say....

It's my latest & greatest paper craft project.  Ever made makeshift ear plugs out of toilet paper? Well they have come in handy the last couple of nights when a certain little someone feels the need to ONLY have Momma from 1am to 4am. The first couple of nights I sorta felt sorry for the little guy until on the 3rd night I figured out there was nothing wrong with this little tike and he was merely in a habit of playin' his Momma. Well I am tired & maybe I should invest in a real pair of earplugs but for now the above have seemed to get me through.

Speaking of things made of paper look at all of these fun pics.  I LOVE PAPER CRAFTS!! 

{via DesignSponge}

{via my home}

{via Martha Stewart}

{via Orange Beautiful)

{via Orange Beautiful}

{via Orange Beautiful}

I love the above photo.  It's been around the blog -o- sphere but there was a great tutorial that went along with it found here.

The above picture is from the Mr. Man party.  A few people asked where I got the lanterns so  I thought I would share.....The Dollar Tree.  They were all white to begin with but I found that spray paint worked great on paper.  

using spelt...

One of the first things I did when trying to transition my family to a healthier diet was switch out all white refined stuff to whole grains and natural sugars.   I'm not saying I don't use any of the white stuff but have learned to make it a habit to replace it when I can.   I've used whole wheat flour but after a little research I found spelt.  It's not gluten free but it is more water soluble & the proteins, particularly the gluten, are much more fragile and easily broken down.   Spelt is similar to wheat in appearance. However, spelt has a tougher husk than wheat, which may help protect the nutrients in spelt. Spelt flour has a somewhat nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour. Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate spelt. 

Anyway one of my kids favorite breakfasts consist of roll-up pancakes.  These pancakes have been a family favorite for years.  My Dad started back in the day making Swedish pancakes (crepes).  As kids we begged for these on a regular basis.  As I've gotten older I continued this tradition except tweaked the recipe a bit and swapped white flour for spelt, honey for white sugar and soy milk for cow milk .  Since they are so easy to make and the kids love them then they get made on a weekly basis.  I thought I would share one of our family favorites.  Keep in mind this recipe feeds a family of  7, 5 of which still have small stomachs.  You could easily divide it in half.  Oh and if you don't want to use spelt flour just do it dad style and use white flour.

Easy & healthy roll-up pancakes: 

8 eggs

2 1/2     cup milk, soy milk, almond milk  (whatever your preference may be)

1 1/2     cup spelt flour

2 TBS   sweetener (agave nectar, honey or sugar)

salt       (I never measure)

blend eggs & milk 

add flour, salt & sweetener

blend well

pour onto a hot buttered griddle (I always have set around 350)

flip only after about a minute (they cook very quickly)

*make sure to keep stirring the batter as the spelt is a whole grain which makes it heavier so it settles to the bottom quicker making the last pancakes thicker and not as good.

For a topping you could use just about anything but when I was growing up my Dad sure new how to pour the powdered sugar on & that is still my favorite.  I have used agave/maple syrup or almond butter and fruit.  Really whatever tickles your fancy. This morning we kind of contradicted the healthy pancake & went with the white refined stuff to top it off...no wonder the kids kept saying more please this morning.  I also have much success with just agave nectar and adding maple extract to it.  

{photo via Curly Top}

Note to self:  Next time make Pbu as a topping.  Go here for the Pbu recipe.

Hopefully this weekend I can finally get the laundry room finished.  It's just getting so close I can hardly stand it.  It always seems there is something that just gets in the way hence that is why it takes 10 years to get anything done.

PS - I love that this little girl thought she could fly with a balloon wrapped around her waist.

Office makeover.

I love this office makeover that was posted on Shelter. If you go over to her blog she breaks the whole project down and gives tips on how to make a transformation of a room. 

Concrete floors????

With the mishap of our tile floor I have considered just doing a stained concrete floor with a gloss put on top. They seem like such a easy floor to take care of with no grout. Without big rugs though they probably would make a room seem cold.

Has anybody seen concrete floors done in a home & what did you think?  Too cold?

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Sometimes momma needs a time out...

"If I wanted to be rich then I would start a mess making company", I said after I found the 1000th mess of the day.  I wonder what my kids thought after they heard me say those words.  You see, I wasn't trying to make light of a situation because I was serious and I 'd had it for the day.  Earlier that day I'd already settled on a theory that one of my kids must have been reincarnated from being a tornado in her previous life & was clearly having flashbacks.  This little girl is quick in every sense of the word.  Not only is she quick to make messes, she is smart and if any one of my kids is going to call me out it's going to be her.  I mean what little girl @ 22 months could point to my sweatshirt & tell me what the corresponding letters were .  I know for sure she knew E, A & U.  On the flip side I have to always remember how @ this age my little ones are so innocent and really lack street smarts.  It's awfully difficult @ times to remember that 2 & 4 year old brains do not even work the same way as my own.  Case in point as we walked back to our car from the store we could see glass all over the ground where a car had been broken into to.  My husband turned and said, "That is why you never leave anything out to even make a thief want to get into your car."  My girls didn't understand why somebody would do that so they continued to quiz their parents with questions like, "Are thieves bad strangers", or "What were they trying to take?"  In which we responded wallets, purses or shopping bags.  After a bit of silence, little "M" then said I bet the thieves would want to break into a car to steal toothpicks & water bottles.  We didn't even try to dispute a thing she said & just responded with a "Yes, they probably would".  My mind didn't stop there as again it was reconfirmed to me that little children are so innocent & special.  Sometimes I wonder why I would even be allowed to be a mother.  I am not even close to being perfect but my kids are giving me every opportunity to become closer to that goal but the thing is I have SO far to go.  So far in fact that it can be discouraging @ times as I am frequently reminded.  At least I take comfort in the fact that I am not the first one trying to conquer this motherhood thing nor the last.  Motherhood I've found can sometimes drive you to the brink of doing and saying things that you only hear of other mothers doing (or at least I thought when I wasn't a mother).  Today I will try to keep perspective while having stamina & patience.  I will resist the urge to want to turn and imitate my children when they throw a tantrum.  Good thing there is not a camera in my home or I may really embarrass myself.  Come to think it it maybe that's not such a bad idea.....but only for my own personal use.  

When we were driving home husband made a great point about how it was interesting that we are trying so hard to teach our kids to be more grown up but when they do grow up we wish they were like little kids again.  True, true....that is why when we were @ the store & the kids wanted all of these crazy hats I originally said no but then thought about the above and changed my mind.  What did we do with all of these hats....well had a hat party with cupcakes of course.  WE ARE COUPED UP!

Oh & I guess I am rich because I do have a mess making company!  

I'll be back with the cupcake recipe because it is a good & healthy one (as far as cupcakes go).

kitchen floor

I am loving this kitchen right now.  It is clean modern but kept warm with the vintage table & wood flooring.....perfect.

I can't help but think about kitchens right now because our 3 year old floor started making loud noises like fireworks on 4th of July.  The floor completely buckled so we are left with a hole in the middle of our kitchen.  I just hope the kids don't trip.  What this now means is a I get a new floor and there are way too many options.  It means it will be on a budget and it means we will get to move out for a week.  Hey the bright side is a forced vacation.

Anybody love the floor that they have?  If you have wood in the kitchen has it worked out?

silver foil tape...

This tape looks like a good time.  I can just imagine all of the possibilities.  Found here.

Color connecting with lavender & the emotion valve...

As I was sitting there completely basking in the uplifting lesson that was being taught @ church today I couldn't help but notice that this particular instructor always matched her displays to her outfit which happened to be a shade of purple.  You may have called the color in between a periwinkle & lavender.  I love the lessons that are taught for they always give a renewed sense to be a better person but because I connect everything with color I couldn't help but connect to an image I saw on my annual Sat. night trip to the grocery store.

{image via country living}

Even though it was a pretty image I thought it was pretty girly. I usually associate lavender or purple as one of the most feminine colors. A color that usually doesn't communicate to me very well except lately because you see I have been feeling extra girly. I mean I had already shed tears three times that day, two of the times legit & the other because I over heard someones husband on the phone with his wife being guided down the ice cream isle to make sure he brought home the right one that she must have been craving?  Well ok I didn't actually shed a tear but it made me feel all tender inside thinking about family relationships & how I've sent husband on many of late night trips.  You see I welcome tears outside of the few days that lead up to the cycle because they are usually more rational & the true tears usually mean that I can actually feel emotion. Let me explain....After I found out I was going to have triplets when the twins were only 22 months I thought surely my emotion valve would be shut off as I went into survival over-drive.  I thought for sure I was going to become numb to everything and become a complete zombie & that scared me.  I've been to that place before & I didn't like it one bit.  There is nothing worse than trading in empathy for apathy.  I prayed really hard that I would be able to feel through this whole experience & on the whole I'm happy to say I've been able to stay soft which I am so thankful for.  So in honor of soft, feminine girl power let's celebrate by looking @ lavenderish images of home decor but no tears necessary.

{Elle Decor}

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{Elle Decor}

{Elle Decor}

{Madeline Weinrib}

{Elle Decor}

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