Decorating Your Little One's Room

When we found out I was pregnant we immediately decided that regardless if we had a boy or girl we were going to decorate the nursery with Luke's photographs. Luke was excited to have a project and I was excited to have our baby's nursery decorated with such personalized one of a kind art.

After we found out that a girl was on the way we decided on a garden theme for her room. I use the word theme loosely since pictures of flowers is about the extent of the "garden" in Monkey's room. We set off to the Denver Botanic Gardens and spent a day wandering (me) and taking pictures (Luke).

We had also planned that I would contribute something to Monkey's walls. Well needless to say after hanging Luke's photographs and the addition of a few other lovely pieces made by family members there wasn't a lot of wall space left, not to mention I was big and pregnant and not all that motivated.

When Monkey was about 6 months old we became home owners and moved into our first home. We painted Monkey's room in a lovely shade of yellow and hung all her pictures from her Daddy, her handmade quilt from her Nana and her handmade mosaic from her Papa. But I still hadn't contributed anything to my babies walls.

Well, it took me some time, but I finally did it. I finally contributed some art to Monkeys lovely yellow room, and in the process had a blast gave Monkey the chance to make some art of her own.

Let me first say that I am in no way painter but it was fun. I started out with four blank 11x14 inch canvases and four main colors. Monkey's curtains are yellow with light green, dark green, light pink, and darker pink plaid. I used those four colors as background colors on the four canvases. Then I painted different, colorful flowers on each one.


I think they turned out pretty good and like I said I had a lot of fun creating something for Monkey.

Once I finished up my paintings and we got them hung up to the side of Monkey's bed we decided that the wall on the other side of her bed was looking bare. We decided that since both Luke and I had art hanging in Maddy's room that it was only fair (and adorable) that she should too.

To get Monkey set up I lightly painted a background of yellow, orange and cream on a 18x24 inch canvas. Once the background colors were dry we handed over the canvas, the four main colors that I used (light pink, dark pink, light green, and dark green), and some paint brushes and let Monkey go to town.


We had a blast with our project and Monkey's room looks even more adorable now than it did before. This really was a simple and inexpensive project that anyone could do.

Here is a bit of video of the little artist at work.

Have you made or created any of your decor? What is your medium of choice? I also have a few paintings hanging in our main bathroom, but Monkey's room is the first time I have hung anything in a room outside of a bathroom. Funny, huh. I have plans, and canvases, to make something for my bedroom but I just haven't had inspiration hit yet. Look at me talking like an artist, HA! Don't let me fool you, I am no artist I just pretend that I am.

Hamburger and Veggie Slow Cooker Stew

When fall weather rolls in all I want to do is make soups and stews and bake things. There is something about cooler weather that makes me want to hunker down in the kitchen and make warm filling foods for my family.

Well, I live in Colorado. Which actually means fall like weather can make appearances at any moment, regardless of the month. So soup and stew season has started in my house. Already. Soup and stew season also means crock pot/slow cooker season too, because honestly the only thing better on a cool day than warm soup is smelling that warm soup cooking all day long. Well that and spending 15-20 minutes on your dinner in the morning and having delicious flavorful food in the evening is quite awesome.

The recipe below, like a lot of my favorite recipes, is very flexible and yummy year round. If you like ground turkey use that in place of the ground beef. If your family hates corn but loves peas use peas instead. If zucchini is a no go then leave it out or substitute a different veggie. When the farmers market is in full swing I use all fresh veggies, but this soup tastes yummy with canned and frozen veggies too.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings (or more depending on your appetites). We love this soup with buttered bread but it would also be yummy with warm rolls, side salads, or corn bread muffins.

Hamburger and Veggie Stew

Ingredients
2-2 1/5 pounds ground beef
2 minced cloves garlic
1 cup diced onion
2 cups sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups zucchini
1 1/2 cups green bean cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 1/2 cups potatoes cut into about 1 inch cubes
1 can kidney beans
2 cups corn
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
4 cups beef or vegetable stock
1 28oz can diced tom with juice
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add carrot, zucchini, green beans, potatoes, kidney beans, corn, Worcestershire sauce, stock, diced tomatoes and oregano to slow cooker.

Brown ground beef with onions and garlic in a saute pan. Once beef is cooked drain the fat off the beef and add the beef, onion and garlic mixture to the vegetables mixture in the slow cooker.

Cook stew on high for 4-6 hours or until potatoes and green beans are cooked. When ready to serve,before stirring, skim any remaining fat off the top of the stew with a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir and serve.


Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Other Evolving Mommy Recipes you might enjoy:

• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
  
• Ethiopian Beef Stew
  
• Mexican Chicken Stew
  

Thank You Barnes & Noble

Dear Barnes & Noble,

I just wanted to send a heartfelt thank you your way for offering a quiet corner complete with a train table and lots of trains for Monkey and chairs for me. This frugal mommy loves flipping through stacks of cookbooks, design books, and novels while her daughter plays with a great toy all for the price of exactly $0.

The only thing that would make this better is a free latte from your cafe, but don't worry you don't have to give me free coffee, I just bring me own. I am frugal after all.

Playing with the Barnes & Noble train table - $0
Todays selected reading material - $0
A FREE morning of fun out of the house with Monkey - PRICELESS

With warmest regards and much thanks,

Evolving Mommy Catherine

I will not go overboard, I will not go overboard, I will not...

So I have a 2 year old, but said 2 year old has not yet had her party. That big event happens this weekend. We have lots of friends and family coming over to celebrate and Monkey is very excited. She asks for her "Paaty" several times a day.

I started off my party planning with the intention of keeping things laid back and simple. The problem is that I am a bit of a details fanatic. Not only do I like to plan out the details I like to add more details. I choose a basic plan and suddenly I am coming up with more ideas than is humanly possible for me to pull off. I promise I have not been too out of control so far but there have been moments when my mind was running wild with possible menu's, homemade decorations, party games, and party favors. Balloons and streamers and more all in the colors of the rainbow.

I like throwing parties. Luke could care less. This is good because he keeps me from going overboard, losing my mind, and spending a fortune.


So instead of a full gourmet meal we will have a handful of yummy snack options. Instead of a house full of intrically made homemade decorations we will have cute and simple homemade decorations supplemented with a few store bought things. In place of party favors we will have *gasp*...nothing.

Yep you heard me right, nothing. In theory I actually think party favors are ridiculous. Why in the world should kids get gifts for attending another child's birthday party? Isn't coming to a party with all of your friends and getting to play and eat copious amounts of fun food enough? Party favors can cost a lot of money and in some cases are just a bunch of cheaply made plastic toys, anyways.

Now before I get a bunch of people mad at me because I am openly bashing party favors, I know that party favors can be a fun extension of the party's theme, this is part of why I have caught myself thinking about party favors for Monkey's party.

Yes, I have a 2-year old girl's rainbow birthday party on the brain, but even though I am a bit over board in my thinking about this party I am trying my best to not let those overboard thoughts manifest and turn into a crazy over the top birthday party. So if you see me wandering through stores around town talking to myself, consulting lists, and putting things in my cart only to later put them back on the shelf just know that I am not normally this focused on rainbows. I just keep repeating to myself that "I will not go overboard, I will not go overboard, I will not go overboard."

So what are your thoughts on party favors and goody bags? Are they an absolute party necessity and I am a terrible mommy for not providing them or are they unnecessary and costly?


Hey Pssst...Head over to Evolving Mommy Reviews and enter to win your very own Temple Touch Thermometer.

At least I haven't tried to walk out of the house right?

My poor husband.

I am not sure how he deals with me.

You see I am a sleep walker/yeller/talker/mover/poker. Yep, that is the actual name of my condition. Okay it is my self given name for my self diagnosed condition.

I have always been a sleep talker. My sister and I both are but for some reason as time has progressed I have gotten worse. At times I know it is because of stress and anxiety. Other times I know it is because of a late night coffee session with friends. And then there are those times that I have nothing to blame it on.

Just the other night I woke up to Luke laughing at me, and for good reason. I had just been yelling and pointing in my sleep, something like "On your head! ON YOUR HEAD! You need to listen!" I then had to explained to Luke that Monkey was messing around with her sunglasses in my dream. The sad thing I found out in the morning is that I yelled a few other times that night too about other things.

Or there was that time when, while sleeping, I reached over found Luke's right eye with my hand and then proceeded to poke him. Seriously.

Or how about the time that Luke woke up to me digging around under the bed. Yes, I was asleep and only vaguely remember it because I suddenly woke up and realized what I was doing and promptly got back into bed.

It is no wonder to me that I almost never feel rested after a night of sleep. I just don't sleep all that restfully. However, it is a wonder to me that my wonderful husband can manage to sleep next to me. And sometimes sleep through my strange sleep behavior.

At least I haven't tried to walk out of the house right?

September 16th

September 16th is a special day in the Evolving household.

On September 16, 2007 at 3:51pm I officially became a mommy,and Luke officially became a daddy, and this little bundle of perfection officially became our perfect baby.

2 years later I am shocked at what 2 years can hold and at how quickly 2 jam packed years can fly by.
September 16, 2009 was a day of fun, love and reflection. I spent the day marveling at how my little girl has grown and changed and how exciting it has all been. I also spent the day remembering the day she was born and all the days that followed. Having the chance to be this little girls mom has been the single best chance I have ever been given. I can hardly believe that I have a 2 year old and even though she can cruise around on her own set of wheels, I know she will always be my sweet baby.

Whole Wheat Waffles and Blueberry Compote

Is there anything better than breakfast for dinner?

I think the answer is pretty obvious to that question. Of course there isn't anything better than breakfast for dinner, and I'll tell you why.

Breakfast is inexpensive, quick and easy to make, and can be very versatile. For these reasons we make breakfast for dinner on a weekly basis. I love that I can easily chop up any veggie in my fridge or freezer and add it to my omelet, scramble or frittata. I love that pancakes, like eggs, can also handle a wide variety of additions. And lets not forget my love for a healthy and budget friendly meal.

Luke loves waffles and eats them just about every morning slathered in peanut butter. for a long time I bought him waffles but as we began to take more notice of the ingredients in the foods we were buying we started making changes. The first store bought thing to go was bread, pita breads, english muffins and bagels, then waffles and snack bars and granola bars. We still eat breads, waffles, snack bars, and granola bars but the difference is we eat what I make in our kitchen.

No I am not a food snob, well not totally at least. I just feed my family on a pretty tight budget and quite frankly I am unwilling to feed Monkey and Luke whatever is on sale just because it is on sale regardless of what is in it and I definitely cannot afford to always buy the foods that are made with ingredients that I approve of. I will never understand why a loaf of bread needs high fructose corn syrup.

Okay I will get down off my soap box, mostly because I have totally lost track of what I started talking about.

Oh yeah Breakfast. So um yes, breakfast is yummy, and I make a lot of waffles around here. These are my favorite because they have a nice whole wheat flavor and can be topped with just about anything. This recipe doubles and freezes well making for quick and easy breakfasts too, just pop them in the toaster. Blueberry compote is delicious and if you keep frozen blueberries on hand then it is really, really easy to make.

Okay, so I will give you a moment to clean the drool off you chin and regroup before I share the recipe. I totally understand though. I just stuffed myself with these beauties for dinner tonight and my mouth is still watering just looking at this picture. I didn't include the sliced banana in the recipe but we love to slice up some banana over these waffles before topping them with blueberry compote.

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Cook waffles according to your waffle makers instructions.

Blueberry Compote

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Place blueberries, water and sugar in a medium saucepan. cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until blueberries are soft and the mixture is syrupy. If the mixture becomes too thick add water to your desired consistency.

Serve over waffles, pancakes or french toast.


As always, feel free to share your suggestions and feedback with me.

Other Evolving Mommy recipes you might enjoy:

• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• Baked Apple Cranberry Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Oh, Yeah

It is Saturday morning and we don't have anything that needs to be done today. We don't have anywhere that we need to be. We have a weekend filled with nothing.

I have been dreaming about a weekend filled with nothing since sometime in April. For some reason the busy weekends of summer have crept into spring around here.

I don't even know what to do with myself this weekend, I just feel like the possibilities are endless. Should I bake, paint a few of my canvases, attend a local harvest festival, cook up a storm and fill up the freezer with future meals, or maybe I should just lay around in my pj's and nap on and off for the weekend?

Hmmm. I think I am going to start the morning off with breakfast made by my husband, followed by a lovely cup of coffee while still in my pjs and then see where Saturday and Sunday take me. Ahhh, this. is. the. life. It isn't often that I get to drink my coffee before it gets cold.

So, have your weekends calmed down now that fall is coming upon us or are you still in busy summer mode?

The great Toy Debate Continues

I guess it hasn't really been a debate but more a conversation about toys in relation to gender. I think toys have been on my mind so much because of Monkey's impending second birthday. We spent part of our morning in Toys 'R Us playing with toys all over the store and I walked away wondering if toys companies or parents are responsible for the ridiculousness filling the toys store isles.

Why does a tricycle need to be pink and purple? Why are trucks and cars meant for boys and doll strollers and play kitchens for girls? Why in the world would there need to be a pink child sized Hummer, or I guess I child sized Hummer at all?

I previously asked if toys should be gender specific but I failed to even think about toys that in theory are not gender specific yet are made to be by toy manufactures, for apparently no reason. Thanks to Em for pointing that out to me and thanks to Toys 'R Us and Target for reminding me this morning. Also thank you to all of you who participated on the conversation, I really do love hearing your thoughts even when they do not coincide with my own.

Yes I have a daughter but I would love for her to grow up surrounded by the full rainbow of colors, not just the 2 that have been deemed "girl" colors. I would also like her to experience whatever interests her not just fake plastic make-up, cheerleader and princess outfits, and purses. (Admittedly I love purses but I can also throw a ball, drive a car or truck, and use a hammer, all things that are marketed to boys.)

What is the deal with toy kitchens, shopping carts, miniature ironing boards, and baby dolls? There is not anything wrong with these toys in theory but can someone please tell me why they are all located in the "girls" section of the store? I might do all of the grocery shopping but Luke is also there with us every week, and yes I do cook our meals but that is because I enjoy it, I do know several men that do the majority of their households cooking. Or how about Bats, balls, trains, and cars? Why are these toys located in the "boys" section of the store. Or even better why on Earth are there "boy" sections and "girl" sections at all. It drives me crazy that toys are only marketed to one gender or the other when they should be marketed to both.

Am I making too big a deal out of this? Maybe this all comes back to my strong belief that as a mother it is not my job to tell my daughter who she is and what she should be but to listen to her when she tells me who she is and what she will be.