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Holidays
11.29.11

Tuesday Tidbits

Slowly getting back into the swing of things around here.  Bags are still packed.  And my house is a disaster.  I wish you all could have witnessed my son at dinner time.  That boy can toss food like no one’s business.  And scribble on doors.  And tear up homework.  He is trouble and I am tired.  I had so much on my to-do list today and I didn’t do any of it!  Instead I spent the morning at Pottery Barn and the afternoon pulling out all of my Christmas decor.  Much more appealing than my to-do list which included things like laundry and scrubbing bathrooms.  No wonder I put it off.

The girls and I decorated the tree.  Our tree is quite a sight this year.  No decorations on the bottom half –  completely Kole proofed.  And the top?  Well.  Since I knew our tree would look a little off this year anyway I just handed the decorations to my girls and told them to have at it!  Ornaments are all clumped together.  Toys somehow made their way onto the branches.  Usually I let my girls decorate the tree and then spend the next week re-arranging everything so that it looks a little more put together.  Not this year.  I’m not even touching it!  We are going with the flow around here and embracing the CRAZY stage that is our lives right now.  Our tree seems to convey that message loud and clear.  :)

I am, however decorating a few spots in my house that are out of reach of little hands.  Our situation with Kole is forcing me to think out of the box with my decorations and I’m excited about a few changes I’m making to our normal Christmas decor.  Of course a little painting was in order to make some of the changes happen.  Bet you can’t guess what color these are going to be.  :)

My mantel was my first priority today and I was in desperate need of the perfect candles to go on my aqua candlesticks.  Hence the morning run to Pottery Barn!

Aren’t these just beautiful!?  Pottery Barn’s Basilica Pillar Candle.  They are perfect!  Just what I needed to tie my mantel decor together!  The only problem was the price.  $13 for the short ones and $23.50 for the tall ones.  And that’s on sale!  I thought ok – I can spend $30 on candles but $50!?  That’s a bit much.  So I bought the short ones.  And they are beautiful!  And perfect!  Except they need to be taller.  Of course.  Still debating if I can go back and buy the big ones and slip this little purchase past Kenny live with the fact that I spent such a crazy amount on candles.  
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Speaking of shopping and sales… my mom bought me this adorable little zipper pouch a while back (I think it was $5 bucks at TJ Maxx). 

It has become such a perfect way to organize all of my “extras” that don’t fit in my wallet.  I know it looks like a mess, but it’s actually quite organized.  Coupons are in the front opening.  SO many coupons this time of year!  I’m normally not much of a coupon person, but when the good ones from places like Banana Republic, The Limited and Gap kids start rolling in I’m all over it!  Receipts are in the middle.  I save all of my receipts.  Drives my mom crazy.  But you never know if you might want to return something later on!  I return about half of the stuff I buy.  That also drives my mom crazy.  Ok.  Not half.  But I have been known to return a thing or two when it doesn’t work out.  Like my too short Pottery Barn candles.  Back to the organization.  Gift cards are in the back opening and change/cash is in the zipper pouch.  This has been so handy!  It helps me keep my purse organized and my wallet from busting at the seams.  
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Remember last year when I posted about my friend Ann’s Favorite Things party?  It was such a fun holiday party that we all decided it needed to be a tradition.  This year’s party is this week and I’m so excited!  I got so many e-mails asking about this party and the items shared so I will take pictures and explain everything after the party this week.  Such a fun way to get gift ideas and share favorites with everyone!  Pretty easy to guess my favorite thing last year.  See the Conair curling irons on the front row?  Always a hit.  :)

I was wanting to buy a little something new to wear to the party, but don’t think I’ll have time to shop much this week (and I may be spending my clothes money on candles instead – HA!).  So instead of looking in my closet for what to wear, I looked back through all of my Fashion Friday posts!  Those posts are coming in pretty handy after all.  :)  We are having a hot week so I narrowed it down to three appropriate options and can’t decide.  I’d love your opinion!  Which one should I wear?

Thanks for your help!  I love it when other people make my decisions for me.  :)
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
xoxo, Erin
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Family
11.28.11

Our Thanksgiving

{I’m warning you right now that this post is long.  I took way too many pictures and my indecisive nature causes me to just post them all instead of actually having to agonize over which ones I should cut.  You may want to grab some leftovers.  Or start a load of laundry.}  
Well!  Now that my warning is out of the way and you fully know what you’re getting into, we’re back.  Spent all of last week in Utah with family and had a great vacation.  The kind of vacation that is just such a bummer when it’s over.  My kids had a fabulous trip.  My niece was at my mom’s all week too and the three girls had a par – tay.  To say the least.  
They watched movies together on grandma’s bed.  

Turned the back yard into their personal playground.
Created all sorts of interesting “soups” and “potions” out of vegetables from grandpa’s garden. 
And out of pomegranates from grandma’s pomegranate tree.   

They drove around everywhere on their fancy little scooters.
And were joined by their Uncle Austin and cousin Drew – Kole’s mischievous partner in crime.  

They went on nature walks with mom and grandma and enjoyed all of the beautiful fall leaves.  

And the neighbors’ Christmas decorations.  

They dressed grandpa up fancy.  
And enjoyed stories by Aunt Carly in matching Christmas p.j.’s.  

Realizing they had all of the adults in the palm of their hands, they got creative and came up with a little money making scheme.  Ellie led the charge on this one of course.

Who could resist buying this stunning turkey?  And for the bargain price of a mere $2.00!?  Those clever little illustrators walked away with pockets full of cash and smiles on their faces.  When we went shopping later, Addison was torn on whether or not she should part with her earnings to buy a stuffed animal.  Ellie said, “Don’t worry Ad!  We’ll just draw more pictures!”

The girls had their own Thanksgiving table for the big day.  I gave them some apples, toothpicks, and dots and told them to make their own turkeys.

And here are the finished turkeys.  The girls kept eating the dots and dinner was done before they had a chance to make the heads.  Oh well!  {I’d like to point out my mom’s diet cokes in the background – she’s seriously addicted.  Wouldn’t be a trip to grandma’s without a diet coke run every few hours.  I just felt that had to be recorded for our posterity.}  
Love you mom.  :)

The girls weren’t the only ones who had fun.  I loved spending time with my family.  Parents, siblings, nieces and nephews – everyone was together and it was the best.  Totally crazy and loud and did I mention crazy!?  But the best.  We love to all be together.

This picture made me laugh.  My kids couldn’t pull their eyes away from the TV long enough to smile for a picture.  Looks like Ellie at least attempted a smile even though her eyes are still glued to the tube.  I believe we were watching “Shrek the Halls.”  That’s right.  I only allow my children to view the finest in quality educational shows.  Last year at Thanksgiving I gave myself the parent of the year award when Ellie told her first grade class that the one thing she was grateful for was McDonalds Happy Meals.  Looks like that gold pleated trophy is mine again!

Here we are the night before Turkey day getting the stuffing ready and watching Gone With The Wind.  Because “after all, tomorrow — is another day!”   Best movie ever.  They don’t make em’ like that anymore.

The girls.  

And the guys.  Who thought something on Kenny’s ipad was a bit more intriguing than Scarlett O’Hara and breaking bread.

And if you aren’t already super impressed with my mad bread breaking skills, I’ll have you all know that I also cut the potatoes.  That’s right.  And I wore my new anthro apron to boot.  Broke it right in cutting potatoes after Dayna peeled them.


Soon after this picture I took my apron off and decided I’d be in charge of the kids because, well, why push it.  I didn’t want to actually spill on my anthro apron.  It is a crucial part of my kitchen decor you know.  ;)

Brother, dad, and sister.  Love these three.  And they love me.  Even if my idea of helping with Thanksgiving dinner is to prance around in a new apron rather than to actually help prepare the meal. 
 I’m lucky to have them.  
Also lucky to have these two.  

My mom and I made the executive decision that since we had six kids ages seven and under and since three of those six kids were one year olds that it would be ok to opt for paper plates instead of the fine china.  Nobody complained a bit.  Especially when it was time to do the dishes.

Yes.  It was a good vacation.  One that will be hard to recover from.  
Although some of us seem to be recovering better than others.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
11.24.11

Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude

My mom is a quote person.  She loves quotes and always has several of them written on post it notes attached to her fridge or inside her kitchen cabinets.  When my brother and sister and I were little my mom would make us memorize them.  My favorite quote (and the only one I still have memorized!) is “Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude” by Richard Carloy.  I thought it would be a perfect quote to share with you all on this special day.   

Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude

Every day of your life is a gift from God.  
Don’t squander it.
Don’t waste it by being angry with anyone.
Don’t let it slip away by feeling sorry for yourself.
Be grateful for this precious gift of life and spend it by being as happy and as thankful as you possibly can.
Let your mind dwell on the good things which have happened to you.  
Let gratitude be your attitude.  
Think of your assets, and don’t let anyone else spoil your day for you. 
Enjoy every day of your life to the fullest. 
Realize that you can add to the joy of each day by making someone else happy.


-Richard A. Carloy

I sincerely hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

(And for those of you who don’t live in America and celebrate this holiday, I hope you have a wonderful weekend with the ones you love!)
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
11.22.11

Thanksgiving “Pinspiration”

Last week I shared some of my favorite Christmas “pinspiration” so I couldn’t let this week go by without sharing some fun ideas for Thanksgiving too!  I feel like Christmas is a holiday that requires a little more planning and organizing ahead of time where with Thanksgiving (at least in my family) we tend to throw things together sorta last minute.  The meal is planned and thought out (thanks to my mom) but I’m always looking for last minute ideas for table decor or fun things to keep the kiddos occupied while the meal is being prepared.  So if you’re like me and need a few last minute ideas, here are some of my favorites!

{Let’s talk TURKEYS!}

This is so darling for a kids’ table.  Cute centerpiece and then they can color while they wait for the food!

I’m going to attempt this.  Isn’t he adorable!?

I love this art project.  Doubt it will happen this week but I am saving the idea for next year.  Those feathers would be so easy to make with random scrap paper and my kids would be all over stepping in paint for the foot print/body.

Seems you can make all of your appetizers turkeys with just a little creativity!

Fun for breakfast on the big day – or any day in November for that matter.  And so easy!

My sister in law just made these and they turned out adorable!  

I love this for a November snack/lunch for the kids.  Apples or peppers make great feathers!

Another fun and easy craft for the kiddos.

{Thanksgiving Decor}

The next three ideas are so simple and inexpensive.  Great ideas for last minute decorating!

Candles, clear containers, popcorn kernels, candy corns, nuts.  I can handle that.

Pumpkins are so fun to decorate with.  I know everyone is about ready to put pumpkins away but I love this farmhouse decor and plan to do something like this on my table next year.  When Kole isn’t crawling  all over my table on a regular basis.


I thought it would be fun on Thursday to have my kids go in grandma’s backyard and gather leaves and then let them hang them with clothes pins like this.  Very similar to my leaf banner we made last year —

I just cut out leaves and had the girls watercolor them and then attached them to a ribbon to hang.  Fun and easy.  Nothing says fall like leaves.  Whether they’re real or painted.  :)

Here is another fun leaf display I want to try next year.

And one last fun Fall decor pic.  I love how all of the white makes those orange and red leaves just pop!

{Crafts for the Kiddos}

Just a few more fun ideas to keep the little ones entertained while they are waiting around for Thanksgiving dinner.  Q-tip art is great.  I always loved these kinds of projects when I taught school because they keep the kids busy for a really long time.  :)

This is another project that would keep the kids occupied for a while.  And use up all of those extra buttons you have laying around!

How cute are these Mayflower ships!?  Love the personalized sails.

Not in the mood to get creative with crafts this year?  Here are a few free Thanksgiving printables for the  kids to color.  Doesn’t get any easier than that!

Visit Reading with Kids and Living Locurto to print them.

Happy Turkey Day planning everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Ramblings
11.22.11

Thank You!!!

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to pop in quickly tonight to say THANK YOU so much for your sweet comments after my hair tutorial.  Really.  You have no idea how much better you all made me feel!  It’s so intimidating putting yourself out there like that.  And I know that I put myself out there daily with this blog because it’s all about my life and my family, but actually filming yourself takes it to a whole new level!  Your comments were so kind and encouraging.  And funny!  I was cracking up that so many of you thought I would have a southern accent!  Especially since I was born and raised in Utah and now live in San Diego!  :)  But I did teach school in Virginia for three years while Kenny went to law school at UVA. And while I was there I did perfect my “y’all” so technically, we can call me a southerner.  ;)  It was also making me laugh that so many of you were saying I sounded more “mature” than you thought I would.  What!?  Do I not come across like the epitome of wisdom and maturity on this blog!  ;)  I told one of my friends people were commenting that I sounded mature and she laughed out loud and said I need to do another video.  Nice!  Guess she doesn’t think I’m the epitome of wisdom and maturity either!  I actually am more bubbly in ‘real life’ but like I said in my comments – doing this video made me so nervous that I switched over into ultra serious mode to get through it.  I’m tricky like that.  And maybe I will have to attempt another vlog some time that is less instructional and more fun.  Several of you gave me great ideas for some!  But for now, I am just breathing a sigh of relief that I made it through that first one and you aren’t all abandoning me!  And I’m thrilled that my tutorial actually helped some of you.  That seriously makes me so happy.  My mom (and faithful blog reader) called me and said “Wow!  You are getting so many comments on this post!  Almost as many as when you almost died!”  And then we both had a good laugh that almost dying and a hair tutorial are about on the same playing field in blog land.  :)  (I totally get it.  Hair is important stuff.)  Again, thank you so much.  I have a lot to be grateful for this year and my blog readers/friends are at the top of my list.
So is everyone excited for Thanksgiving!?  My kids are out of school all week and our party has officially started!  Grandparents are around to watch the kids so Kenny and I took advantage and declared tonight a date night.  We got the kids in bed, picked up sandwiches (which we scarfed down in the car) and made it in time for a late night showing of Breaking Dawn (which Kenny affectionately calls Breaking Wind/Passing Gas – he really is too much for me sometimes).  It was SO good!  There was hardly anyone in the theatre (the beauty of going to a late movie on a Monday night) so I was able to test out three different seats until I found our perfect viewing spot.  I have to say that Breaking Dawn was my least favorite of the Twilight books.  I was SO mad when Bella got pregnant so fast.  I just wanted her to be young and in love with Edward forever.  Frolicking in the meadow and breaking headboards for years and years.  Not saddled down with a baby the second after they got married.  I know all too well what a baby does to the romance and I wanted to continue to live vicariously through Bella.  Not have her join my world of diapers and sippy cups.  And then when Jacob imprinted!  On Bella and Edward’s BABY!  Hello sick and twisted.  I was NOT impressed.  But, the movie was good and I’m so smitten by the characters that I couldn’t stay mad at them for long.
Anyway – it’s late and I’m rambling again, aren’t I?  I need to go to bed.  But I’ll be back soon!  With some fun Thanksgiving ideas!  Thanks again everyone.  Thanks for the comments.  Thanks for your support.  Thanks for reading.
Over and out.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
11.18.11

Fashion Friday – How I style my hair

Ok everyone.  I finally did it.  I filmed myself doing my hair.  And I can’t believe I am really going to post this video!  I’m seriously so nervous just thinking about it!  Kind of sick to my stomach nervous.  I can’t even watch it because I just start critiquing myself to death and want to crawl into a little hole and hide there!   It is SO hard to talk to yourself in front of a mirror and not look and sound and feel like a complete idiot.  And let me tell you.  I felt like a complete idiot filming it and I am well aware that I look and sound like a complete idiot.  Plus I have to apologize for the lighting.  It’s awful and it certainly doesn’t do me any favors!  I filmed this on a dark, rainy day.  I had a small window of time last weekend when Kenny was home and the kids were occupied and I seized it!  Bad lighting and all.  I started out with Kenny filming me but it was making me too nervous!  He is a loose cannon and I never know what he is going to say or do to embarrass me so I kicked him out of the bathroom and set up the tripod.  And I know he was bummed because he was secretly dying to know how I get my bangs to frame my face.  ;)

So without further nervousness and rambling from me – here is my tutorial on how I style my hair….

(BTW – I really don’t think You Tube could have picked a worse beginning pose.  They aren’t doing me any favors either.  For some reason I couldn’t get it to post any bigger than this on my blog so you can click on the You Tube button on the bottom if you want to watch it larger.)

What do you think?  Did that help?  Or did I completely humiliate myself for nothing?  :)  Are you all thinking that I sound different than you imagined?  I was so nervous in the beginning that I did a really nervous laugh and then said the word “stupider” — is stupider even a word!?  The hard thing with a vlog is there is no proofreading or spell checking or re-writing.  After I filmed it I wanted to re-do it, but couldn’t because my hair was done!  So it was a one time deal.  And I really do feel vulnerable posting that but so many of you have been so kind to me about my hair and have asked over and over how I style it so I’m sacrificing my dignity for you!  I hope it helps!  At least one or two of you!!  And if not I am SO deleting that baby this weekend.  :)

Frequently asked questions:

1)  How often do you wash your hair?


I’ve mentioned before that I don’t wash my hair every day or even every other day.  I wash my hair 2-3 times a week and I do this for a couple of reasons.  Reason one is that I have three kids (one of whom is 19 months old and a tremendous amount of work), a husband who works a lot, obligations and hobbies and a busy, full life.  Something has to give.  For me it’s the hair washing.  Reason two is that my hairdresser actually says it’s better to not wash your hair every day.  Although I don’t know that she would approve of me going as long as I sometimes do! ;)  Reason three is simply because I can get away with it.  I have dry skin/scalp and my hair actually looks better on the second or third day after washing it.  Yes I shower.  :)  I exercise almost every day and I always shower after.  I just pull my hair up in a bun and don’t get it wet.  Gross?  Maybe.  Maybe someday when my kids are in school all day I’ll always wash and blow dry my hair.  But I doubt it.  Because it takes so long to blow dry and I’d rather spend that time organizing, decorating, scrapbooking, exercising, or blogging about how I don’t wash my hair!  :)

2)  What hair products do you use?

Hmmm..  products.  I’ve tried so many different ones over the years!  I don’t have a shampoo/conditioner that I’m crazy about.  I’ve used a lot that I’ve liked, but haven’t fallen in love with anything.  I’m testing a few new ones right now and will let you know if I ever find “the one.”  But I have fallen in love with and married my hair spray and my straightener.  And divorce is not an option.

I have used Paul Mitchell hair spray FOREVER.  Love it.  Always have.  Always will.  It holds my hair in place without being sticky or making it look frozen.  Plus I love the smell.  I’ve tried everything they have to offer as far as hair spray goes and I love them all.  Sculpting spray, freeze and shine, it’s all good.  After I shower, I put Enjoy straightener on my hair (bottle with the purple star).  LOVE Enjoy products too.  The straightener makes my hair so smooth and easy to blow dry.  It’s a straightener, but I’ve even used it on Addison’s wet, curly hair and it makes her curls smooth and manageable without loosening them.

(LOVE her curls!)

The small purple bottle is Enjoy’s shine spray.  It helps with the humidity.  I spray a little bit of it on my hair after it’s styled on really humid days and it helps keep my hair from frizzing all over the place.  I’ve tried Enjoy’s shampoo and conditioner and didn’t love them.  My favorite is by far the straightener.  Another shampoo/conditioner that I really like is Biolage.  If any of you are in love with your shampoo/conditioner I’d love to hear about it!

The above picture from this post is the only one I have of my curling iron.  I’ve mentioned before how I used to use a really expensive one and then bought this cheap Conair 1 inch curling iron at Target for $9.99 for our trip to Italy.  It’s awesome!  Curls my hair so good and fast.  I haven’t used my expensive one since!  You can buy it here.

3)  Where are your kids while you are doing your hair?


Girls are in school or playing with each other.  Kole is hanging on my leg and while I hold the curling iron in one hand I am usually trying to distract him with the other.  Toothbrushes and belts are his latest obsession.  If I didn’t have those little distractions in my bathroom my hair would never get done!

4)  How long does it take to do your hair everyday?  


I think this video is about 8 or 9 minutes long and I spent more time on it than I do on most days when I’m just touching it up.  Probably around 5 minutes most days.  On the days that I wash my hair it takes about 30-35 minutes to blow dry and curl it all so add that to the time it takes to shower and do my make-up and I’m looking at an hour to get ready.  Not possible for every day.  


5)  Do you use color or highlights?  Did you ever make a big color change or just subtle ones?
  
I highlight my hair every 6-8 weeks.  My natural color is slightly darker than I have it right now.  I usually just make really subtle changes.

Here my hair has a little more of the strawberry blond highlights.  


In this picture with my siblings it has some more of the reddish tones.  See – not a huge difference. :)
I mix it up a little but always stay within my comfort zone.  Once I decided to be daring and go really dark and I hated it!  I went back to the girl who did it and asked if she’d fix it.  I told her I’d re-pay her and everything.  Luckily she was cool and re-did it for free and I’ve never dared to go really dark again! 

6)  How did you do your hair in the Italy picture?

I mentioned this in the video but I just left the ringlets on the bottom and curled the top the same way I showed you.  Curl out and away from your face!

And for my last two cents on this already too long post — When it comes to hair I think so much of it is figuring out what works for you.  I spent years blow drying and straightening my hair to get it to look like this:

I can do that and it looks fine, but it takes me forever to style.  My hair doesn’t want to be straight.  It is really time consuming to fight my natural wave/curl and make my hair look like that.  Plus I live in a humid climate which makes it even harder to maintain that look.  After I started curling my hair and realized how much easier it was to maintain because my hair holds the curl for so long I gave up the fight.  I still straighten it once in a while (especially when I’m visiting family in Utah – a nice dry climate!) but it just isn’t practical for me for everyday.  If your hair doesn’t hold curl and you have to spend forever each day curling it, then this style isn’t the one for you.  Work with and embrace what you’ve got!

And you will have happy hair days from here on out!  
:)
Let me know if you have any more questions and I will answer them in the comments!  
Have a great weekend everyone!
p.s.  If you missed the series so far – First hair post is here.
Second hair post on why I do my hair every day is here.  
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
11.17.11

More Christmas fun (pinspiration!)

Ok.  I really didn’t mean to turn this into Christmas week on my blog, but I just can’t help myself!  I’m popping in to share a few of my favorite Holiday ideas from the wonderful world of Pinterest.  And then I’ll return from the North Pole and tomorrow’s post will NOT be a Christmas one.  At least I don’t think it will be…  :)

How fun is this!?  A hot chocolate “station” for the month of December.  If I had room in my kitchen somewhere to make this happen I would be all over it!  Especially if I had those fun numbered mugs.

This picture is a little grainy, but I’m so in love with this display!  I know.  Predictable me and my love for white pitchers and vases.  But don’t the green wreaths and the single ornaments look beautiful mixed in with the decor!?  They say Christmas without screaming Christmas.  Fun inspiration for my hutch this year.

Isnt’ this little guy cute!?  And so easy to make.  I love holiday treats like this that are easy and require NO baking.

My mom makes something similar to this with cinnamon sticks every December and her house always smells so heavenly.  I can’t wait to make this!  So maybe I won’t wait.  That’s it – I’m making this tomorrow.  Probably right as you are reading this post I’ll be in my kitchen making my Holiday Potpourri mix.  Can’t you just smell it!?

This is the most creative elf on the shelf idea I’ve ever seen.  She painted her kids’ noses red while they were sleeping and then left this note.  How fun is that!?  My girls would love it.  Our elf is going to get pretty creative this year!  (If you don’t know about the elf on the shelf, you can read about him here and see some fun places he likes to hide in our house.)

This is such a simple and inexpensive way to create a Christmas centerpiece.  Everything you need can be found at the grocery store!  Well.  Most of it anyway.

I’m so in love with the next three images.  They are all simple and creative ideas for a window display.

I especially appreciate the simplicity and how these are all things the kids can help with.  My girls love to help decorate for the holidays.

More white pitcher love!  Last one.  I promise.  This image got me thinking about all sorts of things you could put in them and on them to decorate for this time of year.

This is a fun free printable.  Wouldn’t it look cute blown up in a thick black or white frame?

An easy mantel display anyone can pull off.  Love the ornaments in the white vases.  (They’re vases, not pitchers so I didn’t break my promise.)

Another creative winter treat idea.  Ellie’s birthday is in January and these would be so fun to make for her class.  And by “make” I mean buy the sugar cookies and just decorate them cute.  :)

Or I could go with something simple like this.  Aren’t these snowmen adorable!?

Love this fun and simple place setting for Christmas Eve dinner.  Then the kids can eat them for dessert!

And isn’t this a beautiful decor idea for the front outside steps!?  Just cranberries, candles, and salt.  SO pretty.

I just love this cute and simple December snack idea.  Probably because we eat a lot of pretzels, cheese, and sugar snap peas around here.  Well.  I eat a lot of sugar snap peas.  Remember what my girls do with them!?

:)
Have a Happy Christmas Thursday everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
11.16.11

Past Christmas Posts

**If you are new to my blog and found this post from Pinterest (hello and welcome!) click here for the Christmas ideas I just posted for 2012.  It includes all of these ideas plus several more from last year.  Christmas will be here before we know it!  Woot Woot!  Happy planning.  :)
Kicking off the week with my Christmas wrap station made me SO excited for the holidays!  I know we haven’t carved the turkey yet (excited for that too!) but December is upon us.  We have busted out the Chipmunks Christmas CD at my house which means it’s official.  Time to celebrate!  A couple of days ago I got the girls out of the tub and told them to hurry and get dressed and in the car because I needed to run a quick errand.  I went and got Kole dressed, put him in the car and found these two… 

in their Christmas dresses, wearing Santa hats, and playing with their Christmas Olivia pigs.  Guess I’m not the only one who is excited for this time of year.  :)

I thought I’d round up some of my past Christmas posts to share today for those of you who are new to my blog.  It’s always fun to share ideas and get a jump start on holiday planning!  Just click on the link to see the full post.  For those of you who have read my blog for a while and remember these posts, feel free to move along to the next blog on your list and have a happy Wednesday!  :)


Excited to make new memories this year.  :)
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
11.14.11

Christmas Wrap Station

Can you believe we are almost half way done with November!?  This time of year always flies by and before you know it Christmas is right around the corner!  I love it.  :)  Last December, however, I wasn’t feeling quite so jolly.  The month got away from me and I was scrambling big time towards the end of December to get my shopping done.  Stores were crazy and I felt so rushed.  Then I spent two painful evenings staying up all hours of the night trying to get everything wrapped.  While Kenny munched on Cheerios.  I was less than impressed.  With both of us!  
Here’s a glimpse of that midnight madness wrapping party.  Cheerios and all.  I swore to myself never again.  Next year I would be so prepared!  I would get all of my shopping done in November!  I would wrap everything as soon as I bought it!  Then I could sit back and enjoy the holidays knowing that I was on top of things.  I would spend the last few nights of December cozying up to the fire and the Christmas tree watching It’s a Wonderful Life instead of destroying my house in a mad rush to get everything finished.  
So here’s a little something I did this year to help me accomplish just that.   

Remember a while back I posted pics of my messy scrapbook room?  I had big plans for this space.  
I moved most of my scrapbook supplies into Kole’s closet.  He just loves sharing a room with me.  

Then I turned my scrapbook space into a Christmas wrap station!  It’s actually a Christmas wrap and scrapbooking station because my goal is to do a little of both during the next month and a half.  

Doesn’t it look festive for the holiday!?
Here’s how I created a space that will be perfect to wrap all of my gifts.  Immediately after I buy them!

There are so many fun organizers that corral wrapping paper but I really wanted to just use what I had on hand.  My little trash can was a perfect solution!  Now all of my Christmas wrapping paper is in one place ready to go.
(See those white boxes on the floor – new Project Life kits that will be a priority after the holidays!)
I replaced my regular scrapbook paper with all of my Christmas paper and used the bottom slots to hold more wrapping paper and tissue paper.  That was a lot of the word paper…
On top I put out some Christmas letter stickers I hope to use and a shiny Christmas tree to spruce things up!  

I filled some organizers with pens, scissors, tape, and Christmas cards so everything is ready to go when it’s time to wrap.  
I also hung some fun Christmas scrapbook paper…

and this Christmas picture collage I made of my girls a couple of years ago.  
I set out my i pod with my favorite Christmas mix ready to play!  The red album is a family Christmas album I started a few years ago and I’m hoping I can squeeze in a minute here and there to work on it.  It never sounds appealing to work on this album after the holidays so I need to find the time to do it now while all things Christmas are so appealing!  Hopefully this happy space will help motivate me.  
I also brought a little Christmas cheer into this corner of the room!  
Easy to do by hanging some Christmas inspiration from magazines on the wall.
On the other wall I displayed past Christmas pictures and last years’ Christmas card.  

Then I turned Kole’s changing table into a place to store more of my wrapping supplies. 
(It’s not like he was holding still for me on this thing anyway!) 

I already had these fun galvanized bins that match the room and I knew they’d be perfect to house more of my supplies.  
Ribbon, gift tags, bows…everything I need to make my presents presentable.  :)
This is still Kole’s room of course.  
Even though I seem to be taking it over one scrapbook (or should I say Christmas) supply at a time.  

Now my gift wrapping supplies are all together and I have to say that I have loved this space!  Not only is it a perfect spot to easily wrap all of my presents, but it also brings a little Christmas cheer to the upstairs of our house.  I find myself wanting to turn on a Christmas tune or two and stay in here a while whenever I get the chance.

No more midnight wrapping parties for me!  This year I am going to be ready for December. 
BRING.  IT.  ON.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
11.11.11

Fashion Friday – rain and vests and scarves

Kicking this week off with a little rain gear!  I wore a lot of stuff like this at the beginning of the week while we were sloshing around in the rain.  Obviously without the belly.  (I was too wet to get a picture!)  The picture above was taken two months before Kole was born and I have to say that looking back at it makes me pretty happy I’m not toting around the basketball this Fall.  A basketball that soon became a watermelon which did bad things to my back, my personality, and my overall sanity.  BUT.  Still cute rain boots, right?   A gift from my sister from Nordstroms for my b-day one year.

And speaking of cute rain boots, I’m still over the moon about Hunter rain boots.  
They come in so many fun, bright colors!  I fell in love with the green Hunters two years ago and still hope to someday own a pair.  They would just make rainy days more fun, wouldn’t they?
These two also make rainy days more fun.  This is an older picture too, but these boots still fit!  And my girls still love wearing them.  Rain is SO exciting around here because we rarely have a change in the weather.  San Diego has no need for a weather person.  You can pretty much bet that it will be in the low 70’s and sunny in my neck of the woods.  In July.  And October.  And January.  And April.  And every other month I didn’t mention.  So when we get a rain storm everyone gets excited and brings out their winter wear and people crash their cars (because we only know how to drive when it’s 70 degrees and sunny) and all sorts of crazy things start to happen. 

This is another fun gift from my sister.  Last year for Christmas she gave me this Michael Kors vest (also from Nordstroms).  I love it so much and am always bummed I don’t get to wear it more so as soon as the temperature drops a few degrees I bust it out of the closet!  

I wear it with just a plain colored turtle-neck underneath.  
Or I’ll take a fitted long sleeved top like this grey one from Express…
and put the vest on over it.  I love how puffy and comfortable it is!  Feels like I’m wearing a pillow. 
 A stylish, comfortable, warm pillow.  :)
K.  So since we’re talking Nordstroms, I have to share with you my most recent finds.  Went there last week to try on boots that Kenny is getting me for Christmas.  He doesn’t know he’s getting me boots for Christmas yet, but he is.  Anyway.  Didn’t find a pair I loved BUT as I was cruising around B.P.  I spotted the most beautiful scarves!  They were so soft and warm and fresh and fun!  They are called Ruffled Pointelle scarves and it was love at first sight.  I don’t have many scarves because again, not needed much in my climate, but I do visit Utah and other cold places now and again.  I quickly convinced myself I couldn’t go one more day without one of these scarves!  But which one!!?  They come in so many fun colors!  I debated between the two colors I knew I’d wear the most (cream and grey)  and then finally did the only sensible thing left to do and bought them both!  
These scarves are only 22 bucks by the way!  What a bargain!  

Here is the grey one.  I love the different shades of grey together, but this scarf will go with so many other fun colors too.  See!  A staple, right!??  Even if I’m sweating to death in it!   

This is a simple green V-neck sweater from Forever 21 I bought last Fall.  
 And look how much more fun it is with my new cream ruffled pointelle scarf!  
Now I’m wondering how I lived without these my whole life!  And I’m so tempted to go back and buy more in different colors!  But since I know that might be a bit much (especially since my cold weather days are few and far between) I’m thinking they would sure be fun Christmas gifts! 

Kole agrees.  He wants his in turquoise.  
I wore this sweater and scarf with my Italy boots the first time, and then wore it again to the park last Saturday.  Since my boots are not exactly park attire, I wore it with my Uggs.  
Which are seriously almost falling apart because I wore them so much when I was pregnant. 
 My feet (along with my stomach and butt) were also starting to resemble watermelons.  
The morning at the park was a fun get together for Addison’s Kindergarten class.  

The whole family was invited to come and play and visit and eat.  Addison was so excited to take us to meet all of her classmates.  She picked out her clothes, accessories, and hair style for the occasion.  Ellie just wanted to be in whatever was the most comfy.  Kenny decided to wow us all with one of his many Chargers sweatshirts.  

And I was happy as a clam in my favorite color green and my new scarf.  
Some might call us a bit predictable.  
I like to think we are just a family who knows what we like.  And are comfortable in our own skin.  
And yeah.  We’re a bit predictable too.  
:) 
Have a great weekend everyone!  God bless our Veterans!
**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy  
xoxo, Erin
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Ramblings
11.10.11

Random Thursday

Have you ever taken a picture of your TV before?  I do it all the time when I see decor ideas I love.  Isn’t this picture collage cool with different mirrors?  I so want to do this somewhere in my house.  I just don’t have a wall to do it on.  Next house for sure.  Genevieve is my idol.  I LOVE her show.  And I want her to come and decorate my house.  Like tomorrow.  Or the next day because tomorrow is looking a little busy.  

Costco run.  It’s crazy to me how much we buy in BULK now.  Every time I make a Costco run I am reminded of the fact that I now have a full on FAMILY to feed and take care of.  Duh.  But I still feel like a 16 year old so much of the time that sometimes this fact hits me over the head.  Like it happened over night.  Like I went to a sleep over at my friend Koni’s and we watched Dirty Dancing (because nobody puts baby in a corner) and we ate an entire pizza and stayed up late talking about the cute Senior who was flirting with me in school.  Then we went to sleep and I woke up and was 34 and married to that cute Senior who was flirting with me in school and we have three kids.  And we buy everything in bulk.

And these are my thoughts when I buy super sized paper towels and fishy crackers.  If you didn’t think I was crazy before, you do now.  

My girls and their go to spot for TV viewing.  Why they would rather sit there than on a perfectly comfortable couch with back support and a better view of the TV I’ll never understand.  
Heading to school.  Kenny takes the girls most mornings on his way to work.  He is super dad and I love him for this.  It makes things so much easier for me in the mornings.  That way I only have to focus on getting two people ready and out the door instead of four people.  On days that Kenny has early meetings and can’t take them, Kole and I head to the school in our pajamas.  And the girls get mad at me because I don’t know the “super secret passage ways” that daddy uses to take them to their classes.  I’m glad the three of them have their morning bonding time.  Kole and I have our morning bonding time too.  It includes breakfast, cleaning up the breakfast mess, an episode of The Wiggles (so that I am able to clean up the breakfast mess), and exercise.  
I mentioned in the post I did about my exercise routine that I’ve gone through stages with my babies where I couldn’t go to the gym and do aerobics like I love to do.  I’m going through one of those stages now.  Kole is NOT having it at the play care at the the gym.  Major separation anxiety.  Bawls his head off until they come and get me and then clings to me for dear life for an hour after, afraid I’m going to leave him.  With my girls, this stage was so hard for me.  I felt like I would never have “me time” again.  Mom’s can’t even go to the bathroom alone at this stage!  Let alone exercise.  But I have something this third time around that I didn’t have when my girls were babies.  Perspective.  I now know how quickly this stage really is (even though in the thick of it you feel like it will never end).   So I am ok without my “me time” at the gym.  Kole and I have been walking every morning together.  Sometimes with friends (pic above is with one of his favorite walking buddies at the beach) and sometimes just the two of us.  I am cherishing this time I have with my little buddy.  Who will have no problem being away from me before I know it.  And when that time comes, I’ll go to aerobics.  And to the bathroom by myself.  And I will miss my little shadow.  

Cleaning out my purse and balancing my checkbook.   Julie and Elizabeth (my “grand kids” as Ellie calls them) wanted to help.

These two could play for hours together every day.  They can’t wait to get home from school, change into their pajamas, and play play play.  Their creativity and imagination is endless and I love peeking in on them to see and hear what they’ve come up with this time around.    

I find so many funny little notes and stories around the house that Ellie writes.  She amuses me like nothing else.  This note I found was so random it made me smile.  I bet you didn’t know that Cheetahs are freaky.  :)  

Major rainstorm last weekend.  I loved it.  It made it actually feel like Fall around here.  

Kenny took the girls camping at some cabins with a group of other dads/daughters.  They had a blast stomping around in rain boots and roasting hot dogs by the fire.  And while I didn’t enjoy the clean-up that followed their little weekend adventure, I did enjoy some peace and quiet in the house.  I put Kole to bed early and a certain werewolf and vampire kept me company.  :)

Cleaned my make-up brushes today.  I keep thinking I should do a post on my favorite make-up.  Just for fun.  But I never get around to actually doing it.  Kind of like my hair post I promised so many of you.  Thanks for being patient.  It will happen at some point.  :)  

A few weeks ago I decided to try a new recipe.  I made a chicken/chili soup.  It took forever to chop everything up.  Then I got ambitious and decided to also make banana bread/muffins at the same time.  WHAT was I thinking!?

 I got in over my head quickly and made a huge mess in my kitchen.  Which always puts me in a bad mood.  But the chicken dish did turn out pretty good.  Kenny really liked it.

The first two batches of banana bread/muffins turned out great too.  But then when I was cooking the third batch, I got distracted upstairs with the kids and didn’t hear the oven timer.  

 Oops.

And I haven’t cooked since.

Have a beautiful Thursday everyone! 

xoxo, Erin
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home decor 2
11.09.11

Small decor changes

Sharing a few small decor changes.  Because well, I have pictures of said changes and I figured I better hurry and post them since I’m itching to break out my Christmas stuff and change everything yet again!  
I originally had these fake pomegranates in my newly spray painted basket…
but decided to replace them with some pumpkins and gourds fresh from my garden.  No.  Not really.  I don’t know why I just typed that.  They’re from the grocery store.  But didn’t that sound cool?  Fresh from my garden.  The one I tend to in my spare time.  ;)
I actually do have some mini pumpkins fresh from my mom’s garden that she gave me when we picked up my kids after our New York trip.  The girls had fun picking them.  

Small touches of Fall in the kitchen…


and in the living room because I replaced all of the fake white pumpkins with real white pumpkins.  Fresh from my mom’s garden.

I love the white pumpkins.  Aren’t they just the coolest?  Each one has such a unique shape.  So simple and perfect.  They make me happy when I walk by them every day.   It’s the little things, isn’t it?  
Added a fall wreath next to the hutch.  One I’ve had for a while.  
Lately these have been sitting on the corner of my hutch.  Man.  I’ve fallen off the wagon when it comes to scrapbooking.  I’ll have to put scrapbooking right up there on my to-do list next to planting a garden.  :)  I don’t have much left to do to finish these albums for my girls so I’m hoping to do that before the year ends.  Then my number one New Years goal will be to start the kids’ new PL albums!  And stay on top of them!  Because I never am!  Even though I set that goal every January! 
While I was in New York I stumbled upon a HUGE Anthropologie.  The smell beckoned me to come in.  As it always does.   
 So many fun displays in that store.  

I fell in love with a wall.  A wall full of aprons of all things.  But they were seriously the most adorable aprons.  And I thought – hmmm – maybe that’s why I don’t enjoy cooking!!??  I don’t have an adorable Anthro apron to wear in the kitchen!
So I picked out my favorite and brought it home with me.  After paying for it of course.  
So far it hasn’t made me want to cook anything. 
But it sure looks cute hanging in my kitchen!  Maybe I’ll break it out over Thanksgiving.  And wear it while I “help” my mom.  It will look cute in her kitchen too.  :)
I bought one other little thing from that larger than life Anthro in New York.  I’ve been looking for a cute dish towel that brings together the new colors in my kitchen and this little bird just spoke to me. 
He chirped please let me come and sit by your kitchen window!  

After I got him home I realized he would have a few feathered friends…  

Guess I’m into birds lately!

Which seems to be fitting this time of year.  
:)  
xoxo, Erin
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