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fun finds
07.20.12

Favorites on Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  Popping in to share some of my favorite things.  Some of these I’ve blogged about before.  Some of them are new loves.  Either way, they are some of the little things that make me happy each day.  

My favorite cleaning supplies.  Weiman Stainless Steel wipes are hands down my favorite tool for getting rid of the abundance of hand prints left on all things stainless in my kitchen.  I love stainless steel appliances when they look nice and clean.  These wipes make it so easy to keep them that way!   And another all time favorite of mine when it comes to keeping things clean is Resolve products.  I have used Resolve carpet cleaner for years.  Gets out any little spot or stain instantly.  I love it so much that a few months ago I tried Resolve Spray and Wash in the laundry.  LOVE it too!  Takes care of every one of Kole’s dirt and grass stains (and he has plenty!).

I know I just blogged about my lovely little card/receipt organizer but I am loving it so much I had to include it in my favorites list.  I bought it at Staples – Martha Stewart’s office supplies (along with the fun labels I used in my organized craft cupboard post).  I can’t wait to go back and get more of her office supplies!
Bran Chex.  Been eating them for breakfast for years.  A quick, healthy breakfast that tastes good and keeps me full until lunch.  Kenny orders them from Amazon for me (I can’t find them anywhere around here!) so they are delivered to our doorstep in this huge box.  You would think a box like this would last forever, but the kids love them too so we go through this baby pretty fast.  My dad loves them too so for his birthday one year we set up a monthly delivery from Amazon to his doorstep.  He loved it.  Calls it the gift that keeps on giving.  :)
Favorite snack.  I LOVE sugar snap peas.  I also love that they come already washed and ready to eat.  I take them with me in the car a lot when I’m hungry and running kids around.  

My all time favorite book for toddlers.  There are several versions of The Wheels on the Bus out there, but this one with movable parts is the best.  Hands down.

Every page has fun arrows to pull that move the characters all around.  A friends gave me this book when I was pregnant with Ellie.  Ellie LOVED it and we read it so much that by the time Addison came around I had to get a new one.  Same thing with Addison.  We read it so much (and she played with it so much) that we had to get a new one by the time Kole came around.  So this is our third copy!  And what do you know – it’s Kole’s all time favorite book.  We have been reading it every night for almost a year!  I throw in other books during our reading time, but Kole insists on this one every night.   If you have a toddler (or need a good gift for someone who does!) I’m telling you – this book is it.  
You can order it here and thank me later.  Unless reading it so much drives you crazy and you decide not to thank me after all.  :)  (**side note – if you do get this book I’d recommend keeping it up high away from toddler hands and only take it down when you are going to look at it together.  That way the book doesn’t get destroyed and it’s a special treat to read together.)

And a fun, new book my girls are enjoying called Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?  Darling story and fun illustrations.

Neutrogena sunless tan lotion.  Love this stuff!  It’s my go to in the summer time.  You all know I’ve been cursed blessed with incredibly fair skin.  I gave up my “try to tan and burn myself” days long ago and am now super careful about protecting my skin from the sun.  The only problem is that I live in an area where shorts work year round and sunscreen is always essential.  So I rub or spray a little of this on my legs every few days and wa-la!  My legs no longer blind people.  :)  (I prefer the lotion over the spray because the tan looks more even.  I buy it at Target or you can order it here).  

Natural Ice chap stick (cherry).  Love this stuff.  I always have an abundance of it because my cute mom buys it for me.  Every time I see her she slips a few packages in my purse.  :)  

Soon I’m going to do a post on all of my favorite make-up, but I had to include this one in my post today because I adore it.

 It’s called “Painterly Paint Pot” by MAC.  It’s like foundation for your eye lids and I LOVE it!  Basically you put it on before you put on your eye make-up and it makes it so that your eye shadow never creases.  My eye shadow looks as good at 5:00 in the evening as it did when I put it on in the morning.  Which is awesome, because time to touch up my make-up doesn’t exist these days!  

I shared these favorite products on my last hair post.  The Enjoy hair straightener and Paul Mitchell hairspray have been favorites of mine for years.  I’m trying out some new products and I’ll share those too if they become favorites!

Another thing that seriously makes me so happy every day is my navigation system in my car – and the cute pic of my kiddos on the screen.  (This picture was taken in the winter which is why it’s dark at 5:15.)  :)  It seems like every other day I’m typing in one address or another and this amazing invention leads me right to my destination.  Genius for someone who is as directionally challenged as I am.  (Seriously – you can ask my friends – I take it to a whole new level.)

 I love my navigation system so much and would be lost without it!  Literally.  

And last but not least, a few recent favorite pics.  That I may or may not have taken while driving in my car.  (I don’t recommend that by the way…)

 Love summer time in San Diego.  It’s a favorite too.  :)

Have a great weekend everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
07.19.12

Sibling Love (teaching kids to get along and love each other)

Hi friends!  Thanks for the sweet comments on my craft cupboard post!  That was a fun one for me.  (As all organizing posts tend to be!)  Today I am finally addressing a question that has popped up so many times.  Questions that are all similar to these:

How do you raise your girls to be so sweet to each other?  Is there anything you did in particular when they were really little that ensured they would be so close and get along so well?


Your girls are darling!  Do they fight with each other?  How do you help them be such good friends?

If you’ve read my blog for a while you know that my two girls are thick as thieves.  I have loved getting  asked this question because it has really made me stop and think – what am I doing that has helped to create such a great relationship between my girls?  My girls have completely different personalities (as most siblings do!) and yes – they do fight (as all siblings do!).  Obviously it helps that they are close in age and share a lot of the same interests, but I do think that there are things you can do as a parent to help foster and encourage loving relationships between your kids.  Here are a few things I’ve done that I believe has helped my girls become the inseparable duo that they are today.  :)

1-  Keep a low key schedule with lots of down time for your kids to play with each other.  As much as I love to socialize and to be out and about, I also crave down time every day.  I love to be home with all of my kids home with me.  Quiet family time.  I need it so that I can stay on top of my house and things that are important to me.  My kids need it so that they can spend quality, uninterrupted time together.  No TV.  No play dates.  No running around from one activity to another.  Just time at home to be creative and play.  My girls spend SO much time at home with each other.  They have become each other’s best friend simply because I have given them no other option!  :)

2 – Teach your children how special sibling relationships are.  I tell my girls all the time how lucky they are to have each other.   Another way that I reinforce this is through my scrapbooks and photo albums.  For Valentines day a couple of years ago I made my girls a photo book called “Sisters” (you can see the whole book here). 

This book is so simple and was easy to make.  Just pictures of them and little tidbits about how close they are and all of the things they love to do together.  We read this book often and it is a constant reminder to them of how special their relationship is.  This is one example of a visual way to teach siblings that they are lucky to have each other.  We also talk about our relationships.  Sometimes at dinner I’ll ask my kids random questions about their day and about each other.  For example:  “Ellie – what is one thing you love about Addison?” … oh I love that about her too!”  or “Addison, did you get to see Ellie at school today? … I bet that was fun!”

3 – When your kids do fight, teach them how to compromise and work it out together.  We talk A LOT about compromise at our house.  I am always saying to my girls “what can we do that will be fair for everyone?”  or “How can you two work this out together?”  Then I give them a chance to come up with the answer.  Often with a little prompting, I can get them to solve their own disagreements.  If not, I quickly solve things for them by saying that if they don’t stop fighting we will be done playing and move on to our chores or bedtime.  If they are fighting over a certain toy, I tell them that if they can’t work something out that is fair, the toy will be taken away and neither of them will get to play with it.  That usually does the job.  :)

4 – Use behavior charts to help encourage positive attitudes towards each other and no fighting.  Not long ago I shared my star behavior charts which have always been a huge motivator for my girls to have positive attitudes towards each other and to not fight.  Having something set up like this where siblings are rewarded for being kind to each other and not fighting is a great way to encourage your kids to get along.

5 – Give positive praise when you see your kids getting along and being kind to each other.  This one is HUGE!  Positive reinforcement is such a powerful tool.  I look for opportunities all the time to praise my girls for getting along or being kind to each other.  I’ll say things like “Ellie, I love the way you are playing so nicely with Addison and letting her use your doll.  What a good big sister you are.”  Or “Addison, that was such a sweet thing to say to Ellie.  I bet that made her feel so happy!”  Comments like this always make my girls smile.  They feel special and proud of themselves and it encourages them to continue to do nice things for each other in the future.

6 – Teach by example.  I am really close to my siblings and my kids have definitely picked up on this.  I tell them stories all the time about things we did together and how much fun we had with each other when we were little.  My girls also see that I prioritize spending time with them now.  When my sister had her baby and I flew out to visit and help, I explained to my girls that they will do things like that for each other when they get older.  Teach your kids that no matter what, siblings are always there for each other.  
(me and my siblings)

Seeing the way my kids love each other is one of my favorite things about being a mom. 

Sibling love. 
 Nothing quite compares.  :)
I would love to hear from you!  
Any other tips for teaching your kids to love each other and get along?  

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
07.17.12

Organized Craft Cupboard

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Is it already Tuesday?  And can you believe we are half way through July?  This summer is flying by so quickly.  I’m still recovering from my weekend.  Kenny took the girls camping at the beach so Kole and I had our own party.  I tried to hit the Nordstroms sale, but quickly realized that shopping wasn’t in the cards (had a lovely experience with Kole climbing underneath into the fitting room next to me.  Good times!) So instead we spent the weekend playing trains, climbing on the backyard retaining wall, and cuddling during Toy Story 3.  I love time alone with my little man.  Even though his shopping skills have much to be desired.  :)  A good chunk of today was spent doing endless laundry and cleaning endless sand out of everything my campers touched.  It all felt so… endless.  But despite the mess they brought home, I am happy to have them back.  So is Kole.  Now he has four people to play trains, climb the backyard retaining wall, and cuddle during Toy Story 3 with.  
Well!  Enough about sand and laundry.  I’m so excited to share my newly organized craft cupboard today!  First some “befores”… because what fun are “afters” without some really awful “befores?”   Here are the problems I was dealing with in my kitchen…

Our craft drawer was always a mess.  There wasn’t enough room for all of the supplies and with no specific place to put things, it had become a total catch all.  This mess was hardly inspiring creativity.

Meanwhile my pots and pans were being crowded out by the girls’ coloring books and art paper.  Every time someone pulled out a coloring book it resulted in the whole tower toppling over.  (Part of the problem was that we just had TOO MANY coloring books.)

Not to mention that the homework drawer was near impossible to keep organized and I felt like I was cleaning it out every other week.  It was hard to keep track of what was Ellie’s and what was Addison’s and I had to really search every time I needed to find something for one of them.  
So I dumped out the craft drawer and made a mess in the left corner of my kitchen.

Then I dumped out the coloring books and made a mess in the right corner of my kitchen.
Which resulted in — a messy kitchen.

{And finally, a few “afters”}

After re-arranging some miscellaneous kitchen items around I was able to clear out a smaller cabinet specifically for pots and pans.  This cupboard is just right for my small collection.  :)

Then I turned the homework drawer into a drawer for my home decor and time management binders along with all of my random new house stuff.  So happy to not have these things piled all over my counter anymore!  Notice my new binder cover Addison illustrated at the beginning of Kindergarten.  It’s a picture of me and Kenny that says “I love you a whole lot of bunches.”  :)
And after much categorizing, sorting, and purging, I present to you our new craft cupboard!
As Kole would say:  TA DA!
Organized.  Colorful.  Functional.  A joy to behold.  
(Yeah – Kole can’t say all that yet, but we are happy with TA DA)  :)
A closer look.  
Quick breakdown of how we are squeezing so much into this small cupboard – 

Coloring books are lined up vertically.  
(Donated over half of them and made a note to self.  Self – stop buying the kids coloring books.)  
Pink bins hold flashcards, blank cards/envelopes (my girls love making letters), and all of our stamps.  

Behind them are a few clear containers that hold random items we don’t use as often. 
Things like our crayon holders for when we travel.  

This paper divider I’ve had forever.  I’m finally putting it to good use to corral the girls’ homework.  

I didn’t have any small labels so I just used big, white labels and cut them the size I needed.  

Right now the girls’ sections hold workbooks/ pages we are working on this summer.  Once school starts this will be a place to keep things they are working on for school.  I love that they each have their own section!  Makes it so much easier for me to pull out something I’m working on with them.

The bottom two sections hold stencils and paper.  
Moving on to the next section of the craft cupboard!  Sorry – snore if you’re not into organizing.  But if you are, isn’t this fun!?  In my book there isn’t much that can top organizing school supplies.  Takes me to a happy place like nothing else.  It’s why I became a school teacher.  I mean yeah – the kids were great… I made a difference… yadda yadda.
Whatever.  
I was totally in it for the school supplies.  
;)  

Crayons and pencils are on top in pencil boxes – easy to grab. 

The four clear containers hold the rest of our craft supplies.  (Glue/Glitter/Paint, Markers/Pens, Stickers, and the Craft Supply bin is full of random little… well… craft supplies.)  :)
Finally! A specific place for everything.  Now when the girls want to decorate with stickers they aren’t digging through the drawer and dumping everything out all over the kitchen floor to find them.  Amazing the difference a few 2 dollar bins can make.  

We’ve had our craft cupboard organized this way for the past few weeks and I can honestly say that it is working so well for us.  This has been one of my favorite makeovers for several reasons.  The bins are so easy for my girls to pull out and take to the table.  They have been making all sorts of cards and pictures and creations because they can easily see all of their supplies.  Plus it’s a cinch to clean up! They know where everything goes and it’s so easy for them to toss their supplies in the correct bin and put the bins back where they go so everything stays looking nice and neat.  I also didn’t spend a dime.  All of the bins I used were leftover organizers I have had forever.  (Honestly I think I bought the pink bins at Target before I had Ellie!)  It felt good to use things I already had and to free up space they were taking in Kole’s closet.  When you feel like you are running out of storage in your home every ounce of space counts!  So yes.  I am in love with my newly organized craft cupboard.  And so happy to share it with all of you!

Enjoy your day!  We are off to create!
Not really.  It’s late and I’m actually off to bed.  But at some point tomorrow…
we will be off to create!    
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof
07.13.12

Creamy Pasta

Sharing a quick kid-friendly recipe today!  This recipe is far from gourmet (just like the rest of my recipes) and the picture is far from stellar (just like the rest of my recipe pictures) but it’s easy to make and it’s a big hit with my kids!  Plus it’s a great way to sneak in some vegetables.  Kenny really likes it too which makes it a go-to meal for us.  I’m sharing the real recipe along with the way I tweak it.  I pretty much just add more of everything.  If I’m cooking you better believe it’s going to last us at least two nights!   :)

{CREAMY PASTA}

Ingredients:

Chicken tenders – about 1 lb.  (I cook 5 chicken breasts.)
Campbells “Cream of Mushroom” – 1 can (I use 2 cans.)
Frozen Vegetable – 1 to 1 1/2 cups (Kenny likes this with peas the best, but I’ve also tried mixed vegetables and broccoli and it all works!  I just toss in a full bag.)
Pasta (Rotini) – about 2 1/2 to 3 cups (I use one box.)
Kraft grated Parmesan Cheese – 1/2 cup (I use 1 cup.)

1.  Boil water and cook Rotini pasta.  About 5 minutes before it’s done, add the frozen vegetable.

2.  Cut chicken to bite sized pieces and season with salt.  Or don’t.  But what’s life without a little salt?

3.  Saute chicken in a large pan and when the chicken is cooked, add cream of mushroom.  Cook it until it’s boiling. If it is too thick, add some starchy pasta water (the water that cooked the pasta).

4.  Add cooked pasta and frozen vegetable directly to the pan and mix well with the chicken and soup mixture.  (Add more pasta water if it’s too dry.)

5.  Right before you dish it up, add some grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.

See!  So quick and easy!  You can’t mess this one up.  Which is why it’s a favorite of mine.  :)

Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!

p.s.  My new mini craft space for the girls is organized and working like a charm.  Pics to come next week!

xoxo, Erin
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New House
07.12.12

The lot is chalked!

The outline of the house is chalked and tomorrow the digging begins for electrical and plumbing!  Woot Woot!  It’s official.  We will no longer be staring at just a chunk of dirt.  It’s about to be a chunk of dirt with holes.  :)  Kenny and I met at the lot this afternoon to check it out.  While we were there we met two of our framers.  They were SO nice.  I see many banana bread muffins in their future.  :)  I took a few pics… ok… I took around fifty pics.  I meant that I’m going to share a few pics.  I’ll explain our floor plan better at some point, but here is just a peek at where some of the rooms are located.

I mentioned before that our lot is a rectangle so the house almost makes an H shape.  Our garages are located in the front right section if you’re looking at the house from the street.  I wasn’t standing at the street when I took this picture.  I’m facing the front of the garages (where the garage doors will be).  If I turn my head over my left shoulder I would be looking at the front of the house.  
  
 This is the left side of the house (if you were looking from the street).  

Flipping things around… I took this picture from the back yard – left side of the house.  Is this confusing anyone yet?  Because I’m getting confused.  And if I’m getting confused the rest of you are in trouble.  :)
I didn’t get a good picture of each section so I’ll have to share the rest of the floor plan later.  A few more random pics I took today…

I’m excited.  And I want to thank all of you who have been so excited with me!  Your kind comments and e-mails make my day and I feel incredibly lucky to have so many wonderful people reading my blog.  I’m going to try not to overload this blog with new house stuff, but I love sharing pieces of this building journey with all of you.  Just wait until I move in!  There will be so much to organize and decorate!  Makes me giddy just thinking about it.  Blogging material for years and years to come…  
:)
BTW – I have received so many e-mails lately asking if there is a way to subscribe to my blog through e-mail.  I don’t have that set up yet.  I know.  I am SO behind the times!  I don’t tweet, I’m never on facebook, instawhat?  Pinterest and blogging and e-mail maintenance take up more computer time than I have right now.  As you can see I haven’t even had time to change my blog header from Spring to Summer!  (Easter eggs work in July, right?)  BUT.  It’s on the to-do list.  I’m planning to make a few blog changes, create a facebook page, and to look into the whole subscribe through e-mail feature.  Of course “update the blog” is written on the same to-do list as “start Kole’s scrapbook” and you all know how well that’s going.  So my message is that I’m working on it!  Hopefully at some point I will have more ways to subscribe to my blog.  Thanks to everyone who has asked.  I’m honored that you want to make checking in with Sunny Side Up part of your routine.  :)  
Have a great Thursday!  
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
07.11.12

An organized purse.. with some rambling on the side

Oh.  The last two days have been exciting!  We met our builder yesterday at the lot.  I haven’t seen him in a few weeks and I couldn’t contain my excitement!  I gave him the biggest hug and could NOT for the life of me wipe the grin off of my face.  They chalked the outline of our house!  SO cool to see where it will actually sit.  We also discussed next steps for breaking ground.  It is really happening now.  I. CAN’T. WAIT.  This feels like Christmas on steroids.  I love my builder.  He probably thinks I’m crazy.  I also love my architect and I know he thinks I’m crazy.  :)  I’ve been dropping banana bread muffins off on his doorstep for months trying to make up for it.  Just today we informed him of yet another change we need to make to the floor plan.  Oh my word.  I’m getting totally sidetracked!  See what building is doing to me!  I can’t even remember now what I was talking about.  Oh yeah.  We are breaking ground soon!  And I am crazy.  Something like that.  Anyway.  It’s exciting!  And it’s all I can think about.  
Well.  Except I am thinking of a few other little things.  Other little things that are also making me so happy right now.  Little things like my new purse organizer.  Remember a while back when I shared this organizer that I was using to hold all of my cards and receipts?  


I loved having this to hold all of the “extras” that used to get lost in my purse or that made my wallet too thick to close.  While it was semi-organized and I knew which section was holding what, it was hard to grab something quick at the checkout counter.  I’m usually juggling a kid (or three) when I’m shopping so taking the time to find a certain coupon or receipt is not an easy task.  Kenny gets annoyed that I don’t write everything down right after I make a purchase.  He clearly has no clue what it’s like to juggle Kole at the check out counter.  By that point my toddler is completely OVER shopping and doing everything in his power to escape.  Clearly I need to send Kenny and Kole on a shopping trip together in the near future.  The only problem with that scenario is that Kenny will bail faster than our two year old.  :)

So when I got lost in Staples swooning over Martha Stewart’s new office supplies a few weeks ago, I knew this fabulous little accordion file would be a perfect way to organize my cards even better.

Isn’t she beautiful!?  I love the blue and grey.    

 I couldn’t wait to get to work labeling all of those adorable little tabs!  I made a section for coupons, gift cards, stamp cards, reward cards, business cards, pictures and notes (just a few pics I like to keep with me of the kids and some little love notes they have written me), and the back section holds receipts.  After I pay for something I just slip my receipt in my wallet.  Then later when I’m home and not dealing with my anti-shopper, I write down the amounts from the day in my check register so I can keep my check book balanced (making my husband extremely happy).  Then I throw most receipts away.  But if I think I may want to return something I purchased, I tuck the receipt into the back of this little beauty.  Now everything has an assigned place and I can easily find exactly what I need!  Even with Kole trying to do somersaults out of my arms.

This accordion file holds A LOT.  It opens really wide and there is plenty of room for all of my cards.  

 Then it tucks in nice and neat with the grey band that wraps around it holding everything in place.  

It fits perfectly in my purse and helps me keep everything oh so organized!
 I just love an organized purse, don’t you!?
I will be back soon with more house updates!  If I can stay focused that is.  
I seem to be having a hard time with that lately.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Family
07.09.12

Our 4th

Oh it feels good to be posting again!  I took a mini va-cay from my computer while we spent the last week in Utah with family.  We had such a fun week!  I loved seeing family and friends and letting my kids run wild and free with their cousins.  It was also really nice to get Kenny away from work (even though his second wife a.k.a his iPhone was still attached to his hip).  I feel like a new person after a little down time!  I have so many things to post about!  I’m going to have to pace myself.  :)  We got home yesterday and my house looks like a bomb went off – as it always does after traveling.  But the chores will have to wait!  I’m in a procrastinating mood so instead of cleaning I’m about to overload you with pictures.  Sounds much more appealing, right?  

 We drove an hour from my mom’s to Kenny’s grandma’s for our annual small town 4th of July parade.  This picture looks like a repeat because the girls have been in the same dresses the past three years.  When they got these dresses three years ago they were a little big on them, last year on the 4th they fit perfectly, and this year they were a bit small.  But I managed to squeeze one more 4th of July out of them!  Not bad for dresses they wear once a year.  Kole was obviously not in the mood for a photo shoot as is always the case when I’m outside with my little boyfriend.

This parade is so small and quaint.  I adore it and so do my kids.
The big trucks and tractors even kept Mr. on-the-go mesmerized.  

 There was a little something for everyone.  :)

 Kenny’s sweet grandma and family.  

Kenny’s brother is in the military and is getting ready to serve 6 months in Afghanistan.  We missed him so much but had fun catching up with his wife and their two year old twins.  My girls are the experts when it comes to two year olds so they took right over.  :)  
After a fun morning with Kenny’s fam, we drove back to my parents and swam and everyone took a nap.  Loved that.  Then we had a BBQ and got ready for fireworks!

We met friends for the firework show.  I love these girls!  And their sweet kids.  These are the only two pictures I got because we were all so busy chatting.  It was a great show this year.  I got teary eyed during the finale.  God Bless America was playing and the fireworks were so beautiful and the girls were on our laps (with their dolls in their laps) and we were surrounded by friends we love.  It was the best.  It was even worth all of the teasing I got the next day from my husband and brother.  But you know – I’ve learned with those two that they’ll give me a hard time regardless so if I want to cry during a firework show then cry I will!  :)

The rest of our trip was just as fun as the 4th.  My dad (in his oh so happy retired state) spent hours filling the sand pile with new sand the day before our arrival…

 A perfect shady spot for the kids on a hot summer day.  

Kole always sticks his tongue out whenever he is in deep concentration playing with his trains and trucks.  I get such a kick out of it.

The kids spent hours in the pool and sand pile.
Happy kids.  Happy care-free grandpa.  
Notice the pink around El’s lips and eyes.  The girls had just given each other make overs before hopping in the pool.  :)

This is my dad’s new project.  He is building another garage in their back yard.  His new “office” now that he is retired.

 Next on his list is a tree house for the grandkids.

Wild diaper bandits were re-united.  My dad is moving his garden over because of the new garage and these two boys took full advantage of the huge pile of dirt.

 They quickly learned that a hose made for even better times. 
 We all had a good laugh watching them slip around in the mud together.

I so wish I would have taken a picture of them before we sprayed them off with the hose.  They were covered in mud.  Head to toe.  Such a mess!  A bath in grandma’s tub quickly followed that little adventure.  :)
My mom caught this sweet moment with my camera.  My girls love to play on this rock with their dolls first thing in the morning in their pajama’s.  They must have been taking a little break. 

Dinner with my cute friend Josie!  It worked out that we were able to get together on her birthday.  We decided that needs to be a summer tradition.  I love catching up with my friends who I don’t get to see all the time.  I didn’t get to see them all this trip because we spent two days doing new house stuff.  So much to do so little time!  Guess I need to plan another Utah trip soon.  I could think of worse things.

Yes.  My “the end” 4th of July pic once again.  
Because I’m all about traditions and this one never gets old to me. 
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
07.03.12

Pitchers and Jars and Wicked — oh my!

Hello friends!  I had great intentions of posting last night and then made the mistake of checking in with Pinterest first.  Next thing I knew it was after midnight and I was burned out from pinning away the evening.  
I could think of worse things.  :)
As of late I am obsessed with white pitchers and wire baskets.  I’m also loving glass bottles, jugs, and jars.  I’ve showed you before a few ways I’ve been incorporating them into my house… 


I thought I’d also share some of the fun pictures I’ve been pinning of my favorite decor accessories.  I just love them all!  


Aren’t they all lovely!?  Even when used for practical purposes in the kitchen or bathroom they still make beautiful decor.  

Does anyone else share in my obsession?   :)

In other news, last Saturday was such a fun day.  I took the girls to get pedicures…


 They brought their dolls and we all enjoyed some “spa time.”  Then we dropped off a sitter for Kole, picked up Kenny and the four of us went to lunch with friends.

Next on the agenda was Wicked!

Kenny and I have seen Wicked before in LA, but we were so excited to take the girls.  They have the soundtrack memorized and love the music.  I think I’ve heard Defying Gravity a thousand times over the last few months.  (Good thing I love it as much as they do!) We told them the story and they have been so excited to see the play.  By the end of it the girls were both on our laps mesmerized by it all.  I love that they are finally old enough to do stuff like this.  It was such a fun day with my two mini me’s. I wish I could freeze time with these two.  Ages 6 & 8 are quite simply the best.  

4th of July is this week!  I know you all know that.  I just felt like announcing it anyway.  Our fun weekend was a great way to start the holiday week.  I have totally kicked into vacation mode.  It’s a pretty good mode to be in.  :)  

Hope many of you are doing the same!

xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
06.29.12

Fashion Friday

It’s Friday everyone!  Can I get a woot woot!!  Friday actually doesn’t feel that much different now that it’s summer.  Every day is Friday!  Can I get another woot woot!!   
I’m lovin’ it.  :)
Summer is such a fun time for fashion and I’m totally missing it this year because I’m too busy to shop for clothes.  Dang these kids of mine for keeping me from my mall time!  ;)  I actually took all three of them to the mall today to go shoe shopping and surprisingly we held it together.  That’s only because we hit Stride Rite, were in and out in 20 minutes, and then straight back home.  It’s the only way to shop when I’m that outnumbered!  Because I am constantly outnumbered this summer and shopping much less because of it, I have been wearing a lot of the same stuff I wore last summer…
I did get a few new things a couple of months ago that I haven’t had time to share.  But I have time tonight!  Kenny and I are staying up all night having a Glee marathon.  (Quick Glee update: we’re on season 2 and I’m liking it, not loving it.  Totally missing our annual “Jack Bauer Power Hour,” but the fact that Glee is less appealing to me makes it much easier to blog during so all in all I’m calling it a win).  Anyway, I will press on!  Until this post is finished!  Or until I fall asleep with my head in my laptop while Glee show tunes play in the background.  Whichever happens first.  
I bought this scoop neck top at The Limited.  You know how I love a good scoop neck.  I felt pretty good about it because it’s not a solid color like most of my purchases.  I took a walk on the wild side and went for some stripes.  You didn’t know I had it in me, did you.  It has been a great top for summer because it’s loose and comfy and super light weight.  Plus it goes well with just about anything.  
I especially like it with these new white pants.  I know.  If you recall my last Fashion Friday I had just bought these white pants and capris:
I’m having a love affair with white pants this summer.  

But here’s the thing with these white pants.  They were on sale at The Gap for less than 40 bucks and bootcut is such a flattering style for all body types…. can I get an amen!?    
Plus check out the way the bottom of the pants are almost touching the ground when I wear my wedges.  The length fits perfectly!  I don’t even have to have them taken in!  So you can see why I had no choice but to bring them home and add them to my white pant collection.  

If I get sick of white (which is suddenly looking like a real possibility) I can alway wear this top with jeans or shorts.  I know most of you are in the heat of summer and jeans are set aside, but we wear jeans year round here.  That’s the funny thing about San Diego.  Jeans, shorts, flip flops, Ugg boots… it all goes when the weather only fluctuates between 70 and 75 degrees year round.  {Ohh… it’s 69 today – better get out the jackets.  High tomorrow is going to be 74 – nice and toasty.  Beach weather!}  Spoiled much?  You could say that.

Hmm.. now this is interesting.  A fitted top, solid color, with a cowl neck.  I think we may have seen this one before.  A time or twenty.  Since I couldn’t be all wild and crazy wearing stripes for too long, I bought this traditional Erin style top at the Limited as well. This top can be worn casually or dressed up a bit because the cowl neck is silky.  It came in lots of colors, but I was drawn to the pretty purple.  As opposed to the ugly purple?

Pretty purple top with the white bootcut jeans.  I’m telling you.  If you have a Gap nearby, go try on these white bootcut pants.  They pull in tight at the thigh and are such a great fit.  

And a favorite dress I wore to church last week.  I bought this dress a few years ago at Nordstroms and I LOVE pulling it out every summer.  Baby doll dresses are so casual and fun and I will never tire of yellow clothing.

The fun orange and gold bracelet was a birthday gift from my sister (also from Nordstroms).  I have been loving it this summer because it always seems to add the perfect punch of color to my outfits.

I don’t love these shoes with this dress but they are currently my best option.  Hopefully I can do some shoe shopping for myself one of these days.  The kind of shopping that requires alone time and more than 20 minutes at the mall.  Until that day comes I will have to make due with what I have!

So enough pictures of me and my clothes. 
  Check out my little man in that tie! 

He’s pretty hot stuff and he knows it.  He also knows that if he is just persistent enough, mom will cave and let him hang out on the bathroom counter for a bit.

 Mom’s got her camera out!  
 Means I can get away with a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.  

 Time to test my theory.  

Last picture.  Party’s over.  
Until next Fashion Friday.
:)
Happy weekend everyone! 
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
06.28.12

Tidbits on Thursday

I was sorting through my pics tonight and this one made me smile.  I’m so happy it’s summer because once again I can control what my kids are (and aren’t) eating.  Too many times their lunch boxes would come home with all of the healthy stuff still neatly packaged and the fishy crackers?  Not a trace.  Even my napkin note reminders weren’t helping much.  Well those days are long gone!

Not only are the kids eating better under my 24/7 watch, but in true I’d rather be doing anything than cooking Erin fashion, I’ve also turned a lot of the food prep over to them.  It’s clear from the picture above that they enjoy it as much as I do.  

Daddy’s home!  This little guy gets so excited when his dad walks in the door.  
(The feelings mutual little buddy). 

He also gets pretty excited for his nap.  You can tell from this picture of him peeking out of his hiding spot right after I gave him his binkie the other day.  It’s always a fun game of chase we play, but once I catch him, he admits defeat, rubs his little arm, and puts his head on my shoulder while I carry him to his room.  And the latest?  He just started blowing me kisses from his crib.  I melt into a puddle as soon as I close the door.  Then shortly after melting, I book it to get as much as is humanly possible done during those precious two hours.  Funny how I’m always so excited to put him down for a nap and have a break, but after about two hours, I start to miss him and I’m ready for him to wake up.  Then 10 minutes after he wakes up I’m wishing there was a nap #2 in my future.  :)

Just before school let out I shared all of the fun teacher gift ideas I rounded up on-line.  For the girls’ teachers I decided to copy Jen’s “Creative Juices”gift idea.  I totally spaced putting the candy in the cups, but it was still a fun way to jazz up some Jamba Juice gift cards.  
I told the girls to get in the tub this evening and came upstairs 10 minutes later to find this:

American girl dolls are taking their baths too!  I smiled when I saw the sink drains pulled up even though there’s no water .  I also got a kick out of their “robes” sitting next to them for when they get out.  So clever since they know these dolls can’t get wet.  Stuff like this seriously makes my day.  
And while I’m on the subject of things that make my day, I am so in love with Williams Sonoma dish towels!  I bought these fun towels for a couple of friends’ birthdays last month and had to pick me up a set too.  They are so durable and just the right size for drying the counter or dishes.  Plus I love the colors for this time of year!
I also picked up some fun summer clothes for the girls.  These cute stripped tanks and solid skirts were $5 bucks each at Children’s Place!  Can’t beat that for comfy (Ellie approved) summer attire.  

And how cute are these new Reefs for my little shadow?  He HATES them.  Can’t stand the feeling of something in between his toes.  It’s kind of hilarious when I put them on him.  He walks around funny for a minute and then sits down and starts trying to pry them off.  I’m sure he’ll get used to them at some point.  And he’s got time.  Flip flops work year round in our neck of the woods.

 So what have I been up to with my girls taking over kitchen duty and Kole spending all of his spare time hiding from me and figuring out how to take off his new shoes?

 I’ve been organizing of course.  :)

This was my kitchen at around 2:00 in the afternoon yesterday.  
And I’m almost done with my little project!
“Afters” to share next week, but here’s a peek at the labels I used…
Is everyone else as in love with Martha Stewart’s new office supplies at Staples as I am?  I was in Staples today and for a minute while I was looking at all of her labels and paper organizers I think my heart stopped beating.  It quickly started again when Kole almost tipped the cart over trying to escape and Addison tried to “help” by screaming at him at the top of her lungs.  But I didn’t mind.  I was long gone in my happy place and walked around with a spring in my step the rest of the day picturing all of the organizing that is going to take place once I move into my new house.  Oh the joy!  
Organizing, shopping, and time with my kiddos.   
So far, this summer is off to a great start.
:)  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
06.27.12

Q & A – photography tips/background

Hi everyone!  It’s Q & A time.  :)  
Could you tell us more about your photography?  What camera you use?  How you got started?


Can you share some photography tips?  
Your camera work is great.  Can you tell us more about it?  Did you take a class or read a book or just read the instruction manual that came with your camera?  ;) 

I’ve had multiple questions about photography lately and I have to say that I don’t feel worthy to answer them!  My photography skills are a work in progress and far from fabulous, but they are better than what they used to be so I’m happy to share how I got where I am.  I bought my first SLR in March of 2009 and I’m still using that same camera.  It’s the Canon Rebel XSI and by now there are similar cameras with much cooler features and upgrades I’m sure.  I did take a class when I first got my camera because I had no clue how to use it.  BUT.  I felt like I learned NOTHING in that class.  Most of the people in it were used to using SLR’s and everything was way over my head.  I guess I needed an even more beginners beginner class.  :)  So after the class I read a few on-line tips (no books…and do people ever read those boring instruction manuals?) and then I did what I’ve been doing ever since.  I take a lot of pictures.  I take pictures every single day.  And when you take pictures every single day you start to learn a thing or two about your camera.  Without really trying to, you learn about photography.  That is my best advice I would give to anyone starting out.  Forget the classes and the manuals and just take TONS of pictures.  Play around with your camera.  Try out different settings in different lighting and see what you get.  Keep your camera out all the time so you can easily grab it and snap away whenever you get a minute.  Practice, practice, practice.  That’s how I’ve learned everything I know.

Another important tip I’ve learned from taking so many pictures is to pay attention to what’s in the background of your photo.

Quick example:

Here’s a picture I took for a Fashion Friday post of a couple of my necklaces.  I took this in my bathroom and I could tell the lighting and the blah tile background weren’t ideal.  
So I took a picture of the same necklaces on my living room coffee table with natural light coming through the window.  HUGE difference.  The necklaces look like they are supposed to.  Everyone knows that natural light is better for photography, but it’s important to also remember what a huge difference background makes.  I always try to clear the background of any clutter that might take away from my picture and if it’s a staged picture like the one above for my blog, I look for a background that will make my object stand out.  If I’m taking close-ups of the kids and don’t have time to clear the background (you have to catch those moments so fast!) I usually blur the background like in this photo:
This is so easy to do with a good lens which is my next tip.  Invest in a good lens!  It makes all the difference.  I have two fixed lenses (Christmas gifts from Kenny) which means they don’t zoom at all. They take beautiful pictures.  One of them is the Canon 28mm (my every day lens) and the other is the Canon 50mm (I use this once in a while for pics of the kids).  With both of these lenses I am able to get a lower aperture setting which allows more light in my photos and makes it so I can blur the background.  
My next photography tip when taking pics of your kiddos (or any people) is to take less of the “say cheese” photos and try to catch them interacting with each other.  I have learned through taking tons of pictures that my favorites are always when I catch my kids just being themselves.  
Quick example:

This picture cracks me up!  It was Valentines day and I was trying so hard to get a good picture of the kids.  Trying to get all three of them to look and smile at the same time, AND get them all in focus with Kole whipping all over the place was NOT happening. After taking about 15 pics that looked just like the one above I finally decided to stop taking pictures for a minute and to just let the kids interact with each other.

Then after a few minutes, without them even paying attention, I stood on my coffee table and took this picture from above.  I love this picture.

There are so many camera tips I could bore you with.  They are technical things that you can learn about on any photography website or in any camera manual.  But honestly, these are the things that have improved my photos the most:
-Take LOTS of pictures (keep your camera close by!)
– Pay attention to the background
– Invest in a good lens
– Catch kiddos in their natural state 

I talked about this in my “photography – lesson learned” post but honestly, when it comes to taking pictures, capturing moments like these:

far outweigh getting a technically perfect picture any day.  So while the technical stuff helps, it’s what is going on in the photos that make the best pictures.

My last piece of advice is to focus on that.  

:)

xoxo, Erin
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