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Christmas
12.11.12

Favorite Things (2012)

Finally this years favorite things!  Sorry for the delay!  I’m hoping there are still a few of you out there who (like me) haven’t done all of your Christmas shopping yet.  There were so many fun ideas shared at the party this year.  Great gift ideas for a friend, mom, sister – any woman in your life.  OR just a fun gift for yourself!  I have included links to each of these items so that you can find them easily on-line.  Hope this helps with holiday shopping!
The favorites I chose to bring to the party this year are not new to any of you.  :)  You may remember me raving a time or two about Martha Stewart’s line of office supplies?
And about how much I love the fun aqua labels?  Love all the Martha Stewart labels!
My craft cupboard – a picture of these babies in action!  :)
And you may also remember how much I love my small accordion file?
I carry it in my purse and love having all of my coupons, receipts, business cards, etc. organized and out of my wallet.  So for my “favorite thing” I brought this organizer, labels, and…
my favorite mascara.  Maybelline Define A Lash.  After I shared this in the post I did on my favorite make-up I got so many sweet e-mails from readers who bought it, tried it and loved it too.  Made me so happy!  It really is a great mascara.  And believe me, I’ve tried a lot of them!
Here are the three favorites I chose and came home with.
There were a lot of beauty products at this years party!  It seemed to be the theme.  I picked Maybeline Instant Age Rewind – works as an eye concealer and erases fine lines.  Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm – has sunscreen in it, repairs dry lips, and has just enough color.  Moroccan Oil and a fun pony tail scrunchy, and Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo.  I have used Moroccan Oil before and love it.  I don’t buy it often because it is not cheap so I was excited to get another little bottle at the party.  You just put a dab on your hair after you’ve blow dried/styled it and it gives your hair a nice shine and keeps the fly aways at bay.  The Neutrogena lip balm I’ve used all week and love the color.  It’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine too!  I picked the eye concealer because I have awful dark circles under my eyes (from staying up too late to blog no doubt!).  :)  I’ve been so excited to try it out.  I’m also excited to try the dry shampoo!  My cute friend Darci (and partner in hair crime) raved about it.  You just add a bit to your hair on days that you don’t have time to wash it.  You know I’m all about products that help prolong hair washing.  :)

This is my cute friend Ann (a.k.a Vanna White).  :)  She is the hostess of this fun party and her favorite this year was her Original Umbrella Stand.  She said it’s so easy to use.  Just stick it in the sand and it will hold your umbrella in place.  Perfect for the beach or a soccer game at the park.  A great way to keep the wrinkles at bay!

I didn’t get individual pics of any items this year, but here are the rest of the favorites.  I want to try them all!

Is A Belt (the invisible belt) – a thin, discreet belt that holds your jeans up in the back and holds down the top button flap in the front.  There are two colors and two sizes and my friend who brought this wears her clear, wide one the most.  I want to get this!  There have been so many times when I’m wearing a more fitted top that I have wished I had a belt like this.  Something that just holds your jeans in place but isn’t obvious.

Hydro Flask Water Bottles – keeps things hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours.  How cool is that!?  I’d love one of these too.  Perfect for exercising, taking water in the car, kids’ lunches, etc.

Mac Phone Eyeliner – Kohl – this is a charcoal grey eyeliner with a bit of sparkle.  Makes a fantastic smoky eye and is great for every day.  I’m excited to try this as soon as my current eyeliner runs out.

Say Yes to Cucumber Face wipes – Great for taking off make-up or washing your face quickly in a pinch.  Also great for sensitive skin.

Candy Apple candle from Bath and Body Works – smells so sweet and festive for the holidays.

White Citrus Body Butter from Bath and Body Works – the most moisturizing cream for dry skin.  Smells so light and refreshing and not over powering.

Hamilton Beach Water Kettle – my friend raved about this water kettle!  Easy to use and heats up super fast.

The Wet Brush – perfect for brushing out your hair after you shower.  I can’t wait to try this one.  It is supposed to work great with curly hair too so I’m anxious to test it on Addison’s hair.  That will be a true test of its power!  :)

Anthropologie Measuring Cups – Useful and pretty enough to display.  I almost picked these!  But I know I’d break them if I used them to cook.  I love them for kitchen decor though and think they make a great Christmas gift.

Hollywood Fashion Tape – This stuff looks so cool.  It’s a tape that adheres to fabric or skin and basically helps with “wardrobe malfunctions” … you know – keeps your bra strap from slipping down, your too low top from looking too low, etc.  Can’t wait to try this.

Mac Eyeshadow – Dazzlelight – this is a beautiful champagne color that looks great on a variety of skin tones.  Another fun product to try!

There you have it!  There were a few more, but I can’t find the links.  Pretty much everything I’ve listed I would LOVE to try.  Everyone brought such fun favorites this year.  These are all things my friends use and love.  One of my friends puts a basket together of several of these favorites for her mom and sisters each year.  So fun!  This party always gives me fun gift ideas and I hope it helped you too.  I’m going to share more of my favorite gift ideas on the blog this week.  Because well… favorites are FUN.

:)
Happy shopping everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.07.12

Christmas Pinspiration!

I needed a little down time tonight to clear my mind and relax from the busy week.  Naturally I turned to Pinterest!  I haven’t had much time to decorate my current house this year because I’m so busy with the new house, but I can’t wait to implement some of these fun ideas into my decor next year!
{CANDY CANES}
I am loving candy canes right now!  Such a cheap, simple, fun way to add some whimsy to your house in December.  Here are  a few ideas on how to incorporate them into your decor…

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, how fun is this for breakfast on Christmas morning!?  I think even I can pull off this meal.  :)

{CHRISTMAS CARDS}

You all know how much I love a good Christmas card!  In years past I’ve always displayed my cards on/around my pantry door –

or on my wall and in my aqua frame (full post here)…

I’m using painters tape this year btw.  I used regular tape last year and the cards were dropping like flies.  Drove me crazy!

I also love having our Christmas cards from past years on display.  Fun to see how our family has grown.  I need an updated picture with our latest cards.  I also need a two year old who doesn’t want to tear stuff like this apart each year.  Are you listening Santa?  :)

Here are a few other fun ways to display Christmas cards…

 

 

When Christmas is over I love creating a simple layout with the pictures of some of our friends.  Between the years, everyone we know and love is pictured on a layout in our Christmas album at least once.  Here is another fun idea I love if you don’t want to cut up your cards…
Simply punch some holes in your cards and add a few binder rings.  So easy to make and fun to set out on your coffee table to flip through each year!
{SNOWMEN}
I’ve also found some great snowman inspiration!  Check out these cute ideas…

 

 

 

How fun!  I want to try them all!

And since I just ordered all of our outdoor lights for the new house today (I’ll have to share a pic of them!), above is a fun idea for how to spruce some of them up for Christmas next year!

 

I also loved this Christmas tree advent calendar for the kids to countdown till Christmas.  So much more fun than the regular chain we usually make.

And on a totally separate note, today was such a fun day.  Kole and the new house occupy most of my time and energy lately and I have been missing girl time with my girls.  So I got a sitter for Kole and pulled the girls out of school at lunch time.  We went to lunch together, just the three of us.

(On our way to lunch!)

Then after we ate, we picked Kole up and went home and put him down for a nap and watched Miracle on 34th Street together under a blanket on the couch.  It was the first time the girls have seen it and they colored during the too much talking parts.  :)  It was a perfect, relaxing afternoon and I loved having a little time alone with my girls.  They talk my ear off and keep me pretty entertained.  I think we need to make our lunch/afternoon date a tradition.

On our way to lunch we were all three walking holding hands and a sweet lady stopped us and said “oh you make me want to have little girls someday!”

I answered “yeah – it’s pretty great.”
And it really is.  :)
Happy weekend everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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New House
12.06.12

New house ramblings

I’ve been living at the new house lately.  Seriously considered taking a sleeping bag up there last night.  All electrical decisions had to be made this week and I had no clue what I was in for.  My builder introduced me to the electrician and said “you’ll love working with Erin – she’s super organized and knows exactly what she wants.”  Then the madness started.  And I didn’t look super organized or like I knew exactly what I wanted.  “do you want can lights or fixtures?  where will they go?  how many in this room?  pendants or sconces?  where do you want plug outlets?  how many outside lights and outlets?  flood lights for the yard?  which ones will be set to a timer?  where will that switch go?  where do you want Christmas light outlets?  where will your TV outlets go?  do you want ceiling fans?  do you want bathroom lights and fans together or separate?  where will you have lamps?  what about central vac?  
uh uh uh……  
It took two days total and at this point I’m so brain dead that I can’t remember where I put anything.  It will not surprise me at all if once we’re living in the new house I walk into my pantry and flip a switch and it turns on the bedroom fireplace.  Let’s just say that I am so glad to be done with electrical.  My brain is tired.  Last night I went to a baby shower for a friend.  It was the second time I went to her shower.  One week ago I told Kenny to get home from work by 7:00.  I rushed to get kids bathed, fed, and homework done.  I wrapped a baby gift, got cleaned up, and drove to the party.  Almost there and it hit me that it wasn’t December 4th, it was still November and I was a week early.  Kenny maybe wouldn’t have minded except I did something similar a couple of weeks ago.  I was on the phone with my builder dealing with something that had to be taken care of right then and it was getting close to the time I needed to pick up the girls from school.  I frantically text Kenny on my cell while I’m talking to my builder on the home phone – go pick up the girls at school – I can’t make it.  He leaves work and rushes to pick them up only to find my neighbor picking them up because we carpool and it was HER day to drive.  
Yeah.  Good times around here.  
I’m not quite myself lately.  And I can see very clearly that this is how we’re going to roll for the next six months.  So if I go days between posts and then ramble on and on about nothing when I do post, you’ll know why.  And hopefully understand?  :)
A few iphone pics because clearly this post isn’t random enough already…
Old toys and games, etc. always go to goodwill, but this has been my method of cleaning my girls’ small extra stuff/junk lately.  I walk around their rooms with a Target sack and toss everything that doesn’t have a place in the sack.  I hang onto the sack for a week or two.  If nothing gets mentioned or is missed, I trash it.  GONE and DONE.  Kids come home with so much extra “stuff” every day and it just leads to clutter.  They never miss a thing I toss in these sacks which shows me how important it all is.  Not important.  Clean rooms without all the junk and clutter?  Important. 

 A walk to the park last weekend.  Girls like to hold hands and run ahead.
I like to watch them holding hands and running ahead.  

 A sign that my Ellie has been at the park.  
The heating and cooling ducts are taking up precious space in some of my rooms/closets.  
Not a fan.  
This pic was taken in the new playroom.  See that pocket of space underneath the window where the roof slants?  I’ve been finding all sorts of extra little storage space in this house because our roofs are so pitched.  I was wondering what I could use that space for and then it hit me!

Remember the crazy amount of stuffed animals and dolls my girls have?  

And how they are shoved into our closet under the stairs?  

Perfect!  Pull out drawers under the window for all of the stuffed animals.  I came up with that one at 2 in the morning the other night.  Then I fell back asleep and dreamed that Kenny told everyone to make everything in our new house black.  Black floors, black counters, black everything.  Then he couldn’t understand why I was so upset about it.  You know those dreams that are so stupid but they seem so real?  This was one of those.  I woke up so happy and relived it was just a dream!  :)

We’ve been planning the pool and landscaping.  Here are a few pics I took while we were figuring out where the pool will go…

We’re going to put the hot tub inside the pool.  I wasn’t crazy about this idea at first, but now I’m really excited about how it’s all going to work.  That way we can cover everything together.  To be honest, swimming pools scare me to death.  If it was up to me, we’d wait a few years to put one in because of Mr. I love to live on the edge of danger… 
I think you all know who I’m referring to.  :)  But it’s easier and cheaper to put a pool in now while we are in the middle of construction anyway so we are looking for ways to make it as safe as possible.
Well.  That’s it for now friends.  I’m off to give my brain a much needed rest.  Until tomorrow that is.
Enjoy your day!  
(What day is it again?)  
:)

xoxo, Erin
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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof
12.03.12

White Bean Chili

Sharing a quick and easy recipe today!  You all know how I feel about my crock pot.  It’s the only way I pull off an actual meal these days.  I love this White Bean Chili recipe I found a few years ago.  It’s perfect for a cold December day!  (Or in my case, perfect for a slightly cool December day.)  :)

{Ingredients}

1 large onion chopped
3 cans chicken broth
3 cups chicken (I use 4-5 chicken breasts)
1 can diced green chilies (7 oz)
3 cans white beans
2 t. oregano
4 t. cumin
1 t. cayenne pepper
6-8 cloves garlic or 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 cup sour cream
3 cups grated monterey jack cheese

{Directions}

Cook chicken, onion, and chicken broth on high for 3-4 hours in crock-pot.  Take chicken out and shred and then put it back in the crock pot.  (You know I’m all about recipes that explain each and every step.)  Add the chilies, beans, oregano, cumin, pepper, and garlic.  Turn on high for 45 minutes to an hour.  Stir in 1 cup sour cream and 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese and serve!

{My Own Two Cents}

I have decided after making this a few times that it needs more chicken and beans and less broth so that it’s more like a chili and less like a soup.  So I tweak the recipe above just a bit by adding 4-5 chicken breasts and more beans and only 2 or 2 1/2 cans of chicken broth.  I also buy the cheese already shredded and use the garlic powder instead of garlic cloves.  That has nothing to do with making it more like a chili.  That’s just because I’m lazy.  :)  I feel the need to share my “tweaks,” but also feel the need to caution you to not necessarily follow them.  It is me we’re talking about here.

Kenny and I love this.  I can’t say that the kids do, but I can’t say that they love much of anything because they are such picky eaters.  But someday, when they grow up and decide that torturing their parents at the dinner table isn’t cool after all, they will love this too.  I just know it.

Of course eating it out of a mug that says “GOOD HOT SOUP” only adds to the dining experience.  
Even if you’ve worked hard to make it less of a soup and more of a chili.  
:)
Enjoy!    
xoxo, Erin
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Uncategorized
11.30.12

Random Friday

Ann’s annual “Favorite Things” party was tonight!  Woot woot!  I just got back and I’m worn out from chatting the night away.  I think I may have lost my voice.  Again.  Time to whip out the lemon water.  And time to share the favorites with all of you!  (Coming soon!)  Oh my word.  Everyone brought GOOD stuff this year!  I’m so excited about the three items I brought home and there are about ten more items I’m absolutely going to buy.  Great gift ideas!  I love this party.  

We pulled out our Christmas movies this week!  I’m so proud of myself for holding off this long.  I was hoping they would entertain Kole a little better than they have.  Turns out he isn’t all that into Barbie’s version of A Christmas Carol.  What’s up with that?  :)

He’d much rather watch Peppa Pig or Sword in the Stone.  I love this picture of him watching Sword in the Stone at my mom’s.  I love that he is watching one of my favorite movies.  I love the intent little look on his face.  I love that he is sitting in a chair from my childhood.  I love that his little feet aren’t touching the ground.

 Our Elf will make his first appearance on Saturday!  My girls are so excited they can hardly stand it.  

And aside from a few things I have to do, my weekend plan is to finish up Christmas decorating and enjoy reading this new magazine I just picked up.  Christmas decor and gift ideas?  Amazing kitchens? Aqua ornaments adorning the tree?  I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy it.  :)

Happy almost December everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
11.29.12

Creative Messes

Sharing a few “creative messes” that have been happening around my house lately.  Oh my word.  It is impossible to keep this place clean.  I’ve given up!  Cupboards and drawers are still organized (because that’s the only way I stay sane) but the rest of the house?  Not so much.  
You’ve seen Kole’s pillow pile.  A daily occurrence.

 And then we have the girls’ books turned doll houses.  Creating a perfect center for drawing, reading,

and playing. 
 Next up – houses for the Littlest Pet Shops.

 The furniture is a perfect fit and washrags make ideal beds and couches. 
Friends that are too big for the books sleep in a suitcase.  Naturally.  

When my girls aren’t putting their friends to bed inside of books and suitcases, they head to my bead to create a fort for them.  
 “Pillow land fort” to be exact.  

 Which is a bit ironic because there are no pillows left in pillow land fort.  
Kole is no doubt stashing them in a pile somewhere.  
Yesterday my wood floor samples became race tracks.

And just before Thanksgiving my girls came up with this configuration.  They took our Easter tree, added candles, construction paper, pumpkins,

 and a homemade turkey on top. 
 I have NO clue what this is exactly.  I didn’t dare ask.  But it entertained my girls for over two hours.  
And that my friends, is a mess I can handle.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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New House
11.28.12

Range Hood and Bar Stools

Every afternoon the girls do their homework and I do my housework.  And by housework I don’t mean cleaning and laundry, although I should be cleaning and doing laundry.  Instead I go over cabinet and built-in sketches, take calls regarding plumbing and electrical issues, and compare prices for light fixtures on-line.  We also eat lots of cheese and crackers during this time.  Cheese and crackers make us think better.  Kole runs circles around the table tapping each of us on the leg and saying “play!?” so we take turns chasing him in the back yard or up and down the stairs.  Then when all three of us girls are worn out and can chase no more we turn on Peppa Pig.  We are always SAVED by Peppa Pig.  This has become our afternoon routine.  :)
Today I have been working on my range hood that will go over my oven.  And by “working” I mean pondering, contemplating, debating, and stewing.  I’m a little torn and would love some help from anyone who has an opinion!  Here is the latest sketch:
I feel like it’s SO close to how I want it, but I can’t quite say it’s done.  Does the top section with the three panels need to be longer?  Should I move the corbels up under the shelf instead of below it?  Do I want to lose the arch and make it straight along the bottom?  The hardest thing about building everything from scratch is having TOO many options.  I’m swimming in options!  Or more like drowning in them.  I would love to hear your opinion on the range hood!  You know.  So that I can tweak it ten more times and drive my cabinet guy even more crazy than I already have.  Thankfully he is so sweet and calm and patient with me.  I need to make him some muffins.  
I’m really not much of an arch person and most things in my house will be straight lined, but I added the slight arch to the range hood because I’m going to do a valance over my kitchen window and wanted the two to compliment each other.   
Here are the two options for the window valance and I’d love to get your opinion on this too!
Option #1

Option #2

Do you like it better with two panels or three?  Thanks in advance for sharing your sage wisdom and advice!  I clearly didn’t eat enough crackers and cheese this afternoon to power through this decision on my own.  
Now for some more decisive new house news, I bought bar stools!  

What do you think!?  My designer (who lives in Utah) called me one afternoon and said “Erin!  I found some bar stools that are totally you in TJ Maxx at such a good price!”  He took a pic with his phone and as soon as I saw them I called my mom.  “Mom – I love you.  Remember how I’m your favorite and how I’ve brought you so much happiness over the years…”   :)
“What do you want Erin.”
“I need you and dad take his truck to TJ Maxx and pick up some bar stools for me.  Keep the receipt just in case I see them and change my mind.  Oh.  And then I need you to store them for me until the house is finished because you know I don’t have an ounce of room for them in my current house.”

She and my dad went to TJ’s and got the bar stools for me.  Clearly because I’m their favorite and have brought them so much happiness over the years.  And I don’t want to return them!  Even though my dad predicted that I would.  (Such little faith dad!)  Fingers crossed they will look good in the new kitchen!  I can only fit three under my island, but I bought four just in case I need an extra.  Accidents tend to happen often with my crew.

I love the nail head trim and that they are leather so they will be easy to wipe clean.  Pretty and practical.  Something I’m always attempting to achieve.  YEA for my first furniture purchase for the new house!  And thanks mom and dad.  I love you both and suppose the two of you have made me pretty happy over the years as well.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Family
11.26.12

Thanksgiving re-cap

Love my mom’s house and yard this time of year.  
Such a beautiful neighborhood.  

The kids were lots of help with the leaves.  Such a novelty for them.  Palm trees tend to stay in tact in our neck of the woods.  :)

My mom breaking the bread for stuffing in her pj’s on the phone.  Comfy multi tasking at its best.  

This table was taken over by the kids for coloring and crafts.  

Family bonding time.  We always end up chatting in the backyard while the kids play.  

They were outside all day long.  
Except for when they were inside on the computer.  Kole’s latest obsession – ABC Train on YouTube.  If you have a toddler, google it and enjoy four minutes of peace.  
You’re welcome.  :)
Enjoying time with Kenny’s fam.  This pic was taken while everyone was talking to his little brother on the computer who is serving in the military out of the country right now.  He was missed.   

Time for an Oreo turkey craft!  

These little suckers are harder to make than you’d think!      
Not Pinterest worthy, but El’s turned out better than mine did.  
Fun to make and even more fun to eat.   

My girls with Kenny’s sweet grandma.  Love this picture. 
My nephew in the leaves.  Also love this picture.  
And I especially love these pictures:

A great game of chase never gets old.  At least for a certain two year old.  I have to admit – it was nice sitting this round out for a change.  :)

xoxo, Erin
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Giveaway
11.25.12

Winner and Lemon Water

Thanks to everyone who entered the book giveaway!  
Here are the winners (picked by random.org)…


Winner of Deliberate Motherhood:

Jenny who said:


Oh my gosh, either one of these books could help me out in so many ways!!! I am a mother of 5 boys, two of which are disabled…. So being a good mom, keeping my sanity and staying organized are pretty much three of my top priorities!!! Great giveaway regardless who wins!! ;)

Jenny P. from Racine, Wisconsin

3 Winners of The Staying Organized Survival Guide:

Sue who said:

Hey, Erin! Hope you’re having fun with all your crew taking pictures instead of cooking (that’s how I weasel out of stuff I don’t want to do, I’m the self-appointed photojournalist!)
I’d love to win either of these books. Cokeville, WY. Can’t wait to see your weekend report!


Cathy who said:

I would love to win either one of those books for my daughter. I think she would really love either of them. 

Hope you and your family enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Cathy
Victorville

Ileana who said:

Love, love, love your blog! I would love to win the Staying Organized book!
Ileana
Fairmont, WV

YEA and CONGRATS!  If you are a winner, e-mail me (erininsandiego at gmail dot com) and I’ll get the books to you!  If you didn’t win and still would like a book, I linked to them on Amazon in my last post.  They are both very reasonably price so pick one up for yourself for Christmas!  You deserve it.  :)

————————————————————————————————————————

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Ours was wonderful.  Except that I was sick.  That wasn’t wonderful.  Kole and Ad are sick too so we are very much still in recovery mode around here.

My mom made me countless glasses of lemon water.  Heavy on the lemon.  Did you know that lemon water makes your sore throat feel better?  It really does.  Or maybe it was less about the lemon water and more about being taken care of by my mom.  I’m not sure, but sitting by her Christmas tree next to the cozy fireplace sipping lemon water was my favorite memory from Thanksgiving this year.  

One of my quartz samples made a perfect tray for my lemon water.  Still trying to find counter tops for my kitchen that look like marble but aren’t real marble.  I want my mom to be able to come and visit and squeeze lemons all over my counters and not worry about them staining.  I am a fan of lemon water.  And worry free quartz counter tops.   :)
Being sick over Thanksgiving certainly didn’t stop me from eating way too much food.  Kenny went on a strict pie diet while I devoured an unhealthy amount of turkey.  You all know how I feel about a good turkey sandwich.  
The two of us will be attempting to eat a bit lighter next week to make up for our incessant gorging.  
We’ll see how long it lasts before the Christmas festivities start.  
I might as well pull out the stretchy pants right now.
Any of you doing the same?
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Giveaway
11.22.12

Thanksgiving Book Giveaways!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Popping in on turkey day for a fun giveaway!  I’m giving away two books and I’m so excited about both of them!

I’m grateful for a long list of things each Thanksgiving but motherhood is always at the top of that list.

Being mom to these three pretty much tops everything.  They drive me crazy on a daily basis and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  And yes, I know I need a more recent picture of my three kids all together, but once Kole started moving we said good-bye to calm, posed family pictures.  Most of my recent pics of him now are of the back of his head running away.  :)  
The first book I’m giving away is all about motherhood.  In fact, it’s a book written by a group of mothers.  A group of wonderful mothers who all have such inspiring words to share.  
The book is titled Deliberate Motherhood: 12 key powers of peace, purpose, order and joy and was compiled by the women at The Power of Moms.  I’ve been to one of their motherhood retreats and learned so much.  I knew I would really enjoy this book.  Motherhood is such a journey of highs and lows and this book is full of wonderful stories and uplifting ideas from over 60 mothers.  I just received this book and have enjoyed reading it so much!  I started with the chapter written by my friend Sarah from Clover Lane and couldn’t put it down!  She is always so inspiring to me and so were all of the other mothers who’s chapters I’ve read so far.  I’m so excited to give one copy of this book away to one of you!  You can also check out 71Toes and MaisyMak (two other fun blogs) for another chance to win because they are also giving away one copy of this book.  SO fun.  :)  
OK – so if motherhood is my ultimate favorite topic a very close second would have to be organizing.  I know – this is not news to anyone reading.  :)  I’m so excited to give away three copies of this fabulous on-line book:
The Staying Organized Survival Guide.  You guys.  When Chloe wrote me and asked if I would do a giveaway for her book I told her that I needed to check it out first.  Obviously I’m pretty protective of my blog and only want to do giveaways for things I really stand behind.  (Which is why I politely turn down most of the giveaway offers I receive).  I was planning on just skimming this book to see if it would be a good fit for my blog and before I knew it, time had flown by and I had read the whole thing!  I loved it!  I felt myself nodding the whole way through and have blogged about a lot of the same things Chloe mentions in her book.  This book is great for someone who wants to be organized but doesn’t know how or where to start.  You will spend just 15 minutes a day for 30 days organizing your home and along the way you will learn strategies to help you get and stay organized.  What a great way to start out the month of January!  *You do need to have an Amazon account to get access to this book.  
I have truly enjoyed both of the books I mentioned above and think either one of them (or both!) would make a great Christmas gift for you or someone you know.  You can read more about Deliberate Motherhood here and you can read more about The Staying Organized Survival Guide here.  
If you would like to win one (or both) of these books, leave a comment below that includes your name and city.  Let me know which book you are interested in winning and I will pick some winners on Saturday.  YEA!  :)
I can’t believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  It crept up so quickly.  If you are planning on starting your Christmas shopping on black Friday good luck!  For those of you who are new to my blog (hello and welcome!), here are the links to some of our favorite toys and gift ideas if you need suggestions… 

I’ll be posting a few more fun gift ideas during the next month!
Happy shopping, good luck with the book giveaways, and have a fabulous Thanksgiving everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
11.21.12

A Thanksgiving Performance

Hello friends!  Slow week on the blog.  Like so many of you we are preparing for Thanksgiving and spending time with family.  Plus I got a nasty cold last weekend that has forced me to actually go to bed at night instead of staying up until 2 a.m. blogging.  My late night blogging habit and lack of sleep in general is probably the reason for my nasty cold.  Not that it’s going to stop me from blogging.  Merely a minor set back.  :)  But I need to get feeling better by Thursday!  I can’t be sick on Thanksgiving!  This time of year is the best.  My mom and I are laying the bread out to dry tonight so that we can make my grandma’s stuffing.  My mom always assigns me simple tasks to help with Thanksgiving dinner – break the bread, peel the potatoes, set the table, come up with a craft to keep the kids entertained…  she clearly knows my limits in the kitchen.  :)  My family was all joking tonight that next year we are having Thanksgiving at the new house and breaking in my new kitchen.  I said “NOOOOO!  I would love to have you all come and we can ohh and ahh at the new appliances, but we can’t actually use them!  We will call Claim Jumper and I’ll treat everyone to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner – Erin style.”   ;)

 Last week my toothless pilgrim put on quite a show for our school’s annual 1st grade Thanksgiving performance.  Ad was one of the few kids who had a speaking part and we practiced religiously all week to get it right.  She ended the show with “We hope you all have a groovy Thanksgiving!”  She was brilliant and will no doubt be making her debut in Hollywood or on Broadway.  It’s really just a matter of time.

I went to her classroom after and the two of us enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast together.  

Then we watched a slide show where the kids had all drawn a picture on the computer and shared what they are thankful for this year.  Addie’s was so precious.  Clearly she has mad artistic skills as well because our family has never looked better.  I especially love Kenny’s pink pants.  Super hot.

Watching the slide show reminded me of just two years ago when I was at Ellie’s 1st grade performance.  It also reminded me of what she was thankful for:

I accepted my “mother of the year” award shortly after her picture debut.    
Pilgrim #1 with mom two years ago.  
I can’t believe how fast my kids are growing up on me.  Ellie’s 1st grade performance feels like last week.  
 These two were so little two years ago.  Just look at all of those chubby cheeks!

Addison and her darling teacher who we both love.  She and I have become instant friends and Addison adores her.  We are so grateful for both of my girls’ teachers this year.  Good teachers make a world of difference.

Addison was anxious to change out of her pilgrim hat and put her headband back on.  She was supposed to wear all black to the performance but really wanted to wear her silver sparkle skirt.  I tried to convince her to wear black pants and to lose the big flower headband but she wasn’t having it.
I said –

“Ad – I don’t think pilgrims wore stuff like that and you are supposed to look like a pilgrim.”  

“Mom – the only reason they didn’t is because they didn’t have a choice.  If pilgrims had a silver sparkle skirt they would have chosen it over black pants too.”  

How am I supposed to argue with that logic?  So I didn’t.  I replied “sliver sparkle skirt it is!”  And she was one stylish little pilgrim.

I took countless pictures of her so that I wouldn’t forget our fun morning together.

 Until I started getting poses like this.  
That’s when I know picture taking time is over.  :)

And now we are ready for the big day!  Our house is decked in Thanksgiving decor (along with the beginnings of my Christmas decor) which makes it official.  Time to bring on the turkey!  We have so much to be grateful for this year.

If you are traveling, be safe.  I’ll be popping in tomorrow with a fun giveaway, but until then happy Thanksgiving week everyone!  

xoxo, Erin
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Kole
11.16.12

Catch up day

Happy Friday everyone!  Kole and I are enjoying a nice morning at home.  A bit of a catch up day for me that I’m so grateful for.  Which basically means that I will be doing lots of cleaning and laundry and organizing while Kole does lots of…
 piling and stacking 

and climbing.  :)

I pinned this beautiful picture last night because I love the look of every day dishes organized on open shelving.  I’d love to do this in my new kitchen, but then I start to think about my everyday dishes.  I just don’t know that the blue and green sippy cups would have the same affect?

:)
Have a great weekend everyone! 
xoxo, Erin
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