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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof
02.28.12

Salad in a Tortilla

Mondays are always busy, aren’t they?  Each year when I’m figuring out extra curricular activities for my girls I make sure to NOT schedule anything on Mondays.  I usually spend the entire day catching up from the weekend – cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and food prep.  Now you all know I’m not much of a chef, but I do like to have healthy snacks washed and cut and ready to go in my fridge (and not so healthy snacks organized and ready to go in my pantry – ha!).  ;)  Most Mondays after a trip to the grocery store I wash all of the produce, cut everything up and place it in clear containers.  Most Mondays I also put together this:

I wash the lettuce and put it in my lettuce crisper so it’s ready to go for salads and sandwiches throughout the week.  Then I cut up vegetables.  Usually carrots, celery, cucumbers and whatever else I have on hand.  I put the veggies in a plastic container so they are ready to go for the week. The salad dressing I make is a recipe from my ultra healthy friend Koni. (I’ve shared this recipe before.)  Supposedly it’s the “good kind of fat.”  Bonus.  All I know is that it makes the vegetables taste really good.  

Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (I hear this combo and start thinking of Macaroni Grill and their bread and my mouth starts watering!)
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
2 minced garlic bulbs
Shake well and keep in cupboard (don’t refrigerate!)

Because of a little prep work on Monday, it’s easy to whip up a quick, healthy lunch or snack.  Now I have veggies washed and ready to go to give to my kids after school (usually with something like crackers and cheese) and for me, I pile everything on a whole wheat tortilla.   I always add my oven roasted almond slices (love them) and then the dressing.  It’s seriously so good.  And if I eat a healthy breakfast and this for lunch, I feel like I don’t have to be as strict with dinner.  Although sometimes I try to pass this salad tortilla off as dinner when I’m not in the mood to cook.  Which is most nights.  It never flies.  Kenny calls it “rabbit food” and just makes himself a bowl of cereal.  So I go back to just eating it for lunch.  But it sure makes a good lunch!  Or snack.  So that is why I’m sharing it with all of you.

Enjoy my fellow rabbits!  And have a nice day.  :)  


xoxo, Erin
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Ramblings
02.27.12

Random Monday

So last week was a little slow here on the blog.  We were on the go…
Literally.  :)

My kids were out of school all week – “ski week” we call it around here because most people travel somewhere cold to get their snow fix.  We spent the week at my mom’s – our little retreat and home away from home.  It was a fun getaway.  And now I’m back!  And ready to finish the 15 projects I left behind.

But for now, I’m sharing a few random pictures from before our trip because well – I’m feeling a bit random tonight.  So random pics it is!  

 Cleaned out the garage last week.  (Some of my tips for garage organization are here and here.)  Always feels nice to pull up to a clean garage.  I usually straighten mine up once a month while the kids are playing in the front yard.  It’s crazy how quickly it can turn into madness if I don’t.

I love this time of year!  Everything is growing like crazy including our bougainvillea vine…
and our lemon tree.  
 Lemons just in time for a little Spring Decor!   Lemonade anyone? 

Speaking of Spring, we’ve had some fun rainy days this past month.  This is my little miss on our way to ballet.  I love her cute smile in this rain gear so much.  I’m tempted to scrap this picture —
but it might look a bit too much like this page.  And of course then I’d actually have to blow the dust off of my scrapbooking supplies.  Hoping this is the week and dust will fly!  
Kole up to his usual tricks.  

Climbing, climbing and a little more climbing.  
And the girls up to their usual tricks.  This little teddy bear travels in style!

Bought another white pitcher.  
I’m starting to think it has become a bit of an addiction and something might be wrong with me.  
I also bought some new black boots.  In December.  They were a Christmas present to me from me.   
They are comfy and fun and look good with so many things.
But the only picture I have of me in them is this one.  Black boots with a black top.  
How incredibly original of me.  
Looks like Kole’s done eating.
I found this sweet note from my Ellie in the kitchen a few weeks ago.  
The best.  Noting beats a note like this one.  

Kenny also received a note from Ellie.  She left this for him one morning while he was packing to head out of town.  He has been traveling a lot lately for work and clearly Ellie isn’t feeling it.  Quite frankly I’m not feeling it either.  And that is final.  :)

Kole and I doing laundry.  I say “laundry time” and Kole books it to the hallway.  I toss the warm clothes from the dryer on him (a fun game I used to play with the girls when they were toddlers).  Then Kole pulls every clothing item I try to fold out of my arms and laughs hysterically.  I get nothing done and after 20 minutes of this little game I finally haul the clothes up on my bed so that I can actually fold them.  Good times.  :)  
How was that for random!?  Happy Monday everyone!
p.s.  Just found out that someone nominated me for Apartment Therapy’s “Best Family Blog.”  So thank you to whoever nominated me!  So incredibly kind.  You can vote for my blog (or someone else’s for that matter!) here.   Thanks for your support!  Over and out.  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie
02.22.12

Photography – lesson learned

I’ve learned a lot about photography in the last few years.  Well.  Not a lot meaning I’m a great photographer (hardly!), but a lot meaning I’ve learned so much more than I knew before I started using my first SLR.  I love taking pictures and playing around with my camera and I enjoy trying out different settings, different lenses, and different lighting to achieve the look I want for certain pictures.  A lot of the time when I’m taking pictures of my house or projects for the blog I pay close attention to lighting, aperture, ISO, shutter speed, backgrounds, etc.  I take my time.  And I don’t use the flash because heaven forbid – I’ve read enough camera tips to know that if I did the walls would come caving in around me and life as I know it would never be the same!  ;)  

Taking pictures of my kids is a different story.  
Sometimes I see something ordinary that happens often in our day to day life that I want to capture and remember.  Like the other day when I glanced out the back door and saw Ellie flinging Kole around like a rag doll.  My usual response is “ELLIE PUT HIM DOWN I CANNOT DEAL WITH A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM TONIGHT!”  But Kole was laughing hysterically – I mean really laughing – so I grabbed my camera instead.  

I didn’t worry about lighting.  I didn’t worry about aperture, I didn’t worry about backgrounds and shutter speeds and ISO.  And this one time, I didn’t worry about the possibility of an emergency room trip.

 I just snapped pictures not really worrying about anything at all.  
The lighting isn’t great and the pictures are blurry (I was really laughing too).  

And they are some of my favorite pictures to date.  
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned about photography over the years is that while the technical camera stuff is cool to learn, it really doesn’t matter much.  Capturing a moment like this one that I will now have to cherish and remember forever outweighs a “perfectly planned” picture any day.  
Even if the moment captured was taken with the flash.  
(which these pictures weren’t because my walls are intact and I’m still here)  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.21.12

Organized Laundry Room Cupboards

So I mentioned a while back that I tore apart my closet and by doing so a minor project turned into a major project.  My closet was a catch all for extra home decor and since I wanted a lot of that stuff out (to actually restore order for my clothes) I needed a place to put it all.  In an ideal situation I’d have one closet or room or area that could house all of my extra decor, but in our current house I just don’t have a place big enough for it all.  I’m sure Kenny would say that isn’t the problem.  He might be inclined to chime in right about now and say that the problem is that I buy too much home decor.  But he would be wrong.  The issue is clearly that I don’t have a place big enough to store it.  :)  So I’ve chosen a few locations around my house to be a home for my home decor.  Several of these spots I’ve shared before (Christmas decor in my trunks, Fall/Valentine decor in my hutch) but most of it was residing in my closet.  The cupboards above my washer/dryer were such a mess – I don’t think I’ve ever organized them.  I’m rarely in them and just never made them a priority.  I knew if I straightened things around I could come up with some more space for decor.  Plus these cupboards were on my “to organize” list for 2012 so the time had come for a mini makeover in the laundry room!    
{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Ahhh… much better.  And they are holding so much more now!  The left side (seen above) is for random extras – humidifier, baby monitors, light bulbs, envelopes and candles.  The right side holds extra home decor, sewing supplies, and cleaning supplies.

Now you all know I don’t sew.  Sewing is about on the same playing field as cooking for me which is why most of the time I head to the tailor and spend more to get a shirt mended than I did to buy it in the first place.  My grandma was an amazing sewer/quilter and every time I do this I feel her disapproving eyes looking down at me down from heaven saying “seriously Erin?”  They are the same eyes I used to see whenever I ate too much candy out of her candy dish or fought with my cousins even though I was the oldest and was supposed to be “the one setting the example.”  I never liked those disapproving eyes.  But I sure love my grandma.  So for her sake I do own a few simple sewing supplies.  I keep thread and other odds and ends in small containers from Target.  Extra buttons that come with clothes fit nicely in mini draw string pouches.

I organize my glue guns/sticks the same way. 
And I just bought this cute little green basket (also from Target) 
to hold extra laundry items.  I also have a little brown basket I use for dryer sheets.
My laundry soap is in a big box that I keep out on the top of my dryer for easy access.  
So there you go!  These cupboards only took me 20 minutes to straighten and now not only are they holding more supplies, but they make me smile every time I open them to do some laundry.  Or to change up my decor.  Which in my house happens about as often as the laundry does.  :)  

I’m happy about this mini makeover!  And I think my grandma would be too.  Right up until I head to the tailors to get a button sewn on.  Kidding.  
Sort of.  
:)
Enjoy your day!  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
02.17.12

A mom moment

Last Friday I experienced a “mom moment.”  You know those moments you have as a mother every once in a while when you are suddenly overwhelmed with the love you feel for your children.  When you realize in an instant how much they mean to you.  For me, moments like this seem to happen at the most random times.  I was at the girls’ Elementary school.  The school was having its annual Jog-a-Thon (kids all jog laps around the field and the parents donate money to the school for each lap their child runs).  I had volunteered to bring orange slices for the runners and had planned on just dropping off the oranges and leaving.  I knew I wouldn’t be much help with my little shadow to chase after and I had errands to run and a long list of things I needed to get done before Addie came home from Kindergarten at noon.  But it was such a beautiful morning.  Blue skies, sunshine, and there was a smell of spring in the air.  Birds were chirping and I found myself pushing Kole’s stroller onto the field thinking that maybe I’d just stay for a minute.  Just long enough to see my girls run a lap or two.  

Kole was of course busting out of his stroller within minutes so I did my usual trick to hold him off a little longer…

I gave him a peeled apple.  

It takes him a good five minutes to eat the whole thing and a peeled apple has saved me literally hundreds of times when five more minutes was all I needed.  Five more minutes in the grocery store, five more minutes in the car, five more minutes to keep him quiet in church.  And this morning – five more minutes so I could watch for my girls.

There were so many kids out on the field.  I didn’t know if I’d be able to spot them so I started looking for their teachers/classmates.  I noticed that the kids started off with their class but when Addie’s Kindergarten class came around I didn’t see her.  I looked and looked and then suddenly there they were.  Running around the corner.  Both of my girls – holding hands.  I saw them together and it took my breath away.  They were laughing and talking and with a group of Ellie’s friends.  They were excited to see me and both waved.

I snapped this picture of them running away and soon after realized I had tears streaming down my cheeks.  I quickly wiped them away – grateful I had on sunglasses.  But I couldn’t help crying.  I kept thinking over and over they found each other.  In all of those kids, they found each other.  
They ran/walked 14 laps and never let go of each other’s hand.  I stayed the whole morning.  Figured the “to-do’s” could wait.  I cheered my girls on and when the jog-a-thon was over I told them how proud I was of them and how happy they made me.  I knew that they would go about their day and not think much about the morning they spent together running and holding hands.  I knew it was a morning I’d never forget.  

I was in such a good mood I didn’t even mind staying after a bit to let Kole have his day in the sun.  A big open field – Christmas morning for my little boy.

This past week has been a typical one.  Full of carpools and doctor appointments and homework and cleaning and activities and meal time and bath time and story time and all of the times in between.  The days have been the same but I have been different.  This past week when I felt tired or overwhelmed I pictured my girls running in the sun together holding hands.

And remembered that it’s all worth it.  And how blessed I truly am.  

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.16.12

Cords and Cards

Sharing how I organize cords and cards today!  I’ve shared these pictures before, but several people have asked how I organize these items so here they are again.  You can never have enough cords and cards.  That’s my motto.  Actually, that’s not my motto, but it sounded cool so I went with it.  
This kitchen drawer is kind of our catch all for random things.  Cords/chargers that we use every day are in a simple organizer from Target.  Then I found this little black beauty…
(also from Target)

It sits in my “catch all” drawer too.  It doesn’t hold our every day cords because I didn’t want to have to zip and unzip it every day, but it’s a great solution for those cords you just need once in a while.  
My yellow living room hutch is another place I store cords.  One drawer is our battery/flashlight drawer and where I also store certain cords Kenny wants separated from the others – for what I don’t know – if it were up to me half of these cords would be in the trash.  

I also have a bin full of larger cords in the bottom of my hutch.  Right next to the remotes we never use since we have everything programed into one remote.  Again, we are hanging on to these cords and remotes why Kenny?  :)

At least they’re all in one place.  If you can’t beat em’ organize em’.
Now that’s my real motto!

The other side of my hutch is where I store my cards. 
 I don’t keep all of the cards I get (I would need another hutch!) but the cards that are really special I keep tucked away in a red box labeled “Erin’s cards.”  I know.  My creativity with that title is killing you right now.  Kenny also has one and it’s labeled…wait…you’ll never guess…”Kenny’s cards.”  (How do I do it, right!?)   His is full of cards that I think should be special to him.  Like all of his cards from me.  ;)  

We aslo each have our own box to fill with keepsakes from the kids.  

All of our keepsake cards have a happy home.  
Christmas cards are a different story.  I select a small handful of cards (I try to choose different families each year) and then cut the pictures out of the cards and complete a layout for our Christmas album.  Every layout looks the same.  Nothing fancy, just the pictures in a collage on red paper.  
Here are the full posts if you want more info. on my hutch organization or how I save our Christmas cards:   
Hope that helps those of you who are looking to tackle cords and cards soon!  
Week is winding down!  I’m so excited for tomorrow morning because I have no where I have to be until noon.  First time that has happened for a couple of weeks and Kole and I are going to take full advantage.  I’m thinking pajamas until 11.  A little cleaning, laundry, organizing, and Yo Gabba Gabba.  DJ Lance and I love a good cleaning party.  Exciting stuff in our neck of the woods.  :)  
Enjoy your day!  

xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
02.14.12

To my babe on V Day

Hi babe.  Lately we have been all about the kids.  Because well.  The kids are kinda time consuming.  So I wanted to shout it to the world!  Ok not maybe not to the world – but at least to the people reading this blog how much I REALLY like you.  
Ok.  I REALLY love you too. 
In fact, I love you more than… 

So now you know just how LOVED you truly are.  :)

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

In the mood for more LOVE-Y posts?   
Marriage (advice/tips from married women and our first fight)
Thick Love (last year’s Valentines post and one of my favorites)
Happy Valentines Day to everyone reading!  
I hope you have a great day surrounded by those you love.
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
02.13.12

Fashion Friday… on a Monday

{ODE TO FOREVER 21}
Ok.  You all know that I buy a lot of my tops from Forever 21.  I get a lot of questions about how the clothes hold up because…well…they’re cheap AND how I wash them so they don’t fall apart because…well…they’re cheap.  So here’s my experience with Forever 21 clothes (which I’ve been buying forever…since I was 21.  No.  Not tired of that one yet.)  I don’t do anything too special with my clothes.  I toss them in the washer with the kids’ stuff on a regular cycle with regular old Tide.  I don’t dry them in the dryer.  I have a small clothes rack in my laundry room that I hang my tops on to dry.  That’s it.  That’s all I do.  And yes.  Sometimes I find a small hole in my shirt or a button missing, but they are always easy, minor things to fix/disguise.  There has been a time or two that I have taken a Forever 21 shirt into the Tailors to mend and I’ve paid more for the mending than I did for the shirt!  And I’m ok with that.  I shop at Forever 21 for a reason.  
Over the years I’ve developed a bit of a “clothes philosophy”.  I believe in spending good money on my jeans and my shoes.  Jeans because there is nothing like a good pair of jeans that really fit the way they are supposed to.  They make me feel better about myself (by tightening things that should be tighter!) and because I stay home with my kids, I’m in jeans 90% of the time.  I keep a good pair of jeans for years so they are absolutely worth spending a some money on.  I also spend good money on my shoes because like jeans, I’ll keep a good pair of shoes/boots for years and I want them to be comfortable (especially since I prefer a bit of a heel).  Jeans and shoes are neutral staples.  Now tops are a totally different story.  Shirts, sweaters, blouses – I get tired of them quickly.  Styles change and each season it’s fun to buy new things to wear.  Some of my Forever 21 tops have held up ok and I’ve had them for years, but most of them I buy and wear for a season or two and then send them to Goodwill – with no regrets since I didn’t spend much on them.  I’ve found that shirts I’ve spent more on from stores like Nordstroms, Banana Republic, and Anthropology still end up not looking as good after multiple washes and have faded or torn or lost a button.  I get rid of a lot of those after a season or two also.  It happens to all clothes.  Once in a while if I see a top I just can’t live without,  I’ll splurge on it.  But most of the time, I head to Forever 21.  Spend 50 bucks and come home with four cute new tops to wear!  Love it.  
And speaking of cute new Forever 21 tops, how adorable is my sister-in-law in this orange blouse?   

(Please ignore the poor lighting and the dirty dishes!  Of course now you won’t ignore them because I pointed them out to you.  But I still feel the need to point them out to you.  Why is that?)  
  
When my family came to visit for Ellie’s baptism we hit the mall.  I sent Dayna straight to Forever 21 because they have fun stuff right now for Spring.  She bought this blouse and wore it that night to Ellie’s baptism.  I was so in love with this top on her!  And those shoes!!  How perfect are they with that orange blouse!?  Shoes are from Target.  (Target – allow me to express my love for you once again.)   Of course they aren’t “wear all day chasing kids shoes.”  They’re “wear to a one hour baptism where you will be sitting most of the time” shoes.  But man they sure look good.  Of course it also helps when you are tall and tan and drop dead gorgeous like my sister in law is.  She would look good in a tent.  I tell her all the time it’s a good thing she’s so nice because she would be very easy to hate.  ;)  

A better look at the blouse and it’s true color.  

Here’s another one of my new finds from Forever 21 that I am LOVING lately.  I can’t pull off orange with my hair and coloring like Dayna can, but I love to wear yellow.  This shirt screams SPRING!  HAPPINESS!  SUNSHINE!   I walked in the store a couple of weeks ago and Kole was DONE being at the mall.  I knew I only had minutes left so I thought I’d just do a quick loop through the store and see if anything stood out to me.  And there it was.  This top hanging on a rack.  I moved to it quickly thinking “please have my size…please have my size…please have my size.”  They did.  Then I tried it on quickly thinking “please fit the way I want…please fit the way I want…please fit the way I want.”  It did.  And so I bought it.  And the two of us have been living happily ever after ever since.

 It’s casual and comfy and looks great just plain.  

I also like it with this fun new Forever 21 belt.  (Six bucks for the belt!). 

My cute dad approves.  He thinks Forever 21 is all the rage.  And you can tell by his NCIS shirt that he is a fashion maniac.  ;)  Love you dad.  
Happy Monday everyone!

**Linking up @ The Pleated Poppy

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.09.12

Jewelry Organization (fun ideas!)

Answering a reader’s question today.  Some of you asked me questions back in NOVEMBER that I STILL haven’t answered yet.  I am so LAME.  Is writing in all caps making that clear?  How LAME I am!!  Anyway – so sorry.  I try to answer most questions in the comments, but if it is a question that requires a little more writing/pictures I save it for a blog post.  I have a handy little e-mail folder marked “blog questions to post” where I save all of your questions.  The problem is that they get filed away in my handy little e-mail folder all nice and organized and then I NEVER ANSWER THEM!  I’m going to try to answer a few of them here and there.  If you still even care to know the answer to your question!  (SO LAME!)  **Side note – lame is kind of a weird word, isn’t it?

Moving on.  

Jennie said:  “I love all your organization and I was wondering how you organize jewelry?  I have lots of long necklaces and jewelry – any ideas?”

I’ve shared the way I organize my jewelry before although it’s not a great solution if you have a lot of jewelry to organize.

To be honest I’m not much of a jewelry person.  I wear my wedding ring and usually earrings and once in a while I’ll toss on a necklace,  but that’s it.  This little jewelry box from Target has worked well for me so far.  I don’t keep anything I don’t wear so it stays nice and tidy.  
I hang my necklaces on some little butterfly hooks in my room (bought this at Marshall’s about five years ago for 6 bucks – don’t ask me how I still remember the price but I do!).  
I have more necklaces than I did when this picture was taken (these pictures are over a year old) but they all still fit on the butterfly hooks!  This works for now, but I’m planning to re-do my jewelry organization (and my whole bedroom for that matter!) in our next house.  So of course I’ve been looking for some other fun jewelry solutions.  Here are a few ideas I’ve saved on Pinterest.  (Hand over your heart for the mention of that beloved site).  
Source: norskeinteriorblogger.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

This is so pretty and simple.  All you need is an old frame, some spray paint, and fabric/cork.  A fun DIY project!

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

 So creative!  Love this!  And you can buy unique 3-tiered stands like this all over the place.
  

Source: etsy.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

I love this idea too!  Buy some fun knobs from Anthro (or anywhere else) and create a beautiful necklace display.  I love to use necklaces to double as decor for your room. 

Or you could just add hooks to cutlery trays for necklaces!  So clever!

I don’t think using small bowls for jewelry is the best solution as far as making the most of your space, but if you have the room I love the look!  Such a pretty way to display your jewelry.

Add hooks to a wooden hanger to hold earrings.

And one of my favorites.  Bracelets on glass bottles.  The box is fun, but this would be so pretty just sitting on a dresser too.  So many clever ways to organize and display jewelry!  Nothing lame about them.  ;)

(Hope that helps Jennie!)

Happy Thursday everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie
02.08.12

A special weekend

Hi friends!  Took a little va-cay from the computer while we had family in town.  This past weekend was a really special one for our family.  Saturday Ellie was baptized and became a member of our church.  

My mom bought her this beautiful white dress to wear for the occasion.  
Ellie felt like quite the little princess in her new dress with everyone doting on her all weekend long (as you can see from the posing in the pictures!).  It was such a treat to have both grandmas and grandpas here AND my brother Austin and his cute wife Dayna.  We had a full house and I loved it!

Of course, if Ellie was getting a picture taken with grandma and grandpa then so was Addison.  :)

The whole crew on our way to the church.  It was such a special program – just Ellie and one other boy got baptized so it felt very cozy and personal.  When I got up to do a little spotlight on Ellie I was incredibly touched to see how many of our friends showed up to support us.  It was a special night for my sweet eight year old and one we will never forget.

The rest of the weekend was THE BEST.  Lots of hanging out and relaxing at the house.  Happy to all be together.

Other events included:
A little ball in the backyard.  With quite the audience.  :)  
A superbowl party.
A little shopping.
Late night chatting.
A little cooking. 
A lot of eating.  (Too much eating!)
And a whole lot of help with the kids.  
One afternoon my dad was outside playing with Kole, my mom was making dinner, and Kenny’s mom was reading stories to my girls.  Now THAT is what I’m talking about!  I just wandered around not really knowing what to do with myself!  It was wonderful.  I loved having my house full of family and I was so grateful for the help.  And now they are all gone.  My parents stayed through today and it was hard to say goodbye.  Reality set in all too quickly!  And tonight around 6:00 when everyone was hungry and tired and I was juggling the usual homework/dinner/baths/cleaning ritual on my own I closed my eyes and remembered my happy afternoon.  When there were more adults than children and everything ran so smoothly.  :)   (I miss you all!  Come back!!)
It was such a treat to have everyone here.  
A perfect weekend and I am so proud of this sweet girl.

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.03.12

Fashion Friday…kinda..sorta..ok not really

Happy Friday everyone!  Had some fun in Forever 21 the other day.  Oh my goodness.  They have SO many cute things in right now!  Spring colors are showing up.  This is my favorite time of year to shop for clothes!  Well.  Other than in the Fall.  And summer stuff is pretty fun too.  And I am loving winter boots and scarves this year.  Guess every time of year is my favorite time of year to shop for clothes.  Go figure.  :)

I bought this simple, classic V-neck sweater.  Love the little buttons on the sleeves.  It came in lots of colors – I was loving this soft blue.  I can’t remember exactly what I paid but I know it was under 15 bucks.  Forever 21 baby!  Love it.  I found some other cute stuff that I’m excited to share but I don’t have time to go through pics tonight.  We have a lot of family coming into town this weekend (I’m so excited!) and to say I have a lot to get done before they get here would be an understatement.  Here’s a peek at the current state of my bedroom: 

and my bathroom…

Ha!  Am I ready for company or what!?  :)  I tore into my closet last week and haven’t had two seconds to finish my little project.  Because my little project turned into a not-so-little project.  But have no fear!

I am armed and ready to tackle my messy situation!  I just need to find some time to do it. Hopefully before noon tomorrow.  It’s all good.  I work best under pressure.  :)

And just in case I need a little inspiration, I picked up this beauty at the grocery store the other day…

Have you all seen this issue!?  Looks so good.  I picked it up and thought 10 bucks!?  I’m not paying 10 bucks for a magazine.  Then I flipped through the pages.  And music started playing and the heavens opened.  And I found myself thinking 10 bucks!  Really!?  That’s it!?  For this work of art!?  Sold. 

What will my kids do while I bustle around getting the house ready for our guests?

They always seem to come up with something.  :)  
Happy weekend everyone! 

xoxo, Erin
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Addison
02.02.12

A Valentines Box

Last weekend Ellie had a friend’s birthday party to attend.  That’s always hard around our house.  My girls are glued at the hip so when one of them is invited to a party and the other one isn’t, I usually have one pretty bummed out daughter.  So to cheer Miss Addison up, I told her that we would have a special party.  Just the two of us.  A party to make her Valentine box for school.  Addison decided we would wear our house shoes and call it our “Valentine box house shoe decorating party.”  So last Saturday afternoon Kenny took El to the birthday party.  Kole took a nap.  And Addie and I took up some serious Valentine box decorating.  In our house shoes of course.

This child of mine is so different from her sister.  I remember helping Ellie with her Valentine box for Kindergarten.  Ellie was so happy to have my help.  She would have let me do the whole thing if I would have wanted to.  Not Addison.  This girl wants NO help.  She wants to do everything herself.  She always has.  She has a pretty hard working, determined, stubborn little spirit.  That sometimes drives me straight up a wall.  And other times I love and admire like crazy.

Ta da!  Her Valentine box in all its glory.  And don’t forget to notice the house shoes.  You can’t have a “Valentine box house shoe decorating party” without the house shoes.  

  I was allowed to help cover the box in paper and to make the little hearts on the side, but that was it!  Bummer for me.  I love this kind of thing.  I should have made my own box just for fun. 

Aren’t these little elephants on the side adorable!?  Target!  A pack of them for $5.00!  And easy for Addison to put together.  Love it! 

I love them a ton.  :)  

Elephants on two sides and stickers on the other two sides, exactly the way my girl wanted it.  

I also picked up these adorable matching sacks for my girls to carry their Valentines in.  Target!  $2.00 each!  Love them.  And I love Target.  A fact that’s worth repeating.

Here is the fun little friend I made for Ellie’s box two years ago.  SO easy to make.  

And so fun that Ellie let her mom participate!  Although I have to say that when it comes to regular homework – math, reading, spelling – I’m starting to appreciate Addie’s “do it myself” personality more and more.  
I know it’s a bit early to be turning in Valentine boxes at school, but in Kindergarten at our school they do the cutest mail unit.  They turn in their boxes and cards early and learn all about sorting and delivering the mail.  Addison has the same teacher Ellie did and it has been so fun re-living everything again this year.  
When Ellie was in Kindergarten my dad made this fun mail truck for the class to deliver their mail in and Addison can’t wait to use it!  I know.  Coolest grandpa ever, right?  We think so.  :)
Happy Valentine box making everyone!  Wear your house shoes if you work on one with your kids this year.  It just seemed to make something good even better. 
xoxo, Erin
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