Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Blogging

01.11.12

Stop! I’m blushing!

Just popping in quick today to share some fun news! Better Homes and Gardens featured my Valentines mantel on their website! So exciting! When I got the e-mail a few months ago asking if they could feature my mantel I think my jaw hit the table. I clicked the Better Homes and Gardens link about five times to make sure it was really them! (Move over Martha!)

You can check out the feature and see other fun Valentine mantels here.

The link to my full post on my Valentine mantel from last year is here.

Although I’m working on mixing it up a bit this year. :)

I’ve also been noticing a lot of traffic coming to my little blog from Pinterest. Yes. Pinterest. That beloved site that has changed all of our lives. Mostly by zapping away all of our time. ;) Yesterday I landed on the link to all of the pictures people have recently pinned from my site. Now THAT was fun. I’m thrilled and flattered that so many of you are pinning my ideas. It truly makes me so happy! In fact I was so excited about it that last night I did a little celebration dance in the living room. (I know – you’re all so sad you missed that one.) I said to Kenny “I’m getting pinned!!” He gave me that look. The one I so often get that says I have no idea what you’re talking about but I’m not about to ask because I don’t think I really want to know. I know his looks well.

If you’re a Pinterest fan like myself, you can see what has recently been pinned from

Sunny Side Up here.

Ok. All of this excitement has worn me out. I’m off to bed.

Thanks for the happy dance.

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

01.10.12

Organization: Current List/Stuffed Animals

First step to getting organized: make a list. Here is my current “spaces/items to organize” list:

-scrap space (clear room for project life!)

-kole’s drawers/closet (go through clothes)

-girls’ book shelf

-addie’s closet/drawers

-ellie’s drawers (go through clothes)

-laundry room cupboards

-kids’ bath toys

-girls’ toy kitchen (scary stuff hiding in that microwave!)

-my bedroom hutch

-my dresser

-my closet (go through clothes)

-my bathroom drawers/cupboards

-nightstand drawers

-closet under stairs

-stuffed animals

I just walked through my house and wrote down every space that could use a little “sprucing up.” Some of these areas have already been organized and just need a touch up. Some of them (hello my mess of a closet) need a major overhaul. Having a list makes it feel manageable. Now I can just work on spaces whenever I have a minute and happily check off my list.

A few posts back one of my cute Virginia friends (hi Lucy!) asked me what I do with my stuffed animals. She was wondering how to organize them since her daughter loves them all. Well – it was perfect timing because that very day I had come up with what to do with our crazy amount of stuffed animals. And I have the SAME problem Lucy. After years of birthday parties and holidays and trips and surprises for good behavior and grandparent visits and weak moments in Target – we now have a crazy amount of stuffed animals and dolls. My girls truly CHERISH each and every one of them. They also truly play with and take care of each and every one of them.

I used to keep stuffed animals in these baskets in the playroom.

But lately they have been filled with my little man’s treasures. And truth be told, our crazy amount of stuffed animals/dolls weren’t fitting well in this spot anyway.

So one afternoon the girls and I went in every room and rounded them all up. I boxed up and stored all of the Christmas stuffed animals with our Christmas decor in the garage because it’s more fun if those toys are only pulled out in December. The girls were so stressed about the rest of their “friends.” (They know all too well what happens when mom starts making piles.) I promised that I wasn’t getting rid of anything and explained to them that we just don’t have the space to have all of these “friends”out right now. I had them choose a handful to keep out to play and sleep with and I assured them that the rest of them would be close by.

A while ago I got the comforter on my bed dry cleaned and when I picked it up it was in this fabulous heavy duty clear sack. I knew I could find a way to use that sack so I hung onto it. As soon as I saw the crazy amount of stuffed animals/dolls I needed to store, I knew just what would hold them! Problem was that I only had one and that baby filled up fast! So I went back to the dry cleaners.

And I asked them for two more sacks. Kenny should be thrilled. I didn’t spend a dime. (Did you read that babe!? I didn’t spend a dime!!) That’s a first for me. :) I’ll tell you why this was the perfect solution (aside from the fact that it was a free solution). I needed something that wouldn’t break/tear easily. I also needed something see through because now when my girls want to locate a certain “friend” it will be easy to find instead of using black garbage bags that we would be dumping out all over the floor every other week.

They also have this really great handle so they are easy to move around.

Another spot that has been organized before and just needed some “sprucing up” was the closet under my stairs. This spot always becomes my catch all for any and everything when I get busy. And December was insanely busy. Just 20 minutes and this closet went from the picture above…

to this. I cleaned out all of the files so our paper organization hub is ready for 2012!

Then I cleaned out space in the back of our closet to make room for the stuffed animals.

Now they are still with us, but not all over my house. When the girls want to get out some new “friends,” they are easy to pull out and find. The rule is that if they are taking some out, they are putting some back in. Of course, if there are a few toys that never get pulled back out… well… let’s just say I don’t have the same problem my girls do “letting go.” I know this isn’t a perfect solution, but I think it will work great for us. (Hope that helps Lucy!)

So I’m feeling good! Two items checked off my list! That’s a good thing. Lots still left to organize.

But that’s a good thing too. :)

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

01.09.12

Getting and Staying Organized

So it’s January. When I was younger I didn’t love January. January meant that the holidays were over – and I do love the holidays. But as soon as I became a wife and a mom and started creating a home for my family, I grew to love January. January represents a fresh start. It’s a time for new goals. It’s a time to get your life in order. A time for getting and staying organized. :) It’s the one month of the year that people everywhere get the itch to do what I have the itch to do year round! So in honor of my new favorite month, I’m re-posting my tips for getting and staying organized. I’ll also be sharing lots of organizing inspiration throughout this beloved month. And of course – throughout the rest of the year as well. :) So read this post and then get off your computer and tackle an un-organized spot in your home. I just know you’ll be glad you did!

{Getting organized}
1) Don’t let organizing your home overwhelm you. The thought of organizing your whole house can be so overwhelming. Don’t let it be. Start small. Pick one drawer or area that’s really bothering you and start there. One way of tackling your house is to walk around and make a list. (I just love lists, don’t you?) Write down the spaces in each room that need to be organized and then pick one space/cupboard/drawer to work on whenever you have a minute. (I often organize while making phone calls.) Don’t start a new project until that space is finished. Just having a list will take some of the overwhelmed feeling away. Now your goals are written down and you have a place to start.

2) Use your space wisely. I store a lot of my holiday decor in high spots above closets because I only get them out once a year. On the other hand, my children’s most often used toys and games are stored low where it’s easy to get to them.

3) Give everything in your house a home. If you have created a specific place for everything in your home it’s much easier to put things away where they belong.

Once you’ve made a home for everything, labels are a great way to help you remember where things belong.

4) Organize things in a way that makes sense for your family and the way you live. For example, for a long time I had all of our baking supplies (flour, sugar, etc.) on the main shelf in my pantry. I also had a whole shelf dedicated to cook books. Cook books that had a layer of dust on them. I’ll be honest, I don’t love to cook and with my kids around, we are reaching for the crackers and pasta more than anything else in our pantry. It makes sense for us to have those items on the easy to reach middle shelf in the pantry and the baking goods up higher for the rare occasion that I actually use them. (I tossed out all my cook books except one or two that are stored in a drawer.) Someone who cooks and bakes a lot would organize their pantry another way. Websites and magazine articles are great places to get organization ideas, but don’t just copy what someone else is doing. Organize your home in a way that is functional for the way you live and it will be much easier to keep things organized.

5) The most important thing to remember when organizing: If you want to be organized, you have to be able to let things go. Get rid of it! Seriously. You’ve maybe heard “when in doubt, don’t.” Well my motto with organizing is “when in doubt…DO!” If you’re not sure about whether or not you can part with something, trust me, you can. You might think “what if I need this someday?” Chances are you won’t, but what if you did? Would it be so awful if you got some flowers and needed that vase you’d been storing for three years and then trashed? Could you put the flowers in something else you had on hand? What about your closet? Are you saving clothes for when you lose weight? If you lose weight you’re going to buy new jeans, not wear the ones you’ve been saving for four years since you had a baby. Get rid of it! When keeping things for “sentimental value,” be smart. Do you really need to save every drawing your kindergartner comes home with? Would one or two be enough to remind you of her year in school…or even better, a picture of several of her drawings for her scrapbook? Being able to let things go is so invigorating! It’s just stuff. And we’re always buying new stuff. Less really is more. Use the space in your house to keep only the things that you use or love.

{Staying organized}
1) Teach your family the importance of having a clean, organized home. If your family isn’t on board, forget about it! There is only one you and you will never be able to keep things organized on your own. Teach your kids how to put things away in the place you’ve created for them. My girls know that when it’s clean up time there is a select place for their barbies, books, dress-ups, etc. Time and time again I have gone over where we keep their things so that now it is second nature for them to put things where they belong. {Getting them to do this without being asked? Don’t have the answer for that one. :)} Assign clear responsibilities for keeping the house clean and give consequences when they’re not accomplished. (My girls’ toys get taken away if they aren’t put back where they belong.)

2) Take the initiative to put things away where they go and teach your family to do the same. Keeping something organized takes constant work and upkeep. Once you’ve organized and made a place for something, put things away in that place! How many time do we set something down and think, “I’ll just put this here for now.” Resist the urge! It usually takes only a few seconds longer to put something away it its place vs. just setting it somewhere it doesn’t belong. Not procrastinating and consistently putting things away where they belong will lead to a clean, organized home.

3) Take a minute to straighten up your organized space the second it starts looking messy. If you do this, you will avoid having to completely re-organize your home time and time again. My fridge, for the most part, stays clean and organized. That is because every time I buy groceries, I do a “mini cleaning”. I pull out things that are getting old, wipe off a shelf or two, put new groceries in their designated spot, etc. When Kenny comes in with the mail I immediately go through it, toss out the junk mail and file everything else – or I bug Kenny until he does it. (Being a great organizer sometimes means being a great nagger ;)

4) Think before you buy new things. When I’m about to make a new purchase, I always ask myself two questions: Do I have space for this? Is it something that I will really use or will it just be more clutter in a few weeks? Many times I have put something back after asking myself these two questions (especially when I’m about to buy the girls a new toy!). Thinking ahead about how you’ll organize new things you buy will not only help you keep your house clutter free, it will also help you make smart purchases.

5) Choose every day to stay organized. Keeping things organized is a daily choice we make. It’s just like choosing what to eat. If you want to be healthy, you have to change the way you eat. You have to consistently make healthy food choices. Just like you can’t participate in a one time diet and expect to always stay thin, you can’t organize a closet and then pat yourself on the back and expect it to magically stay that way. (I know this because I’ve tried!) You have to consistently put things away where they go and take that extra minute to keep everything organized.

When your house is full of clutter so is your brain. Simplifying your home will bring so much peace. Life will run more smoothly and you’ll have more time and energy to focus on what’s really important – your family – the very ones who make it so incredibly difficult to keep things organized! :)

Happy Organizing Everyone!

p.s. Want to see how I organize my home?
Click on the sun below for links to all of my organized spaces.

xoxo, Erin

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fashion2

01.06.12

Fashion Friday

Thanks so much for all of the Project Life feedback! I loved reading all of your comments and hearing the different ways you are making Project Life (or any other scrapbooking system) work for you. As soon as I figure out the direction I’m taking with Project Life you’ll all be the first to know! ;)

I’m so ready for the weekend. Was it just me or was it hard getting back into the swing of things after Christmas break?

(horrible lighting – on our way to a Christmas party last month)

I have to admit, I got pretty comfortable with lazy days in pajamas and no schedule. Plus I was kind of missing my girls this week. Usually we are all ready for school to start after a vacation but we had such a fun break together. I missed cuddling in bed with them in the morning. I missed hearing them playing with their dolls. I missed turning on Rudolph during lunch. And I really missed having them around to entertain Kole! In some ways it’s easier to have them all three home vs. just being home with my little boyfriend. Have I mentioned before that he keeps me hopping? Because I don’t think I’ve made that very clear. And I would hate for that little tidbit to be missing from our family history. KOLE IS CRAZY BUSY. There. Now it’s clear. :)

Couple things I’ve been wearing lately –

My favorite scarf! I know I’ve shown it before, but I’m showing it again. We are tight. Thick as thieves. I wore this and the grey scarf a lot in December. They just seem to go well with everything. Probably because I buy so many boring solid color tops, but now I know why I do. All of my life I’ve been preparing my wardrobe for these scarves!

Our climate hasn’t been as humid lately so I’ve been doing my hair straight for a change. Always nice to mix things up.

I think I’ve shared this top before too, but not with these fun earrings. Love these double oval hoops! They seem to add just a bit of sass to any outfit. And I like a little sass in my life.

I’ve also been wearing new shoes thanks to Santa! Actually these Ugg boots weren’t from Santa, they were from Kenny. Actually they weren’t from Kenny. Well, they were “technically” from Kenny but since I’m the one who bought them and wrapped them and put them under the tree I could probably say that they were a little Christmas gift to me from me. Kenny came home one night in December and I said “You bought me Uggs for Christmas and they’re already wrapped and under the tree. Thanks babe! They are just what I wanted and I love them SO much!!” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. He’s lucky to have me.

Now I can wear my heeled boots on date nights or to special events…

and my grey Uggs during cold days when I’m running around with the kids.

The only problem? We haven’t been having cold days. In fact, this week has been downright hot! Our temperatures usually stay around the low 70’s all year long along the coast, but this week we have almost hit 80 degrees every day! I know – I can’t complain, especially since most of you are freezing right now, but sometimes it just feels so weird! Beach weather in January!? We all love the sunny, warm weather here, but in January you kind of want it to be cold. At least a little. At least cool enough that you can wear the new Uggs you got for Christmas. Or sip some hot chocolate. Or curl up under a blanket by the fire. Or stay in doors organizing everything. But nope. Everyone is outside! Getting sunburned while they take down their Christmas lights.

I tried at the beginning of the week to still wear clothes that look a little wintery-ish.

Dark colors, short sleeves with turtle necks.

This top is fun. I bought it at Banana Republic a couple of years ago and I love the buttons on the neck. Most of the time I wear it buttoned up, but you can also undo some of the buttons and wear it down. Optionality. One of my favorite words.

By the end of this week I had completely given up on trying to look wintery-ish. I pulled out my summer stuff and joined the warm weather party. And while I’m not wearing my new Uggs I got for Christmas, or sipping hot chocolate, or curling up under a blanket by the fire, I am still staying indoors organizing everything. Some things never change. Regardless of the weather.

Happy January everyone! See you at the beach!

(Or maybe at The Container Store!)

**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy

xoxo, Erin

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Scrapbooking

01.05.12

Project Life 2012

A lot of buzz is going on in blog land about Project Life – as it always is this time of year. Those of you who have followed my blog for a while now know that I am a huge fan and have been using Becky’s Project Life kits to create albums for my kids for the past couple of years. I never followed the “picture a day” concept, although I think it’s brilliant. For me, I just wanted a simple way to create something special for each of my kids.

Albums that would document our family traditions,

the funny things my kids do and say,

close family relationships,

and all of the fun we are having together.

Albums that would include special artwork,

special vacations and memories,

and special family moments.

I wanted albums that could be low maintenance, just slip in a picture and some journaling, but something that would also allow me to be more creative when I found the time. The Project Life system has worked beautifully for me and I cherish the albums I’ve created so far. So does the rest of my family.

BUT. At this very moment I find myself a bit unsure. Unsure about my Project Life scrapbooking plan for 2012.

Last February I asked Kenny for three new Project Life kits for Valentines Day (two Amber Editions for each of my girls and the Turquoise Edition for Kole). Aside from looking through them last February, they have sat untouched. The problem? I now have THREE children to scrapbook for and even LESS time to scrapbook. I finished up some school pages for my girls last summer and haven’t had two seconds to even think about scrapbooking since. Well. I’m ready to think about it again and here are some of the questions and answers going through my mind:

– Three albums is A LOT to take on right now. I’ll never be able to keep up. Should I just do ONE family album? But I love that my kids have their own albums with their own stories being told. THEY love that they have their own albums. It’s my gift to them. I could do just one digital Project Life album that I could make copies of for each child? But creating a digital album wouldn’t be an enjoyable process for me. I don’t want to spend more time on the computer. I LOVE the creative process of putting together an album with real pictures and real handwriting and real memorabilia that you can see and touch and remove. Their albums are also where I keep their special school and art work. How would that work in a family album? Or a digital album?

– Ok. So I clearly need to keep doing one album per child. But I need to find a way to simplify. Less pictures for sure. Maybe a layout for each month?

– And since I’m a year behind should I start where I left off? Or just start with current pictures and hope to someday go back and finish up the lost year? I’ll most likely never get to it. But if I start where I left off will I ever get on top of things?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. What I do know is that I need to come up with a system that is enjoyable, simple, and DOABLE for me or it just isn’t going to happen at the stage of life I’m in right now.

Why didn’t any of you warn me that keeping up with three kids would be so much work!!?? ;)

Are YOU doing Project Life this year? I’d love to hear any thoughts, suggestions, or how you are making it work for your family.

p.s. You can see all of my past Project Life layouts here.

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

01.04.12

Organizing Christmas Decor

Sharing how I organize all of our Christmas stuff today. It’s never as fun to put away as it is to set up, is it? But even so, it always feels good to have Christmas put away and a nice clean house to start the New Year.

I store most of my indoor decorations in trunks. The trunks I own are family heirlooms. They are antiques that were re-stored by my great Aunt and Uncle and they are priceless to me. My mom has quite a collection of them herself and I’ve been working on getting my hands on a few of those as well. C’mon mom. It’s time to cave and hand over the coffee table trunk. We both know I’m your favorite. (Now let’s hope my siblings aren’t reading this. Pretty sure they’re not since it’s an organizing post and they aren’t interested in organizing. I know. How is that possible, right!!?) Back to the trunks – I have one in my living room and one in my family room and they are perfect for storing all of my indoor Christmas decor. I have a goal to fit most of my decor in these two trunks so every year I buy a few new things and then send a few older items to Goodwill to make room for the new. I store most of my decor for my living room in the trunk in the living room and most of my decor for my family room in the trunk in my family room. Naturally. :)

I bought this red ornament box from The Container Store years ago and it has been perfect to house all of my Christmas tree decorations. I couldn’t find this exact one on-line, but here is something similar. It came with card board dividers so I place all of my round ornaments on the bottom…

and then place this red fabric board in between…

and then I have a new level to work with! One of the best organizers ever.

Some years I’ve divided the top up using all of the slots to store ornaments,

but this year I took some of the cardboard dividers out to make bigger slots for certain things. I love an organizer that you can adjust to fit your needs.

The rest of our Christmas tree decor! Along with a few Christmas cookie cutters.

That haven’t been used. And most likely never will be.

Then I put on the lid to the box and pile things next to it…

and on top of it.

A simple plastic zip pouch holds our Christmas cards for my photo garland.

I use the trunk in our family room to store all of our Christmas books…

along with other odds and ends that I display in this room.

I use a couple of Christmas boxes to house smaller items…

and then I pile on things like our Christmas tree skirt and stockings.

Something I’ve done for years is to place the fragile items inside of the Christmas tree skirt and stockings. Each of our stockings hold small, breakable items.

I have a red CD case that holds all of our Christmas CD’s that also goes in this trunk so that our tunes are easily accessible when December rolls around… or November… ok October. I’ll admit, I usually break out the Christmas music sometime in October. I can’t help it. Those Chipmunks call my name every year. :)

I usually store our Christmas movies in this trunk also, but I set them aside with our other DVD’s in the garage until I can get to them. The DVD’s are on my “to organize this year” list and I think it’s time for the cases to finally go. There are just too many movies in this house. I could solve that problem by not buying anymore, but where’s the fun in that? Sounds much more appealing to just come up with a cool way to organize them all. :)

Feels good to have all of the outside lights taken down too. We put up A LOT of outside lights each year because I love them. One of Kenny’s most favorite things to do. ;)

I wish I had something amazing to show you for how we store our outside lights, but my system (if you can call it that) is pretty basic. I know there are so many ways to keep lights from tangling, but I’ve found that if I wrap them up carefully (loop them in a circle) as I take them off of the bushes and just place them on top of each other they’re fine. I’ve been doing it like this for years and my lights are always tangle free!

Step two in my ever so intricate system is to then place the lights in garbage bags with labels. Tape and a black marker work fine for this job. I mark the bags according to where we place the lights (top of house, front bushes, bottom of Bougainvillea vine, etc. Makes it really easy for set-up when Christmas rolls around again. Then all of the bags go in a huge box in our garage marked “outdoor lights.” Like I said, it’s a pretty intricate system so I hope I haven’t lost you all on that one. I also hope you know I’m being sarcastic.

Good-bye Frosty! Already looking forward to pulling you out again next year!!

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

01.03.12

Kicking it in gear

Went on a walk today. We’ve been going on a lot of walks lately.

We take both of the strollers. I push Kole in the single jogger and Kenny pushes the double jogger with the girls. They’re getting too big for it. Makes me sad.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that they looked like this

and then this

and now this. With their legs hanging off the sides. They don’t stay in it for long. They ride for a minute or two and then hop out and run ahead of us. Then they hop back in and beg for Kenny to run really fast and give them a ride.

Our walks always end up at the park.

About to give daddy a kiss. He never quite followed through with it despite Kenny’s best attempts.

The goal of the park is to get the girls to exercise and burn off all of that endless energy so Kenny always plays a game of chase with them.

If I’m at the park without Kenny (my life most days) I make the girls run laps. Ha! Instead of chasing them like Kenny does, I stand at the top of the slide and yell at them. “You can do it! Keep running!! WOW you girls are FAST! Here they come through the finish line…and the crowd goes wild!!” They love it. And I get to be lazy.

I’m not always lazy though. I can kick it in gear when I need to. Like right now – since I successfully gained three pounds in the last two weeks. Jeans are feeling tight. It’s time to get serious again. Anyone else setting the age old New Years goal to lose the holiday weight? Here are a few posts that may help:

My #1 priority (my workout routine and prioritizing exercise)

Healthy Eating (my go to snacks when I’m trying to drop a pound or two)

Workout Music (some tunes that get me moving…although I need to do some updating!)

Not that I’m an expert on the subject – because I’m not. In fact lately the only thing I’ve been an expert on is mindless eating. And I’m not a fast runner (as my girls so politely pointed out to me today when I took Kenny’s place and tried to run pushing them in the stroller). Seems dad is a lot more “fast and fun.” They still love me though, Addison assured me.

That’s ok. Slow and steady wins the race.

Besides, with the training I’m getting lately chasing this little guy, I’ll be running circles around Kenny in no time.

And hopefully the jeans will start feeling a bit looser too.

xoxo, Erin

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Ramblings

01.01.12

New

New to-do lists
New Christmas calories that need to be burned off
New toys to entertain the kids
New toothbrushes – buying them weekly because of you know who
New date nights with my man

New kisses from my mini man – he just started kissing me – I melt! – makes up for the toothbrushes

New list of spaces to organize

New Container Store wish list
New trips to look forward to
New luggage to take on those trips
New friends to make
New make-up I’m experimenting with
New goals to achieve
New church time – hallelujah! morning time slot for us – home by noon and naps for all!
New pictures to take and to blog and to develop
New planner – I just love a new planner
New projects in the works
New memories to make

It’s a New Year!!

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

12.30.11

Pajama Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’ve all had a nice holiday week.

We have so enjoyed our time off! I don’t want it to end!

Last night Kenny and I went to dinner with friends and when I was driving the babysitter home she told me that the girls got to bed a little later than usual. I asked her what they did to stall their bedtime this time and she said “well – first they decided to set up the princess tent to sleep in. Then it took them a while to make their beds and set up all of their stuffed animals and dolls. Then Ellie had to read Addison a story. Then when I told them they needed to get to sleep they said they just had to tell some ghost stories really quick. I walked away and could hear Addison saying – Ellie! It has to be a lot spookier than that!” Oh those girls of mine. They make me laugh every day. :)

So things have been pretty laid back around here this week! Aside from a few outings and date nights I have lived in my pajamas…

I’ve just rotated from one pair of Christmas p.j.s

to another pair. Aren’t these house shoes fun? I got them last year at Gap Body and they are SO comfy.

Here’s a close up of my favorite Ho Ho Ho pajama pants. I bought them years ago from Old Navy and bust them out every December. Last year they were starting to tear in a few places so I took them to the tailor because I don’t sew. At all. Not even a little. And I paid more to have them mended than I did to buy the pants in the first place. Which reminds me. One Christmas after Kenny and I were first married I had a nightmare that he gave me a sewing machine for Christmas. I woke up in a cold sweat and was so glad it was just a dream! I told him about it and now he knows to NEVER buy me a sewing machine. Or a Kitchen Aid. Or a Bosch mixer.

The girls have been living in their Christmas p.j’s too.

Even Kole has been a little more laid back than usual.

Have a happy and SAFE New Year’s Eve! We are going to party HARD! And by party hard I mean a beach get together with kids, home by 8:00, Kenny will be asleep on the couch by 10:00 and I’ll be waking him up to watch the ball drop. Then I’ll probably try to get him to talk about our ups and downs of the year and set some goals for the new year. He’ll roll his eyes at me of course and we’ll be in bed by 12:30.

I’m so excited for 2012!! Fun things in store that I can’t wait to blog about!!

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

12.29.11

Christmas card display

If you know me you know I LOVE getting Christmas cards every year. It’s truly one of my favorite things about December. For the past few years I have displayed my Christmas cards on our pantry door. Nothing fancy – I just stuck them on the door with some regular scotch tape. But I knew that wouldn’t work this year unless I wanted the cards on the bottom half of the door to be torn into tiny little pieces. Or chewed up and spit out. Or hid in a secret hiding place with all of our missing toothbrushes. Or tossed in the toilet. You never know with that boy of mine.

So I took an old picture I bought when we first moved into this house. I never really liked this picture, but the yellow and red matched my furniture and the vines are the same ones I have on my house so I bought it anyway. And it has sat in a closet for years. So here’s some advice for you – don’t buy a picture that you don’t really like even if it matches your furniture and includes vines that are also on your house. (I know – what would you all do without my sage wisdom?)

I took out the picture (did I mention I never really liked it?) and got to work.

I primed it and painted it.

And then I had a new and improved aqua frame to place next to my Christmas hutch! I hammered a few nails on the back of the frame and then wrapped some twine around them. Actually Kenny hammered a few nails on the back of the frame and then wrapped some twine around them. (He just loves helping me with my projects – got on his hands and knees and begged to be a part of this one.)

Then I found this little “Can o’ Clips” my mom bought me a few years ago. Isn’t it just the cutest little “Can o’ Clips”!? My mom gave them to me and said they just looked like something I would love. She was right. :)

I took my mini clips and hung up my Christmas cards!

Well. Not all of my Christmas cards. But a handful of them!

And I was so excited! Because I loved my new aqua frame! And I loved the way my cards looked in it! The only problem?

It hardly holds any of my cards! And I was totally laughing at myself for thinking that it would.

So I started taping the rest of my cards on the wall next to my new aqua frame.

And I liked the way it tied my two rooms together. The reds and blues in the cards went great with my Christmas decor and made everything look merry and bright.

Then I ran into problem #2. I took these pictures I’m posting about a week and a half ago and since then we have received many more cards. There was nowhere on the wall to go but up so things started looking a little off balanced. Then some of my cards started falling off. My good old scotch tape didn’t work as well on the wall as it did on my pantry door. So yesterday I had to take my wall of cards down. And I was bummed because I like to leave them up through January. But the few cards on my frame are still in tact and looking great! I need to figure out a better way to hold the cards on my wall for next year. Painters tape? Putty? Any suggestions? Hopefully Kole will be a bit more chill by then so I can place more cards on the bottom of the wall. But I’m not holding my breath on that one.

Back to my fun little frame that got a face lift. I love the way it matches the wall in my dining room and sort of ties the two spaces together. Plus I have some fun ideas for my frame when I take the Christmas cards down.

And a few more pictures. Not because they add any value to this post, but just because I took them. :)

The brown trunk will be back in its original location as soon as we take our tree down. Has everyone taken their trees down already? I’m not a fan of taking the Christmas tree down. It makes me sad every year. There is nothing like the cozy lights of a Christmas tree. At least I’ll have my new aqua frame to cheer me up.

So there you go. A post on how I displayed my Christmas cards this year. Even though Christmas was three days ago and my cards didn’t last all month. :)

Update **You can read this post to see what I used the Christmas card frame for in Januray! :)

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

12.27.11

Our Christmas

On Christmas Eve we made a tray of Pretzel Hugs to munch on.

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas around here without them!

The girls decorated for Santa.

They decorated their walls…

and their doors…

and hung ornaments in every room.

They even spent a great deal of time sprucing up the stairs. :)

This was our first Christmas without traveling to Utah to be with family or having family come to us so I was on my own for Christmas Eve dinner. I made turkey and my favorite potatoes and felt like quite a chef. Right up until Addison asked where the real Christmas feast was. Later she explained that a “real Christmas feast” includes chicken nuggets, pizza, and marshmellows. I didn’t feel quite so bad about my meal after that little conversation.

Instead of the traditional cookies and milk, my girls decided to mix things up and left Santa Pretzel Hugs and leftover Halloween candy. They also added cheese for Santa Mouse and some Christmas tree pictures they made earlier in the day.

After our traditional trip to drive through Christmas Card Lane, (a fun neighborhood with amazing lights) Kenny read the girls a special Christmas story and they were off to bed. The one night of the year they can’t wait to go to sleep!

And then the real fun began. :)

Kenny and I woke up Christmas morning to squeals of excitement from two little girls! We couldn’t get out of bed fast enough for them. I told them I heard some jingle bells and a thump on the roof late last night. Just like my mom used to hear when I was a little girl.

After taking in everything in the living room, they ran to see if Santa ate their treats. He did! He also left some other surprises they wanted and a note. Santa’s note thanked them for the delicious candy, told them they had been SO good this year, and also reassured them he had taken off the tape on the fireplace to get in and had then put it back on when he left so that Kole wouldn’t get into it. The girls were a bit stressed about that one.

We all had a great Christmas morning.

Including Kole. BOY TOYS!!?? Really? In this house!?

It’s about time. :)

Among other fun things, the girls got new boots. Ellie politely thanked me and tossed them aside. Addison hasn’t taken hers off since.

In fact, later that afternoon when Kenny took the girls to church Addison insisted on wearing her pink boots with her red Christmas dress. I told her that didn’t exactly work. Ellie begged to not have to wear her “itchy” tights. Kenny and I looked at each other, shrugged and said “it’s Christmas, do what you want.”

So they did. :)

Kole and I didn’t make it to church because he was in desperate need of a nap.

I was in desperate need of a nap too, but instead had plenty to keep me busy…

Wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas mess!

The last few days have been the best. Kenny has been home with us and we are really enjoying this time together as a family.

(Ready for an afternoon movie. The girls set this up and didn’t seem to mind one bit that there wasn’t room for the rest of us to sit!)

And as for the girls’ new “friends”? They are enjoying time with our family as well.

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

12.23.11

2011 Christmas Card

So most of you remember my little photo shoot nightmare. Which by the way was one of my favorite posts this year simply because I loved all of your comments! So glad many of you can relate to the craziness that is life with a one year old. :) 99% of the photos were just awful with Kole screaming and me strained trying to contain him (I’ll have to post the out takes at some point!). But we did get ONE. One picture with most of us smiling and looking at the camera. And that one photo was the obvious winner.

So I decided to keep it real, embrace this stage and roll with it!

Our 2011 Christmas Card —

Whatever works, right?

I’m feeling so grateful tonight just sitting here with Kenny, in our comfy home, next to the lights of our Christmas tree, working on my fun little blog that brings me so much happiness. My kids and greatest blessings are all asleep upstairs dreaming about Christmas. Well – two of them are. I’m sure Kole is dreaming about running wild down a Target shopping aisle with no one stopping him. :) I love this time of year. I love that time is set aside to think about our Savior and everything He did for us. I love that time is set aside to spend with the people we love.

As I’m typing this I can hear Kenny singing Aladdin’s “A Whole New World”. He sings that song to me whenever I start getting even remotely emotional or sappy so hearing his sarcastic singing voice in my head is probably a sign that it’s time to wrap things up. But first I want to thank all of you. One of my favorite things about blogging is connecting with and “meeting” so many wonderful people. Thank you so much for your support, for your kind comments, thank you for reading.

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

xoxo, Erin

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