Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Ellie

05.18.12

Fashion Friday (for the kiddos)

Each season I get a little bummed when my girls put on their summer clothes from the year before and they are too small. That pair of capris that were SO big on Addie when I bought them are now too tight and too short. Just like everything else I bought the girls last summer. It bums me out because I want them to stay little forever. It also bums me out because dang! Those were cute clothes! That they hardly wore! It’s nice that I can pass El’s stuff on to Add, but still, the life of their wardrobe is pretty short lived. So lately I’ve been buying a few things here and there so they have something to wear this summer. Mostly stuff on sale! Since each season I’m repeating the process.

Shopping for El is tricky because of the comfort factor. I bought her the green dress at Gymboree and the grey skirt at Gap. Both passed the test and aren’t “itchy.” The blue tank is also from Gap but that’s for my 5 year old who will sacrifice all comfort for the love of fashion. Or for a pretty butterfly. El would go crazy with those gathers at the top. I know my children well. And if you read this blog often, so do you. :)

Matching days are getting few and far between, but I’m desperately trying to keep them alive! I’m also trying to keep my girls little as long as possible which is evident with the popsicle “sweet” outfits I scored at Gymboree. They might be wearing matching popsicle tanks in high school if I have anything to do with it. Which I won’t. Which is why I’m not all that excited about high school.

And aren’t these simple grey ruffle dresses cute!? Target baby! So cheap and they fit darling! I love them on my girls. They come in other colors and when my mom came to babysit the kids while we were in Virginia she brought them the yellow ones. We laughed. We do that all the time because we have such similar tastes. These dresses are fun because you can add leggings, tights, a belt, headband, any accessory in a fun bright color looks so great with the grey stripes. Makes me want to find a grey striped dress or top for me!

Isn’t the dress cute with this pink shrug I bought Addie!? Also at Target! Looks so cute over the grey. I picked up these colorful socks for the girls too. They have to wear good running shoes to school which means we always need ankle socks and I was going crazy with all of the white socks in the laundry! I could never tell the difference between my socks and Ellie’s socks and Addie’s socks. They were all identical other than a slight size difference. I’m loving these new colorful socks! So easy to match and the girls just share them all. I don’t know why in the world I didn’t think of colorful socks sooner.

Since I’m on a stripe kick, here are a couple of other dresses I picked up at Children’s Place last week… 10 bucks each baby! Love that.

And another summer dress from Children’s Place that was also on sale. Nice and comfortable which is why you see a smile on this girl’s face.

My little man has been involved in some fashion pampering of his own. A couple of weeks ago he got his first hair cut. :)

We went on a Saturday and Kenny came. I knew I’d need back-up support. He held Kole on his lap and then turned on Tangled on the ipad. The ONLY way we got this boy to hold still for the whole four minute ordeal.

He is one stylish little dude. :)

Some pics I took today while we were on one of our outings…

Here’s my boyfriend modeling his new Target shirt from grandma.

What a pro. I mean he’s only been in the modeling biz for a year now, but just look at that pose.

Just before nap time. This model needs his beauty sleep.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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home decor 2

05.17.12

Spring/Summer Mantel

Finally! I’m sharing my Spring mantel. But now Spring is almost over. So let’s call it a Spring/Summer mantel, shall we? Yes. We shall.

Here is a look at last year’s Spring mantel…

Notice the eggs in apothecary jars. I wanted to use my eggs in apothecary jars again this year. But eggs in apothecary jars in May? Not so much. So I’ll shoot for getting my Spring mantel done a little earlier next year. Eggs in apothecary jars will be my incentive. I like them. :)

But instead of eggs in apothecary jars, this year I went with pitchers on candle sticks. This mantel should actually be titled the “thrown together in 20 minutes and still kinda bugging me mantel.” I don’t love it. I like it. But it’s missing something. Some yellow on the left? Another color brought in? Something hanging in the middle of the mirror? I had this mantel put together so quickly back in March, but it just didn’t look right so I waited and waited and waited to take pics of it. I tried random things at random times, but it just kept looking so… random.

Finally I pulled the butterfly plate out of my kitchen cupboard, stuck it up, and called it DONE. And there is something so nice about DONE. Even if it’s not done to my satisfaction. (Done = Satisfaction these days!)

I love these candle sticks so much that I’ve had them up all year. Fun to display decor other than candles on them like I did in the Fall.

I bought these glass jars at Pottery Barn several months ago. LOVE them. While I was at it I also bought some sea glass to give the mantel a “summery” feel.

Aren’t the colors beautiful!? I think I’m dangerously close to having too much aqua in my house at the moment. But I don’t care. And I know it’s so trendy. And I don’t care about that either. It makes me happy. When I walk in my house and see all the aqua I smile. That’s what I care about.

I’m loving clear glass jars/bottles right now so I tossed one of those on the mantel too.

The mantel ties in well with my table decor (same flowers). :)

And that’s a wrap on my “Spring/Summer – not in love with it but glad it’s done mantel!”
Ever had one of those? :)

p.s. I think all three final contestants are amazing singers, but I have had a crush on this guy from day one. (Kenny’s ok with it. He has a crush on him too.) Love his voice. Love his personality. Fingers are crossed Philip!! (I just caught up on American Idol while I finished this post and felt that needed to be said.)

And now I’m DONE.

p.s. You can see the rest of my recent home decor here.

**Linking up at Home Stories A to Z
and The Lettered Cottage

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

05.15.12

Ready for Summer

So who else is ready for summer!? I think I am more excited this year than I have ever been for school to get out. I usually love my schedule, but not this year! Addison gets of Kindergarten at 12:40 three days a week, 1:40 another day and 12:30 on early out day. Ellie is out at 2:30 every day except for early out day. NOT an easy schedule to remember. NOT an easy pickup schedule when you have a napping baby. The carpool schedule I worked out with neighbors at the beginning of the year is so complicated with which kids are coming and going (and which mom is doing what pick-up) we needed a spreadsheet to map it all out. Throw in a wild toddler, homework, a few after school activities, therapy for that wild toddler (four days a week), and oh yeah… I’m building a house! All that has equaled one burned out mom. I completely realize that there are moms everywhere with more than three kids who have even more on their plate. Everyone is different and I think as a mom you know when you’ve hit your personal limit. I’ve hit my limit. Hit my limit hard and am maybe hanging a bit on the other side by a very thin thread. :) My kindergartner has had a wonderful year and I have loved our extra time together, but I desperately need my two girls on the same schedule. So for that reason alone I am counting down the days until summer and next Fall! I know things will still be busy, but just having my girls’ schedule in sync will make a world of difference for me (and for my napping boy!).

To get the girls as excited as I am for the upcoming season, I pulled out last year’s “Summer To-Do list” and we started brainstorming ideas for this summer.

We completed almost everything on our list last summer. Aside from a few minor activities like Ellie’s addition to the list…

“get a puppy.” I’m positive that will make it on this year’s list as well. I’m even more positive that it won’t be checked off at the end of the summer.

I’m also thinking it would be fun to make a list of books for the girls to read and maybe some fun movies I’d love to show them this summer.

Another list that will be taped to our back door soon is my annual summer “get out the door list.”

A must have for summer activities if you have little ones. It has been especially helpful to me when I’ve had a baby – they require so much STUFF.

Yes… we are counting down around here.

Seeing the mermaids and princesses floating in the pool will be a welcome sight this year!

BRING IT ON!! :)

xoxo, Erin

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Mom Adventures

05.14.12

My Mothers Day

I hope all of you mothers had a great weekend! I think Mothers Day is my favorite holiday. Well. Christmas can’t be beat, but Mothers Day is becoming a very close second for me. My girls were so sweet and Kenny was a real trooper this weekend. They did their best to make sure I felt special. (Kole was up to his usual tricks, but he is saying “ma ma” and a few other words now and that is gift enough where he is concerned!) Kenny woke up with the kids at 6:30 Saturday morning so I could sleep in. Kole was screaming around 7:00 and woke me up, but that extra half hour was still a bonus. (You take what you can get when you’re the mom, right?). I was then greeted by these lovely signs going down my stairs:

When I followed the signs and went “this way down the stairs” (instead of the other way down the stairs?) I found my cute family with breakfast made and a few more pictures hanging on the wall…

This was a favorite. Apparently the girls were trying to spell out “Happy Mothers Day” in yarn but it was taking too long. So they just did the initials H M d and added some periods (that look like o’s) in the middle instead. Kenny and I had a good laugh coming up with a variety of things this could stand for. :)

I also received some beautiful cards along with hand made gifts.

My girls’ handwriting and pictures are always a favorite.

(So glad you love my “hairdue” Ellie.)

(And Addison, I love you so much too and I “em gad dat” you are my daughter.)

Soon after breakfast Kenny took all three kids to the park for the morning. I enjoyed some nice alone time that included a bubble bath. It has been YEARS since I’ve had a bubble bath in my tub (pre-Kole era). It was so nice. Amazingly nice. The house was so still and quiet. I dimmed the lights and lit my candle and then took my time getting ready after. BEST mother’s day gift ever (aside from my treasured cards). Then later that day Kenny and I went on a date to look at wood floors! K maybe that was the best mother’s day gift ever! You know when you get so giddy/excited about something that you have a hard time talking without your voice coming up in your throat and squeaking? That was me for two hours in the flooring store. No joke. I had the best time! I knew exactly what I was looking for and found two options for our wood floors that I am so excited about! We also looked at a few options for carpet and bathroom tile. Kenny was great in the store. Just stepped back and let me take over. Now that the floor plan and landscape design are for the most part behind us he could care less what I put in this house (as long as I’m staying on budget of course). I have a feeling we are getting to a place where he will stop joining me on these trips. His voice doesn’t squeak when we walk in a store full of flooring material.

After doing our “house homework” we went to dinner. I decided on Outback. Kind of obsessed with their sauteed mushrooms lately. Then today was another great day of being pampered and showered with cards and hugs from my sweet kids.

Addie’s teacher in church helped her with this pretty card. What can I say – I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. But if you’ve read my blog profile you already knew that. :)

And one more treasured letter from my Ellie…

Loved the front…

Especially loved the back.

People tell the two of us how much we look alike all the time and we love it.

I guess we are freckle girl twins. :)

Lucky me.

I can’t think of anything better than being mom to these three.

Lucky me indeed.

xoxo, Erin

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fashion2

05.11.12

Fashion Friday

Weekend is here! We have had beautiful weather this week. Summer is in the air! I know this because I spent over three hours at the park today. Yes. Despite the fact that I had a million things I needed to get done at home, we somehow ended up at the park. Twice. Once in the morning with my boy and once in the afternoon with my boy and my girls. Seems the three of them have a plan to sabotage me and my to-do list. Not the first time, certainly won’t be the last. It’s ok. This weekend should be fun. Date with Kenny is on the agenda. We’re getting dinner and checking out options for wood floors. All of our dates now include shopping for house stuff or meeting with our builder or architect. On our last date after we’d spent three hours looking at appliances I said to Kenny, “I’m having so much fun! Isn’t this the best date!?” The look on his face said no. He is a good man. Who keeps reminding me of what a good man he is to let me build when he could have been lounging in his hot tub by now in a number of homes we looked at and I said “thanks but no thanks” to. I guess I’ll keep him around. :)

Anyway! On to the fashion! Sharing a few new things I’ve bought for Spring/Summer…

New flip flops from Banana Republic Outlet.

This black striped top and yellow belt are also from Banana Republic (main store). I was so excited about this yellow belt! Skinny belts and bright colors are so in right now. I love this belt with this top, but it also goes with so many other things. And you know how I feel about yellow… and belts. A great staple to add to my wardrobe!

The belt also looks great with my yellow sandals. And you know how I feel about my yellow sandals.

Let’s face it. You all know how I feel about everything by now. :)

I’ve worn white shorts and skirts every summer for years, but I’ve never bought white capris or pants.

Until now! I found these white capris also at the Banana Republic Outlet (on sale by the way!). I’m usually a little scared of white for the same reason most moms are – how long are they going to stay looking this white? White is also not the most flattering for pants/capris. Unless you find a pair that is a really good fit. Which these are. They also pass my capri test – longer length, almost to my ankle, and a thick cuff at the bottom. Wear them with a heel or wedge and you will look thinner. I was out picking lemons in these capris thinking “this is why I shouldn’t buy white capris. I have a two year old little boy and I when he’s down for a nap I scrub my floors and climb the hill in my back yard to pick lemons.” But oh well! Everything has washed out fine so far. And you only live once, right?

Which is why I bought white pants too. :) I fell in love with these white linen pants (also at BP). I’ll wear these on a date or night out (dress them up a bit) and wear the capris for every day stuff. I still need to have these hemmed – I have them rolled up once in this picture.

The yellow sweater is also new this Spring. Bought it at The Limited.

I’ve worn this sweater so many times – so many different ways. Buttoned up with a fun necklace,

or open with a shirt and belt underneath.

When I wear the striped top and yellow belt/sweater combo above I wear my black flats instead of my yellow sandals. Because like I just mentioned in yesterday’s post – too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

I’ve also worn it a few times with the belt on the outside of the sweater. Because why not? I think this yellow belt would look great with SO many colors of tops/sweaters. It has inspired me to do some more shopping. Doesn’t take much. I’ll let you know how that goes! :)

One last picture of my yellow sweater with a white tank and my beloved Anthro belt. Only because this favorite belt of mine was starting to feel a bit left out. :) I was on my way to dinner with friends when Kenny took this. It has been one birthday after another lately (our favorite excuse to eat out!).

This week I tried Thai Food for the first time! My friends are desperately trying to get me out of my turkey sandwich rut. I liked it! Almost as much as my turkey sandwich. ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

05.10.12

Project Life Organization/Update

Last year around this time I came up with a system to organize my girls’ school work because I needed a place to keep things I would eventually place in their Project Life albums.

I gave Ellie and Addison each a section in this crate and labeled each of their folders by the season/year (that makes the most sense for the way I scrapbook). The last section held extra school work.

Well. Life is a bit busy right now and I have had zero time to scrapbook. The kids’ school stuff/memorabilia has been piling up. So a couple of weeks ago I dumped everything I’d been stashing in the middle of the living room floor. And then I organized it.

This is the new and improved folder system! Which totally looks just like my last folder system! But I tweaked it a bit. I made some new folders for the girls for all of their 2012 stuff and then I changed the last section (which used to hold school stuff) into a section for Kole. Now Addison is blue, Ellie is yellow, and my little dude is red. It’s SO hard for me to look at this and see how behind I’m getting on their albums, but at least everything is organized so that when (if!) I find some time to scrapbook it will be a cinch to catch up.

I’ve been asked many times how I decide what I should save and what to trash. Kids come home with SO much stuff. Initially I save anything that speaks to me and makes me smile. Stuff that shows their personality and is my favorite. I also save things like report cards, awards/certificates, etc.

Addison’s Spring 2012 folder – a Kindergarten homework packet, what she is grateful for, running club certificate, various handwriting and artwork that show her growth in Kindergarten.

Seasonal artwork, handprint, a note from her teacher.

Ellie’s Winter 2012 folder – PE certificate, baptism program, birthday party invitation, a princess she drew one afternoon at home, note from mom that was in her lunch box on Valentines Day, note from Addison that says “From Addison. love you Ellie.” I found that one on Ellie’s bed one afternoon and may have teared up just a bit before filing it away.

I said these are the things I “initially” save because less than half of this stuff will actually make it into their albums. This is the first cut. Then when I’m actually putting together their albums I just pick a few things I think they will cherish most to save. Usually the certificates get tossed and the special notes and artwork find a way into their books.

I was surprised when I started sorting through my stash that there was so much for Kole! I have done NOTHING for his scrapbook. Wait. That’s not true. I’ve done these layouts:

“look at you” (4 months old)

I adore this photo. And I miss this stage!

“your room”

and mommy’s too.

“first summer”

That’s it! Three little layouts. That’s all I’ve done for my boy. I haven’t even put together his hospital pictures. I covered his birth in the girls’ albums but not his. So I have some catching up to do!

His first folder holds hospital stuff – ultra sounds, blessing certificate…little items like our hospital bracelets I keep in a small pocket holder that came in a baby kit I ordered from Becky Higgins years ago.

I even saved the page in my planner for delivery day. I was induced and knew the date I would give birth with all three of my kids. Not a bad set up for someone who loves to plan. :) The rest of Kole’s folders are organized by year and are full of things like birthday cards and doctor visit info.

So even though this doesn’t look much different, it feels A LOT different to me because I’m caught up! Caught up on filing things I may keep for their albums.

Now to answer this question:

“Hi Erin. I have a question for a future Q & A… what did you decide to do with your kids photos? Are you still doing a Project Life album for each of your children or did you decide to do photobooks in the end? I keep alternating between the two and am so indecisive!”

I’ve decided to stick to what I’ve been doing – individual Project Life albums for each of my three kids. I really debated just going to one family album – it would be SO much easier to stay on top of! But at the end of the day, I just really want each of my kids to have their own special albums that document a bit of their childhood. Created with love from their mom. It’s my gift to them. And I just can’t switch to digital photo books because I love including their school work/memorabilia. BUT. Since it is getting harder and harder to find time to scrapbook, my plan is also to SIMPLIFY in a big way. I’m really going to cut back on how many photos I put in each album and my goal is to fit at least two years in each binder. This will be tricky for the picture taking maniac that I am. :) But I don’t want them taking 20 albums away with them when they move out. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

Aside from organizing their school work, I’ve also been attempting to organize my photos and select which ones will make it into their albums. That’s the most time consuming part for me! I keep thinking I’ll have time to develop them and get to work scrapbooking, but honestly, every time I find a spare minute during my day I am on the phone dealing with house stuff. Once this house is built and I have an actual scrapbook room I will be a scrapbooking machine! I won’t come up for air! I’ll scrap all day and all night!

Or I won’t.

But it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?

For now, at least things are organized. That’s a nice thought too.

xoxo, Erin

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home decor 2

05.09.12

Hutch through the seasons

{BEFORE PIC – HUTCH IN 2010}

{FALL 2011}

{DECEMBER 2011}

{FEBRUARY 2012}

{SPRING 2012}

Thought it would be fun to view my hutch through the seasons for no other reason than I like to see before/afters. :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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Travels

05.08.12

A mini getaway

We’re back. Kenny and I. From a mini getaway – sans kids. Yes. You heard me right! When we received a letter about Kenny’s 10 year Law School Anniversary celebration we were so excited. We have such fond memories of our three years in Charlottesville, Virginia and love traveling back to reminisce, re-live the good old days, and most importantly to eat at our favorite bagel bakery and to say y’all every chance we get. My mom flew into San Diego to watch my kids for the weekend (an angel straight from heaven!) and Kenny and I fled without looking back.

We had the best time. From the minute we were in the car alone riding to the airport. It was magical. We had long conversations with no interruptions. No passing back crackers or a binkie. No intercepting an almost fight about who is going to play with which barbie first. We held hands. We laughed at each others’ stupid jokes. We were a couple again. Young and in love. Well sorta young, and mostly just in love with the fact that we were about to spend three days together with no kids, no responsibilities, and no kids. Did I mention no kids?

We woke up each morning and went on our favorite walk. The Thomas Jefferson Parkway trail right next to our old apartment. Also right next to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

This picture is from our walk in the Fall. It’s our favorite place to visit when we make a trip to Virginia. We used to walk this trail every weekend together and talk about our plans. Our someday family. All of our dreams for the future. It felt surreal walking our trail now, 10 years later, after so many of those dreams have come true. Made me feel incredibly grateful and incredibly old all at the same time. :)

Our walk ends with this bridge which takes you to Monticello. They were just starting to build it when we left Charlottesville in 2002. Isn’t it beautiful? Just like the rest of Virginia. I think Virginia is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

It isn’t a trip to Charlottesville without eating at our favorite bagel bakery. Bodo’s has the best turkey bagel sandwich ever. EVER. And y’all know I’m a turkey snob. (Did you catch that y’all? Rollin’ right off the tongue). We may have eaten here a time or ~~ten~~ two over the weekend. This place never disappoints.

The law school grounds were simply breathtaking. Just like I remembered them.

Almost as breathtaking as they are in the Fall.

We loved touring the school and catching up with all of Kenny’s friends.

Kenny was fortunate to go to law school with a group of amazing people (several are friends for life). They have all gone on to do incredible things with their degrees.

I felt smart just taking their picture. :)

Kenny’s main partner in crime. I used to come home from working round the clock to hear about my husband’s day which usually included more time spent playing Xbox with Will than actually studying law. These two were always up to no good and it’s a real treat to listen to them re-live some of their moments together. Good times indeed.

(Virginia trip – Fall 2009)

Unfortunately this was a fast trip and there wasn’t enough time with all of the reunion stuff going on for me to visit my Virginia friends. Bummer! Just means we have to go back again soon.

(Did you hear that mom? Should we get another trip on the calendar?)

The kids had a ball while Kenny and I were gone. Couldn’t wait to tell me about how grandma let them eat two donuts in one day, didn’t make them wash their hair until the day I was coming back, and most importantly, how grandma bought them new razor scooters at Target.

Oh my.

It’s always quite the party when grandma’s in charge.

My mom was a saint — really. Aside from the donuts and the no hair washing and the totally spoiling my kids part, she read with the girls and helped them get a jump start on next weeks’ homework, sat in on a therapy session with Kole, re-stocked my pantry/fridge with groceries, and had my laundry done and my house perfectly clean when I got home. Not an easy feat with my crew around! I was so happy I cried. Then I cried again when she left. She cried too. I think it was a combination of not getting to see me more, knowing she’ll miss the kids, and just sheer exhaustion. Mostly just sheer exhaustion.

I’ve been a bit out of sorts today. I blamed it on the time change but really that’s not it at all. I’m having “post vacation/mom isn’t taking care of everything anymore” let down. It hasn’t been pretty. I got nothing done today. Kole was clingy to me and I was clingy right back. We will both feel better tomorrow.

It was such a great trip. Visiting Virginia always is.

xoxo, Erin

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Q and A

05.03.12

Q & A

I received a really sweet comment and a great suggestion by a reader on my last post. Here is part of what she said…

“I think you should have a question and answer day! You know how Becky does Feedback Friday? Not that often so that it doesn’t take away all your other great posts. I always have lots of great questions for you.”

Thank you! Such a sweet comment from an anonymous reader. (BTW – I have to say I feel pretty lucky to get so many sweet comments from “anonymous”- Once in a while a snarky one will come along, but for the most part I get sincere, heartfelt comments and for that I am truly grateful! So thanks again to all of you for your kind words. They always make my day.) Anyway, back to the comment. I think it’s a great idea! I don’t know that I can commit to a regular schedule for a question/answer post because I’m having a hard time committing to anything lately that doesn’t involve Kole’s therapy, the new house, and regular mom stuff, but I really would like to do more Q & A posts on the blog. I get a lot of really great questions and I do my best to keep up, but sometimes I fall short. My computer time is pretty limited (9:00 pm until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore) and if I answered everyone’s questions I wouldn’t have time to blog. Hopefully that won’t always be the case, but it is at this stage in my life. So from now on if you ask me something in the comments or an e-mail and I don’t get back to you right away it’s because I think your question is something other people might also be curious about and I’m saving it for a Q & A post.

So! With all of that being said. Here is the first of my Q & A series…

“Where did you stay in Palm Springs? The place looks great!”

I had SO many questions about our Palm Spring resort after I shared some pictures of our Spring Break. We stayed at the Westin Desert Willow Villas.

We have a time share in Maui with Westin Resorts (I talked more about that here). Kenny and I love Westins so much and we love the Villas. Lots of room for the kids and a kitchen so you can eat in the room. Whenever we travel (especially with the kids) we always stay at Westin Villas. There are two Westins in Palm Springs and we stayed at the newer location. I really liked it! We were staying in a room that was further away from the pool but men come and pick you up in little golf carts and take you back and forth.

My kids thought riding the golf cart was the best part of the trip. :)

There was a huge slide, but Addison didn’t meet the height requirement (Ellie did) which was a bummer for us. The didn’t have a great shallow kiddie pool (which was ok since Kole mostly just wanted to run around the pool instead of swim in it) so overall I’d say a great place to swim – especially if your kids are age 7 and up. Lots of pools (one had a huge movie screen at one end and they played movies for the kids each night at 8:00 pm).

It was a fun trip and I would definitely recommend staying at the Westin!

“After moving from Virginia to San Diego how did you go about making new friends? I’ve just moved and it’s something I have to learn again. I’m curious how someone who has had the same experience I have (moving cross country to a place where you know no one) went on to create something good for yourself?”

I think this is such a great question! I grew up in a beautiful smallish community and was surrounded by family and friends who I had known my whole life. I never had to “try” to make friends. Everyone knew each other and knew my parents. I went to high school with the same kids I went to Elementary school with. I had always had lots of friends and family around me. I was pretty sheltered and I loved it. I had every intention of getting married and buying a house down the street from my family and being happy and sheltered my whole life. And then I married Kenny. My Kenny who had big dreams of travel and law school on the east coast and moving out of our smallish town and making a life for ourselves somewhere else.

We moved to Virginia and I made friends with some of the teachers I taught with, but I really didn’t have a lot of time for girlfriends. I was working three jobs and when I did have a break I wanted to spend time with Kenny. Then we moved to San Diego and all of that changed. Kenny started life as an attorney and was working all the time. After teaching two years I had Ellie and became a stay at home mom. All of the sudden I was home all the time. I was used to working. To being busy. To doing my hair and getting dressed every day. Life felt so different when I started staying home. The days all just ran together. I was happy and depressed and overwhelmed and bored all at the same time. I quickly realized that I was going to have to create a life for myself if I was going to be happy. I also quickly realized that I was going to have to step outside of my comfort zone.

I had seen other moms with little kids in our neighborhood so one night I typed up a flyer about a play date at the park. I still remember what it looked like. It had the date and time and a cute little butterfly on it. Then I walked around my neighborhood and went door to door handing out the flyers. (Yes! I handed out flyers for crying out loud!) I introduced myself and invited any moms who were home with little kids to meet me at the park. I still can’t believe I dared to do that! But I was so desperate to make new friends and to get myself out of the house and out of the “new mom rut” I was in. Then on the day of the park playdate I was scared to death that nobody would show up. But they did! Four other moms with kids in tow met me that day. We all introduced ourselves and got to know each other a bit. We decided that it was hard to visit at the park while we were chasing our little ones around so next week we would meet at the same time and place in our neighborhood cul-de-sac. The next week one of the moms invited another neighbor. And a few weeks later another mom came. Before I knew it, my park playdate had turned into a regular get together in our cul-de-sac with over 10 moms and a whole crew of little kids running around. We met in the cul-de-sac by my house every Tuesday afternoon for years. Those moms are great friends of mine to this day and we still hang out and chat and carpool. Our kids have grown up together and are also great friends. It always makes me happy remembering that I was the one who initiated our friendships. Even though I had to be a dork with flyers to do it. :)

Through the years I’ve made lots of other friendships. Sometimes they just happen – you meet someone somewhere and just instantly click. But most of the friendships I’ve made have happened because I put myself out there. Go to activities in your church, community, at work, etc. If you meet someone with similar interests ask them if they want to go on a walk or grab something to eat. You have to step outside of your comfort zone and be friendly and initiate a get together. If you’ve met some nice people at work or in your community, invite them over. Kenny and I love meeting new couples and going out on the weekends. If one of us has met someone new that we clicked with we always see if they want to bring their spouse and get together for dinner (with fingers crossed that our spouse will click with their spouse! :). Or we see if they want to meet at the park on a Saturday afternoon with kids and have pizza. A few months ago we initiated dinner with a couple we briefly met at one of Kenny’s client/firm parties. We LOVED them. Had a great time and have been getting together with them once a month ever since. We’re heading to their house for a BBQ in June.

It’s hard to start over. And it’s hard to step out of our comfort zones and to be the one who initiates a friendship, but every time I’ve done this (and I’ve done this a lot) it gets a little easier. The more you do something, the more natural it becomes to you. The initial nervousness always goes away and most of the time the person you attempt to get to know is happy to have a new friend too. :)

“Love the way you organize your home. I need some ideas to organize my closet. Would you take a picture and show us how you organize all of those beautiful clothes you have?”

Just did a closet organization post! You can check out the details here. I also store additional clothes in my dresser and at some point I’ll get around to sharing how that is organized.

“I know you have mentioned in the past that you have a small list of blogs you read each day. I would love it if you would share those!”

Well. I have to be honest and say that I am not checking blogs all that often anymore. Once I had Kole I started just checking blogs once every few days and this year because of my crazy schedule I hardly check them at all. It makes me sad! I miss reading blogs! If I can sneak in a few minutes of computer time during the day I usually respond to e-mails and then head over to Pinterest or other house sites to get ideas for my new home. Then if there is a minute to spare I check on a favorite blog or two. Usually I don’t read blogs during the week and then I catch up on all of my friends’ blogs and other blogs I enjoy on Friday night after the kids are in bed. I don’t post over the weekend so I take the night off and relax from a busy week catching up on all of my favorites. There are SO many amazing blogs to read but I’ve found that I just can’t do it all and it’s better for me to have a small blog list so that I don’t lose hours on the computer — which is SO easy to do when it comes to blog reading! So that being said, I’m happy to share my list of Friday night go-to’s!

Clover Lane – A favorite for sure that I’ve mentioned several times. I love Sarah to death. She is an amazing friend, an amazing writer, and an amazing mother. Her blog always makes me try a little harder to be a better mom.
No Biggie – written by Kami – another friend I’ve made through blogging who I simply adore. Always fun ideas and tips and amazing photography on her blog. We are going to meet someday. It’s a goal of mine. :)
I Heart Organizing – I think my heart skipped a beat the day I discovered Jen’s blog. An organizer’s dream!!
Centsational Girl – She really is sensational. That’s all I can say about Kate. Her decorating is beautiful and so is her writing style.
Home Stories A to Z – I love Beth and her fun home projects. She has been so sweet to feature me a few times in her “tips and tutorials”. I always enjoy her blog and checking out what other people are up to during her link parties.
House of Turquoise – Jaw usually hits the floor when I view this blog. Gorgeous interiors. My “pin it” button gets a workout whenever I stop by.
Just me, my soldier, and our 4 little chicks – Stephanie is the sweetest. Wife of a military man, mom of 4 girls. I relate to her SO much. She writes from the heart. Sincere and honest and real.
Becky Higgins – Well. What can I say about Becky? THE Project Life creator. I’ve been a fan since I created my first scrapbook in high school. All hail Queen Becky!

So that’s it! My favorites and my Friday night go-to list.

Well! I think we can all see why I have a hard time keeping up with answering questions. I’m a bit wordy to say the least! :) Hopefully the next Q & A won’t be quite so long winded.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Any other tips on making new friends? What is your all time favorite blog? Any other questions for a future Q & A? Tired of asking me questions and not getting an answer? I’m working on it. :)

xoxo, Erin

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Addison

05.02.12

More Spring Decor!

Sharing more of my Spring decor today! Yes I recognize that it’s the beginning of May and almost summer. My current schedule doesn’t allow for much “me time” to play with my decor (and by not much me time I mean no me time) so it took me longer than usual to pull everything together. The good news is that all of my decor works great for summer too so I’m good to go until Fall! I’ll share pics of all things “Spring” soon, but for now, here are a few updates…

I was looking at my Pinterest boards a couple of weeks ago and I noticed that I was pinning A LOT of pictures of clear jars and bottles inside of baskets. I love that about Pinterest. You can get a real sense of your style and things you are drawn to without even trying. So after viewing some of my favorite inspiration pictures (I’ll have to share those in another post!) I created my own little Spring centerpiece with clear bottles in a basket. I already had the basket, the skinny bottle, the flowers, and the mason jar. I found the larger bottle holding the flowers at Home Goods and knew it would be perfect to complete the look!

Some of my inspiration pics had silverware inside of jars so I tossed some forks in the mason jar. I just think it looks so cool. And my girls think it’s so cool to grab a fork for dinner out of the basket. (It’s the little things.) My lemon tree was bursting as usual and I LOVE to have lemons in my house this time of year. I tossed some in a clear jar I’ve had for years and also added some to the bottom of my fruit basket. They smell so good!

I especially love the way the yellow flowers and lemons coordinate so well with all of the other yellow throughout my house. There is a lot of yellow going on around here. It’s making me happy. :)

Oh what’s that? More lemons? Don’t mind if I do. :) When we met with our landscape architect the first thing I told him was that I wanted lemon trees. I will miss the little tree in our current backyard that we planted when we first moved here. It has grown so much. Kind of like us. (And now I hear Kenny singing “A Whole New World” in the background – his standby whenever I get sappy.) But I can’t help it. Aside from looking and smelling so good, lemons are perfect for life metaphors.

When life gives you lemons…

K. I’ll stop now.

So I’ve mentioned before how OVER my couches I am. I’m holding out to buy new couches for the new house. Since I’m stuck with these for another year I bought some new pillows that work with the green but also tie in the yellow.

Every time I look at these couches I think of that song from Sesame Street “One of these things is doing its own thing…” Anyone else remember that song? They definitely don’t match everything else going on in my house right now. I tried slipcovers but they didn’t look good with our carpet so I’m stuck being patient. I don’t like being patient. But while they aren’t the look I’m going for, these couches are comfortable. VERY comfortable. Perfect for blogging. :) Guess I can be patient a bit longer.

I was mid photo shoot taking these decor pics when a certain someone woke up from his nap.

Addie loves getting him out of his crib.

She also loves all of my lemons. Especially the really big ones.

I love that her shirt matches the decor (not planned, but I’ll take it!).

Two of my best accessories.

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

04.30.12

Productive Weekend

I just spent the last few minutes happily checking off a very long to-do list. I had the most productive weekend I’ve had in … well … forever! Why was I so productive?

Because I had three less people to take care of! On Friday afternoon Kenny packed the car and took the girls camping for the weekend. Kenny and I grew up camping and it is really important to him that our daughters have the same outdoor experiences that we did growing up. Since I’ve become more of a once a year “glamper” instead of a once a month camper Kenny decided to join a group of dads that do fun activities with their daughters once a month. Most of the time they camp, but they have also done other fun things (horse back riding, ice skating, etc.). The girls LOVE this special time with their dad. It seems they have a bit of their father in them and really enjoy camping! Kenny LOVES that they are spending time in the great outdoors. And I LOVE that all of this is taking place without me having to sleep in a tent. :) Win win win.

The captain of the ship.

And his overly excited crew. Ready for another adventure.

In flower and strawberry sunglasses no less.

Because the best rule of camping is to come prepared.

And because they also have a bit of their mother in them too. :)

So! Back to me and my most productive weekend! While the girls were roasting hotdogs and marshmellows over an open fire, Kole and I were having our own little party at home. We woke up early on Saturday (thanks to my two year old alarm clock who still hasn’t learned the beauty of sleeping in) and we headed out on a walk. It was a beautiful morning. Sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the ocean breeze felt better than ever. I just knew it was going to be a productive weekend! After our walk, we ran a few errands – including a stop at Staples which is always a favorite because of my never ending love for school suplies. Then we came home and while Kole took a nap, I tackled to-do #1: organize my magazines in my new magazine holder!

Ta-da! Isn’t it beautiful!? Kenny hung it a couple of weeks ago for me and I haven’t had two seconds until this weekend to go through my magazines. I tossed the ones I didn’t need and filed the keepers. Best birthday present ever! :)

The only spot we had to hang it that made sense was this corner next to the TV. I wanted it close to my couch (Kenny and I each have our own) so I could access it easily during my down time at night. My goal after 8:30 PM is to land on my couch and not get off of it. Unless it’s to get some popcorn. Or to plug in my laptop. Or now, to grab one of my favorite magazines.

I cut out some fun yellow scrapbook paper and labeled each cubby: Miscellaneous (for magazines like Pottery Barn, Ballards, and In Style that I get in the mail and want to save), Organizing and Decor (some of my favorite magazines ever!), Kitchen and Bath (my largest stack of keepers), and Church (for all of our church magazines).

Isn’t it lovely!? Everything has a home. I can’t wait to move it into my scrapbook room in the new house! It’s a good thing we’re moving because I’m running out of space to decorate in my current house. There isn’t a blank wall left! And that is a true tragedy. Indeed.

Below my white beauty sits my little stash of baskets. Tucked away behind the couch with all of the essentials we need to get through the day. The girls have their books. Kole has his diapers, wipes, and toys, I have my treasured magazines in a beautiful organizer, and Kenny has a happy wife. Once again a win all around!

Aside from organizing my magazine stash, here are a few other to-do’s I tackled during Kole’s nap time and bedtime:

– mini clean out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry
– cleaned out my purse and balanced my checkbook (I’m not in the negative Kenny – rest easy)
– organized all of the girls’ recent school work and Kole’s baby stuff for PL albums
– touched up a few walls with paint (something I’ve been wanting to do forever)
– watched the movie City Slickers while I cleaned out my in box. (I love that movie. Always makes me want a pet cow.)
– took lots of pics for future blog posts
– washed all sheets – including Kole’s crib sheet – which aside from cooking is my least favorite chore.
– cleaned the entire house top to bottom
– caught up on ALL laundry

Just in time for my campers to come home and unload. Bringing half of the outdoors home with them.

And a whole lot of new laundry to fold.

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

04.27.12

two islands and everyday pics

I SO appreciate you all! Thank you to everyone who shared kitchen tips/opinions/advice. I seriously read through the comments three times with a notepad in hand! I think a few of you have talked me into adding a mini fridge in the island (great suggestion!). Having two dishwashers was mentioned and that little feature has been in the plans since day one. I’m all over it! Some of you mentioned that you couldn’t picture the two island thing. I have been doing a lot of research to figure out if I want to do this and I landed on this picture:

This is not at all what my kitchen will look like, but it does give you an idea of the two island concept. This picture came with an article discussing why two islands like this are better than one large island when designing a big kitchen. They basically pointed out all of the same things my cabinet guy mentioned. Our kitchen is similar to this picture in that it is a big square shape with the stove behind the island and the main sink to one side and the fridge on the other. These two islands are approximately the same size mine would be if I did two. One would be for food prep with another sink and dishwasher (and maybe a mini fridge!?) while the other island would have bar stools and would be for eating/entertaining. Picture these two islands connected to make one HUGE island. That is the other option. Just thought I’d share this picture in case anyone is a visual person like I am! In fact, I’m such a visual person that designing this house on paper has been really hard for me. We had a 3-D rendering done of the outside of the house and I was like “Oh! Is that what it looks like!? Kenny said “yeah – you designed it! Didn’t you know what it would look like!?” But unless I get a clear visual it’s hard for me to picture exactly how everything juts in and out. So different than seeing it flat on paper. Several of you have asked if I will share my floor plan. Yes! Of course! I will share so much of this process with you that I bet by the time this house is built you will all be so sick of reading about it! If you stick with me through it all that is! I just want to wait a bit to post the floor plan because we are still making minor tweaks and changes. There will be a lot more to share once our plans are final and have been approved by the city and we are breaking ground (hopefully sometime around July). Right now we are dealing with boring stuff like city codes and the structural engineering (snore). I can’t wait to get to the good stuff! More kitchen layout meetings please! :)

I didn’t have time this week to pull together a Fashion Friday post, but I bought some really cute stuff at Banana Republic! Hoping to share it all next week. For now here are some random recent pics…

A few from our Spring Break in Palm Springs:

We were always the first ones at the pool in the morning…

and the last ones at the pool in the evening. We took a three hour break mid-day for Kole’s nap which worked out perfectly because that was when the pool was hopping with people. We timed things just right so that we were almost alone in the pool most of the week. Loved that!

Of course, I spent a great deal of my time not swimming, but chasing. Kole swam a little, but seemed to prefer running around behind all of the lounge chairs in the dirt. I was ok with it because I learned a long time ago what to expect when you travel with little ones. Lower your expectations and you will have a fabulous time! Remember: It’s not a vacation. It’s a family trip. Jut viewing it that way makes a difference for me. I wrote a post all about it a few years ago. :)

And a few pics of our annual weekend walk. We always let Kole out of the stroller for a bit….

and then the girls run ahead while one of us wrestles with Kole to get him back in the stroller.

The girls had a trial run for their upcoming dance recital. They had to go to dance class this week with full hair/make-up/costumes on. It was the first time I’ve ever put make-up on them! Kind of fun. :)

Well. Not so fun for Ellie. She was SO not impressed. She likes her dance (hip hop dance to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”) but the costume was WAY too itchy (shock) and the make-up drove her crazy. She couldn’t wait to come home and take it all off and get back in her pajamas.

She wouldn’t even let me take more pictures. Just the one above and then a nice “enough mom” pose.

My little ballerina on the other hand…

was a TOTALLY different story. What a ham! She loves her dance. Loves her costume. (Who cares about comfort when you are wearing something so sparkly!?) And especially loved the make-up. So funny. She was beyond excited for me to put it on her. “And can you put some of that stuff on my eyes mom!? The stuff that makes them colorful? And can I have some lip gloss? The sparkly kind! And that black stuff on my eye lashes? Do it just like yours mom!”

Then I couldn’t get her away from the mirror. :)

When we got to class they used her as an example because her bun was in the perfect spot on her head (high – not low). It was her day to shine and she grinned ear to ear the entire class.

I’m in trouble with this one.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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