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organization2

Kids’ Closet Organization

So did everyone see the Charger/Packer game today?  Man!  We had a fighting chance at the end and blew it.  Such a bummer.  And I had my Christmas list all typed and ready to present to Kenny!  Guess I’ll have to hold onto it a little longer.  Like until the Chargers WIN.  Timing is everything, remember?  :)

You may also remember a while ago that I mentioned we decided to rent a storage shed.  Our house hunt continues, but in the meantime we are running out of space in our current house so renting a storage shed is our temporary solution until we find “the one.”  Ellie currently sleeps in our guest room but the closet in the guest room was a catch all for random extras.  Things we weren’t using, but didn’t want to get rid of.

The right side of the guest room closet held old Halloween costumes, coats, and old prom dresses and dance team outfits from High School.  My high school memories are so dear to me and I just can’t seem to part with this stuff!  

The left side of the closet held other random items.  “Organized clutter” is what I called this closet and it always bugged me.  It looked messy and I knew we weren’t maximizing the space.  Meanwhile, the closet the girls were sharing in Addie’s room was bursting at the seams and there was no place for the girls’ small toys.  (Kole has completely taken over the playroom and the girls have too many little toys/accessories that he can choke on.)  Clearly a closet make-over was in order!  (Do you hear my squeals of joy at the thought!?)  :)

First step was to empty out the closet completely.  

Then I boxed A LOT of stuff up for the storage shed.  
Next I moved all of Ellie’s clothes into this room and started sorting and organizing them.  

Then when the girls were in school I threw away half of organized their toys.
Then my favorite part.  Creating a place for everything!
So are you ready for the “after” pictures?
Ellie’s closet on the right:
Ellie’s closet on the left:

A big improvement!!  Aside from the fact that it looks so much better (and seriously makes me giddy every time I put something away in it) this closet is completely functional and a perfect set-up for my girls’ toys.  I used every possible ounce of space plus it’s so easy for them to put things away and keep everything organized.  I triple exclamation mark LOVE it!!!
A place for everything and everything in its place.  And suddenly all is right in the world.  
Or at least in the closet.  :)
I found these simple labels at Michael’s (I think they’re for wedding invites?) to organize all of the girls small toys.  I wanted something simple I could just write on and change out when necessary.  

Top of the closet organizer holds Addison’s nebulizer and meds.  Then I just organized the toys and gave everything a happy home!  I found these fun clear containers with aqua lids at Home Depot of all places.  They were so cheap – just a couple of dollars each.  I stocked up and walked out of the door hauling a huge stack of these organizers on one hip and Kole on the other (who was doing his best to squirm out of my arms of course).  Good thing he didn’t because if we were going down I would have saved the organizers!  ;)

Break down of the toys:

My girls have LOVED having their toys so organized and accessible AND away from Kole!  They can pull out a box or two and make a big mess and then clean up is a cinch.  The best part is that I don’t have to deal with “mom!  where is Tinkerbell’s purse!?”  (A purse that is smaller than a penny)  We now know that if we still have it around, it’s in “doll accessories” — of course!  

The right side of her closet has short sleeved shirts on the bottom rack and bigger toys to the left in storage containers from The Container Store which used to be on the floor in Addison’s closet.
Because everyone needs a designated place for their fancy shoes.  

Dresses hang in the middle.

And long sleeved shirts are on the top.  There is also an additional top shelf that I used for larger toys/blocks.  
Once last glance at each side.  Because it makes me happy.  :)

And one more before and after to see how far this baby has come.  
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Nothing like a cleaned out closet.
And now my week is off to a good start!  :) 
Hope yours is too!
IHeart Organizing
xoxo, Erin
fashion2

Fashion Friday/SYTYCD

Friday is here!  Made it through another week.  Barely.  I swear I’m still recovering from Halloween.  At least that’s the excuse I’ve made all week as to why there hasn’t been a decent meal on the table and why the same load of laundry has been sitting in the dryer for five days surrounded by piles of dirty clothes.  And the reason I’ve been eating so lousy (seriously need to chuck all of that extra candy out the window!).  And the reason I was terrible about taking pics and don’t have a lot of outfits to share with you today.  But I’ll share what I’ve got!  
And the first thing I’ve got is quite a show stopper!  Modeling the latest in elf wear…
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  You know the funny thing is that I honestly grabbed my camera to take a picture of this after putting it on Halloween morning just out of habit.  It has just become part of my routine.  That’s how committed I am to Fashion Friday people!  Then I laughed at myself and took one anyway.  Not at all going to be surprised if this outfit doesn’t show up on the cover of Vogue soon.  Very flattering for all body types and a must have for Fall.  ;)
This is a simple jacket shirt (at least that’s what I call it) that I bought at Nordstroms (Brass Plum).  I just wear a white tank under it.  I bought it a couple of years ago when I was going through my green phase. 
I bought so many green tops one year.  I didn’t even notice it until I organized my closet and color coordinated everything.  Then I went “WOW.  Over half of my closet is green!”  And that was the end of my green era.  It was fun while it lasted.  
Wore it with my favorite first love Sevens.  
About to take another pic of the outfit and decided Kole brushing his teeth was more interesting.  I can’t even tell you how many tooth brushes we’ve gone through in the past three months.  He steals them and wanders off “brushing” his teeth and then we never find them again.  I know someday I’m going to be cleaning and hit the mother load of all toothbrushes.  He’s gotta be stashing them somewhere…
The rest of the week was boring and I wore stuff I’ve already shared like the top above.  It was HOT here this week so we broke out the summer clothes again.  San Diego is weird that way.  Sometimes October and November are our warmest months.  

Which is why I wore this summer top for a fun date on Wednesday night.
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE 2011 BABY!!  
Kenny and I realized this was our 5th year going to see SYTYCD live and it has become a tradition I hope never ends.  
 We went with our fun friends Marc and Ann again this year.  This is a picture of all four of us last year.
And here are some pictures of us in front of the arena this year…
My cute friend Ann had on a fun outfit so I made sure to get a full length pic so you could see the clothes!  Our husbands were rolling their eyes at us.  We were like “ok – now take a close-up, now take a shot that shows our boots, did we look fat?  K – take that one again.”  Kenny usually humors me and my picture taking for a good 2-3 minutes and then he is DONE.  With a capital D.  

But he was good to let me get a quick shot of the two of us.  Kenny knows how much I love this show and always pre-orders our tickets so we can get awesome seats.  Then he grins and bears it through picture taking because he knows how much my pictures mean to me.  
That is a good man.  
One who has been trained well.  :)
Pics from past seasons of SYTYCD.  This show never disappoints!  The dancing was incredible and we all had a great time.  
Went to the grocery store today to get stuff to make dinner and instead bought a frozen pizza and the new People Style Watch!  I’m ready to kick off the weekend NOW.  Looks like some great tips on jeans in this issue.  You know I’m all about a pair of good fitting jeans.  
And since I’m not sharing anything too fabulous that I wore this week, here’s an outfit I love on my sweet Ellie.  

Skirt and top are from The Gap.  I love this on her because it just seems to fit her personality.  And it’s not “itchy” so she’ll actually wear it.  Win win.  

And here’s Kole a.k.a “Ariel” in his or should I say “her” latest ensemble.  This is a long shirt that Ellie wears with leggings.  Honestly, about three times a day I turn around and Kole is out of his regular clothes and wearing one of Ellie’s shirts.  I can’t help but laugh out loud every time he waddles in the room in something like this!

Ellie and her dress up doll.  The two of them are pretty tight.  And I’m sure they will be.  Right up until Kole grows up and sees these pictures.  :)

But for now, Ariel doesn’t seem to mind one bit.  
Have a great weekend everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
Uncategorized

Sharlie’s story

Just popping in quick today to share some news I received about a fundraiser going on for a very special girl named Sharlie.  Sharlie was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was a baby.  She and her little sister, Lexi were both diagnosed with the disease.  Lexi passed away when she was just 14 years old, but Sharlie is still fighting the disease.  She is now 32 years old, married and has a darling 4 year old little boy named Harrison.  Sharlie’s health has been deteriorating and she is currently on a waiting list for a double lung and heart transplant.

I don’t know Sharlie personally, but I have a close friend who does and she has spoken so highly of her and her family.  I can’t imagine all they have been through and wanted to help spread the word about the fundraiser they are doing to help earn enough money for her lung/heart transplant.  It breaks my heart to think about that sweet little boy losing his mom.  I can’t begin to imagine how scared her family must be.  If you have a minute, please check out some of these links to learn about Sharlie and her beautiful family.  I’m also sharing links where you can learn more about the fundraiser going on in my neck of the woods this Saturday for those of you who live in the San Diego area.  It could be any of us.  I’m sure that spreading the word about this or donating anything at all would mean the world to their family.

Thanks so much and have a beautiful Thursday evening!


Sharlie’s angels — give forward


Sharlie’s story


Fox 5 news clip


Filling lungs with love

xoxo, Erin
Holidays

Fall Wreath (pinspiration!)

 Remember a while ago when I posted some fun fall ideas from Pinterest and I included this letter E wreath?

Such a simple way to personalize your decor.  I loved it so much that I decided to make my own version!

I bought this letter “R” at Pottery Barn Kids for just 10 bucks.  

And then painted it in my new favorite aqua color.  Of course.
  

Then I attached it to my fall wreath with some ribbon I had on hand.  So easy!  

Such a quick, simple way to add personality to an otherwise ordinary wreath.  

I think it’s Pintastic!  And my roses agree.  :)

xoxo, Erin
Holidays

2011 Halloween Wrap-Up

So does anyone else have a Halloween hangover today?  I swore when I went to bed last night that today I wasn’t going to eat any more sugar.  Not ONE MORE piece of candy or chocolate.
Then I woke up and had peanut m&m’s for breakfast.  
And now it’s after 10:00 in the morning and Kole and I are still in our pajamas.  The house is a disaster and we just can’t seem to get moving.  I think it’s going to take a while to recover from the last four days. 
{Wrapping up Halloween 2011} 
You may remember that last year for Halloween my little man was a snowman.  Well.  He {melted} my heart in that costume.  Literally.  And you know how I feel about Christmas.  

So when I saw this elf costume on-line I knew it was the one!  
I too dressed up as an elf and Kole and I were Santa’s happy little helpers.  Can’t you just tell how happy we are!?  This picture of him cracked me up.  
This was the only picture I have of my full costume.  I borrowed it from a friend and wore it last year too.  Nothing like a little Christmas cheer in October!  I think I was telling Addie not to rub her freckles off.  
Speaking of my little Strawberry Shortcake and her freckles – she was such a doll this year.  LOVED her costume and was so excited to wear it.  

The festivities started last week when my girls got to wear their costumes to dance class and make up their own dance to perform.  Oh my word.  Those little ballerina’s were the cutest things ever!  We downloaded the Strawberry Shortcake theme song for Addie’s dance.  I may have to share the video some time.  It was adorable!  Then they did their usual warm-up and then the mom’s got to dance with them.  Addison and I  shook things up big time.

Then it was time for Ellie’s hip hop class where they too got to wear their costumes and perform.  Ellie loved her costume this year, but thought it was itchy (she thinks all clothes other than pajamas are “itchy”) so the second she was done performing she tore off the wig and changed.  Then the hip hoppers worked on some routines and Addison jumped in and joined them.  She wants to do everything her big sister is doing.

The girls had so much fun at all of the festivities with their friends.  I love their ages right now!  Everything is so magical.

We had a lot of fun at Kenny’s office party.  His firm goes all out every year for Halloween.  I didn’t take a lot of pictures because there was a Haunted House for the kids and my girls must have gone through that thing over 20 times.  They came out the first time with wide eyes and said “that was SO SCARY mom!  Let’s do it again!!”  So we did.  Again and again and again.  

They always have a pumpkin carving contest and I loved the entries this year.  These two black pumpkins were pretty cool.  But my favorite?

The McPumpkin.  

How clever is that!?  I LOVED it!  
Kole and I at our church Trunk-or-Treat party.

He was such a pill that night.  Wouldn’t let me set him down for the first hour.  Running away from me the second hour.  Santa wouldn’t have been impressed.

Girls at their class parties.  Ellie had her costume off the second the parade was over.   We both agreed that next year she is wearing her pajamas and being a “sleepover girl.”  I was able to help for a total of 2.2 seconds in each classroom because Kole had other plans for us.  Plans that involved me paying 100% of my attention to him and him alone. I have to admit, I’m pretty pumped that this was my last Halloween with an 18 month old.  There are some things about his age that I am just NOT going to miss!

And other things I will miss.  Terribly.  
What a mommas boy.  :)

Trick-or-treating was a lot of fun.  Kenny took all three kids out while I handed out candy.  I had some fun Christmas magazines I was anxious to read, but I didn’t get to open one of them.  We had non stop trick or treaters for three hours straight!  I loved it though.  It’s my favorite part.  Especially seeing all of the little ones in their darling costumes who have practiced their “trick-or-treat!  thank-you! and happy halloween!”  Half way through the neighborhood Kenny brought Kole back to the house because he was running away and not having it in the stroller anymore.  Then every time I opened the front door to hand out candy he tried to escape so I finally just put him in his high chair, turned on Wonder Pets and loaded him up with enough food to last a life time.

The girls with their loot!  Kids had a blast.  Another successful, yet slightly exhausting Halloween!  
K.  Guess I’ll go get dressed now.  Back to reality.  
On second thought.  Those Christmas magazines are still sitting on the table.  They seem to be calling my name much louder than the dishes sitting in my sink….
xoxo, Erin
Holidays

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

From Lemon Meringue and Strawberry Shortcake

and from one mischievous,
speedy,
dangerous,

yet cautious,

excited,

curious,

  happy little elf.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
fashion2

Fashion Friday

What a week!  And it’s only going to get crazier!  Is everyone ready for the Halloween madness that is about to ensue?  We have several parties on the weekend’s agenda.  YEA.  One I have to bake something for.  BOO.  I’m quite sure a good time will be had by all.  Despite the baking.  But before it’s time to costume up, here are a few things I’ve been wearing lately.

First I’m sharing some of the purses I’ve been using this Fall.  I never spend a crazy amount of money on purses because I like to mix it up and use a different one about every other week.  A lot of times I’ll use the same one for a few weeks during the day, but switch purses when we go out at night on the weekend.  Here are a few of my recent favorites…

My go to when I’m wearing grey.  

This brown hobo purse is a fall favorite (sorry you can’t see it great, this was the only picture I had of it.  But how perfect that it is sitting next to some Christmas scrapbook supplies!)  I love this purse because it’s big and aside from holding my regular wallet, sunglasses, keys, it also holds the sippy cup, the binkie, and the fishy crackers.  
Love this purse I bought last Fall at The Limited.  
Mostly because of all of the organizers inside of the purse.  When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was to organize purses.  My mom would buy herself a new one and then just hand it over to me.  I remember sitting on the carpet beyond giddy organizing all of her credit cards, lipsticks, and loose change.  Yes.  I had one happy childhood.  :)  (Oprah “ah ha” moment… beginning to realize why it’s so fun for me to switch out my purses so often….)

This purse used to belong to my sister.  But then I saw it and fell in LOVE with it.  Isn’t it fabulous with that orange lining and green zipper and stitching!?  My sister agreed it was way more of an Erin purse than a Carly purse.  So after she used it for a few months, she mailed it to me.  That was several years ago and I’ve used it every Fall ever since!  It’s too small for every day, but I use it a lot when I go out.

Another forever favorite.  My one other splurge from our trip to Italy four years ago.   

Had to get a purse to go with the boots.  
Nothing like a fun purse to complete your outfit.    
Now on to the outfits! 
When we went to New York I wore a black dress to see The Lion King.  I had actually just bought it the day before!  While shopping on 5th Avenue I stopped by Ann Taylor Loft and they had so many things on sale.  This was a 90 dollar dress on sale for 40 dollars and they only had two left.  One of them was my size!  Oh happy day!  Love it when that happens.  

I loved the scoop neck and knew that my black belt would be a perfect accessory!  
You can’t go wrong with a simple black dress and while I already own a few, they are all short sleeved.  Not only is this long sleeved and warm, but it is so comfortable!  Soft, cozy material.  I feel like I’m in lounge clothes in this dress.  I wore it last week to church with black boots.  Not because it was cold, but because my legs were too scary white to wear my heels.  True story.  

Wanna hear the best part about this dress?  When I got up to the counter to pay for it, it rang up for 24 dollars!!  The sales lady said it was marked down again!  I seriously could not believe my luck.  I loved my simple black dress so much, I would have paid 90 for it!  The heavens opened at that moment and I knew.  I knew it was going to be a good shopping day.  

Speaking of scoop necks, I wore this simple grey scoop neck top this week.  Bought it last year at Express?  Maybe Limited.  One of the two.

Wore it with dark skinny jeans and my grey boots.  I’m starting to get so bored with pictures of myself in this mirror that I find myself trying to mix things up.  A different pose, maybe twist the camera the opposite way.  I know.  I’m wild and crazy like that.  
But wait.  Something is missing from my usual bathroom mirror shots…

There’s my little fashion buddy.  Now this post is complete.  :)
A few of you asked about my cowl neck sweater from my “bad weekend turned good post.”  Bought it from The Limited last year.  Love the color of that sweater.  I also loved all of your comments on that post!  You were all so sweet and funny.  It was fun hearing from so many of you!  
{Ariel says thanks too :)}

Another simple sweater.  I like the button on the neck.  This one is from Banana Republic.  Funny.  When Car and I were in New York we walked in a Banana Republic and both said at the same time “ahh…feels like home!”  We love that store.

Wore it with my Citizens and wedges.  
This is a top I’ve had for a couple of years from Forever 21.  
Fun sleeves and a belt.  Do you feel like my Fashion Friday posts are Groundhog Day all over again?  Just call me Bill Murray.  

For part of one day last week I wore it like this.  

In the morning and evening when it was cooler, I added this blazer over the top.  Another New York find.  This is so NOT something I would normally buy.  But.  On What Not to Wear, I’ve noticed that Stacey and Clinton are always talking about layering and how this type of thing is a must for every woman’s wardrobe.  Plus my sister made me buy it.  She wears a lot of stuff like this because she is a working mom who spends time in an office.  I’m a working mom who spends time at the park and I was worried I would feel too dressed up/stuffy in this for my day to day activities.  

But I did love the color and I did love the lining so I bought it in an attempt to branch out from my clothes comfort zone!  And because my sister can be extremely persuasive when she wants to be.  

And I actually really liked the way it looked.  It took the place of a jacket and was warm in the morning before the sun peeked through the clouds.  I didn’t love these boots with it though.  I’m hunting for some dark brown flat boots that are good for every day.  Hopefully Santa will find just the pair!  With a little guidance of course.  

The whole time I wore this I was feeling a little too dressy and wishing I had on different boots and thinking “I bet this is the last time I ever wear this.”  Then I went to Costco and the man standing in line behind me said “I wish my girlfriend would wear boots like those.”  I thanked him and we started chatting.  Kole was being his charming self so the man was entertaining him and asked if I had other kids.  When I told him I had three he said “you don’t look like you could have had three kids!”  I kindly thanked him again, paid for my groceries with a big smile on my face and walked out of the store thinking “hmmm… maybe I actually will wear this again.”
Like tomorrow. 
And the day after that.  
And maybe the day after that too.  
:)
**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy
xoxo, Erin
Kole

Around here…

we take our cleaning pretty seriously.

xoxo, Erin
Holidays

Our Halloween Traditions

I can’t believe Halloween is here in less than a week!  Soon it will be time for Christmas!!  YEA!!  Sorry.  I know.  I’m totally one of those annoying people who bypass Thanksgiving and leap to Christmas the second November 1st arrives.  I know some people get annoyed when stores start putting Christmas stuff up in August but I’m not one of them!  I say BRING. IT. ON.  I can’t help it!  December is too much fun!  But even though I’m ready to deck the halls and trim the tree, my kids are pretty pumped for Halloween.  We are having fun around here doing a few things that have become October traditions in our house so I thought I’d share them with you!

First up – our spooky spiders.  My girls and I love blow pop suckers so this is a fun little treat we like to make.  Very simple.  You just need suckers, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners.  You can find the full directions here.

Our neighborhood has such a fun tradition of doing the “BOO GHOST” each October.  We just got “boo’d” last week.  When you get “boo’d” you receive Halloween treats and a picture of a ghost along with a note on your doorstep.  Here is what the note says in case any of you want to start this in your neighborhood (probably next year since I didn’t have my act together soon enough to share this before the last week of October).

Happy Halloween – you’ve been Boo’d!

This treat is for you, we hope you enjoy.
The idea is simple, one we hope you employ.
You pass “BOO” along to two other neighbors.
Along with any kind of Halloween favors.
If we all do our part, and spread the good cheer,
By Halloween night it will be very clear,
We’re a friendly bunch, we like to share fun.
So please do your best to keep “BOO” on the run!

You’ve been Boo’d!  Now it’s your turn to Boo two other people in the neighborhood.
*You should Boo these people within two days of receiving your treat.
*Hang the picture of the ghost on your front door so you won’t be Boo’d again.
*Include treats, letter, and ghost in your package.
*After dark, Boo two of your neighbors.  Don’t let anyone see you!
It will be fun to see how many ghosts appear in our neighborhood!
This tradition is SO much fun for my girls.  They get just plain giddy when we get that bowl of treats on our door and can’t wait to “Boo” some of their friends right back.  October wouldn’t be the same without our little Boo ghost hanging on the front door!
Another fun tradition I started a couple of years ago is Halloween Bingo.  

I found these free Halloween Bingo cards on-line.  I just printed them on white cardstock and then glued them on black cardstock and laminated them.  Oh how I love to laminate!  
And oh how my girls love Halloween Bingo!  (October 2009)
(October 2011) 
Person calling out the pictures gets to sit on the table.  Because…well.. that’s just more fun.  You’ll also notice the lovely spider sitting on the table as well.  A gift from grandma.  Can’t say that I’m too fond of him, but my girls sure are.  He’s currently sitting in a bush in our front yard.  I like him much better there than on my kitchen table.  
Another thing we LOVE to do in October is to read our Halloween books. 

 I always set out a basket to hold seasonal books – easy access for the kiddos.  I keep these Halloween books tucked away until October.  Makes them seem extra special.  

Our all time favorite Halloween book is called Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian.  Cutest story ever.  We read it over and over every year.  Another fun Halloween book my girls love is called Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson.  We must have a thing for witch literature.  

I started a little tradition of buying my girls a fun Halloween Activity Book from Barnes and Noble each year.  I didn’t mean for it to be a tradition.  I bought them Halloween Activity books a few years ago and they loved them so much that now I do it each year.  Just a fun little Halloween book to color when they are waiting for daddy to get home or taking a break from homework.  This year I bought them each a Halloween My Little Pony workbook.

They came with stickers and have been a huge hit!  We have pictures like this one all over the house.  Some may prefer skulls and werewolves.  We prefer pumpkins and ponies.  :)

And this weekend we are planning on making our traditional ghost pancakes!

Complete with chocolate chip eyes.  Always a hit around here!  
Also on this weeks’ agenda is our traditional “Halloween movie marathon.”  

I made this fun little treat for my girls one year and now they beg for it every October.  I just tossed some of their favorite snacks together – popcorn, pretzels, fishy crackers, m&m’s and of course candy corns!  I mixed it all up in our favorite pumpkin bowl and wa-la!  A Halloween treat that is perfect to munch on while watching your favorite spooky shows.  And since I’m sharing our favorite Halloween books, I’ll also tell you our favorite Halloween movie.  It’s called The Teacher from the Black Lagoon… and More Slightly Scary Stories (Scholastic Video Collection) and it’s a good one!  I would recommend this for 5 year olds and up (not toddlers).  Very spooky tales.  The last story seriously scares me more than my girls.  Not that that’s saying much.

This treat is almost too good to share!
Happy Halloween week everyone!  What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?
{Only 36 more days until December!  WOOT WOOT!!}
xoxo, Erin
Fun with Friends

Our bad turned good weekend

Well.  We had quite a weekend.  Family pictures were first thing Saturday morning.  I was so prepared.  Cute, coordinating outfits for the family – check.  Everything ironed and laid out the night before – check.  Kids to bed early so they would be well rested – check.  Kenny prepared to grin and bear it – check. Girls bribed into cooperating – check.  Kole bribed into cooperating – NEGATIVE.  Not only did Kole NOT cooperate, he decided to cry during the whole shoot.  We didn’t get ONE picture without him pitching the biggest fit.  Screaming, kicking, trying so hard to escape my arms and be free.  In Kole’s mind, being contained = death.  So not only is he screaming in every picture, but I look equally awful because I’m trying so hard to contain him.  I knew this would happen.  I did.  I don’t know why there was still this little part of me that thought maybe.  Maybe he’ll cooperate.  Just for a minute or two.  Maybe we’ll get that Christmas card photo after all.  
Nope.  
I cried.  I came home after the photo shoot, looked at the pictures on the disk and cried.  Not because it’s that big of deal.  But just because it’s so much work.  So much work for the mom (especially the mom of little kids) to plan the photo shoot, get the outfits, and get the whole family up and picture perfect.  It’s so hard working around the nap, the not very excited husband, and everything else that may get in the way.  So much work to have a blurry, screaming baby in the middle of every photo.  
After I had a 10 minute pity party, I got over it.  I’ll figure something out.  I’ll use some pictures I’ve taken or just embrace this stage and use a picture with Kole screaming his little head off.  It is what it is!  I’m sure someday I’ll look back at those photos and smile.  
Not smiling yet.  
The good news was that I had a fun date planned for Saturday night.  A date with fun friends.  At one of my favorite restaurants.  A restaurant that happens to be located right next to my favorite store.  (That may or may not be why I love the restaurant so much.)  

Cheesecake Factory!  Located right next to THE CONTAINER STORE!  (What was that? — angels singing in the background?…I know I wasn’t the only one who heard them…)   I told my cute friend Darci we would have to get sitters earlier or eat fast so we would have time to shop after dinner.  I can’t be that close to this beloved store and not pop in!  Lucky for me there was a 50 minute wait for dinner.  50 minutes?  Hmmm… I knew just how we could spend our time!

Not only were we in the Container Store (one of the most magical places on earth), but they had their Christmas stuff out!!  Talk about being in my happy place!  Christmas and organizing — it just doesn’t get any better.  Suddenly all of my tears from family pictures seemed like a distant memory.  I was on cloud nine.  No.  I was happier than that.  I was beyond the clouds!

Now tell me these pictures don’t make you giddy too!  Admit it.  Anyone else beyond the clouds!?

Darci and I loved this gift wrapping station.  Hmmm… wonder if Santa heard that.  

And what did our husbands do while we shopped?  They had a delightful time catching up.  Just look at Kenny.  Patiently waiting and visiting while holding my camera bag and future purchases.  Now that is a good man!  Our husbands had so much fun visiting that the time just flew by.  Darci and I decided this is how we are going to do all of our Christmas shopping.  The men can come along and keep each other company and hold our stuff while we tear it up.  Win win for everyone!

Aside from the obvious location of being next door to my favorite store, this is reason #2 I needed to head to Cheesecake Factory.  Their pumpkin cheesecake.  Is your mouth watering yet?  It’s seasonal so you can only get it for a couple of months.  And it is HEAVENLY.  It’s an October tradition to eat our pumpkin cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory.  Talk about a perfect date night.  And a great end to what started out as a not so great day.

And in other weekend news.  The girls decided it was time to dress up Kole.  In their clothes.  
To quote Ellie — “who says Kole has to be a boy?  Just because some silly doctor says so?” 
 It was then decided that Kole is now a girl and her name is Ariel.  

Ariel was dressed up in an assortment of the girls’ clothes over the weekend.  Here she is modeling an off the shoulder rose shirt in a lovely magenta.  
Sometimes Kole was ok with the gender change.  

Sometimes he wasn’t.  
By the end of the weekend we had all embraced it.  
Ariel admitted defeat and pushed her little shopping cart all over the house.   
Poor kid doesn’t stand a chance.  
(I’d feel sorry for you buddy, but you ruined my pictures.  What’s that they say about payback?)
xoxo, Erin
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Fashion Friday

YES!  Made it to the weekend!  Barely.  The hardest part about going on a vacation is coming home from the vacation.  This week has been brutal!  So busy catching up on everything we missed during our trip.  And to top it all off – after school today I took all three kids shoe shopping.  WHAT was I thinking!?  I know exactly what I was thinking — we have family pictures Saturday morning and the kids don’t have dress shoes that fit them and match what they’re wearing and this was the only time I could go.  But still — what was I thinking!?  Kole was a maniac running up and down the store isles.  The girls couldn’t sit still.  Too busy giggling and dancing around and begging me to take them to get ice cream after.  Two minutes into actually trying on shoes both girls need to go potty.  Of course.  We come back after a bathroom break and try on more shoes.  We can’t find anything that fits them right.  Now Kole is not only running around but also yelling at the top of his lungs while he does it.   I’m throwing shoes right and left at my girls and saying “quick – try these on!” then running after Kole.  Huge mess – shoes everywhere!  People are looking at me like I’m “that woman.”  The crazy mom with no control over her kids.  I was the crazy mom with no control over her kids!  And I was crazy to think I could pull that off and keep my sanity in check.  Welcome home Erin.  Vacation is definitely over!  
I am thrilled that today is behind me and I am now in my happy place.  Blogging about clothes.  Clothes that I bought with NO kids in sight.  
I’m sharing two outfits today and two different ways I wear them.  Should be exciting stuff.  Or not.  But it doesn’t matter.  Happy place, remember?   
I bought this shirt over a year ago at Forever 21.  Ever watch TLC’s What Not To Wear?  I adore Stacey and Clinton!  Although I have to admit that I get impatient seeing all of the crazy outfits the people on that show are wearing in the beginning so I just fast forward to the shopping for new clothes, hair and make-up.  Nothing like a good make-over!  Anyway – Stacey and Clinton are always recommending that women wear tops that are fitted at their rib cage.  It’s a flattering spot for all women.  I always think of that tip when I wear this shirt.  
I usually wear this with my dark skinny jeans and brown boots.  Wouldn’t Stacey and Clinton be proud? 

If I need to dress up for something, I’ll wear the same shirt with this skirt.  This brown pencil skirt from Banana Republic has been a staple in my wardrobe for years now.  I love it and it never goes out of style.  It really goes well with so many different shirts and sweaters.  

I wear brown heels with this most of the time, but when things get really chilly around here (I’m talking a major 5 degree temperature dip) I pull out my brown dressy boots.  
I’m so excited to show you all some of the fun stuff I bought in New York!  (Ahhh… let me just remember NY and my magical day of shopping on 5th Avenue sans kids….)  You’ll see all of my fun finds as soon as I get a chance to wear them!  We shopped in so many unique stores, but I did manage to find a HUGE Forever 21.  I’m talking FOUR STORIES!  I had a PAR-TAY in that store and did some major damage! 

First of all, I fell in love with this grey tunic.  I actually saw this top in the Forever 21 here in San Diego and wanted it but they were out of my size.  I was so happy to see it in my size in New York that I bought two of them in different colors!   (Did I mention the tunic was $24 on sale for 50% off?  12 bucks baby!  Doesn’t get any better than that!)  Does the belt look familiar?

I took it off of this fun skirt I shared in one of my first Fashion Friday posts.  

I also bought some new black leggings to go with the tunic.  Doesn’t it go great with that belt and my grey boots!?  I love it.  Kole loved it too.  He clearly couldn’t get enough of my new grey tunic and had to head to the mirror for a closer look.  

And back to the mirror we go!  It’s so fun having a son that shares my love for fashion. 

 Another option for this tunic is to lose the belt and dress it up with a long necklace.  (I’ve shared this necklace before too – I bought it at The Limited.)

I like the belt better, a little more flattering to pull things in at the waist, but I thought this was a fun way I can mix things up.  You’ve probably noticed several of my fashion obsessions by now.  The world is a happy place when I have on a belt and some puffy sleeves.

 I wanted to show you another shoe option with this same outfit, but Kole had other plans.  

He clearly did NOT like the flats as well as the boots.  

This outfit can go from comfy casual…
to stylish and dressy in two seconds flat.  Love that.  
I also love that now after posting I feel SO much better!  Calm after a very hectic day.  It’s a good thing too.  I’m going to need all of my energy to get through family pictures with Kole this weekend.  I have a feeling this may be the year that I do a Christmas card with our family minus one. 
 It’s just a really good thing he’s so stinkin’ adorable.  
And such a major fashion expert.  
Have a good weekend everyone!  
**Linking up at What I Wore Wednesday!
xoxo, Erin
organization2

Admitting it is the first step

Ever taken time out of your day to organize your extra organizers?

That’s when you know you have a problem.
xoxo, Erin

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