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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 
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.22.11

Santa Love

Not much time to post tonight!  I spent the last half hour writing down a list of everything I have left to do before the weekend.  It always amazes me that no matter how organized I am or how much I try to do ahead of time, there are always so many last minute things to do to get ready for Christmas!  The next two days will be busy for sure.  Fun busy.  I love it when my to-do list includes shopping, shopping, and more shopping!  :)

I took the kids to see Santa today.  The girls were SO excited.  

Addison spent 20 minutes deciding what to wear and finally agreed with me that her glitter tights and ruffle skirt would be appropriate “visit Santa” attire.  Ellie refused to wear her glitter tights and ruffle skirt and told me that she was planning on being a fashion designer someday so that she could create clothes that feel and look like pajamas but that you can wear every day.  I told her I was sold and would completely pay for and support her new clothes line. (Did you catch that Kenny?  You’ll need to completely pay for and support Ellie’s new clothes line.)
BTW- you are all invited to our party when we celebrate her success.  Comfy attire only.    
I was so prepared for Kole to scream like crazy when I put him on Santa’s lap but he LOVED Santa!  Funniest thing.  He was so happy – smiling and laughing and “talking” to Santa.  Then he pitched the biggest fit and screamed when I took him off Santa’s lap.  I knew a fit would be pitched at some point.  I was just surprised at when it occurred!  The girls told Santa everything they want for Christmas which was completely different than what they have been telling me they want all month.  Love that. 
I told them that Santa’s elves have burned him out kept him pretty busy this year (one elf in particular!) so they may not get exactly what they asked for.  They said, “Oh don’t worry mom!  Santa knows and 
will get us what we want!  He’s magic!”  
Magic?  Maybe.  Tired?  Definitely.  :)
Ellie wrote notes to Santa a few weeks ago.  One from each person in our family…  

She even scribbled a note from Kole.  Amazing really.  She has his signature look down perfect.  

Then she placed this envelope in the center of my hutch and filled it with leftover Halloween candy and fake money.  I laughed so hard when I saw it.  Nothing like a stale tootsie roll and some monopoly cash! Santa won’t ever want to leave our house.  

She put the notes in each of our stockings and they have been there for weeks.  I took them down when I took pictures for my Christmas Hutch post and Ellie wasn’t impressed.  “MOM!  How will Santa see how much we love him without my notes!?”  So back up they went after my photo shoot was over.

Yes.  Santa is a lucky man.  
And just like our little elf, I’m sure that when he visits he’ll make himself right at home.  
:)  
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.21.11

Picture frame re-do…again.

Christmas is almost here and I still haven’t shared some of my Christmas decor this year!  I need to find time to blog everything I want to share or I’ll still be posting Christmas ideas in February.  (I always seem to have an overload of pictures and topics and projects I want to blog about and never enough time to sit down at the computer and do the actual posting.  It’s a problem.)  Back to the decor that I don’t have time to share.  I wanted to bring more of the aqua/blue and white into the rest of my house.  Plus I still love red.  And it is Christmas.  And I still have red couches.  So aqua, white, and red have been my 2011 Christmas color theme.  I wanted a quick fix for some of my picture frames so I blew the dust off of my scrapbook paper stash and found these beauties… 

Perfect!  I remember when I bought this paper a couple of years ago thinking that it was so pretty I should frame it.

And frame it I did!  So fun that it actually ties in with my decor this year.  It was such a quick, easy, CHEAP way to mix things up and tie everything together.  
Remember my little picture frame re-do for my Fall decor?  I wanted to replace the pictures with the scrapbook paper, but I didn’t think that the yellow would work very well.  I didn’t want to spray paint my yellow frames again though because I know me.  And I know that when Spring rolls around I will want to mix things up again and I will want my yellow frames back.  Hmmm.  What to do…what to do.  So I went to Michaels.  And at Michaels I bought some wooden frames.  They were a whopping two dollars each.  And I came home.  And I put Kole down for a nap because he was such a PILL in that store.  And after I caught my breath and recovered from my shopping trip with Kole, I spray painted the frames white.  
Then I popped out the pictures of my little man at the pumpkin patch (back in the day when he was a good shopper…oh how I miss those days!) and I popped in the scrapbook paper.  And then I used some of the same aqua ribbon to hang the frames.  And the whole thing took me no time and all.  And I love the look!  
The bird feels quite at home with all of the other birds here and there in my house and ties in nicely with the picture frames.  
He also ties in with my red couches in the front living room, and my aqua, silver, and white mantel in the family room.  Such a clever bird.  
Next I hung some simple aqua and silver ornaments from Target from the light fixture in my dining room.  
And that added a nice touch too.  

So there you go!  It all coordinates so well – especially with my kitchen and some of the changes I’ve made in there like my aqua wall/shelf.  Fun!  I’ve loved having a whole new look this year for Christmas!  And like I mentioned before, a lot of this I can keep up through January.  Although the ornaments are going to have to go soon.  Kole can reach them – bummer!  So of course his favorite thing to do is to climb on the table (you’ll notice I have NO decor on any of my tables this year) and hit the ornaments into each other causing shrieks of terror from his sisters.  They seem to care about the ornaments even more than I do.

Like I just said when I shared my Christmas Hutch, I love to see a good transformation!  :) So here you go – a tribute to my picture frames in all their glory…

Wonder what’s in store for them next?  I know.  The suspense is killing you. 
;)
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.19.11

Christmas Hutch

Popping in today to share pictures of my hutch decorated for Christmas!  I mentioned when I posted about my Christmas mantel that I had to re-locate our stockings up and out of Kole’s reach.

My hutch was the perfect solution!  It even has five pegs on it – how lucky was that.  :)

I think I spent a whole ten minutes putting this together.  I just used things I already had and kept it simple.  

The only new addition is the candy dish below Kole’s stocking.  It was my grandma’s and my mom gave it to me at Thanksgiving this year.  I love displaying things I love mixed with things that are sentimental and special to me.  In my opinion, that’s what decorating is all about.

I added a little greenery between the white pitchers and vases to spruce things up a bit.  

The stockings are hung and ready for Santa!  Bonus:  the stockings are hung and out of Kole’s reach! 
And because I love transformations, here is a quick before and after:
{Fall Hutch}

{Christmas Hutch}
Kids are out of school!  We have had such a nice LAZY morning.  It felt so good to not have to pack lunches and rush out the door.  My candle is burning and Christmas music is playing and we are all still in our pajamas.  Breakfast, coloring, and a little dancing have been the agenda so far.  We have a neighborhood Christmas party this afternoon and a few more gifts to deliver.  Our vacation is off to a good start!  I’m really looking forward to spending time with my kids.  Their excitement is contagious!
Happy Monday before Christmas everyone!   
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
12.16.11

Fashion Friday

It’s Friday!  Did we all survive the week?  The past few days with Mr. Kole have been an experience to say the least.  I’ll have to tell you all about it but I need to wait until I’ve had a chance to recover.   So instead I’m going to go to a happier place.  A place where my little boy doesn’t throw massive temper tantrums in the middle of Target tossing fishy crackers all over isle 11.  A place where he doesn’t pull my hair and scream when I pick him up inspiring all sorts of fun looks from busy shoppers.  A place where toothbrushes go directly into your mouth, instead of dipped in toilet water first (oh yes – let’s all just take a minute to gag – I sure did.  Then I scooped him up and threw him in the tub.  As if bathing him would somehow wash away what I had just witnessed).  FOR THE LOVE!  I am exhausted.  
I drove by Darci’s house to take her some cookies last night (Darci is a close friend and her fourth and last child is Kole’s age).  My kids were in the car so her kids jumped in the car.  The older kids were so hyper – laughing and acting crazy.  Kole was screaming in his car seat.  Her little boy came charging out of the house totally naked (he has learned to take off his diaper) and was running circles around the car.  We were laughing so hard!  We just have to laugh or we will cry.  We decided that as soon as our boys are both potty trained we are going on a trip together.  Somewhere far away.  With no children in sight.  Any other toddler moms out there who want to join us?  
That is the happy place I am ready to escape to after this week.  But since I have a ways to go before Kole is potty trained, I guess escaping to Fashion Friday will have to do.  :)  
We had a lot of Christmas parties to attend last week so I wore my black New York dress to one of them.  

And I bought this fun dress at The Limited for another event.  I needed something dressy/classy for one of Kenny’s client parties and this dress was perfect!  

I love the ruffles on the top.  I love the simplicity of it.  I love the high waisted skirt.  Stacey and Clinton (TLC’s What Not To Wear) are always saying that women are smallest at their rib cage and they should accentuate that area.  I thought of them when I bought this dress.   :)

They’re right.  This style is flattering.  The dark skirt is slimming and because of the high waist, your waist appears smaller.  I’ll take two of them!  :)
 I wore the black sparkly Banana Republic headband to the party…

and my grey rose headband from The Gap with the dress for church last Sunday.  I love finding dresses that I can wear to fancy events or parties and that will also work to wear to church on Sunday.  More bang for your buck!

Getting ready to head to the party.  Someone could tell mom was about to leave.  

 For holiday parties that aren’t quite as formal, I bought this fun sparkly shirt (also from The Limited).  Addison was so in love with this.  It was funny.  She saw me in it and went running into Ellie’s room – “ELLIE!  You have to see mom’s shirt!  It’s all glittery and so beautiful!!  Ellie took one look and said, “bet that’s itchy, huh mom.”  Made me laugh because that is so them.  Addie – my little fashionista who will sacrifice all comfort to look stylish…

(one of her favorite Gymboree shirts because it comes complete with accessories!)  

and Ellie whose main focus is comfort.  She would wear sweats or pajamas every day if I let her.  

This shirt is actually not itchy.  It’s really soft on the inside and I think it looks great with black heels.  I wore it with my dark skinny jeans and I liked the outfit, but it looked a little dark.  I think I need to buy some cream slacks or something to go with the top.  Kole agrees.  

 I bought this shirt from Banana Republic a couple of years ago.  It goes great with my anthro belt.

But lately I’ve been having fun wearing some of my necklaces.  I love both of these with this shirt and go back and forth between the two of them every time I wear it.  
Of course I can also wear my yellow scarf I showed off in my last Fashion Friday post which you can purchase here.  I love making an old shirt feel new by adding some fun accessories!  
Wondering what Kole is usually up to while I take Fashion Friday pictures?  He’s either sweeping the floor with his broom.  

 Or tearing apart the toilet paper.  
And because it has become a December tradition, I’m going to share our family’s favorite Christmas photo in honor of my sister’s birthday this week. 

(Carly on the left and me on the right)
Happy Birthday Car!!
I guess my mom can relate.  
:)
Have a great weekend everyone!
**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy
xoxo, Erin
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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof
12.15.11

Applesauce Cookies

Thank you so much for the sweet comments about my pantry!  You are all incredibly kind.  That was a fun project and I was so excited to share it with all of you!
These last few days have been crazy.  Life is so busy right now (I’m sure you can all relate!) and December is flying by way too quickly.  Kids are out of school after this week and I’m hoping everything slows down so that we can just enjoy the holiday together.  I finally got my Christmas cards mailed out and finished up my friend/neighbor/teacher gifts today.
I didn’t make my cards and I just kept things really simple for gifts and made cookies.  Nothing too creative this year.  I have to save my creativity for entertaining Kole.  That boy is sucking the life right out of me these days!  But I did manage to bake!  Which is a feat for me with or without my 20 month old sidekick.
Because I’ve made our Christmas Pretzel Hugs for the past few years, I decided to mix it up and make Applesauce cookies.  And I have to share my applesauce cookie recipe with all of you because they are SO good.  Really.  They are.  My mom always made these cookies when I was growing up (the recipe is from my grandma) and the smell of them brings back happy childhood memories.  Maybe making them will bring back happy childhood memories for you too.  Probably not, but it’s worth a try, right?

 

{Applesauce Cookies}
Ingredients:
I cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 cups applesauce
4 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pkg chocolate chips
Directions:
First mix together the sugar and shortening.  Add eggs, then add the applesauce and soda combined.  (I just put the 2 tsp of soda right into the applesauce can and stir away.  The applesauce kind of rises and sizzles.  That’s my favorite part. :)
Add the rest of the dry ingredients (I love that most of them are 1 tsp. – makes it harder to mess things up.  Although one time I messed up big time.  I made these and forgot the flour.  How do you forget the flour?  I don’t know but I did and wouldn’t recommend it.)
Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes

Five reasons you should make these: 1 – They’re delicious.  2 – They’re easy – if I can make them correctly (most of the time), anyone can.  3 – The cinnamon and spices will make your house smell so Christmassy!  It’s the best!  4 – They have applesauce in them so you can pretend they are good for you.  They’re not.  But it’s always fun to pretend.  5 – You’ll want to see the applesauce sizzle part.  It’s just cool.

I doubled this recipe and made 95 cookies so it probably makes around 46-48 per batch.

 

Then I just used some cute Rudolph plates, clear wrap, and red ribbon to make them look pretty.
All wrapped up and ready to deliver!
The only problem is that I need at least 10 more plates of cookies.  Plus Kenny came home tonight and was so bummed there weren’t any left for him.  Looks like another batch of cookies is in my future!  I tend to eat my fair share of things that I bake so it’s a good thing they have applesauce in them and are so good for me.
I painted that little cake stand to use for decor…
but so far is has been perfect to hold some of the little candles I bought to deliver with the cookies.  Remember the Fresh Balsam candle from Bath and Body Works that I mentioned in my favorite things post?
I’m kind of obsessed with it.  In fact I bought four of the large candles for teacher gifts…
but this one seemed to be calling “light me!”.  So I did.
Smells so good.  Almost as good as my healthy applesauce cookies.
 
Ellie made some beautiful artwork that just so happens to match the aqua/silver decor we are going with around here.  I was impressed.  It’s not every second grader who takes her house color palette into consideration before creating.  ;)

 

And while we’re on the subject of art, I have to share a close up of another picture Ellie recently drew. That has to be the cutest reindeer and Santa “Claws” I’ve ever seen.   :)

 

And here’s Addison’s awesome hundreds chart which has nothing to do with Christmas, our decor, cookies or anything else for that matter.  But I can’t brag about one daughter and not the other.  What kind of mom would I be?
(Dec. 2010)
So proud of both of my girls.  So proud of my applesauce cookies.
Enjoy!  And if you bake these cookies let me know how they turn out!  Don’t forget the flour and they’ll become a family favorite for sure.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
12.12.11

Pantry Organization – the next level!

So excited about today’s post!  I re-organized my pantry.  Again.  I don’t have a great “before” picture of everything looking awful like I usually do because my pantry is one area that always stays organized.  I’m in and out of it so many times during the day and it drives me crazy when it gets messy.  It used to look like this:
{BEFORE}

 

Like I said, not awful, but I knew it could be better so last summer I decided it was time to take this baby to a whole new level!  I started this little project in July, took my time and finished it in October.  Then I took pictures of everything in November and finally in December I’m ready to share it!  (Good thing I don’t roll this way with all of my projects…)  Ready for the “new and improved taken to the new level” pantry?

{AFTER}
Ta-da!  I’m now pretending I can hear oohs and aahs from all of you.  If you aren’t oohing and aahing that’s ok.  I’m going to pretend anyway.  That’s the fun thing about having your own blog.  You get to  pretend what you want.

 

A view from the side.  Now I hear applause.  And what?  A standing ovation?
;)
I’ll come back from fantasy land and break this baby down for all of you.

A few reasons I decided to re-do this pantry – first of all, it’s so small and was always crowded with food.  I knew I wanted to get rid of bulky boxes that were taking up too much room.  Second of all, I live in a humid climate and if we don’t close the tops of boxes/sacks tightly after use the food doesn’t taste as fresh.  Nothing like semi-soggy crackers and cereal.  And third, well, I just wanted it to look prettier.  :)

I spent a long time deciding which containers to use.   I knew I didn’t want glass.  Breakables get broken around here.  And I’m not just talking about the kids.  I’m incredibly clumsy and break things all the time.  I’m sure Kenny would love to elaborate on this little fact.  But that’s the other nice thing about having my own blog.  No elaborating from Kenny.

 

We all eat the same thing for breakfast – Bran Chex for me, Oatmeal for Kenny, and sometimes the kids eat Cheerios.  I bought these Press Containers for our cereal and I LOVE them.  You can get them in two different sizes.  Mine are the large size and I can fit about three boxes of Bran Chex in one of these babies.  Major space saver!  I bought them at The Container Store but for some reason I can’t find them on-line.  I’ll keep looking, but here is something similar that would also work.
The handles on the back and the attachable lids that easily pop up and down make them so easy to use.  Very kid friendly.  Very Erin friendly.

For the rest of our dry goods I decided to use the OXO Good Grips.  I can’t begin to tell you how much I love these.  LOVE THEM.  Great variety of sizes, fantastic lids that seal when closed keeping your food oh so fresh, plus they’re stackable.  The only problem is that they aren’t cheap.  The rectangle size is the one I needed the most of (second one on the left) and those are around 17 bucks each.  That’s why I took so long on this project.  I just bought one or two at a time.  I could have bought them all at once, but then Kenny would have seen hundreds being spent on plastic organizers and he may not have been impressed.  And I’m all about impressing my husband when Christmas is in our near future.  :)  I will say though that these are absolutely worth the investment.  Now I’ll have these in our pantry forever and they really are a great way to organize and store your food.

For the flour, sugar, Bisquick labels I bought chalkboard labels and a chalk pen.  Love the look of chalk without the mess!  I wrote each one a few times and then realized that my handwriting wasn’t magically going to change and they all looked the same so I picked one out and stuck it on!

They turned out great!

 

I attached the directions for waffles on the back of the Bisquick container just in case I forget.  Actually just in case Kenny forgets since he is on waffle duty every Saturday.

Frist I had the Bisquick placed on the left so I could see the all of the fun labels, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the most practical way to organize everything.

I moved the cereal to the left because that is the easy to reach spot and we use those every day.  The Bisquick can be tucked in the top corner because we only pull it out once a week.  My best organizing advice is to set things up in a way that is the most practical for you and your family.  Make it function well for you and your needs.

In fact, that’s why you don’t see labels on everything else.  I didn’t want to label the other containers because the contents are always changing.  One day one is filled with fishy crackers, the next day pasta, and when the pasta is gone it’s full of cookies.  I didn’t want to be tied down and have to put the same thing in each time.  Plus every few days when switching out the contents of the containers I like to rinse them off in the sink so they stay clean and I didn’t want to have to keep taking off labels and putting them back on.  Function is key!

A better look at the lids.  Love the way they seal shut!
I mostly bought the square containers but did buy a tall one for pasta.  I was able to fill it with several packages of pasta and just left the wrapping on each of them.  So nice to have them all together!  The smaller container was the perfect size for Kenny’s brown sugar he sprinkles on his oatmeal and fruit every morning.

 

I found this cute little scooper for the brown sugar at The Container Store.
Because life is about the little things.  :)

 

I still organize all of my “sticky” items on a baking sheet.  I’ve been doing this for years.  It’s a great way to keep your pantry clean and those items all corralled together.  There was just enough room for my Prego stash in between the baking sheet and my clear baskets.  Love maximizing every ounce of space!

These clear baskets I also found at The Container Store (similar here).  They hold odds and ends like fruit snacks, packaged goods, and the middle one is for snacks I put in Ziploc bags so they are ready to go when we are heading out the door somewhere.  When I unload my groceries I fill my containers and if there is anything left over I put the contents in Ziploc bags.  I’m always glad I did when I am rushed making lunches or need to be somewhere quick and I know I’ll need a snack for Kole.

I found these baskets at Target (similar here) and they are a great solution for things I didn’t want to dump into clear containers.  Chips are on the left and random boxed items are on the right.  To the right of the boxes there is just enough room for a loaf of bread or two.  A place for everything and everything in its place.

:)

 

I store all of my cans on the bottom shelf because we aren’t reaching for them as often as the other items. I bought the large Expand A Shelf and it was the perfect solution!  I love this organizer because you can make it as long as you need it to be.  Now that my cans are stacked I can see everything so easily.  No more searching for 10 minutes to find that certain can of beans.  They make this in a smaller size too.  A great organizing tool!

 

To the right I store paper plates and cups.  Easy location for me and the kids to grab at snack time.

 

Bottom is free for anything else that doesn’t fit!  For now it’s just our Costco popcorn.  I blog better when I’m munching on popcorn.

Honestly, this pantry organization has made my life so much easier.  Yes, it takes a minute after grocery shopping to empty everything and keep it looking this clean, but in the long run it saves me time and money because I can so easily see what we have and need.  I have SO much more room to store food because I toss all of those bulky boxes.  The kids know where they can find everything and everyone knows where to put things away.
Plus did I mention that it just makes me happy to look in it!?  I debated painting the inside (so many people are painting their pantries these days!) but as you know we are house hunting so I decided it wasn’t worth the time it would take me.  I’m sure in my next house my pantry will not only be organized, but a fun color as well!
So there you go.  My “taken to the next level” pantry.  Can I get a Woot Woot!!   Nothing puts a smile on my face like a clean pantry and a clean fridge.  Life is hectic, but having often used spaces organized somehow makes the hectic much more manageable.  And a lot more fun.
:)
*affiliate links used
xoxo, Erin
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Addison
12.10.11

Sharing

Kole’s latest obsession is feeding us all.  

He takes our family rule about “sharing” to a whole new level.  
Sometimes we all get a little tired of eating everything he puts in our mouths.  

But it makes him SO happy.  
So we all just continue to open wide.  
:)
Kole and Kenny are down for their Saturday afternoon naps.  I’m off to make the girls grilled cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate (even though it’s so warm outside I got sunburned putting up our Christmas lights).  Then the three of us are going to curl up under a blanket and watch The Polar Express.  I love days like this.  Happy Saturday everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.08.11

2011 Christmas Mantel

Hi friends!  Just popping in quick today to share my Christmas mantel.  Here’s a picture of last year’s mantel…

I knew I wanted something different this year to go with our new color scheme around here.  I also knew that having our stockings hung on metal letters like we normally do would be a disaster/death trap for Kole.  So I mixed things up a bit and here’s what I came up with — 

I went with an aqua, silver, and white theme and am loving the new look!  Kind of icy, don’t you think? In fact one thing I’m excited about is how this mantel will work for the month of January too.  I’ll just swap out the Christmas tree and the garland and I’m good to go until February!

Another look closer up because I took too many pictures of my icy mantel —

(Please ignore the reflection of my top kitchen shelves in the mantel mirror.  Decorating is still a work in progress there.  With all of my half done decorating, Christmas decor, and Kole’s love for pulling everything out of every cupboard, my house has felt a bit like a construction zone lately.)

A breakdown of the new look:

Yes.  I went back and got the larger basilica pillar Pottery Barn candles.  You knew I would.  :)  Those embossed snowflakes are just gorgeous.  I decided that I loved them too much to let them go.  Plus I know I will decorate with them every year somewhere in my house during December/January for years to come.  And I’m not regretting that little purchase one bit.  My pictures don’t capture how beautiful they are and the way they sparkle in the light.  My favorite purchase of the season!  

Another fun purchase were these little silver birds I found at Tai Pan when I was visiting my family in Utah for Thanksgiving.

Aren’t they fun?  I knew they would get along famously with all of the other little feathered friends popping up in my house lately.

I added a couple of my beloved white pitchers because they make me so happy right now.  Plus they went so well with the white snowflakes on my new candles.  

I had these apocrathy jars up for my Fall mantel so I just replaced the mini pumpkins, acorns and corn with silver and aqua ornaments.  These little jars are such a simple way to make a bold statement.

The silver Christmas tree I also found at Tai Pan.   

And the wreath I found at Michaels for $15 bucks.  I just hung it with some aqua ribbon I had left over from my picture frame re-do.

I love the way my mantel ties in with my aqua wall and kitchen shelf this year.  And it’s always fun to mix things up!  Change is a good thing.  The holidays are in full swing around here.  You can see to the left of my mantel I’m listening to Pandora Internet radio on my TV.  I have it set to play Christmas tunes 24/7.  Love it!  I’ve also been doing some more decorating and a little organizing so I will have lots to share soon.  (These evening Christmas parties are putting a major kink my blog schedule!)  ;)   
xoxo, Erin
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Gift Ideas
12.07.11

Favorite Things 2011

Last year when I posted about a “Favorite Things” party I attended I received so many e-mails asking how the party works and what the favorites were so this year I’m going to share all of the details!  My cute friend Ann has always loved watching Oprah’s Favorite Things every year at Christmas time and always loved getting so many fun gift ideas from her show, so she decided to host her own “Favorite Things” Christmas party each year.  The invites tell each person to pick a favorite item to share.  Something you just love or use all the time that costs between 10-15 dollars.  Then it says that we need to bring three of that same item (so the total amount spent is 30-45 dollars).  You can obviously make the price limit whatever you want!

Ann set up a fun table with name cards so that when we arrive at the party there is a place for our favorite things.  This is last years’ table and you can see my Conair curling iron on the front row.  :)  We don’t wrap the gifts so that they are easy to see.  When we get to the party we spend the first hour chatting and eating and then the fun really starts!  Ann kicks things off by sharing the item she brought.  She tells each of us a little bit about it and why it’s one of her favorite things.  Then one by one we go to the front of the room and share a little about our favorite item.  For example, when I got up last year I told everyone about how I used to use an expensive curling iron and then bought a cheap one that would plug into foreign outlets for our Italy trip.  I loved my cheap curling iron so much that I tossed the expensive one and have been using my cheap one ever since!  Then I show everyone my curling iron and they all ohhh and ahhh.  ;)

After each person has had a minute to share their favorites the shopping begins!  Now we all know what everyone brought and have an idea of something we’d love to take home.  We just start at one end of the room and one by one go to the table and pick an item.  (The bags under the table are for each of us to use to hold our new finds!)  After everyone has had a turn to pick one thing, we start at the other end of the room and each go pick something else.  Then we start in the middle of the room and pick our last item so each person goes home with three new favorite items.  Each person usually gets at least one thing they really want.  The best part of the party is that we all go home with so many fun gift ideas for the holidays!  My friend Katy told everyone that last year she didn’t know what to get her mom and sisters for Christmas so she just bought several of the favorite items shared at the party and put them in a big basket for each of them.  She said the gift was a hit!  Chances are that if your friends love something, you will too!  It’s so fun to share items we all love and discover new favorites ourselves.  This party has become a fun tradition that we all look forward to!

Here are some of the favorite items shared this year:

**Aren’t the name tags Ann made cute?  She always has me write the names on everything because she likes my handwriting (which I’ve never understood because I like hers!).  It’s my official contribution to the party every year.  My friends don’t put me in charge of food, just the handwriting.  ;)

Starbucks Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate and these darling Christmas mugs from Pier One Imports.

OPI nail polish.  Colors Black Cherry Chutney and Manicurist of Seville.  The girl who shared this polish had fabulous nails!  And I love OPI – it’s the best.

Another OPI favorite that was shared was their “top coat”.  You put this top coat over your manicure or pedicure and your nails won’t chip!  Best way to make that pedicure last as long as possible.

Key chain fob.  I have one of these and LOVE it!  I shared mine in this Fashion Friday post.  A perfect key chain for moms who always have their hands full!

A favorite CD and movie.  Adele (Deanne said her kids love doing homework to this music – the whole album is great) and 13 going on 30.  Nothing like a good chick flick.  :)

Frontgate Torch Lighter.  I wanted this and didn’t get it!  It was so cool.  Lights with just a little flip of the finger.  Unlike grocery store lighters that you are click click clicking for five minutes before you see a flame!

Set of three Swissmar peelers from Williams Sonoma.  Not something I was all that interested in, but a great tool for all of you chefs out there!  ;)  Ann demonstrated these and they did look amazing to peel the skin off of a tomato, a carrot, cut cheese, etc.  Very easy to use!  Maybe I’ll have to try them after all.

Lululemon Slipless Headband.  A great headband to wear to exercise in that won’t slip!  It has a silicone strip inside it that holds it in place during your workout.  Genius!

Another Lululemon favorite was their no show ankle socks for exercising that like the headband, won’t slip!  I need to check out Lululemon more often!

This is a favorite that I picked to take home!  It is the Fresh Balsam candle from Bath and Body Works.  It smells like a real Christmas tree which is perfect for people like me who love the real tree smell but prefer to decorate a fake one!  I have been LOVING this candle!  It makes my whole house smell heavenly.  I just bought several today to give to my girls’ teachers for Christmas gifts.  A new favorite of mine for sure!

Another Bath and Body favorite was the Orange Ginger Body Wash.  A fabulous scent!

Venus Sensitive Skin disposable razors.  I have to agree that these are great razors.  I’ve been using them for years!

And here’s what I brought to the party this year!  WOOT WOOT!  These are OXO steel soap squirting dish brushes and I can’t live without mine!  I’ve been washing dishes with this baby for years and can’t imagine using anything else.  There is a little thing you pop off on the handle so you can fill it with dish soap and then push the button to release the soap in the scrubber when you’re ready to wash.  SO convenient.  You can toss it and buy a new one when it wears out or just replace the white scrubber on the end, but they last a long time before they are ready to toss!  Love my OXO scrubber!

The book Bikini Boot Camp!  A friend at the party said she loves this entire book but she and her family especially love the healthy recipes.  They have become family favorites!  The book also has yoga moves, weight exercises, stretches and lots of fun tips.

Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh.  This chap stick or should I say “lip treatment” was the first thing to go this year!  It is supposed to be AMAZING.  Several girls at the party said that once you use it you will be hooked for life.  Makes your lips so moist.  It was listed in the Wall Street Journal one year as the best stocking stuffer.  It costs $22.50 but is supposed to be worth every penny!  I can’t wait to try it.

These cute little green boxes held toffee from The Toffee Box – a business that Emma’s friend started right out of her own kitchen!  From kitchen to Rachel Ray to Williams Sonoma!  Such a fun story and the toffee is said to be amazing!

Zebra Popcorn.  This stuff is GOOD!  Someone brought it last year and we are all still raving about it!  Aside from on-line you can find it every once in a while at Costco.

Sleep Mask.  One of our friends swears by these!  She uses it to get her beauty sleep and says she sleeps so much better with one of these babies on!

Butter nail polish (color Yummy Mummy).  This nail polish stays on longer than normal and the colors are fun and pretty.  Another one of the favorites I picked!  Aside from Amazon, you can find it at Nordstroms.

These are Ann’s favorite sugar cookies from Elizabethan Desserts.  They were delicious!  At least Kenny told me they were because I brought mine home and he ate it all.  Guess I owed him for taking over bedtime with all three kids.
Such a fun night with friends!
I hope these favorites gave you some good gift ideas!  Or maybe inspired you to host your own favorites party next year!
I went shopping today and got so much done.  Kole fell asleep in the stroller and I didn’t waste a minute!  I cruised through the mall buying one gift after another.  Made two trips to the car to unload my loot and headed back to the stores.  I could hear Rocky music playing in the background.  It was my moment.  ;)  I also found a really cute dress for Kenny’s firm party this year.  YEA for a good shopping day!  YEA for a napping baby!  YEA for December!  I love this time of year.  It’s a favorite.
:)
(affiliate links used)
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.05.11

Christmas Gift Ideas (our favorite toys!)

Only three weeks left to shop!  Is that little fact giving anyone else heart palpitations!?  Several of you have asked me about our favorite toys so I thought I’d share our favorites for those of you who (like me) still have plenty of shopping left to do!  I’m obviously not going to be much help if you are shopping for teenage boys.  But if you have young daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. to shop for this year, then I’m your girl.  :)  I’ve found most of these toys for you on Amazon so it will be easy for you to check out the details.  I’m all about on-line shopping this year!  Here are our favorite toys that get played with again and again in no particular order…

A few years ago Santa brought the girls the Barbie Diamond Castle and a Barbie Jammin’ Jeep for Christmas.  I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when they walked downstairs and saw that jeep in the living room!

A toy that never gets old!  They have driven this thing all over the place and still get so excited when we pull out the jeep to ride.  Ellie is starting to get too big for it, but I know that before long a certain little boy will be hanging in the passenger seat.  Won’t Kole look fabulous crusin’ in the pink barbie jeep!  In one of Ellie’s shirts no doubt.  ;)

Another look at the Barbie Diamond Castle.  I found this on Amazon but they have it listed as over $600.  What!?  We certainly didn’t pay that for it (they probably aren’t making it anymore) so look around and if you can’t find it cheaper (much cheaper!) then go for our other favorite doll house which is the Barbie Pink Three Story Dream Townhouse.  Ellie calls it the “Barbie Hotel Home Escalator” and that’s exactly how she wrote it on her Christmas list for Santa last year.  :)  This doll house is really fun.  It has an elevator, the TV pops up, the fire crackles, it sounds like Barbie is singing in the shower.  I would have LOVED something like this when I was little!  Who am I kidding.  I love it now!!

 

Here they are so excited to show it off to their Aunt Carly.

Since we’re on the subject of doll houses, this is a great one if you are buying for little girls (ages 2 and up).  It’s the Fisher Price My First Doll House and it’s just the cutest little thing.  Comes with a mom, dad, and baby.  My girls have played so much with this.  It’s still one of their favorite doll houses and they’ve had it for years!  It’s just the right size for all of their little Polly Pockets and Disney figurines.

This is a toy I will never get rid of because it gives me the sweetest memories of my little girls playing for hours together.  My mom had to buy some new toys for various pre-schools she is in charge of and she called me to ask what toys to get.  My first thought was the Fisher Price doll house!   She bought several and the kids love them.  A perfect gift for a little girl.

If you’ve read my blog for a while then I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of My Little Ponies popping up all over our house.  My girls have always loved them and one of their favorite toys is the My Little Pony Ferris Wheel

Another toy I will never get rid of!  It entertained them when they were 2 and 4 and at ages 5 and 7 they are still loving it.  (Princess Celestia will be popping up Christmas morning this year!)

 

One of my favorite things I bought my girls was this little Nantucket Collection Table and Chairs.  They use it for everything from coloring/craft projects to tea parties.  Little kids need little tables and chairs.  :)

 

My girls LOVE playing games and I have to admit…for some reason I love buying them games!  So we have a lot.  :)  Here are some of our favorites that I would recommend:

Lucky Ducks (Kole is especially loving this one right now)
Let’s Go Fishin’
Hungry Hippos (what a classic – only played when Kole isn’t around – those marbles make me nervous!)
Candy Land (another classic must have)
Pretty Pretty Princess (the pieces to this game drive me nuts, but my girls LOVE it.  They play it all the time.  Amazon has the price high but I bet you can find it at Target for much cheaper!)
Operation
Jenga

When Ellie was a baby Kenny’s cute mom bought me this Little Tikes Swing Along Castle for the backyard.  All three of my kids have loved this.  Many hours have been spent climbing and sliding on this toy.  Perfect for a 1-2 year old.
Or a 2-7 year old.  :)

 

My mom just bought these Plasma Cars for the grandkids and they have been a HUGE hit.  My girls LOVE zipping around on these things!  I’m tempted to get some to keep here at our house because my kids have so much fun on them.

 

This is just a simple, Disney Princess Teapot set I bought years ago but I’ve been surprised how much my girls have played with it!  Nothing like a spot of tea.  Cheers!

 

Another beloved gift from Kenny’s mom.  Every child needs a rocking horse, right?  (I couldn’t find this exact one on Amazon.)  You’ll notice hula hoops in the background.  My girls love to hula and they are good.  I taught them everything I know.  I’m not kidding about that.  I was a hula hoop champion back in the day.  It’s my one claim to fame.  :)  Another fun, in-expensive gift idea.

What would Christmas for a little girl be without a doll?  And we all know nothing quite compares to the American Girl dolls.  Although, I have to say that my girls play with their less expensive Target dolls just as much.

Unfortunately so does their brother.

 

Doll clothes are something my girls love to see on Christmas morning.

 

You can’t go wrong with Disney Princess figurines.

 

Another Christmas favorite was this Princess Tent the girls got from Santa a few years ago.  It is darling and they have played in this SO many times.  They always beg me to have a sleepover in it and I’m sure at some point I’ll cave and let them do it.  It’s easy to pop up and down and it folds small and flat.  Love that!  I keep it behind my yellow hutch and then I can easily pull it out and pop it in place.  (I couldn’t find the exact one on-line but found one similar that looks really cute!)

Another favorite for the little ones!  We bought this for Ellie’s first Christmas (that’s her on the left) and all three of my kids have adored this toy.  I can’t say enough about it!  It’s the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Home and it is THE BEST toy out there for 1-3 year olds.  In my humble opinion.  :)  It has two different modes (learning and music).  If you have the music on, everything makes music.  If you have the learning mode on, it’s all about numbers and letters and learning.  It makes darling sounds and my kids love climbing on it and through the door.  It has kept all three of my kids entertained for hours.  Saving this one for the grandkids.  I really love it that much!

Of course we love reading and children’s literature around here.  I always get my girls a few new books for Christmas.  Here are some of our favorites:

The Big Hungry Bear
The Fancy Nancy Books
The Empty Pot (a darling story about honesty)
Tops and Bottoms
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and the rest of that series)
Pinkalicious
Junie B. Jones (series – Ellie is reading them all for the second time now.)
Ramona Quimby (series – My favorites growing up.  I can’t wait for my girls to read them!)
Little House on the Prairie (series)
Two of my favorite books for really little ones are The Wheels on the Bus Pop Up Book and Good Morning Good Night (so cute for bedtime).  These are both darling!  You just have to wait until your little one is old enough to not tear the book up.  Kole is obviously not there yet.  :)

Luggage is a fun gift!  My girls have loved these suitcases I bought them at Pottery Barn Kids and I have loved that they have their own little suitcase for all of our travels.  These were from PB’s summer collection, but they have fun patterns to choose from now too.  I’ve been watching for a cute one to buy Kole.

And if your kids don’t want to use their suitcases for trips, they make great doll cases.  ;)  These Disney Princess Toddler Dolls are also favorites around our house.

These next two toys are so simple, but they get played with again and again.  A simple broom (Kole’s latest obsession) and a simple etch-a-sketch.

Nothing like a man with a broom.  :)
A few more toys my little man loves:

 

These Tickle Me Elmo’s were given to the girls two different years for gifts and now Kole is loving them.  They sing, flip, fall down and say “Oops!  Can you help Elmo up please!?  We definitely got our money’s worth out of these two!

 

Kole also loves this Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Workbench that makes all sorts of sounds and music when you hammer the toys.

This was a hit last year for Christmas!  My mom bought my girls the Barbie Camper and they have had a ball with it.

 

Nothing like camping in style.  :)  If you have girls that like to play with Barbies, then this will be a hit for sure.

Movies are another thing I tend to splurge on.  These are just a few.  Our collection is really quite ridiculous, but I’m basically buying my sanity with these babies and haven’t regretted these purchases one bit!  What to recommend?  Everything Disney, Barbie, (Barbie Diamond Castle and Princess and the Pauper are my two favorites) and Strawberry Shortcake for my girls.  The new Barbie Princess Charm School will be a stocking stuffer this year and right now my girls are loving Barbies Christmas Carol.  We own every Barbie movie that has come out and some are better than others so if you are thinking of buying one ask me in the comments and I’ll tell you which ones are worth it!  (I know – it’s a bit of a Barbie obsession we have.  Kenny and I like them as much as the girls!)  Kole loves The Wiggles, Micky Mouse Clubhouse, and Mommy and Me Playgroup Favorites.

And last but certainly not least, I can’t forget the Pillow Pets.  When my mom bought these for my girls I figured they would play with them once or twice and then I’d just be storing them forever.  Not so!  My girls love these!  They lay on them as pillows and then make them back into pets and have endless fun.  They play with them during the day and then their dolls always sleep on them at night.
So there you go!  I hope that gave some of you an idea or two!  A lot of toys have passed through this house and the ones I shared really are our favorites.  Happy shopping!  And just remember, if you still don’t know what to buy your kids this year…
Never underestimate a simple clothes hamper.
:)
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xoxo, Erin
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