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Holidays
02.14.12

To my babe on V Day

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

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

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

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

Fashion Friday… on a Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**Linking up @ The Pleated Poppy

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.09.12

Jewelry Organization (fun ideas!)

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

Moving on.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Add hooks to a wooden hanger to hold earrings.

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

(Hope that helps Jennie!)

Happy Thursday everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie
02.08.12

A special weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxo, Erin
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organization2
02.03.12

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

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

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

and my bathroom…

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxo, Erin
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Addison
02.02.12

A Valentines Box

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

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

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

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

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

I love them a ton.  :)  

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

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

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

And so fun that Ellie let her mom participate!  Although I have to say that when it comes to regular homework – math, reading, spelling – I’m starting to appreciate Addie’s “do it myself” personality more and more.  
I know it’s a bit early to be turning in Valentine boxes at school, but in Kindergarten at our school they do the cutest mail unit.  They turn in their boxes and cards early and learn all about sorting and delivering the mail.  Addison has the same teacher Ellie did and it has been so fun re-living everything again this year.  
When Ellie was in Kindergarten my dad made this fun mail truck for the class to deliver their mail in and Addison can’t wait to use it!  I know.  Coolest grandpa ever, right?  We think so.  :)
Happy Valentine box making everyone!  Wear your house shoes if you work on one with your kids this year.  It just seemed to make something good even better. 
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
02.01.12

Valentine mantel and a rough day

Oh my goodness.  It’s only Wednesday.  My week started off a bit crazy.  Kole is sick.  :(  Hate that.  I hate it for him and I hate it for me.  Monday was L-O-N-G.  He was so fussy and just wanted to be held and of course I had so much going on.  By 5:30 I was completely exhausted.  I’m helping Ellie with her report on Benjamin Franklin due the next day, dealing with Addie in one of her moods, entertaining and holding a very fussy Kole.  I called Kenny at work and our conversation went something like this:
K – Hi babe.  How is your day going?
E – I don’t care what call you think you need to be on or what client you think you need to deal with, I need you home.  By 6:00.  I’m hanging on by a very thin thread right now.
K – Oh no.  I’m so sorry.  Should I pick up dinner?
E – No.  I made dinner.  In the middle of this chaos.  Probably a big part of why I’m hanging on by a very thin thread right now.  (Kole crying in the background)
K – I’ll be home soon.
7:30 rolls around and Kenny walks in from work.  Kole is in bed.  Girls are on their way to bed.  Kitchen is clean.  I’m a zombie.  
K – So sorry babe.  I tried to get away…
E – You’re dead to me.  
Every have those day?  Every day after I get the kids in bed and the house picked-up I feel tired.  Monday night I felt like I was seriously going to die.  It is very rare that I make a call like that to Kenny.  I seem to be dealing with a string of tired/long/hard days with my kids right now.  I know it’s not a three kid thing or a boy thing or even a Kole thing.  It’s a one year old thing.  I struggle with this age.  Newborn stage and age 1 to about 2 1/2 are so hard for me.  I love my babies and I know I will miss a lot of things when they are all in school.  But some things I won’t miss.  Days like my Monday I won’t miss. 
The upside to my tough day is that since Kenny felt so bad he couldn’t come home early he has been extra sweet and helpful.  I’m happy to report he is no longer dead to me.  :)
I switched a few things up around the house again.  You know.  In an attempt to deal with my life right now.  Organizing and decorating are all about control for me.  I can’t control the craziness that explodes around me with my kids every day.  But I can control some things in my environment.  Like my Valentine mantel.  Which I changed — AGAIN.  

Not a big switch.  Just back to the winter mantel with the heart in the wreath.  And the heart garland.  I like it.  And I promise that I’ll leave it alone.  At least for a week or two.

Oh.  And I moved the birds together.  Because they are in love.  At least for this month.  :)

I knew my girls would be upset that once again I didn’t have the candy and the heart wreath out, so I put the candy in this dish (a keepsake from my grandma).

Then I moved a few things around and added the heart wreath to my hutch.  

Now when people walk in the front door they immediately feel the love and can grab some candy on the way in!  The girls are happy and so am I!  Kole’s happiness is a work in progress…

A quick Valentine mantel recap:

And all is right in the world again.  
p.s.  MUCH better day today.  :)
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
01.30.12

Hair Accessories (and a winner!)




Happy Monday everyone!  First item of business – winner of the Scentsy Giveaway!  I sure wish I could say “Who wants a Scentsy?  You all get one!!”  Kinda like Oprah with her cars.  “YOU get a Scentsy and YOU get a Scentsy and YOU get a Scentsy!  But since I’m not Oprah, and since Megan probably wouldn’t love me giving out over 300 of her candles, I guess I can’t say that.  What I can say is that I just had Kenny punch the numbers in a random number generator on his computer (that’s right – I’m staying out of it) and the winner is…  Jennifer who said:
  “I have seen these but don’t have one yet.  I would LOVE one.  I love for my house to smell good when someone walks in.  btw Erin I love your blog and your ideas.  Thanks for sharing!”

Thanks and Congratulations Jennifer!  Send me an e-mail (link is on the side of my blog) with your information and I’ll make sure Megan gets in touch with you.  If you didn’t win and are interested in buying your own Scentsy, you can click on the links to Megan’s site in the giveaway post.
Ok!  That was fun.  Second item of business:  Hair accessories.  How I organize them that is.  (This is my blog after all.  Items of business aren’t going to be all that business like around here.)  A few of you have asked recently how I organize my girls hair accessories so here is my system…

Several years ago I bought these two long ribbons to hang all of the girls’ little bows and clips.  I wish I could remember where I ordered the ribbons from, but I can’t.  They would be simple to make though – just long ribbon attached to rings with a bow at the top.  You can’t see in this picture but the bows at the top each have my girls’ initials on them.  Anyway – this is what the bows looked like three years ago when it was just me and the girls.  Nice and organized and color coordinated.  I like to call this time the “pre-Kole era”.  Back when things made sense and my whole life was color coordinated.

Here’s what they currently look like.  Post Kole.  Still organized on the ribbons…just not nearly so neat and tidy.  A bit like my life now.   See – I needed a third.  He has mellowed me.  :)

For now I just loop their headbands through the bows on the top, but this is only a fraction of the girls’ headbands so I’m trying to figure out a better place to keep all of them together.  Since my “post Kole” life is a bit hmmm…what’s the word….insane!  I haven’t had time to deal with them yet.

I organize their clips, small elastics and bobby pins in little plastic containers.
And use some longer containers for their bigger elastics.

I also use a longer one for their toothpaste and toothbrushes.  

It all fits nicely in a little cupboard inside of their bathroom mirror.

Accessories are easy to reach when it’s time to do hair.  Regardless of who is getting their hair done!
And since we’re talking hair accessories, I can’t resist posting my all time favorite picture of my girls in their bathroom…

{2008 – ages 2 and 4}  
I remember Addison hugging Ellie waiting for her to be done brushing her teeth (she used to do this all the time).  I walked by the bathroom one night and just happened to have my camera in my hand.  Nothing like catching a precious, fleeting moment between your kids.  I’ve always loved this picture. 
Hope your week is off to a great start!  Color coordinated or not.  :)
p.s.  You can see a mini tour of this little bathroom my girls share here. 

xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
01.27.12

Fashion Friday

Weekend’s here!  And I am SO happy about that little fact.  Yea for Saturday morning waffles!  Yea for   
lounging in pjs!  Yea for no schedules!  Well.  Aside from a Saturday morning meeting, an afternoon birthday party, and church stuff Sunday…yea for not as crazy of a schedule!  :)  

Bought this a couple of weeks ago at The Limited and I’ve worn it twice.  SO SO comfortable.  I’m realizing that I’m kind of obsessed with grey this season.  I’m probably buying/wearing way too much of it.  But this top just spoke to me.  It said – “roll out of bed and put me on.  I’ll feel like your pajamas all day.”  
Very hard to not buy something when it says that to you.  
Grey Uggs for the morning running errands.  Grey boots to look a little more cleaned up for an appointment in the afternoon.
This top (comfortable as it is) is a little…blah?  So the next time I wore it I added my cream scarf.  

But just like San Diego temps always do, the cool morning turned into a warmer afternoon so half way through the day I switched to this scarf which isn’t quite so hot. 
 (Bought this scarf at Gap a couple of years ago.)
I liked that scarf so much (I’d kind of forgotten I had it) that I took this top I usually wear with my anthro belt…

 and wore it with the scarf a few days later.  
Mix and match.  Match and mix.  

 By the end of the week our mild temps turned into hot summer temps so the kids and I (and the rest of this city) pulled out our summer clothes.  I bought this top and necklace last summer at Forever 21.  I think I paid a whopping eight bucks for the two of them together.  Ellie said to me today “mom!  That shirt is see through!”  I said – “I know!  That’s why I have a white tee under it!”  Then she nodded her approval – “good thing mom.”  Thanks for watching out for me El.  What would I do without all of the endless help and advice I receive daily from my three little ones.  :)

I forgot to get a picture of my outfit with the wedges I wore, but here is a pic of them.  How fun are those bedazzled stones!  Fancy Nancy all the way.  Addison loves them of course.    

I bought them to go with this dress, but they have been fun to wear with lots of things.  

I also wear my cheap-o Forever 21 top with my yellow shoes and these earrings.  
Nothing like a little summer wardrobe to end the month of January!  
Can you believe January is almost over!?  Is it just me or wasn’t Christmas like two minutes ago?
Time is flying by so quickly.  
Probably because I’m in a stage of life right now where I don’t have time to catch my breath.   
Only enough time to take pictures of what I’m wearing and then blog about it.  
You know.  Life is all about priorities.  
:)  
Have a great weekend everyone!  
**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
01.26.12

Winter and Valentines Mantel

This post may be a bit picture heavy.  There’s been a whole lot of mantel switch ups going on around here!  

Remember how my mantel look in December?  And remember how I mentioned that one of my favorite things about it was that it would be so easy to transition into January?

Well it was!  All I did was take off the Christmas garland and replace the silver Christmas tree with this pretty vase and winter-y pine cone twig from Z Gallerie.  (On a side note, Z Gallerie is so hit and miss for me.  Some things in that store I love and a lot of other things I can definitely do without.)  Funny because I bought the pine cones during December knowing I would use them somewhere in my house in January.  Then I hunted so many stores looking for the perfect vase to hold them.  Couldn’t find anything I liked anywhere and then I finally went back to Z Gallerie looking for something else.  And there she was.  My perfect aqua vase.  She had been waiting for me there all along.  :)
I love this vase.  And the silver pine cone twig.  
Which has some shimmery glitter on it that sparkles in the light. 

And ties in so perfectly with my shimmery silver wreath.  
And with my shimmery basilica pillar Pottery Barn candles.  
A whole lot of shimmery is going on.  

Kept the birds up.  They’ve become fast friends.  :)
So three cheers for an easy January mantel!  I love this mantel decor because it is simple and clean. And I’m all about simple and clean.  In case any of you didn’t already know that about me.  :)  I think I also love it because we don’t have winter here.  This mantel decor brings a little winter inside.  Even if it’s 77 degrees and sunny outside like it was today.

In fact, I liked my quick and easy January mantel so much that I really wasn’t ready to take it down yet.  So I hung a heart from the wreath and called it my Valentines mantel.   

My Valentines mantel and I were getting along just swimmingly.  In fact, we were kind of in love.  Until my girls came home and saw it.  And they said – “Mom.  That is NOT a Valentines mantel.”

Remember my Valentines mantel last year?  Well they wanted to know where the heart wreath was.  And the tissue heart garland.  And the candy.  Of course.  The candy!  
We can’t have a Valentines mantel without the candy.  
(Sorry birds.  You weren’t cutting it with the kids.)
So I combined a few things from my favorite Valentine mantel and the kids’ favorite Valentine mantel and came up with this.  
Less black.  More white.  And aqua.  
The aqua looks a bit like a loner color on the mantel but ties in nicely with the rest of my house.  

I tossed my tulips in a white pitcher.  And gave my girls their candy.  
Then I put up the heart garland that we made last year,  

hung the wreath and switched my winter candles for some red ones.  
And now my girls are happy.
Me?  I’m kind of missing my vase and birds.  I’m sure they’ll find their way back soon.  
Like after we’ve eaten all the candy.  
Which won’t take long.  :)
Which one is your favorite?  
xoxo, Erin
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Giveaway
01.25.12

Scentsy Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed.
Ok.  If you’ve read my blog for a while now you know that I’m a candle girl.  (Hello Fresh Balsam candle from Bath and Body Works – I am still obsessed.)  So when Megan (a sweet blog reader) contacted me about doing a giveaway for her Scentsy Wickless Candles I was excited!  I had never tried Scentsy products before and was curious about how they work.  For those of you who haven’t heard of them, Scentsy Wickless Candles are ceramic warmers that are a safe alternative to a candle.  With the warmers there is no flame, no smoke and no lead.  The ceramic warmers use a low watt light bulb that melts specially formulated scenty wax that creates a long lasting aroma that fills the room.  They are safe to use around kids, pets, and in your home, classroom, office, or anywhere.  
There are so many cute warmers to choose from and they come in a variety of sizes, ranging from plug-ins that are perfect for bathrooms and laundry rooms all the way to full size warmers that are perfect for any size of room.  

I chose the “Hampton” warmer since I’m kind of obsessed with all things Hampton and white these days.  (Is anyone watching the show Revenge?  Dream home!!)   Since I don’t live in the Hamptons, I figure the next best thing is my Hampton warmer.  :)  I love the way it looks on my counter!  Megan sent me several scents to try and I have enjoyed them all but my favorite so far has been the “Christmas Cottage” scent.  I know.  I’m wearing yellow and smelling Christmas scents in January.  I’m breaking all the rules and Ioving it!  :)  They have over 80 scents to chose from so you are sure to find something you love.  

I just placed a couple of little wickless bars in my warmer and within minutes they had melted and my house smelled so good!  One thing I noticed that was different with these compared to my regular candles is how the smell filled my whole house.  Usually when I light a candle I can only smell it in the kitchen where it is located.  I can seriously smell my Scentsy candle all over my whole house, including the upstairs.  I love that!  The smell is so strong that I only need to have it turned on for a little while.  Then I turn it off and enjoy!

One of my favorite things is to be in a clean house listening to the hum of my dishwasher with a candle burning (or in this case, not burning).  :)

Want one of these for yourself?  One of you will win a full size warmer of your choice and a scent bar of your choice.  And you will love them!  If you are anything like me and love to make your house (or office) smell fabulous.  Leave a comment on this post if you are interested!

Happy Wednesday!! 
xoxo, Erin
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Kole
01.24.12

Organized Bath Toys

Hi everyone!  Several of you have e-mailed me and asked questions about how I organize certain things (and about other topics) and I just wanted to let you know that I WILL get around to answering your questions on my blog at some point.  Thank you for being patient!  A few of you asked recently how I organize my kids’ bath toys.  Great timing because sorting through them was on my trusty “to organize” list.  BTW-it was pouring rain today.  I was planning on exercising with friends and running errands, but because of the weather Kole and I opted to spend the morning at home in our pjs.  I got so many spaces checked off my list!  I always organize best when it rains.  :)  Now I just need the sun to peek out so I can take pictures of everything!  

I’ve had my kids’ bath toys organized the same way for years.  About every 6 months (usually while my girls are in the tub) I dump all of their toys on a towel and go through them.  I get rid of stuff they aren’t playing with anymore and put away toys that aren’t for the tub that always somehow make their way into my “tub toy” bins.  Because I sort through these toys so often it’s a quick ten minute job.

I just use simple plastic bins that I’ve had for years and divide the toys by categories…sorta.  They get messed up and that’s ok.  I’m fine as long as they aren’t spilling all over the place.  

I keep all of the bath toys under one of the bathroom sinks.  I keep the lids off so that they are easy for the girls to grab and put away.

After bath time we always toss the toys in the sink.  Then after the toys have dried off (for the most part) one of us tosses them in the bins.  Letting the toys dry out a little keeps them from getting mildew-y.  Is mildew-y a word?  I guess it is on this blog.

 Kole was so content playing with all of these toys while I was going through them!  It was seriously the longest he has sat still in weeks.  I think we may need to re-organize the tub toys more often.  
Like every afternoon.  :)  
 Happy Tuesday everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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