Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Ramblings

09.01.11

Random ramblings

Just a few random pics/thoughts tonight. I shouldn’t even be blogging since I am KNEE DEEP in the girls’ back to school forms. But I decided I deserved a little break. :)

See this plant? I’ve had this plant for NINE years! Nine years ago this month we moved to San Diego and into this house. I didn’t have much to decorate the place with (this house felt huge when it was just me and Kenny!) so I bought three plants like this for my kitchen to make things feel less empty until we could afford some decor/furniture. The other two plants were dead within the first six months (typical life span for a plant in my hands). But this little baby!? Just kept on keeping on. Not much maintenance. I water it about every three weeks. And there it sits. Looking so healthy and happy. Nine years I’ve had this!!! I don’t want it in my kitchen anymore. Decor wise, I’m ready to move on. But do you think I can get rid of this? Every time I try, something stops me. Seems I’m rather attached to my little plant. And a bit curious to see just how long this plant can keep on keeping on.

K – I’m obsessed with two things lately and this is one of them. Pretzel Crisps. Ever had them? I love pretzels and I love chips and these my friends, are a combination of my favorites which makes them THE BOMB. I love them with a little cheese, some peppered turkey (my lunch staple), or a slice of an apple. So good. Try them if you haven’t yet.

My other obsession is HGTV. Anyone watching this season of Design Star? Also THE BOMB. I’m also recording Dear Genevieve, Curb Appeal: The Block and House Hunters. I especially like to watch House Hunters to torture myself with the amazing homes people can buy around the country for the price of a 200 square foot hut in Southern California. San Diego home prices are ridiculous and every time I watch House Hunters I’m reminded of just how crazy I am to live here. Right up until I step outside and enjoy this city. Then I decide 200 square foot huts have a charm all their own. :)

So this is what my kitchen table looked like this afternoon. You can tell my girls are back in school! Ellie had her first homework assignment tonight…

a little “all about me” page. I have to say that being into scrapbooking sure comes in handy for kids’ school stuff. Seems like we always need pictures for projects and I love that I have them in albums ready to go. Then the next time I develop some I can just replace the ones I used. **A tip that has come in handy for me – next time you get family pictures or order Christmas cards, order 20 extra! I can’t believe how many times I’ve needed a family picture for something for the kids.

So I’ve got about six different projects going on around here! I started so many things over the summer and then never had a minute to finish them. I’ve been awful that way. I keep starting new projects instead of finishing others. I was so overwhelmed today with what to work on that I just pulled out all of my fall decor instead! HA! Why not add more mess to the mayhem! I lit my pumpkin spice candle and when Addison came home she said, “Mom! Is it Thanksgiving!?” Not quite…but I am a bit anxious for Fall. Hopefully I’ll have a few things wrapped up around here before it’s time to carve the turkey. :)

Have a good Thursday everyone! I’m off to eat some Pretzel Crisps (even though it’s late and I shouldn’t), watch a little HGTV and finish filling out school forms.

xoxo, Erin

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Birthdays

08.31.11

First day and a birthday

Back to school! First day was a success! My girls were both so excited. Couldn’t wait to see their teachers and friends. I hardly took any pictures! Can you believe that? I can’t. But we were so rushed in the morning so I figured I’d take some at the school and then of course the school was a zoo! I’m going to have to take some throughout the week for my school pages in their scrapbooks.

Ellie was all over the place hugging friends and socializing. I couldn’t get her to stand still for two seconds. And truth be told, maybe I was a little busy socializing too. It was fun to see so many familiar faces again!

Kenny took Ellie to her class and I took Addison. My little Kindergartner was so brave! We did our usual hug/kiss routine (with Addison there is a routine for everything) and then she walked over to her little desk, sat down, and started coloring. I walked out of the room feeling so happy for her and I wish I would have just kept on walking. But instead, I stopped outside the window and stood there for a while looking in. And I watched her thinking how did this happen? When did she get so big and become so independent? And then the tears started flowing and I couldn’t get them to stop. I turned a few minutes later to face Kenny (who was patiently waiting with Kole in the stroller) and he looked at me like really? Are you kidding me? And then my neighbors walked by, saw me sobbing and said “really Erin? Are you kidding me?” They thought I was crazy to be crying – especially since I still have a baby at home – and especially since I’ve probably been more excited than anyone for child #2 to start Kindergarten. And I AM excited she started Kindergarten. But what can I say. I cried. I’m a cryer. Is that even a word? Kindergarten is a big step. Especially for this sappy/sentimental mom.

I came home and the house felt so strange and quiet without the girls. It made me sad and lonely for about ten minutes and then Kole and I started cleaning and I quickly got over being sad and was loving how much I was able to get done with only one “helper” in the house. I seriously scrubbed my house from top to bottom.

I especially attacked the playroom with a vengeance! (Quick shout out for The Wiggles who kept my little one entertained while I worked. Greg, Murry, Anthony, Jeff – you are my heros and I love you.) I was so anxious to resume some order in my house after having very little control all summer long.

My girls were all smiles at the end of the day and couldn’t wait to tell me about everything that happened. Just as soon as they changed into pajamas and checked on their ponies of course (who had been patiently waiting for them all day). Addison was excited because her boots made her the tallest kid in class (an observation she made in the lunch line). Ellie was pumped about their class behavior system, although she only got “good” instead of “fantastic” for the day because she may have talked to a few friends in class… Mmmm hmmm. Sounds like we picked up right where we left off last year with daughter #1.

Last weekend we celebrated Kenny’s birthday. I felt bad because this was NOT my best year as far as planning goes. In past years I have written posts about 33 things I love about him (the age he was turning), thrown surprise parties with friends, and have given him little surprises all week leading up to the big day. This year? I couldn’t even get a babysitter so we could go out! I think I called over ten girls – all busy. Plus the week before was so busy with back to school shopping and I had all three kids at home so his gifts were less than stellar. His birthday came and went and was for the most part like a typical Sunday. (I’m totally linking to past birthday posts in hopes that Kenny will read this and remember that I actually am a good wife, just one who is having an off year…)

I did manage to put together this bulletin board for the kids to give him. He has been saying he’d like some of the kids’ artwork to hang in his office and I thought this would look better than random drawings all over the place.

**Happy Birthday babe! Sorry your day was so lame. The good news is that #1 – I still love you the most and #2 – after the birthday you had this year, things can only go up. ;)

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

08.29.11

Summer Wrap-up

One last post to wrap up summer!

We didn’t do everything on our list. Didn’t make it to the Zoo or Seaworld. Didn’t go camping. Scrapbooking didn’t happen. And we definitely didn’t get a puppy! Quite a few of our normal summer activities didn’t happen because of complications. And by complications I mean Kole. :) His stage of life tends to make certain activities…hmmm… how should I say it… not fun. But we did have fun this summer! And we did check quite a few things off our list!

For instance…

Baseball game with fireworks

Movie parties

Picnics and Pretending

Swimming

Organizing

Time at the Park. We spent LOTS of time at the park.

And the BEACH!

Even on a cloudy day the beach is fun.

And now my kids are asleep, outfits are laid out, lunches are pre-packed and the camera is charged.

First day of school is hours away.

Good-bye summer! Looking forward to seeing you again next year.

xoxo, Erin

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fashion2

08.26.11

Fashion Friday

“It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday….”

Sorry. I couldn’t resist a little Rebecca Black love.

Weekend is upon us everyone! Last week of summer is over baby! So happy I survived and am still around to blog about it. :)

I wanted to quickly answer a few random questions I never answered. I finally set things up so that my blog comments go straight to my e-mail (should have done that FORever ago) so from now on it will be so much easier for me to answer your questions. Sorry if you’ve asked me something and I never got back to you! I always blame my inability to stay on top of my e-mails/comments on baby #3, however, baby #3 is looking less and less like a baby lately so I figure it’s time to either come up with a better excuse or get on the ball!

Several of you asked where my mom bought the princess bedding when I shared the girls’ rooms at my mom’s house. I believe she bought it at Target. Gotta love Target. She bought it several years ago though so I don’t know if they still carry it. I know the princess castle shower curtain was from Target and the bead board bookshelf in the room with the bunk beds was from a specialty furniture store in her area. I think that store has since gone out of business though. (bummer too because it was a cute store..)

Here’s a Fashion Friday question…

“I love Fashion Friday! Got any maternity ideas to share? I know you’re past that now and probably blocked it from your mind forever…”

Loved this. Yes. Definitely blocked all things pertaining to maternity clothes from my mind forever! ;) Seriously I was such a beast this last pregnancy! My “annoying” post summed it up. Everything bugged me. I really don’t know how Kenny survived.

But the clothes! I actually think maternity clothes can be fun! This was my strategy with maternity clothes this last time around. First I wore my regular clothes for as long as I possibly could (which wasn’t that long).

Then I invested in two really good pairs of maternity jeans. Some boot cut Joe jeans with a lighter wash and then some dark skinny jeans from the Gap. I wore those two pairs of jeans everywhere with everything. They cost a bit more than I really wanted to spend on maternity clothes, but good fitting jeans make such a difference in the way you feel about yourself (at least for me) so that’s where I chose to spend a little more. Then I just bought inexpensive tops that were comfortable that I could wear again and again. I bought most of my shirts at Gap Maternity.

Here’s some of my best pregnancy fashion advice — accessorize! If you’re pregnant in the Fall, wear your Fall boots. Add funky jewelry/headbands – anything you can do to avoid looking like you don’t care anymore. (I know – it’s easy to not care anymore when you’re gaining weight at the speed of light.) Don’t over do it, obviously, but a fun pair of shoes or a great necklace can make those plain maternity clothes appear super stylish.

(32 weeks)

Especially play it up during the second trimester. That’s when you feel good and look cute pregnant. As opposed to first trimester when you just look fat, not pregnant and third trimester when you look miserable pregnant. Because you are. (Totally speaking from my own experience here.) The second trimester is a fun time to dress cute and show off your belly.

(Extremely close to due date. Butt was as big as my stomach.)

(baby shower with my cute friends)

When I hit the third trimester, I tired to avoid sweats when I was out and about (as tempting as it was) and I wore a lot of dresses. I bought a few dresses that covered everything and then some and I lived in them. My other best piece of advice — notice the tie at the top of my stomach in the grey dress above? It’s always more flattering to buy something like this that makes it appear as though you have some sort of shape left. I found that fitted clothes were a lot more flattering than buying huge clothes that covered everything. Clothes like that just make you look even bigger. Look for clothes that pull in fitted above your belly.

Quick re-cap:

1) Invest in a good pair of jeans (when I was pregnant with Ellie and teaching school I invested in a couple of good pairs of slacks). Straight legged pants are more flattering than baggy ones.

2) Accessorize (focus on the shoes and jewelry)

3) Don’t hide your belly under baggy clothes, show it off with slim, fitted shirts.

4) Especially enjoy the second trimester. It’s your time to shine!

5) Eat as much as possible and enjoy it!!! You can work it off later!!! (Not really good advice but something I lived by with each of my three pregnancies.)

Hope that helps all of you cute pregnant ladies! May the force be with you.

Since we’re heading back to school next week I thought I’d share a few cute things I picked up for my girls…

All of these were from the Gap. My girls have a lot to wear already (too much really) so I just picked up some cute, casual tops. Purple seems to be the color for Fall! My girls love leggings and they love being comfortable so the above items seemed like a good way to go. Plus all of the tops were cheaper if you bought two of the same style and since I’m always buying two of everything I love deals like that!

I couldn’t decide which of these two cute headbands to get to go with their new purple tops so I just bought one of each and they can share. Aren’t they fun!?

New shoes are a must. They have to be closed toed (a school rule) and comfortable for all of that playground action! Addison is still working on the shoe tying so we opted for velcro for her. Every minute counts in the morning when we are rushing to get out the door!

I also found these darling flats for Ellie at Children’s Place. So cute for skirt days! I was really bummed they didn’t have Addie’s size. Also bummed they didn’t have my size. :)

Happy back to school everyone!!!

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

08.25.11

Summer Camps

I really can’t believe our summer is coming to an end! We’re ready. The kids are ready (whether they know it or not) and I am VERY ready. But I have to say that even though there have been moments of insanity (multiple moments each day) overall, we have had a good summer. A great summer actually. I spent some time planning out our summer before it started by signing the girls up for several camps and creating a bit of a schedule for us and that was HUGE in our success. The girls had a chance to develop new skills and new friendships, the kids and I spent lots of time playing together, and Kole enjoyed a three hour nap each day. Win win for everyone.

Here is a mini wrap up of the fun my girls had at their camps this summer…

First up was Ellie’s Junior Lifeguard camp. Two weeks of afternoons spent on the beach learning about ocean safety/life, playing games, doing exercises, snorkeling, and just having fun in the water. It was her favorite camp by far and a new summer tradition for sure. Addison can’t wait until she is old enough to join her sister in the waves.

For the month of July I signed Ellie up for a variety of camps that went from 9-12 each morning. She took ‘art explorers’ from a local artist and came home with some pretty cool stuff. She also came home with some pretty messy clothes. A small price to pay for the lessons learned by my budding Picasso.

Another favorite of Ellie’s was ‘Clay Creations’ where she created clay masterpieces each day. She was so excited to bring home everything she made and give it all away to our family. She had made special pieces for each one of us. A bird for grandma (who was visiting at the time) a strawberry for Addison, a shark for daddy. Cause well, what would look cooler in daddy’s office than a slightly jagged blue shark? Not much I tell ya.

She only made one thing for herself – a dog of course. Which is good since that’s the closest thing she’s getting to a real dog for a very long time. And she made a turtle for mommy with green feet. Because mommy loves turtles and the color green. That I do. :)

While Ellie was busy sculpting and painting, Addison spent a month in a Kindergarten prep camp. Aside from having a blast, she got such a great glimpse into life as a Kindergartner by singing, painting, playing, learning to listen and raise her hand. She almost learned everything too well and started raising her hand at the dinner table each evening when she wanted to say something. I loved it. The school teacher in me busted out and I almost instigated a new “raise your hand at the table” policy. Kole unfortunately ended that idea before it started.

Every afternoon when I went to pick Addison up she had the biggest smile on her face. Patiently waiting on the rug to show me everything she had done that day. She brought home so many fun projects that I still haven’t had time to sort through. For now, I’ve just tossed everything in this basket. (BTW – I bought several of these beauties at Target and am loving them!)

I’m anxious to go through all of her creations to decide what will go in her scrapbook, what will be displayed somewhere in the house and what to toss.

Ellie also took a singing and dancing class and at the end of it they performed their routines for the parents and some other children. Ellie was so excited that the “bear group” was coming to see her dance since that was Addison’s class. The singing was delightful and the dancing was hip. Kenny and I quite enjoyed the show.

And so did little brother.

The show was captivating enough to keep this little guy strapped in the entire time.

That is saying A LOT.

One last camp before we call it a summer! Last week my girls finished up a gymnastic camp at the center they take gymnastics each week.

I was amazed at all they learned in one short week. They have improved so much and really love this sport. I love vicariously living through them and remembering the day when I too could do a trick or two. Of course the gymnasts put on a great show at the end of the week.

And Kole had a front row seat with the beverage of his choice.

I took this picture about a year ago when Addison started taking gymnastics with Ellie and I can’t believe how far they’ve come since then. Not just in gymnastics, but in everything they’ve done. They are growing into such beautiful girls – inside and out – and I felt so proud this summer to claim them as my own. The two of them really shined during their camps in their own special ways. They worked hard, played hard, and were kind and respectful to friends and teachers. Then they came home and helped me by entertaining their little brother.

**Ellie and Addison – I love the two of you so much! I know that you will soar next year in Kindergarten and Second Grade. I’m so excited to see what else is in store for the two of you! Great things for sure.

xoxo, mom

xoxo, Erin

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Kole

08.23.11

Tuesday Tidbits

Just popping in for a quick hello today!

Our last week of summer is off to a good start! We’ve been on the go so much this summer that a week of lounging and catching up at home is just what the doctor ordered. Ellie is still on her dog kick so the girls have watched Lady and the Tramp a time or twenty.

Kole is into as much trouble as ever. To say this little guy keeps me on my toes is an understatement.

In the beginning my house was simply “baby proofed,” but we’ve taken it up a notch and I’m happy to say that my house is now officially “Kole proofed.” We did take down the stair gates yesterday however, since he has mastered going up and down the stairs on his own in about a nano second. I LOVE having those gates gone! Feels like I can breathe in my house again.

He is teething like crazy and chewing on everything. This morning I caught him right before he digested a purple crayon. He broke his right front tooth a couple of weeks ago. His sisters were in the tub so he pulled himself up to the side of the tub to say hello. The only problem was that the side of the tub was wet so back down he went, chipping his tooth off along the way. I swear he has aged me ten years in the last few months.

Aside from being quite the stunt man, my boy is also such a flirt! You’d never know the mischief he’s up to if you met him at the grocery store or when we’re out and about. He sits and smiles coyly at anyone who will glance his way and he especially knows how to work it with the ladies. He is becoming more of his daddy’s boy every day.

Go ahead buddy! Toss that dinner all over the place. You and I both know that your irresistible tooth-chipped smile is your ‘get out of jail free’ card.

I started a little project yesterday. Actually a big project. I’m completely re-arranging my girls closets and how I organize their clothes. We’re still house hunting, but are busting out of space in our current house so we’ve decided it’s time to rent a storage shed.

I’m moving everything that was in our guest room closet (old formals, dance costumes, Halloween costumes, etc.) into boxes and moving all of Ellie’s clothes in. My girls need their own closet space so badly. Especially since we also use their closet to hold/store toys.

Kenny went upstairs last night to read to the girls when he got home from work and gave me quite the look when he saw the mess I’d made. I smiled and said “it always gets worse before it gets better!” :)

So, without further delay, I’m off to organize!

p.s. My kitchen shelf re-do was featured….twice!! I am so excited and honored that these fun bloggers included my shelf in their list of favorites out of the hundreds who linked up. You can check it out at Tidy Mom and Tip Junkie and also see some other fun projects they featured.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

08.22.11

Pantry and Pajamas

Hi friends! Thanks for all of your sweet comments from last weeks’ Fashion Friday! You were all so kind and made me feel a little less silly for a post full of nothing but myself in front of my bathroom mirror. (That seriously makes me a little uncomfortable. It also seriously makes me want to mix up the paint in my bathroom!) :) Really though – I loved hearing from so many of you so thanks again for your kind words.

Sharing a few pictures of my mom’s pantry today. We have a deal that every summer when I come to visit she’ll offer plenty of free babysitting in exchange for a well organized pantry. It’s quite the win win for me since I love organizing so much…and not a bad deal for her since she’d spend time with my little ones regardless. So just like last summer I hit town and got right to work!

Before:

After!

Nothing too scientific about this pantry party. I just made sure that each item had a category and a happy place to call home.

Chips all together (don’t think you need to buy chips for quite a while mom), cereals/boxed foods together, canned goods together, baking foods together….you get the picture.

Aren’t these baskets great to hold food items? I’m working on a little pantry re-do at my house right now and have loved using similar baskets.

My mom has a big pantry so aside from food, she also uses it to store baking sheets, bowls, baskets, etc. I tried to use things she was already storing in her pantry to help corral things like these baking pans that are now holding pasta. And don’t stress – my mom cooks about as often as I do (although she’ll claim otherwise) so I don’t think she’ll be needing those pans anytime soon. (I’m going to get a phone call after that one…sorry in advance for ratting you out mom!)

Speaking of my mom calling, she called me the other day and said “I almost bought Lipton soup at the store today, but since my pantry is so clean I knew that I already have PLENTY of Lipton soup! You’re saving me money because I now know what I already have!” That really is one of my favorite things about food organization. It makes it so easy when it’s time to go grocery shopping.

Ahhh. Nothing like a clean pantry.

So we’re heading into our LAST week of summer!

What’s on our agenda???

Probably lots of un-done hair and mixed matched pajamas. Lounging and playing.

It’s what we do best around here. :)

Have a great Monday everyone!

**Linking up at Between Naps on the Front Porch

xoxo, Erin

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fashion2

08.19.11

Fashion Friday

Fashion Friday again everyone! Can you handle it!!?? I don’t know if I can. I’m getting a little tired of seeing myself in the bathroom mirror. Kenny has been working late so self portraits are all I’ve got this week. Take it or leave it baby.

Remember this gray cardigan from The Limited?

I had requests to see it on so this is a picture taken at night after Kenny and I went out last Saturday. Poor lighting, but a glimpse of the cardigan. I love the way this hangs. It’s perfect for cool San Diego evenings. (The necklace I’ve had for awhile and it’s also from The Limited)

I also bought this cute gray purse a couple of weeks ago. Found it in Christensen’s in Utah. It was CHEAP. Like 20 dollars cheap. Isn’t it cute for 20 bucks!? I figure even if I only use it a few times it will be worth it. Plus it has pockets on the side and I LOVE purses with side pockets. They are perfect for pacifiers. :)

And here’s one more pic so you can see the boots with it. I know this picture is terrible but I think I took it after midnight. Couldn’t wait to take the outfit off and put the pajamas on!

This week has been so humid here. I wore lots of summer tops…

(this purple one is also from The Limited)

and had my hair pulled up most of the time. You can tell the forecast by my hair. If it’s pulled up, it’s humid. My hair and humidity don’t really care for one another. They’ve tried to be friends, but it just never works out. Sad, really. Life would be so much better if they were besties.

And remember this combo? Wore it this week.

Here it is two different ways. On the left with my Citizens and wedges. On the right with my skinny Sevens and my boots from Italy. My Italy boots are a bit outdated (I’ve had them for over three years now) but I don’t care. I will wear them until I die. Or at least until we go to Italy again and I can replace them with something I like better.

A seven dollar belt from Forever 21. I love this one and wear it A LOT.

And with the beloved Anthro belt. Which do you like better with this shirt?

This is one of my favorite cardigans and I can’t for the life of me remember where I bought it! It’s hard to tell but the tank under it has ruffles around the neck. I like it because it’s easy to wear casually with jeans and boots, or I can pair it with a skirt and heels and dress it up.

These are the boots I usually wear with it. Nordstroms – two years ago.

Here is a fun black top I just bought (Urban Wear in So. Utah – love that store!). I lightened it on the left so you can see the ruffles at the neck and the way it’s fitted at the bottom. Very flattering style for anyone! It instantly makes your waist look small.

I love a simple black top because you can do so many things to accessorize and mix it up. Flower headbands are a favorite of mine. I can stick with black (Anthropologie).

Or add a pop of color. (Green is also from Anthro and the grey headband is from the Gap.)

If I’m running around with the kids, I’ll wear my black ballet flats (Dillards).

If I’m going out I’ll wear what I call my Gwen Stefani shoes (Nordstroms). I’m not the only one who adores these shoes.

I also love wearing these fun earings from Banana Republic with black.

Or the necklace Addison made me this summer.

It takes the cake, don’t you think?

So are we thinking Fashion Friday should be a weekly thing? I’d love to hear if you’re loving it or if you’re over it! Maybe twice a month??? I’ll leave it up to you. Until then, go forth and be fashionable!

And have a great weekend while you’re at it.

**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy!

xoxo, Erin

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Fun with Friends

08.18.11

Wrapping up the tour and our trip!

Sharing the rest of the pics I took of my mom’s house today!

First her beautiful kitchen – from a few different angels…

The cabinetry, moldings, door and window casings, fireplaces, fixtures…everything in this house is simply gorgeous. This is the kind of house that already looks decorated before anyone even moves into it!

I love the planked french doors. When you walk in the front door you see straight through those doors and into the beautiful back yard.

Lots of fun bead board.

I think the yellow kitchen aid looks especially nice on her counter top, don’t you? A little Christmas present to my mom from me a few years ago. My family knows better than to ever buy one for me. Although they do make nice decor…

Love her stove, range and hood.

A view from the laundry room.

A peek at the dining nook.

And into the laundry room we go! The laundry room is right off the kitchen and all of the cabinets are the same cream bead board. I love how it is so neutral that she can decorate with any colors and mix things up often. I also love all of the beautiful wood plantation shutters.

The wall opposite the washer and dryer. I’m so envious of all of her storage!!!

Cute little door holding her ironing board and a collage of family pictures to the right of it.

Heading into the family room. Aren’t her wood floors to die for!? I dream about them. Often.

This is a horrible, crooked picture because by this point of the photo shoot Kole was on my left hip trying to pull the camera out of my right hand so unfortunately, this is where the tour ends (for now anyway!). I did want to share this picture though because it shows a peek of the family room with the beautiful rock fireplace, the moldings all along the stairs, the pillars around the formal dining…such a pretty home. My mom and dad wanted to create a bit of a log cabin feel along with my mom’s cottage/country style.

They did just that and we all love their home!

I know this post is picture overload, but I wanted to add a few more for our family journal. The reason for our last trip to Utah was not only to visit grandparents, but also to join our friends in a special weekend.

Ellie’s best buddy Pierson turned 8 years old and was baptized a member of our church. His parents are our good friends Ryan and Josie and we were so excited to be there to support Pierson!

The following Sunday they blessed their new baby boy in church so we were able to also be there for that special day. (Fashion Friday pics were snapped before these lovely events!) The last pictures I shared of Josie were from our Maui trip when she was 7 months pregnant. I’m happy to report they had a healthy baby boy! And he is adorable. And very light. At least he felt light to me since I’m used to hauling around my big boy. Who I swear is refusing to walk because he quite prefers his mom to haul him around everywhere. We left Kole home with my family during the festivities so we could actually enjoy them. This is a fun picture of our two families minus my little maniac. {p.s. Ryan – sorry I chose the pic with your eyes closed. It was either you with your eyes closed, or the kids making strange faces and I sacrificed you to make the kids look good. Hope we’re still tight.} ;)

We had fun celebrating the weekends’ events with Ryan and Josie and their family and friends.

And it goes without saying that these three had a delightful time together.

Love this girl. So much fun Josie! Thanks for letting us share in your special weekend.

Wrapping up another great trip to our home away from home. :)

xoxo, Erin

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home decor 2

08.17.11

Best rooms at the Inn

Thank you for your kind comments about my shelf re-do! Since I’m on a home decor kick I thought I’d share a few pics from my mom’s house. A couple of months ago I shared a tour of the outside of her house and I promised I’d take some pics of the inside the next time I visited. This last trip was a busy one (mostly spent chasing Kole up and down my parents two flights of stairs) so I didn’t photograph as much of the house as I wanted to. But I did snap a few! The following pictures are of two of the bedrooms upstairs – the rooms where my girls sleep when they visit.

First up – the princess room! This is where Ellie sleeps. My mom bought this darling pink bedding…

complete with a crown pillow.

She also bought a castle shower curtain to cover a little nook in the room…

creating a secret spot for all of the princesses to play.

My girls and their cousin Claire have spent countless hours reading and playing in their “castle” – usually with the ~~shower curtain~~ castle door closed.

Ellie loves sleeping in her princess room. And so does her baby. :)

As for the rest of the grand kids, they share a small room at the end of the hall. The goal with this room was to fit as many sleeping little ones as possible! The room is complete with a crib…

a twin bed…

and a set of bunk beds (quilts were made by my grandma and are from my childhood).

And let’s not forget a sleeping bag for Addison’s baby.
Cause whatever Ellie is doing, Addison is doing too.

Most of the rooms in my mom’s house include a bookshelf and this room is no exception. Most of the books were removed by my girls and were spread around the house at the moment of this little photo shoot.

Last two pictures are sure signs that my girls are in town. :)

Oh – and in case you were wondering, Kole’s crib is in a different room.

Not that my boy can’t handle a pink butterfly now and then. Or a giant teddy bear who clearly needs his rest.

xoxo, Erin

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08.15.11

Kitchen shelf re-do!

I’m so excited to share my newly painted and decorated kitchen shelf with you all! I didn’t take many pictures along the way since this was my first time painting a piece of furniture and I was in total concentration mode. I did manage to take one picture of the shelf on a blanket in my garage before I started painting it…

And here it is after I painted the shelf white and the bead board the same color as the newly painted wall….

So are you ready for the final before and after?

BEFORE

and AFTER!!!

So what do you think!!?? Better? Worse? Something in between!? I have to say that I love the change because I am SO tired of all of the red and black in my house. I’ve been in the mood for something a little lighter and brighter for a while now.

Most of the shelf decor I shared with you earlier, but I’ll break down where I bought everything. These mini pitchers are from Home Goods.

Little spice jars are from Anthropologie. They were so small I needed something behind them. These yellow bird plates from Pier One were perfect!

White pitcher from TJ Maxx. I’ve been collecting white pitchers forever now. LOVE them.

Milk bottle measuring cups from Anthro. Blue bowls to the left of them are from Home Goods.

And the cups and bowls to the right are also from Anthro. I may switch out the blue/green bowls because they are so similar to the paint color.

Speaking of this paint color…. I get the biggest kick out of it! Sometimes it looks more blue.

And sometimes it looks like aqua. Either way – I’ll take it!

Now the only problem is that the rest of my kitchen doesn’t exactly coordinate with my shelf. My plan with decorating is always to first pick a color scheme I like and then slowly incorporate those colors into the rest of my house. It’s always fun to shop for things you love in your colors (or go nuts with spray paint!). I’m excited to make the rest of my house look more like this shelf!

But that’s a project for another day. :)

**Partying at these blogs:
Between Naps on the Porch
Tidy Mom
Sweet Little Gals
Perfectly Imperfect

xoxo, Erin

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08.12.11

Fashion Friday

Alright! Here we go! Another Fashion Friday. Can I get a woot woot!!

First of all – these are my absolute summer staples. I think I’ve worn these yellow shoes (bought them last summer) and these earrings (Forever 21) at least 3-4 times each week. They just go with everything – dressy or casual – and they seem to call out SUMMER. Love them.

Here’s a random picture in a not so amazing outfit, but I’m once again wearing the shoes and earrings. These shorts are also a summer staple of mine and have been for the last few years. I need to update them, but they are True Religion and the most I have ever spent on any one article of clothing (if Kenny only knew! He’d die!) so I definitely wanted to get my money out of them! And I think I have.

And it’s about time to retire them. But I have loved these shorts.

Here’s my favorite fashion accessory lately. My cute friend Amy bought me this key chain for my last birthday (ordered from an etsy shop) and I have been so in love with it. First, I love the color. I’m always wearing this color – it’s a favorite. Second, this key chain makes it so easy to find my keys in my purse. Can’t miss them with this on! Third, it has come in so handy to have my keys on my wrist because I’m always holding Kole. I keep them on getting him in and out of the car and I always have my keys with me. Genius! Thanks again Amy!

Speaking of my favorite clothing color, here is a new dress I just bought from the Limited.

It’s simple. I like simple. Notice we are all three sporting our yellow sandals. Fabulous.

I also really like the ruffles and gathers at the top. What I don’t like is the lighting in this bathroom.

Found this cream top for Fall while I was in Utah last week. My sister-in-law saw it and said “oh that is so you!” And she is so right. I probably own 10 other tops just like this. I LOVE cream in the fall.

But wait — it’s missing something…

my Anthro belt please! Add some skinny jeans and Fall boots and this is perfect.

An Erin outfit for sure.

Bought this fun sweater at Down East. It’s cropped so I’ll probably wear it with a white tank under it. It was only 30 bucks! And I was so excited! But also ashamed…

since it is SO similar to this yellow sweater I bought from Anthropologie for our family pictures that was NOT only 30 bucks. I need to do the Down East thing a little more and the Anthro thing a little less. :)

Here’s my favorite thing I’ve bought lately. I’m so in love with this skirt! I’m sure you can’t guess why…um…it’s cream….and it has a belt. I’m nothing if not predictable.

And here I am modeling the skirt – only because several of you requested that I do so. The skirt is from a store called Urban Wear in sunny St. George, UT and the shirt is from Forever 21. The shoes are Guess and I’ve had them for years and I can’t live without them.

Another favorite thing about this skirt is the pockets. Because well. Pockets on skirts are just cool.

Grabbed my girl to pose with me. She was running around on the rocks at the time of this mini photo shoot.

And last but certainly not least, a new outfit I picked up for the main squeeze in my life.

I fell in love with these shorts…

and this shirt….(Gymboree)

and these tiny adidas shoes.

Who said buying clothes for boys isn’t as fun!!?

I’ll have to take a picture of my little dude in his new outfit.

I’m sure he’ll be SO cooperative to model it for me.

BTW – Did you all watch the season finale of SYTYCD? It was SO GOOD! I cried at the end!!! Kenny and I had the winner picked from day one. She was amazing. We’ve also bought our tickets to the live show and picked up two extra tickets to take friends.

Can I get a woot woot!!

Happy Friday everyone!

p.s. Linking up at Pleated Poppy today!

xoxo, Erin

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