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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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fashion2
12.02.11

Fashion Friday/ Queen Bee Market

YEA!!  Weekend is here!  And this is a week I’m thrilled to have over!  I spent a good chunk of time this afternoon getting my house back in order and I feel so much better.  When my house is a mess so is my brain!  I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed with all I have to do in the next few weeks (who doesn’t, right?) but give me some wiped off counters and clean floors and I feel like I can tackle the world!  
The weekend before we left town for Thanksgiving I called one of my BFF’s and told her we had to go to the Queen Bee Market.  The Queen Bee Market (if you haven’t heard about it before) is a fun San Diego craft fair for vendors to set up shop and sell their homemade goods.  They have done this several times, but I’ve always had something else going on (out of town, sick kids…) so when another good friend of mine told me they would be in my neck of the woods in November I was thrilled I could finally go!  

Darci brought along her darling sister-in-law and the three of us were ready for a wild girls night out!  Sadly, this is about as wild as we get.  :)
Queen Bee didn’t disappoint!  There were so many beautiful homemade things for sale.  It was hard to choose what to buy!  Ok.  I never really have that  hard of a time figuring out what to buy.  
Wanna hear another neat thing about my trip to the market?  I was recognized by some people who read my blog!  How cool is that!?  This darling girl came up to me and introduced herself and told me she loves my blog.  Well.  She was so sweet that I of course immediately fell in love with her.  We had such a fun time getting to know each other.  Actually I had fun getting to know her.  She already knew everything about me.  What my kids are like, what my house looks like, what my bathroom drawers look like, what I eat for dinner…   :)  I love making new friends.  So. Much. Fun.  
Then we walked around the corner and I was recognized by another sweet reader and her friend!  It was honestly so much fun meeting these darling girls.  I love feeling like it’s people like them (like you!) who read this blog.  Instead of, I don’t know, some sort of psycho (hopefully not you).  Anyway, I had my two minutes of fame and quite enjoyed it.  Just call me Julia Roberts.  I’ll be signing autographs surrounded by bodyguards tomorrow at noon.  And my bodyguards all look like Matt Damon.  Actually one of them is Matt Damon.  Oh wait.  I have Kindergarten pick-up tomorrow at noon.  
Guess autographs and Matt Damon will have to wait.  ;)

10 minutes later it was my turn to get an autograph when I ran into Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy.  So fun to meet the “What I Wore Wednesday” girl herself!  She had a darling shop and I bought the sweetest little tie for Kole there!  I had also just purchased a fun yellow scarf so when I saw Lindsey in one similar looking oh so fashionable I knew I’d made a smart decision!

I also bought some cute things for the girls for Christmas.  It was a great night.  Fun with friends (old and new!) and good shopping.  I don’t think it could have been better!  Well.  Maybe if Matt Damon would have shown up…
On to some fashion!
Heading to the “Favorites” party last night.  Like I said, purple shirt barely won!  But several of you did suggest wearing it with the black headband.  I wore it with a different headband that matches the shirt better and then wondered if it was too much accessorizing with the necklace.  I finally decided to just go with it and follow Addison’s life philosophy — the more accessories the better!  
Fancy Nancy has nothing on me.  

Here is a better look at the headband.  I’m so in love with it!  It’s actually the one I was wearing in my hair tutorial video, but the lighting was so bad in that video it really didn’t do it justice.  

Just look at those sparkles!  I saw them at Banana Republic and instantly knew I had to have the purple and grey.  It was love at first sight!  But the black was also calling my name!  What to do…what to do…  of course I bought them both.  I figured the black would look great with my newish black dress for Kenny’s fancy schmancy firm Christmas party this year.  The headbands are $25.00 each and you can find them here.  Kind of pricey for a headband, but I’ve found I wear these things SO much with so many different outfits that they are definitely worth it!

Here’s the purple top I wore in the hair video…

and here it is looking totally different with my yellow scarf from the Queen Bee Market!  Isn’t it fun!?  I love scarves, but like I mentioned before, our weather isn’t practical for winter scarves very often.  This is more of an accessory than to actually provide warmth so I named it my “San Diego scarf” and the two of us have been getting along famously.  Wanna see?  

Isn’t it great!?  I feel like I could wear it with about everything I own!  
An easy way to get a new look with a not so new shirt.  

This is a simple brown top I’ve had forever from The Gap.  It’s fine, but nothing special.  

With my San Diego scarf – it’s special!  (Jazz fingers are coming to mind.)
Add some fun fall boots and I’m ready to party!  

Oh look!  My party guests just arrived.  :)
Have a great weekend everyone!  
**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy!
(Hi Lindsey!!)  :)
xoxo, Erin
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Kole
12.01.11

My little helper

Ok.  What was up with that!?  I ask for your help with what to wear to my party and you all told me different outfits!  I was hoping there would be a clear answer but since it was so close the decision was back on me again!  Not cool.  Kidding!  Kind of.  ;)  I really did appreciate the feedback.  Black and purple shirt were almost tied for the most votes so I wore the purple shirt to the Favorites Party (just got back from it!) and I’m going to wear the black with the headband to a Christmas party we have this weekend.  I wore the grey with the white tank in our family pictures this year so there you go.  Everybody wins!  I’m a people pleaser.  :)  The party was so much fun and there were some GOOD favorites.  I made Ann take notes for me and I’ll share them all with you next week!  Really fun gift ideas and a few things I’ll definitely be adding to my Christmas list this year!  
I don’t have a lot of time to post tonight because it’s almost midnight and I’m exhausted from the party.  My throat hurts.  I think I talked too much.  Anyway – I have a lot of fun things to share!  I just need to find the time to post them.  This week is killing me.  School projects due, lots of activities going on for the kids, messy house (I still haven’t finished unpacking from our trip!), appointments and obligations, half finished decorating, gift shopping (yeah – it was a nice idea to have things done before December – didn’t happen) holiday parties, laundry piling up, and of course, I have so much help with everything I’m trying to get done…
 
See why I need to get to bed?  I need every ounce of energy I can muster.  
I have been getting some really great questions lately from some of you in the comments and through e-mail!  Your questions are great and a lot of times they give me good ideas for posts.  I try to answer questions back in my comments, but sometimes life gets in the way and I’m sorry if any of you have asked me a question that I haven’t answered.  I’m going to do a question/answer post soon to get back to some of you so if you have a question for me, now is the time to ask it!  Although I already shared how I style my hair so there really isn’t much else that exciting to tell.  ;) 
Have a great Thursday everyone!  I’m off to bed!

:)

xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
11.29.11

Tuesday Tidbits

Slowly getting back into the swing of things around here.  Bags are still packed.  And my house is a disaster.  I wish you all could have witnessed my son at dinner time.  That boy can toss food like no one’s business.  And scribble on doors.  And tear up homework.  He is trouble and I am tired.  I had so much on my to-do list today and I didn’t do any of it!  Instead I spent the morning at Pottery Barn and the afternoon pulling out all of my Christmas decor.  Much more appealing than my to-do list which included things like laundry and scrubbing bathrooms.  No wonder I put it off.

The girls and I decorated the tree.  Our tree is quite a sight this year.  No decorations on the bottom half –  completely Kole proofed.  And the top?  Well.  Since I knew our tree would look a little off this year anyway I just handed the decorations to my girls and told them to have at it!  Ornaments are all clumped together.  Toys somehow made their way onto the branches.  Usually I let my girls decorate the tree and then spend the next week re-arranging everything so that it looks a little more put together.  Not this year.  I’m not even touching it!  We are going with the flow around here and embracing the CRAZY stage that is our lives right now.  Our tree seems to convey that message loud and clear.  :)

I am, however decorating a few spots in my house that are out of reach of little hands.  Our situation with Kole is forcing me to think out of the box with my decorations and I’m excited about a few changes I’m making to our normal Christmas decor.  Of course a little painting was in order to make some of the changes happen.  Bet you can’t guess what color these are going to be.  :)

My mantel was my first priority today and I was in desperate need of the perfect candles to go on my aqua candlesticks.  Hence the morning run to Pottery Barn!

Aren’t these just beautiful!?  Pottery Barn’s Basilica Pillar Candle.  They are perfect!  Just what I needed to tie my mantel decor together!  The only problem was the price.  $13 for the short ones and $23.50 for the tall ones.  And that’s on sale!  I thought ok – I can spend $30 on candles but $50!?  That’s a bit much.  So I bought the short ones.  And they are beautiful!  And perfect!  Except they need to be taller.  Of course.  Still debating if I can go back and buy the big ones and slip this little purchase past Kenny live with the fact that I spent such a crazy amount on candles.  
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Speaking of shopping and sales… my mom bought me this adorable little zipper pouch a while back (I think it was $5 bucks at TJ Maxx). 

It has become such a perfect way to organize all of my “extras” that don’t fit in my wallet.  I know it looks like a mess, but it’s actually quite organized.  Coupons are in the front opening.  SO many coupons this time of year!  I’m normally not much of a coupon person, but when the good ones from places like Banana Republic, The Limited and Gap kids start rolling in I’m all over it!  Receipts are in the middle.  I save all of my receipts.  Drives my mom crazy.  But you never know if you might want to return something later on!  I return about half of the stuff I buy.  That also drives my mom crazy.  Ok.  Not half.  But I have been known to return a thing or two when it doesn’t work out.  Like my too short Pottery Barn candles.  Back to the organization.  Gift cards are in the back opening and change/cash is in the zipper pouch.  This has been so handy!  It helps me keep my purse organized and my wallet from busting at the seams.  
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Remember last year when I posted about my friend Ann’s Favorite Things party?  It was such a fun holiday party that we all decided it needed to be a tradition.  This year’s party is this week and I’m so excited!  I got so many e-mails asking about this party and the items shared so I will take pictures and explain everything after the party this week.  Such a fun way to get gift ideas and share favorites with everyone!  Pretty easy to guess my favorite thing last year.  See the Conair curling irons on the front row?  Always a hit.  :)

I was wanting to buy a little something new to wear to the party, but don’t think I’ll have time to shop much this week (and I may be spending my clothes money on candles instead – HA!).  So instead of looking in my closet for what to wear, I looked back through all of my Fashion Friday posts!  Those posts are coming in pretty handy after all.  :)  We are having a hot week so I narrowed it down to three appropriate options and can’t decide.  I’d love your opinion!  Which one should I wear?

Thanks for your help!  I love it when other people make my decisions for me.  :)
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
xoxo, Erin
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Family
11.28.11

Our Thanksgiving

{I’m warning you right now that this post is long.  I took way too many pictures and my indecisive nature causes me to just post them all instead of actually having to agonize over which ones I should cut.  You may want to grab some leftovers.  Or start a load of laundry.}  
Well!  Now that my warning is out of the way and you fully know what you’re getting into, we’re back.  Spent all of last week in Utah with family and had a great vacation.  The kind of vacation that is just such a bummer when it’s over.  My kids had a fabulous trip.  My niece was at my mom’s all week too and the three girls had a par – tay.  To say the least.  
They watched movies together on grandma’s bed.  

Turned the back yard into their personal playground.
Created all sorts of interesting “soups” and “potions” out of vegetables from grandpa’s garden. 
And out of pomegranates from grandma’s pomegranate tree.   

They drove around everywhere on their fancy little scooters.
And were joined by their Uncle Austin and cousin Drew – Kole’s mischievous partner in crime.  

They went on nature walks with mom and grandma and enjoyed all of the beautiful fall leaves.  

And the neighbors’ Christmas decorations.  

They dressed grandpa up fancy.  
And enjoyed stories by Aunt Carly in matching Christmas p.j.’s.  

Realizing they had all of the adults in the palm of their hands, they got creative and came up with a little money making scheme.  Ellie led the charge on this one of course.

Who could resist buying this stunning turkey?  And for the bargain price of a mere $2.00!?  Those clever little illustrators walked away with pockets full of cash and smiles on their faces.  When we went shopping later, Addison was torn on whether or not she should part with her earnings to buy a stuffed animal.  Ellie said, “Don’t worry Ad!  We’ll just draw more pictures!”

The girls had their own Thanksgiving table for the big day.  I gave them some apples, toothpicks, and dots and told them to make their own turkeys.

And here are the finished turkeys.  The girls kept eating the dots and dinner was done before they had a chance to make the heads.  Oh well!  {I’d like to point out my mom’s diet cokes in the background – she’s seriously addicted.  Wouldn’t be a trip to grandma’s without a diet coke run every few hours.  I just felt that had to be recorded for our posterity.}  
Love you mom.  :)

The girls weren’t the only ones who had fun.  I loved spending time with my family.  Parents, siblings, nieces and nephews – everyone was together and it was the best.  Totally crazy and loud and did I mention crazy!?  But the best.  We love to all be together.

This picture made me laugh.  My kids couldn’t pull their eyes away from the TV long enough to smile for a picture.  Looks like Ellie at least attempted a smile even though her eyes are still glued to the tube.  I believe we were watching “Shrek the Halls.”  That’s right.  I only allow my children to view the finest in quality educational shows.  Last year at Thanksgiving I gave myself the parent of the year award when Ellie told her first grade class that the one thing she was grateful for was McDonalds Happy Meals.  Looks like that gold pleated trophy is mine again!

Here we are the night before Turkey day getting the stuffing ready and watching Gone With The Wind.  Because “after all, tomorrow — is another day!”   Best movie ever.  They don’t make em’ like that anymore.

The girls.  

And the guys.  Who thought something on Kenny’s ipad was a bit more intriguing than Scarlett O’Hara and breaking bread.

And if you aren’t already super impressed with my mad bread breaking skills, I’ll have you all know that I also cut the potatoes.  That’s right.  And I wore my new anthro apron to boot.  Broke it right in cutting potatoes after Dayna peeled them.


Soon after this picture I took my apron off and decided I’d be in charge of the kids because, well, why push it.  I didn’t want to actually spill on my anthro apron.  It is a crucial part of my kitchen decor you know.  ;)

Brother, dad, and sister.  Love these three.  And they love me.  Even if my idea of helping with Thanksgiving dinner is to prance around in a new apron rather than to actually help prepare the meal. 
 I’m lucky to have them.  
Also lucky to have these two.  

My mom and I made the executive decision that since we had six kids ages seven and under and since three of those six kids were one year olds that it would be ok to opt for paper plates instead of the fine china.  Nobody complained a bit.  Especially when it was time to do the dishes.

Yes.  It was a good vacation.  One that will be hard to recover from.  
Although some of us seem to be recovering better than others.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
11.24.11

Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude

My mom is a quote person.  She loves quotes and always has several of them written on post it notes attached to her fridge or inside her kitchen cabinets.  When my brother and sister and I were little my mom would make us memorize them.  My favorite quote (and the only one I still have memorized!) is “Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude” by Richard Carloy.  I thought it would be a perfect quote to share with you all on this special day.   

Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude

Every day of your life is a gift from God.  
Don’t squander it.
Don’t waste it by being angry with anyone.
Don’t let it slip away by feeling sorry for yourself.
Be grateful for this precious gift of life and spend it by being as happy and as thankful as you possibly can.
Let your mind dwell on the good things which have happened to you.  
Let gratitude be your attitude.  
Think of your assets, and don’t let anyone else spoil your day for you. 
Enjoy every day of your life to the fullest. 
Realize that you can add to the joy of each day by making someone else happy.


-Richard A. Carloy

I sincerely hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

(And for those of you who don’t live in America and celebrate this holiday, I hope you have a wonderful weekend with the ones you love!)
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
11.22.11

Thanksgiving “Pinspiration”

Last week I shared some of my favorite Christmas “pinspiration” so I couldn’t let this week go by without sharing some fun ideas for Thanksgiving too!  I feel like Christmas is a holiday that requires a little more planning and organizing ahead of time where with Thanksgiving (at least in my family) we tend to throw things together sorta last minute.  The meal is planned and thought out (thanks to my mom) but I’m always looking for last minute ideas for table decor or fun things to keep the kiddos occupied while the meal is being prepared.  So if you’re like me and need a few last minute ideas, here are some of my favorites!

{Let’s talk TURKEYS!}

This is so darling for a kids’ table.  Cute centerpiece and then they can color while they wait for the food!

I’m going to attempt this.  Isn’t he adorable!?

I love this art project.  Doubt it will happen this week but I am saving the idea for next year.  Those feathers would be so easy to make with random scrap paper and my kids would be all over stepping in paint for the foot print/body.

Seems you can make all of your appetizers turkeys with just a little creativity!

Fun for breakfast on the big day – or any day in November for that matter.  And so easy!

My sister in law just made these and they turned out adorable!  

I love this for a November snack/lunch for the kids.  Apples or peppers make great feathers!

Another fun and easy craft for the kiddos.

{Thanksgiving Decor}

The next three ideas are so simple and inexpensive.  Great ideas for last minute decorating!

Candles, clear containers, popcorn kernels, candy corns, nuts.  I can handle that.

Pumpkins are so fun to decorate with.  I know everyone is about ready to put pumpkins away but I love this farmhouse decor and plan to do something like this on my table next year.  When Kole isn’t crawling  all over my table on a regular basis.


I thought it would be fun on Thursday to have my kids go in grandma’s backyard and gather leaves and then let them hang them with clothes pins like this.  Very similar to my leaf banner we made last year —

I just cut out leaves and had the girls watercolor them and then attached them to a ribbon to hang.  Fun and easy.  Nothing says fall like leaves.  Whether they’re real or painted.  :)

Here is another fun leaf display I want to try next year.

And one last fun Fall decor pic.  I love how all of the white makes those orange and red leaves just pop!

{Crafts for the Kiddos}

Just a few more fun ideas to keep the little ones entertained while they are waiting around for Thanksgiving dinner.  Q-tip art is great.  I always loved these kinds of projects when I taught school because they keep the kids busy for a really long time.  :)

This is another project that would keep the kids occupied for a while.  And use up all of those extra buttons you have laying around!

How cute are these Mayflower ships!?  Love the personalized sails.

Not in the mood to get creative with crafts this year?  Here are a few free Thanksgiving printables for the  kids to color.  Doesn’t get any easier than that!

Visit Reading with Kids and Living Locurto to print them.

Happy Turkey Day planning everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Ramblings
11.22.11

Thank You!!!

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to pop in quickly tonight to say THANK YOU so much for your sweet comments after my hair tutorial.  Really.  You have no idea how much better you all made me feel!  It’s so intimidating putting yourself out there like that.  And I know that I put myself out there daily with this blog because it’s all about my life and my family, but actually filming yourself takes it to a whole new level!  Your comments were so kind and encouraging.  And funny!  I was cracking up that so many of you thought I would have a southern accent!  Especially since I was born and raised in Utah and now live in San Diego!  :)  But I did teach school in Virginia for three years while Kenny went to law school at UVA. And while I was there I did perfect my “y’all” so technically, we can call me a southerner.  ;)  It was also making me laugh that so many of you were saying I sounded more “mature” than you thought I would.  What!?  Do I not come across like the epitome of wisdom and maturity on this blog!  ;)  I told one of my friends people were commenting that I sounded mature and she laughed out loud and said I need to do another video.  Nice!  Guess she doesn’t think I’m the epitome of wisdom and maturity either!  I actually am more bubbly in ‘real life’ but like I said in my comments – doing this video made me so nervous that I switched over into ultra serious mode to get through it.  I’m tricky like that.  And maybe I will have to attempt another vlog some time that is less instructional and more fun.  Several of you gave me great ideas for some!  But for now, I am just breathing a sigh of relief that I made it through that first one and you aren’t all abandoning me!  And I’m thrilled that my tutorial actually helped some of you.  That seriously makes me so happy.  My mom (and faithful blog reader) called me and said “Wow!  You are getting so many comments on this post!  Almost as many as when you almost died!”  And then we both had a good laugh that almost dying and a hair tutorial are about on the same playing field in blog land.  :)  (I totally get it.  Hair is important stuff.)  Again, thank you so much.  I have a lot to be grateful for this year and my blog readers/friends are at the top of my list.
So is everyone excited for Thanksgiving!?  My kids are out of school all week and our party has officially started!  Grandparents are around to watch the kids so Kenny and I took advantage and declared tonight a date night.  We got the kids in bed, picked up sandwiches (which we scarfed down in the car) and made it in time for a late night showing of Breaking Dawn (which Kenny affectionately calls Breaking Wind/Passing Gas – he really is too much for me sometimes).  It was SO good!  There was hardly anyone in the theatre (the beauty of going to a late movie on a Monday night) so I was able to test out three different seats until I found our perfect viewing spot.  I have to say that Breaking Dawn was my least favorite of the Twilight books.  I was SO mad when Bella got pregnant so fast.  I just wanted her to be young and in love with Edward forever.  Frolicking in the meadow and breaking headboards for years and years.  Not saddled down with a baby the second after they got married.  I know all too well what a baby does to the romance and I wanted to continue to live vicariously through Bella.  Not have her join my world of diapers and sippy cups.  And then when Jacob imprinted!  On Bella and Edward’s BABY!  Hello sick and twisted.  I was NOT impressed.  But, the movie was good and I’m so smitten by the characters that I couldn’t stay mad at them for long.
Anyway – it’s late and I’m rambling again, aren’t I?  I need to go to bed.  But I’ll be back soon!  With some fun Thanksgiving ideas!  Thanks again everyone.  Thanks for the comments.  Thanks for your support.  Thanks for reading.
Over and out.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
11.18.11

Fashion Friday – How I style my hair

Ok everyone.  I finally did it.  I filmed myself doing my hair.  And I can’t believe I am really going to post this video!  I’m seriously so nervous just thinking about it!  Kind of sick to my stomach nervous.  I can’t even watch it because I just start critiquing myself to death and want to crawl into a little hole and hide there!   It is SO hard to talk to yourself in front of a mirror and not look and sound and feel like a complete idiot.  And let me tell you.  I felt like a complete idiot filming it and I am well aware that I look and sound like a complete idiot.  Plus I have to apologize for the lighting.  It’s awful and it certainly doesn’t do me any favors!  I filmed this on a dark, rainy day.  I had a small window of time last weekend when Kenny was home and the kids were occupied and I seized it!  Bad lighting and all.  I started out with Kenny filming me but it was making me too nervous!  He is a loose cannon and I never know what he is going to say or do to embarrass me so I kicked him out of the bathroom and set up the tripod.  And I know he was bummed because he was secretly dying to know how I get my bangs to frame my face.  ;)

So without further nervousness and rambling from me – here is my tutorial on how I style my hair….

(BTW – I really don’t think You Tube could have picked a worse beginning pose.  They aren’t doing me any favors either.  For some reason I couldn’t get it to post any bigger than this on my blog so you can click on the You Tube button on the bottom if you want to watch it larger.)

What do you think?  Did that help?  Or did I completely humiliate myself for nothing?  :)  Are you all thinking that I sound different than you imagined?  I was so nervous in the beginning that I did a really nervous laugh and then said the word “stupider” — is stupider even a word!?  The hard thing with a vlog is there is no proofreading or spell checking or re-writing.  After I filmed it I wanted to re-do it, but couldn’t because my hair was done!  So it was a one time deal.  And I really do feel vulnerable posting that but so many of you have been so kind to me about my hair and have asked over and over how I style it so I’m sacrificing my dignity for you!  I hope it helps!  At least one or two of you!!  And if not I am SO deleting that baby this weekend.  :)

Frequently asked questions:

1)  How often do you wash your hair?


I’ve mentioned before that I don’t wash my hair every day or even every other day.  I wash my hair 2-3 times a week and I do this for a couple of reasons.  Reason one is that I have three kids (one of whom is 19 months old and a tremendous amount of work), a husband who works a lot, obligations and hobbies and a busy, full life.  Something has to give.  For me it’s the hair washing.  Reason two is that my hairdresser actually says it’s better to not wash your hair every day.  Although I don’t know that she would approve of me going as long as I sometimes do! ;)  Reason three is simply because I can get away with it.  I have dry skin/scalp and my hair actually looks better on the second or third day after washing it.  Yes I shower.  :)  I exercise almost every day and I always shower after.  I just pull my hair up in a bun and don’t get it wet.  Gross?  Maybe.  Maybe someday when my kids are in school all day I’ll always wash and blow dry my hair.  But I doubt it.  Because it takes so long to blow dry and I’d rather spend that time organizing, decorating, scrapbooking, exercising, or blogging about how I don’t wash my hair!  :)

2)  What hair products do you use?

Hmmm..  products.  I’ve tried so many different ones over the years!  I don’t have a shampoo/conditioner that I’m crazy about.  I’ve used a lot that I’ve liked, but haven’t fallen in love with anything.  I’m testing a few new ones right now and will let you know if I ever find “the one.”  But I have fallen in love with and married my hair spray and my straightener.  And divorce is not an option.

I have used Paul Mitchell hair spray FOREVER.  Love it.  Always have.  Always will.  It holds my hair in place without being sticky or making it look frozen.  Plus I love the smell.  I’ve tried everything they have to offer as far as hair spray goes and I love them all.  Sculpting spray, freeze and shine, it’s all good.  After I shower, I put Enjoy straightener on my hair (bottle with the purple star).  LOVE Enjoy products too.  The straightener makes my hair so smooth and easy to blow dry.  It’s a straightener, but I’ve even used it on Addison’s wet, curly hair and it makes her curls smooth and manageable without loosening them.

(LOVE her curls!)

The small purple bottle is Enjoy’s shine spray.  It helps with the humidity.  I spray a little bit of it on my hair after it’s styled on really humid days and it helps keep my hair from frizzing all over the place.  I’ve tried Enjoy’s shampoo and conditioner and didn’t love them.  My favorite is by far the straightener.  Another shampoo/conditioner that I really like is Biolage.  If any of you are in love with your shampoo/conditioner I’d love to hear about it!

The above picture from this post is the only one I have of my curling iron.  I’ve mentioned before how I used to use a really expensive one and then bought this cheap Conair 1 inch curling iron at Target for $9.99 for our trip to Italy.  It’s awesome!  Curls my hair so good and fast.  I haven’t used my expensive one since!  You can buy it here.

3)  Where are your kids while you are doing your hair?


Girls are in school or playing with each other.  Kole is hanging on my leg and while I hold the curling iron in one hand I am usually trying to distract him with the other.  Toothbrushes and belts are his latest obsession.  If I didn’t have those little distractions in my bathroom my hair would never get done!

4)  How long does it take to do your hair everyday?  


I think this video is about 8 or 9 minutes long and I spent more time on it than I do on most days when I’m just touching it up.  Probably around 5 minutes most days.  On the days that I wash my hair it takes about 30-35 minutes to blow dry and curl it all so add that to the time it takes to shower and do my make-up and I’m looking at an hour to get ready.  Not possible for every day.  


5)  Do you use color or highlights?  Did you ever make a big color change or just subtle ones?
  
I highlight my hair every 6-8 weeks.  My natural color is slightly darker than I have it right now.  I usually just make really subtle changes.

Here my hair has a little more of the strawberry blond highlights.  


In this picture with my siblings it has some more of the reddish tones.  See – not a huge difference. :)
I mix it up a little but always stay within my comfort zone.  Once I decided to be daring and go really dark and I hated it!  I went back to the girl who did it and asked if she’d fix it.  I told her I’d re-pay her and everything.  Luckily she was cool and re-did it for free and I’ve never dared to go really dark again! 

6)  How did you do your hair in the Italy picture?

I mentioned this in the video but I just left the ringlets on the bottom and curled the top the same way I showed you.  Curl out and away from your face!

And for my last two cents on this already too long post — When it comes to hair I think so much of it is figuring out what works for you.  I spent years blow drying and straightening my hair to get it to look like this:

I can do that and it looks fine, but it takes me forever to style.  My hair doesn’t want to be straight.  It is really time consuming to fight my natural wave/curl and make my hair look like that.  Plus I live in a humid climate which makes it even harder to maintain that look.  After I started curling my hair and realized how much easier it was to maintain because my hair holds the curl for so long I gave up the fight.  I still straighten it once in a while (especially when I’m visiting family in Utah – a nice dry climate!) but it just isn’t practical for me for everyday.  If your hair doesn’t hold curl and you have to spend forever each day curling it, then this style isn’t the one for you.  Work with and embrace what you’ve got!

And you will have happy hair days from here on out!  
:)
Let me know if you have any more questions and I will answer them in the comments!  
Have a great weekend everyone!
p.s.  If you missed the series so far – First hair post is here.
Second hair post on why I do my hair every day is here.  
xoxo, Erin
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