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Addison
06.10.11

Addison’s party

You may remember that my little Miss Addison turned five at the end of May.  We had quite the celebration for her.  Months before her birthday I told her we could do whatever she wanted for her 5th birthday – Disneyland, American Girl Doll Store, party with friends at the park, Seaworld – whatever she wanted.  She said “I want to go to grandma’s house in Utah!”  Sweetest thing.  So – off to Utah we went!

Decor for the party was pretty low key.  A few pages from Addison’s scrapbook taped along the mantel.  

And several of my favorite pictures of Addison taped along the wall.  With the Rapunzel balloons.  OF COURSE it was a “Rapunzel Utah party!”  And the whole family was invited.  
Party started with the opening of presents — funny story about the presents.  I had such fabulous intentions shopping for the party and using the pictures of Addison to make a fun birthday banner.  But the week before the party, Kole had other plans for me.  So the morning of the party my mom and I woke up and headed to Target.  Hardly any time at all to buy all of the presents, wrap them, pick up the cake and balloons, order the pizza, and get the house clean before the quests arrived.  You should have heard us driving to the store.  We were getting ourselves all pumped up for one of the fastest shopping trips in Target history!  We were like football players getting psyched for the big game.  Picture Rocky music playing in the background — “I’ll head to the doll section, you hit pajamas!  Then we’ll meet at the DVD’s and cruise past gift wrap on the way out!  We can SO do this!  Go Go Go!”  We raced in the store, grabbed everything that screamed Addison, and in less than 20 minutes we were back at the car – hi-fiving all the way home.  And not only did I find a doll, but a doll named Addison that can swim in the pool.  TOUCHDOWN!  
Yeah.  We thought we were pretty cool.   

And apparently so did Addison since she loved her gifts which included shoes, a yellow tutu, smurf pajamas (of course a matching pair for El), dolls, mermaids for my girls and their cousin Claire, and the latest Barbie DVD.  Couldn’t have done better if I would have shopped for months!  :)
Oh.  And a dress fit for a fairy princess.  

Then time for cake!

Loving the attention while everyone sang…
make a wish!
And cue the tongue.  My Addie always sticks her tongue out of the side of her mouth when she is excited/embarrassed.  

And there it is again.  The sign of a good birthday.  :)  We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool.  I should have taken more pictures of the guests, but I think I was burned out after my mega shopping spree.  I would highly recommend planning a party BEFORE the morning of the party.  

But it all came together – it always does, right!?  And my little sweetheart had a fabulous birthday.  I really can’t believe she’s five.  
I also can’t believe that I’m just now noticing one of the balloons says 1st birthday on it.  HA!
But I did find a doll.  A doll named Addison that can swim in the pool….
xoxo, Erin
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Entertainment
06.08.11

No post today

Oh. my. gosh.  I was totally going to post tonight and now it’s after 11:00 PM and I haven’t even glanced at my computer screen.  It’s summer you know.  Which for us means it’s time to resume what we like to call:
Jack Bauer Power Hour 
Third summer watching 24.  We are on season 7 episode 6 and it is INTENSE!  The conspiracy is deep within the President’s administration (of course it is), a colleague Jack thought was dead has turned terrorist (naturally), and Jack has now kidnapped a deposed prime minister. Meanwhile the President’s husband is in grave danger (is there any other kind?).

My palms are sweaty, I am hanging off the side of my couch, and we just HAVE to keep watching

ONE. MORE. EPISODE.

I can’t even take a bathroom break – but does JACK BAUER ever take a freakin’ bathroom break!?

This is not for the faint at heart.  It’s going to be a long night but I’ve got to be strong.  I owe it to my country.

Jack Bauer Power Hour baby.  Bring it.

xoxo, Erin
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Family
06.06.11

My secret getaway

So I have a secret spot.  A getaway.  My favorite place to visit where I can really relax and leave all of my cares behind.  It is a place where meals are cooked (or bought!) for me, a place where I can visit and connect with old friends, a place where I feel totally comfortable wearing my pajamas all day, a place aside from my home where my children feel the most content.  And, most importantly, a place where babysitting is plentiful and free!

Mom’s house.  Ahhhh.  Isn’t it beautiful!!??  This last trip to Southern Utah I asked my mom if I could photograph and share her home.  Around six years ago my parents decided to down size (yes!  this is actually a lot smaller than the home I grew up in) and build their dream home.  My mom wanted a cottage style home complete with a porch, pillars and black shutters while my dad wanted his dream yard.  They both got their wish.  This house is very similar to the style of home I love and it has been so fun having this beautiful place to escape to now and again.

Is there a better combination than black shutters and yellow roses?  Not that I know of.
Side of the house with a little black gate that leads to the back yard.  

And to the left of the gate is the garage.  I can’t believe I forgot to photograph the garage!  We love to tease my dad about his beloved garage that is actually more like a separate house.  It’s a four car garage with two levels above it.  We call it “the garage-mahal” and if my dad suddenly disappears when his house is full of kids and grand kids, we all know where to find him.  He is no doubt in his coveted, quiet getaway where he can take a nap, do a little fly tying for his next fishing trip, watch sports on the big screen, or just putter in his tool space.  Once in a while he’ll take the grand kids over to feed the fish in his aquarium, but for the most part the “garage-mahal” is a total man cave.  Sorry dad — for forgetting to take pictures of what you believe is the most important part of your home.

And the view from the back of their home.  Which is just as darling as the front.  If I had zoomed in closer to the porch you would see several doll houses that my mom set outside so her granddaughters could play with their dolls in the shade.  And a race track and cars for her grandsons.  Even though Kole is the oldest of the three grandsons and the cars were mostly used as teething tools.  Still mom.  Such a sweet gesture.  :)
I just love the vines growing around her pillars and the flowers planted around each tree.
Another favorite spot for the grandkids.  Right inside these beautiful trees…
is a delightful, shady sand pile.  My girls spend hours here always making me wonder why in the world I don’t have a sand pile.  Then I remember how I can’t stand them bringing sand into the house.  We get enough of that from the beach.  My cute mom couldn’t care less.  She is all about the kids.  She says she’ll clean later – let them have fun.  Then after we leave she tidies everything up.  Except for the hand prints on her french doors.  She’s never in a hurry to clean those.  
Of course we always spend lots of time here every time we come to visit.  

The girls and I love “the baby turtle and his mommy” that live in the pool.
This last trip after watching her daddy’s mad skills…
Ellie finally dared to jump off of the rock.
We also love all of the big open space (so hard to come by in San Diego!) where the girls run and play.

And next to grandpa’s garden full of all sorts of colorful vegetables, is a little swing for a little person…

 who loves swing time…
 almost as much as his grandpa does.  
While I love so many things about this beautiful home and yard, the thing I adore the most…

is the darling couple who own it.  
Love you mom and dad!  Thanks for letting me share your home.  If I come and bring your grandkids again really soon will you let me photograph the inside?  I have a feeling I’ve got a deal.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
06.03.11

Summer Time

Wow!  Friday already!  We spent last weekend in Utah with family and came back Tuesday so this short week has flown by.  I’m finally feeling caught up from our travels!  Hoping to have more time to post next week.  This is such a busy time of year with school ending, isn’t it!?  
Just a couple of pics from our weekend that signal summer time!
 Girls “helping” grandpa mow.  Is there anything better in the summer than the smell of a freshly mowed lawn?  I think not.  

And my little guy’s first time in the pool!

He loved it so much.
 What a stud.  :)
Have a great weekend everyone!

p.s.  Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments lately!  They mean so much to me.  I’m well aware that I have the best readers/friends in blog land.  :)
xoxo, Erin
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Addison
06.01.11

Dear Addison,

My sweet baby.  I can’t believe you are five today.  I know.  You aren’t the baby of the family anymore, but you were the baby for so long.  And you’re still my baby girl.  And now you’re five and starting Kindergarten in the Fall.  I have to say it out loud to believe it.

You and I had such a special little bond right from the start.  Our first night together in the hospital you were crying in the bed next to me.  I started talking to you and you immediately stopped.  You turned your little head towards me and calmed right down.  I was overwhelmed with love and I knew you felt the same.  We’ve been pretty much inseparable from that day on.  You are a total mommy’s girl and I absolutely love it.

You love to snuggle.  It’s one of my most favorite things about you.  You have always loved to cuddle and as soon your daddy or I sit down, it isn’t long before you are on one of our laps.  It takes you some time to warm up to other people, but once you do, you are such a lovable little buddy to have.  You give the best kisses and the biggest hugs.  You love to love.  Something so special about you that I hope never changes.  

You have a very mischievous side.  You love to tease your sister and stir up a little trouble.  You are no stranger to “time out” and have made a hobby of testing your mommy’s patience.  But it’s impossible to stay mad at you for long Addison.  You are always quick to apologize and to tell me you love my outfit or that I look so pretty.  Did I mention how smart you are?  You are a VERY smart and perceptive little girl.  And you win me over with your sweet words and charming smile.  Every.  Single.  Time.  
Your first few years of life you were SO FULL of energy.  You wore me out.  You really did.  I started calling you my little curly topped firecracker and the name suited you so perfectly.  You have calmed down a lot this last year.  You are much more content to play with your toys, color and draw, work on letters with mommy, and just chill.

You are my best little helper each December when it’s time to make Pretzel Hugs.  It has become our fun little tradition to do together.  You are totally in it for the chocolate and have decided that chocolate hugs are your very favorite food.  :)  Other foods you love to eat are “green yogurt” (key lime), Bran Chex (we have these every morning for breakfast together), and Pat and Oscars Pizza.  You’ll eat pizza from other places, but make sure each time I understand that it isn’t the same as your favorite Pat and Oscars Pizza.

You are my true girly girl Addison.  You LOVE dresses, skirts, jewelry.  You have a strong opinion about how your hair should be done each day and you always insist on some sort of headband or bow.  Accessories really are your best friend.  You go through several wardrobe changes each day and take a lot of time and care picking out each component of your outfit.  Unlike your sister, you have no problem sacrificing comfort for the sake of fashion.  I envision you having a very successful career in fashion some day!

Of course your favorite fashion accessory is mom’s shoes.  You have been prancing around the house in my shoes since you were two years old.  It always makes me smile when you come around the corner or down the stairs in some of my heels or boots.  They look so much better on you sweet girl!  Now when I buy a new pair of shoes I always think won’t my Addison just love these!  :)

You are a total clean freak!  You don’t like being dirty and it took forever for you to enjoy the beach because of all that dirty sand!  You would take a bath four times a day if I let you (always after we return from an outing) and you scrub your little hands and feet like no ones business!  You like life to be about order and routine and clean, clean, clean.  Wonder where you got that from?  ;)  

You have always had SO MUCH personality Addison.  It’s impossible not to smile when you’re in a good mood. You can be so comical and you make us laugh all the time.  Sometimes when Ellie’s friends are over you get on a roll and before long our house is full of laughter.  We have to be careful though.  Sometimes you want others to laugh at you and sometimes you don’t.  You can be a bit sensitive with things like that and your daddy and I have become experts at navigating your various moods.

Speaking of moods!  You are extremely stubborn.  You always want to do everything yourself – your way.  You often refuse to let me help you with things and this is a struggle for me because I like to be in control.  You have made me beyond frustrated with your stubbornness, your refusal to back down.  There have been days we have both been SO MAD at each other.  We have to take a minute to cool off and to regroup.  You have taught me patience and compromise.  And you have made me a better mom.  And while this stubbornness and independence drives me crazy, it is also one of the things I love most about you.  It makes you strong and smart and capable.  And sometimes, in the midst of my frustration, it makes me proud.

And I am proud of you Addison.  So so proud of the beautiful girl you are becoming – inside and out.  We both love the song “You are my Sunshine” and we often sing it together during singing time at your preschool.  You really are my sunshine each day.  You are so uniquely you and I love you with all of my heart.  Happy 5th birthday sweet girl.  
xoxo, 
mommy
xoxo, Erin
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Kole
05.28.11

Survive

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This week has been just short of insane.  Remember the letter I wrote to myself during the newborn stage to help me get through that crazy time period?  Well here’s a new letter to myself to help get me through the next year.
Dear Erin,
          SURVIVE.
Love, Erin
You see, I had plans this week.  Places to go, projects to complete, activities to attend, e-mails to respond to, a birthday party to plan, a trip to pack for, a house to clean, and let’s not forget fun pictures to post on the blog.

But alas!  Here’s what my week looked like instead:

First mom can watch me pull out all of my toys and her wrapping paper…

then I’ll move on to dad’s socks.
Scrapbook supplies are where it’s at.
Mom won’t care if I munch on these stickers.  They are so last year…

Pasta is my favorite.  The messier the better.  Mom especially loves it when I show her I’m done by  chucking my food at record speeds.  Love to watch that food fly!
Ha!  She THINKS I’m contained.  Not for long…
Ahhhh!  The one year old.  This stage is KILLER.  And Kole just might kill me.  
One munched on scrapbook sticker at a time.  
Have a fabulous long weekend everyone!  You all know what I’ll be up to.  :)
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
05.24.11

Bring on the rain

Last week we had a few rainy days in our forecast…

I got the girls off to school (after we picked roses for their teachers), got Kole down for a nap, and decided my kitchen cupboards could use a little face lift.  Rain always makes me want to turn on some music, organize my kitchen, and just enjoy the coziness of home.

First I tackled the bottom kitchen cupboards.  These are all of the plastic bowls – the “safe zone” for my little one year old who loves to pull everything out.

Next I tackled my cupboard with all of the glass bowls.  Here’s a “before” of this cupboard.  Not awful, but definitely not as orderly as I like it to be.

 And the “after”.  Ahhh – much better! 
 The glass cupboard above is one of the “off limits” cupboards to Kole.  
Sorry buddy!  Not a safe place to play.

Then I slowly made my way up to the top cupboards.  I didn’t take a before of our plates and bowls, but it didn’t look too much different.  This one is easy to maintain.

My cleaning supply cupboard was starting to drive me crazy and was what initiated the organizing of my kitchen cupboards once again.


And the “after.”  SOOO much better!  Now I can easily get to my cleaning supplies and see what we are running low on.  I also keep sunscreen in this cupboard because it is right by the back door – easy access when we are on our way out.  My rarely used cook books are stored up high along with a rooster pitcher that was my Aunt Pat’s before she passed away a few years ago.  I like that now I can see it and think of her every time I open this cupboard.

 I straightened out the drawer next to our sink – the baby/toothbrush station…

and then tackled the pots and pans.  This cupboard is right below our homework drawer and was starting to become a catch all for bigger coloring books and art projects that were too big for the homework drawer AND the arts and crafts drawer.  Probably a sign that we have way too much of this kind of stuff!  This is the “before.”

The “during”…

and the “after”.  
Much better.  A great way to spend my morning in the rain!  :)  
xoxo, Erin
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Marriage
05.23.11

Marriage

I’ll never forget the first fight Kenny and I had.  It was soon after returning from our honeymoon.  We were in the grocery store on our first official married shopping trip.  It all started in the cereal isle.  We were buying Cranapple juice.  Kenny wanted to get a generic brand.  I insisted on Ocean Spray.  Yes, Ocean Spray was $4.00 – over double the price of the generic Cranapple juice, but hello!  Ocean spray tastes better!  My mom always bought Ocean Spray and well… I wanted Ocean Spray.  Kenny wasn’t having it.  Next up was hair spray – once again Kenny wanted to buy some cheap generic junk.  What!?  Hairspray from the grocery store?  Uh. no.  I would be getting my Paul Mitchell from the salon thank you very much.  It went on like this for the next hour – Kenny trying desperately to buy the cheapest possible option, going on and on about our sad little budget while I fought tooth and nail, desperately trying to hang on to the life I was used to under mom and dad’s roof.  We finally came to blows in the broom isle.  There was just NO WAY I was sweeping my floor with that cheap piece of crap broom…

{February, 28th 1997 – the night Kenny and I were engaged — looking WAY too young to get married!}
The famous “Cranapple fight” is one we remember and laugh about often.  Thankfully we’ve both matured quite a bit since then (at least we like to think so!).  While we don’t fight over what to buy in the grocery store anymore, we do have VERY different personalities and have to work hard to keep our marriage a happy one.  

Last week I went to a wedding shower for a friend.  Before presents were opened, each guest was asked to share a bit of marriage advice for the soon to be bride.  I felt myself saying amen and amen to everything that was said.  Great advice for anyone about to get married and even better reminders for those of us who have been married for a while.

Here’s some of the advice that was shared:

– Don’t be in a rush to have kids.  Enjoy that special time together when it’s just the two of you.
– Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Really.  Your spouse will do a thousand little things that irritate you. Let the little stuff roll off your shoulder.  You’ll both be a much happier couple if you do.
– “You can be right or you can stay married.”  When you can tell an argument is escalating, be the one to step back and say I’m sorry.
– Make date nights a priority.  ESPECIALLY after you have kids.  Prioritize and plan for time together with just the two of you.
– Don’t think that your spouse can read your mind!  Be specific about what you want/need in the relationship.
– Time apart is good!  It’s important to have things you enjoy doing together and it’s important to have your own hobbies and interests.
– Don’t look to your spouse to make you happy.  Prioritize yourself.  Make time for the things you love that bring you happiness each day.
– Don’t talk badly about your spouse to friends/family.
– Make sure your spouse knows how much you appreciate him/her.  (several ideas were shared about ways to do this – phone calls, notes, little surprises here and there…)
– Make sure that even with the craziness kids bring to your relationship your spouse knows that he/she is still a priority.
– Be a team.  Don’t worry about whose job it is to do what.  Always chip in and work together.
– Have fun together!  Remember to laugh and not take life too seriously.

I threw that last one in myself.  A little advice to me from me. 
And we both lived happily ever after.  Drinking Ocean Spray Cranapple juice all along the way.  
;)
p.s.  I’d love to hear any other sage advice if you have something you’d add to the list!
xoxo, Erin
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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof
05.20.11

Mexican Chalupas

Hi everyone!  The weekend is upon us.  YEA.  So you are all in for a real treat today.  Another recipe by yours truly!  (By this point I’m hoping you can tell when I’m being sarcastic.)  I cooked one of my favorite easy recipes this week to take dinner to a friend and she loved the recipe!  Said her kids loved it too!  It made me so happy.  And so mad because my kids don’t love it.  What’s up with that.  Then I remembered that the last time I made this was in December and I was going to blog the recipe and forgot.  Or more likely I got sidetracked with my mass production of pretzel hugs.  So here’s a little Christmas decor in May!  Along with a simple, tasty recipe that is pretty hard to mess up.  
What you need:
1 pork tenderloin
1 large can chopped green chilies (I always buy two little ones because I can’t ever find a large can and I get impatient looking for ingredients in the grocery store)
1 large can salsa (that’s always easy to find)
2 cans rinsed pinto beans
1 jar green salsa (optional – I’ve never added this)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 fake poinsettia – not really but it does add a bit of flair, doesn’t it?
What you’ll do:
Cook 1 pork tenderloin in crock-pot on high for 3-4 hours (optional – lightly season with salt and pepper – I’ve never done this either because I think pork is plenty salty on its own)

 Remove tenderloin and shred into small pieces

Rinse out crock-pot and put shredded pork back in
Add all of the above ingredients
Stir and heat everything until warm (this takes a while – at least another hour)

 Serve in warm flour tortillas with cheese and sour cream

Delicious and easy.  Here’s hoping that you and your kids will love it too!  
Have a great weekend everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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home decor 2
05.18.11

I’m dreaming…of a white…

kitchen!  Ok.  I actually already HAVE a white kitchen.  And I still love my white kitchen.  I have been a fan of white kitchens for as long as I can remember and when we built our current house nine years ago a white kitchen was my top priority.  As styles come and go over the years that is the one thing that I still love and probably always will.  White kitchens.  Such a clean look!  And a great back drop for any and all colors.  
If we were staying in this house for a few more years I would replace our tile with wood floors, repaint, add a fun light fixture in the kitchen, change the light fixture over the dining room table, and re-decorate.  
I’m  a bit antsy lately so the re-decorating part may happen regardless.  :)
I have been saving pictures of white kitchens I love for a while now and thought I’d share some with you!  These are a few I’ve cut out of magazines…

I just love the island in this one.  And the painted hood over the oven.  And the windows over the sink.  I just love it all!

These are my favorite wood floors.  Big thick planks.  I’m not a fan of this back splash or island, but I love the cabinets.  And the dog.  He looks like he loves white kitchens too.  :)

Love the oven hood.  Love the legs below the sink.  
I absolutely adore this green island!  So fun.  
Several of you mentioned Pinterest in the comments after I shared my binder.  OH YES.  I have definitely joined Pinterest!  Have you all heard of it?  You MUST check it out if you haven’t already.  It has proven to be the most addicting thing ever.  Dare I say that it maybe even ties with blog stalking!?  So much fun.  I’m not creating an amazing variety of boards – just using it strictly for home decor/ideas.  You can find me pinning up a storm here.  Like I needed one more thing to occupy the free time I really don’t have!  
Here are some of the BEAUTIFUL white kitchens I’ve pinned on Pinterest and their original sources…  


How gorgeous is this kitchen!?  Love the bead board cabinets.

I can’t get enough of this one.  How heavenly is all that GREEN!!!  I especially love the green paint behind the white dishes in the cabinet.  LOVE it.  

Beautiful ceiling.  Beautiful kitchen.  Still debating whether or not I love the big white farm sinks that are so in right now… anyone out there have one?  Pros?  Cons?  

How dreamy is this kitchen!?  Such a clean, calm look and the light fixtures are TO DIE FOR.  

This kitchen is perfect.  Maybe I’d change the chandeliers (a little too fancy for me) and the chairs, but everything else…perfect.  

SWOON!  I couldn’t get over this one, but I think that has just as much to do with the organized pantry as it does the kitchen!  Be still my heart.  

Source: google.ca via Erin on Pinterest
Love those island legs and the windows.  Gorgeous!  

This kitchen is just FUN.  It makes me happy every time I look at it!  
So there you have it!  Kitchens I adore.  Kenny is so sick of hearing me talk about white kitchens.  When we check out a house the first place I head is to the kitchen to see if it has the “bones” to someday be transformed into my white dream kitchen.  It especially baffles him because he knows how much I despise cooking.  I tell him I don’t plan to COOK in it.  Silly.  I just want to organize it and decorate it and bask in its loveliness every day.  
And then call for take out.  
:)  
xoxo, Erin
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Mom Adventures
05.17.11

Home Decor Binder

Some days I feel on top of things.  I feel like everything is running smoothly.  I feel like I’ve got this three kids thing down.  
Today was NOT one of those days.
Long morning with Kole.  He was so fussy – didn’t take a good nap.  I picked the girls up from school and Ellie had her annual check up at the doctor at 4:00.  I took all three kids with me.  I know.  Don’t ever take three kids to the doctor if you can at all avoid it.  Ellie had to get a shot.  She FREAKED out.  Crying hysterically.  Addison started to cry because Ellie was crying.  Kole started to cry because it was so noisy with the girls crying.  It was a full on CIRCUS.  I got home and got everyone calmed down.  Threw the girls in the tub and threw a frozen pizza in the oven.  Threw my hair in a bun and threw a load of clothes in the washer.  Got the girls out of the tub and threw Kole in.  A lot of throwing is going on at this point.  Got them all clean and in pajamas (yes it’s only 5:30 but I am counting down to bedtime) just in time to hear a beep beep beep!  What is that noise I keep asking myself.  The pizza!  I run downstairs only to find I’ve burned dinner.  Crap.  They’ll have to eat it anyway because Kole is so fussy I can’t set him down and I haven’t even started homework with Ellie.  They eat a lousy meal and I eat their lousy leftovers and somehow we make it through our evening routine.  Kenny comes in the door and the kids run to him – DADDY!  I want to run to him to.  SAVE ME!  He can see it on my face and swoops in to put the kids in bed while I clean up the charred remnants of a Tombstone and reach for the Tylenol.  Extra Strength.    
It’s now past 10:00 at night and I am finally recovering from the day.  I’m feeling a bit better now because I just went through my Home Decor binder that I finished putting together yesterday.  Because we are house hunting home decor has been on my brain a lot.  I’ve been compiling ideas for our next house for quite a while now and it feels so nice to have all of my magazine clippings and ideas organized.  This binder takes me to a little happy place full of white kitchens, wood floors, and beautiful furnishings.   
And tonight was a night that I needed to escape to my little happy place.  
 I just bought a big white binder from Target and put some fun yellow scrapbook paper in it.

 Then I threw in a few thickers to spell home decor.  Thickers make everything happy, don’t they!?

 I divided it into the areas I’ve been focusing on: kitchens, mudrooms, scrapbook rooms, closets, laundry rooms, paint colors, decorating, and of course, organizing.  Lots of fun organizing inspiration!  Then I just punched holes in all of my clippings and placed them in the right category.

I love these dividers from Target because they have pockets in them to hold all of my loose notes about random things I want to remember if we build or re-model.

A VERY happy place to fall after a VERY long day.   :)

xoxo, Erin
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Music
05.16.11

Spring Mix – 2011

Hi friends!  Sorry for the lack of posting last week!  I was going to post again Thursday night but Blogger was down for maintenance which was CLEARLY a sign that I was meant to instead veg on my couch and catch up on American Idol.  I have to say that I have been team Haley all the way but I was NOT impressed with her attitude last week when the judges didn’t love her first song.  Maybe Randy was a bit harsh, but still.  You’ve got to be able to take criticism to get better even if you don’t agree with it.  I still love her style though and she is definitely the singer whose CD I’d buy.  I think Lauren and Scotty are great too.  I’m just not a big fan of country.  Should make for a great season finale though and then on to the REALLY great competition — SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE BABY!!!  Can’t wait!

Since we’re on the subject of music again I thought I’d share another play list I created that I’m loving right now.  Every Spring I make a new mix of music called – you’ll never guess – my “Spring Mix.”  I know.  My creativity is killing you.  :)  These are the songs that I play in the car, while I scrapbook, and while the girls and I do our cleaning routine every afternoon/evening.  You can listen to them by turning on the play list I created on the side of my blog.  For some reason I couldn’t find all of my songs for the playlist (including Paris, one of my favorites!) but they are all on i tunes.  I’ll leave my playlist up this week.  LOVE these songs!

This year I’ve been kind of into Lilly Allen, Kate Nash, and Jem.  

Paris — Kate Nash (This song is so fun! – I always play it first thing when we get in the car and the girls and I sing and dance to it while we drive.  Even Kole moves his head from side to side to the beat.  He’s a big fan of Kate Nash too.)
They — Jem
Merry Happy — Kate Nash (Another song that always puts me in a good mood.  I love the way it says “I can be alone yeah I can watch a sunset on my own” over and over and over.  I also love it when it says “eating cheese on toast…”  I don’t know why I love the words so much.  They just make me smile.)
Not Fair — Lily Allen (Ellie and her carpool friends love this one.  It says something about a boy being “dumb” and they laugh hysterically every time.  I love driving around with a group of first grade girls.  It’s always a party in my car!)
Pony — It’s OK
Fidelity — Regina Spektor
On the Radio — Regina Spektor
Smile — Lily Allen (love this song but can’t have it on my play list because of a swear word in the beginning.  My girls listen to my music as much as I do so I have to be careful!)
He Wasn’t There — Lily Allen
It’s Amazing — Jem
I Could Say — Lily Allen
Mushaboom — Feist
The Way I Am — Ingrid Michalson
Hey, Soul Sister — Train – (I had to include this song because it’s one of Addison’s favorites.  The first time she heard it she thought for sure it was a sister song all about her and Ellie.)  :)

AND here are a few of our “Spring mix” favorites from past years…

Don’t Let Me Fall — Lenka
I Don’t know a Thing — Lucy Schwartz
OK — Holly Conlan
Ordinary Day — Emillie Mover
Trouble is a Friend — Lenka
Bring Me Down — Lenka
Colors — Kira Willey
Bruises — Chairlift
Butterfly Nets — Bishop Allen
Dangerous and Sweet — Lenka

And of course, The Show by Lenka. An all time favorite in our house because of little Addison.  We still sing her 2 year old version of the song – “I want my mommy back” instead of “I want my money back.”  :)

Hope a few of you now have some new songs to listen to this season!  Nothing like a fun song to put you in a good mood.

Happy Monday!

xoxo, Erin
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