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Ramblings
09.19.11

Weekend Recap

This weekend was great.  Productive and fun.  My favorite kind!  

Saturday afternoon/evening we joined friends for a cookout on the beach.  Addison became a skilled hot dog roaster and a good time was had by all.  The next few pics I snapped while we were walking to our car…

These pictures don’t even come close to showing what a beautiful evening it was.  Probably because Kole was on my hip while I took them.  And we were walking.  And I didn’t even adjust my camera settings.  But still.  One of the prettiest San Diego sunsets I have ever seen.  Such a fun evening with good friends.  

Cut my hair Saturday too!  It’s still long enough to curl but short enough to look better straight.  I came SO close to cutting it to my shoulders and then chickened out.  Maybe next time!  
This weekend I harnessed my inner domestic goddess!  Not only did I make a fun salad to take to the beach party, but I also made banana bread muffins AND chicken enchiladas.  

Same enchiladas from this post.  I’ll have to share the recipe sometime because they are GOOD.  But seriously, let’s just celebrate for a minute that I cooked twice in one day!  That’s more than I do most weeks!  The weather was cool.  Football was on.  My pumpkin spice candle was burning.  Everything felt and smelled so deliciously Fall.

  And the best part is that I’ve trained my little sidekick to do the dishes. 
I also did a little painting!  Primed and ready for color.  

While I painted my girls created their own masterpieces.  Lots of other to-do’s were checked off the list   including a few areas I’ve wanted to organize for a while now.  Like I said, a great mix of productive and fun!

How was your weekend?
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
09.16.11

Fashion Friday!

YEA!!  I made it to the weekend!  This has been a HARD week.  I’m not going to lie.  Hard and long.  Thankfully Kole and I are feeling much better.  Don’t underestimate the common cold!  That’s all I have to say.  Feels a little funny doing a Fashion Friday post since I spent half of the week in my sweats and a pony tail (darn!  didn’t get a picture of that! ;)  But I do have some outfits to share from the week or so before when I didn’t have a box of tissues in one hand and a runny nosed baby in the other.

This top was from Forever 21 and I seriously think I’ve had it forever — since I was 21.  Wait!  I still am 21!  (I’m only amusing myself here, aren’t I.)  It was so cheap (maybe 15 bucks?) and it has been one of my favorite summer tops.

I love the decal on the top…
and the way it cinches at the bottom.  I hesitated to share this picture for a couple of reasons.  First because I’m standing like a dork (I never know how to pose for these pictures!) AND because I am doing an absolute fashion DON’T.  Capris aren’t good for someone as short as me and especially with shoes that have a strap at the ankle.  Totally cuts you off and makes you look shorter/wider.  BUT — it was hot and my capris are comfy and so are these wedges so I broke a cardinal rule and wore it anyway.  Oh well.  I lived and nobody cared.  :)  (Capris are Joes from Nordstrom if anyone wants to buy some and break a few rules with me.)
This picture is blurry and has nothing to do with anything, but isn’t my boy getting big!?  We were dancing.  We dance together often.  Love that little man.  I’m so happy he is feeling better!!
Another cheap top from Forever 21 that I’ve had for a while.

It looks better with jeans, but like I said, we were having a hot week so it was my True Religion shorts to the rescue…again.

These shoes are from Nordstrom Rack and are great slip on and go summer staples of mine. 

Weekend date night outfit!  Anthro belt again.  If I do enough of these posts you’ll start seeing the same things over and over and over…  Guess what was so cool?  The night I wore this we went to dinner with some good friends to a Mexican restaurant.  While we were eating this beautiful blond college-aged girl came over and was so excited to see me.  It took me a minute to realize who she was and then it hit me.  I taught her in 5th grade the year before I had Ellie!  I could. have. died!!!  My sweet, shy 5th grader was all grown up!  Talk about feeling old.  She couldn’t believe I had three kids and I couldn’t believe she was done with High School.  We reminisced a bit about our time together and I got caught up on what my other cute students were up to.  It was so fun seeing her again.  But it made me feel really really old.  Happy, but old.  Old and happy.  That’s me.  
Back to the clothes!  I also wore this necklace I adore from this giveaway I did a while back.  

These Seven jeans are one of my favorite pairs.  They were my first pair of designer jeans and I’ve had them for about 5 years now.  I think Kenny bought them for me for Valentines Day if I remember right.  They worked their magic and I felt better about my thighs/booty than I had in years.  This pair started a jean obsession that I doubt will ever end.  If Kenny only knew then what he knows now, he would have given me roses and a box of chocolates.  
Full outfit.  Ignore my dark roots.  I’m getting my hair done this Saturday.  

Dress I wore to church a couple of Sundays ago.  I tend to stick to solid colors and don’t buy patterns much so whenever I wear this dress I feel proud of myself for breaking out of my solid color rut.  

And my girls on their way to church.  I adore them in these polka dot dresses.  
Remember this sweater from DownEast?  

Wore it to dinner a different Sat. night with some other good friends.  

Same favorite sevens and wedges.
I like Kenny in this yellow shirt and begged him to pose with me in the bathroom mirror for Fashion Friday.  He gave me a lovely look, said absolutely not and took off downstairs.  But he did agree to let our babysitter snap a pic of us before we headed out the door.  I don’t care for the way I look so posed in this picture (exactly what was I doing with my hand on his stomach?) but I do like that yellow shirt.  And that’s what matters, right?  All for the sake of fashion.  
:)
Have a great weekend everyone!
xoxo, Erin
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Family
09.15.11

My first family photo shoot

Last time I was visiting my little oasis (a.k.a my mom’s house in Utah) my cute sister-in-law Dayna called and asked me if I’d take some family pictures for her.  K.  I am so NOT a professional photographer nor do I have ANY skills at taking family portraits.  And I basically told her uh…no.  And to quote my husband “but I’m not mad you asked.”  (Which by the way is one of the most annoying things my husband says.  Especially since he gets such a kick out of himself every time he says it.)  Moving on.  So I said no and Dayna said please and I said no again and Dayna said please again and at some point I finally caved.  But I gave her full disclosure that I didn’t know what I was doing and the pics may turn out looking worse than bad.  Well – a lot of them did turn out worse than bad…but a few turned out ok.  So I thought I’d share them tonight.  You know.  Just so Dayna thinks twice before convincing me to do this again.  ;)  (love you Dayna)

And here’s the happy couple now.  My little bro Austin and his beautiful and incredibly persuasive wife Dayna.  I have to admit that my parent’s back yard does make for a beautiful backdrop for pictures.  It was so funny because Dayna’s family would ask me questions like “Where should we stand?”  “Where is the best light?”  And I was thinking “I don’t know!  Your guess is as good as mine!”  Ha!  I totally just pretended like I knew what I was doing.

And here they are with their adorable baby (Kole’s partner in crime) Drew.  I’m so impressed with this picture.  Getting Drewski to hold still and smile for a picture was quite the feat.  I snapped about 20 pics of them in this pose and prayed for a miracle!  We lucked out with this one shot. 

A couple of shots of the girls in the family – Dayna’s mom, sister, sister in-laws, and nieces.  How adorable are her little nieces…and their dresses!?  

And how cool is this sun in the background!?  K – maybe I really am a professional and I just didn’t know it!!  Or maybe the sun just happened to be peeking through the trees at the perfect moment in time and it had nothing to do with me…  Nah…totally planned!

 Here we have a traditional family shot.  
And here we have a not so traditional family shot.  Aren’t these mustaches fun!?  Dayna made them all with some black felt and sticks.  We had quite a fun afternoon together at my mom’s.  She made the mustaches while I cleaned out my mom’s pantry.  :)

But the prop queen didn’t stop there!  She also brought along this frame she painted blue for a few photos.  SO fun, isn’t it!?  Such a cute idea to mix up family photos and make things a little more interesting.

This picture is my favorite because it is so “them.”  Austin is always cracking jokes and goofing around and Dayna is always giving him this look.

 They are an adorable couple and I’m proud to claim them as my own!  Most of the time.  

We tried to get a picture with Drew in the frame but it just wasn’t happening.  I took a whole lot of pictures very similar to this one.  Oh… this picture makes me dread family pictures with my own firecracker this year!  Maybe I’ll just get a picture of me and Kenny with the girls and then photoshop Kole in… hmmm….  I am a professional now you know.  
:)

To thank me for the photoshoot Dayna made me this delicious fruit pizza.  Homemade mustaches and fruit pizzas!?  I’ve been calling her Martha ever since.  

And since I’m talking about my little bro. I wanted to mention the archery business he is just starting.    My dad is the president of a college but when I was growing up he also owned an archery shop on the side.  Archery/bowhunting is his passion and I grew up helping my dad in his shop on Saturdays.  I may have picked up a thing or two myself!  (That’s right – you don’t want to mess with me.)  And my brother definitely picked up a thing or two.  He’s even more obsessed with archery than my dad (if that’s possible) and he just started a business called ATS Outdoors.  So if you or anyone you know is interested in archery, check out his site and I promise he’ll take good care of you!  Or at least “like” him on facebook to help him get things up and running.  I love my little bro. and would really appreciate it!

Oh and Austin…you can show your appreciation for the shout out with my Christmas present this year.  I’m thinking boots….Nordstrom boots….I can send you a link if you need some guidance.  I’m super nice that way.

:)
xoxo, Erin
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Blogging
09.14.11

No sleep and a new header

Things have felt a little crazy around here the past few days with both mom and baby being sick.  Kole is completely sleep deprived – which of course means I too am completely sleep deprived.  Reminds me again of exactly why I struggled so much when my babies were newborns.  Sleep is key to being able to juggle life with my three busy monkeys!  Kole is on a lot of medication (his cold went straight to his lungs) and is doing breathing treatments every few hours so hopefully he’ll start to feel better soon.  The only upside to him feeling down and out is that he is awfully cuddly.  I have to admit that I have loved snuggling him and rocking him at night – even though I pay for it in the morning.  I’m actually feeling a little better and am crossing my fingers that I can get some sleep tonight and wake up feeling like a new woman tomorrow!  As it turns out, organizing was only a temporary upper so we need a serious cure for the common cold.  Get on that people.  I know I have a lot of smart readers out there.  
At this very moment, Kenny is watching some show starring Bruce Willis and is spewing Armageddon references right and left … “Harry doesn’t know how to fail!”  I had to do something to tune out both Kenny and Bruce so I finished my new fall header and changed a few things on my sidebar.  I just love putting up a new fall header!  Makes me so excited for this season.  Here are a couple of past fall headers I stumbled on…
{2009}

{2010}
{2011}
My headers can’t be quite as big as they used to because of the Blogher ad placements.  Still, I love going through our fall pictures.  They make me miss living in Virginia!  In other blog news, I also changed my blog url to www.thesunnysideupblog.com.  You can still get here by typing my old url -www.kennyanderin.blogspot.com.  Either one works!  
Well – that’s it for me – I’m off to bed.  Wish me luck.  :)
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
09.12.11

Organized medicine/spice cupboard

I’m sick.  I have a cold.  Kole and Addison have had a cold for a few days and this morning when I woke up and my throat was on fire I knew it was my turn.  I went to my medicine/spice cupboard for a cough drop and this is what I found…

Yikes!  How did that get so out of control!?  Organizing my cupboard suddenly seemed much more appealing than taking a cough drop.  Not that I could have found one in there anyway.  
So that’s just what I did.  And seeing my cupboard look like this actually made my throat feel better.       
 True story.  
Random baking supplies on the top shelf. 

On the bottom shelf I put one of my recent Container Store purchases to good use.  I bought this little stacker to help corral my spices and make them easier to reach.  Not that I reach for them all that often… but still.  They appear easier to reach.  

And the middle cupboard holds medicine.  I got rid of a lot of stuff that had expired.  Then I placed our most often used items in the front.  Allergy meds and barbie band-aids for the littles.  Ibuprofen for me… because of the littles.

So the next time you’re sick, instead of taking some medicine, try organizing it instead.  It might be just what the doctor ordered.  Was for me.  :)
True story.    
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
09.09.11

The lights went out

Hi friends!  You may have heard we had a major power outage yesterday in our neck of the woods.  The lights went out around 3:00 in the afternoon and stayed out for the rest of the night.  We felt pretty prepared – a radio, extra batteries, flashlights, lots of food and thanks to my love of decorating with candle holders….

{Valentine mantel}

{Spring decor}

we had plenty of light!  Once we knew everything was ok and the power would eventually be turned back on, it was actually kind of fun!  The kids loved going to bed with candlelight and the whole house felt so cozy.  Kenny and I ate ice cream for dinner.  So funny because there were several healthier options in our fridge that would have been better to eat but our thinking was “SAVE THE ICE CREAM!”   TV and Internet were down so we actually enjoyed a nice evening just visiting together.  Imagine that!  :)  Power came back on in the middle of the night but schools were already canceled so I’m home with all three kiddos right now and pretty sure that a trip to the park is in our near future.

The only bummer was that Kenny was SO excited for the first football game of the season last night and obviously had to miss it.  So for today’s rendition of Fashion Friday here we are modeling our Charger gear…

(Dedicated to you babe – we will be in full on football mode before you know it!)  For a little more fashion fun, you can also picture us in our pajamas since we seem to be in no hurry to get out of them this morning.    
Have a good weekend everyone!  I’m off to turn on my dishwasher.  I was fine with no TV, computer and lights, but not being able to turn on my dishwasher yesterday was driving me crazy!  I almost had to hand wash some dishes.  Oh the horror!   
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
09.08.11

A secret weapon and kiddo catch-up

I have a secret weapon.  A weapon I’ve used with all three of my babies/toddlers.  A weapon that ensures I’ll have at least one small moment of peace during each BUSY day.  A weapon that causes even my Kole (busiest of all babies) to STOP dead in his tracks.

EXHIBIT A (incredibly active baby stopped dead in his tracks):

EXHIBIT B (incredibly active baby still stopped dead in his tracks):

So without further delay I present my secret weapon…

Mommy & Me Playgroup favorites.  This little movie is worth all the gold in the world to me.  I got it free with a toy I bought for Ellie when she was 9 months old.  In a desperate attempt to cheer her up one day I turned it on and it was like MAGIC.  She froze, glued to the TV.  Before long she was smiling, clapping and dancing to the music.  It was her favorite little show and she loved it for years.  So did Addison. 
And now?  It is saving me with Kole.  It’s a really cheesy movie with bright colors and parents dancing with their babies.  If I turn it on when my girls are home, they are still glued to the TV!  And they are now 7 and 5.  I’m telling you – if you have a baby or toddler and are looking for 30 minutes of peace each day (or more since it has a “repeat play” option…not that I’ve ever used it…) this is what you need!  I’ve shown my toddlers Baby Einstein movies and a variety of others, but they haven’t enjoyed anything as much as this movie.  Buy it if you have a little one or know someone who does.  You will turn it on and think that I’m crazy.  But then you will witness your baby stop DEAD in his/her tracks and love the show and you will get a moment of peace and you will love me for it. You can order it here.  You are welcome.  And my favorite flowers are tulips.  
Moving along…
I took this picture of Addison last week on her way to Kindergarten and when I saw it on my computer it  looked so familiar!  Something about the way she crossed her legs tipped me off.  I searched through my picture folders back a couple of years and found this…
Isn’t that funny!  Ellie.  Second week of Kindergarten.

Same outfit, same time of year, same spot by the front door, same little pose with legs crossed, same hair style with a white bow.  I couldn’t have planned it better if I had tried!  Looking at these pictures really made it seem surreal to me that Addison is now in Kindergarten and Ellie is in 2nd grade.  That picture I took of Ellie feels like last week.  She is getting so big.  The other day she came home and I asked her if she had a good day.  She said “in a word mom, yes…although there was a technical difficulty.“  In a word?  Technical difficulty?  Is this how 2nd graders talk!?  Turns out the “technical difficulty” was that she lost a flower off of her new pink shoes.  A little super glue to the rescue.

The next morning as the girls were leaving with Kenny for school Ellie yelled out the car window “thanks for fixing my shoe mom!” and then Addie yelled “and thanks for getting born with me mom!”  I had to laugh.  Addison says this to me all the time.  Her way of thanking me for bringing her into this world.
(Anytime Addison, anytime….)

We started dance up again this week.  Addison in tap/ballet and Ellie is trying out a hip-hop (perfect for each of their personalities as you can see by the poses I got when I said “show me some moves!”).  They loved their first class.  Which is a good thing because if they’re going to star in So You Think You Can Dance season 2022 we’ve got some work to do.

Oh and about Kole….don’t believe for a second that my little dude is sitting around watching movies all day.  He spends plenty of time on the go.

In fact, guess who finally started walking this week!!!??  
WOOT WOOT!  You go little man. 
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Holidays
09.07.11

Fall Inspiration

It’s that time of year again!  Fall.  I’m so ready!  I’m ready for new episodes of Modern Family and The Good Wife, an excuse to wear boots everyday, and this year, I’m even ready for a little Charger football (knowing that without a doubt come December I will be so over and done with Charger football).  I’m also ready to spruce up my house and add a few Fall touches.  Here is a collage I made last year of my Fall decor…

which looks nothing like what I am working on for this Fall.  But it still makes me excited about the upcoming season!  I’ve been thinking about my Fall to-do list (similar to last years’ list) and I’ve been going through magazines and my holiday Pinterest board for other Fall inspiration.  Here are a few of my favorite ideas for this beloved season!

I love this wreath.  Especially since it has an E – clearly meant to represent me.  ;)

If you’ve read my blog for a while now, you know I make Pretzel Hugs every year for friends for Christmas, but how fun are these for Halloween?  Same treat but with a candy corn instead of an m&m.

FUN art project for my girls.  We’ll be doing something similar to this for sure this year.

I love the way the pumpkin is used as a base for these branches/bats.  So clever!  I also love the white pumpkins underneath.

Source: countryliving.com via Erin on Pinterest
I think Fall leaves make such beautiful decor and I love the way they are placed in simple clear vases for this table centerpiece.

Another simple centerpiece with mini pumpkins and branches.  These mini pumpkins remind me of my girls.  They love it when I buy a few for them to play with each year.  Perfect size for Polly Pockets and My Little Ponies to party on.  :)

This “turkey sandwich” stole my heart.  And that’s coming from a girl who knows a good turkey sandwich when she sees one!

Source: bhg.com via Erin on Pinterest
Adorable and simple Halloween treat.  I’m thinking these friendly ghosts would be fun for my girls to take to classmates for their Halloween parties at school.

And speaking of friendly ghosts… I love this idea so much!  I’ve totally been saving our milk cartons so we can make something similar for the yard this year.  Crossing my fingers I’ll find the time to get around to this.  If not, we’ll have a nice set of empty milk cartons cluttering up the garage for another year.  And you know how I feel about clutter…

I love this idea of stacking Halloween candy in a clear vase.  Fun and simple for a teacher/friend gift.  I think I’m going to have to do this at Easter – for myself.  So that I can eat Easter candy all. year. long.  Will Cadbury Eggs stack?

I think I must be obsessed with clothespins lately because I LOVE this.  I have the clothespins, now I just need to find some Fall leaves.  Think there will be any along the beach this year?  
And a few more Fall pictures that are some of my all time favorites.  My boy at the Patch last October…

I have a feeling this years’ photo shoot won’t go over quite as well….  :)
Love this time of year!
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
09.05.11

Organized linen closet

Popping in today to share my organized linen closet!  You may remember during the summer when I posted a peek at the sad story that was my hallway linen closet.  It was getting out of control and was driving me crazy every time I opened the doors to grab or put away a towel.  Time for a makeover!  
 {BEFORE}
{DURING}

{AFTER!}

Feeling much better now!  The problem with this closet was that there wasn’t a set place for anything.  It was a free for all mess of sheets, towels and cleaning rags.  

The first thing I did was obvious – a lot of folding!  I placed our most used towels on the main eye level shelf.  
The shelf below that I filled with beach towels and towels that we just use once in a while.  Below that are all of the extra bed linens and I filled the floor with baby blankets I can’t part with.  This closet is an odd shape (the shelves are a triangle shape and corner in the back) so I was able to fit a lot more blankets on the floor by turning them sideways.  Gotta work with what you’ve got!

Next I rounded up a couple of organizers I already owned and filled one with cleaning rags…

And the other with cleaning supplies.  While most of my cleaning supplies are downstairs, I like to keep a few things upstairs in this closet.  Easy access when the kids are in the tub and I want to quickly scrub a sink or dust a dresser!  (**You can read about my cleaning routine and supplies I like here and see how I organize most of my cleaning supplies here.)
To label the organizers I stuck on a clothespin with a glue dot.  (Saw the clothespin idea somewhere on pinterest!)   Then I cut some fun scrapbook paper with my circle punch to create the label.  (Same paper I used to decorate my decor binder.)  Pinterest, scrapbook supplies and my decor binder – all loves in my life!  
Another love?  That now my cleaning supplies are in a central, easy to reach location right next to all of my cleaning rags. I also love that the cleaning rags are separated from the washrags which was not the case before.  I also love sauteed mushrooms.  And driving fast and outdoor malls.  But that’s beside the point.  
A side view…

and a front view…

and now you’re wondering just how many pictures did she take of this linen closet?  Well here’s one more.  More blankets stored on top!  This space was making me so happy that I could have taken pictures of it all day.  Who knows…maybe tomorrow I will.  

:)

Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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fashion2
09.02.11

Fashion Friday

 Three day weekend baby!  Bring it!!!  I’m in such a good mood!  Mostly because it’s almost the weekend and Kenny doesn’t have to work Monday.  We were going to go to Palm Springs and then I thought about the reality of a trip like that with Kole and decided I maybe wasn’t in the mood.  Plenty of time for Palm Springs when my boy will actually swim in a swimming pool – instead of trying to just climb in and out of it all day.  But we do have some fun plans around home this weekend!  Including a sure to be fabulous date night that I’ve planned in an attempt to redeem myself from Kenny’s birthday gone bad.  I’m also in a good mood because I had some nice alone time in my car.  We had Back to School night tonight and after I took my babysitter home I turned up my music so loud (Dynamite by Taio Cruz- to be exact) and jammed all the way home.  Anyone else ever do that?  Dance and sing in your car when you’re by yourself?  It’s my favorite.  Since I’ve become a mom I’m rarely alone in my car so when I am I suddenly feel like I’m 16 again!  On my way to a high school dance with my girl friends.  Hoping that cute Senior who has been looking my way lately will be there….  I turn my music up so loud and just let loose!  Alone time in my car always makes me happy.  Anyone else???  No?  Feeling stupid now and moving on….

Fashion Friday!  Let’s get this party started!

Wore my favorite jacket last weekend.  San Diego evenings on the coast are always a bit cool and this yellow trench from Gap makes me happy every time I put it on.  Forgot to photograph my tan wedges, but they match my jacket buttons.  Favorite summer earrings from this post.  

 This is another top I seem to reach for often.  It’s simple, but has some fun ruffles on the sleeves and neck.  It’s from Forever 21 and I have worn it A LOT this summer.

 I usually just wear it with my True Religion shorts and yellow shoes.  Silver jewelry.  Nothing too exciting, but a good staple.

 Kole seemed especially happy about this particular ensemble.  
 LOVE the yellow wedges mom!

 K – now I’m over the wedges and just want to be held.  Photo shoot is officially over.

Here’s another top I love that I wore this week.  It’s from The Limited.

Same necklace I wear with my grey cardigan.  
(Also from The Limited — can you tell I shop there a lot!?)
A few pics with the outfit on.  I usually wear it with my dark Joe’s skinny jeans and grey boots.

I wore it to dinner with my two adorable friends.  Had SO much fun – as we always do.  We get together and could talk all night.  Seems the waiter is always ready to kick us out because we stay so long gabbing.  {p.s.  Happy B-day Ann and Shari!  Shari – you were missed.  It was hard eating the mushroom pizza without you, but I took one for the team and somehow managed to do it… ;) }

 Another favorite staple of mine this summer.  I bought this casual dress at The Limited for our trip to Maui and have worn it so much since then!  It is SO comfortable.  Seriously feels like I have pajamas on.  I forgot to take a picture this week, but here are some pics of me wearing it with my cute mom and dad…

Of course I always have the perfect shoes to accompany each of my outfits thanks to my shoe sorter.  :)

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!  Turn on Dynamite (on my sidebar) and take a little ride alone in your car.  You know you want to…  :) 

**Linking up at The Pleated Poppy!

xoxo, Erin
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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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