Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Fashion

11.16.18

Fashion Friday (and our recent injury)

Fashion Friday *affiliate links used

Happy Friday! We made it. My kids all go to school just half day tomorrow and then they are out for all of next week! So happy to get them home and take a break from their activities. This week has been just short of insane! I’m hosting a party Saturday night so aside from the normal craziness I’ve been getting ready for that and finishing the Christmas decorating so I can take pics to share and getting other things ready for Thanksgiving at my moms. I’m sure this week before the holiday was busy for many of you too! So excited for some time to relax and be with family. I’m ready to veg out in front of a Hallmark Christmas movie and think of nothing except how the girl and guy are going to end up together in the end.

Even though I know exactly how they are going to end up together in the end.

I have so many fun Christmas posts coming up so I’m keeping this one short and sweet with a few recent favorites I’ve been wearing!

{Madewell Stripe Turtleneck Sweater/Jeans/Booties}

Could not love this Madewell sweater more! I mentioned in this post I love everything Madewell came out with this Fall and they just keep getting better! Seriously my favorite brand right now. This sweater is so soft and warm and perfect for cool temps.

{Sheridan Ribbed Sweater/Earrings/Jeans/Booties}

For the love of mint! This sweater was a splurge because I bought it thinking I was going to wear it for our family pictures. But then I ended up wearing something I already have for family pictures so this sweater was apparently a splurge for no reason at all.

Well.. except for the love of mint. :)

{Madewell Maybe Later Sweatshirt/Jeans/Sneakers}

Love this sweatshirt. Whenever I ask my husband to do something.. “hey babe can you…” he always answers “No. But I’m not mad you asked.” He thinks it’s hilarious. Really it’s just annoying at best, but now I have a comeback! When he asks me to do something I plan to promptly reply “maybe later.” Or I’ll just face him wearing this sweatshirt.

Game on Kenny. You don’t want to mess with me.

{B.P. Dolman Ribbed Top/Jeans/Booties}

This pullover is so cozy! Soft and a great fit without being tight. Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. With extra pie. :)

{V Neck Sport Shirt/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers}

This fun V Neck Sport Shirt is an Amazon find! I stumbled on it doing a little Christmas shopping and couldn’t resist! So cute and casual and a great price. Comes in lots of fun colors.

{Loose Tunic T-Shirt Blouse/Necklace/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers}

Another fun Amazon top that I’m loving! You can wear this long or let it gather more at your waist. So cute! Also perfect for pie.

Here’s one other reason this week has been busier than usual for us. Aside from all of the decorating and holiday/party prep, Addison broke her finger! She was in LA Monday celebrating her close friend’s birthday at a water park and slammed her finger in a huge, heavy door. (SO painful!) The trip came to a bit of a halt when Insta Care sent her straight to the ER. Aside from the break she sliced it pretty good so she had to get stitches too. It was awful not being there with her! Her friend’s mom took great care of her and we face timed through most of it. She was so brave. Wednesday we had a follow-up appointment at our hospital here which at this point feels like my second home.

Let’s see.. in the past year..

Kenny broke his ankle and had to have surgery.

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary hiking Colorado and exploring New York with his lovely boot and scooter.

Then I had my massive knee surgery.

Spent months recovering, doing physical therapy..

and looking like the Terminator.

Then Kole had his strange cheek issue.

Three days in the hospital and surgery for him.

And now Ad. Seriously!? It’s almost comical! We keep telling Ellie to watch out because she’s next!

Finger’s crossed she’s not. (Sorry Ad.. no pun intended.) I would be just fine not visiting our hospital again in the near future. Although I have to admit that I’m getting really good at throwing together a quick hospital bag. Phone charger, water bottle, change of comfy clothes, sweatshirt because the hospital is always cold..

All joking aside I’m so grateful it wasn’t worse for Addison. For all of us really! We have been lucky that none of our injuries have been life threatening. We get knocked down and we heal and get back up. Ready to fight another fight!

Or just veg out from sheer exhaustion in front of mindless Hallmark movies.

I’ll fight another fight the week after Thanksgiving.

;)

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

11.15.18

Reindeer and Snowflake Tree Sources

Happy Thursday friends! I’ve been decorating up a storm and am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have to keep my eye on the prize (a clean and cozy decorated home ready for the holidays) because the last two weeks have been nothing but boxes and messes. I’d love to have a day to just knock it out and be done with it, but instead I’m working with 20 minutes here and 15 minutes there and 45 minutes after everyone else is asleep and I’ve caught up on e-mails and cleaned the kitchen for the 18th time in a day. I know many of you are doing the same kind of decorating (or will be soon!) at your house. Good times. :)

I am decorating four Christmas trees again this year and am so excited to have them up and almost done! Three of them I just slightly tweaked from how they were last year and one I kept the same.

Here is the final outcome of our family room tree! A bit reindeer themed and slightly different than last year’s tree.

Some of the ornaments are the same, but last year’s tree had large shiny red ball ornaments, white leaf picks and our candy and candy cane ornaments.

So you all know that this family room tree is the tree my kids help with (I recently shared pics of our tree decorating party.. a favorite tradition at our house!). Last year I made the mistake of moving a few of the ornaments around the day after we decorated together. The blogger/perfectionist side of my personality got the best of me (the struggle is real.. ha) and I sort of straightened things up a bit. Well. My kids came home from school the next day and noticed right away. I could tell it hurt their feelings and I felt AWFUL. #momfail So I vowed that I would never do that again. It was a good lesson for me to not lose sight of what matters most during the holidays.

This year I’m happy to say that our family room tree is 100% decorated by me and my kids and I haven’t touched one ornament since we finished! Although the style of this tree is very kid friendly and still looks put together. If your kids are helping but you’d still like your tree to look like it has some sort of plan (I know some of you moms are thinking yes please!) one tip is to choose 5 or 6 ornament styles and some garland and stick to just using those items on the tree. Repeat the same ornaments throughout and it will give your tree a cohesive look even if the kids clump things together. I also had most of the garland up before we started. My kids like that because they just want to hang all of the ornaments. :)

We also have this smaller tree we keep in our stair landing that my kids decorate with all of their special homemade/school ornaments. A few options for including your kids in the decorating this year!

It’s so funny.. without even planning it my whole house is reindeer themed this year. I’m subconsciously drawn to them! I knew I wanted to add some of these fun reindeer to my family room tree so when I found this large red pom pom garland at Michaels craft store I had to have it! Hello Rudolph. :) (This tree is 9 feet tall and I used 7 of the red pom garlands.) My white garland sold out but I’ll link to similar options below that will give you the same look. My long time favorite wooden chalkboard plaque ornaments are back in stock!

*affiliate links used

I also added these darling white ornaments from Etsy with reindeer names on them! So much fun. I have the red Rudolph ornaments displayed in this bowl in my kitchen. :)

More reindeer and favorite past Christmas pictures in these frames on my shelves. Tradition.

There’s nothing like a tree lit up at night is there? The best. For the tree skirt I layered this faux fur tree skirt with this pom pom knit throw on top of it. Another tip is to use chunky throws for trees skirts. I love the look!

I love buying large tree ornaments. I think they look great on a tree mixed in with the small ornaments. They cost a bit more, but on smaller trees you only need 3-4 large ornaments to make a statement (5- on larger trees). Another bonus is that you can also use larger ornaments for decor throughout your home.

When I want to display my larger reindeer in places other than the tree I just tape the ornament ribbon to the back side. :)

Speaking of reindeer and my over the top obsession with them this year.. are these not the CUTEST yet!? Sherpa Reindeer! So soft! And that fuzzy white with the red scarf and pine cone tail! I can’t even. Just like PB’s other reindeer they come in larger sizes or these small sizes for the tree.

I also wanted to share sources for these fun wool trees and this Church Birdhouse that are new this year. I shared a peek of how I was decorating with them in IG stories and got lots of questions. The little house has lights inside and looks so cute lit up when it’s dark!

I also got lots of questions about sources for my little mudroom tree that I decorate every year. This is the one tree I kept decorated the same (not ready to change this one up yet.. I love it!). But I did move it to a different room! I’m excited to show you where it is soon. :) I’ll be back with another post tomorrow.. so much to share! All of the sources (and lots of similar options) for these two trees are below!

{Family Room/Reindeer Tree Sources}

{Mudroom/Snowflake Tree Sources}

{Extra Post Sources}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Christmas1

11.11.18

Holiday Gift Guide! (Neighbors, Teachers and Friends)

So excited about today’s post! But before we get started talking gifts I wanted to let you all know that my 2018 Holiday Planner is on sale for just $8! It’s not too late to get organized for the holidays! If you are feeling scattered with everything that needs to be done next month and need some direction or just a place to write down ALL the things – this will help! Lots of organized pages to help you plan who you’re buying for, what your budget is, plans for December or just cute to-do pages and calendars for major brain dumps. I’ve had lots of those lately. :) You can see exactly what’s included in my Holiday Planner HERE, details on how I’m using mine (and how I plan in general) HERE, and you can purchase it at a discounted price HERE. I hope you love it!

Ok.. I’m seriously so excited you guys. Did I already mention that? Remember my friend Ann’s annual Favorite Things party? After a two year break she’s hosting it again this year! Also another close friend of mine is hosting a Favorite Things party! So I’m going to two Favorite Things parties that will be loaded with fun gift ideas. I promise I’ll take good notes! Also I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping (following the weekly guide in my Holiday Planner!) and I’ve found so many fun things. I’m going to try to get a gift guide up every weekend for the next month to help you all with your holiday shopping. There are just so many fun options this year! My problem hasn’t been figuring out what to get family and friends this year.. it has been having too many great options and not being able to narrow it down and make a decision. Not a bad problem to have. :) So without further rambling, here is my first gift guide of the season… Gifts for Neighbors, Teachers and Friends!

*affiliate links used

1 – The Original Peppermint Bark – A long time favorite gift. SO delicious and better than the peppermint stuff you find in the grocery store or anywhere else. I’ve given this to neighbors and teachers in years past and it’s always a hit! Addison and I were just talking about how we need to go pick up a tin for us this December!

2 – Initial Pendant Necklace – These Kate Spade lowercase letter necklaces are so dainty and beautiful! Giving away several of them this year and now I want one for me! (Kenny.. El.. Ad..mom.. who’s reading? Hint hint..)

3 – Brass Inlay Marble Cutting Board – Gah! Is this marble cutting board not the most gorgeous thing!? I LOVE that brass inlay! Perfect for the friend who loves to decorate or entertain! Wait.. that’s me. Who’s going to mail me one? ;)

4 – Popcornopolis – If you haven’t tried this popcorn that is your homework this season! So delicious! We gave this set out to friends and neighbors a few years ago and it was a hit! (Zebra is my all time favorite flavor!)

5 – Cable Knit Beanie – I was in Nordstrom last week (it’s their Fall sale right now btw and so many fun things are 40% off!) and I saw these Treasure and Bond beanies in person and they are darling! And so soft! If I lived somewhere cold I would be sporting one 6 out of 7 days a week. I could go even longer without washing my hair! If that’s even possible. Ha.

6 – White Wash Bowl – The picture of this bowl does not do it justice! I just bought it! So beautiful. You’ll see it in my Christmas decor posts! It’s holding shiny glass ornaments at the moment. Really pretty to display on a coffee table or end table, etc.

7 – Library of Flowers Bubble Bath – Ok.. I’m dying to try this! Have you all seen Oprah’s 2018 Favorite Things List yet!? She has so many great gift ideas and loves this bubble bath! I absolutely love taking a hot bath at the end of the week (it has become a ritual for me!) and I can’t wait to try this. (So Kenny you’re going to need to buy it for me. I make Christmas SO easy for you. You’re welcome.)

8 – Platters and Boards – I have two favorite coffee table books and this is one of them! Platters and Boards has a gorgeous cover/side binding to display on a table or shelf and gorgeous images on every page. It is full of so many fun ideas for creating platters of food/snacks for entertaining. My friend and I are using some of the pictures for inspiration for my Christmas party coming up! Perfect gift for someone who loves entertaining. My other favorite coffee table book is Cut Flower Garden and is perfect for the flower lover. Coffee table books can make fun gifts when you personalize them. Buy someone a book full of whatever they are interested in and they are sure to love it.

So don’t buy me a cook book.

In case you were thinking about it, let me save you some money.

;)

9 – Gratitude Glass Jar – You guys! My Gratitude Jar is back in stock! My mom gave these to me, my sister and brother and our families for Christmas last year and we have all absolutely loved them! This jar costs a bit more than a regular glass jar, but it’s so beautiful that it looks like decor so you want to leave it out displayed in your home. It comes with lots of pretty cards so that you and your family can each write down one thing you are grateful for each day. Or you can do it once a week or however it works best for you! We didn’t remember every single day this year, but we did all write on a lot of cards and are going to read them together as a family this year on New Years Eve. That’s how Kenny and I like to party ;) I also loved having this jar when a certain 8 year old would complain more than usual. Instead of being frustrated or upset with him I would just say “I know that’s rough and some days don’t always go our way.. but let’s think of one or two things we are grateful for today and write them down and focus on that.” I maybe got an eye roll or two, but he always did it and I could tell it shifted his focus. Sometimes we all need a reminder to focus on the positive and this gift is such an easy, special way to help us do just that. (Thanks mom! Best gift.) :)

10 – Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask – I’ve been using this for years and love it! I have dry skin and this makes my skin so feel/look so hydrated! I just put it on like lotion every few nights. A perfect friend gift!

11 – Faux Fur Throw – I LOVE this pom pom throw! I have it in a few colors and you can see it in this picture of my Fall living room. The cream looks even better on a darker couch. It’s not thick so I don’t recommend it for cuddling with on the couch.. it’s perfect for decor. Drapes beautifully over chairs and couches and the pom poms are perfection! SIDENOTE: If you are looking for an inexpensive cozy throw to wrap up in I recently ordered and LOVE this fleece blanket. TOO good and comes in so many colors! Not cute for decor (ha) but perfect for cozy movie nights on the couch. My girls keep taking it up to their rooms and I keep bringing it back downstairs. Clearly I’m going to have to get everyone their own!

12 – Weekly Spiral Desk Pad – So cute to set out on your desk! And the inside pages are perfect for people who just like to jot down a few daily to-do’s for the week.

13 – Faux Fur Slippers – These are so soft and a great price! I gave them to my mother-in-law a few years ago and she loved them!

14 – Harper Crossbody – Giving a few of these out this year (and I bought one for me!). They were also on Oprah’s gift list and are perfect for when you just want to take your phone and credit cards and a few small things with you! So great for travel too. I’m excited about them!

15 – Anthropologie Capri Blue Candle – So as you can see from the picture above.. I’m clearly a fan of this candle.. ha. :) They smell SO good and are so beautiful to display in your home as part of the decor. Perfect teacher, friend, neighbor gift! (And two styles are 20% off right now!)

16 – Harrison Serving Bowl – I just ordered this and can’t wait to get it! Such a beautiful bowl. I’ll share a pic when it comes in!

17 – Bindle Bottle – Ok.. where have these been all of my life!? You guys have to check these out! A water bottle that not only keeps things cold or hot but also holds your keys, cash, change. If you exercise at a gym this is perfection! I’m also thinking of how great it will be to take to the beach (or a pool) in the summer. It can hold your chapstick, mini sunscreen, earbuds.. so many odds and ends. GENIUS!

18 – BP Faux Leather Tote – My Madewell leather tote is one of my all time favorite staple bags but it’s a little pricey. If you don’t want to spend that much this PB faux leather tote is a beautiful option for less that gives you the same look!

19 – LittBag Organizer – Another genius idea! It’s a purse organizer that goes inside of your purse! That lights up so you can always find things even in the dark! Why don’t I think of things like this!? Because I’m too busy hunting for them on-line instead. ;) I want one of these because I switch up my purses so often. This would make changing handbags a breeze having all essentials organized inside and just popping the whole thing in and out of new bags.

{Similar Pajamas}

20 – Ugg Fleece Lined Socks – Last but not least.. the coziest slipper socks in all the land! These have sold out so fast the past two years! And for good reason. I LOVE them! The best to wear throughout the winter. I’m giving several for gifts this year.. AGAIN!

Alright you guys.. let me know. What is your favorite gift idea I shared!? Are these guides helpful? I know it can seem daunting each year to come up with creative and useful gifts for the people we love and appreciate so I hope these guides make that easier! I’m off to bed.. got a little excited about this post and stayed up way too late. I just love favorite things posts!

Favorites are my favorite. :)

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Christmas

11.08.18

Decorating our tree and fun Christmas pj’s!

So this happened! Our annual tree decorating party. One of our favorite traditions! We take this night pretty seriously. Clear schedules. Pull down ALL things Christmas from the attic. Crank up the Christmas tunes on the TV. And of course.. wear fun Christmas pjs! (Keep reading for more details on the pjs.. we are so in love!)

Of course this evening doesn’t always go picture perfect.

My kids are always SO hyper excited so for the first hour it’s usually me bringing down stuff from the attic and these three doing who knows what.

At one point my girls made up a hip hop dance to Up on the House Top. Which they taught me btw. We might have to film it.. it’s pretty lit if I do say so myself.

Ha. :)

At some point in the evening we actually got to work and started decorating!

Addison’s face when she realized the ornament she had dropped and started to hang was broken. For the record.. she broke one, El and Kole didn’t break any and I broke three.

Next year I think I’m turning the tree decorating completely over to the kids.

I’ll choreograph the hip hop dance.

My face when Kenny (~~who grudgingly agreed when I begged~~ so kindly offered) to take pics of us decorating asked if he could be done and go watch the football game. At this point my girls were laughing non stop and Kole was decorating the whole back side of the tree that no one sees. I said “you’re seriously going to leave me with these three and this mess?”

His response? “Seriously.”

Family! Good thing I love them all.

This year I’m partnering with The Company Store (love them!) to share their adorable collection of Christmas pj’s. Yes.. I might have squealed when that e-mail came through! I’m all about Christmas pj’s and their cozy matching flannel sets are just too much fun. I picked out the Santa set for us. You all know I’m a sucker for traditional Christmas colors. It just doesn’t feel like the season to me without all of the red and green! I’m actually wearing the teen set and El’s wearing the womens. Personal preference because she loves pj’s to be loose and baggy and I like more of a fitted top. Each set comes with a matching nightgown too that my girls would have loved when they were younger! So many cute options!

The Company Store is encouraging everyone to have a “national family pajama night” and they are donating a dollar from every pair of pj’s sold to the Ronald McDonald house in NY to help kids and their families. See why I love them so much?

Pajamas and family time. I can’t think of anything better.

My favorite part of the holiday season hands down.

Quickly followed by all of the fun decorating.

And music.

And food.

And parties with friends.

And gift giving.

I could keep going but you all have families of your own you need to tend to.

Best little tree helper.

Especially when he’s working on the front side of the tree.

Quick break in the photoshoot to read Santa Mouse – a long time favorite. As soon as I pull the Christmas books down from the attic they all three stop drop and read.

Huge thank you to The Company Store for sponsoring this post and for sending us pj’s that we love and are so excited to wear this season!

Also huge thank you to my husband. For supporting me through all of my crazy Christmas adventures. I know you put up with a lot! But you dish quite a bit out during the process so how about we call it even.

;)

p.s. Details on our tree coming soon!

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

11.07.18

Getting Ready for the Holidays

{Fa la la Bowl/Marble Serving Tray} *affiliate links used

We are in full holiday prep mode at our house! Well.. by “we” I mean “me” and the rest of my crew is happily along for the ride. :) Today I’m sharing a few fun things I picked up from eBay to help me get ready for the holidays this year. I was so excited when they reached out to partner on another post because I had so much fun decorating my laundry room with fun eBay finds. I still can’t believe that 81% of the items they sell are new! So many great deals. I love their selection of new kitchen/home items and was thrilled to find this gorgeous Kate Spade bowl for the holidays! Fa-la-la.. I think it was made for me. :) I’ve been looking for a small marble serving tray for a while now so I also picked up this one and plan to get one or two more. We are hosting a few different parties over the next two months so I’ve been on the hunt for fun holiday serving pieces! These are a few other options I’ve been considering..

My kids got to test out my new bowl with a fun movie treat the other night. We’re big popcorn people (you already knew that about us?) and adding some holiday candy and pretzels to our popcorn takes things up a notch to “special.”

We’re also easy to please people.

{Similar Pumpkin Serving Dish}

This family holiday tradition started years ago with a simple popcorn Halloween mix I threw together for my girls when they were little to accompany a Barbie movie. Has anyone been with me long enough to remember that? :)

Of course I couldn’t stop there. Grapes and strawberries and bananas are three fruits we always have on hand at our house so when I found a simple Christmas treat on Pinterest I thought I’d try making it for my kids to see if it would become another holiday favorite.

Can you tell what these are? Grinch Santas! Just fruit on a toothpick with a marshmallow on top. Something even I can do. ;) I knew what they were the second I saw a picture of them, but I was cracking up when Kenny got home and couldn’t tell! He was so confused and the look on his face when he was holding one upside down made me laugh.

Of course that didn’t stop him from eating half of them.

My kids rolled their eyes at my attempt to make a “Pinworthy” treat, but then they promptly gobbled up what was left so regardless of the reaction from my family, I’d say the treats were a success.

Did you want to start calling me Martha? It’s ok.. go ahead. Really. I don’t mind.

Rest assured that I have friends helping with the food for all of my holiday parties. But that won’t stop me from impressing everyone with a few of my Grinch Santas. I’m on a roll. Ha. :)

Ok.. now let’s chat about my for real favorite type of holiday prep. Getting the house ready! I always have the same routine for early November. I take down all of my Fall/Halloween decor and just live with my house empty for a couple of days. I love having this in-between time to get my house clean! I try to set aside two mornings to just quickly go through each room and organize. Not a major clean out, but a quick “organize as much as I can” clean out.

I ordered this Dyson Portable Handheld Vacuum from eBay to help me get the house ready for the holidays and I’m seriously so in love! I have so many friends who love and swear by Dyson vacuums and eBay has such a great selection of different styles. I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without one in my life! We have Central Vac in our house and I’ve been really happy with it, but the only downside of that system is that it’s a bit of a pain to pull out the long cord and vacuum for smaller, quick vacuum jobs. This Dyson is lightweight and easy to hold. So handy for quick clean outs! It also has a really strong suction and with no cord it’s easy to just carry room to room. It gets the job DONE. I’m such a fan. (Tempted to get another one to keep in my car!)

A few things I do to get my house ready for the holidays:

1) Wash all sheets in the bedrooms. I get these going in the washer first and then I start my room to room pick up!

2) Quick overall room pick up. Anything obvious we aren’t using or I’m not loving anymore goes in a black sack and off to Goodwill.

3) In the kitchen I wipe down my fridge/freezer and straighten my pantry (tossing things that are old/expired).

{You can get my favorite dream drawer dividers here- not pictured above but what I use to organize most of my drawers}

4) Organize and vacuum out drawers. Like I said, this isn’t the time for anything major, but I try to go through our most often used drawers and give them a quick clean out. Toss garbage, straighten things up and vacuum out any crumbs. (LOVE my new Dyson for cleaning crumbs/dust out of drawers!)

Why yes.. I’m back on my tiptoes on this counter again. My hang out every time the season changes.. ;)

5) Wipe off/dust or vacuum shelves. I especially love doing this with all of the decor put away. I’ve always struggled to clean off this shelf over my oven. Not anymore! New vacuum to the rescue. Did I mention I’m in love!? :)

Once I’ve gone through each room and quickly picked up I feel like I can start pulling out my Christmas decor. YEA! Bring it on. Then I’m surrounded by flocking and boxes and glitter and garland.

And once again my new vacuum to the rescue. ;)

*Huge thank you to eBay for sponsoring this post! And for introducing me to my new soulmate. I will be forever grateful. #justagirlandhervacuum.

There is a huge Dyson deal going on through eBay for the next few days!

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

11.06.18

Shiplap Dining Room Progress!

{Shiplap Dining Room Progress} *affiliate links used

Popping in quickly today with an update on my dining room shiplap walls!

Quick recap for anyone tuning in for the first time! I mentioned in a previous post that even though I loved the gray paint on these walls, the lighting in the front of our house where this dining room sits isn’t great and this room always looked and felt so dark to me.

{Sweater/Black Jeans/Booties}

Time for a little shiplap to save the day! It’s a known cure all. ;)

Here’s how it looks now after some fresh white paint! I don’t have any progress pics of the paint going up because we were in the hospital with Kole when our painters came. I told my painter the night before that I’d leave a door unlocked for him while I was picking up kids from school and be home soon after he got there. He called me that day at around 5:00 to see if I was coming and I was like “oh my word! Totally forgot about paint! We are in the ER. Just make it look good!” Sometimes your day just take a minor detour!

Luckily our painters are great guys who we know well and trust and they checked on Kole and did an amazing job. So happy with how the paint turned out! Honestly these pictures don’t do this room justice. In these pics it just looks like white walls. I know. :) But in person there is so much texture… the thick wide planks add so much to the room. They stand out more than these pics show. Plus it just brightened this space up immensely. I wish I could have you all over to see it in person! We need to have a shiplap soiree. ;)

You can see in this pic that our dining room is to the side of our front entry. I’m going to do some walk throughs of parts of our house on IG stories as soon as I get it all decorated for Christmas! I get a lot of questions about our floorplan so I’m hoping that will give some of you an idea of how our house is laid out.

So my bestie Chuck was back at our house again this afternoon! This is an awful iPhone pic I snapped quick but I wanted to share the progress real time. I was so excited to see these mirror frames go up today! I’ve had my eye on them for a while. I knew I wanted some sort of a mirror on this wall (again trying to add brightness to this space) and out of lots of options I finally decided on these Aiden Large Wall Mirrors. I kind of laughed because I looked at SO many mirrors from so many different stores (my cute friend Tritia even found some fun options for me!) and of course I ended up choosing the one option from PB. Not intentional! I just can’t help myself with that store. Admitting my problem is the first step right?

Talk about a transformation having mirrors on this wall! I’m so excited about them! This mirror actually comes in a panel of six so I bought three of them and had Chuck hang them together. The mirrors are still filthy so better pics of this room decked for the holidays will be coming soon! But I was too excited to show you all the progress to wait. :) I’m keeping everything neutral for now so that I can add Christmas red and green, but after the holidays I’ll bring in some color.

I’m getting my table ready for guests (hosting a Christmas pajama party this month!) and I’m going to use this beautiful Euculyptus Berry and Pine Garland I shared earlier for the table.

I also ended up ordering two of the matching wreaths for this room. They just came and are so pretty in person! I’ll try to share them on IG stories soon too! I’m trying to be better about getting on stories. I just get so caught up doing all the things that I usually forget to film all the things. :)

Here’s a pic of this space last year around this time. Off to a good start but definitely not complete!

{Halloween/Fall Porch}

I recently took down all of our pumpkins. This stage is always so funny to me when my house is 50% Fall and 50% Christmas and 100% mess.

If you are like me and have a lot of pumpkins around your house that you hate to waste I’ve always loved taking them off the porch and mantel, etc. and using them as a tablescape.

Toss them on your dining table with some leaves and candles and you are ready for Thanksgiving!

Or for just a Fall lunch/dinner with friends.

You can find more details on this tablescape in this Fake it Don’t Bake it post I wrote last year. You can also find a quick easy dessert that was obviously faked and not baked. :)

Getting so excited for Thanksgiving! I love spending time at my moms with family and look forward to it for months. My mom and I wait to watch all the good Hallmark Christmas movies together while the guys are watching Football. My mom watches them all first in Oct/Nov and weeds out the cheesy ones and after some back and forth discussion on the phone she records the best picks for us. And I know. ALL Hallmark Christmas movies are cheesy. But some are a little less cheesy and more enjoyable than others and we have our favorites. I might need to make a spreadsheet to share with you all. We take our Hallmark Christmas movie watching marathon pretty seriously.

It’s intense.

In fact we take all of our Christmas festivities pretty seriously around here. I woke up to this scene today. Someone was up at the crack of dawn (hello time change!) and got into the Santa hats and stamps to keep himself entertained until everyone else woke up. Made me smile. :)

It also reminded me that while I miss certain things about having little kids.. having older kids who entertain themselves early in the morning instead of waking mom up is pretty awesome.

Almost as awesome as shiplap and new wall mirrors and Hallmark Christmas movies.

Almost.

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

11.04.18

Family Room Fall Decor

{Porch Decor Sources} *affiliate links used

Well! October is a blur. But it must have happened because we have the pictures to prove it. :) I hope you all had a great Halloween! Having it land in the middle of the week definitely threw me for a loop. We took Ad and Kole trick or treating with friends and then came home exhausted to party round 2 with El and her high school friends. We were up so late it took us a few days to recover! Anyone else? I was texting my mom and dad that night that I was so tired but party round 2 was starting since I now have a teenager and instead of sympathy they laughed and told me to get ready. #payback

Addison really wanted us all to dress in a 50’s theme so that we did! With a bit of a modern twist. ;)

And just like that! It’s November.

(My Faux Fiddle leaf fig is back in stock!)

I took 5 million pics of my family room one afternoon last month because it was feeling clean and cozy and the candle was burning and my fireplace was on (because I was in the mood for it.. not because it was all that cold) and then I never got around to posting them!

So here they are now. Our family room Fall decor. Thought I better share it quick since this room will be decked in RED by the end of the week. Bring it on! So excited. :)

I kept my shelves (and decor overall) so simple. Brought in lots of pumpkins and baskets and a few cozy throws.

I’ll link to all sources at the end of the post! Sorry in advance for the picture overload..

But not that sorry. Fall decor is so inviting isn’t it?

I brought in a lot of navy this year inspired by my new kitchen rugs! Details on my couch are in this post and my family room rug is on sale. (woot woot!) You can read more about it here.

Bet you thought this was the last pic but nope.

When I say 5 million pics are coming..

I mean it.

I’m a girl who keeps her word. For the most part. :)

We have a new clock in the family room! I made a horrible mistake of putting a small clock on our shelves by the TV when we first moved in and my husband got used to it being there and every time I try to re-style the shelves he demands I put his clock back. So I bought him a new clock. A BIG clock. And I hung it on the wall where you can easily see it from every room.

And it didn’t work. He still asks where his clock is and makes me set it out on the family room shelves or on the coffee table right in front of him. Drives me CRAZY.

Over 20 years of marriage though. So I set out his clock and roll my eyes and move on with life. Lucky him that he never has to do that sort of thing with me.

Lucky me that this is my blog and he can’t dispute.

4 million and 22.. almost there!

Happy Fall. It has been a good one so far. :)

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Fashion

10.29.18

Halloween Porch and Fall Fashion

Halloween week! Are you ready? We’ve had a weekend full of Halloween parties and get togethers so it feels strange that trick or treating isn’t until Wednesday. Kind of spread out this year since it fell mid week isn’t it!?

But we are ready and so is our porch! Bring it on. I had planned on mixing up my porch decor this year and going with less black/Halloween and more light, bright/all things Autumn. BUT..

I have a certain 8 year old..

Better known these days as “Pikachu” who had a different idea. He wasn’t all that excited about switching out our spider web for more mums so we keep things nice and friendly/spooky like always. Because really.. how many more years am I going to have a sweet little sidekick helping me decorate? Not as many as I’d like!

So the two of us got out our BOO pumpkin and favorite lanterns and Halloween banner and we added a few Cinderella pumpkins (they are my favorite!) and a couple of small mums for a compromise. :)

*affiliate links used

We also put our spiderweb in the window and some cute little pumpkin string lights on the balcony railing and then called it a holiday. :)

Boo hello and trick or treat. That’s as scary as we get around here.

{Sweater/Jeans/Madewell Tote/Earrings/Booties/Black and white striped rug/Similar Hello rug/Chalkboard/BOO pumpkin/Lanterns/Similar plant pots here or here}

We’ve had a few chilly days lately which means sweater weather! Woot woot! Even on warm days it has been cooler in the mornings and evenings for us which is such a nice change. This green Ribbed Funnel Neck Sweater is my most recent favorite. It’s a great length and just so soft and comfortable. Comes in plus size too!

{Sweater/Scarf/Black Jeans/Similar Boots}

This is the same sweater in Ivory with this cute Check Scarf. Love this outfit! I need a vacation home in the snow. That’s backwards I know. Ha. :) But I just love cold weather clothes too much to live full time in San Diego! Good thing we make lots of Utah trips in the winter.

{Sweater/Jeans/Earrings/Purse/Booties}

My Madewell Balloon Sleeve sweater is selling out fast but there are still a few sizes left! I love pulling out this long time favorite RM purse every Fall too.

{Sweater/Jeans/Earrings/Purse/Booties}

So in love with this Cece Poodle Sleeve Sweater! The sleeves are my favorite. I recently wore it three times in one week. I made sure I wasn’t going to see the same people.. although now the secret is out. Why do I even think about that when I’m perfectly fine telling everyone later how much I wore it?

One of life’s great mysteries that will never be solved.

We took Kole to the Pumpkin Patch a couple of weeks ago and it felt strange to just have him there! My girls both had actives and things going on so we met some of Kole’s buddies.

We spent a good while lost in a corn maize.

{Sweater/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers/Purse}

And had an overall fun night. Love hanging with my boys.

{Ruffle Tie Front Sweater/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers/Sunglasses}

One more item I’m loving lately! These comfy LOVE sweatpants are too good. Perfect for around the house.

{LOVE sweats/Adidas sneakers}

And around out of the house. :) This is my Sunday evening crew. One Sunday afternoon we all ended up at the same park with our kids (unplanned) and had so much fun catching up while the kids played that we decided it needed to be a weekly tradition. Today we all took food! Life is more fun with friends isn’t it? And with food. :)

K.. this post is too long already but I wanted to quickly share some favorites that are back in stock or on sale!

My favorite Balloon Sleeve Sweater from the N sale is back in fun new colors! I know this is looking a lot like the sweaters I already shared. I’m nothing if not predictable. :)

{Madewell Leather Tote}

This cute Wrap Sweater is also back in stock!

My Blouson Sleeve Sweater is 40% off! It’s a tad on the short side so sometimes I wear a tank under it.

{Sweater/Pencil Skirt/Similar Boots}

My Bow Neck Puff Sleeve top is also on sale. I get so many compliments on this every time I wear it! I love the length of the sleeves.

My Cece Ribbon Sweater is also marked down. (Loving Cece tops this Fall!)

And so is this cute Fit and Flare dress!

A view from the side..

and the back. Really pretty dress. I love wearing it with over the knee boots.

And last but not least, this cute faux leather tote is also on sale! I’ll also link to some recent favorites I have my eye on at the bottom of my post. I’ve started my Christmas shopping (following my holiday planner guide!) so I’m seeing ALL the cute things on-line. Picture late nights with comfy pjs, Hallmark Christmas movies (they started last weekend!), on-line shopping and lots of leftover Halloween candy.

It’s a dangerous time of year for me.

Well! That’s it for a round-up of my Halloween porch decor, fashion favorites and complete and utter nonsense.

Looks like I’ve done my job once again. ;) Have a great week everyone!

{CLOTHES SOURCES}

{HAVE MY EYE ON..}

{PORCH SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

10.24.18

Fall Living Room Decor

Happy Thursday everyone! I’m so glad my Christmas decor post was helpful for so many of you! I got a lot of questions about my favorite Christmas trees. I totally forgot to round up some good trees for you so I’ve added those to the bottom of my last post if you are looking for a new tree this year. I’ve had my eye on a few of the trees I shared. I do NOT need one more Christmas tree in this house. But I figure once you get past a certain number of trees.. what difference does one more make?

Let’s not ask for my husband’s opinion on that question. ;)

As promised we are back to all things Fall today! I kept my Fall decor really simple in our living room but have loved the dark, rich colors.

*affiliate links used

You can see pics of what this room looked like over the summer here.

I love that I can switch out my pillows and add a few seasonal items and get a whole new look in this space. Change is good! Well.. some change is hard and scary, but when the change I’m referring to is simply about new throw pillows in different colors.. change is good.

{Chesterfield Sofa/Fringe velvet Pillow Covers/Washed Velvet Pillow Covers/Pom Pom Throw – back in stock!}

{Madewell Balloon Sleeve Sweater/Tear Drop Earrings (that are so cute but hiding in my hair!)/ Jeans}

I switched out our Summer pictures for pictures in pumpkin patches and leaves. Rotating family pictures is such a simple way to decorate for the seasons and my kids love seeing older pictures like this displayed. I do too. So many good memories. I love getting our photos off of the computer and out where we can enjoy them.

This Trick or Treat wall of Halloween pics in the hallway on the other side of our house is always fun this time of year too. I have to admit that I don’t have it up yet this year! My shiplap wall still looks like this. Since Halloween is next week I think we are just going to bag it this year and move on to the next holiday. October flew this year didn’t it!? (You can see this shiplap wall through the seasons here.)

Sorry.. I keep getting sidetracked with other displays and cute earrings. Back to pics of the formal living room. :)

{Chair/Navy Bliss Throw/Pheasant pillow (on sale!)/Faux Pumpkins (on sale!)/Similar mirror here and here}

I was having the hardest time styling these bookshelves! Sometimes they just come together quickly and other times they go through several hot mess stages before they come together.

I didn’t have time this month for several hot mess stages, so I just kept them really simple with books, doughbowls and mini white pumpkins. “Busy mom shelf styling 101.” I should write a book.

The only problem is that busy moms don’t have time to read books. Ha. ;)

My O Holy Night Christmas sign is about to finally make sense in this room again.

Simple, cozy Fall decor.

The best. You know what else I love about Fall? Aside from the obvious fun things that come with this time of year. It feels slower and calmer to me. Not necessarily slow and calm. I don’t know that you ever feel slow and calm when you have kids, right? But slower and calmer than other months. Kids are back in a good routine with school and it doesn’t feel as full of activities as the Spring and Summer sometimes do. It gets busy over the holidays, but during the Fall there is this really nice calm before the storm. I love that. Do you feel that too? We seem to have more time to just enjoy simple every day things and each other. Maybe it’s just the way our schedule always seems to work out. But whatever it is.. I’ll take it. :)

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Home Decor

10.20.18

Favorite Christmas Decor!

Happy weekend everyone! Does this picture above make you excited or scared or annoyed? Ha! I find that when I start sharing Christmas decor early I usually get one of the three responses. ;) Don’t worry! I’ll be back to pumpkins in my next post. Lots of them. :)

Today I’m sharing my annual round of up my favorite Christmas decor with you! I usually put up this post after Halloween but I’ve had so many requests to do it earlier this year! And I totally understand. The good stuff often sells out quickly! Some of the things I’ve ordered for Christmas this year are already backordered. So today I’m sharing some favorites I have that are back in stock and some new things I’m loving this year. Yea! BRING IT ON. Clearly I fall into the “excited” category. I could talk Christmas decor ALL year long. :)

*If you’re in a hurry I’ve linked LOTS of favorites at the end of this post. A lot of this stuff is on sale this weekend.. yea! (Affiliate links used.)

Ok.. one of my most asked about items last year and they sold out FAST. These little lit birch trees that light up are back in stock!

I put them on my mantel and on end tables.. they look darling however you use them and look so cozy lit up at night! Another item I get so many questions about every year are these striped stockings and I found some that are so similar! Aren’t these Candy Cane Striped Stockings adorable!? A great price too.

Of course I’m a huge fan of these little plaid reindeer and can’t wait to pull them out again! I also picked up this Cozy Knit Ivory Garland last year and love the texture it added to my tree.

This Magnetic Santa Advent Calendar was one of my favorite new decor items last year and it’s back in stock.

And you guys! My Fa-la-la glitter garland banner is finally back! I can’t even tell you how many people ask about this banner each year and right after I bought it a few years ago it sold out and I haven’t seen it since. It’s finally back in stock! So excited about that because I know so many of you wanted one. You can get it here and it’s a great price. YEA! :)

An oldie but goodie is back in stock! Every year I think I’m going to do something different with my range for Christmas but I just can’t quit my favorite It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year sign. (On sale right now!) :)

Here are a few things I ordered for this year that just came in! I’ve wanted these jumping reindeer sheets for years and am so excited to deck out one of our bedrooms for the holidays with them! I also got the Merry Bright pillow cases and this red Cable Knit Fringe Throw that’s on sale (comes in grey and cream too!). Cozy red throws are my favorite for the holidays. :)

I was searching for some new garland this year and found and ordered three favorites. This Faux Mixed Pine and Cedar Garland, this Faux Lit Garland (that’s backordered and hasn’t come yet) and I ordered two of this Eucalyptus Berry and Pine. I’m kind of picky with greenery and these three past the test. Love them all!

My magnolia garland is so beautiful and is back in stock!

Can’t wait to deck my staircase again. My kids need to start cutting snowflakes!

My favorite Merry hand towels are back!

So are these cute red stockings that hold silverware. Love little details like that. :)

This fur stag pillow has sold out quickly the past two years so if you want that one I wouldn’t wait! My Hamilton Plaid Pillow, Pom Pom Knitted Throw and this faux fir tree skirt are other favorites I’m excited to pull out again.

The McKinley Plaid Pillow and this red Merry Lumbar Pillow are other favorites. There are so many cute new Christmas pillows out this year! I’ll link some of my favorites below. I told myself last year that I couldn’t buy one more Christmas pillow. EVER. But I also told myself last year that I couldn’t buy any more purple skittles and that I would start cooking healthy meals 4 nights a week. You can all guess how that went.

This year I’m not making myself any promises.

Alright friends.. here is a round-up of my favorite Christmas decor that I’ve seen so far. I hope it’s helpful to those of you planning your holiday decor. Happy almost decking the halls!
:)

{FAVORITE GARLAND}

{FAVORITE WREATHS}

{FAVORITE STOCKINGS}

{FAVORITE TREE SKIRTS}

{FAVORITE ORNAMENTS}

{FAVORITE SIGNS}

{FAVORITE SMALL TREES}

{FAVORITE REINDEER}

{FAVORITE BANNERS/GARLAND}

{FAVORITE PILLOWS}

{FAVORITE THROWS}

{FAVORITE RANDOM DECOR}

{FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TREES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Organization

10.17.18

My Planning System (and how I’m using my Holiday Planner)

Let’s talk planning and lists and time blocking and organizing ALL the things. Because that will make me incredibly happy. You too? I knew we were friends. ;)

I use these labeled wooden trays pictured above in my office for all of my random loose papers I need. But I’m on the go so much driving my kids around that I like to have a planner with pockets to hold loose papers also so that if I find myself with extra time, I have my lists with me. I can be extremely productive filling out school forms or planning an upcoming blog project while I’m waiting at soccer practice, watching a dance competition or sitting in the school carpool line. Moms of school aged kids I know you feel me on this one! I also like large planners with more room to write (lists for days!) and I like to use my own printables. So.. after trying out a few different planners and notebooks lately, I’m happy to stay that I finally have a planning system I’m thrilled about!

This is my new planning system and it has been perfect for meeting all of my organizing needs. #happydance

I’ve used Discbound Arc notebooks in the past and have loved them so a few months ago I finally decided to go back to the discbound system again. It just works the best for me. I ordered this pretty navy Levenger Notebook.

LOVE the pockets on the inside flap! Then I also ordered some cute Martha Stewart Discbound Dividers (that have pockets for loose papers also.. second happy dance!). I also picked up these project packet folders for when I have a lot of paper I’m carrying around with me. Love the coordinating patterns on these that match my printables! But that’s beside the point. :)

I used my label maker to label the tabs To-Do’s, Blog, Projects, Kids and Christmas. Those are the five categories my to-do lists always fall in! Let’s look at what’s going on in each tab.. TO-DO’S –

This time blocking printable I designed last year is the one I use the most during the school year, but my schedule this year is so crazy I had to update it!

I have so much going on with my 3 kids in 3 different schools that I needed the times to be in half hour increments. This new updated version is available in my printable library if you want it too!

Every Friday when I’m doing my little “week ahead prep” for the next week I fill out five of these forms. (You could use one with a sheet protector and a dry erase marker too! I’ve done that before.) Ellie’s High School schedule this year drives me crazy! It’s on an every other day schedule so it’s always changing. None of the days ever look the same. Some days she’s out early and some days she goes late and some days she has a class she takes at a separate school down the street that I have to take her to and some days she has dance after school and most days she has seminary early before school (church class). (I never thought I’d be ready for my kids to drive.. but this year, I’m starting to feel ready!) Her schedule is literally all over the place so I just focus on one week at a time! We keep all of our kids’ activities scheduled on an app on our phones that our whole family uses, but with El’s schedule this year I have to write down her her drop offs and pick ups and then work in all of the other stuff around it on paper or I feel like I’m losing it every day trying to figure out where I need to be and when. So before the week starts I at least have my kids’ schedules written down! Then the night before each day I write my to-do’s for the following day and I write down what work I need to do in the small pockets of free time I have. You can see above it’s nothing fancy. I just wrote “to-do’s” in the free spots on the paper above that day, but most days I have specific things I try to focus on during my work time so that I don’t get distracted cleaning my house. (That’s my biggest problem working from home! I always want to be cleaning..) Writing out my daily schedule and to-do’s on this printable and then time blocking everything has been a huge help in keeping me focused and on track!

Ok.. next tab is BLOG. I keep my holiday calendar pages under this tab (they came in my holiday planner this year) and I use them for my post schedule. Showing you a blank one from the beginning of the month but now it’s full with all sorts of writing and arrows on it because I move posts around so much! After that I have another fun printable I made that helps me organize all of my blog/social media stuff. I can share that system on the blog at some point if any of you are interested? I’m not sure how many bloggers read this blog!? Speak up if you’re interested! :)

Next tab is PROJECTS and this is where I keep my “Current Projects” lists. (You can read about how I use this printable in this post.)

When I put together this new planning system, everything was so coordinated and cute that I decided my Current Projects page needed a little face lift too. ;) This is also in my printable library for you if you want it!

Ahhh.. much better! The reason I love the Arc system better than a typical 3 ring binder is because you can fold everything back like a notepad. I like to do this when I’m on the go and writing lists and things. It’s also flat and less cumbersome than a binder (easier to keep in my bag). You can also pull out pages and pop them back in and move everything around easily without messing with opening and closing rings. The only downside to this system..

is that you have to buy your own paper punch. I bought this Arc desktop paper punch and LOVE it! It punches quite a few papers at a time so nice and easy.

Done! Now I can pop in my own printables and pull them out and move things around so easily! I know this system isn’t for everyone (and a basic binder could easy hold the same things!) but I’m in planner heaven with all things discbound. :)

My KIDS tab just holds forms for the kids. It had hospital forms in it over the weekend. (Happy to say Kole is healing so well and doing great! Thanks again for all of your kind thoughts and prayers.)

Now for the CHRISTMAS tab! My favorite. :)

This discbound planning system is absolutely perfect for my Holiday Planner! Of course you could also put it in a 3 ring binder or have it bound at an office supply store, but I love having mine punched and ready to go right inside my planner.

Have you all been using the week at a time lists? They started last week! I love that I don’t have to even think about what I should be doing to get ready for the holidays. I just follow this list and do what it says each week!

I’m going to start filling out a few of these pages this week too. Yea for holiday entertaining! I have a few fun party ideas swirling around in my head and I need to just make a decision and get moving on it!

On a sidenote, I can’t thank you all enough for the sweet e-mails and messages you’ve been sending me about my Holiday Planner. I’m so excited that it’s going to help so many of you stay organized! To be honest, I was so nervous to introduce it to you all. Ha! I’ve never sold a product before and I kept thinking “what if they think it’s stupid!?” .. But then I reminded myself that I don’t think it’s stupid (I love that sort of thing!) and even if some people don’t love it, other people hopefully will. You just have to be brave and try new things. So phew!! Huge relief that so many of you love it like I do! You have no idea how happy your sweet messages make me.

And there’s a mini pep talk for any of you who are scared about trying something new. Just go for it! You’ll be glad you did. :)

I hope this post on my planning system was helpful and gave you a few ideas! When I have an organized system set up like this that holds all of my to-do’s and notes and papers I’ve found that I feel less scattered and I work harder to stay focused and make good use of my time. Bonus if my planning system is cute and color coordinated too. :)

*You can download any of my free printables by signing up HERE.

(If you are already a Sunny Side Up subscriber just enter your info. again to get the printables.. it won’t add you twice! Also, if you sign up and don’t get an e-mail soon after check your junk mail! Once in a while it lands there first.)

Enjoy your day friends! And happy planning. :)

*Update: You can now get my 2019 Holiday Planner FREE by signing up HERE!

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

Fashion

10.14.18

Life Lately

I’m feeling the need to do a quick re-cap of a few things going on around here. Because a lot has been going on, but if I don’t blog about it.. did it ever really happen?

;)

Quick trip to New York a couple of weeks ago for the Better Homes and Gardens Style Maker Event!

I started this book on the plane my sweet friend Jessica Turner sent me. I still need to finish it but I’m really enjoying it so far! So proud of her.

*affiliate links used

{Blouse/Earrings/AG Jeans/Kentvi Sandals}

Reunited with some of my blog besties and heading to dinner! I wore this top I shared in this my Fall Fashion post – one of my favorite short sleeved blouses this Fall.

Isn’t this window arrangement amazing!? So beautiful.

{Tie Neck Dress/Shoes/Similar Purse}

I wore this J Crew Tie Neck Dress to the event. So cute and classy. Clearly I have a thing for the tie neck style that’s huge right now! You can see more favorite tie neck tops/sweaters in this post.

Time for class. :)

The evening party was on the rooftop of our hotel and was so beautiful!

My favorite part of events like this is always catching up with all of my close friends! So fun seeing them all.

I also got to meet Stephen Orr (Editor and Chief of Better Homes and Gardens). He’s so down to earth and fun. I wore this long time favorite Ruffle Sheath dress to the evening event with the same heels I wore earlier for easy packing. :) I shared better pics of my dress in this summer post.. the back of it is gorgeous! Plus it’s 40% off right now!

Love these girls!

Other random things going on around here.. Kenny ran his first marathon! I’m so proud. Proud of him for setting a goal and accomplishing it. Proud of him for running enough for both of us right now. Keep it up babe. :)

And while we’re talking food.. I finally learned how to cook chicken! And make it taste good! Ad was so excited she had to take a chicken selfie. Serious victory for me.. you all have no idea. I have a close friend who is doing some remodeling and needed help with paint colors so I helped her (she’s using a lot of my tried and true favorites!) and she taught me her secret to cooking good chicken. I’ll share it with all of you at some point!

I snapped this pic watching El and her team dance on the football field. My friend and I have both been living in our wedge sneakers! We always talk about how much we love them. I have two colors of this pair and she has two colors of this pair. They are so great for when you want to be casual but not sloppy casual. You can see better pics of them in this post. Perfect to wear with jeans and a sweatshirt or sweater when you are going to be doing more walking or running errands, etc. Comfy AND cute.. the best!

I wore them to the Journey/Def Leppard concert with friends a few weeks ago because I knew we would be doing a lot of walking to the stadium. My husband was so beyond excited for this concert it was hilarious. He was totally in his element listening to all of the 80’s rock songs. Quite a night!

Annual dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We always have to have the seasonal pumpkin cheesecake at least once every October. This ruffle tee is another recent wardrobe staple and is 40% off!

Primer went up on my shiplap walls and the paint is almost done! I’m excited to show you all the final result. It looks very.. white. Ha. :) But I have fun plans for the walls. Can’t wait to decorate this space!

Speaking of house projects.. I recently shared this one quick on IG stories. Chuck was over finishing up the shiplap so I had him help me knock out this simple gallery wall in our guest room that has been on my to-do list forever! We measured everything and put up some painters tape to mark where to line up the frames.

Done. I love it! It was just what this wall needed. I bought the frames here and ordered six of the 8×10 (15×19 without the mat). I have no idea what pictures I’m putting in them yet, but at least the wall is up! #progress

So now that I’ve shared a few fun things going on at our house lately, here are a some pics of our not so fun weekend..

Kole woke me up in the middle of the night Thursday crying because his cheek hurt. I turned on the light to look at it and it was swollen huge! I looked inside his cheek, checked his teeth.. couldn’t see anything causing the swelling. So Kenny and I gave him some Tylenol and let him sleep with us and then first thing the next morning I took him to our pediatrician. She couldn’t figure out what the problem was either so she sent us to our dentist. Our dentist took X-rays and checked everything and was worried so she sent us to an oral surgeon. These 3 doctors were all in different locations so by this time Kole and I were hungry and exhausted from shuffling around to doctors all day and Kole was in a lot of pain. You can imagine how we felt when the oral surgeon told us to head straight to the emergency room of the Children’s Hospital! I couldn’t believe it. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in the ER. Kenny picked up the girls and took them to their activities and then met us there for a couple of hours and then he went home and I stayed overnight with Kole.

He was seen by so many doctors and no one could figure out what was causing the swelling. X rays and an Ultra Sound showed nothing. I asked for a CT scan but they wanted to put him on antibiotics and see how he did first. After a day of medicine and the swelling only getting worse they finally did a CT scan and could tell they would need to operate. It still wasn’t clear what was causing the issue, but Kole had an infection and it needed to be treated. I tried to stay calm but definitely had a few teary moments imagining worst-case scenarios. My mind just couldn’t help going there! Never easy having a child in the hospital. My heart breaks for parents who deal with things like this on a regular basis.

Kenny came to visit when he could on Saturday and as always was a huge help. Ha.

Kidding. :) He was great and helped talk Kole through some major anxiety about all of the tests he was going through and his upcoming surgery. Kind of scary stuff for an 8 year old.

Prepped for surgery. My sweet brave boy.

El was performing at a football game and was bummed she couldn’t visit in the hospital but Addison was able to visit the night of his surgery. She helped calm his nerves with a few games of Chess. None of us can beat Kole! She knew that would cheer him up.

{Guest Room}

His surgery went great and we were able to go home the next day. (Thank you so much to each of you who reached out through IG and sent well wishes and prayers! It meant so much to us all.) It’s still not completely clear what was going on with Kole’s swelling. It had nothing to do with his teeth. He had been eating some uncooked spaghetti noodles a few days before his swelling so we are wondering if a very tiny piece pierced his cheek and got lodged inside of it. The surgeon didn’t find anything specific when he drained his cheek and cleaned things out, but it could have been something like that. He is on strong antibiotics and we have to follow up a few times with his surgeon to make sure that he’s healing well and that the infection doesn’t come back. So grateful to have him home!

He is recovering in our guest room (he likes the TV in this room) and I told him when he came home that he could have whatever he wants! Ice cream, popsicles, endless TV or X box time. When he woke up this morning he said “mom.. we’re still spoiling me today, right?” Ha ha.. back to normal again! Thank goodness. Love my little buddy so much. :)

Remember my pretty Fall flower arrangement by my kitchen window?

I came home from the hospital to this and had to laugh. Kind of made me think of our weekend! Life lately. Full of ups and downs. The good and the bad. The pretty and the not so pretty.

Really I just can’t keep plants alive to save my life.

But I can cook chicken! And my little boy is home and safe and well.

So I think I’ll focus on that.

And I’ll buy a new Fall plant tomorrow.

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

Leave A Comment

{POST SOURCES}

{Family Room/Reindeer Tree Sources}

{Mudroom/Snowflake Tree Sources}

{Extra Post Sources}

A few things I do to get my house ready for the holidays:

{POST SOURCES}

{POST SOURCES}

{CLOTHES SOURCES}

{HAVE MY EYE ON..}

{PORCH SOURCES}

{POST SOURCES}

{FAVORITE GARLAND}

{FAVORITE WREATHS}

{FAVORITE STOCKINGS}

{FAVORITE TREE SKIRTS}

{FAVORITE ORNAMENTS}

{FAVORITE SIGNS}

{FAVORITE SMALL TREES}

{FAVORITE REINDEER}

{FAVORITE BANNERS/GARLAND}

{FAVORITE PILLOWS}

{FAVORITE THROWS}

{FAVORITE RANDOM DECOR}

{FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TREES}

*You can download any of my free printables by signing up HERE.

Enjoy your day friends! And happy planning. :)

{POST SOURCES}

{POST SOURCES}

Shop my instagram