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 (We were laughing that El’s hair totally covered her black tank in this pic!
I passed on some crazy thick hair to these two.)

Hello hello!  I’ve missed you all!  The chirping crickets on my blog were’t intentional. :)  Our last week of summer and beginning of a new school year turned out to be a little busier than I expected and this is the first minute I’ve had to sit down at my computer to catch up!  My girls started school yesterday – 10th and 12th grade. I can’t believe it.  I teared up as soon as I saw them in the morning.  They both came down the stairs looking so beautiful and grown up.  I always cry on the first day of school but this year I didn’t even make it to drop off.  Don’t blink moms!  Everyone tells you how quickly it goes by.

{El’s first day of pre-school}

{first day of 1st and 3rd grade}

{first day of 2nd and 4th}

Everyone was right.

I came home to my boys (Kenny is still working from home and Kole doesn’t start until September) and being with the two of them cheered me up.  :)

{similar pink cherry blossom branches/Quin white vase/similar round tray/Abbott table/similar chairs/Arabesque rug}

I also decided to cheer myself up a little by putting away some of my summer decor and pulling out a few things for Fall.  So much fun!  I love Fall decor.  I’ve had this arabesque rug in our dining nook for a while (it used to be in our guest room) but I’m going to try it in Addison’s room.  It has become a rotating rug that might just make a debut in every room in our house.. ha.

I replaced it with this beautiful Pine Brook rug from Target!  I wanted to bring more browns in for Fall but also keep some of my blues so this will be perfect.  I snapped these quick with my phone so the lighting isn’t great but I love the rug!  As far as quality I’ll share how it’s holding up after I’ve had it for a while.  It’s definitely thinner than my previous rug and not plush but it looks and feels great considering the price I paid for a rug this size. (This is the 7×10)

A quick and easy change that warmed this space up for Fall!

1-lantern pendant  2- cookbook stand  3-color block pillow 

4- floral print pillow  5- oversized woven pillow  6- diamond persian rug 

7- ficus tree   8- artificial branch plant   9 – oval metal tray  10-throw blanket

I shared it in this collage with a few other Mcgee Fall favorites.

1- seagrass pendant table lamp   2- framed canvas  3- magnolia wreath

4- chunky woven basket  5-serving utensils  6-bowls 

7-ceramic vase   8-vase  9- carved vase  10- gold metal ladder

Love these items too!

{woven cotton throw (I also ordered this throw!)/oval metal gold tray/round gold tray (I used this last year for Fall/Christmas)

ceramic gray vase/woven serve tray/fall leaves}

I ordered a few Fall Target items on-line and then a few more items came home with me when I went shopping for school supplies with the kids.  They just sort of hopped in my cart.  Crazy how that happens. :)  Here are a few other favorites popping up..

1- wall clock  2- fall plaid throw  3- serve bowl  4- olive leaf garland  5- stripes knotted fringe blanket

6- faux wheat plant  7- faux pomegrenate plant stem  8- watercolor wall art  9- euculuptus wreath

10- dark rattan tray   11-  stripe door mat  12- harvest spice candle  13- faux rusted plant stem

14- wheat grass potted plant  15- distressed ceramic vase  16- euculuptus plant stem

I feel like Target is killing it with Fall decor this year.  YES to every one of these items!

{carry-on luggage/straw circle tote/travel make-up bag/duffel bag}

Two of my close friends share a birthday in August so last week we spent several days celebrating.  I packed my bags and we drove an hour away to Dana Point – one of our favorite spots for a quick and easy getaway!  And yes.. we were gone two days and I packed enough for a week.  I’m a big fan of having options.  Just ask Kenny.  My overpacking is one of the many things he loves about me. Ha. ;)

We stayed at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa and it’s absolutely beautiful.  I’ve stayed there before and love it so I wanted to share in case you ever want to plan a trip to Dana Point!

I love Dana Point because aside from being so close to home the beaches are beautiful and it’s full of so many great restaurants/shopping.  It’s a perfect spot for a girls trip!

We spent lots of time lounging and laughing at the pool and some of our group went to the spa.

{linen beach pants/straw circle tote/bikini (green sold out)/similar flip flops here & here}

Southern Cal is usually sunny but can also be breezy and cool so this has been one of my go-to beach/pool looks this year.  I found this cute top on-line at Pink Lily but it sold out so I linked similar tops/cover-ups below!  I always love tops/coverups with sleeves that breathe.  That way if it’s chilly or I just want a break from the sun on my skin it gives me coverage without being too hot.

Dinner out!  This trip was for my friend Ann’s 50th (pink dress).  We had so much fun celebrating her!

Funny sidenote.. Ann and I have been friends for years and this picture is the two of us at the same resort in Dana Point in 2010!  Clearly it’s a favorite spot.  11 years later she still looks fabulous and I’m still the one taking all the pictures. :)

Other than spending time at the pool and spa and eating out we also spent some time walking and biking.

This was my favorite picture from the trip.  Five of us went on a bike ride and stopped and asked a guy walking by to snap a pic of us on our bikes “with the palm trees in it.”  We laughed so hard when we saw this picture!  So sweet of him but not quite what we had in mind.  Totally something my husband would do.  I was like ok.. we need to find a teenage girl or a mom.

A sweet mom with two little kids walked by and we got exactly we wanted. Ha. :)

We came back from the trip and got ready for party #2 to celebrate Ann and my other close friend Katy.  It was a 20’s themed murder mystery party!

My friend Brittany was the host and she had her home decorated so cute.  I loved the tables!

And the feathers on the light fixture!  So creative.  I didn’t snap a picture of her kitchen with all of the food and wish I would have!  She has a beautiful home (all renovated recently!) so I’ll try to get pics of it sometime.

{vintage flapper fringe dress}

The 3 of us showed up in the same dress and were cracking up.  Totally NOT planned!  But not a huge surprise either since there are only a few good 20’s outfit options on Amazon. :)  I put mine on for the first time 20 minutes before the party and was so happy it fit.  Then I realized I didn’t have close toed black heels!  Why didn’t I order those Louboutin pumps I saw on-line and loved!?  Oh yeah.. because they were 745 dollars.  Ha.  But they would have been perfect with this dress! ;)

We were all given names and identities and had to dress and act the part and try to figure out who committed the murder with clues along the way.  Have you even been to a party like this?  It was a first for me and so funny.  I had a hard time staying in character!  (Kenny and I were Charleston contest winners obsessed with dance and winning.. ha)

The whole crew!

Such a fun night!  The whole week I felt full of gratitude for good friends.  They make life FUN don’t they!?  By the end of the evening we were all kicking off our shoes and wanting to take off our tights.  I told everyone the next party will be at my house.. Erin style.

PAJAMAS ONLY baby.  Bring it on.

:)