Happy Saturday! This week flew by so quickly! Just a blink from one Saturday to the next. Spring is coming and I can feel it by the way kids’ schedules pick up! Also the time change. I’m so happy it’s staying lighter in the evenings so that we can walk and be outside more after work!
Mornings on the other hand were ROUGH this week. Ha. I felt like a zombie for my 6 am walks and it’s so dark most of the time! I always feel so much happier and more productive when I go though so I’m hoping I can catch up on sleep this weekend and get to bed earlier in the evening next week. Wish me luck. I need it. :)
1 – LIPGLOSS
{Top Lip Gloss / Bottom Lip Gloss}
Sharing a few fun random favorites/happenings today for my Saturday 6 and I’m kicking it off with this lip gloss that has quickly become my number one favorite! Trust me when I say this gloss has the most beautiful shine! I love the way it looks and feels on my lips. I got the shade “sweet mouth” at a Favorite Thing’s party last December and have been loving it so much ever since. A friend saw me putting it on a few weeks ago and told me that she is obsessed with it too and “fussy” is her favorite. I was going to buy it to try but she bought it for me before I could! Such a sweet gift and I LOVE fussy too. I would highly recommend either shade!
It goes on so smooth and looks beautiful on its own or over lipstick. 10/10! If you try it let me know what you think!
2 – 15 MIN ORGANIZING
{BEFORE}
I’ve been sharing quick 15 minute organizing wins on IG stories this year and it feels so good to make progress each day! Little organizing projects add up and make a big difference in how smoothly home/life run. This spot under our kitchen sink wasn’t that messy but I put off cleaning for months. (Sorry.. horrible lighting for pics!)
{AFTER}
14 minutes and DONE.. why did I put it off so long!? Now I’m so happy when I open these cupboards and guess what made the biggest difference? Taking everything out and wiping the cupboard out with hot, soapy water. It was so dusty and sticky!
I don’t have a lot of room to store things in this space because we have so much going on with our filtered water system.
My dishwasher pods are the main thing I wanted to store and have easy access to. These stackable bins are perfect to hold items under kitchen or bathroom sinks. If I want to store more small items in this space I can buy another set to stack on top of this – a great vertical storage option!
{Large Minka Pot/Olive Branches/Similar Jug}
This quick win isn’t anything that special but that’s why I wanted to share it. By just pulling items out, tossing or donating things we aren’t using, wiping out the space, and putting items back neatly we are creating a clean, well functioning home that will bring an amazing sense of peace. You don’t have to do a complete overhaul or buy 15 different organizers! Just use less and clean each space. I open this cupboard every day when it’s time to run my dishwasher and when it was messy it made me instantly feel annoyed and behind on life. Now it makes me feel happy and on my A game. It’s crazy how big of an impact our spaces have on our thoughts/feelings!
3 – RETRACTABLE CHARGING CORD
Ok.. coolest charging cord and it’s finally back in stock! The cord pulls out as long as 3 feet and then with the touch of a button it retracts!
I love it because you can keep the cord short using it on a counter and avoid a long messy cord that can get in the way in the kitchen.
Push the button..
And the cord is gone! I just leave this plugged in at our kitchen island.
4 – MAGNETIC MEASURING SPOONS
Another kitchen favorite! I’m sure you’ve seen these magnetic measuring spoons but if you haven’t you are in for a treat! So good. This set comes in so many options.. classic and timeless and then those two versions come in different color options.
This leveler has measurements on it that are so helpful when I’m cooking.
Or when I’m helping kids with math.. ha.
I have the white and gold too and I’m giving them as a spring gift with some cute dish towels!
Speaking of a cute spring gift.. this set has spring written all over it! Love the colors. :)
5 – OVERALLS
{Overalls (wearing xxs in standard length – usually xs) / Sneakers / Pendant Necklace}
My 90’s self has been on cloud 9 with these cute overalls! I turned 47 on Monday and decided they were perfect to wear since I also wore them on my 17th birthday 30 years ago.. ha. When I walked out in them Kenny saw me and said “whoa.. talk about deja vu.. I’ve seen you in those before!” I lived in overalls for years when we were dating and I’m so happy they are back! I’m tempted to get another pair because I keep seeing so many cute options. Long live 90’s fashion! I am SO here for it.
6 – BIRTHDAY PICS
I had a great birthday this year and have been celebrating for a week now! I’m all about spreading the celebrations out as long as possible. Ha. So grateful for good friends!
And for my sweet family. I woke up and stumbled out into the kitchen Monday morning to my kids dancing to 50 Cent – “In Da Club.” It was hilarious and definitely kicked off the day with a party! Gotta love teens. :)
Lots of favorite snacks and sweet cards.. birthday favorites. :)
Time to celebrate! Just couldn’t love them more.
Can you guess which two love taking pictures? The other 3 tolerate us and smile when they have to.
{
Still celebrating with these two this weekend!
Top / Similar Pants/ Bag
I’m just so grateful for the people in my life right now!
Blouse / Similar Pants / Bag
Ended the day with my other half and I just kept thinking there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than sitting across from him.
One thing I’ve learned getting older is that life is all about relationships. Real relationships with close friends and family bring so much joy and happiness. Love your people! And let them love you back. It’s such a beautiful thing. I loved hearing from so many of you Monday on IG and couldn’t be more grateful for the friendships I’ve made through blogging.
Speaking of friendships made through blogging.. my birthday celebrations have all been bittersweet this year after hearing the news about my beautiful friend Sarah. I know some of you found Sarah from my blog or found me from Sarah’s. We became close and fast friends in our early blogging years just from reading each other’s blogs. We bonded quickly over our love of motherhood, blogging and enjoying the simple things in life. :) We have stayed close through the years and while we never met in person we talked on the phone and texted each other weekly for over 10 years. We could talk about anything and everything! And we did. We stayed especially close the past few years. She went through a lot and I would have given anything to ease some of her pain. Sarah was an incredible mother and friend and she had a gift with words. If you read her blog you know exactly what I’m talking about! I was always telling her to write a book! It would have been a bestseller. I learned so much from her about motherhood and am a better mom and person because of her blog and her friendship. I am her biggest fan and love her deeply and have cried more tears than I know what to do with the past two weeks. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye and wanted more than anything for her to make it to see her beautiful daughter Abbey get married and to see her first grand baby. She was so excited about the baby! I keep picturing her in heaven holding that sweet baby now and it’s bringing some peace. Sarah will always be with me and I’m so grateful our blogs brought us together.
Life is so precious and the people we love are everything. Thank you for spending time with me here. I know we talk about cute clothes and light fixtures and fun ways to organize a drawer and I love all of those things! But it’s the connections I’ve made with so many of you that matter the most to me and are what I truly cherish about blogging. Hug the people you love and know I’m sending a huge hug your way too! I’m so lucky to have you all in my life.
I am so sorry to read this about Sarah. She had a magical way of writing about motherhood that I will always remember.
Thank you Kathy.. yes she did! xo
Erin:
I am so glad that you mentioned Sarah and her passing on your blog. It is true how we stumble upon certain blogs from another blog. Over all these years, there have been three blogs that I love and have continued to read and yours is one. The other two are “71 toes” and “Clover Lane”. Everything you said about Sarah is true, and it is amazing how reading her blog for years made me feel like I had really met her and become friends. Our lives and beliefs are so similar. I have not been able to get her and her children off my mind. You all are wonderful ladies and I truly find a bit of joy reading your blogs. Continue your good work! Bless you Erin!
So thoughtful.. that means a lot to me! Thank you Donna! xo
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Erin. She sounds like a wonderful friend and mentor. Loss is so hard and I hope that your memories of the times you kept in contact will comfort you. I pray her family finds comfort in each other as well. I so appreciate you, Erin, not for the products you share (although lots of them are cute and fabulous), not just for the organizational tidbits you share, but for sharing you and your sweet family and your sunny and positive disposition. You appreciate life and your family and it shows. Keep doing what you are doing. Your efforts matter. Big and comforting hugs to you.
Jeanne you are always so kind and supportive and your sweet words mean so much to me. Thank you! Sending a big hug back. You’ve brought a smile to my face so many days..grateful for you! xo
HaPpY birthDAY blessings ~ ’til 120!!
Thank you Patti! xo
My thought and prayers are with you. Sorry for the loss of your friend. As we get older, those relationships mean more. Love your blog.
Thank you so much Marie! xo
Erin,
Yes! I’m ordering that retractable charger. Pronto! such simple things really are game changers! T.Y. for all the time you put into this for us!
Now more important, most important of all. WHAT you said about Sarah in heaven holding her yet to be born grandchild. Ohmygosh. Tears running down my face now.
Of course THAT is WHAT she is doing RIGHT NOW. NO question. Of course, there must have been a reason that she was not allowed to wait for the birth. The birth of a special first grandchild. She was needed to meet this child RIGHT now…..
You know, I had a very inexpensive oil painting when I was first starting married life. I later wanted to upgrade it and decided to reframe the painting. I noticed that when doing so that the canvas was coming lose from the wood it was stapled to. well, actually, many slightly lesser paintings are painted flat and stapled to the wood frame later on. An inch or so(often more) of painted canvas goes on the top, bottom, sides of the wood frame and is stapled neatly on before framing. Well, this one painting was different. Very. On the part that was coming lose and stapled around the frame was a totally different painting! The artist had painted OVER a previous painting, yet the basic idea was the same….sort of. Nature. The painting was of a lovely landscape, but SOMETHING was in the background (or left out of the background) which I knew somehow should have been at least “hinted” at. What was it? Something was missing. On the edge that had the old painting, there was a seagull in flight and then another one…… The original painting had been an ocean scene! Then I knew. The ocean was what was not showing . Somehow, I had the feeling that there was more and somehow there was an “ocean” feeling. Then the seagull! Since this was not a premium painting, far from it! I took the liberty of using manicure scissors and very carefully cut out the larger seagull (a PERFECT seagull, BTW) and I chose a spot in the sky on the painting and glued it in place. NOW, the painting made sense.
Gosh, Sorry! Am I long winded or WHAT!!!!! Cut to the chase, right?? “Anywho”……NOW when I wonder WHY or HOW something was allowed to happen that seemed so unfair, I think of that oil painting from my early decorating days. Erin, we just don’t see the WHOLE picture. we are not meant to. not NOW, anyway. There is something hidden off on an edge that we are unable to view. The thing that makes it ALL make sense.
Erin, your vision of Sarah holding her grandchild in Heaven was very personal to me. A long story and not NOW on YOUR blog, my ♥friend…..
Erin,
Here I am again! HOW could I forget!? You are the B Day twin of my baby sister!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to someone as beautiful on the inside as out ♥ :) ♥
Keep on celebrating ! One day, one week-too short. Take the rest of the month of March! Its yours! March is your oyster!
Why, I continue (MY B day celebration) all the way thru New Years Day and I am Christmas Eve! Of course, this continued celebration is REALLY, only in my head! :-)
Thank you so much Sherri! What a beautiful story about the painting. I will remember it always! xo
And I LOVE your long windedness. ;) And your kindness. XO
Sending you a BIG hug Erin. You stating that she is holding her grandbaby reminded me of a dream I had of my father while pregnant, he walked into my mum’s kitchen holding a baby girl in his arms and all I saw was some curly hair on this little girl. I knew when i woke that I was having a girl. 17 years later and I still tell her that her nonno picked her for me. Wishing you a happy belated birthday.
What a beautiful dream Rita.. I love that. Thank you so much for sharing it with me! xo
Erin, I can’t remember if I found your blog via Sarah’s or vice versa, but I’ve been a long time reader of both of you forever. I was heartbroken to check in on Clover Lane over the weekend and read Abbey’s post. I never thought I would cry so much over someone I never met, but it hit me hard. Sarah will be so deeply missed…
I know. It’s just heartbreaking and almost doesn’t feel real. I cry on and off every day thinking of her sweet kids going through this. No doubt she is with them all.. she loves them so much. Sending a huge hug your way. xo
Ugh, I am behind on my blog reading as always, so just now hearing the news about Sarah. I am so sorry for your loss as her friend, and for her family’s loss most of all.
Thank you Kim. I know.. heartbreaking and thinking of her family every day. xo