Home Decor

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

10.09.18

Fall Kitchen Decor (and new rugs!)

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Isn’t Fall decor cozy!? I finally finished decorating my house for the season and now I don’t want to leave it! I just want to be home nesting with my candle burning all day long. If only. :)

I’m sharing my Fall kitchen decor with you today! Kenny was out of town last week and Addison was gone on a school trip so I found myself home with just Ellie and Kole for a few days. Crazy how much easier it is to keep the house clean with 3 people living in it instead of 5! I’ve never understood the philosophy of “once you’ve had 3 kids it’s crazy and doesn’t matter how many more you add..” In my experience each individual person definitely adds to the load! Just taking Addison’s activities out of the driving mix and not having Kenny’s running gear and work stuff all over the house made the week feel so much calmer and cleaner. But even though the house was clean and my schedule was easier, it just wasn’t the same around here. We missed them!

Sort of. ;)

Anyway.. that was a long way of saying that my house stayed really clean for a week and it was easy to photograph all of my Fall decor. So here it is. :)

I mostly just added traditional pumpkins and mums. These pumpkins paired with real mini white pumpkins are my favorite combo.

Woven baskets always feel like Fall to me so I love to pull even more than I usually use out during this time of year. Can you tell that this plant on the right is fake? One of my favorites because it looks so real! I always use a mix of real and faux when I decorate. I think if you’re a regular here you’ve heard me mention that a time or two. ;)

White pumpkins peeking out of my bowls in the glass cabinet are always a happy sight.

I snapped this picture on my phone right after I decorated this table. The lighting always looks darker on my phone but it makes it easier to see what’s out these windows!

My dining nook is SO sunny.. it’s always hard for me to photograph!

Simple pumpkins and faux leaves above my oven. And have you noticed my favorite new kitchen accessory? So excited about my new rugs!

These are Indigo/Navy Dash and Albert rugs in a Herringbone pattern. Aren’t they gorgeous!? I still love my black and white striped rugs and I’m sure I’ll pull them out again at some point, but I was ready for a change.

Here’s a closer look at the pattern. They are so durable and I can already tell they are going to be a lot easier for me to keep clean! They are a lot like my favorite family room rug in that both rugs hide dirt/crumbs really well. Even when they are filthy you can’t tell because of the pattern. Perfect rugs for busy families with kids.

I’m loving navy this Fall! Such a pretty deep blue that goes great with all of the orange pumpkins. I ordered 2 of the 4×6 rugs for in front of my islands..

and one of the 2’6″x12′ runner for in front of my sink by the window. You can order these rug pads to go under them (and I would definitely recommend rug pads!). I just used the same pads I had under my previous rugs. These rugs are so nice and I love the way they warmed up my kitchen. I’m excited about them! (I’ll add a few links below to other rugs I considered for this space.) I know the style is to keep your rugs out away from the cabinets centered on the floor but I’m too practical for that. The designer in me wants to move them, but the busy mom of 3 in me knows they need to stay up against the sink to catch any water/food spills. The busy mom of 3 in me usually wins. Ha. :)

The only thing missing is something cooking in the crockpot! Luckily Ad and I came up with a simple solution for that over the weekend. ;)

ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS this month! We plan to do the same.

p.s. For my fashion loving friends I just saw that my one of my favorite graphic tees (GOOD VIBES) is re-stocked and another favorite (SUNDAY) is 40% off! I wear one of these pretty much every weekend running around with kids (they are soft and a great fit!) so I wanted to let you all know. :)

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xoxo, Erin

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Fashion

10.06.18

Sweaters and Shiplap!

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{Madewell Cardigan/Jeans/Similar Boots}

You guys! We’ve had cooler weather this week! Low 70’s instead of high 70’s! I know.. not a major change, but around here that’s reason to celebrate. And to pull out ALL the Fall sweaters. Which is precisely what I did. :) I’ve got so many cute new sweater options to share with you! Plus an update on operation “finish the dining room.” Yea! I love this post and I haven’t even written it yet. Ha! :)

First up.. the cutest Madewell cardigan above. It keeps selling out! But I’ve seen it come back in stock so keep an eye on it if you love it! It’s so fun to wear with over the knee boots. Cardigans are too much fun this time of year. These are some of my favorites..

{Sweater/Jeans/Sandals}

I’m noticing a major trend this Fall with tie neck sweaters. SO many cute options! I love this Tipped Tie Neck Blend Sweater. It comes in other colors and has a great fit.

{Sweater/Black Jeans/Similar Boots}

This cute Cece Ribbon Detail Sweater is another favorite. I love this shade of blue because it’s different from other blue sweaters I have. Always nice to mix it up!

This is the same sweater in the navy. I ordered them both to try but am keeping the blue because I already have so many navy tops! Btw.. these jeans I’m wearing are favorites and they are 40% off! And my other favorite pair of AG jeans that I’m wearing in almost every picture are 30% off! Nothing like a good sale on good jeans. :)

{Sweater/Earrings/Jeans/Sandals}

How fun is this Cotton Wool Blend Sweater!? It might need to dip lower than 72 degrees to justify wearing it (so warm and cozy!).

{Chair/Bliss Throw/Pheasant pillow/Dough Bowl/Faux Pumpkins (on sale!)/Similar mirror here and here/Sign – Home Goods}

Clearly the weather is not dictating my wardrobe. Too warm of a sweater? I just crank up the air. My husband loves it as much as my dad loved it when I used to crank up our heater in the summer. Drying my hair on my bedroom vent just made my perm THAT much cooler. My hair might be different, but I haven’t changed much since High School. ;) I was in the middle of styling my living room in this picture.. the shelves were a hot mess for a while! But I finally finished decorating and took pics of everything today so YEA. Fall decor coming soon! (p.s. my pheasant pillows are back in stock! Love them.. the colors are perfect for this time of year!)

{Sweater/Black Jeans/Similar Boots}

It’s close, but this Bow Neck Puff Sleeve sweater might be my favorite of them all! I love the fit and the material. Plus the oversized bow and puffy sleeves are too cute. So fun with black jeans.

{Sweater/Pencil Skirt/Similar Boots}

I also love this top tucked in with a black skirt! So easy to dress up or down.

I was wearing it the day Chuck finished my shiplap this week. If you follow me on IG you know we added shiplap in the dining room! I was going to plank these walls when we built the house, but decided not to because I didn’t want to over do it with the planked ceiling so I painted this room gray instead. I love the paint color (you can find it here), but this room gets less sun because of its location so it usually looks pretty dark. I’m ready to lighten this space up and knew that adding shiplap to the walls would do the trick!

Besides.. you can’t really over do shiplap. It’s kinda like my permed hair in high school.. the more/bigger the better. ;)

So happy to have Chuck back healthy and working again! Some of you might remember he had a terrible accident last year.. lots of recovery and physical therapy later he is doing so much better. We are thrilled to have our favorite carpenter back! He’s part of the family. :)

One wall done!

Now two! Painting starts next week. Woot woot!

Ahhhh.. shiplap.. how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways. :)

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the type of wood, thickness, size, style I chose, etc. so I’ll write a separate post all about it. If you have any other questions ask me in the comments and I’ll add the answers to my upcoming shiplap post!

{Sweater/Jeans/Sandals}

A few more favorite sweaters! Love this Blouson Sleeve Sweater. Such cute sleeves and not too heavy so it’s a good Fall transition top.

{Sweater/Jeans/Similar Boots}

This Chunky Thermal Cowl Neck sweater? Full on FALL. I couldn’t love the color or slouchy fit more! This will be on repeat on cool days!

{Sweatshirt/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers}

This cute Colorblock sweatshirt feels like pajamas! Such a soft, thin, lightweight material. I love sweatshirts like this that I can wear out and about all day and then switch my jeans to sweat pants in the evening and bam! Ready to lounge.

{Sweatshirt/Jeans/Wedge Sneakers}

This Reverse Weave Champion Sweatshirt is going to be in my closet for YEARS. Such a great staple. It’s slightly fitted but still baggy like a sweatshirt. Opposite the sweatshirt above because the material is thick. So warm and comfortable and I love this deep shade of blue! Perfect for Fall/Winter days when you don’t have to dress up. I scored bonus points with my teenager when I bought this because apparently Champion is all the rage at her High School right now. She was like “mom.. you know Champion?” “Um yes El.. they’ve been around for awhile.. we made them cool back in the 90’s.” Ha. I can’t wait until she asks for Girbaud Jeans and Doc Martens.

#datingmyself

One last sweater before I sign off! This Striped Sleeve Chenille flew in my on-line cart so fast! Then when I tried it on I was bummed when I realized it’s a little short.

{Sweater/Black Jeans/Similar Boots}

But the fabric is so heavenly. Honestly just so soft and comfortable. Plus the color! Plus the stripes! So I put on a black tank top under it and SOLD.

When you love something this much you make it work.

Sweaters and Shiplap. I knew I loved this post.

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*I know some of these sweaters are selling fast but check back because sizes get re-stocked often!

xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

09.30.18

It’s October (Fall in the Mudroom)

Happy October everyone! It’s official! The month that kicks off the best time of the year has arrived. Well.. one of them anyway. :) We are feeling all sorts of festive around here with pumpkins in every room and our Fall candle burning on repeat.

Our mudroom is especially ready to welcome the season! The three stacked pumpkins on my bench were actually meant for my porch. I set them on this bench for a few days while I was rounding up other decor and they made me so happy every time I walked in this room I decided they should stay. :)

To be honest, it’s a little much. And you know.. you can’t sit on the bench or walk through our dutch door.

But who cares about trivial details like that when your mudroom screams FALL every time you walk in?

I certainly don’t care about trivial details like that. Besides, we have two doors in this room.

And my kids can stand for a month.

The pumpkins are taking center stage!

It’s October.

So happy about that. :)

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xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

09.26.18

Kid’s Bedroom Photo Display

I’m back with another fun addition to Addison’s room! I recently shared this new bedding and full length mirror we got from Walmart to give her room a little re-fresh. She loves them both so much and uses the mirror multiple times a day when she gets ready. I’ve truly had so much fun collaborating with Walmart on these posts. They have so many cute, inexpensive options for kids’ furniture and decor! They make it easy to update kids’ spaces. I’m excited to show you something else we are loving from Walmart!

The one spot I never finished decorating in her bedroom was this blank wall next to the door to her room. We planned on doing some sort of gallery wall, but never got around to actually doing it and to be honest I don’t think Addison was ever very excited about putting up large frames with just a few big pictures in them. When I was looking for bedding for her room I came across something that looked like the perfect solution for this wall.

This is what her blank wall looks like today! I’m so excited about this and the best part is that she loves it too!

This is the Umbra Hangit Photo Display and we put up two of them to fill the space on this wall between the two doors.

It turned out so cute! This was so easy to hang and now we she can change out and add new pictures so easily. She kept telling me she wanted something to display current photos on which is hard to do with a large gallery wall. She has a pin board over her desk but wanted something that held more for all of the pictures we snap of her with her friends, etc. This is a perfect solution! She can hang pictures or notes from friends with the little clothes pins and switch it up any time she wants.

Her bed pillows always end up along this wall when her bed isn’t made (which is pretty much every day!) so I kept them there when I took these photos. :)

Addison and I had fun picking out some of her favorite pictures and then I had them developed with a white border. Most of these are straight off of my phone.

I also bought these two nice white frames to go above her bookshelf. I’m going to put some pictures in them from our next family photo shoot. Which reminds me. I need to schedule our next family photo shoot.

This was such a simple update that really made her room complete and is so perfect for a 12 year old. She is thrilled with it and I’m thrilled I don’t have to plan out a gallery wall!

This was a much easier solution and took very little time. Done and done. Mission accomplished. :) El just told me the other day that she wants to give her room a teen re-fresh and I’m so excited to start working on that after the holidays! I need to share her current room with you all first so I’ll try to get that posted soon. I can’t believe I took pics of her room years ago and never shared them!

Actually.. I can believe that.

One last thing Ad is beyond thrilled about. She saw this extra large pouf on-line when we were picking out things for her room and BEGGED me for it. To be honest when I ordered it I didn’t realize how huge it would be! It came in the mail and I had to laugh. It’s enormous!

She pulls it downstairs every afternoon and perches on it to read her book and then takes it back into her room at night. It cracks me up to walk into the family room and see her sitting on it like she does! Kole begs her to play on it and El loves it too. It has been such a hit at our house I’m debating getting two more so all three kids have their own. But where will we keep them all.. ha! Not really the Fall accessories I was hoping for.. ;)

But I knew as soon as she saw it I was going to have to let her keep it. If she’s happy.. I’m happy.

We have the ears to prove it.

*Huge thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post! I love all of your fun options for kids’ spaces. So do my kids. :)

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xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

09.24.18

Laundry Room Decor

So excited about today’s post! I’ve partnered with eBay to share some fun home decor items I’m loving right now. Did you know that 81% of all merchandise sold on eBay is new!? I have friends who love shopping at eBay on-line and have turned me into a fan quickly. They literally sell just about anything you could ever need/imagine! Before I give you a tour of my laundry room I have to share this Hanging Closet Purse Organizer I found!

*affiliate links used

I’m seriously so excited about this. I have been struggling with how to organize my purses in my closet for a long time and this is perfect! It holds purses on both sides.

Some slots I was able to put 2 or 3 clutches in. I’m going to order another one! Love this solution so much.

Ok.. now moving on to my laundry room!

I haven’t shared my main floor laundry room since my original post on this space when we moved in over 4 years ago. Really there hasn’t been much to share other than lots of dirty clothes. :) But a few new finds from eBay completely inspired a little re-fresh of this room for Fall and I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

The first thing I fell hard for is this Geometric Trellis Moroccan Rug.

It’s so soft and has a rubber back – perfect for kitchen/laundry rooms! Plus I just LOVE the pattern.

I’ve actually been folding my clean clothes on it lately. I usually take them into the family room on the couch or set them on this counter, but ever since I bought this rug I’ve been planting myself right here to fold. :)

I was also thrilled to find these cute and functional large laundry baskets. (These are almost identical!) I love them for decor and also to hold large loads of clothes that need to be folded. I’ve honestly used them every day in one way or another since I bought them. (Also great for cleaning up piles of toys and kids’ stuff that needs to be taken upstairs!)

My next eBay find was this Vintage Style Laundry Sign. (It sold out but I love this similar sign too!). It’s perfect for this space and exactly what I had been looking for.

I put some simple jars with laundry soap and clothes pins next to it and added a few pumpkins. Because pumpkins make everything better this time of year. :)

And just like that my laundry room was decorated and felt complete!

If only my piles of laundry were folded and complete too. Why is it so much more fun to decorate the laundry room than to actually DO the laundry?

The struggle is real.

But definitely more manageable in a cute space.

*Huge thank you to eBay for sponsoring this post! It didn’t take much to make me a fan. You had me at the fun LAUNDRY signs!

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xoxo, Erin

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Enjoy your day friends! And happy planning. :)

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