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Uncategorized
10.30.14

Everyday pics (insta round-up)

You guys.  I love Instagram.  Love it so much.  Blogging used to be more of an on-line journal for me.  A peek into our every day.  But now that my blogging time is so limited (partly due to two girls who are getting older and staying up too late!) I’m not able to share as much as I wish I could.  Instagram has been such a fun way to quickly pop in with friends and blog readers and share a peek of what’s going on around our house.  I decided towards the end of each month I’ll do a quick Instagram round-up on the blog so that those of you who aren’t on Instagram can see what we’re up too also.  I like everyone to be invited to the party.  :)  And if you aren’t on Instagram – join!  I hesitated for so long thinking it would be one more social media thing sucking up my time but it really isn’t!  It’s so fast and easy.  I can quickly see what my friends are up to while I’m waiting in the school pick-up or grocery store line and post something in one minute while my kids are getting their shoes on.  Ahh — modern technology!  So here are a few pics from October – complete with hashtags.  Because they’re fun.  :) 
Saturday thoughts
#pillowloveatnordstroms
#pickingupagiftandgotdistracted

Girls party!  Fun afternoon having the girls from my girls’ classes over to swim.  Kids had a blast.  Kenny and I are comatose on the couch.
#wheredoestheenergycomefrom
#kolewaslivingitupwithallthosegirls
Sitting down to eat my favorite lunch.  Salad with fruit followed by purple skittles.
#wouldn’twanttobetoohealthy

Puttering in my pantry
#imsurethereareotherthingsishouldbedoingrightnow
Sporting my Fall bags… at the swimming pool.
#fallinsandiego
#swimlessonsallyear 

After school snack is ready to go!  We ate so badly on our trip.  Jeans are tight today so I’m whipping us back in shape.  If I have this ready when my kids walk in the door and are STARVING I have a much higher success rate getting them to eat their veggies.
#tricksofthetrade
#ilovesugarsnappeas
#butiloveskittlesmore
Unfortunately I’m sporting a not so cute accessory this Fall.  :(
#plantarfasciitis
#stuckwiththisbootfor4weeks

Popping in later with a post but for now I just wanted to say happy Monday to all my friends.  Grateful to have all of you in my life!

#freshflowersmakemehappy
#sodoallofyou

Whole family got flu shots today.  Then this little guy got 4 more.  Holding my kids while they get shots never gets easier for me.  Keeping him home from pre-school.  5 shots deserves a day off!  And lots of ice cream.

#hardtoseemylittlebuddysad

 Halloween picture banner is up!  Fun to see past Halloween pics and reminisce.  Happy October!

#finallyfeelslikefall

Our after school routine.  Shoes off in the mudroom.  Then El feeds the turtles while this little one spills EVERYTHING about her day.  And then some more.
#shetalksandtalksandtalks
#iloveraisinggirls

Ellie just presented me with her Sunday to-do list.  Complete with pictures and a box for the check mark.  I gotta say… this just warms my heart.

#appledoesn’tfalltoofar
#myworkhereisdone

Enjoying an unexpected child free stroll through Target.  Such a luxury!
#lovingthesesnowflakeplates
#thisstoreissodangerous
And that’s a wrap for October!  Aside from all of the Halloween fun that will be shared today and tomorrow.  (You can follow my instagram feed at erin_sunnysideup)
Happy Halloween everyone!  Have a safe one!  
And save some skittles for me.
:)

xoxo, Erin
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Organization
10.29.14

Organized art supplies (a new solution!)

Talking organized art supplies today!  I know.  We’ve talked about organized art supplies before.  That’s because I have a thing for art/school supplies.  And for keeping them organized.  :)  Just before school let out last June I got our art supplies under control with this fun wooden bottle caddy.

It worked great for a few months, but I realized my kids were reaching for the markers, colored pencils, pencils and crayons the most often.  Our crayons were in a different container in a drawer and it didn’t make sense to have them separated from everything else.  I knew once school started and the kids were living in the craft room I needed a better solution.
These are the things that keep me up at night.  ;)
So this is what I came up with!  I found this cool wooden tray at Tai Pan in Utah over the summer and bought it thinking I’d use it on my dining room table.  But then I came home and decided to try putting pots inside of it to hold our most often used art supplies.
Perfect solution!  I still use the other wooden organizer to hold scissors and brushes and supplies we don’t use as much, but the pencils, crayons, markers and colored pencils that we use over and over every day are right out on the table – easy to reach.  I might paint the black pots another color – or switch them out at some point, but for now (until I figure out the direction I’m going with decor in this room) the black works great.  I almost borrowed the wooden trey to put some pumpkins and fall accessories in it for the living room, but I knew we’d miss it too much in the craft room.  The kids use this every single day.  Problem solved!  Whew.  Now I can sleep.
:)
When I took these pictures I snapped a few of the craft room so I can finally show you one of my favorite rooms in the house!  It’s empty and not decorated yet, but coming soon anyway.  Is everyone having a fun Halloween week?  It’s always a busy one!  I’m holding off on Christmas decor but am having a hard time restraining myself.  I promised my husband I’d wait until Halloween is over but then all bets are off and I’m turning this place into a winter wonderland!
Just minus the winter.
xoxo, Erin
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Halloween
10.27.14

Easy Halloween Treat

Tonight was movie night with the kids which included our all time favorite Halloween treat.  One night when the girls were little I grabbed a few snacks I had on hand in our pantry and tossed them together and ta-da!  Just like that our family’s favorite Easy Halloween Treat was born.
What makes it a “Halloween” treat?  It’s in a jack-o-lantern bowl of course.

Plus it includes candy corns.  Candy corns, like a jack-o-lantern bowl, signal Halloween.  Additional items include: popcorn, pretzels, fishy crackers, and m&m’s.

It’s funny to me that this simple combination is such a hit with my kids.  Part of the reason is because they only get this treat a couple of times in October which adds to the magic and makes it seem extra special.  Some squeals may have been heard down the street when I whipped this up tonight.  Took me a whole 5 minutes.

 No cooking involved + squealing excited kids?  My kind of treat.
Thought you might want to whip it up this week at your house too.
You can tell your kids I said “you’re welcome.”
And Happy Halloween.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Halloween
10.23.14

Easy Halloween Picture Banner

I’ve always loved displaying pictures of my kids during the holidays as part of my decorating.  So many fun memories are made each year!  I love to have them out for our family to look at often.

In my previous house I made this aqua frame for my family room so that I could easily switch out seasonal pictures.

But the frame wasn’t working in our new family room so I decided to just hang the pictures across my fireplace mantel.

It turned out cute and was SO easy to do.  It took a whole 15 minutes and my kids love it!  I already had a lot of these past Halloween pictures so I just developed a few more recent pics to add to the banner.  (All of the pics are 5×7)

 I used thick burlap from the craft store and just folded it in half.
 I moved a picture so you can see what the burlap looks like underneath.

I was trying to figure out how to attach it without damaging my mantel or the paint so I wrapped the burlap up on each end of the mantel…

and then just pulled each end underneath the lanterns (the right end was much longer than the other to reach the opposite side).  I did this at first just to see if the burlap would work and how it would look, but it held everything so well I just left it like this.  No need to come up with a fancy attachment and make things harder than they need to be!  Especially for something seasonal that I will take back down soon.

 Then I just used clothespins to attach the pictures.

*sidenote:  I did a little happy dance when I went to find my clothespins!  No searching because they were organized so nicely with all of my school/craft supplies in a labeled bin in my office.

Made me want to ditch the mantel decorating and start organizing another office cupboard!  But that’s my problem.  I start too many things and then don’t finish anything.  So on that note — back to the topic at hand.  :)

 The clothespins and burlap worked great.  Like I said, so easy.
My kids love the banner and having our favorite Halloween books out.  Makes it really feel like October.  They come over to this spot every day to look at the pictures and read a book or two.  I especially love walking in the room and seeing one of my girls reading to Kole.  So sweet.

Looking back at these pictures makes me realize once again how quickly my kids are growing up.  It’s a good reminder to me to slow down and enjoy this fun time of year with them.

Happy October friends.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Home Decor
10.21.14

Our new staircase

This weekend as I was putting away the kids’ new Halloween costumes (they’ve been running around in them all week so excited for Halloween) I suddenly flashed back to this week last October.  Around this time one year ago we moved into our new house.  I truly can’t believe we have been in the house a year!  I still feel like we just moved in.  I use that excuse all the time when people come over to explain away the state of my home.  Ignore the mess and the empty rooms!  We just moved in.  A year ago!  Ha!  Might have to come up with a new excuse.  :)  I decided in honor of our one year house anniversary I should finally show you our stairs!  (If interested you can see the beginning stages of these stairs here.)
I don’t know why I have such a fascination with stairs but I do.  I had almost every detail of this staircase already designed in my head before we even met our architect (Coastal/Craftsman with a modern twist!).  First of all – that runner!  Chosen by some of you!  I love it.  So thank you to all of you who voiced your opinion in this trendy vs. safe post and helped me make this decision.  I’m so glad I listened to all of you!  (And to my husband who likes to remind me that he chose that runner too – I just didn’t really listen to him until all of you agreed.)  :)  I love this view of the stair runner because it ties in so nicely with the mudroom baskets you can see down the hall.  Not really planned but I’ll take it!
I wanted to do something unique that I hadn’t seen before so we came up with this fun detail on the side of the stairs.  I worried that it might be too busy, but everything else is so clean and simple that I think it works.  I’m excited to dress these stairs up for the holidays!
Simple inset panels that match the molding throughout the house.  My favorite look.  :)
This is a view of the hallway with the formal dining room on the left.

You come to the stairs  quickly after entering the house through the garage.  Mudroom, laundry room, and powder bathroom are on the left.

Then my office (dutch door you can see on the right).  The main living areas (kitchen and family room) are across from the stairs.
I decided to stain the top of the molding to match the treads and railing.
Sorry.  Just realizing now I took way too many pictures of the stairs.
One of every view from every angle apparently.
Obviously they take me to a happy place.  Mostly happy that they are actually finished and we can enjoy them.  When you’re building it feels like you’ll never reach that point!

I loved this modern light fixture and knew early on that I wanted to use it somewhere in the house so I was thrilled when I realized it fit perfectly over our stair landing.

I think it works with all of the clean lines in the molding.  And I love how pretty it is at night!  It really lights up the staircase.

It also ties in nicely with the black and white striped rug in the upstairs laundry room.  The only thing in the upstairs laundry room!  Other than hampers full of dirty clothes of course.

I’m planning on bringing more black in the upstairs hallway at some point next year when I get around to finishing the upstairs.  I’ve made a lot of progress in the girls’ rooms!  But at the rate I’m going I’ll have pictures ready to share with all of you around 2016.
You’ll have to cut me some slack because after all,
we did just move in.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Home Decor
10.17.14

Fiddle Leaf Fig Fail

Fiddle Leaf Fig trees.  They have been all the rage in design for a while now.
Popping up on blogs and in home decor magazines right and left.
They seem to look amazing and just ‘work’ in any style of room.
Adding personality..
and life to every space they fill.
I am a fan.
So a few weeks ago when I was at Home Depot picking up some plants for my kitchen and happened to stumble upon this beauty it was love at first sight.  Such a gorgeous plant!  So healthy and green and just … cool.  I paused for only a minute – unsure if I could actually keep it alive – but once I was told Home Depot has a one year warranty/return policy on all plants I knew we were in business.  This beauty was coming home with me.

I raced home so excited about my new plant.  I set it in the only basket I could find knowing I’d have to figure out a better pot/basket for my plant later.  I placed it in the family room corner I had planned for it, stepped back, and waited to hear angels sing!
But the angels didn’t sing.

Instead they just sort of squawked.  My fiddle leaf was way too big for the space covering half of my bookshelf.  I moved it around in the corner and just couldn’t make it work.  No matter how I placed it, it just didn’t look right.

 So I tried it on the other side of the room behind the chair.
Which looked AWFUL.
Angels had left the building at this point.
Then my husband walked in and said “what’s with the ugly 80’s plant!?”
WHAT!?  That isn’t just a plant!  I told him.  It’s THE Fiddle Leaf Fig!  And they are all the rage.
Just apparently not in our house.
I moved the plant to a few different rooms and still wasn’t feeling it.
The magic was lost and I could tell it wasn’t meant to be.
 So I took it back to Home Depot.
 And bought another $2.00 fern for the kitchen.  

 

They might not be popping up right and left in the design world, but they suit me just fine.
Plus the angels (and my husband) seem to agree.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Home Decor
10.15.14

Modern Decor (my sister’s house)

I’m back!  Still haven’t unpacked.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  I tend to not unpack very quickly after a trip.  I keep living out of my suitcase until days later.. holding on to the vacation not wanting it to end. Apparently blogging trumps laundry AND unpacking.  :)
Sharing a few pics of my sister’s beautiful home today!  Thought I’d start with her gorgeous back yard…
I love this yard.  So many beautiful trees!  And large enough for kids to run around and play.
On one side she has a sand pile covered by trees and vines that make it shady in the summer.  Our little boys spent hours here last weekend.
She gathered some branches from her yard and put them in this owl for simple Halloween decor on her back porch.  Her kids made and hung the bats.

Car has always loved more of a modern style.  She and her husband have completely renovated this house.  I wish I had before pictures!  They have done such an amazing job.  I love visiting and checking out their latest project/addition.

I wanted to get more of the center of this room but all you could see out of her big beautiful window was our huge 15 passenger van.  Ha!  :)

Isn’t it all so stylish!?   I didn’t have time to get all of the pictures I wanted to so I’m just sharing a few shots I quickly took before I walked out the door.

This is part of her kids’ playroom.  Isn’t the wallpaper fun!?

They recently re-did their kitchen and are working on their master bedroom – plus her kids’ rooms are  adorable!  I wish I would have had time to take more pictures.  We were too busy laughing and eating.  ;)  I’ll have to take more next time I’m there.  She does such a beautiful job decorating everything and even though her style is a bit more modern than mine, I go into her house and just LOVE it all.

Thanks for letting us take a peek inside your beautiful home Car!  
Love it and love you.  
xoxo, Erin
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Uncategorized
10.14.14

SLC trip re-cap

Happy Tuesday friends!  As some of you know from Instagram, we are back from a quick weekend trip to Salt Lake City.  We went to visit my sister and her family and (since it is still so hot here in San Diego) to FEEL Fall.  Had such a great trip!  Quick recap:

I always love spending time with my nieces and nephews.  Got to see this little doll play soccer and score the first goal of the game!  Not positive, but could have had something to do with the fact that her cheering section was a bit wild.  We couldn’t help ourselves.  (p.s.  her teeth are blue from a fruit roll-up in case you were wondering.)  :)

Of course a trip to SLC in the Fall always includes some time at their annual Witch Festival.  
These two were inseparable.  

And quite fascinated with all of the crazy witches popping up all over the place.  
 Including our favorite three little witches.   

My sister and I had our own fun.  
LOTS of girl time.  

 That included some shopping.  (Picked up a couple of new Halloween books for our collection thanks to your great suggestions on the blog and Facebook!)

And one night the four of us even got a night out on the town.  
It honestly was one of the best mini vacations I’ve ever been on.
A few more highlights that weren’t pictured but need to be remembered:
– Kole on the airplane telling every single person “hello!” walking down the isle.  He then started a conversation and charmed the pants off of more than one passenger.  His parents just wanted him to GET IN HIS SEAT ALREADY.  
– walks in my sisters neighborhood – fun meeting some of her cute friends/neighbors.
– drives to see the pretty fall leaves and getting to wear my boots for the first time this season!   
– trips to the grocery store/bagel shop which would normally be no big deal but when my sister and I get together even the ordinary is fun.  And funny.  Because we become kids again and laugh at everything.  
– hearing our girls BEG for ONE MORE story about when we were little.  My sister is the best story teller ever and had all of us cracking up each night reminiscing our childhood.  (I was the good sister and she was the trouble maker btw.)  
– cruising around in our 15 passenger van.  You heard me.  Hilarious!  Long travel day to get there and after waiting for our rental car in the airport for over an hour (holding sleeping kids) they tell us that all they have available is a 15 passenger van.  Kenny and I were both deliriously tired so we started to laugh and said “of course it is.  whatever – we’ll take it!”  The look on my sister’s face when we pulled up was priceless.  She loved having that thing parked in front of her house.  Ha!  But I have to say that we had a blast all riding everywhere together.  We laughed every time we were in it!  Even with all of our kids we had extra seats.  Made for a great memory and will be my new car of choice on our next vacation.  (You think I’m kidding but I’m not.)
– lazy mornings all waking up together and chatting while the kids played in their pj’s.  
– seeing our kids make memories and form bonds that will last a lifetime.  
– staying up way too late talking and laughing and then texting with my sister AFTER we were in bed while husbands slept to continue our conversation.  #weneverstoporsleep
My sister and I are close and have always been bummed we don’t live in the same city.  But we remind ourselves every time we get together of how special it is because we don’t get to do this every day.  We spend less time together than we’d like, but when we do get together it really is quality time. I was so happy we went on this trip!  So many fun memories.  New tradition is to visit them every October when we are desperately needing to feel some Fall and they will come visit us every February when they are desperately needing to feel some sunshine.  Win win.  
Back soon to share a few pics my sister let me take of her house.  It’s so beautiful!  I need to catch up on a few things around here (will be playing catch up all week) and get groceries first, but as always posting will come before laundry.  You can count on that.  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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Halloween
10.08.14

Our favorite Halloween Books (and a cozy reading corner)

A few days ago I got our Halloween books out.  I like to keep seasonal books stashed away during the year and then pull them out for the holidays.  Makes them seem special!
(Halloween books in our previous house.)
 
This is an October tradition we have done for years.
I found this cute inexpensive basket at Home Goods to hold seasonal books.  My kids were so excited when they came home from school and found the Halloween books out!  Funny such a small thing made them so happy.  Like now that the Halloween books are out it’s really October.  (Although that’s kind of how I feel about my pumpkin spice candle!)
I put a simple placemat under the basket so I don’t scratch the marble.
(Same placemats I’ve been using on my bathroom counter.)
 Having the books right by our chair and lamp created a cozy little reading corner.
I re-styled the right side of my bookshelf.  Still looks a little cluttered to me but every time I take something off it looks even more “off.”  I do love the ampersand (also a Home Goods steal).  And the fun black and white stripes and deer print are from Emily’s shop.  (Do you read her blog?  Love it.)  The deer’s wreath is coral which ties in with the rest of the coral in the family room.  Like I said, it’s the little things.  :)
We have collected several fun Halloween books over the years, but we have a few that stand out.  The favorites that get read again and again and again.
 Humbug Witch.  My personal favorite with a cute surprise at the end!
Room on the Broom.  Adorable story.
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat.  This is new to us this year and Kole is in love.  I think we’ve read it over 50 times already.
Thanks for Thanksgiving is also a favorite in our basket.  Thanksgiving story, obviously not Halloween, but it’s such a beautiful story with a great message.  I shared it last year in a post on having gratitude in our lives and creating gratitude journals.  I love the illustrations.
And wow.  Go Away Big Green Monster.  Probably our most read and re-read book to date by my little man.  I think this year he is out growing it (perfect for a 2-3 year old).  Very simple story but something about it he just couldn’t get enough of!
And one more fun book – not necessarily Halloween but anything to do with monsters can be Halloween, right?  Leonardo the Terrible Monster is such a cute story for pre-school aged kids.  Another favorite!
Every afternoon when we are home you can find one of my three kids plopped in this chair reading a Halloween book.
It never takes long for them to toss off the pillow and get nice and comfortable.
 Even Kole’s “friends” are enjoying the new Halloween basket.
:)
A simple October tradition.
One of our “little things” that makes this time of year extra special.
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas1
10.06.14

10 things to do now to ensure a more enjoyable {less stressful} December

Taking a quick break from all things Fall today to talk about another beloved season right around the corner.  Did you know that there are only 79 days until Christmas!?  It really will be here before we know it.  I’m all about enjoying the season we are in and not rushing on to the next one, but here’s the truth — December is BUSY.  And for me, sipping hot chocolate while driving around looking at Christmas lights in pajamas with my kids is much easier (and more enjoyable) when I’m not stressed about a million things that need to be done.  In the past 10 years of being a mom I have had organized Decembers and not so organized Decembers and I’m a firm believer that organized Decembers are better!  When I take the time to plan ahead and don’t have as much on my plate in December it’s much easier for me to relax and really enjoy the magic of the holiday season with my family.  So.  I sat down this weekend and starting making a list.  And checking it twice.  :)  Here are 10 things I came up with that we can all start doing now to ensure a less stressful December.

1)  Make a list of family/friends you are buying for and plan your budget.  Nothing fancy.  Just grab a notepad and write each person down and how much you are able to spend on them.  Include everybody you want to get a gift for:  family/friends/neighbors/teachers/kids’ friends/etc.  (*I always buy a few extra gifts in case I accidentally forget someone I wanted to buy for.)

2) Start brainstorming gift ideas.  This is especially helpful if you have little ones and are *helping* Santa.  :)  I like to have a place to jot down gift ideas whenever they pop in my head.  This also helps me come up with ideas for my husband because he is so hard for me to buy for!  I like to come up with something fun and different each year for friend/neighbor/teacher gifts so it’s helpful to have a few different ideas jotted down for them as well.

Here are a few past posts full of fun gift ideas to help you start brainstorming!

Cookies or Candles for friends.
{My applesauce cookies are perfect this time of year!}
Christmas Pretzel Hugs for neighbors.
You can also see my favorite gift ideas for kids here (2011), here (2012), and here (2013).  

3) Set up a Christmas wrap station and organize your wrap supplies.  Now is the time to get wrapping supplies in order.  In our previous house I set up a Christmas wrap station in my son’s nursery (it was the only space I had!).

In our new house I have a cupboard in my office where I store wrapping supplies that I’m planning to organize soon and start putting to good use.

4)  Start shopping!  I love to shop but I have to say that I DREAD shopping in December.  The mall is madness.  Way too busy.  Not worth it if it takes 20 minutes just to park your car!  On-line shopping helps a lot with this but the best solution is to start your shopping early.  Even if it isn’t completely done, having most of it figured out before Thanksgiving makes for a much better December!

5)  Wrap as you go.  The past two Decembers (because we were so busy building the house and then moving) I’ve spent Christmas Eve wrapping everything for my family.  I always underestimate what a time consuming activity it really is to wrap every one of those gifts!  This year I’m using my wrap station and I’m going to wrap as I go.  As soon as I buy a gift I’m coming home to wrap it!  When I’ve done this in the past, I wait to put bows/ribbons on them and write in small print on the back of the gift who it’s to and what it is to remind me a few days before Christmas.  Then I can stick a bow/ribbon/tag on it and call it done!  This year on Christmas Eve after the kids are in bed instead of being buried in gift wrap, I’ll be curled up on the couch with my husband watching It’s a Wonderful Life.  :)

6)  Start working on your Christmas cards.  If you haven’t had family pictures yet and plan to send out cards this year, schedule them now.  We just had our pictures taken on Friday and my goal is to have my cards addressed and ready to mail out before December 1st.  Now is also the time to update your Christmas address list.  Set aside a time this month to go through and make sure you have recent addresses and add any new friends/co-workers, etc. you want to send a card to.

LOVE receiving/displaying Christmas cards from family and friends each year!

7)  Start planning for holiday parties if you entertain.  If you are planning to have any type of get together during December now is the time to prepare!  Make your guest list, plan your menu, decide how you want to decorate and what you’ll need to buy for the party.

8)  Start making any homemade gifts you want to give this season.  Every year I give my husband a calendar for his office full of current pictures of our kids.  And every year I wait until December 20th to start working on it!  Why oh why do I do this!?  This year I am choosing the pictures I plan to use for his calendar this month.  Then I can toss in a December picture in December and get that thing made and wrapped and under the tree early avoiding my annual mad dash to Kinkos praying that they can print my calendar overnight.  :)  If you plan to make any other gifts for loved ones this year, now is the time to start making them!

9)  Plan ahead for Christmas Decorating.  This part is fun to plan for!  It’s a good time to assess what you have and what you might want to add this year to spruce up your house for the holidays.  Especially if you plan on making something fun for your house.  Most of the time DIY projects take longer than you think they will.  Getting a jump start now on anything you want to make to decorate with (a wreath, tree ornaments, etc.) will allow plenty of time for any errors in your process that have you running to the craft store at 9:00 pm.  :)

My Christmas card garland displaying our past Christmas cards is my favorite DIY Christmas decor.  I’m excited to add to it and display it this year in the new house.  :)

10)  Spend some time thinking about Christmas traditions for your family and ways to make the season special.  I like to plan activities to do with my kids that teach them the true reason for the season.  We try to serve others often throughout the year with our kids, but this time of year it is especially important to find ways to serve and help others.  (Planning to do a post in more detail about this at some point!)  I also love setting up simple family traditions to do each year with my kids that make December feel extra special.

Things like watching our favorite Christmas movies together.
Reading our favorite Christmas books next to the tree.
Sipping hot chocolate together (just started our hot chocolate station tradition last year!).
 And waiting in anticipation to see where our elf will pop up each day.

Like I said, I’m all about savoring and enjoying Fall.  But a little extra planning during the next month will go a long way in helping us all have a much more relaxing December!

And I am definitely all about that as well.
:)
I hope these tips help you do the same!
xoxo, Erin
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Parenting
10.02.14

A sweet reminder

Had one of those days.  Laundry piled high, husband working late, busy schedule, messy house, forms to fill out, lots of homework, out of groceries (seriously!?  again!?), overly tired 4 year old, too many to-do’s, behind on e-mails, splitting headache.    
Got the kids all in bed and went to my room to change into my pj’s.  Back to the kitchen to take some Tylenol and clean the disaster that was our day.    
And in the middle of the messy counter I found this:

Oh my sweet girl.  You have no idea how much I needed that tonight.
Motherhood.  
Never easy.  
But always worth it.

xoxo, Erin
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Home Decor
10.01.14

Fall in the kitchen

**UPDATE:  If you are new here (hello!) you can see my latest kitchen decor post here!  And don’t forget to sign up to be on my e-mail list so you don’t miss a post! ;)

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Sorry for the delay in posting.  I seem to have a lot of beautiful distractions in my life lately.  They are the very best kind of distractions, but distractions none the less.  :)

I’ve added some touches of Fall to the kitchen!
Simple groupings that are making things feel cozy.  That’s the word that pops in my head when I think of Fall.  Cozy.
I picked up a few plants and so far they are still alive!  Going on two weeks so this is a new record for me.  Feeling good about that!  I put the larger plant in a wooden crate.
And then placed a mini white pumpkin next to it in one of my bowls.
You can’t tell in these pictures, but that bay window has such a beautiful view out to the backyard.  It’s one of my favorite spots in the house and the view makes doing dishes not quite as painful.  Nice to finally have some greenery on the inside as well!

I shopped around my house for a few things to place next to my new blue jars.  Baby breath is so inexpensive and adding a bit of it here and there added some Fallness to the kitchen.  Is Fallness a word?  Is to me now.  I’m adding it to my mental dictionary which is full of all sorts of “words” that my husband tells me aren’t really words at all.
Except he’s wrong.  :)
 I replaced my summer lemons with mini white pumpkins (told you I can’t get enough of them!).
 Then added a couple more white pitchers in a tray on the counter.
My display cupboard?
 You guessed it.
Added a few white pumpkins there too.
Because why not?
Easy way to Fallify the cupboard.  Is Fallify a word?  It is now.  :)
Do you love how I photo bombed my own picture (far right)?

Here is a picture without the glass so you can see what’s on display without me looming in the shadows.  Things are spread out a bit to accommodate for the cupboard doors.

I added a couple of pumpkins to some old candlesticks and a pitcher full of flowers for a centerpiece on my table.. but I didn’t love it.
I’ve already changed it around.  And most likely will five more times before I find time to post about it again.  That’s my decorating ADD coming out to play.  Did you know that you can have OCD and ADD at the same time?
True story.
I’m living proof.  :)

Added some baby breath to the butler’s pantry too.
And switched my summer snack station to AUTUMN.
Fallifying the kitchen!
One white mini pumpkin and made up word at a time.
:)
kitchen-refresh-2
**UPDATE:  If you are new here you can see my latest kitchen decor post here!  And don’t forget to sign up to be on my e-mail list so you don’t miss a post! ;)
xoxo, Erin
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