happy halloween!

so busy doing halloween-y stuff today

no real time

for a thought-out

well-planned 

post

i thought this was great

so, i'm sharing

via (wouldn't you know) pinterest

have a happy
[and safe]
halloween!!
-e

life is short

SO TRUE

via a link from facebook

happy friday

-e

sorry :(

i've been missing

the last few days

i'm on deadline with shutterfly

working on wedding stuff

save the date cards

wedding shower invitations

and wedding announcements

here's a bit of what i'm working on

shhhhhhh....

 have a great day
fingers crossed i can finish up
all the work
-e

it's arrived

remember this little table

i ordered from grandin road?

i blogged about it here

well, it has arrived

and i LOVE it

the color isn't as brassy as i would like

but it sure is

• lovely

• sturdy

• easy to put together

• mirrored

•  ONLY 49 BUCKS!

you can get one for yourself here

i'm out

have a great weekend

-e

a sneak peek & a question

i may be 

the slowest decorator

ever

in january i purchased a rug from homegoods
then came the sofa

the carlisle sofa from pottery barn

and finally in april we painted the walls

i had home depot match a color i mixed together from different martha stewart samples (to match a color in the rug)

then overtime i slowly added

• curtains

• chairs

• pillows

• some artwork

• a few accessories

now i'm trying to pick out wall sconces 

& i'm getting nowhere

i'd like antique brass & a plug in

if they were hardwired

i'd be very limited in re-arranging furniture

& i love to re-arrange (don't we all?)

so here is a sneak peek of my unfinished living room

the sconces will go on either side

of my homegoods mirror

now for my question

which sconce would look best?

option a — boston functional library wall light 

circa lighting

 option b — weston arc sconce 

pottery barn

 option c — swivel head wall lamp 

circa lighting

 option d — griffith swing arm light

circa lighting

here are a 2 hardwired options

just because i love them :)

bryant sconce from circa lighting

ra single wall light from circa lighting

so what do you think?

which sconces do you like?

i need your opinions

& new ideas are welcomed! 

have a great day! -e

kid's art

currently

my kitchen desk is overrun

with kids artwork

i don't have the heart to throw it out

and i don't have the space

for something like this

via

and 

i don't have the patience

to create something 

like this

(although very cost effective)

available through inkubook – $14 for a 20-page softcover book & $25 for a hardcover book

i think

this is the direction

i will to go

jan eleni shrink art – as seen on home by novagratz

i love it's large size

i'm certain jan eleni is super pricey

this will be a diy project

i could print it on a 30 x 40" canvas 

through easycanvasprints.com

(i found they are the cheapest for oversized canvases)

or
i could frame

smaller collages

like this 

via – jen who blogs at a thousand words

i kinda dig how jen made a single collage per child

plus the photos melt my heart

the only problem i see 
is i would need 3 sets

thus
taking up to much space
and

it may be a little out of my budget
(which currently doesn't exist)

i know this is a time intensive project

seeing as i've only managed to scan

one piece of artwork

before i was side-tracked by
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3 kids

2 furry animals

a dirty house

work

laundry

the pile of dishes in the sink

coffee drinking

oh and 

watching the real housewives of beverly hills

those ladies are nut-balls!

here's my only artwork scan

reilly drew this

when she was three

the splotches above our eyes

are our foreheads

it's raining here in chicago

so i'm lovin my pumpkin spice coffee

happy wednesday folks -e

living with boys

i have 3 children
a 8 year old girl
reilly
a 5 year old boy
cooper
then there is 
this guy

my two year old
max


looking around my house
it's obvious who rules the roost

for example

here were our guests

for breakfast the other morning

so
who invited these lovely dinos?

let's widen the shot a bit

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this guy 

then
after breakfast

i was wondering why 

the house was so wonderfullly quiet

uh-oh

after a quick scan around the house
i made my way to the playroom

darn-it...
it's only been 20 or so minutes!

a little closer

who's responsible?

do i even need to ask?

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this guy

hoping you have a wonderful week
happy monday -e

red

i have a run-down little table that needed a face lift

i forgot to take a before shot

sorry

here's the table after i sanded the top

lots of water damage 

horrible condition

lots-o-sanding = very tired arms

after sanding, i primed the table

2 coats

after coat one

see how the top still looks pretty awful

needs another coat :(

then three coats of shiny red

ta da.

shiny red

will reside in the family room

right now she's still tacky

& sitting in the kitchen

where i can admire her

happy friday.... thank goodness 

(super long week)

until monday

i will leave you with this photo

a beautiful sunny morning

in my family room

what the heck.

honestly, 

i was just looking at pinterest 

for a teeny-tiny second.

i looked up...

and saw this...

lucy is so incredibly bored by it all.

ya, i'm addicted

ok. i'll admit it. 

pinterest is more addicting than facebook. 

initially i didn't understand pinterest. at all.

now, i can't get enough.

it has EVERYTHING. 

and i'm realizing my friends have fantastic taste!

here are my current favorite pins from each of my boards

 (keep in mind, i'm still a pinterest novice).

house and home

my pin

things i love (aka... hint, hint hubby!)

my pin

light it up

my pin

food and drink

my pin

art

my pin

projects

my pin

i'm realizing i'm totally behind the times

regarding this pinterest stuff, 

but i still needed to sing it's praises.

happy wednesday -e

fall... yay!

i'm so happy it's fall.

my favorite season.

there's starbuck's pumpkin spice latte

sunday is all about da bears (even though they kinda stink this year)

and i can't wait to eat some...

PUMPKIN SEED RECIPE

2 cups of pumpkin seeds (unwashed, but separated from the goop)

1-1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (you can use any kind of salt, i like kosher)

1-1/2 tablespoons of melted butter or oil (olive oil is healthier, butter is yummier)

preheat the oven to 250 degrees. 

stir ingredients together & place on a baking sheet. 

bake until crispy & brown, turning every 15 minutes.

yum :)

hope you're enjoying your fall! -erin

cooper-isms

this is a conversation between cooper and the receptionist at his doctors office.

receptionist: on your chart it says your name is thomas, but you go by cooper. 

i love the name thomas, 

does your mommy or daddy ever call you thomas?

cooper: um, only on fridays.

receptionist: they call you thomas on fridays?

cooper: yep

receptionist: ok, then i'll schedule your next appointment on friday, 

so i could call you thomas.

cooper: {shrugging} sounds good.

a. we never call him thomas... even on fridays

b. cooper's name is "thomas cooper", 

and he goes by his middle name.

c. i love this kid more then he'll ever know.

in case you forgot... this is my coop.

love him, love him, love him