Time Keeps on Slippin...

(On my Aunt's Thanksgiving table)

Ummm, what? Thanksgiving is over? December 1st is tomorrow? Only 4 weeks til Christmas? When did all this happen?

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. We had two delicious thanksgiving dinners, which was nice, but then Natalie woke up on Saturday morning with a fever and a bad case of Croup. Now it looks like Kara is following suit, as is the usual flow of things. So we just keep truckin' along over here...

I'll be posting some gift guides this week, starting off with kids, because that is really what has my focus this year. All the grown ups have decided not to exchange gifts, which makes everything a whole lot easier!

Simplify: Tip #48

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Have A Good One!

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Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'll be away from the internets the rest of the week doing things like watching the Macy's parade and eating my weight in mashed potatoes and gravy. Next week I'll be back with a few holiday gift guides. See you then!

Product Review: cinda b Lunch Tote

I was recently given the opportunity to review a product for cinda b here on the ol' blog and I jumped at the chance! I knew right away I wanted to try out their new Lunch Tote, as I am always carry around sippy cups and snacks for the girls everywhere I go, and was tired of finding goldfish floating around the bottom of the diaper bag or my purse.

I waited with great anticipation for the Lunch Tote to come. I was super excited to see which pattern they were going to send me (yes, I get excited over stuff like that) and it ended up being the "Roundabout Black" option. Isn't it cute:

Right away I filled it up with all the snacks I usually carry with me on any given outing with the girls: 2 sippy cups, a water bottle for me, a few bags of crackers, a few granola bars, some spoons for Kara in case we eat out-can't use the big honkin silverware at the restaurants for her-then for good measure threw in a sandwich size tupperware case. I could not believe how much this puppy could hold! There was even room for more stuff if needed.


I really liked the side pocket, where I put the little things like the spoons and granola bars. You can also use the pocket to hold an ice pack.


Natalie wanted me to make sure I got a picture of her modeling it to put on the blog.


I've even began using it as a "toddler tote" to carry the few essentials needed on a quick trip out with Kara: wipes, a few diapers, sippy cup and snack holder. Works perfect when you don't want to be lugging a whole diaper bag around!


All in all I have been really pleased with the tote and have gotten a ton of use out of it so far. Here are the highlights:

• It is very lightweight and flexible
• It holds a ton of stuff
• You can throw it in the wash if it gets dirty
• The adjustable strap with snap lets me attach it to stroller handlebars for easy access
• The flat bottom lets it stand up on its own, making for easy packing
• The cute pattern and fun quilted stitching makes it a nice alternative to the ho-hum options usually found for lunch totes (click here to check out all the different pattern options).

I definitely recommend this product, and with the holidays coming up, it or any of the cinda b products would make a great present for the stylish lady in your life!

Simplify: Tip #47

"Subtly, in the little ways, joy has been leaking out of our lives. The small pleasures of the ordinary day seem almost contemptible, and glance off us lightly...Perhaps it's a good time to reconsider pleasure at its roots. Changing out of wet shoes and socks, for instance. Bathrobes. Yawning and stretching. Real tomatoes."
-Barbara Holland

Playroom Inspiration

Now that Kara is a bona fide toddler-wha?!? when the heck did that happen?-I am starting to really think about having the girls share a room and turning the extra room into a playroom/office. Yes, we only have three bedrooms, but the way I see it is one less room to clean! So screw you big houses! Er, sorry, back to the topic at hand. I've been saving tons of images lately for inspiration and wanted to share a few.

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Love with a capital L this room. So feminine and pretty. The wall color I think is amazing. Kara's room right now is a very light lavender (click here for pics) and it has become my favorite room in the house. I never would have called myself a purple person, but the shades I am seeing now are just so tempting. The Expedit bookcase in this room is my main source of inspiration. I have definitely decided on using one in the playroom, and this pic sealed the deal. I plan on using baskets in every opening as well.

This pic from Tree fall, via Cardinal Acre is just so cute I can't stand it. Her girls are about the same ages as mine, and she recently combined their rooms. This is a little arts and crafts area she set up for them using two Lack side tables put together and covered in oilcloth. Perfect idea. She also used hanging kitchen organizers also from Ikea to organize the crayons, markers, etc. Yet another perfect idea. Can I just say though, that in my house the reality of this scenario would be a little something like this: Both girls sit down to color. Grab camera and snap a quick pic like the one above. Two seconds later Kara grabs Natalie's marker and throws it across the room. That freaks Natalie's freak and she starts screaming at Kara for stealing her marker. Kara grabs a chunk full of Natalie's hair and pulls so hard she rips out a few strands. I run over, break up the fight, and separate both of them, thus ending peaceful, cute coloring together time. The end.

More inspirations to come...

Have a great weekend!

Currently Coveting

Pretty much everything from the amazing site Spool No. 72, but this feather blouse really caught my eye. Thanks to Tonya for the find!

You didn't think I was over peacocks yet, did you? Peacock Snow Globe, $28 West Elm

Love the colors in these Butterfly notecards, 8 for $26 by Pixelimpress.

I have a thing for coffee cups. The color and unique saucer on these makes me want to find some room in my cupboards for them! $9.99 for a six pack, Ikea.

Another great 2010 calendar by Two Brunettes, $28.

Blast From the Past: Anthro Koi Print Look-Alike!

Way back in the day I posted about a home I had fallen in love with in an issue of BHG. I still count it as one of my all time favorites, and the details of the dining room have never left my memory banks:

Just load it all up and put it in my house now please. One stand out piece in the room was the amazing koi art on the wall, that I found out came from none other than anthropologie, but alas was sold out. Not that I could have afforded it anyway, I believe it was embroidery on linen and cost upwards of $500!

Sooooo, imagine my surprise when I come across this little ditty on the RSH website last week:

I mean, total knock-off right? There is no way they didn't get inspiration from the anthro version. I'm pretty excited to have come across this, because I have spent countless hours (minutes?) in the past trying to find something comparable. Only dilemma is this one isn't exactly cheap either: $299. Ouch. But it is a generous size of 38" x 32". I'll be keeping my eye on it, but if $300 falls from the sky and lands in my backyard tomorrow, you know what I'll be spending it on!

(Check out my post here if you'd like to see photos of the rest of the home.)

Perfect For Christmas Baked Goods

These labels will be perfect to attach to all my Christmas baked goodies...not that I ever actually bake stuff to give away, but I totally would if I bought these. I think. Okay, they would sit in a drawer until next year when I would pull them out and go "Oh yeah, I remember these!" and then be put back to repeat the following year.

$5.00 for a set of 10 different tags, from Farouche.

Here Comes The Sun

Doo doo doo doo..

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Oh man you guys, this cold we had around here packed a serious punch. Poor little Kara still isn't out of the woods yet, but I think she is finally feeling a bit better. Natalie recovered a lot faster than the rest of us, so that was nice. She has been been bored outta her gourd though being stuck at home with us sickies. As for me, after several days of straight yuckiness, I am now left with a lovely lingering dry cough that just won't quit. But hey, at least we got it all over with before Thanksgiving! (Fingers crossed we don't get anything new). Here's hoping you all had a nice, germ-free weekend!

I don't have a lot planned for around here today, but if you want, check out my tumblr blog that I added a ton of interior inspirations to over the weekend.

And thank you so much for all of your sweet, sweet comments about my family pics last week. You guys are the best darn blog readers ever!

Simplify: Tip #46

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Are You Tired?

Cuz you've been running through my mind all night!


That's right, I just used a cheesy pick-up line on these Loubs. I first saw these beauties on Mayra's blog and have not been able to stop thinking about them since. I would so wear these during my glamorous daily activities such as dropping Natalie off to preschool, picking up a gallon of milk at the grocery store and returning over-due books to the library.

Calendar Quest '10: amy and ann Giveaway

Okay, I know this is two calendar posts in a row, but I didn't want you to miss out on the chance to win this gorgeous calendar full of photography from the lovely amy and ann. You can enter to win right here. If you don't win, never fear, they are available to purchase here.

Ballard Brings It

Have you seen the decorative tapes from Ballard? The faux bois and mailing labels are my fave. And the jumbo tape dispensers are high on my "wants" list, but at $65, I don't think I will be crossing it off the list any time soon.

I think I would rather spend $10 more to get this gorgeous star tree topper.
Christmas here we come!

Calendar Quest '10

Ahhhh yeaaah, it's that time of the year again! Time to indulge in my crazy little obsession with calendars! Those of you who were around last year at this time may remember my looney tune rant about them, but just in case you weren't you should totally read this.

Here are just a few, I repeat a few, that are in my etsy favorites. But don't you worry, there are plenty more where this came from, so look for more sprinkled in posts here and there...

My current 2009 calendar is from ilee, and I just snagged their lovely 201o version. If you like it, get on it because they are known to sell out fast! By ilee-$22.00

This is a fun option that comes to you in printable pdf form. A favorite option of mine so you can print a bunch out as prezzies!
by Lisa Samartino Atelier- $10

I love the bold abstract prints of this calendar, and the fact that it actually has space to write in your appointments and such (a rarity among the etsy options). Plus you get that satisfaction of crossing off a day! By bg277o Design Art- $16.50

Digging on the snazzy animal illustrations on this one-and when the month is over, cut off the bottom and you have prints to frame. By Leah Duncan-$28

P.S.- My calendar just informed me it's Veteran's Day. Major shout out to all the men and women who have served and those that are currently serving and protecting our country.

Family Pics + Under The Weather

So all three of us girls here at Casa de SPPN are sick. Yuck. Where's my mom when I need her? Oh, that's right, a short three hour drive away. Grrrr....

Anywho, we got our family photos in and I really love how they turned out. Despite all the snafu's of the day (and there were many-let me tell you!) it was all worth it. I think I'll do a post on some tips and tricks I learned to help make your family photos go as smooth as possible. That's when I'm feeling up to doing anything more than lying around like a bump on a log.

(Like my one sock peeking out on the left? I could not keep those suckers up for the life of me)

If you are in the Northern California area, and would like the photographer's info, email me. He is very reasonable and did such a great job.