Overstock Oversight

My much anticipated duvet cover arrived today when I got home from work. It was like perfect timing--the stars were aligned--because as Hudson and I are walking up the stairs from the garage the UPS man is standing on the front porch. HOORAY! I immediately tear open the box that I've been dying to receive and pull out a small package containing...a sheet set? This is not what I had in mind. I own several sheet sets already and don't need another. I ordered a duvet cover and matching shams, right? I then log into my Overstock account and review my order to find that I did in fact order the king sheet set that matches the duvet that i had my sights set on. Lesson learned: READ the fine print and not just order from the picture. This explains why I paid $44! I have already submitted a return order and these sheets will be back on the road tomorrow. Please tell me you all have made a mindless mistake in the midst of pure excitement!

DIBS=yummy fun for everyone!

Have you all seen or tried the incredible, delectable little treat called Dibs? You can find them in the ice cream freezer at your local grocer. They are made by Edy's. They are very yummy and toddler friendly. Hudson goes berserk over ice cream no matter how it is served up. He would eat a bowl a day and I must say that ice cream is the one food that he is extremely precise with and spills nothing. He's so concerned with getting every drop in his mouth, that he doesn't risk a spill or mess for fear of wasting some. Anyway, regardless of how careful he may be with ice cream, sometimes I simply don't feel like dealing with the sticky stuff so Dibs are a great alternative. They are bite sized chocolate covered vanilla ice cream pieces and you'll love them and so will your little one. When I find something I love, I have to pass word along to all my fellow mommies and food lovers.

Long weekend=happy mommy=happy family

Hudson loved all of the water activities. I had to drag him away, otherwise he and I both would have been soaked!

We tried to get a picture of them both sitting in the fish mouth, but they were not interested.

My Huddy Buddy

Hudson and Gavin flying the plane. So cute!

They held hands in the car. Sweet little buddies. :)

We had a super fun holiday weekend! I love long weekends so much I can't stand it. I was able to get a lot accomplished around the house and I have almost finished my cleaning out extravaganza. We spent a lot of time with our dear friends Andrea and Brandon. We have all been so busy that we have not been able to hang out with them in awhile, but we made up for lost time this weekend. They came over with their little boy, Gavin, Saturday to watch football and grill out (Roll Tide by the way!) along with our friend Jeremy and his children. It was a fun night. We had three little boys all age two and under running around the house. They were so stinkin' cute. They are going to grow up to be good buddies. I don't know how any living being can have as much energy as the those three. There's not a quiet or dull moment with any of them around.

My best friend Rachel had a minor procedure done on Friday so we spent a little time at her house over the weekend checking in on her and giving her some company. Hudson was excited about seeing "way-way" (Hudson speak for Rae-rae).

Lantis and I were able to get out on the boat by ourselves at one point. That was the first time that we have been boating by ourselves in two years. It was a nice change of pace for us.

Andrea and I also took the boys to the McWane Center. They had a blast. I have been to the McWane Center for a few events in the past and to the Imax theater, but never through the activity and learning areas. We decided we would try it out. Even though the boys are young, they were very entertained by everything. The place is huge and there's a lot to see and do. Hudson particularly loved the aquarium portion. I think we will soon pay the Atlanta Aquarium a visit since he loved it so much. I posted a few pictures of Hudson and Gavin having fun.

Hope everyone else had a great holiday weekend also.

Purging

Have you ever started looking around your house and thought: "Where did all this STUFF come from?" I'm talking about STUFF--extra linens, shoes, clothes, decorative items, dishes, cookware, etc...and it seems to triple when you have a child. Yes, this happened to me this week. I think bringing home all of our STUFF from the lake really sent me over the edge.

I'm a neat freak, a germ-a-phob, and the organization queen, but somehow while I've been living life and working hard my STUFF has accumulated and gotten way out of control. I occasionally get in "clean out" moods and when this happens, watch out! Lantis gets scared when this happens since he has pack rat tendencies and I'm ruthless when it comes to cleaning out and throwing away. I dont have the "I might need this one day" or the "so-and-so gave this to me" mentality. If I dont need it now or have a place for it, then it needs to go. If I need it down the road, I'll buy a new one. I've been so busy since I had Hudson that I haven't had the time that I used to have to keep the house as spotless as it used to be, or to keep things as organized as I used to. If you dont constantly stay on top of the clutter and maintain the neatness, then it gets way out of hand, which is what has happened in our home. I have begun planning a yard sale for sometime this fall (stay tuned for those details). Now that I'm home a few more hours every week I thought this would be a great opportunity to start purging things and getting the Hollis House back into shape.

I go up to the guest room earlier this week and open the closet door...OMG!!!! I have clothes, shoes, bags, purses, old college books and projects, old comforters from my parents house and Lantis's houses, and photo albums galore! What am I supposed to do with all this? I stand there looking at everything in that closet and I nearly had a nervous break down so I close the door and run away. I decide I'll start downstairs. I open up my closet and dont even look around; I just start pulling out boxes of shoes--I have a keep pile, a yard sale pile, and a garbage pile. I had no idea how many shoes I had. I filled up two garbage bags of yard sale and garbage shoes and I'm still left with a TON of shoes. I begin couting the pairs of shoes in my closet and AFTER I threw away God knows how many pair, I reorganize the boxes and I cout 103 PAIRS OF SHOES in my closet. I then cleaned out tons of clothes and realized that I constantly buy new clothes--a shirt here, a pair of pants there--but I haven't thrown out anything in awhile. I am always bringing new stuff in, but never sending old stuff out and that why there's so much JUNK in my life. Rather than throwing out all the old clothes and shoes, I've been throwing it to the back of the closet and taking it up to the guest room closet. So I decided that tomorrow I'm continuing my journey and I'm going to tackle the guest room closet. Rather than sorting through those clothes and shoes I'm going to put every bit of it in a trash bag to be used in the yard sale. I dont even know what clothes are up there, but I dont care--its all going away since I obviously dont wear it and have forgotten about it.

Now, for all you fellow mommies out there...what in the heck am I supposed to do with all the clothes that my child out grows daily? Wow. I have three tubs full of clothes he's outgrown in our attic and I've given away/sold three tubs of clothes. I've kept only the outfits that were sentimental or that I really loved on him (again, I'm ruthless), or that I thought I would use again if we had another boy. I'm keeping all the baby gear for now of course--swings, high chairs, etc. I dont know if we'll have another child, but just in case I can't let any of that go. Anyway, there is a constant turn over in wardrobe for this kid. Keeping up with which clothes he can wear and needs to go back to the closet, and which ones he can't and need to go into a tub is exhausting. Then after he outgrows it, I have to decide if I want to save it or not. IF we decide to have another, and IF we have a boy, then I'll be glad that I saved this stuff. Otherwise, I have a lot of baby clothes taking up precious space in our attic that are never going to be worn again. Oh well...maybe I'll look back one day and cry over his sweet clothes that he once wore...for a fleeting moment. Ha!

Included in all this STUFF at our house, I have a lot of home decor items. After I started selling Southern Living I accumulated way too many dishes, serving pieces, and decor. We have 4 sets of flatware!!! So when the yard sale happens, I'll be letting go of lots of old stuff that is taking up space in closets, drawers and cabinets.

I'm headed to Wal-Mart later today to find some shoe organizers and buy more Rubbermaid tubs for the things I must save. I have no idea how you're supposed to organize 103 pairs of shoes in a very small space. My problem is I want all of this stuff done yesterday. Once I get started on a major project like this I wont stop--would probably not sleep or eat--until its done. Matter of fact, just being at work and thinking about all the things I could be doing at home is driving me insane. Ugh. I should seek therapy for OCD. I'll keep you all updated on the yard sale status. I just want all this STUFF out of our house so what doesn't sell will be taken straight to Hannah Home!

ok...I feel better after venting about it. :)

But I NEED new bedding....

So I have been battling the urge to buy new bedding. I have resisted because I've tried to be frugal and I thought Lantis would spill my blood on the beautiful bedding I so badly wanted if I came home with it. Our bedding is at least 5 years old and although it is pretty, its time for an update. I think a 5 year lifespan for an interior designer's bedroom is pretty dang good. I really wanted a bedding set at Pottery Barn, but knew that would surely end my life if I paid well over $300. So a friend kindly introduced me to some bedding on Overstock.com that is VERY similar to the PB stuff. Again I've resisted until today when I get this email shown below. I figured if "Overstock recommended it" it must be a sign that I should buy it, plus its only $44!!! My fellow females can side with me when I say "Where can you find bedding for $44?" This stuff may arrive and look like the cheap $44 version of the nice PB stuff that it is and I may have to send it back, but I have a good feeling about it. Afterall, "Overstock recommended it"!

hehe!! Just had to share! I'll keep you updated with this bedding saga.

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From: "Overstock.com" <Sale@Sales.Overstock.com>
To: <emhollis@charter.net>
Subject: Erin, Overstock.com recommends...
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 02:07:34 -0600

Use this link to shop Overstock.com
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http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=HOME&CID=127814&fp=f&TRACK=emailcusts

Erin, Overstock.com recommends:
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Sateen 300 Thread Count Hotel Collection Sheet Set
Our Price: $44.31
http://www.overstock.com/3671304/product.html?CID=127814&fp=f

My wild man

Any of you who are also my facebook friends have already seen this. This picture describes my son as he is all the time--Evil Knievel. This is truly the unedited version of Hudson.

Hudson goes to school

Handsome little man.

clapping--"yay, we're going to school!"

Today is a big day for us--Hudson started school! He was such a sweetheart this morning. We got up, ate breakfast together, and got ready for school and work. As soon as we walked through the doors of Brook Hills, he started crying. He knew I was about to leave him. The tears had turned to screams by the time we made it to his classroom. I unloaded his things into his cubby and turned to leave. He had found comfort in Mrs. Stacey's arms by this point and I waved to him and told him good-bye. He looked so pitiful sitting in her lap with alligator tears streaming down his face. If that wasn't torture enough, he then waves to me and blows me a kiss through the tears and snot. I nearly melted on the floor and knew I needed to race to my car before I lost it also. I'll be headed back to pick him up in a couple of hours. I'm sure he's had a great time today playing with new friends, playing on the playground, eating lunch, and napping on a mat like a big boy. These first few weeks will be an adjustment for him, (and me) I'm sure, but this too shall pass.