what did you think??!

What did everyone think of American Idol last night?? I think that Adam Lambert is AMAZING. That performance of "Feelin' Good" last night was simply incredible, as is his performance every week. I think it would be an absolute shame if anyone won besides him!!! He definitely deserves it the most and he is so polite as well- nothing I hate more than when this kind of stuff goes to their heads (cough, cough, dannygokey, cough, cough.) I also LOVED Matt and Kris last night- they are also my faves. While I love Allison, I think she might head home tonite. If I had my way, Danny would be out the door next, but why do I doubt that will happen???? :)

OK, what did YOU all think of last night??! Can't wait until tonite for the results! xo!

what are your kids reading??

This is our new favorite...

...Andrew and I read a TON of books. I have been reading to him ever since he was a tiny baby, reading a different book to him each night before bed. I think it is important for parents to instill a strong love for reading early on- to make it something fun and interactive that you can share together.

While I went through a huge time period of buying new books all the time for Andrew, we finally clued in to the library and LOVE to go while away time there... we peek through new books, choosing dozens.. and I do mean dozens.. of books to bring home with us. (Hey, there's no limit to how many you can check out- believe me, I asked!) We even go to Barnes & Noble to look at the new books, write down the ones we are interested in, and then go request them from the library. It costs nothing and is something so worthwhile that kids can enjoy. I think so much today gears towards entertaining kids, as opposed to teaching our children how to entertain themselves. Andrew loves to get a stack of books, curl up in his bed, and flip through the pages. And that makes me happy to see. :)

So I want to know which books you loved as a child, or which books you are reading with your kids at the moment?? The one I have pictured above, A Grand Old Tree, might be the sweetest story I've ever seen- the illustrations are what hooked me! :) Andrew and I found it yesterday at the library and he loved finding all of the little animals in the trees when we read it tonite.

Ooooh!!! And you know what else I checked out from the library today that I have been waiting WEEKS for???!! Ghost Whisperer Season Two!!! Wooooooooo!!! You know, I am opting to stay in on a Saturday night and have a date with J. Love and her ghosts... and I couldn't be happier! And tomorrow while Andrew is with his dad all day, I will be snuggled on the couch watching more hehe. I hope you are all enjoying a cozy and happy weekend as well... xo!

the yummiest.

Want a delish new candle to make your house smell amazing???

You've got to stop in at Pier One! The Aspen Flower scent.... oh.my.goshhhh. It is simply amazing. Seriously- I am obsessed with it. It is cheap, yummy, and it's aroma really fills up a room! Here's the description from their website about it:

"You'll imagine yourself sitting on a grassy hill, snow-capped mountains in the distance. Our soft ivory-tinted Aspen Flower Candles offer a heady scent blend of tuberose, neroli, jasmine, heliotrope, violet, cyclamen, ylang, lily, carnation and vanilla with hints of peach and coconut."

Uhhhhh, yum. Go take a whiff.
And have a fabulous weekend, xo!
And no, I am not getting any kick-backs from Pier One for this, although I should. I am just that obsessed with this candle hehe.

Fit Friday- "gadgets & gear!"

Welcome to my second Fit Friday!! I had so much fun doing this last week and am looking forward to continuing on my quest to a healthy and fit lifestyle! This week, we need to gear up! And by "gear"... of course I mean we need to do a little shopping! :) For Mother's Day, all I am asking for is exercise clothes. Lately, that's all I've been wearing, so a little variety would be nice. I found these adorable items at Old Navy.... cheap and SO cute!

What a flattering top- it's 16 bucks and it even has a built in shelf bra! Hooray! :) Find it here!

I love love loveeeeee foldover yoga pants to exercise in. They are flattering and so comfy-cozy. I love these capris for spring and summer, but Old Navy's got a whole bunch of different ones to suit your style. Anyone have any clothing must-haves for exercising???

Now onto a gadget for you....

A must have to track how much exercise your body is getting on a daily basis: a pedometer will measure your total steps for the day. The recommended goal to living a healthy and active lifestyle is about 10,000 steps a day. I have used pedometers in the past and they really are a great motivational tool- you want to get to that 10,000 mark everyday if it kills you!! :) Weight Watchers offers one that also tracks how many activity points you earn in a day, but I bought a cheap-y one from WalMart a few days ago. I used it and am not super wild about it, but since it was only a few bucks I will give it the benefit of the doubt. The pedometer above got great reviews on Amazon and looks a bit ore promising... and it isn't a ton of money. I might look into getting that one. I like the pedometers that not only tell you how many steps you have gone, but a mileage as well. That is helpful on neighborhood walks when you aren't positive about the distance you are covering.

Anyone have any recommended brands they use and enjoy??

Here is a bit of info about getting in the 10,000 steps a day from The Walking Site:

"Maybe you have heard the recent guidelines about walking 10,000 steps per day. How far is 10,000 steps anyway? The average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and 10,000 steps is close to 5 miles. A sedentary person may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day. For these people adding steps has many health benefits.

A reasonable goal for most people is to increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you can easily average 10,000 per day. Example: If you currently average 3000 steps each day, your goal for week one is 3500 each day. Your week 2 goal is 4000 each day. Continue to increase each week and you should be averaging 10,000 steps by the end of 14 weeks.

Wearing a pedometer is an easy way to track your steps each day. Start by wearing the pedometer every day for one week. Put it on when you get up in the morning and wear it until bed time. Record your daily steps in a log or notebook. By the end of the week you will know your average daily steps. You might be surprised how many (or how few) steps you get in each day.

There are many ways to increase your daily steps. Use your imagination and come up with your own list:

• Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend
• Walk the dog
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Park farther from the store
• Better yet, walk to the store
• Get up to change the channel
• Window shop
• Plan a walking meeting
• Walk over to visit a neighbor
• Get outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding

Continue to track your daily steps and/or mileage; and keep notes on how you feel, how your body is improving, or other changes you are making to improve your health."

So go ahead and treat yourself to a new exercise outfit that will make you feel slammin' & clip on those pedometers!! Here is to a healthy and fit week, my friends!! :) And PS. Remember to leave me a comment with any fit tips! I will be compiling everyone's tips into an upcoming Fit Friday blog so we can all share our secrets! xo!

birthday invites!

Andrew will be turning FIVE years old on May 18th... eek!! :) So of course, we have had detailed conversations about the theme of our birthday party this year. Last year, it was dinosaurs.

This year?

Bugs in the garden!!

So I have been brainstorming about Andrew's birthday party invitations and finally decided to make them using Scrapblog. Then I uploaded them onto Shutterfly and had them printed- I am off to Target now to pick them up... one hour photo! SO.... What do you think??!! :) It was super easy and I am so pleased with the results... and the best part? Andrew thinks they are AMAZING. Yay for momma!

(Of course, I had to blur out the address and phone number here. I don't want any psycho blogger-stalkers to come get me in my sleep!)

happy earth day!

I hope you all are enjoying your Earth Day today! I think it is important to do little things to be eco-friendly.. carry reusable bags to the store, use up and reuse your craft supplies in fun ways, etc. I always give the scraps of my papers to Andrew to use for his own crafting- he loves it and feels like they are "new"! Better than throwing them away :) We also save fun bottles and wash them to give to Andrew when he is taking a bath in the evening... he is able to pay with them for a few nights and then we can recycle them. They get a little extra life and Andrew feels like he gets a new "toy" every few days :) Little things make up the big picture. No one should feel like they need to break their backs to save the Earth... do what you can and these small steps make a big difference when we add up all of our efforts.

This is a great website for Earth Day crafts, tips, and things for your kids... Take a peek! And... what do you do for Earth Day??

PS.

The shop

is having an

Earth Day sale...

25% off EVERYTHING

in the shop

if you are a blog reader-

in the message to seller area, just write "Happy Earth Day!" and I will refund you 25% before shipping! :) xo!

my karate kid.

Yesterday was the first class that Andrew was able to wear his karate uniform to! He was SO excited and I am so proud of him. After only three classes, he has already improved so much.. listening so well, getting more vocal when the teacher asks him to count LOUD, and learning the word of the month they are focusing on: respect. As a mom, it is so exciting to watch your child excel at something he absolutely loves and has so much fun with, along with learning so many things he can apply in karate, as well as life. His teacher is amazing- he respects the kids just as much as they respect him. (AND he is coaching Jacob Black on the set of New Moon! You know that is a big deal with me- Twilight crazy!!!!)
Here is Andrew during class- I had to snag a quick photo! :) Yesterday they were learning what to do and say if someone came up to them and wanted to fight. They learned to step back, put your hands up in front of your face and yell, "I don't have time!" How cool is that?! :)

I am excited to watch Andrew as he progresses through karate and learns even more! Most of you know I chose not to put Andrew in preschool this year, and so I am loving this instruction he is getting from someone aside from me. He is learning to focus,be strong, stand up for yourself, and he is having so much fun in the process. :)

PS.
More items up in the shop!
(Happy anniversary card,
father's day card,
glittery thank you card,
and of course, much more on the way!)

Have a wonderful Tuesday- American Idol tonite woooo!! xo!

my new love.

More Forever 21 gushing from yours truly.

This dress is now mine!
For only $12.50!
It's amazing!!
Gosh I adore Forever 21... even in the current state of the economy, a girl can still find some super slammin' clothes.

PS.
If you are wondering about the White&Green Swap, partners will be sent out tomorrow! (Hopefully!) It was just too darn hot to do anything productive today. Over 90 degrees here in San Diego! Ugh!! I am so envious of you peeps with the snow and chilly weather right about now!
But I did watch some Gilmore Girls episodes today...
hot weather = lazy day
:)
xo!

Fit Friday- "burn calories, not electricity"!

I have been so energized in the past couple weeks to start something on my blog that contributes to living a healthy lifestyle. As most of you know, I have been on Weight Watchers for the past two months and have lost over 8% of my body weight, woo!! I still have more to lose, but I am getting closer and closer to my goal weight and am really feeling fantastic! I have incorporated exercise into my daily life and I feel like it is really helping Andrew as well. By seeing me working out and eating healthy, he is doing the same- he has so much more energy lately and sleeps like a log after spending a day outside exercising. :)

So I thought I would share something with you all as well... every Friday I am going to devote my blog to a "fit and healthy" topic! If you have any good tips for all of us, leave a comment here or email me to let me know. I want to include all of you in this so we can bounce ideas around and help out all of the friends we have made in the blog world! :)

This week, I want to share with you something I read about this week that is currently happening in New York City. City officials have implemented the "Burn Calories, Not Electricity" campaign in an effort to help reduce the electricity New Yorkers expend each day, as well as burning up as many calories as possible. By taking the stairs instead of the elevator, it is shocking how much it is doing to help both your body as well as the environment:

• Stair climbing burns almost 700% the number of calories you burn standing on an elevator.
• Just two minutes of stair-climbing each day burns enough calories to eliminate the one pound an average adult gains each year.
• Men who climbed at least 20 floors a week (about 3 floors a day) had a 20% lower risk of stroke or death from all causes, in one study.
• Stair-climbing has been shown to raise good cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health
• Stair use also advances the city’s GreeNYC effort to reduce energy consumption. An escalator that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, can use 28,000 kilowatt hours of energy over the course of a year. That’s enough to create 43,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – more than three times the amount a car produces.

AMAZING, right??? This is something that is not only beneficial in New York City, but anywhere in the world. We can all incorporate this idea into our lives- I know there are lots of times when I can ditch the elevator and drag my butt up those stairs. It is a small change we can make, but it makes a huge impact in the end. :)

Will you be taking the stairs this week??! Can't wait until next Friday so we can chat about the healthy things in our life!! Have a great weekend everyone, xo!

OMG!! "history has been made"!! :)

OMG I am still in shock (and soooo incredibly ecstatic!) that the judges on American Idol saved Matt Giraud last night!! He gets to come back next week and have another chance! And thank goodness- in all seriousness, I cannot understand why America doesn't LOVE him. Aside from the obvious talent of Adam Lambert, who I also love, I think Matt is amazing as well- he always puts his own spin on songs, has a sexy and beautiful voice, and he is sooooo good at that piano!! Based on talent alone, I think Adam and Matt should be the final two, with maybe Kris coming in third. But of course, popularity is tossed into the equation and Matt gets the short end of the stick. I think the judges are really hard on him as well! Is it just me, or do you think he is super awesome as well??? Every week, I LOVE his performances and I can't wait to see him again! GO MATT!!!! I've got to vote like a crazy person next week to keep him in! (And get Lil OUT, ugh.) Alright, American Idol fans- weigh in with your opinion this week, I'd love to hear what you think!! :) xo!

PS.

Andrew started karate class yesterday and LOVES it. He has been begging me for months to start, and we finally found the perfect place to take lessons right down the hill from our house. He earned his belt yesterday and earns his outfit today hehe!! I will be sure to take some photos for you all- it is the cutest thing :) xo!

tax day tea party!

Is anyone else heading out tonight to join the masses of people that are going to speak out against this massive government spending??? In a blog on Intellectual Takeout, "Many are turning out to rally and to voice their outrage at the current state of the Union. No doubt there is much to be displeased about: overreaching government, excessive spending, excessive debt, bailouts to banks and businesses on the taxpayers’ dime, etc." Today's Tax Day Tea Party is the perfect opportunity to do something about this. Read more about it on the Tea Party website. I think it is said best here:

"Much of the damage is already done. The U.S. government is now in the hole over $11 trillion dollars. Over the last year or so, the government has committed over $10.5 trillion in bailouts. Additionally, there is the $52 trillion in the unfunded liabilities we call Social Security and Medicare. Let’s not even get into the current shape of many public and private pension funds, state budgets, or local budgets. Our annual gross domestic product (GDP) is only $14 trillion folks. We are sinking.

Where does this leave us? Go to a tea party. Meet others who are similarly alarmed by the direction of our states and country, put petty partisanship aside, and voice your outrage. The leadership of the country has been avoiding and continues to avoid confronting some very serious problems. The time to deal with these issues is now."

This is not about right versus left wing, it is about speaking out against the government, who is spending our money without a care. We will be at our local tea party tonite... anyone else planning on attending one of these as well?? Happy Tax Day, xo!

forever happy!

I was just perusing the Forever 21 website and found some fabulous new jewelry in yummy, bright colors for spring! And the best part??? SO cheap. I love Forever 21, yay! :) Go buy yourself a little treat!

Rainbow Bouquet Ring

$3.80

Flower Cluster Necklace

$6.80

Majesty Dangle Earrings

$6.80

cute new buttons!

Notice the cute new buttons on the right side of my blog?? Ooooh I love them! I found them here and you can grab some cute ones too that fit the look of your blog. Thank you to Julie at Joy's Hope for giving me the heads up on this cool blog- I love the new buttons, yay! :)

PS.

Sign up for the new White & Green Swap by Friday... details can be found by clicking the button on the right sidebar...! :)

happy easter!!

I am wishing you all a

blessed and happy

Easter Day!

...and, of course...

enjoy that candy! :) xo!

egg hunt! :) .. and a question for you!

In preparation of the holiday tomorrow, our town hosted a free kid's Easter egg hunt, which turned out to be super fun. We headed out to the park this morning- drizzle, wind, and all! - and Andrew was able to participate in the egg hunt with about a million other local kids. They divided it up by age, so it ended up being so much fun for Andrew to run around and hunt for a few eggs while we got to watch :) My camera was low on batteries, so this was the only decent photo I got! Tomorrow for Easter, we are laying low, dying Easter eggs, decorating cookies, and possibly seeing "Monsters vs. Aliens" which Andrew has been begging to see for weeks now. :) I hope you all enjoy a happy Easter as well! I've got a lot of Easter basket prep ahead of me today while Andrew spends the day with his dad!!
And now a question I need to ask all of you creative girls out there- here is a photo of Andrew's room so far. I have fixed it up so cute on one side and am loving the banners hanging from the ceiling, the red chair, all his little trinkets everywhere.... I think the photo above is just too cute.
BUT...
What am I supposed to do behind his bed????

Here is the other side of the room... sad, right?! It looks lopsided! Does anyone have a cute, cheap and easy fix for that boring, plain wall??? I need to hang something, I am just not sure what yet. I thought I would toss it out there for some ideas from all of you... :)
And PS.
do you love how Andrew makes his bed??? I let him make it every morning, and although it isn't as pristine as I would make it, I think it is important that he feels accomplished in doing a chore by himself. The pillows get tossed in a heap with lots of stuffed animals, but it's his way of doing things hehe!!
OK, ideas please!!!
xoxox!!

crisp & clean, white & green swap!

Hi friends, another swap on the way!! Over coffee this morning, my mom and I were chatting about decorating for spring... so, of course, this carried over into starting yet another swap! After winter, I think we are ready for crisp & clean decor, and what better colors to inspire us than white & green!!

My mom at Foxgloves, Fabric, and Folly and I are co-hosting this swap, and we really want to make it a fun, pretty swap without spending an arm and a leg on this... I think in this economy it is more than important to put together beautiful packages without spending a lot. This swap should be creative, cute, wrapped beautifully, but should be done with a budget in mind- let's send sweet little things... cute green paper plates to make a spring snack a bit brighter... a cute green candle that smells like spring... a darling pair of green earrings to make your outfit oh-so-cute... a yummy recipe written on a super-cute green recipe card... whatever you can think of for your partner that is green and white!! :) Get to know your partner so you are able to pick out some beautiful things according to her taste.

To sign up for the swap, please email your filled out questionnaire to Holly at hollyndevlin@gmail.com or to Heidi at heididevlin@gmail.com ... we will be sure to email you back a confirmation that we have your name down for the swap. We will keep signups open until April 17th, and then we will email partners out that weekend.

Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Blog Address:

Willing to ship internationally?:

Decorating style (modern, shabby chic, vintage, funky, etc!!):

Favorite candle scent:

Favorites stores (for clothing, home decor, etc!!):

Any accent color to add to green and white?:

Hobbies, interests, anything else you want to share with your partner:

After we send out partners, you will have until May 6th to send your box. Feel free to grab our button and share it on your blog. We are looking forward to hearing from lots of you!! :)
xo!- Holly & Heidi

move that fetus!

I need to vent a bit right now, so don't think I am a total bitch. My mom, Andrew and I were at Target today perusing the Easter section- which was super busy and crazy, of course, being four days til Easter. We were looking for some cute candy to stuff in the Easter eggs for Andrew and these two ladies would not move out of the Easter aisle. They weren't looking, they weren't grabbing candy, but were instead standing there gabbing, taking up the entire aisle!! UGH. One of the ladies was pregnant and was going on and on about her baby- ok, I totally get that having a baby is a big deal and you want to chat to your friends about it endlessly, but could you think about moving you and your fetus to another aisle that isn't jam-packed with people needing candy??? I am pretty sure my four year old trumps your five-month fetus in the Easter candy department- take it to another aisle, miss. AH, sorry I am totally venting, but my mom and I were going crazy!!! Hahaha, ok, its good I have this blog to vent on once in a while- then I don't lose it on Mrs. I'm-due-in-four-months-and-can't-move-my-pregnant-butt-to-an-empty-aisle. Thanks for letting me go on and on... now I'm done. :)

OH, and in other news, I have now lost enough weight to squeeze my butt into some Forever 21 jeans!! And they totally fit- no muffin tops here lol! I have always coveted the cute grey jeans that are only $12.50 there- but I could never fit myself into them... now that is no longer the case!! Watch out cheap jeans- Holly's coming for you!!!! :) (And if you want your own pair of very inexpensive but super-freaking-cute jeans, go here.)

I hope you all have a skinny and sunny day- and hopefuly no chatty pregnant gals will be in your way!! xo!

the table is set!

Here is the blog where I totally brag about my child. :) He loves to set the table. He does it without being asked... mind you, the only chore he does without being told to haha! But he asks for what he needs.. plates, napkins, glasses, silverware, etc and then he completely runs with it.
Each place setting is a little crooked, some of the silverware ends up upside down, and the cup always appears in a funny spot, but the fact of the matter is that Andrew feels so accomplished after setting the table. He is so incredibly proud of himself, and that makes a momma happy to see. :) Even notice the little votives??? And he wrote out place cards for everyone as well.. AH, so darn cute.
I am so proud of this little bug. :) He even went outside to pick a flower and put it in a little glass in the middle of the table... sooo Martha. hehe!


So while we are on the subject, I thought I would share some of my favorite tables that I have spotted in the past few weeks of spring...

Add the eggs to add the perfect little Easter flair... simple but effective.

Probably the cutest table in the world. Various coffee tins in funky colors, filled with an array of gorgeous flowers. This would be perfect after a trip to the farmer's market- come home with a whole pile of your favorite flowers and set up a happy table to eat dinner at. :)

An almost austere, yet beautiful table. Stark colors with the cherry blossom branches makes for such a light and airy feel.

I hope you all take the time to set a pretty table tonight and enjoy a fun dinner! Or better yet, toss the plates and silverware to the kids and make them do it- believe me, you will be glad you did. :) xo!

the birds have landed...

...in my etsy shop! :)
Today I added lots of new listings, lots of tags, and lots of bird motifs, yay! (The bird tags above are here!) I was thinking the shop was seriously lacking in tags, so I have been busily creating them in the past few days. Please check them out- they are super duper spring-y and cute and would be perfect for Easter goodies as well!

(OH! And I am only one sale away from 100- whoever is my 100th sale gets a special surprise package in the mail along with the order, yay!!)
And here is a photo of my new place cards!! I was inspired to make these for my shop when Andrew decided he was going to set the table and decorate it a few nights ago... he set the table beautifully, went outside to pick flowers and put them in a little juice cup with water, and put a dish with a votive next to everyone's plate!! And to top it all off, he asked for paper so he could make "places" for each one of us to sit. So, there is my place card idea! I've got listings for flower place cards and bird place cards so far. If you are looking for a specific color or quantity, or even a different motif, convo me through Etsy or email me at hollyndevlin@gmail.com and we can work it out!

And here are my current favorite tags! They are just so darn happy!!! :) I almost don't want to part with these hehe! :) You can see them here.

Thanks for looking and hope you are all having a beautiful Friday. Happy weekend to you all, xo!

i got sucked in to another show!

The Ghost Whisperer.

It totally sucked me in.

After watching a rerun of it one boring Friday night, I was forced to request the first season from the library so I could start catching up with it. And I LOVE it. Not like it, LOVE it. I love the characters, love the ghosts, love her "gift" and I LOVE Jennifer Love Hewitt's clothes and hair, ah! My sister, mom and I have all obsessively watched every episode of the first season and are now anxiously awaiting the second season from the library. Darn those people in line in front of me!!! Return those DVDs so I can get my ghost fix hehe!!! We lovingly refer to Jennifer Love Hewitt as "J. Love" here in our house... we absolutely love her. And her hot paramedic husband on the show. AND did you know in real life she is dating Jamie Kennedy who is on the current episodes??!! Ah, so cute! OK, enough of my creepy and obsessive rambling haha!! Anyone else hooked on this show??!! I need some fellow ghost-whisperers to chat about this with!

OH!!

And did anyone see the episode where her hair gets caught in the garbage disposal in the sink???!! OMG as a long hair girl, that freaked the crap out of me, whew.

*PS.

Still have a sore throat, still drinking tea. :) xo!

tea. lots of tea.

Lots of tea and honey to make this yucky sore throat go away! Yes, I have been hit with a bad cold. Yesterday I could barely make it out of bed.. thank goodness Andrew was with his dad, or I would have been a poor excuse for a momma!!! :) So I am off to take it easy and rest and get rid of this sore throat. Tea, here I come once again! xo!