gearing up for the north pole.

aka cloquet, minnesota. pray for us.

since im not a scrapbooker..

im posting our '09 christmas card. this is why i love blogs. can't beat yourself up for having a halfway filled out baby book and such. and big thank you to our great friend kristyn over at http://kristyndavidson.blogspot.com/ for letting us dig through all her fun paper scraps AND letting us play for hours in your store. we heart "olivers twist." merry christmas everyone!

latest etsy purchase.

as most of you know i have a small obsession with etsy..but i just had to share this purchase. these gals at http://www.etsy.com/shop/snugars were so adorable and turned my "boys ski hat" into one of my most favorite finds yet. we had to have earflaps for our upcoming minnesoooota trip.

all good things...

sunday evening..

it's cookie time around the barretts.

and puppy chow time.

and chocolate dipped pretzel time.

and peanut butter dream bar time.

all to give away of course.

we didnt taste test any...

stay away lbs. stay away.

parades and such.

ok first off a note to santa..

dear santa,

i need a new a camera. bad.

mines fighting with me & you know how i like to take lots of pics.

ive been super nice. no naughty-ness around here...

please.

love, e.

this weekend we went to the first annual broadripple christmas parade.

live reindeer. hot chocolate. firetrucks. and a squealing with glee liv..

who could ask for more?

let me help you with that list..

ok so i feel kinda annoying with this post..but i just have to share. have you heard of matilda jane? its oh so good. its like anthropologie for lil tots. the sizes range from infant to adult... well im hosting a party this wed evening and i would LOVE to place an order for you! check out their website and then leave me a comment if u want me to snag you some goodies.
http://www.matildajaneclothing.com/

here's just a sneak peek.


every little girl needs a pair these legwarmers. i mean really.



& im so treating myself to a pair of these leggings..yes they're adult size. so good, huh?

(so you have less than 48 hours) since most of you are probably not able to make it.and i KNOW i got some blog readers out there with some stylin lil gals..email me. erinvbarrett@hotmail.com
happy shopping!

gobble! gobble!

memories.

i completely forgot how much fun play-dough is. it's like a party in your hands.

happy belated..

birthday to our very own poppy!

and miss atlee wyrick too!

here's wishing you the best year ever!

one word.

determination.

call me crazy but i think she reeeeally wanted to get through that gate.

saturday morning.

• stay tuned for my attempt to get a video of livs newest trick. skipping. yes she skips. well perhaps its more of a gallop but it makes my day.



• yesterday i get in my car..dig in my purse to get my phone..and what do i grab...oh only my cordless home phone. i wish i was kidding. i will try to blame this on my daughter but unfortunately it may indeed have been her momma that pulled that stunt.



• we bought liv a potty. i dont really know when you start attempting the whole potty-training thing..but i walked in this morning to find about 6-9 crayons and a baby doll in her potty. maybe its too early?



• i've never in my life gotten a flu shot. i've also never gotten the flu. i've also never been a parent before. well i got the just the regular flu shot yesterday and i feel like CRAP. i will however be sucking it up today because its gorgeous outside and i think sunshine will make me all better!



• go to target and snag some of the CUTEST pj's ever by "nick and nora" for any little one in your life. thanks autumne for this tip! i mean hoot hoot. arent these cute?

• dutch is out of town visiting his dad (we haven't seen him since our wedding..too long!) wishing him safe travels and a great time with his dad and brother joe. we miss you already! and GOD BLESS single parents.

• is it weird that i think boys shoes are so cute on my lil girl? i got liv the best lil "army" boots. well military inspired and menswear is all the rage right now...for all ages, right? i hope she doesn't look back at pictures and say "seriously ma?"..actually i know she will do that, she'll give me a hard time, and then one day do the same exact thing with her little girl... cause thats what happens, right mom?



• liv is saying new words everyday. yes she is also getting more attitude everyday.. but i absolutely am loving this stage. she's my bestest buddy and makes me laugh so much. words in the last couple weeks include: hat, boots, light, hot, leaf, and howudoin.
  

happy saturday!

holla-ween.

our super hero! i know.. way too many pics here. my new favorite thing liv says is when she flips open my cell phone, points to a pic of herself (my screensaver)..and in the sweetest voice says, "heeeey! that's me!" cracks me up.

it's a bird..it's a plane..it's...

stay tuned for more pics to come...

but i gots to go! on our way to the colts game!

does anyone else....

• get sucked into those tlc shows such as, "650 lb. virgin"or "my 300 lb. tumor"? why do i always watch these and dry heave the whole time. its not nice and i need to stop.


• like how i "lit up" the top of our blog with chandiliers & lanterns? get it? cute, right?


• watch "flipping out" on bravo? i finally convinced dutch i NEED a dvr...i got caught up on all my missed eposides last night and i'm one happy gal. jeff lewis may be my hero.


• like that candy corn and peanut mix as much as i do? those sweet & salty combos get me every time..


• notice that my tot is finally getting some hair? accessories here we come..

it's fall y'all.

don't get me wrong.. i miss the south. where your winter coat doesn't make you look like the pillsbury doughboy. there's taco bueno & "red drawls." and lots of friendly people...however, i must be honest..im kinda falling in love with the fall here! driving down our street brightens my days, the trees are so gorgeous. and i love actually wearing layers to the pumpkin patches without getting sweaty. here's a few of my fav pics last weekend. liv had some major cabin fever from the long sickly week and it felt sooo good to get out and enjoy the fresh crisp air. oh! and did anyone else hear about that kiddo getting it's digit bit off by a donkey at a petting zoo? i was a nervous wreck. isn't poppy adorable sitting "criss-cross-apple-sauce?" hehe. love u poppy!

never say never.

because i NEVER thought i'd let my living room turn into this. i also thought i'd NEVER get stuck in one of those tunnels or else i wouldn't of gotten in it. but sometimes you just do things you thought you'd NEVER do...

sickypants.

so yesterday morning greeted us with a 103 fever and a positive strep throat test. perfect. we've spent today doing....NOTHING. well i did read about 43 books to our weak lil babe but thats about it. my new pal & fellow blogger, courtney introduced me last week to the defintion of a "stinkface." im pretty sure liv's got the stinkface down pat. bless her heart.

mario andretti.

if i ever thought my child was a hot mess, i'd like to take a minute to introduce makenzie popp. aka mario andretti. she came over last night for a lasagna dinner (which may i add i made "place setting nametags" for) in my constant attempt to be a domestic diva. see attached pics.:)

i can so hear these girls now in about 15 years..the convo will go something like this..

mak: "see girl, you've always made me do all the work.."

liv: "whatev. you just think youre the boss of me and push me around."

and how sweet that liv reads books to her and mak thanks her by giving her sugar.

i really just love watching those 2 together.

"you're so vain...

i bet you think this post is about you, don't you? don't you?"

pumkin.

how adorable is it that still to this day my mom calls me "pumkin." i asked her why and she said "i dont know..i just always have." kinda like i have no idea why i call liv half of the things i do.."munch, livvylou, stink, gangsta, crazy, boog, chipmunk, missy elliott, boogieboo, bear, tootz." here's a couple shots from the fruit & veggie stand down the street of our "pumkin." happy humpday!

refridgerator rehab.

once again, im real pleased with my latest etsy purchase.
so long ugly plastic alphabet letter magnets...hello cutie patootie fabric ones.

before:



after:

giddy up

we are so doing the petting zoo and pony ride thing for b-day #2. too much fun!

happy birthday lyla! thanks for inviting us.

monday.

my pop.

this day, september 13th is the first september 13th in my life i haven't been able to call my pop and sing him happy birthday. as many of you know, he passed away last october. a day does not pass when i dont think of him. i had the honor of speaking at his funeral and since i plan to make this blog into a book one day, i wanted to share my "tribute" to him. i have been contemplating putting this on here for a long time. i guess when you miss someone so much your heart aches.. it takes a while to realize its ok to just sit down and have a good cry.

the first time i met my dear pop i was just a few days old... and while some may think this story is wildly inappropriate, it must be told. pop reached out with loving arms to cradle his first granddaughter. i was sitting in his lap and apparently my diaper had a "malfunction." i filled his entire pocket in his brand new wool pants full of "mess". after a good long clean up of both of us and tears of laughter, from that day forward pop called me "stink." Twenty-seven years later and just about 6 months ago, pop's first GREAT granddaughter, LIV (short for little irene vicars) was born. once again, he held liv in his arms and we all held our breath a bit wondering if it ran in the genes... thankfully, my daughter has a little better manners than i did at her age. Pop looked at her with his adoring blue eyes and said, "you're gonna be a stink, just like your momma."

I know this isn't any news flash, but Richard Vicars was without a doubt one of the kindest, loving, sweetest man of intergrity most of us know. If you don't agree, you didn't know my pop. One of my favorite things about pop is how much he loved our mana. soon after i got married, i taught my new husband how to do the "pop & mana kiss." It goes like this..."peck, blow your lips together, peck." In my mind it was one of those secrets to a happy lasting marriage. He loved his "sugarbabe" with all his heart and and he loved his grandkids like "hogs love sour slop." It wasn't until a trip to the farm how much i realized that my pop really really loved me! hogs go NUTS over sour slop...

I also blame Pop for my love for accessories. I vividly remember him coming home from work everyday with his stainless steel thermos and wearing the most fabulous green and white polka dot hat...between all those suspenders and that hat...he was quite the "accessorizer."

I have to admit Mana did most of the talking, but pop could finish her sentences and when he did talk, people listened. Mostly because when Pop spoke, his words were quite profound. Our family has come up with a list of "POP-ISMS":

some other favorite comments: "
"are you working hard or hardly working?"
"you go to the devil for lying same as you do for stealing"
"you're pretty two ways. you're pretty ugly and pretty apt to stay that way."
to show appreciation: "you're a gentleman and a scholar."
referring to his grandsons: "you'll be lucky to keep him outta the pin."
when a toe was stumped:"if you had your shoes on that wouldn't have happened"
when he was full: "im plum foundered"
when asked if he wanted seconds "im satisfactorially satisfied"
when he's saw you putting on make-up "you gotta have something to work with to start..."
when you told him you were thinking about something: "There you go again working without tools."
to the waitress: "Don't let these clothes fool ya, I got money."
to all his grandkids: "you gotta hard head and a stinkin rump."
everytime he'd leave somewhere: "Glad you got to see me."
when you lost something: when you find it, you'll find it all at once and it will be in the last place you looked."
when it was time for bed: "well im gonna go take out all my body parts."

In the last few months of his life, my brother Eric, went late one night to visit him at the hospital. Pop was unable to speak but could write to communicate. Pop grabbed the whiteboard and wrote one word to Eric. He wrote the word, "STRONG." That word symbolizes so much in Pop's life. He was a strong man. He had strong morals. He had a strong walk with the lord. He had a strong relationship with his loved ones. He fought strong these last 5 months. He wants us all to be strong during this time of mourning.

I always try to lead a good life knowing that God is watching me...but there's just something about the fact that now i know Pop is up there looking down on me, i'm going to be extra good. I will strive to be a better person because i would never want to disappoint him and always make him proud.

We miss him with all our hearts but am so glad he's finally at peace. I know he's up in heaven sipping on peach milkshakes with Jesus. and I know when he got to the pearly gates, God said "good to see you Pop." and he replied, "good to be seen." We love you so much Pop. More than a hog loves sour slop.

etsy intervention.

i need one. i cant stop shopping on etsy.

i really just ordered one of these.

a super hero cape.

and i think every kid out there needs one.

you get it custom-made.

choose your color & intial.

i cant even handle it.

music to my ears.

one thing i have to say i love about indianapolis is the tradition here and tons of fun artsy fartsy festivals. there is always so many things to do here if you just make the time & effort to actually do it. penrod is a huge art festival held at the musuem of art. we have never been so we made a day of it.. well 2 hours anyway. it was a gooorgeous day & the kettle corn was to die for. there was a "kiddo area" & this crazy fun guy had made all kinds of instruments for the kids to play. too dang cute. i got a little clip. and liv got a crown. thats all for now.

someone in texas..please help.

which one of my dear texas ladies will turn my day around? one of favorite smells that honestly warms my soul is slowly drawing to an end. my "bird of paradise" circle E candle ONLY FOUND IN TEXAS is almost out! please help. i can't find a place that i can order them online & i am in major need of a replacement. of course i will mail you a check & love you forever. will someone help me? xoxo.

love the tutu! thanks kate!

must love dogs.

we went to our favorite park yesterday.

we played tic-tac-toe.

we went on a shoulder ride.

we ate a juicy slice of watermelon.

we laughed with dad.

and then we saw the cutest puppy.

(whadda you know? i cant get the video to turn again. turn head to the left.)

theres nothing like hearing your child squeal with excitement...

hope you had a happy monday!