.fancy napkin on instagram, june 2014.

life has been crazy busy lately. i know that's probably obvious or because from time to time i might whine a little about it, but i really don't know where the time has flown by. i ask myself daily how i am already 5 1/2 months pregnant? it just can't be true! 

then i remember. i'm still working full time in my day job. managing a house and 20 month old toddler. working tireless hours on 'the skinny'. doing my maid-of-honor duties like organizing a out-of-town stagette for my sister. and also a bridal shower. selling our rental property. car shopping. oh yeah, and brewing twins in my belly. 

and that my friends, is why i love instagram. daily snippets of life for a busy momma who definitely has 'baby brain' forgetting the beautiful daily small things. come follow along. 

here's life lately.

from left to right. 

top: attending our nieces petting zoo birthday party || snuggles for dada [and a whole lot of love] || hot tubbing in kelowna for the bride-to-be with a great group of girls

middle: stagette planning and party prep [assembling the welcome gift bags] || a recent photoshoot break from capturing 'the skinny' to document my growing bump with the incredible els photography and my handsome hubby || a family selfie

bottom: getting the opportunity to finally 'meet' some amazing ladies in my internet world [cindy, caitlin and sara] || a winery baby bump picture at quails gate in kelowna || a sneak peek into our upcoming project 'the skinny' with meg and our littlest assistant jack

**middle photo by meg henderson for els photography

.travel: san diego, to celebrate a new mr. and mrs.

a while back, peter and i flew to san diego to attend one of the funnest weddings we've ever been too! makes sense, since these two crazy cats are seriously one of the coolest and friendliest couples we know -my old cruise ship bestie and her new husband, melissa and bryan swarberg.

[and gosh, didn't they make a gorgeous bride and groom! not even fair!]

and where do i even start? it was all just perfectly amazing. 

from the venue - a new children's museum in san diego, to the guests - probably some of the nicest people we've met in a while, to the decor - the bride has some serious diy skills and such a creative eye. seriously, everything was so beautiful.

we were welcomed with open arms, even invited to the rehearsal dinner the night before, which was super thoughtful of the couple. we had such a blast and made so many incredible new friends. i truly wasn't kidding when i said everyone was super nice. we felt like part of the family.

^^a canadian mountie we found at a local bar, after the rehearsal dinner! sweet! ^^

the ceremony was the best ceremony we've seen. period. it was emotional, personal, beautiful and filled with these amazing little parts - like a rope tying performed by the bride's dad, a reading from the story 'i like you' by sandol stoddard warburg and vows written by the bride and groom.
i cried. i laughed. i smiled. i held my husbands hand and was filled with love.

at the wedding, we sat at table 9 and shared many many laughs. we even had a little bonding session with a few 'famous' people [name dropping! yes, that's kaitlin olson and rob mcelhenney from one of our favourite shows 'it's always sunny in philadelphia']. needless to say i think kaitlin may be calling me to watch her children and vice versa, since we're bff's now. you know how it is. as rob put it, they got sucked into my vortex. umm....that's a good thing right?!
anyways.....

we also partied and drank with 'trebuchet', a band that we cannot stop listening too. peter and i fell in love with them and their music just solidified their awesomeness. seriously, how good are they? they played during the ceremony and it stopped us dead in our tracks. take a little listen below from a short clip i made on instagram.

other than that, we were known as 'the canadians'. and probably 'the loud canadians' as i allowed a few drinks down the old hatch. again, you know how it is....i simply could't let my girl, melly, down.

we danced. we sang. we ate. we drank. we talked. we sprayed the newlyweds with silly string. we bar hopped. it was the perfect way to celebrate love and friendship and everything that a wedding should be about. what a great night.

it was an event i knew we wouldn't miss for anything, and it is a memory that i am so happy to share with the newlyweds. i adore mel. couldn't love her more. she's one of my best friends even with our distance, and i know she's found the perfect match in bryan. he's just one rad guy. and that hair of his!
thanks again, you two. we love you both immensely and can't wait for our annual reunion!

.travel: toronto, for h&m.

well, my friends. it's officially out! actually almost 3 weeks ago now! our much anticipated december issue of 'today's parent' magazine featuring yours truly for h&m! ok well, featuring my little family [not just me] because lets be honest...it was jack who actually pushed us through to the winning circle!

but seriously, sooooo awesome, right?!?

i have wanted to post about our experience about a ba-jillion times, but due to a request to keep things hush-hush till the issue landed, i was forced into silence. which was okay because it was so exciting just waiting to share it with you all.

i should start out by mentioning that h&m and rogers media are total top-notch companies. i mean, they treated our family like royalty right from day one! from all the emails back and forth setting up our trip, to checking in as "the winning h&m fashion family" [true story, that' s how the front desk at the fairmont royal york announced us!], to the seamless day of shooting - it was all a dream. completely above and beyond anything we imagined! so thank you x a million for the memories trade from these two companies.

on the day of shooting the ad, which was located in the 'royal suite' at the toronto fairmont royal york hotel [it was the same room as where queen stayed!], we were introduced to the most amazing team for the day. and much to our surprise, there were about 25 people involved! i seriously wish i could package each and every single one of them to take home with me. from the director, the photographer, his assistants, hair and make-up, wardrobe stylists, set designers, h&m management, roger's media assistants, hired models and even a nail lady; all were so incredibly kind. 

we were ushered straight into wardrobe. shay, our stylist and her assistant had us try on outfit after outfit till we were just right. our make-up team jodi and diana, and hair [dream] stylist sheri made us look way better than we've ever looked, and our photographer michael williams [seriously this guy is legit! he's shot beyonce, alicia keys & january jones; supermodels heidi klum, daria & coco rocho; done ads for levi's & abercrombie, just to name a few! i was starstruck!] directed us to put 'this foot forward' and 'that hand on your hip' till it fit his vision. such a well oiled machine of a team.

after the day long shoot, we celebrated with a big ol' glass of wine [or a few of them!] with the crew. and jack celebrated with a much deserved sleep. it was a memory that will live on long in our heads and bring us a smile every now and again. it was truly a once in a lifetime experience and i am so grateful that we got to experience it.

and thanks to you all, for helping us get there.

in captions: you could say that jack's first plane ride was a success! // wardrobe // getting my make-up done by miss jodi. she's simply incredible, just saying // 1/2 way there and setting the products // prep and positioning time for the models, aka. our fake family! // behind the scenes and the other half of the room [the magic makers!!] // sneak peek // peter having a little liquid lunch break.  quote "helps loosen his mood" // hair ready. make-up ready. time to work!

snuggling on the queen's bed. 

yes, she slept right here....

.gift guide 2013, for pete.

peter is getting more and more difficult to buy for. i find that he isn't into frivolous things, hates 'junk' [aka. trinkets, which i love!], he's not really into gaming or electronics, and buys any clothing items that he needs throughout the year. so when gift giving for him comes around [father's day, our anniversary, his birthday, and christmas] i usually want to hide under a rock.

that being said, here are some very cool items that i think would suit his fancy just fine. unique items that he may not have heard about or something a little extra special.

[one] bose noise cancelling headphones || pete is a music lover. and likes it loud, much to my old ears' dismay. these would solve all issues and keep that man very happy.
[two] shoe shine brush || one of peter's many quirks is how well he maintains his dress shoes. this would also help and be a perfect stocking stuffer for a proper gentleman.
[three] mason jar cocktail shaker || are you as serious about the mason jar trend as we are? this would be most excellent to add to the collection.
[four] belt || this worked in leather belt is lovely.
[five] espresso machine || we've been looking for a espresso/coffee machine for quite sometime and this year we may actually be able to brew more than a single cup at a time! halleluha! however question is, does this crazy machine brew coffee too? anyone? i'm the worst.....but it sure is pretty. and i guess this is kind of a gift for me too ;)
[six] blanket || this throw has such a beautiful hudson bay inspired feel to it and it's also manly enough to display all year long. while pete might not be into decor all that much, i know he'd snuggle under this warm and beautiful blanket night after night.
[seven] forest handkerchief set || ever gentleman needs a hanki. and i'm all about a neatly folded pocket square too, which these could brilliantly double as!

[eight] camo socks || while a little on the pricey side for socks, it would certainly be a treat! and isn't that what presents are all about? treating someone on something they may not normally purchase?

[nine] stubble & 'stache beard moisturizer || i adore my man with a little extra shadow and fuzz on his face and this cream is meant to moisturize his skin underneath the hair, which usually gets a little itchy and forgotten about. a little extra tlc never hurt anyone.

[ten] mug || who wouldn't want to wake up to this? 

*contains some affiliate links, however as usual all opinions are my own.  also - thank you for supporting those companies that help support fancy napkin.

.fancy napkin on instagram.

i sometimes forget that not everyone is on instagram and as addicted to it as i am. which is quite funny as i just joined myself recently. that being said here are a few things that have been going on around these fancy napkin parts that deserve a little update.

we celebrated jack's 1st birthday with a lumberjack theme || playing with new birthday presents after everyone went home || a little outfit-of-the-day inspiration, and loving my new leather skirt from h&m || my first [of many] christmas stocking hauls || brunch with my two favourite boys at cafe bicyclette located in the building peter and i where married, bonus! || more brunch snaps, this time with my boy and i || grammy and jack, two peas in a pod || walking the 'all is bright' on 124 street, and freezing our butts off || handsome little fur baby 

how jack and i spend most mornings, pushing buttons on the washer || bath time fun || when jack kindly ripped up all my beloved christmas flyers [:(], guess he takes after his father with hating those things || trimming the tree with lights || another morning ritual, playing panda || and this boys newest funny face. i adore this squishy-nosed face so much || jack lounging on his 'couch'. and he does it so well || our h&m ad in today's parent magazine. so cool to finally see it in print. beyond awesome experience and memories to last forever || this kid hates his snowsuit. i think his face here really says it all

and don't forget to follow me for daily updates [click here]. hey! you never know what that crazy kid of mine might do next, because he's just so darn rad. and i guess there may be a tad about peter and i too....

.simply put but not simply meant, thank you.

i'll let the video do the talking, but this is a sincere and from the heart, thank you. 

xoe

.jack's nursery: wood bookcase diy.

i know, i know. it's about time i show you all jack's nursery, but till i can manage to figure out how to take pictures in a way i can really show it off, you'll just have to be stuck with little sneak peeks like this one.

to give you the back story, basically peter put his foot down on a new crib when we received a working one from his sweet aunt & uncle. the problem was, it was dark wood and i wanted white. after humming and hawing over whether or not i could safely paint a crib, i decided to just leave it as it was and try to tie in a few dark wood elements to the white/grey space i was creating for baby's nursery. and that's how the wood-bookcase-hunt was born! i wanted something that looked natural, but functioned as a great place to store books, toys and a few decorative peices. i was also on a pretty tight budget. 

well, have you ever tried to find a natural looking wood bookcase on a tight budget? next to impossible [or perhaps my standards are a little too impossible! ha!]. and that's where homesense came in and this ugly yellowy-peach-stained wood bookcase was found. i mean, this colour?!? why? 

so i showed peter it in store. he laughed. i asked him if he could sand and stain it. he laughed again. said it would be too much work. i smiled sweetly and rubbed my big preggo belly. said it was for baby bugg. and then we bought. 

[note to self...using baby to get things works!]

this bookcase was actually priced at $770 [even at homesense!!! wth, right?! i wonder what the price was before homesense came into the picture? ouch], but after markdown after markdown we managed to score it at a whopping $140. now that's a budgeted price i can work with. and here's what my handy husband did to it....

not to darn shabby, hey?! i am super happy with the results and think pete did a fantastic job. it now serves the exact purpose that i wanted it too and i think that jack loves being able to pull out his toys and book at his own leisure. it's the perfect height for him and the perfect piece that i needed to tie everything in with his nursery. more too come on the rest of the space shortly.....

**and not to worry! i was major preggo at the time, but wasn't present during this diy [only for 2 seconds to snap a few pictures], we slept in the basement and the house was well ventilated the entire process :)

.we need your help: the h&m fashion family contest.

photo by jessica l photography

hi friends! today i am excited. very very excited!!

i kinda have some pretty darn awesome news! my little family has been selected as a top 10 finalist in the h&m fashion family contest!

YEP! you are reading that correct! MY LITTLE FAMILY IS A TOP 10 FINALIST!!! whoo hoo! somehow, those kind folks over at h&m canada [yay!] has selected us and now we desperately need your help! in order to win to grand ol' prize [a $5000 spending spree and a feature in the december's edition of today's parent magazine for h&m!!!! no joke and so awesome, right!!] we need your votes.

each day, starting now till sept. 10th, you can vote for my little family [the trebaczkiewicz family!] right here. the more votes we get, the better our chances of winning. and i sure would like to win :).  also! for every vote you put in, you are entered for a chance at 10 x $50 gift certificates!! so a vote could be a win win for both of us!

so please please please with a big ol' fat cherry on top head on over [click here!] and vote for us. a vote each day would be utterly fantastic [pretty please!] and i promise good karma will be coming your way.

thank you all so much in advance. you don't know what this would mean to us.

xo

erinn and the boys.

ps. to vote, just click on the 'vote' button in the top right side of the page [link provided here], fill in your information and click vote, then go to your personal email and click on the link provided in the email from h&m and you're done! it's really not that hard and takes a couple seconds :)
***update! for you all you US friends, you will need to use a canadian zip code to vote, so please use mine if that helps: t5t 1n2

pps. sending all our good karma juice to you!

.feeling folky.

so my birthday was yesterday. 

at this point i'm not sure if i should still be getting as excited as i do when my birthday rolls around, but i mean, what can i say? i quite enjoy the love and attention! ha! it was a busy week filled with dinners, drinks, bonfires, music and lovely conversations. i also got spoiled rotten! geez, i have some really beautiful people in my life who make me feel loved [and not just because they know how to pick a sweet gift out! ha ha! i mean that in attention and thoughtfulness too!].

as for my actual birthday yesterday, it was a gorgeous sunny day and we spent it at the edmonton folk fest with some equally gorgeous and sunny friends. it was also jack's first festival and i was perhaps, even more excited about the thought of that and showing him what a joy music can be.  after chels & her family treated us to some birthday tickets [and cupcakes! thank you! and yum!] we packed our bags and nabbed a spot on the hill to catch a few tunes and soak up some rays. as i said, it was a super sunny and hot day out where a little shade was appreciated. jack was slathered in sunscreen and we lounged around in the open air. it was just awesome. we also ate, drank, and people-watched till our hearts content. we soaked in some live music from the various 7 stages and walked the site numerous times. i seriously think my legs wanted to beat me up after walking up that hill a couple times.

the folk fest is one of my favourite events in the city, located in our gorgeous river valley and i am just so happy to share this day with our son. he loves music and his little bopping body was bouncing away once that beat was heard.

unfortunately, taking a 9 1/2 month old to a full day music festival turned out to be a little too much for the tired little fella, so we packed it in a little early and headed home to rest from the busy weekend. peter may have had a little pout about leaving earlier than when the avett brothers where to take the stage [bummer for us both, actually] but that's what you do when you're a parent. and in the end, we had a little family snuggle, which is actually just what this 31 year old wanted. and frankly, needed.