Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane! By Elisabeth I have had such a lovely time coming here for the past three years sharing what I considered to be "stylish." Being the only female in a house full of three little boys, trying to maintain my inner goddess needs... Continue reading

By Elisabeth We finally purchased and installed the remaining curtains in our home! All that was left was the living room and the dining room. (Don't get me started on our kitchen. I am seriously submitting our story to any kitchen show that will not submit a restraining order for the amount of times I've submitted our kitchen photos. The 80's called and want their oak and laminate back. HA.) We purchased both curtain rods from Cost Plus World Market, but found a classic dark gray curtain set from Z Gallerie, of all places. Actually, these curtains look more blue/green/gray... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I received a couple of items for Christmas that were quite lovely, but weren't exactly what I needed/wanted, so with the money I received on my returns, I purchased two pair of shoes. I already have a few pair of boots, all for different circumstances, but I didn't have something that would help in the cold and the rain. Spending most mornings a week walking my 2nd grader and Preschooler to school can be rather chilly and wet and we haven't even hit the wettest part of Winter yet. I had heard a fair amount on Hunter boots,... Continue reading

By Elisabeth A couple of weeks before Christmas, I had my two boys, 7 and 4, fill out their official Santa letters. The 7 year old wrote down everything Lego and the 4 year old was all over the map from brooms, whistles, 1000 baggies from the grocery store to a roll of tape. However, he did happen to throw out a new bike amongst his humorous requests. I knew he wasn't getting a new bike. Yes, his current bike is getting on the smaller side, but I had already done most of the shopping and what I had not... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I was completely finished with all my Christmas shopping, except I still needed to find something for my Secret Santa. This year, I get to buy for my sister-in-law. I don't know why I was stumped on what to get her, but it remained difficult in choosing the "perfect" gift. I admire her and think she's all that, so I wanted it to be cool, you know? My budget was $50, so I took to Twitter yesterday for ideas. One piece of advice was to look through our gift guide, which was, of course, brilliant, but I was... Continue reading

By Elisabeth A couple of years ago, I wrote about how to make your own ceramic coasters. Well, this year, I made myself a couple of sets, but decided on a holiday theme for one and used an initial stamp for the other. We are still in a "not very friendly to coasters" home, so having tiles on display 365 days a year is unrealistic, but pulling out these special occasion numbers is more up our alley. Only a few weeks of making sure they're not played with like frisbees! The coasters that use just a stamp, you will want... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I went to Home Goods the other day and was not looking for a new throw in the LEAST, but I came upon these lovelies on display and ran off with two of them in my cart. (maroon and gray.) They are perfectly sized for lounging on the couch and are extremely cozy without being too heavy. At $34.99, they'd be perfect for a holiday gift or a nice little addition to your home during the Winter months! (Photo from: amazon.com) Continue reading

By Elisabeth This past week, my family and I spent eight days in Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holiday. That was probably the last time we'll fly with my youngest on my lap since his 2nd birthday is in April, but I wanted to share with you a secret trick I used to make our journey a little easier. (It's not fool-proof, but it's better than nothing.) My middle child is 4 1/2 years old and can fly without any kind of harnessed car seat, BUT he is still young enough to be eligible for one, if needed. Well, in our... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I recently hit DSW looking for a few pairs of shoes to add a little something extra to my wardrobe. Basically, I needed some color and was tired of the black, brown and gray options I tend to buy. I wanted something to go with my new yellow jacket, but not be too matchy at the same time. I had little time to shop, but found these lovelies while heading for the register. So glad I stopped to try them on. They were definitely what I was looking for, but didn't know I needed until they were on... Continue reading

By Elisabeth Recently, my in-laws gave me a gift card to Amazon for my birthday. I wanted to buy something that I normally wouldn't buy for myself, but I wanted it to be something I would use, as well. I knew I could get away with a few things that I needed, like bb cream and other cleansers that cost more than $5, but I wanted something FUN and EXCITING. I went back and forth from purses to shoes, specifically boots. I found my way to the Kate Spade section and got lost in all the gorgeous. While the gift... Continue reading

By Elisabeth Last weekend, I was back home in Oklahoma City for my 20 year reunion. Yes, that was hard to type, but you know, it was an amazing weekend and it reminded me how I spent such a good portion of my 12 years of school with some pretty great people. (However, I'm still catching up on my sleep. It seems acting 18 again is exhausting.) While I was spending a glorious 52 hours away from my typical responsibilties, I had some time to do a little shopping. I hit Anthropologie, and like every other time I go in... Continue reading

By Elisabeth Since my children started noticing what our house looked like during Halloween, I have tried to add a couple new decorations a year to fill out our beginners stash. Now, I never want to go overboard, especially with price, since these are all seasonal items, but I do want to please the kids during their favorite holiday of the year! (Um, what about Christmas, guys?) I found all of these on Amazon and most of them were Prime Shipping, so I received the first two in time for Halloween last year. I remembered a little earlier this year,... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I am very pleased with our recent drape and rod purchases from Pottery Barn. We installed them over the weekend...Well, I got the drapes and the rings and all the other things ready and my husband drilled an extra hole or two in our wall while offering a few specific words until he was finished. Let's just say the question of "Is it drywall or a stud?" can make or break you. And yes, we had a stud finder. An inefficient one, clearly. Actually, two of the curtains were installed, but the third window in our family room... Continue reading

By Elisabeth As I mentioned last week, I was in need of a Fall jacket for my oldest son. He had been wearing this awesome Lands End Adidas striped-type jacket in green for two years. It was so cute and perfect for school. Too bad it's basically too small and not for sale this season (nor the last! BOO.) So, while perusing Old Navy, I found this super cool corduroy jacket in gray with a sherpa lining. It looks relatively heavy, but it's actually quite light-weight. Perfect for Fall and Winters in California. I Iove it so much, I ordered... Continue reading

By Elisabeth It's happened. The weather has finally taken a turn and it's GLORIOUS. Considering it was 97 two days ago and I think the high today is 80 is unreal. THANK YOU. I finally had to put a jacket on my 7 year old this morning. Looks like I need to find him a bigger one, it seems. Luckily, I've got one on order, but that's for a different post. What I did find recently was a great selection of boys' clothes from The Children's Place. I don't know about you, but it can be quite discouraging shopping for... Continue reading

By Elisabeth After being in our new home for two months now, I have finally pulled the trigger to replace the 1970's? 80's? curtains hanging in our family room. All three windows, including the sliding glass door, are different sizes. At least the curtains are matching, but each are cut to fit a specific sized window. Now, not knowing much about curtain etique, I consulted my two favorite ladies, Elizabeth and Christina, and asked all sorts of (probably annoying) questions about curtains. I had a certain style in mind and sent my findings to both of them. I needed something... Continue reading

By Elisabeth So, here's the question. What did you buy last? No, I don't mean at the store, or your gas tank you filled up yesterday, but what was your last "frilly" purchase? I use this term lightly because as you can see below, my purchases are not majorly exciting, but I like them. I needed them and I bought them. Here goes. It seems as of late, all my purchases come from Amazon. Ok, most things in my life are from Amazon, period. Moving a few too many miles away from "everything you would want to buy" keeps me... Continue reading

By Elisabeth I don't know about you, but I hit up the Friends and Family sale last weekend at Old Navy with some decent success. While I should have saved my 35% off postcard for an in-the-store purchase and used their already 30% online-only coupon code, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it across town or not, so I used it online for that extra 5% savings. I found a few novelty shirts, including a Hello Kitty tee, plus a perfect pair of boyfriend jeans for under $15! My favorite purchase was this yellow flowered t-shirt. It's... Continue reading

By Elisabeth Have you guys heard of this sale? Is one going on in your area right now? If so, you should consider attending, to find the best in children's used/new clothes, toys, and maternity at true discount prices. Also, if you are interested in being a consignor and selling all of those things you would love to get rid of in your house, I would suggest investing further into this opportunity! There are 3 "fall" sales going on in my area throughout August and September. I have been a consignor in one of them already and have put the... Continue reading

By Elisabeth It seems every time my husband goes out of town I get a wild hair and want to do something to the house. In this current case, I wanted to take down the old blinds, plus all the hardware that goes with them, and hang up a new curtain rod, plus curtains all within a matter of one hour right before bedtime for my kids. Sounds simple yes? Add in a toddler trying to climb your two-step ladder while throwing a fit because you DON'T want the entire blinds unit falling down on his head and you've got... Continue reading

By Elisabeth It seems I have a thing for decorative pllows. I showed you the first set I purchased for my couch awhile back. While they are still lovely, I have moved them to my living room couch and have invested my time and money into four new ones for the family room. I still have plans for a few more, but these are what I am working on for now: This Xiliration one from Target.com is super cute with silver details inside each pattern. This Jasmin one is perfect since it's not patterned like the rest. My husband is... Continue reading

By Elisabeth We've had the same duvet cover for the past seven years. We bought it within moments of buying our king bed. It was lovely. It had stripes. It was from Pottery Barn (via eBay). It worked for us. Well, it did until we moved into our new house. Now, all I want is something white, classic and simple. I want to walk into my room and see a huge, cotton ball begging for me to jump inside. I want the complete opposite from what we've had. I want a fresh start. After finding something "this close" at Target... Continue reading

By Elisabeth My seven year old starts school next week. What in the hell happened to summer? I guess when you finish school in the second week of June and start again mid-August, time does go by rather fast, huh? Currently, my son is in Oklahoma visiting his cousins/family and will be returning on Saturday after flying alone for the first time. (GAH.) While he's been away, I went to a Stride Rite outlet 15 minutes away and found him a perfect pair of shoes to start the new year off right! I may be the kind to buy all... Continue reading

By Elisabeth So, we've been in our new house for a couple of weeks now and I still feel like there is plenty to do. (Of course there is!!) Not one picture has been hung, some random things are still in a good few boxes and I'm still trying to figure out if the forks, knives and spoons organizer is in the right drawer. Is it? I DON'T KNOW. BUT, I just received our carpet tiles I ordered from Flor.com and I am SO thrilled how they look! They are going in our family room as soon as I can... Continue reading

By Elisabeth There is nothing worse than paying out the wazoo when it comes from moving from one place to another. In my case, I was moving for the first time as a family of five. We hadn't moved since my 1st child was 5 months old. Back then, we barely had enough furniture to fit into our then two bedroom apartment! Let's just say the packing process was daunting. Not only was I packing 7 years of our life into a box, I was doing it while caring for my three kids. It took weeks and I still believe... Continue reading