For the love of sand dollars.

Today Kenna and Michal refined their shelling skills. Yesterday they were happy to fill their buckets with just about any shell they saw. Today they started getting a bit pickier. They decided they no longer wanted broken shells and they decided they especially like "Ariel shells."

And then they discovered sand dollars.

The tide goes out in the early evening and you can wade through the water to reach a sandbar. Once on the sandbar there are sand dollars everywhere. I think I was as excited as they were when we figured it out.

They also built a wishing well today complete with sand spires around the edge.

Oh, the joys of the beach.

Day 88

March 31, 2010

4:58 p.m.

Beach Girl

It's all about shells.

Our day began on the beach. The sand is beautiful -- powdery and white -- and there are shells everywhere. The girls spent the morning collecting buckets and buckets of them. Kenna has decided that, "Florida is all about shells."

We went to a nearby shopping area for lunch and ice cream and then came back to the pool and the beach, where the girls collected more shells.

The buckets of shells of been banished to the balcony and the I think the "shell smell" has finally left the room. We should be very popular with our fellow passengers on the plane ride home if we put our shell collection in our carry on luggage.

Day 87

March 30, 2010

12:15 p.m.

Collecting shells.

Day 86

March 29, 2010

6:40 p.m.

Longboat Key, Florida

Friday Finds (The Monday Edition) {Stella McCartney for GapKids}

Stella McCartney, renowned designer and daughter of an oh-so-famous Beattle, has designed a Spring collection for GapKids that debuts tomorrow, March 30. This is her second season designing a pint-sized line with her high-style esthetic.

Her Fall collection was really cute but many of the pieces needed to be dry cleaned and the clothes were expensive.



The line was super popular though and even petite adults snapped up some of the signature pieces. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, France's first lady, appeared on French television sporting a Stella McCartney for GapKids jacket.



I've seen a few sneak peeks of the Spring line and there are some really cute pieces. I love the eyelet dress, which also comes in orange, and this sweet white sun dress with contrast piping. It will be fun to see what she's come up with when the entire line debuts tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers that it's all machine-washable and just a bit more reasonably-priced.





The collection will primarily be sold online and in limited stores across the country, except in New Jersey and New York where, according to my GapKids manager, "every last GapKids will stock the clothes."

I live in Chicago and in our entire metro area only the Michigan Avenue GapKids will carry the line. I guess people in New Jersey are just cooler than people in Chicago.

Who knew?

Day 85

March 28, 2010

3:22 p.m.

Easter Egg Hunt

Day 84

March 27, 2010

1:40 p.m.

Aladdin flying outside the car window . . . with a little help from Kenna.

Day 83

March 26, 2010

4:00 p.m.

The high today was 39 degrees. Where, oh where, is Spring?

Friday Finds {A Brilliant Basket}

We've moved hard into an "all thing fairy" stage around here. Michal pretends she's Tinkerbell and Kenna pretends she's Rosetta and they flit about sprinkling pixie dust and making Fall scepters. So this year, most of my Easter basket shopping has taken place at the Disney Store and in the Tinkerbell section at Target.

If you're looking for Easter goodies that don't scream "FAIRY," then these are things I've come across, or already own, that I think would make any little girl -- or in some cases boy -- grin if they found them in their basket on Easter morning.

And, of course, there's always the Tinkerbell doll with wings that really flutter . . .



1. Pink Bunny Crocheted Knit Coin Purse - $6.95

I think this little bunny coin purse is just adorable.


2. "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes"

This is one of my very favorite books, hands down. It's a great, great story with beautiful vintage illustrations and, as a mom of girls, I especially like the "girls can do anything boys can do" message in the story.


3. Sidewalk paint

I think this sidewalk paint is such a fun idea and the way it's packaged is just plain cute.


4. Stuffed bunny

I know, I know. The last thing you need in your house is one. more. stuffed. animal. But how cute is this lumpy, schlumpy bunny? I think he just screams, "Take me home. It's Easter. And you've got a little person with room for one more animal on their already-piled-high-with-animals bed."


Carrot Hair Clip

How fun is this hair clip? I think it would be especially sweet in wispy baby hair or sweeping little bangs to the side.


Mini soft dolls

These Pottery Barn miniature dolls are the perfect size to nestle in a basket -- or be held in a little girl's hand.

Day 82

March 25, 2010

4:15 p.m.

Tea Party Giggles

And the winner is . . .

Felicia, who writes the blog The Fleur de lis Cottage.

Congratulations! You have won the Vintage Lucys giveaway!





Send me an e-mail and I'll tell you how to collect your prize.

Congratulations again and thank you to everyone who entered!

Day 81

March 24, 2010

6:20 p.m.

Swinging after dance class

Day 80

March 23, 2010

6:50 p.m.

Arriving at the Grand Opening of "The Cool Kindergarten Museum of Natural History," featuring an exhibit on plants by Kenna and an exhibit on Indian jewelry by Michal.

Day 79

March 23, 2010

5:47 p.m.

Kenna

I Heart Faces - Angles

I haven't participated in the weekly I Heart Faces contest in quite awhile but I'm happy to be playing along again. The theme this week is angles and I really love this picture that was taken from above.

We were at a beautiful daffodil glade that was muddy from recent rains. Kenna had been running and playing and finally just laid down on the ground. I stood above her to take the picture and I love her sweetly-folded -- and covered in dirt -- hands against her floral top, and how her eyes look like a smooth sheet of glass.

Go over to I Heart Faces and enter your own photo or just look at some of the great ones that are already entered.

Maple Syrup Sunday

Today the girls and I went to a nearby Forest Preserve to learn how maple syrup is made. Amazingly, the snow from yesterday had all melted, the sun was out and it was a beautiful -- and cold -- afternoon.

We hiked through the woods and stopped at various stations that showed the maple syrup process. We got to see various tools, a tree that had been tapped and then we headed to the "Sugar Shack" where maple sap was boiling over an open fire so it would turn into maple syrup. The girls got to taste sap and freshly-made syrup.

The girls declared that they'd had a "magical moment" after the guide asked Michal to be the maple tree and asked Kenna to hold the bucket to catch the pretend sap from the "Michal tree." Michal asked the guide to please not make a hole in her coat when she used the drill to put a hole in her, which made the whole group laugh.


Michal the Maple Tree and Kenna the Bucket-holder.




Kenna on the porch of an 1800s farmhouse in the forest preserve.




My jumping beans.

Day 78

March 22, 2010

3:10 p.m.

Maple Syrup Sunday

Day 77

March 20, 2010

Welcome Spring.

11:08 a.m.

Sledding in pajamas in the front yard.

Day 76

March 20, 2010

6:33 p.m.

Kenna on the back porch.

Friday Finds {Vintage Lucys}

Smitten.

I am totally and completely smitten with Vintage Lucys. I saw one of her tees, found her etsy store and then spent an hour pouring over all the adorable and completely-unique things she makes. (There are nearly 700 items in her store so there's a lot to pour over!)

I've mentioned before my love for vintage Valentine's. Well, I also have a collection of vintage Christmas postcards and vintage Easter postcards. And Vintage Lucys is everything I love about those cards, literally, right on the front of little girls' clothing.

Plus, they're made really well with high-quality inks that are pigmented directly to the garment so there's no craking or peeling. And yes, they can be machine washed and dried.

Would you like to know which of the 698 items in her store I especially like?

I immediately fell for these bunny tanks, tees and dresses. I think they are perfect for an Easter egg hunt and they're available in sizes that would fit the tiniest baby right up to an adult.

I think this is my favorite dress -- and I'm pretty crazy about the little girl wearing it below too!




But I really like this dress too . . . and, of course, the little girl who has it on.








And this is the design that started it all for me. Luckily, it had the brand name right on the front.



So enough about what I like. What do you like? Go poke around the Vintage Lucys etsy store or visit the Vintage Lucys website and come back and tell me what caught your eye. One lucky commentor will win a "Charm School Dropout" tank. Which, in my opinion, is also adorable and downright funny.



The giveaway will remain open until Wednesday night at 11:59 p.m.