dancing in the rain in your swimsuit

right now my 8 year old nephew and 37 year old husband are outside in the rain here in South Beach; when my nephew asked if he could put his suit on and go out in the rain, we said, WHY NOT?

we just finished a morning of no tv, etc, and talking about the importance of using your own imagination...

so now my hubby has donned his cowboy hat...(hello Colorado state of mind) and he and the neph are exploring the gently rain soaked world.... it is a soft musical rain...

life is good... my heart is happy... they said they just saw "the biggest puddle on the planet!"

to see an 8 year old enjoy walking around barefoot in the rain, and stick his head under a gutter of rain water, because he could, because his aunt said, okay, and start asking questions about the world out there, hanging out with his uncle and lizards and tropical life and bugs, puddles to splash...

we are happy to be making such memories for him (and us...)

FOR the LOVE of DRESSES

Happy New Week! I have dresses on the brain today, and in particular, printed dresses! The first ten are from Bluefly, and the remaining are... Overstock...I had no idea what possibilities they had. (and 2.95 shipping???)

I am a serious dress lover, and tend to play it safe with solids. Today I celebrate prints... I am oh-sooo-particular about prints, there are some scary ones out there, right? So, in celebration of summer's "short lease" and summery colors and prints... ENJOY.

Btw, the mannequin images reminded me of my niece, recently visiting and walking with me to the beach. When we passed some of the clothing stores on the way, she asked, in her 5 year old wisdom, "why are those fake people in the windows?"

I love the flattering design of this black and white dress...not to mention the fun print...

had to throw in a Betsey Johnson for fun!

love this fabric...

What do you think? Is it sensory overload? Do you have any favorites?

Why don't we have more beautiful prints available and less of the scary ones?

_

Summer Lovin'

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

---Robert Louis Stevenson

_

What are the "number of things" that make you as "happy as a king"?

As you can see, today I am enjoying:

anticipation,

care,

fully being-in-the-moment,

and

joy

_

in the split second right before a big watery splash!!!

Try explaining that to a six year old!

A friend's little girl is visiting us and when we walked back from the beach yesterday, she read all the signs. She is just starting to read and the world is a book now!

She read a hair salon window: "Hair. Color. Wax. Nails." What are wax nails? she asked, and I began to explain further, and she wanted to know what waxing was. She is six, and tried to understand this process as I explained, wax, like the stuff in the candles, and it's heated, and they put it on your skin and pull the hair off, etc. I explained how it's faster than shaving, knowing she was familiar with women's razors for hair removal.

She contemplated the wax idea, and said, "But wouldn't that hurt?" oh yeah, I said, and then she said, "But why would you do that?" We do a lot of things that don't make sense, I agreed with her...

Is Lilly worth it? ----Splendid Spring and Summer Dresses--for the little girls in your life

Here are my favorites from the Lilly summer collection for girls... (as I describe later-- not so much a fan for adults right now.)

So, Mr. Wonderful and I are *hoping* for a baby. I have three younger sisters, and hope for a little boy, after having my nephew in my life. Although I am dreaming of a little one, (and hoping for a boy,) these dresses are just too cute.



I am not too sure about Lilly Pulitzer for adults; I suppose that is because when I first became familiar with the brand, it was through seeing little girl's dresses in the Palm Beach, FL, area. So, I just love their classic shift with all the adorable prints, just for little girls. And the four-almost-five year old niece I have doesn't like dresses... or pink... just purple, and pants that are soft and good for bike-riding. :)


I like the one with coral, and the vintage lace ones, and the hot pink... some of the vintage ones available on e-bay, etc. are adorable, too.


Which ones are your favorites? Is it too much to spend for a child's dress? (They start around $100, hence I was thrilled to find them 2nd hand for my niece for 5 dollars) Or is it worth it if you love it?