But the weather is an adjustment. Rainy and cold.

At least the girls and I get to put our collection of rain boots to good use. Finally. Because we never get rain here in our neck of the mountains. So on the one day a year when it slightly drizzles, it’s a little overkill for me to break out my reliable English Wellies. But here in Vancouver? No one looks at me cross-eyed. Yay.

And the girls? Pink and horses. Of course. But they wear theirs all of the time at home. They never get a cross-eyed look. Ever. Oh, well. I suppose it helps to come up to a grown-ups knees and have blond curls and giant blue eyes.

But I’m so sick of either asking my husband to ’stick this in your pocket, please. And this. This, too. Oh, and just one more thing…” Or leave the house without. So, here’s my short list:

This one.

Actually, it’s the only one on my list. I think it’s perfect. Perfectly me, that is. For the girl who’s idea of dressed up is a great pair of Frye boots, a pair of Citizens skinny jeans, a white tank and an Inhabit NY wrap sweater with a pair of Melinda Maria gold earrings, this is just so me. Functional, simple and timeless. No trends here, thank you very much. This clutch is onlygoing to get better each and every time I pull it out.   

Hint, hint, honey…

Friends of ours just returned from a family vacation to Mexico. They are all tanned and relaxed and pleased with themselves. But I am not a beach person. I prefer the mountains. The snow. And clothing. I’m just not much for bathing suits these days. They seem so… cruel. But I’m hoping to change all of that with the help of the Tracy Anderson Method. More on that later, though. For now, suffice it to say that I totally want to buy this bathing suit from you’ll never guess where and hang it on the outside of our pantry door as inspiration. Summer isn’t that far away, after all.

The you’ll never guess where? It’s Lands’ End! They have a new line, Lands’ End Canvas, and it’s younger, fresher and definitely looks to be cut much more stylishly than their more staid and ‘grown-up’ line, and I am digging it. The prices are phenomenal, but the style! It’s classic all-American but with a nice little twist. A modern edge, I think. It kind of reminds me of what J Crew once was, before they became over-priced and low-quality. I can’t stop looking at the line. Particularly the striped turtleneck sweater and the shirtdress and my gosh – the boyfriend shirt. Perfect.

Lands’ End has figured it out. Kudos to them!

A couple of months ago, we received a letter from American Express that a severed employee of theirs had stolen account information from many account holders. We were among them. But not to worry. Because American Express was going to look out for us. Take care of us. Make sure that nothing happened to us.

Except that something did happen. A couple of weeks ago, some asshole in Dublin somehow got my American Express account information and purchased tickets on Air France round-trip. Totaling well into the multiple thousands of dollars.

Hey, thanks American Express, for catching that fraud. And then doing nothing about it. You are super-awesome. The barely minutes it took you to protect your ass? And Air France’s ass? Impressive. The ten days it took you to protect my ass? The 80 minutes my husband was on hold? The transferred calls? The misinformation? The replacement card that still isn’t here? The phone calls that I had to make to Air France to get to the bottom of this mess? The nights that I lay awake worried this would never be resolved? That we would ultimately be responsible for these charges? The fact that no one on the other end of the 800 number for Customer Service on the back of my American Express card was able to transfer us to your Fraud Department because you’d made major cutbacks in that department during a time when fraud is at it’s highest due to our economy being in the crapper? Not so impressive.

American Express, here’s a thought: the next time that an employee of yours, and I’m not even saying that these two incidents are related, but do the math geniuses, steals the account information of thousands of your customers, and you’ve already taken the cost-cutting measures of cutting back on your Fraud Department, just go ahead and do the wise thing: cancel the old accounts and issue new accounts for the compromised cardholders. You’d have saved everyone a lot of time, money and most of all angst. Seriously. Preventive measures, you know?

My car battery died yesterday afternoon. Right after our water heater sprung an impressive leak.

It could be worse.

Moving on.

Stella McCartney’s new line for kids at The Gap is finally out. It’s very impressive. And way pricy. Looking forward to it making it’s way to the sale bins. It will… But definitely worth checking it out.

A friend mentioned that Trendy Togs is having a Going Out of Business Sale. There are still some incredible deals to be found on the site if you have the patience (and time) to do some digging around.

If you can still find this cardigan at your local Target in your size, stock up. Incredible. At my Target, also marked down to $17.99 – a steal. You will live in this all winter, ideal for layering over tanks and tees, it’s the perfect weight. And the colors are impeccable. Nearly impossible to find, sold out on-line, but worth scouring your neighborhood box store for one or two. You will not be disappointed.

Okay, I need to get back into bed. I’m feeling a tad light-headed. Hope you are faring much better…

Lucchese cowboy boots. So sexy with a good pair of jeans. I once read a quote from Michael Kors that said something along the lines of a woman walking around Manhattan in a pair of these looks ridiculous. I absolutely disagree. And I used to love Michael Kors. Used to.

Frye Campus boots. These should be in every woman’s closet. Wear them with any and everything. Under jeans, over jeans, skirts, dresses. Forever. Then pass them on to your daughter. She will worship the ground you walk on when she realizes she’s now the proud owner of the coolest boots in school.

Bernardo Milly sandals. They have a fantastic selection of neutrals, but if you visit the Bernardo website, you can also opt for the more vibrant red or turquoise versions, which in summer bring a nice pop of color to an otherwise neutral wardrobe that I’ve been accused of sporting.

Dr. Scholl’s. Do you remember your first pair of these? I do. Mine were white. Over the years, I’ve had black patent leather, leopard. This time I went with a plain old nude (tan) color, and no one is more shocked than me to say that I’ve worn them more than I’ve worn my Havaiana flip-flops this summer. There’s just something so comfortingly old-school about them.

Birkenstocks! Yes! I’m not kidding! These are not your hippie-dippy mother’s crunchy sandals, either. They are so far improved from the meatloaf-looking he-walks-on-water shoes from my youth. I have a pair of Gizehs in olive leather and they are so comfy and totally respectable, in my opinion. My absolute favorite Gizeh ever is the black patent leather one, but somewhere between my studio apartment on Christopher Street in NYC and my charming Sears catalog bungalow in Ames, Iowa, they disappeared. Someday, I’ll spring for a replacement pair. But for now, I’m very happy with my earthy green ones.

A good (but relatively inexpensive) pair of ballet flats. Mine are by French Sole and are bronze leather and I wear them year-round. With jeans, with shorts, and everything in-between. This particular line runs crazy small. I generally wear a 38 (European), but in these? I have to size up an entire shoe size. Keep in mind if you ever order a pair…

I think this is the first time in a long time I’ve been pretty content with my shoe collection. The only thing I never seem to have are dress-up shoes, but seriously, where I live? There’s just not much dressing up to be done.

But not so quickly that I didn’t finally find a hat! To protect my face from the scorching sun here that is making my face resemble that of a raccoon. Lovely. Anyway, I can’t believe how much I hit the jackpot with my chic little raffia fedora-looking number by Hat Attack. I found mine at a local boutique in a natural color, same leather strap as in the photo. Best purchase of the summer, by far…

Okay, so I know it’s brief, but that’s it for now…

It’s good to be back.

My Mama Made It is my newest addiction, and it’s such a new blog that it’s going to take you no time to cruise through her ‘archives.’ Great tutorials for sewing projects, and the projects are easy. Check out the instructions on how to make ruffles, which I can’t stop making! I’ve been sewing them, centered, down the fronts of boy’s tanks from Target. The girls love to wear them, feel all fancy, and they cost nothing to make. (And the ruffles? They can be made by hand, as well. You do not need a sewing machine to do these.)

This lesson in how to shoot self-portraits from a photographer. The author, Monica Shulman, was a guest blogger on another site I recently stumbled onto and have been enjoying, The Blah, Blah, Blahg. I love photography, love taking pictures, but it occurs to me as I go through my collection that there are so few pictures of me! I want some lovely photographs of me!

This absolutely beautiful bridal belt of flowers makes me want to get married again! And wear exactly what the model in this photo is wearing! How stunning, right? Just so perfect. Twigs & Honey, an Etsy shop, has just charmed me with their whimsical designs. Delicious!

Sparkle Power has a recipe for easy-to-make bubbles that cannot be beat! And I’m guessing your home is a lot like our home in the summer, just chock-full of bubble-blowing fun in the backyard. And your kids? Do they eat the bubbles like mine do? I don’t know what else they could possibly be doing with them – we always seem to be running out!

I’ve been reading Creature Comforts for a while now, it’s possible I’ve even written about the site before, but it’s still one of my favorites for design inspiration.

For the DIY-er, check out Cucumbersome. Great tutorials and craft projects. I love the corsage shirt tutorial. And the recycled fabric necklace tutorial. Just what you need to wile away the long summer days…

Centsational Girl… Fabulous for Less. The name says it all, right? I love looking at her before and after shots. Ordinary (and cheap!) things made extra-special. And a lot of it is done with a can of spray paint, my newest obsession for upgrading tired and boring old furniture pieces in my own house.

If you have little girls in your life, you must check out the designs at Whitten Grey. I don’t even have words for how awe-inspiringly gorgeous their dresses are. You can find them on-line at Emma & Avery. I adore this one. This one, too.

And I’m about to tackle some sewing projects for myself, and I’m using the Built by Wendy patterns. So I checked out her site. And I had no clue that you could just order her clothing! Of course, I intend to sew mine up myself, but how cool to peruse her line. I love it. Classic but with a twist – right up my alley! I especially love the dresses for summer, like this one. Perfect for a summer date night, right? Her clothing is the reason I will continue to work on improving my sewing skills.

Marais shoes. So cute, and so reasonably priced. They have the perfect summer sandal, and it’s more than affordable.

The sale page at Tulle. Whoa, is all I can say. Cute clothing, phenomenal prices. I love the button-down shirt dress. And for less than $25? More than a steal! And the belted cardigan sweater? Under $40? Sold. And really, even without the bonus sale prices, this clothing line is priced really well. Do I see a summer wardrobe shopping spree in your future?

These Bensimon Ballerine sneakers. Pea has a pair, and I just love that they are functional tennis shoes, but look more than appropriate with a cute little dress. I can’t get enough of them. And while they are a little pricy, they are also machine washable, so that adds more life to them then we will probably ever need. I just hope she doesn’t wear them into the ground this summer, so that she can pass them down to her little sister when she’s outgrown them.

These cardboard appliances from Pomme in NYC are just plain cool. If you don’t have a play kitchen set-up for your kid yet, I highly recommend one. We spend hours in ours, playing restaurant, mommy & baby whipping up purees, whatever. It’s fun for the whole family! I should add here that we had a cardboard playhouse that lasted for well over 18 months. In fact, it was still going strong when I donated it to the local drop-in childcare center, and that was only because the girls were gifted with a fabric playhouse last Christmas, from their Opa.

Do you have any favorite sites you’d like to share?

Into knitting or crocheting? Get on Ravelry! You have to register, and then it takes about two days to receive your log-in account information, but it is so worth the wait… (And if you’re not into knitting or crocheting? This site will make you want to learn…)

Want to be inspired by real people who make beautiful things? Sugar City is my newest obsession (thanks, Dancer!). I’m working on the Village Frock for Pea and just ordered the pattern for the Servant Frock. (Don’t you just love the names? Talk about evoking another era.) The patterns are easy to work with, come with very detailed instruction booklets and many variations on the same pattern that makes these fantastically chic little girl’s dresses a must.

This dress for a little girl. It’s made from a refashioned men’s dress shirt. The tutorial says it’s easy. And I’m dying to try it. And also? Kicking myself for that huge bag of my husband’s discarded button-downs that I recently dropped off at Goodwill. So this project? It’ll have to wait. But it’s on… the list.

Finally! Something to do with that huge Ziploc bag of fabric scraps… Love these fabric remnant necklaces. So cute on a little girl. Such a perfect project for a mama to make with her little girl. Here’s a tutorial. But it’s those necklaces with the flowers on them that really have my imagination on overdrive. How gorgeous are they?

This little book arrived from Japan yesterday. Apparently, the “Nina” doll that it’s all about is quite popular over there. Little did I know that you could make your own Nina doll, and this book? Gives you the pattern and the instructions. Needless to say, it’s in Japanese, but I’ve used Japanese sewing patterns before, and if you have a basic understanding of sewing, you can work with them just fine. And if you are confident in logic? It’ll be a cinch. Anyway, the book also (and more importantly!) includes patterns (and gorgeous color photographs) for Nina’s very own chic little wardrobe. It’s a project that the girls and I will tackle this summer. And it will be an ongoing one, but one that will bring much delight (and satisfaction!) to theirs (and my) faces!

And courtesy of Unruly Things, I have been inspired to make more of an effort. I’ve been slacking lately. Running out the door every morning in the same sweatpants that I’ve been wearing for the past three days. And my favorite sneakers that have been chewed up by sweet little Lola on the left side of the right shoe. And the same tee-shirt that I slept in the night before. My grey roots are showing and really? Would it kill me to put on a little blush? Wake up my tired-looking visage? Anyway, I am human and have fallen into one of those… what do you call them? Slumps. Or ruts. But Unruly Things is going to pull me out of it. I just know it will. And this is the perfect time to try – summer (well, almost). As in summer + dresses = effortless grace. Throw one on, and then even with yesterday’s hair and flip-flops, you look great. And speaking of dresses, this is the one (in ‘Johnnie’s Favorite Print’), found while perusing the past posts on the Unruly site, that caught my eye and imagination. I want this dress! The cut, the print, the fabric… It’s too perfect for words.

This French woman’s blog. I am obsessed. No one can put together such a stunningly simple and chic outfit as a French woman can. I love to scan through the photos of her ensembles. Most of them with hand-made items. Just impeccable. And again, inspiring. In my next life? Please, please, please let me come back as a fantastically modern French woman with style to spare. Please.

Love You Baby. My favorite new children’s store. I haven’t bought anything from them yet, but I cannot stop looking at the clothes! Just so simple, sumptuous and timeless. But with an edge. And you know me, I love that ‘edge.’ How incredible is this little skirt? With a pair of Havaiana flip-flops and a plain white tank-top? Pea would be in heaven.

Superga sneakers. I used to hoard these on trips to Italy. I’d hit every store in town, looking for my size, specific colors, and then lug them back to the States. I adored them. But somewhere along the path of my life, I let them go. And now? They are making them in tiny kid sizes, and my passion has been reignited. So cute, so practical, so many choices.

This Zodiac watch. I love a good and sporty watch. This one is chunky, but not so oversized that I’d look as if I borrowed my husband’s watch. Just perfect for an active lifestyle.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! And Happy Mother’s Day…

Puella’s infamous Grab Bag Tote is on sale right now – you can place your pre-order. This year, they’ve upped the choices, too. There’s the Silver (5 pieces for $100), the Gold (10 pieces for $150) and the Platinum (15 pieces for $200). Just do the math. You’d be getting a gorgeous designer summer wardrobe for about $13 a piece if you went with the Platinum. That’s about what you’d pay, if not less, for your new summer wardrobe from Target. And I promise, you will feel like a million bucks in Puella’s whimsical prints and soft fabrics. It’s what I wear all summer long. I think you have until the 29th to finalize your order for the Grab Bags, before your chance at an amazingly colorful and chic summer wardrobe at almost-too-good-to-be-true prices is gone for the season…

And Inhabit, my favorite sweater designer, is also having a cotton sale, which began on April 20th but is still running through April 24th. Up to 70% off of the highest end knits you’re going to find anywhere. These sweaters, even in cotton, are luxurious. Timeless styles, but with a modern and subtle twist, always. Great layering pieces for chilly spring afternoons and cool summer evenings. These items go really quickly, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that there are still some pieces left to snatch up.

Remember, Mother’s Day isn’t that far away (hint, hint!), and a Grab Bag Tote from Puella and a sweater or two from Inhabit would make any mommy (or wife, daughter, granddaughter, friend, whomever) feel all twinkly and pretty…

Happy Hump Day, and thanks for all of your kind comments and emails over the last few days! Always, always gratefully appreciated…