Summer Lovin' 2016

It is officially, legitimately summer here. It's Wednesday as I'm starting this, but it might not post until Thursday because the Summer Lovin' List can take a lot of work.

Well, that actually depends on your definition of "work", I suppose.

Yesterday was sticky and humid and then we had a wicked summer storm in the evening. Facebook was blown up with photos of hail the size of either golf, tennis or basketballs depending on who was exaggerating posting. Trees were split in half by lightening and branches blocked streets. You would think that would mean that all five of the Skinners were tucked safe in the family room watching the College World Series, but you would be wrong about that. Two out of four Skinner boys who were due to be on baseball fields found themselves at home, but the Lord found favor on the other two with the blessing of a turf field. Once the storm passed there was joy in Mudville again as Drew and his Little League AllStar team took to the turf for a scrimmage. I will not mention exactly how long that joy lasted, but let's just say that our opponents were very prolific in the hitting department. Very.

Anyway, it's time for my Summer Lovin' post of 2016 in which I point out some of my favorite things for the summer. Well, besides baseball because DUH.

1. Embroidered Tops

Nothing says "summer" like an embroidered top. Except maybe margaritas and Justin Timberlake. I would propose wearing one of the gazillion or so embroidered tops that are being sold all over kingdom come right now while drinking a margarita and listening to JT. Now we're talking.

First of all. THIS. Oh, Anthropologie. How I wish I could quit you. This is just perfect.

THIS one from ModCloth.com is really pretty.

I also like THIS one from Loft. By the way, Loft has sent me no less than five emails a day for the past week or so telling me that they're having a sale. Seriously, it seems like everything is 500% off give or take.

2. Fringe Sandals

The fringe trend has been sweeping the nation lately and I like it in small doses. I think a little goes a long way. Shoes or bag. Top or skirt. If you look in the mirror and start thinking that you might earn the starring role in your kid's Thanksgiving play next year, just take it down a notch, Pocahontas. For this post, I'm going to focus on footwear.

THESE Maltese Fringe Sandals by BC Footwear are really cute and reasonably priced. They also come in a metallic gold color.

I also think THESE Rebecca Minkoff Erin Tassel Sandals are adorable. They are a bit pricier. (I have no idea if that is the correct spelling of pricier or if that is a real word, but I am owning it.)

How about THESE?

Um. I'm kidding. Guess what though? These Julien David Fringe Platform Sandals were originally $740 and now they are on sale for the bargain price of $295.98. Excuse me, Julien David. Get over yourself. I think I could grab a few baseballs out of Coach Skinner's bucket and make these sandals myself. 

3. Colorful Clutch

I have to say that I like the idea of a clutch in theory. I would love to imagine that I could venture away from my home with only my driver's license, a credit card, a lip gloss and a mint. If you are a person who doesn't have to carry enough Gatorade, snacks and sunscreen to get you through a day or two in the Sahara Desert then by all means go for one of these. They are so cute for summer.

THIS from Target is adorable.

I also love THIS one from Stella & Dot.

4. The Romper

I'm just very conflicted on this. I hated the idea when they first starting showing up everywhere. I'm just not sure if this style is for women over 40, if only for the fact that at some point one will have to use the facilities. And those of us who have had a baby or three and have forgotten all about what a Kegel is might run into some pretty delicate situations whilst wearing a romper. So are there Romper Rules? Do we care? This might be a style best left to Fake Daughter or Fake Younger Sister-in-Law or, in my case, Real Life Much Younger Cousins (I'm looking at your Tomi & Brittany).  Honestly, I don't know. I do know that the graduation parties across my area were chock full of teens sporting the romper. 

THESE TWO from JCrew Mercantile or Factory or whatever it is are just so darn cute I can barely stand it. The patterned one is linen. The red one also comes in black, black and white stripe and a print called Tuscan Green Geo which I first read as Tuscan Green Pea. That sounded pretty awful and might be a sure fire sign that my eyes and I are too old for the romper. 

5. Zoe's Kitchen's Orzo Tabouli Salad with Grilled Shrimp

This salad makes its second appearance on the Summer Lovin' list. Salads just taste so much better in the summertime. This is the absolute best. I had one yesterday right in the middle of the storm. I mean, I was inside of Zoe's Kitchen, not outside in the middle of the storm. But had I been outside in the middle of the storm, eating this salad would have made it almost delightful.

6. Summer Weight Scarves

It is entirely possible that I have a scarf problem. I have so many scarves. Scarves can be tricky during the summer, but if you live in an area where it can cool down quite a bit in the evening, a summer scarf can be a great addition to a basic tshirt or summer dress. 

I was in World Market the other day and they had a huge collection of great scarves and they were all on sale for almost nothing. I like both of these, but honestly I could have closed my eyes and grabbed any one of them.

7. Sunscreen

I had some sort of teeny, tiny spot removed on my arm by my dermatologist yesterday. I had a numbing shot, something called a 5 millimeter puncture excision (I mean I heard all those words but not necessarily in that order and also I might have them all wrong because I started feeling woozy just listening to her talk) and two stitches. This falls in the category of things you wish the blogger would have kept to herself.  Anyway, because my girlfriends and I thought that being really cautious was to pull out the Hawaiian Tropic SPF 2 instead of the baby oil every 3rd day in the summer in 1985, let this be a lesson to "those who wear rompers". I now have to really pay attention to sunscreen. I have not tried Trader Joe's Sunscreen but I have seen it on a number of "Best Sunscreen" lists. It only costs $6 so I'm planning on throwing it in my basket along with the Cookie Butter next time I'm there.

8. Summer Party Glasses

THESE are so cute from Crate and Barrel for anything from lemonade to the margaritas that you drink while you listen to Justin Timberlake. They are on sale right now. 

9.  Baseball Tshirts

Of course I couldn't leave baseball off the list entirely. I have never really been much of a "spirit wear" type of fan. In fact since I never bought an AllStar shirt last year and our team kept winning, I decided it was part of my duty to the team to skip the team shirt. Lately, though, I have seen some really cute generic baseball tshirts for women. (And not one has "MOM" written in sequins. I find it to be very important to leave the sequins off the shirt, but you just do as you wish, Mama. I'm not the boss of you.)  Here are a couple. Just search "Baseball Love tshirt". There are millions. (PS I'm kinda kidding on the second one. It just made me laugh.)

10. Summer Jams

I recommend Keith Urban's Ripcord album, Gwen Stefani's Make Me Love You, and anything Justin Timberlake has ever sung in his life including but not limited to the Mickey Mouse Club theme song.

Happy Summer, Friends!

Fall Lovin' 2015

Hey, Guess what?  It's Fall!

I know.  It's been Fall for a while now.  And I'm such a Summer Lovin' person that it takes me a little while longer than most to embrace the onslaught of pumpkin spice and sweaters, but I think I'm officially ready.  Here are some great things about this year's fall season.

1.  FRINGE IS THE NEW BLACK
I'm seeing fringe everywhere.  On shoes, on bags, on jackets and on skirts.  And I think maybe a little fringe goes a long way, so I suggest learning to walk first, run second and only sprint if we're really feeling it. I think where fringe is concerned it is important to choose only one item per outfit.  I think maybe shoes and a bag and a jacket all at one time with fringe increases the chance you're going to get all tangled up in those strings if you aren't careful. But listen, it's a free country.   And really, do whatever you want because who says you should take fashion advice from a gal who has spent the majority of her day in her $15.00 Old Navy pjs?  Here is a progressive look at fringe.

Walk: GAP SUEDE BUCKET BAG

Gap has a collection of bags which offer a fringe tassel or two at reasonable prices if you're not ready to fully embrace the fringe craze.  The bags come in three different sizes and lots of colors.  You can choose from small cross body bags, the larger bucket bags and even larger totes.  Also Gap is offering 40% off today with the code BOO.

Jog: SAM EDELMAN LOUIE BOOT

There are all kinds of boots with fringe out there.  You can find them completely covered or with just a bit on the ankle.  I think these are really cute.  Sam Edelman also has a pair called Paige with a lower heel HERE.

Sprint:  EMANUELLE SUEDE FRINGE BUCKET BAG

Now, I have to be honest.  This bag seems like it might need it's own comb and I'm afraid the potential for tangling would drive me bananas, but I do think this is cute.

2.  MAYBE PLAID IS THE NEW BLACK

It's all over the place and I'm digging it.

OVERSIZE BLANKET SCARF  

This scarf is from www.bourbonandboots.com.  I think, honestly, that the idea of a blanket scarf for a short person, like myself, is better than the actual wearing of the blanket scarf.  I'm afraid I might look like I brought my bed with me out the door.  But if you are taller, I think this is so cute.  I also like THIS ONE from the same site.

SYNOPSES PLAID BUTTON DOWN

This is pretty pricey for a button down shirt, but I love the frayed hem and the gingham on the rolled up sleeve.

3. PONCHOS

The poncho is back again.  I think the last time these were in was right after my youngest boy was born, so it was great for covering a post-partum tummy.  Now, it will work just fine for a post-lunch-at-Chipotle tummy.  Here are quite a few.

FRINGE GEOMETRIC HOODED PONCHO

This one is cute and also has the fringe trend.  I saw this quite a while ago and unfortunately it is only in limited sizes now.

CAPELLI OF NEW YORK PLAID PONCHO

I can't decide about this one.  This is what we call a big bowl of trendy because it combines fringe and plaid and the poncho.  The good news is that if you are all about trends that are in today, but might be out in about five minutes, this is only $38.00 so it might be worth a shot.


SPLENDID COLORBLOCK PONCHO

I like the simplicity of this poncho.  Unfortunately, again, since I'm so late with this post, it came in some other colors earlier in the season, but right now it looks like sizes and colors are limited. The good news is that it is 40% off which feels like a huge steal for those of us who find that money starts falling out of our hands uncontrollably as soon as we walk in the door at Anthropologie

COWL NECK PONCHO

This is another simple poncho.  Looks very comfy and grey is EVERYWHERE this season again.

4.  PUMPKIN SPICE (OBVIOUSLY)
At the risk of offending my friend, Maria, who is flat out obsessed with the pumpkin spice business, I must make a bold and likely controversial statement:

I'm afraid we've taken this a bit far.  Settle down, America.

Maria has introduced me to the fact that there are now pumpkin spice Oreos, ice creams, yogurts, marshmallows and even gum.  As she is the expert I'm going to go with her advice and tell you that she cannot stop talking about this popcorn.  I haven't tried it yet, but when I think of pumpkin spice, I think WWMD?  And I think you should, too.  Apparently, you can get it at Wegman's and Amazon.

GAME DAY FOOD

Listen.  As of this writing, my Texas Longhorns have won two games in a row.  Due to the devastating way this season started for us, I have no qualms about calling this a WINNING STREAK.  And I will continue to be a focused and dedicated fan doing my part which means that this weekend, I will need to prepare adequate Texas game day food.  Soup is always a Fall Favorite and in my house that means Tortilla Soup.  This recipe comes straight from the University of Texas Kappa Alpha Theta house where we ate this soup every week on Mexican Food Wednesday.  Yes, Mexican Food Wednesday was a thing and forgetting to go to class afterward so that you could huddle in the TV room to watch Days of Our Lives with your sisters was a thing, too.  

Here's the Recipe:

1 small onion, chopped

1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1-2 pounds chicken, cooked and chopped

1 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1 10 oz. can tomatoes and green chiles

1 10 3/4 oz. can beef broth

1 10 3/4  oz. can chicken broth

1 10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1-2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips

Grated cheddar cheese

***Saute onion, jalapeno and garlic in oil.  Add chicken, tomatoes, soups, water and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat.  Simmer, covered 1 hour.  Add tortillas.  Continue cooking 15 minutes.  Add cheese on top when serving. 

5.  COACH CHARLIE STRONG'S BURNT ORANGE RAIN GEAR

Ok, maybe you don't think Coach Strong's outfit here is a Fall Favorite, but he is at the top of my list.  He has not had an easy time of it at Texas, but he is working at it and hanging in there and I BELIEVE.  Also, he cemented his position in this post and in my heart when he showed up to the game Saturday where it rained the entire time in burnt orange from head to toe.  WORK IT, COACH.

That's it, Friends!  Happy Fall and if you're in my part of the world take a drive down Harmony Church Road off of Route 15 into Purcellville.  God certainly did a mighty work there.  You won't be disappointed.

It's Here!! Summer Lovin' 2015

Happy Summer, Friends! 

Well, it's cold and rainy today in Northern Virginia so this picture of the sun that I found on The Google is the best I can offer.  The real sun is supposed to show up again this weekend which would be helpful because the image above might be copyrighted which  means a possible lawsuit, I suppose. That probably wouldn't make for an ideal start to the summer..

It seems that I completely skipped a Spring Lovin' post because during the spring I don't have time to love anything much except for baseball. The Cliff Notes version of a Spring Lovin' 2015 post would list oxiclean, smelly cleats and yelling, DID YOU LOOK NEXT TO THE FRUIT BOWL? when searching for someone's cup.

(Oh, you thought I was just being "funny, exaggerating blogger girl"?  No, ma'am.  That is what I saw on the kitchen table last night when I got home.  Still Life Art by Drew Skinner 6-3-15)

Anyway, T minus thirteen school days until summertime.  No alarm clocks.  No homework.  And blessedly, no more packing lunches.

And the people said, "Amen, Hallelujah. Crank up the margarita machine."

Here are some of my favorite things for Summer 2015.

Summer Tote
For me, a purse for the summer has to have essentially two criteria.  It must be big enough to hold everything I might need for an entire day which includes but is not limited to a snack, 1-2 diet Cokes, a water bottle, 2-3 bottles of sunscreen, hairbands, a hat, an epipen, sunglasses, bug spray, deodorant, books, magazines, and sixteen different lip balms/glosses/sticks/what-have-you.   Secondly, it probably needs to be on the cheaper side because if somebody's goldfish crackers get soggy at the pool and stuck in the bottom of a Prada bag that can put a damper on a gal's day. 

The Sak Cambria Large Crochet Tote comes in a ton of different color/pattern options and is marked down to $59.40 from $99.00 which is some sort of percentage off that I don't feel like trying to figure out, but it sounds like a good deal.



This Multi-stripe Tote from Old Navy is on sale for $19.00.  It used to be $24.94.  I worked the math on my calculator for you and that comes to a savings of $5.94.  Not just $5.00.  You get a whole extra 94 cents.  Y'all, I believe that is called STICKING IT TO THE MAN.

Summer Lip Balm/Stick/Gloss/What-have-you

Clinique Black Honey Almost LipStick has been on all kinds of beauty must-have lists for as long as I can remember.  I am late to this particular party, but I bought it last week and I love it.  It's very sheer - so much so that at first you think it's clear, but after a few minutes, a subtle color shows up.  I think it's perfect for summer when you might not want a heavy color.

Summer Dress

Besides the fact that everyone loves a summer dress, for many people summer time means a whole mess of wedding showers and/or baby showers which require a cute summer dress.  The ship has sailed on those types of parties for me, but it seems that a new ship is arriving called the graduation party.  This makes me equal parts proud of my friends' children and confused because I promise you it was just yesterday that the moms on the block all met up to watch our first crop of neighborhood babies hop on the bus to Kindergarten.  Oh my gosh.  DO NOT BLINK, friends. DON'T DO IT.  And don't think about the fact that your very own first born is a mere 24 months away from graduation.  DEAR SWEET LORD.  DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT.  Just get back to the dress.

I bought this Triple Eyelet Shift Dress from JCrew in both black and white recently because I couldn't decide.  Drew chose the white, but Sister chose the black.  With all due respect to Drew's ability to match his Nike Elites to his Nike Shorts to his Nike shirt, I went with Sister's choice.  Also, my best friend's girl is going off to college and I need to be a strong, steady, rock solid support system for her.  A big mess of black mascara tears on my white dress would kinda blow that whole plan.

I'm a sucker for green any time of year so I really like the Verdant Garden Mini Dress from Anthropologie.

Espadrille Wedge Sandals

There are a gazillion options for espadrilles this summer with varying heel heights and price points.  I love these Adam Tucker Bethany multistripe sandals. I think these Toni Pons Lloret-5 wedge espadrilles above are my favorite though.   They come in taupe, red and black.  Toni Pons also makes these striped ones and they are awfully cute, too.


Summer Tunes
My ears have a gigantic crush on Ed Sheeran's music.  I think his new CD might be the perfect music for a summer night on the porch.  It's possible I watched his performance at the Grammys with John Mayer about five times.  Also, speaking of crushes, I think my whole self has a crush on John Mayer.

Farmer's Market

One of the best parts of every summer is the Farmer's Market.  I am determined to have my kids branch out in the vegetable department this summer.  They are not great with vegetables and I have to admit that due to some PTSD, I've not been good about encouraging them in awhile.  When Kyle was about 3 or 4 I told the pediatrician that it was really difficult to get him to eat vegetables.  The pediatrician's brilliant plan was to give Kyle a few minutes to name one new vegetable he would try that very night and if he couldn't come up with one, then the doctor would choose one and he had to promise to try it.  Kyle clamped his mouth shut and stared him down.  The doctor chose broccoli.

You wanna know what will scar a mom for quite some time and throw a wrench in her carefully laid plans to raise her children up with a deep love for locally grown produce?

Cleaning up a table full of broccoli vomit.

Anyway, in the ten years since that medically sound advice, I've done the best I can, but I have a renewed sense of purpose this year.  My friend, Elizabeth, has the most beautiful posts about the farmer's market and shares some amazing recipes.  I'm hoping to GO HERE frequently this summer.

So I think that's it, friends.  What are you lovin' for summer this year?  Leave a comment.  Leave a link.  Just no broccoli recipes, please.

Winter (Not) Lovin': AKA Time to Get a Restraining Order

Y'all.

Winter is stalking us.  It has become the new Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.

It was pretty clear to me that Winter had taken a trip to Crazytown when I got a call at 6:20 am this morning that school would be closed due to accumulating snow and/or ice today.  A day which my calendar assures me is MARCH 20TH.  As soon as I hung up the phone, I could've sworn I heard Winter hiss,

"I will not be ig-NORED, Dan."

So before we find a bunny rabbit boiling in a pot on the stove, I'm going to go ahead and squeak out a Winter Lovin' post. 

But listen up, you psycho freak Winter, Sweetheart.  Put the icicle down and slowly step away.  March 20th is as far as you get.  You must stay within a court ordered number of miles and days of us which is no where near our fair city, ok?  We don't love you.  You're not our type.  There is nothing to be done about it.  Even the stores are tired of you.  They are selling your stuff for almost no dollars and cents, so I will do you this favor and feature you here in the blog today. But, then be on your way, ok? 

(The above is why the young folk will never read my blog.  How sad that a Fatal Attraction movie reference would be lost on those of a certain age.  Of course, those pesky young things do have the Google, don't they?  They'll figure it out.) 

Ok, SERIOUS sales are happening.  The only glitches are that you have to be quick and sizes can be limited.  I believe in you though.  So focus, click, decide.  No dilly-dallying.  Here we go.

Puffer Jacket from JCrew

THIS  jacket was originally $188.00 and now it's on sale for $59.99, but THEN if you put it the code SPRINGSALE at checkout you can get it for $34.99!  WHAT?  Winter is desperate, y'all.  (And also, it's lightweight, so will still be good for Spring nights at the ballpark or early mornings on the soccer field.)

Wool Melton Swing Coat from JCrew

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, Sister had a great swing coat.  When I think back on that time, I think of that swing coat. I'm sure it had giant shoulder pads and also it's likely that underneath it, Sister wore a plaid drop waist dress with a lace collar.  Still, I have fond memories of the swing of that coat. I think Sister was caught right smack in the middle of a fashion-do and a fashion-don't.  THIS one from JCrew is a really pretty color.  The best news is that it was originally $366, but with the sale and the code, you can have this coat for $104 and some cents. I'm not good at math but that seems like about 327% off.

Cabled Ella Pull Over

I saw THIS way back in January at Anthropologie  and I was so close to buying it.  Now I know that we want to buy sleeveless shirts and shorts right now.  I know we cannot bear to consider cable knit anything at this late date.  But, Friend, just as sure as I'm sitting here, there are snowflakes coming out of the sky.  And the thing is this adorable sweater was $118 and now is on sale for just $29.99.  So I would even support one purchasing this on the hottest day in August.  I mean, it's a free country and a country in which most of us have closets, so you can save it for later.  You and I both know that just about the only thing you can usually get at Anthro for $29.99 is a candle, so somebody, please hop on this right quick.

Spanish Chicken Stew with Almonds at Panera
It is a sad fact that, unless you get really fired up about a Five Dollar Footlong,  my neighborhood has very few adequate places for a gal to meet her friends for lunch,. 

(Let's pause here and let perspective smack the spoiled brat blogger right up side the head so that she understands that no, that is not even a remotely sad fact.  It doesn't register on the sad scale at all, Shallow Suzie.)

Ok.  We do have a Panera which I find enjoyable.  This winter I have been a fan of the Spanish Chicken Stew which is not even pictured on the website and which is not on sale for 7,000 percent off as far I know.  But it is really good and perfect if it's freezing outside and you want to eat something hot while asking your girlfriend to pray for you so that you will stop being a spineless clod of grievances about the lack of hip eateries in your 'hood.  THESE BROTH BOWLS, despite the very unfortunate name, are really yummy, too.

Books

Ok, books are really an all year long thing, but I've read a ton this winter.  I got on a kick of reading memoirs by funny women this winter and I do believe those books might have saved me from spending a boatload of cash on psychotherapy, prescription drugs and mint chocolate chip ice cream to manage my Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I read Amy Poehler's Yes, Please, Tina Fey's Bossypants, Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  and Home is Where My People Are by Sophie Hudson, the author of the adorable and hilarious blog, Boo Mama.  I'm pretty sure all of these books annoyed the fire out of my husband because I would burst out laughing reading them while he was trying to fall asleep.  And then later when he was almost asleep, I would turn out the light and try to fall asleep myself and I would remember something from one of the books and start laughing again.  So, it's not easy to share a bed with me, but it's not my fault he asked me to marry him.

Boots
There are eleventy million pairs of boots on sale at Nordstrom.  I'm not gonna even link there.  Just go on.

Well, that'll be it now, Winter.  Game over.  Move out.  Skeedattle.  Don't let the door hit you on the way out.  We don't want to have to call Anne Archer out of retirement to come shoot you in the bathtub when that creepy bubble comes out of your nose.

Vacation Lovin': aka Get Me the Heck Outta Here

Dear Winter,

When I got in the car today to take Drew to school it was so bright and sunny that I needed my sunglasses.  But the thing is that it was only 20 degrees.  So that shiny sun was just a big, fat trick.  That's not even funny, Winter.  Not one bit.  And you keep freaking out all the school officials by threatening giant snowfall and then spitting some sort of pathetic icy rain at us just in time for them to call the whole thing off.  That's not funny either.  Also, Dude. The wind.  Stop that.

Love Intense Dislike,
Jenn

Y'all I'm totally ready to bust out of here. 

Because of that, I have spent many hours clicking on all the emails I keep getting with subject lines shouting,  "Rock the Resort"  and "Escape in Style" and "We Have Your 2015 Vacation Essentials". Which I find equal parts fun and creepy.  Fun because I am actually going to go on a small vacation soon and creepy because I can't figure out how the internet knows this.  Anyway, I'm going to stop freaking out about how "the man" knows exactly what I'm thinking all the time and just share with you freezing cold friends o' mine some of the vacation items that I'm lovin' for 2015.  Hopefully, you can use some of them in a sunny spot soon.  If not, it's just fun to think about it at least.

SUNGLASSES
The good news is that you can use sunglasses now, even up here in the cold parts of the country, because of those tricks that Winter pulls by letting the sun shine even when it's so cold your eyeballs start to freeze.  I had to break down and buy prescription sunglasses because OLD.  And really, I have to be able to read by the pool or on the beach because otherwise I talk to my husband too much about things like . . .oh, I don't know. . . vacation essentials and the like.  We've been married for twenty years so if I want to keep that streak alive, I need to be sure I have a good book and that I can actually see the words in said book when we are on vacay together so I don't yap too much.  It's one of the secrets to our marriage.

These KATE SPADE FLYNN AVIATORS will keep my marriage from dissolving on our vacation.

I also like these CLASSIC WAYFARER SUNGLASSES

SWIMSUITS
I think this is an adorable TOMMY BAHAMA BIKINI  And you know, I love me some stripes.

I also like THIS from Anthropologie.  It comes in blue also..

OCEAN SIDE BEACH PANTS
These might be a need.  because I can wear a bikini only if I am sitting my tush down on a chair.  If I want to walk anywhere - even three steps to get my People magazine that might have blown away in the breeze - I am gonna need to cover up my tush with these.

COVER UPS
These by Lemlem are sold at Anthropologie.com.  The are pretty pricey for something that you are supposed to just throw over your wet swimsuit, but the good news is that apparently this company was founded by an Ethiopian model to help struggling weavers in her country.  So you'll feel a little better spending the big bucks on them.  They are so pretty, aren't they??

VACATION PERFUME?
Now I would hardly consider a new perfume a vacation essential, but don't you just feel like you might need to have a perfume called Beach for a getaway?  Unless, of course, it smells like seagull poop.  I mean, it totally could.  I've no idea what this smells like.  I just like the name and the bottle.

SANDALS
I have to admit that I just went to Old Navy to buy myself a brand spankin' new pair of black rubber flipflops because I CANNOT live without them.  They cost me a whopping $2.93.  THESE FROM SOUTH MOON UNDER are cute also.  They are on sale, but they only have very small sizes available. 

GIANT TOTE BAG
This is definitely an essential because a gal needs her sunscreen and sunglasses and hairbands and chapstick and books and Iphone and magazines and water bottle and diet coke and the rest of the kitchen sink with her at the pool.  I have THIS DOONEY & BOURKE NYLON SHOPPER in black and white stripe. It's a reasonable price and it wipes clean really easily.  I don't see the stripe offered but there are four solid colors available at Nordstrom.

JUMPSUIT?
Listen, I'm going to be honest.  I'm not down with the jumpsuit trend.  I just think it's getting awfully close to us thinking that it's okay for grown women to wear overalls again.  I spent the majority of my 30s in overalls which fills me with a great deal of shame and regret.  It's a slippery slope, y'all.  That's all I'm saying.  But maybe you disagree.  It's really none of my business and it appears that the fashion world loves the jumpsuit, so this one might be cute for a night out on  your vacay.  And this gal looks like she's having such fun that she's about to actually jump in her jumpsuit, so there's that.

Well, that's all, I've got for now, friends.  I really hope you find some non-fake sun soon.  I don't mean the kind that shines when it's 30 degrees.  I mean the kind that burns your skin and goes really well with a drink with an umbrella.  But if you aren't able to find that, just bundle up and do some online shopping next to a 100 watt lightbulb.  And you go right ahead and put an umbrella in your coffee.  It might be a mostly cold country, but it's darn sure a free country, for heaven's sake.