what would Emma Pillsbury do?

Skirt: JCrew Factory. Sweater: JCrew Factory. Necklace: similar. Shoes: Steve Madden. Bag: Kate Spade. (similar here and here.) Sunglasses: Kate Spade.

Last night, I taught my oldest daughter how to shave her legs.  I feel like we both just experienced a rite of passage.  Me as a mother and her as a future woman.  It was pretty special, especially for hair removal.

Remember when you first learned to shave your legs?  I made such a mess of it, ug.  Soap everywhere.  I probably cut myself three times, and my legs still looked kind of hairy at the end.  Still not sure why.  In my defense, our razors were the worst back then.  They did not make good razors for women when I was a teenager.  Why??  We shave like ten times more of our bodies than men, why didn’t we get a decent razor??

Anyway, we do now, and Hannah’s experience when much smoother (pun intended).  I was thrilled and impressed by how gracefully she handled her baptism into the world of shaved legs.  Just like she has with every other step thus far.  So calm and steady, which is so her nature.  She’s meticulous.  (She gets that from my mother-in-law–she definitely didn’t get that from me.)  She had me carefully explain every step of the process, then she took over and did famously.

Do you ever stop swelling with pride when you’re kids do something well? I hope not.

Whenever I teach Hannah something new about being a women, how to apply nail polish, or straighten her hair or what shade gloss will go with her skin, (once she’s allowed to wear makeup) I always wonder what kind of style she’s going to grow into.  Right now, she loves bright colors (especially mint) and mixing prints.  Polka dots and stripes, florals.  She loves headbands and painting her nails.  She’s super creative with her earrings and she loves to accessorize.

I kind of picture Emma Pillsbury.  (you know, minus the neurotic OCD stuff.)

Remember when Glee first came out, (is that show still on??) and everyone went B-A-N-A-N-A-S for Emma Pillsbury’s wardrobe.  I did too.  I almost never watched that show, but her outfits, I stocked those religiously.  Whenever I wear a cardigan buttoned all the way up them tucked into a skirt I feel like I’m channelling my inner Emma Pillsbury.  She was basically the poster girl for J Crew during the show years.

Anyway, no matter how minimalistic the trends become, I’ll always be a sucker for bright colors, bold jewelry and stripes.  Which is why, I’ll never quit J.Crew factory.  This striped skirt basically had me at hello, and have you seen their whole line up for spring.  Swoon worthy.  I’ve got this mint blazer on it’s way to me. (Because mint, obviously.) It’s supposed to be cropped so hopefully the fit will work for me, I’ll let you know!

And week! Summer is coming… can you feel it?

Cue fresh squeezed lemonade, big sunglasses, open toe shoes, bold prints, stripes, bright colors, and lots of happy dancing.

I guess I’m starting to see where she gets it from…