BRIGHT IS BACK

This past late-summer, early-fall, my mom and I took my daughter Caroline on a little day trip to Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets, which is about an hour away from our house. My goal was to get a little bang for my buck in terms of Caroline's wardrobe, as she continues to grow like a weed! Fall fashion was full of browns, creams, oranges - typical for this time of year, and not necessarily my favorite choices for my baby girl. Now don't get me wrong - I absolutely love brown as a color, and use it all the time in my stationery designs and in my own accessories and clothes. As we speak, I'm in search of the perfect brown coat for myself. And I don't really mind a bit of it in Caroline's Fall spread but I longed for something a bit brighter to cheer us up as the weather turned cold. She needed clothes, though, so I had to settle, and I have to admit that it was nice to find mixy-matchy stuff no matter where we went - Baby Gap, Ralph Lauren Children, Carter's, Osh-Kosh... Without even noticing, I bought 3 pairs of brown pants for her - I mean, how many brown pants does a baby need?

Over the next few months, Caroline got a lot of wear out of her stuff, and I was able to pick up some cute stuff at Mini-Boden to satisfy my color cravings, but I somehow couldn't get past the fact that I was actually longing for Spring and Summer to be here. I found myself practically pacing in front of my computer, waiting for the post-Christmas online sales to be over (because pacing in front of the actual stores with Caroline practically requires that she wear a baby leash these days so that she won't take off...), as I knew my dreams would soon come true.

You know how you go into some stores or the mall in August and they are already getting the Santa "throne" set up for the Christmas holiday, only to be followed on January 2nd by the Easter Bunny? That kind of eagerness to move the calendar forward drives me nuts, with one exception: the launch of the Spring clothing lines at my favorite stores. I know that if I can just wait until mid-January, the marketing gurus at said stores will, much like the proverbial groundhog, use splashes of poppy pink and grassy green to signal that warmer weather is just around the corner. Not much makes me happier than buying a cute madras dress for my daughter from Baby Gap on January 8, even if it will be a bit before she'll be able to put it on. And while they are burning a hole in my pocket, I am resisting the urge to spend the fabulous J Crew gift certificate Steve gave me for Christmas on yet another sweater so that I can pick up something that makes me look more like I should be out on a boat or sitting on the beach at our house at the bay.

We're heading to our friends Christy and Mark's house in Bethany Beach, DE this weekend. While Steve and I were discussing the idea of making the trip, he asked casually, "What exactly are we going to do at the beach in 30+ degree weather?" Aside from relaxing, playing with the kids, and having a few cocktails at night, the answer is clear: outlet shopping! After all, I just got the signal, Spring is just around the corner!