Save the Drama for Your Mama: A Beach Bard's Good-bye

Elin Hilderbrand's Golden Girl (not to be confused with The Golden Girls or even Hilderbrand's earlier novel, Silver Girl) has all the usual Hilderbrand elements.  The gorgeous Nantucket beaches, the patina of Nantucket privilege.  And, of course, the tragedy that wreaks ripples of havoc.  But Golden Girl has one thing that Hilderbrand's twenty-six other novels don't: a dead heroine.

Fifty-two-year-old Vivian "Vivi" Howe is the titular golden girl.  A successful novelist and divorced mother of three grown children, she becomes the victim of a hit and run accident on her own street.  The search for the driver is the book's central conflict.  But it's Vivi's afterlife that's really interesting.  Her guardian angel "person" guides her to the "boho-chic greenroom of her dreams" (and yes, it's painted green, or rather, Benjamin Moore's Parsley Snips).  She'll remain there for the summer, allowed to connect with her children only by giving each a "nudge" in his or her time of need, before moving on to the choir.  This got my attention.  I've always thought of heaven, the great beyond, or whatever, as a place of infinite possibility, not a place hemmed in by its own rules.  Isn't that what Earth is for?!  But if fiction has taught me anything, then it's that 1) only trouble is interesting, and 2) we don't always get to see dead people -- or, less disturbingly, the ghosts of the people we love. 

Top: Jessica Simpson, Belk's; Shorts: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Belt: Hand-me-down from Mom; Shoes: Chaps, Kohl's; Bag: Olivia Miller, TJ Maxx; Sunglasses: Party City; Bangle: INC, Macy's; Beaded bracelets: Mixit, JCPenney

That distressing tidbit aside, Mother Vivi in the Clouds makes for an apt plot device.  A spirit peering down at her children is a new way for Hilderbrand to weave the intrigue that her readers (this one included!) have come to expect and rely on.  Golden Girl has the extra layer of Vivi's own beyond-the-grave drama.  She's just released her latest novel, which happens to be her most autobiographical, and it reveals a secret about her past.  Hilderbrand gives us glimpses of Vivi's pre-Nantucket life in Parma, Ohio to tell a nostalgic tale about her first love, rocker Brett Caspian.  Although Vivi and Brett's song is Journey's "Stone in Love," their world feels more like John Mellencamp's Middle America.  It's romantic and edgy yet wholesome, adding dimension to Vivi's narrative, bookending her life as we know it and providing, among other things, some much-needed closure.

Unburied Treasure Necklace

That said, according to the Target exclusive afterward, Golden Girl is Elin Hilderbrand's most autobiographical novel too.  Yet even without that admission, any Hilderbrand fan knows that Vivi is a reflection of Elin.  I love how Hilderbrand has fun with this, even going as far as to speculate what her fellow islanders think of her in sections cheekily labeled "Nantucket."  (Hilderbrand's books are always broken down into sections marked by the characters' names, giving each character a point of view.  Her ability to alternate between voices is one of the things about her writing I admire the most.)  In this sense, Nantucket is a character, everyone and no one at the same time.

Golden Girl gets the gold for sure.  And not just for making us wonder what happens when we get to that big boho-chic greenroom in the sky.  But because it reminds us of what's important while we're still here on Earth.

By which, of course, I mean the fudge brownie batter ice cream at the Juice Bar.     

Pastel Yell: Fluff is Enough

Skirt: So, Kohl's; Shoes: Anne Michelle, JCPenney; Sunglasses: Amazon; Bag: Francesca's; Striped and orange bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Beaded bracelets: So, Kohl's

Top: Crave Fame, Macy's

Mint Candy Bow Necklace

Top: Yellow top: Forever 21; Skirt: Mossimo, Target; Belt: Candie's, Kohl's; Sunglasses: Amazon; Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Striped bangles: B Fabulous; Yellow bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Rose bracelet: Francesca's; Green bracelet: Parade of Shoes; purple bracelet: Etsy

Top: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Purple Candy Bow Necklace

Cardigan: So, Kohl's; Camisole: Mudd, Kohl's; Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Shoes: B.A.I.T., Zulily; Sunglasses: Amazon; Bag: Amazon; Lilac bangle: Don't Ask, Zulily; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous

Yellow Candy Bow Necklace

Skirt: Indigo Rein, Macy's; Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, DSW; Sunglasses: Amazon; Bag: SHEIN; Beaded bracelets: So, Kohl's; Flower bracelet: Belk's; Watch: Zulily

Top: Crave Fame, Macy's

Pink Candy Bow Necklace

As a kid, I loved to play dress up (I know, I know, big surprise).  Few things made me happier than piling on the bangles, necklaces, and Lady Lovely Locks clips, even if just with a sweat suit, and I'd convince my sister and cousin to join in.  It made me feel like I could be anyone -- but also, at the same time, myself.

These candy bow necklaces remind me of that.  And also of carnival treats.  They, and these outfits, are all about color and sugar, a real cotton candy aesthetic.  I had a grand time making them and time traveling too.  

Speaking of which, I still remember my first bag of cotton candy.  I was five, and it was a delicate blue except for the places where my spit or sweat had touched it and turned it turquoise.  I was entranced by this whimsical witchcraft, cramming fistfuls into my mouth as my family and I walked along the Ocean City boardwalk.  When I'd spotted the blue bag dangling in the window of one of the snack shacks, I was more intrigued by its color than what it might taste like.  So it was a bonus when I realized that it was delicious.  It made those sticky fingers so worth it!

To this day, I still enjoy a cotton candy Rita's water ice or two every summer.  Just as I enjoy wearing this (okay, a replica of this) cotton candy barrette I made many summers ago.  Instead of a blue bag, I went for the retro stick style in not one but three colors.  Like the spun sugar confection itself, it's an oldie but goodie that still makes me smile.

Fabulous Felt Cotton Candy Barrette

You hear that, summer?  I miss you.  Hurry up and get here already!

Ptomaine Gain: Hawaii, Here We Come

Imagine that you land an all-expense-paid luxury vacation in Maui.  Each day is filled with five-star meals, postcard-perfect sunsets, and lazy afternoons by the pool.  Now imagine that you're only there because your twin sister and her husband got food poisoning from the seafood buffet at their wedding.  And that your travel buddy is the groom's brother -- also known as the dude you hate most.

Now you've got the hang of Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners.  Olive Torres and Ethan Thomas are determined to make the most of their island idyll without killing each other.  Yet other challenges await, including 1) run-ins with randos from home, 2) discovering their siblings' secret, and 3) realizing that they -- gasp -- like each other.  

Entertaining, funny, and surprisingly sweet, The Unhoneymooners is buoyed by banter yet deepened by dialogue that delves much more than sunburn deep.  Will Olive and Ethan's cheeseburger in paradise morph into a meatloaf in Minnesota?  Or will life outside their bubble send them back to the (unsexy kind of) wrestling ring?  I'm not at liberty to say.  But one thing's for sure.  The Unhoneymooners reinforces something I've always known.

No matter what, avoid the buffet.

Spring Fur Sure, A Lamb at the Door, and Also Sometimes Some Turquoise

Jacket: Sunset & Sixth, JCPenney

Red Planet Janet Necklace

Skirt: I Heart Ronson, JCPenney

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Coral bangle: Silver Lining, Ocean City; Maroon bangle: Iris Apfel for INC, Macy's; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Skirt: Hollister, Marshalls

Get in Gear Necklace

Sweater: GAP

Heart of Hearts Barrette Brooch

Skirt (a dress!): Three Pink Hearts, Kohl's

Bag: TJ Maxx

Top: Jessica Simpson Collection, Amazon

Bangle: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Belts: Hand-me-downs from Mom; Headband: INC, Macy's; Necklace: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney

Tights: Xhilaration, Target; Shoes: Nine West, Zulily

After an unusually snowy winter, spring is finally here!  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the air smells like hope and grass clippings.  And also . . . it's still kind of chilly.  At least it is here in New Jersey, where spring doesn't so much arrive as make a guest appearance and clear out for the diva that is summer.  But I'm not complaining.  Because it gives me an excuse to flaunt my faux furs (summer's not the only diva), a luxury I'll enjoy until that menacing March lion retreats for good.

Fur or no fur, I am springing forward with one fresh new something: makeup!  I know I've mentioned this before, but back in high school, I collected cosmetics.  I had Caboodles full of lipsticks and eyeshadows in every color.  But like so many women, as I grew older and wiser, I narrowed my stash down to what worked -- Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick and Cover Girl Champagne eyeshadow.  And save for the occasional rogue impulse purchase, I never looked back.  The only way I'd ever wear gold lipstick again was if it was Halloween and I was going as C-3PO.  But then not too long ago, I crossed paths with some dangerously dark blue Revlon eyeshadow, followed by prettily packaged Sephora lipsticks and bright L'Oreal eyeshadow quads (buy two get one free at Walgreens!) that I just couldn't resist.  Entranced by their sleek newness and alluring shades, I uttered a silent apology to my tried-and-trues and thought, why not?  

Pink lipstick: Celebrate; Red lipstick: A Little Magic; Sephora, Kohl's 

Turquoise eyeshadow: Avant Garde Azure; Purple eyeshadow: Voilet Amour; Silver eyeshadow: Silver Couture; L'Oreal, Walgreens

Here I am trying out my new red lipstick and turquoise eyeshadow:

Headband: So, Kohl's; Top: BCX, Macy's

The eyeshadow is more intense than I expected, like the taste of birthday cake ice cream.  And I am committing the twin cardinal cosmetics sins of 1) matching my eyeshadow to my outfit and 2) rocking a bold lip and eye instead of just one or the other.  But I don't care; I love it!  (Cue the Icona Pop, people.)  It's fun to have an alternative to my go-to palette.  It makes me feel like the possibilities are endless.  Like I have a technicolor time machine and am sixteen again, browsing the beauty aisle at Thrift Drug.  That was a time when a new pot of lip gloss -- like lots of '90s girls, I was into the fruit flavors from Naturistics --could change your life.  Or at least make you think it could.   

But then, I guess that's the magic of makeup.  And of youth and rejuvenation.

So, in other words, spring.

Last Call, Last Brawl: Shamrock Shock Rocks Tinker's Cove

It's another holiday weekend, and that means another Leslie Meier mystery, this time St. Patrick's Day Murder.  As always, don't be fooled by the cartoonish cover.  Because in Tinker's Cove, Maine, it isn't all gold and Guinness.  There's been another murder, and part-time Pennysaver reporter and sleuth Lucy Stone's got to get to the bottom of it.  The victim is an Irishman named Old Dan, and few are losing sleep over his passing.  As owner of the aptly named Bilge bar, Old Dan had lots of enemies, including pissed-off (not to mention pissed) patrons, disgruntled employees, and even a family of show folk fresh from the Emerald Isle.  Yet unpopular or not, Lucy intends to get to the bottom of Old Dan's death.  Especially because this was no ordinary homicide.  You've heard of the Headless Horseman.  Well, now meet the headless barkeep.  That's right.  Old Dan's body was discovered sans its noggin.  Irish lore starring evil fairies and black crows ups the creepiness factor.  But our intrepid Lucy keeps looking for answers and quick, before her own luck runs out. 

So whatever you do and whatever you read, make the most of this St. Patrick's Day weekend.  

Just don't -- ha ha -- lose your head.

Yellow Brick Mode, Clover Day Way

Coat: Anthropologie, Zulily

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Necklace: Candie's, Kohl's; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Ring: Express; Barrette: Buffalump, Etsy

Dress: GYK, Zulily

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Crazy Clover Necklace

Sweater: Hooked Up, Macy's

Bangles: B Fabulous; Bag: Target; Dark green scrunchie: Target; Kelly green scrunchie: So, Kohl's

Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's; Tank: Kohl's

Necklace: Modcloth; Headband: Zulily

Jeans: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Scarf: Zulily; Fabulous Felt Erin Brooch: The Tote Trove; Ring: Wet Seal; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Watch: Boscov's; Bag: Wild Fable, Target 

This St. Patrick's Day, I didn't get around to getting a Shamrock Shake.  But I did wear my green and then some!  Coat of many colors?  Check.  Pot of gold purse?  You know it.  Multicolored but still mostly green scarf?  Couldn't salute St. Patrick without it.  Together, these pieces formed a rainbow, making this rainy day a bit brighter.  As did thinking of clover and Clover Day and Strawbridge & Clothier.  

For those of you not from the New Jersey-Pennsylvania-Delaware area, Strawbridge & Clothier was a local department store on a par with or maybe a slight cut above Macy's.  Its beautiful flagship location was in Philadelphia, but my mom used to take my sister and me to the one at the Echelon Mall (except for one Christmas when the whole fam trekked to the one in the City of Brotherly Love to walk through Dickens's A Christmas Carol display, an experience that turned out to be more frightening than visiting Santa).  Even as an adult, I enjoyed going to the store in the Echelon Mall once in a while (it was super close to my dentist).  Then it got bought out by Macy's in 2006.  I still went, but it wasn't the same.  

In addition to Strawbridge & Clothier's wonderful merchandise, I also really liked the name.  Strawbridge.  It was like a cross between a strawberry and a drawbridge, which appealed to kid (and, okay, grown-up) me.  Speaking of wordplay, the parent company had a discount chain called Clover, and because of this, sale days at Strawbridge & Clothier were called Clover Days.  

Which is how I brought this bad boy back to the topic at hand.

Thanks for understanding, Pat.  I knew you would.           

Colorform Storm

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's

Scrunchies: So, Kohl's; Lady Arya, Zulily

Sweater: Express; Necklace (no name): The Tote Trove

Bag: Wild Fable, Target

Sweater: IZ Buyer, Kohl's

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Hat: Wild Fable, Target

Sock: Zulily; Shoe: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Top: L'Amour by Nanette Lepore for JCPenney

Headbands: INC, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Sweatshirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Pink necklace: H&M; Other necklace: (no name) The Tote Trove

Slim green, slim orange, and chunky yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Chunky fuchsia and chunky orange bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Mustard bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Necklace (no name): The Tote Trove

Dress: Rewind, Kohl's

Tourist Trap Charm Necklace

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Remember Colorforms?  Maybe you, your kids, or your grandkids played with them as way back as the '50s when they first came out, or as recently as yesterday.  I came to know them in the '80s, when I had a Rainbow Brite set.  And then I became reacquainted with them when I bought a Hello Kitty set on my honeymoon.        

This week, this sweater made me think of them again.  The turquoise, magenta, and yellow remind me of their adorable little mascot:

How could he not be happy, drenched in such cheerful color?  I like to think I'm like him in that way, playing with clothes like they're crayons, getting a fresh sheet of paper each day. 

Shakespeare said that all the world is a stage, but maybe it's a coloring book.