Paper or Plastics: Lean, Mean, Reading Machine

Just when I thought that Little Golden Books couldn't get more pop culture cute, the husband came home from the grocery store with -- yes -- the Mean Girls edition.  I was so excited, I read it to Charlotte immediately.  She was less than enthused, forsaking the mid-aughts classic to chew on some (hopefully clean) socks.  But I read on, impressed by how the brain trust at Little Golden Books was able to capture the heart and humor of the story in so few pages.  They even included "You go, Glen Coco!", a fan -- and personal -- favorite.

That said, the age-old message of Mean Girls will surely resonate with Charlotte someday.  

For now I'm just grateful that her biggest conundrum is whether to eat her food or wear it.

Easter in an Eggshell: Fashion Firsts

Fascinator: Amazon

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Dress: Macy's Backstage

Bonnet Sonnet Necklace

Bag: Dolls Kill; Bracelet: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Char Bar and Memom

For Charlotte's first Easter, I wanted to get her a really special dress.  And when I was browsing Macy's Backstage, I found it: a satin party frock appliqued with bright yellow flowers and a matching cardigan.  So I was only too happy to make it my -- excuse me, Charlotte's -- own.

The bonnet was my mom's contribution.  Well, that and two bunny-bedecked pants sets, but it's the bonnet that's important.  Because, as my mom used to sing to me, every little girl must have an Easter bonnet "with all the frills upon it" and "be the grandest lady in the Easter parade."  Even if that parade is just a lap around the dessert table.

Just as every mom must make a hat necklace to match her fascinator. 👒💐

Procrastination Proclamation: A Treatise on Not Hopping to It

Dress: Macy's; Blouse: SHEIN

Bunny: Marshalls

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Boscov's

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: ELLE, Kohl's

Bunnies: Peeps, Kohl's

Bag: Current Mood, Dolls Kill

Barrettes: SHEIN

Wreath, eggs: Michaels

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

It's finally here: my Peter Cottontail-come-lately Easter content.  So what if Easter is less than a day away?  There's still plenty of time to get crackin'.  But Tote Trove Lady, you may say, if you're trying to sell a product or be an influencer, then you should really post holiday stuff weeks or even months in advance.  Wait, what's that?  You're (mostly) not trying to become an entrepreneur or social media star?  You can't even influence your baby to stop licking lamps or grabbing your throat?  You just do this to distract yourself from the horrible things going on in the world not to mention inside your own head?  Then, by all means, take as much time as you need.  Heck, take a page out of Blink-182's book and have Halloween on Christmas.  That might be kind of cute, jack-o'-lanterns in Santa hats.

So, Easter.  Despite it being my favorite holiday, I find myself, as I so often do, one egg short of an omelet.  Because it's work, baby, work, baby, work, baby, work right up until the pastel parade.  But fatigue be darned, I love that parade and won't let myself miss it.  So I'm ignoring my grease-grimed stovetop and cobweb-choked stairs and breaking out the bunnies.  This year, I was careful to place them far from the floor, well out of Char Bar's reach.  Because she's suddenly a little crawling machine, and no crumb or knickknack is safe.

Speaking of Charlotte, I found her the sweetest Easter dress.  And myself a pretty sweet skirt.  But more on that post-holiday.

For now I need to sign some cards and bag some gifts.

Because those cobwebs aren't going to weave themselves.   

A Secret Online and a Crime of Our Times: Another Medal in Meddling

My sister chose our last book club pick, and she went with Jesse Q. Sutanto's follow-up to Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, which is -- what else? -- Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man).  Still revved up from finding a body in her teahouse, Vera is ripe to solve another whodunit.  So, in true Vera fashion, she snoops in her son's detective girlfriend's files in search of a fresh felony.

Influencer Xander Lin has been found dead by what appears to be suicide.  But Vera's Spidey senses are tingling, telling her that there's more to the Instagram story.  So what if she herself just got scammed from a robocall?  She knows that she's smarter than most, just as she knows she cooks the crispiest pork belly in San Francisco.  Armed with this arrogance confidence -- and food -- she ingratiates herself with the suspects, just as she did in her sleuthing debut.  Sometimes irritating and always entertaining, Vera stops at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means pulling back the curtain on online life and rising to social media stardom.

I enjoyed Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) even more than the original.  Sutanto makes us care about Vera, an intrusive old lady who emerges as somehow endearing.  What's more, she infuses laugh-out-loud humor into what shapes up to be a dark drama while also delving into what it really means to be an influencer.  Indeed, the theme of perception vs. reality is as relevant as it is chilling, giving anyone who posts anything a lot to think about long after Vera swoops in to ingeniously, preachily, save the day.

Yacht Rock at the Dock: Lint Balls Before Squalls

Sunglasses: A New Day, Target

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Necklace: Amrita Singh, Zulily

Oranges to ward off scurvy and a banana to make them smile.

Bag: Sugar Thrillz, Dolls Kill

Skirt: Marshalls

Charlotte's bath boats.

Bag: INC, Macy's

Sweater: Nautica, Amazon

Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Sweater: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Olivia Miller, JCPenney

Skirt: Trixxi, Kohl's

Sweater: Banned, ModCloth

Bag: Liz Claiborne, JCPenney

Skirt: Almost Famous, Kohl's

Rainbow Glow Necklace

Sailing.

Bag: Royal Monk, ModCloth

Sweater: Nautica, Amazon

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, Amazon

Headband: Scunci, CVS

What better way to enjoy a cozy, nautical-themed sweater than on a boat ride?  Picture it.  The wind in your hair, salt spray in the air, and seagulls circling overhead.  But before I wax too J. Peterman poetic, I should point out that you're downing a Dramamine with warm ginger ale and sporting an armload of motion sickness bracelets like an uncool Cyndi Lauper.

That said, I skipped the boat and wore my skipper-esque sweaters on the safety of solid ground.

Because the only Poseidon Adventure I need is keeping the drain -- and boat toys -- clean. 

Musical Pairs: The Old Switcheroo Made Shiny and New

As romcoms go, Emily Henry's Funny Story is classic screwball.  Daphne Vincent's and Miles Nowak's significant others have ditched them to be together, leaving them no choice but to shack up and launch their own buzzworthy albeit faux romance.  Somewhere between farm stand crawls and action flicks, they catch feelings, and drama ensues.  Still, Funny Story isn't any old meet-cute courtship couched in a summer-at-the-lake montage.  Because, like all of Henry's romances, it hums with cerebrally sexy, soul-baring wit and emotion.  No-nonsense librarian Daphne and stoner-with-a-heart-of-gold Miles are so flawed and quirky that you feel like you know them.  I especially love Daphne's love of books and what she tells Miles about it:

"I like that it feels like I can live as many lives as I want." (127)

Same, Daphne, same.

Devil-may-care yet tender Miles is just who Daphne needs to venture outside her comfort zone.  Just as whiteboard plan-plotting but sensitive Daphne is who Miles needs to rein himself in.  That said, these characters are complex and layered, belying their tidy stereotypes.  Their love story may not be as glossy as the ones they shared with their exes.  But it's most definitely fun and funny and real.

And that's a win because at the end of the day, our stories are all that we have. 

Red, Yellow, and Blue: The Core Color Crew

Sweater: Forever and Ever, Kohl's

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Mom's lemon bars.

Dress: ModCloth

Bag: Dancing Days by Banned, ModCloth

Top: Nine West, Kohl's

The husband's tools of the trade.

Shoes: Nine West, Zulily

Headband: Goody, Target

Flame Game Necklace

Bag: Mellow World, Kohl's

Top: ModCloth

It seems like it's always time for the primaries.  But before you can say, "Tote Trove Lady, are you crazy?  You can't make jokes like that in today's political climate!," I'll say this: I'm only crazy about color, especially red, yellow, and blue -- the trio, triumvirate, and trifecta that give way to every other hue in the rainbow.

I love how primary colors mix to make everything from green trees to purple grapes to orange sunsets.  Also, how they morph into Snow White, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Bread with a whirl of the gown, cape, or circusy circles.

And that's why I wear them so often and am wearing them today.

Magical, memorable, and, dare I say, matriarchal.

That's the power of primaries.

Even if I was tempted to say the power of Pine-Sol instead.