Finding Bliss at Claire's Boutique

Last night, Emma and I had one of our famous Girls Night Out. The highlight of the evening was our fabulous pilgrimage to the Mecca For Little Girls: Claire's Boutique.

Emma was dressed to the 9s, sporting a tea-length, shimmery, burgundy party dress, a matching burgundy scarf, a Hannah Montana handbag, and black sequined high heels. Her hair was done up in an elegant pony tail, finished off with a pink crystal bobby pin. Her look was killer. (I, on the other hand, wore my comfy jeans, a new white blouse that showed way too much boobie whenever I sat down, and my reliable brown suede kitten heels. Not anything to sneeze at, certainly, but I paled in comparison to my companion.)

First, we went to Selby Library to return Emma's books and get her the next three in The Spiderwick Chronicles series. She reminded me that since we were having a Girls Night, we needed to walk with more sass. This included hip sways, hair tosses, and wrists ever-so-slightly bent in an I'm-too-cool-it-hurts sort of manner. We were definitely the hottest chicks in the library.

We then moved on to dinner. I took my gal-pal to Cafe Americano in downtown Sarasota, opting to dine at the outside veranda. I had a wonderful risotto with a glass of Montepulciano, and she had penne with meat sauce and a glass of Sprite. We both ate far too much bread, prompting the cute server to refill our basket. (Pish posh on the diet!) She and I shared spirited conversations about Italy, our summer plans, and the nutritional content of chicken nuggets.

The pinnacle of the evening came when we made the trek south on US41 to the Sarasota Square Mall. We had only an hour before the mall closed, and I knew that there was only one destination that was befitting two hot tamales like ourselves: Claire's Boutique. Walking the mall with the same sassafrass attitudes, we finally entered the Hallowed Halls of Colorful, Plastic Chinese Stuff. My daughter's face was priceless -- it was a mixture of awe, desire, and a little trepidation. After all, there is so much to choose from and only a finite amount of money to spend! (We previously agreed she could spend the $40 I recently took from her wallet when I needed some emergency cash. Ooops.) Emma resembled Charlie when he entered the Chocolate Factory. Slowly, carefully, she checked out all of the jewelry, baubles, hair accessories, makeup, and every other item that girls 7-13 go crazy for. I watched her navigate the store with that precious, I'm-only-a-little-girl-for-a-little-while look that simultaneously filled and broke my heart. It was pure Mommy bliss.



She chose some excellent items, ideal for the fashionista she is: neon hair extensions, a peace necklace, a pink kaleidoscope heart necklace, and a pack of silver toe rings that she will use as regular rings. I was pleased to see she didn't buy the Jonas Brothers tchotchkes, the Froot Loops lip balm, or the I Heart Boys purse. (Her comment upon seeing the last item was "Who on Earth would want to have this?!" Blessedly, I still have at least a few years left before she will be hearting and doing a little more than hearting boys.)

It was a perfect outing for Ms. and Miss Rose. Upon returning home, Em gave a mini-fashion show to her father who waxed enthusiastic about his daughter's new purchases. I beamed as I watched her relive the Claire's Extravaganza with her daddy and told myself, "Put this moment in the long-term memory bank. You will not want to forget it."

Thanks, Claire's, for the memory.

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For your consideration and/or comment:

Did you ever shop at Claire's?

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