from IKEA and American Girl, that is. We drove down to Hotlanta with Kimmie (our former nanny, who taught my girls all about “puskie” powder among many other funny things) and we stayed with her daughter Cara, who just got married to Drew. These two are as darling as they look in their wedding photos and that Drew has to be the kindest, most thoughtful, and most helpful boy on the planet. He was my personal assistant at IKEA (and trust me, you need one). He loaded, looked up numbers, played with my girls, loaded some more. And of course Kimmie and Cara were wonderful and most entertaining to shop with. Thank you all so much for your help! We also went to the American Girl store which was magical for the girls. The only thing more fun than going to AG is going with Kimmie who finds tiny kitchens and fake cupcakes absolutely delightful. The AG hair salon is a bit overrated. The not-so-friendly salon staff grabs the doll and says to Elea in an almost irritated voice “pick from one of these styles”. That in and of itself was a lie unless you call a spraying water and putting cheap ribbons in a “style”. Surly salon lady nowithstanding, the trip was fun for all. I then spent the next two days putting stuff together while Elea whined that her doll’s “hairstyle” was getting messed up already. The last picture is a sneak peek at our schoolroom/garage/playroom. It’s a work in progress but does seem to inspire us all to want to sit down and read a book!