So long, farewell...

Not really sure the exact day I heard

Perhaps 'twas from a little bird

Yes, it said you were soon to go away

Another retail season you could not stay

*

But who will tell us what to think

And voice herself out loud?

How will we know what things will sell

And others eh, not so well.

*

Once a Clever Girl, forever a Clever Girl,

we all want you to know.

And with that i phone in your hand

You'll never really go.

*

Dear Allie is off. She's flown away.

Drat your fancy MBA.

We wish you well, but it's not the end

You'll always be our CNN

*

BEST WISHES WITH YOUR NEW JOB ALLISON! WE'LL MISS YOU...

WAVE FROM THE TRAIN AS YOU GO BY

(Please, just don't lick the glass)

Homegrown Retail Roots

Enjoying a panini sandwich with a delicious, homegrown tomato the other day reminded me of my first "retail" experience. My best bud growing up was Bryan Rhodes, who lived right across the street, and he was my partner in crime back in the day. Ahh yes, the year of the juicy red tomato, and my first foray into the retail market...here's the deal...

Bryan and I had a great many childhood adventures: HOURS in the sandbox, swing set games, firefly hunting, and chasing after the big, mysterious trucks that came around spraying for mosquitoes at night (brilliant, right?) Each summer day began at the crack of dawn with a bowl of Lucky Charms and a glass of Tang, and then we met up and headed out for adventure. The two of us tried to light anthills on fire with magnifying glasses, ran through the sprinkler, and rode Big Wheels around the block HUNDREDS of times: Brian had the super-deluxe model, but I had the sandbox... His mom was an expert at bandaging our skinned knees, and my mom made the PB&J sandwiches just the way we liked them. Evenings usually ended with a marathon game of Ghost in the Graveyard and then collapsing into bed only to start all over again the next day.

For rainy days, Brian and I were also fans of the local dime store as a source for some of our summer entertainment. Yo-yo's, cards, silly putty, comic books and glider airplanes were always on our list, and we relished the chance to wander the long aisles covered in white linoleum flooring. Of course, allowance and Grandma's good will stretched only so far: Often we found ourselves in need of hard currency. However, while some kids did the Kool-Aid stand, we saw the cash potential of tomatoes. No 5-cents a glass for us--we wanted the big score. My dad had a ridiculously good bumper crop that year, so...tomatoes to the rescue. Up went our little store front at the curb, out came the bags of home grown tomatoes, and in came the customers..........we hit it big. Flush with cash for the rest of the summer, Bryan and I spent many hours perusing the isles of the 5-and-dime.

Ironically, some 30 years later, Clever Girl now occupies the very space of that old dime store. Our stock room still has the old white flooring, and I often remember the excitement of time spent wandering among the displays of toys and goodies. Happily, the space is still full of goodies--now just a little bit more "grown-up" goodies.

Summer Sale

A quick announcement...

As August is almost upon us, it is time to start the Summer Sale at Clever Girl!

Markdowns of 25%~60% have been taken on summer clothing, hats, sweaters and accessories. Hurry in for best selection on sizes and colors.......

Warm and Wonderful

Our newest favorite find.........Natural linen and leather for sun kissed days. Meet Spartina 449, a fresh and new handbag line that will set you apart from the rest. Choose from the playful pinks of the Sea Island collection, go blue with the Ocean Wind grouping, or savor the fresh colors in the Clubhouse collection. Whatever design you select, you're going to LOVE these bags. This is color for grown-ups. This is a bag for many seasons. We have totes, draw-string bags, cosmetics, wristlets, wallets and more. If you're ready for something a little different, and want a bag that will take you easily into fall~search no more!

Three Simple Things

In catching up on magazines that have been piling up, I just read the April 2009 issue of Country Living and found a neat article on simple things we all can do to be more eco-friendly. Most are common sense things that we may overlook. Here are a few:

• 
  
  Tighten your gas cap until it clicks three times.

Here's why: Each year in the United States, 147 million gallons of gasoline literally evaporate into the atmosphere because of loose, damaged, or missing caps.

• 
  
  Serve a 1.5-liter magnum of wine when dining with a group instead of two 750-milliliter bottles. (Anything to help...right?)

Here's why:A magnum weighs less and requires less fuel to ship than two standard bottles.

• 
  
  Stow a reusable bag in your car for errands.

Here's why: If every American stuck with a tote, we'd waste 380 billion fewer plastic bags this year alone.

And let's be sure the bags we use are cute, clever and charming too. No reason we have to look too earthy, right? A few suggestions from the tote department at Clever Girl:

Vintage French school poster art have a second life on our amazingly popular Shopper. French language lesson added for your learning pleasure. Now you can learn while you shop.

Oui, always thinking of you!

Foxes, owls, kitties, brilliant birds and of course there's a squirrel or two. It's the pattern that makes you look twice and then it's truly twice as nice.

Of course we have many, many others as well. You'll have to decide which is "you". Our totes are big and long lasting with durable construction at a great price. Made from used grain sacks and plastic water bottles, they replace disposable supermarket bags and hold A LOT! Oh, and bonus, 1% of sales fund programs of The Nature Conservancy worldwide.

Seasides Squirrels

I flew out to Maine last week to celebrate Jinny's birthday and the 4th of July. The rain here has not let up yet, and we've set a new record low for the so called "high" temperature. Whatever that means. Anyway, as seems to be a new theme for me, the little red squirrels are here...

Everyday like clock work this little guy makes a daring (stupid?) run all the way across the front deck. There are three dogs here, and now they know to look for him, so it really is something to see. All day long we hear him chattering away in the woods, and having heated discussions with our little band of chipmunks that live in the rocks below. I can only wonder what they find to talk about...perhaps they are discussing The Real Housewives of New Jersey like the rest of us.

Now, here's the clever thing: cocktail hour here begins with the passing of The Hardy Boat that cruises past every evening at 5:30. The sound of that boat idling along very quickly leads to the sound of ice tinkling in the glasses. (This is vacation after all) But I digress. No sooner do we settle in to cocktail hour but our little red friend appears again. He perches on the railing and watches all of the cocktail activities for at least an hour! Our guests and neighbors all find this quite charming--the dogs--not so much.

Please forgive the rather poor photo, but is was raining and dark when I took this... but here he is, peeking in on the party. He paces a bit but remains out there more or less all evening and it's dark when he finally makes for home.

So, that's just a little update-here's to a rainy early July, and to our new found forest friend. I for one know a Beagle who's keeping watch to make his acquaintance...

A Fabulous Fourth

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

Word of the day: Vexillogy. n. Meaning: The study of flags.

According to legend, that early clever girl, Betsy Ross, got out her needle and thread and created the red, white and blue that we all proudly wave today. (With a little design direction from a Mr. George Washington)

The American flag flies on the moon, sits atop Mount Everest, and is hurtling out in space. The flag is how America signs her name. It is certainly no surprise that Betsy Ross has become one of the most cherished figures of American History. When we view the flag, we think of liberty, freedom and pride. As we attend parades and gather with family and friends this holiday weekend, let's remember Betsy Ross, way back in 1776 sewing the flag. Our flag.

A very happy Independence Day to you all!

Learn more about the creation of our flag at the Betsy Ross homepage

This just in...

Summer is here! The weather is finally with us. Horray horray! And talk about good timing: Our darling U.P.S. man is always eagerly awaited at Clever Girl, and today he delivered the most wonderful book. The Summer House Cookbook is full of inspired recipes to kick off this great season. The book is full of beautiful photos (after all, we want to see what it should look like) and packed with tasty, goof-proof dishes. So stop in for your copy and get cooking Summer style!

As any Foodie knows, chilled soups are quite the rage now, and this sounds especially promising...

Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup
Serves 8
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 ½ pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
6 cups chicken stock, or low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 generous grindings of black pepper
20 fresh mint leaves
In an 8 quart soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté until they are tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and the stock, bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the peas are just tender, about 3 min. Add the salt and pepper and set aside to cool a bit.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender along with the mint leaves, until smooth. Stir and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Before serving, recheck the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

With all the great strawberries in season this is a perfect, simple way to use them...

Get-Up-and-Go Yogurt Shake
Serves 3 to 4

1 cup strawberries (about 5 medium to large), hulled and quartered
1 large mango, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup ice

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve icy cold.

Of course, a Clever Girl loves to experiment with other fruits and berries such as bananas, blueberries, and pineapple too...so make what ever sounds good to you!!!

Recipes from: The Summer House Cookbook

In search of Summer

OK. I give up. Where is summer? I know where the clouds are. I've located the rain, thunder and lightning. The mosquitoes and I are now very well acquainted. The weeds are having a massive party without permission. What I'm seeking, however, is summer. You've heard of it I'm sure. Things like sunny days, warm breezes, walking the dog, kids riding bikes and flying kites. A lemonade stands pops up on the corner, and the ice cream man whizzes around in his funny little van. Summer stuff. So where it it?

We've done our part. The screens are up, the grill is clean and ready, fresh sunscreen (extra SPF) has been procured and beach books are waiting to be read. So where is it?!? This is like waiting for Santa into January, and the Easter bunny is a total no-show. In other words: VERY DISAPPOINTING! Cute outfits are waiting to be worn. New shoes want out of their box. Summer scarves are growing slightly desperate for exposure. What's a girl to do? Sadly, I don't have the answer except to say,"Don't give up. It has to get here sometime. Summer 2009 will happen."
Until then Clever Girls, download some Beach Boys tunes and perfect your Mojito recipes. Summer is just around the corner...right?