Last Tuesday PreppySue and Tickled Pink Talk and I, EntertainingMom, got together for a play date on the beach in Newport. The kids got along famously from the get-go and swam in the ocean, chased annoying sea gulls, made drip castles and collected clams shells! The strong surf from Hurricane Bill must have brought these clams closer to shore. The children delighted in collecting 81 of these super-sized shells. Just as fun as collecting them was cracking them open and feeding them to the gulls flying furiously around their loot! They also collected dozens upon dozens of non-stinging jelly fish. As they busily played, planned and plotted the mothers shared laughs and had an equally as nice, though much less messy time! I do hope we will be able to meet up again next year as I know my children are talking about it already.

Our brief yet fun final trip to Newport this summer marks the end (thankfully!) of our summer travels. While plenty of good times were had by everyone, it is nice to remain on the home turf, at least for a while!

All the sun, beach, pool and fresh air made for a much more enjoyable ride home with children sleeping (all three!) most of the way. In the back of the car next to Christopher was a plastic bag tightly shut with a dozen large clam shells. They've been washed thoroughly in the dishwasher and now I am wondering what I shall do with them.

While perusing Martha Stewart's Website I found some great crafty ideas for my shells! I now have a great collection of shells of varying types and sizes. Below are some of the ideas I like most!

These little candles would look wonderful indoors, outdoors, or around my tub!