SHOE OF THE WEEK

Okay, these are sweet little numbers I bought approximately 1 1/2 weeks before giving birth to Little Man. At the time, they were THE MOST EXPENSIVE SHOES I had ever bought in my life (and I bought them for half price!) I bought these in an Italian Boutique shoe store in Charlotte at Phillips Place (girls, you know what I am talking about)...and these are Claudia Ciutti's...I deserved them...I worked up to the day he was born and I have never regreted dropping the dough whatsoever (and did I mention, I worked until the day I had Casey too...had I been working on a farm, I probably would've gone back to work immediately...in fabulous shoes)

Flashback to January 1998...I go into the store, country come to town and caught the suspicious glares of the staff...I am sure I was dressed appropriately and all but perhaps my round belly and puffy feet were a little alarming to sales clerks used to amaciated blonde bombshells that are 5 foot 10 and husbands are NBA or NFL stars...I spotted the shoes and immediately was lured by the animal print and their classic style (WHAT? ME? CLASSIC AND NOT TRENDY? Okay, I was working in a "corporate environment" - or at least they thought they were - and I thought these would "work it"...

Back to the stares and guffaws at said shoe store...my "plastic" worked and I carried those shoes like they were a piece of DaVinci artwork...I almost couldn't bear wearing them but I got over that quickly...Had a wonderful black pants suit with silver zippers that was fierce that looked awesome with those masterpieces -- it had a matching collar and cuffs that were the same print as the shoes...I resisted the urge to wear them too...Coco Chanel says the rule of thumb is to accessorize and then take off one piece so as not to go overboard...Well, I took off the collar and the cuffs...(technially three pieces)...

So I wear this fabulous outfit and the awe-inspiring shoes my first day back to work....Uh, did I tell you I got laid off the day I went back to work from maternity leave?...NICE! "Mary, we only have a part-time job for you now...(WHAT? How can I afford day care and parking in downtown Charlotte and great outfits and shoes that are required) To make matters more infuriating, did I tell you I worked from home for her from the day I got home - Little Man was 3 days old...up until 6 weeks when I darkened the doorway of the highrise office and then I went in only to be told I didn't have my old job back?-- I always have the GLOWING "SUCKA" on my forehead...This was my first layoff experience and I took it hard...I would experience another, by the way...So, I was wearing this fabulous ensemble when I was sobbing in the elevator -- Nolan at his first day of daycare (a dagger in my heart), Casey at pre-school and my raging hormones and wondering how we'd fare financially - not a good combination. But I didn't let the boss see me so much as sweat - she had a hugely inflated level of self-importance so I was not about to let that happen! I took my sassy self out of that office and never looked back....

And, I filed for unemployment (after being mortified about doing so but then remembered she'd have to pay for it and gladly did it...) Although I didn't have the Prada bag (Jen Lancaster), I wore my sassy suit, sweet shoes and towed my children (YES BOTH OF THEM...Nolan in a stroller and dressed in a matching outfit with Casey from Kelly's Kids - I am sure she had the obnoxious, coordinated hair bow to go with the outfit too) to the unemployment office. Their dad didn't want me to pay for daycare ("You can handle them...we're saving money." Uh, what about the therapy sessions that they both will have to go through having experienced such a trauma at an early age?...I am sure we will pay thousands for that day!) So a I schlepped them around for about 5-6 hours (yes HOURS!)...So Jen Lancaster, you say don't bring a Prada bag to apply for unemployment...I am with you and let's add, "Don't bring your children to the unemployment line with you..." Apparently, unemployment offices around the country do not take kindly to well dressed, fashion-obsessed people...But, I was fortunate enough to find a man who felt sorry for me and whisked me through the process (after 4 1/2 hours or so....)

WOW! Who knew shoes could conjur up such memories? Did I tell you the kids probably had on great shoes?...I am sure they did!

It's gloomy outside - break out the galoshes!

Love This Quote and BITNB!

Okay, my shoe calendar rocks! I so get this quote from this weekend:

"What is it about shoes? I mean, I like most kinds of clothes but a good pair of shoes can just reduce me to jelly." --- Sophia Kinsella, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan

You know they are making "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Kinsella into a movie! MUST SEE! Am surprised I didn't recieve a ring for the casting call! It has nothing to do with my age I am sure.

Just finished "Bitter is the New Black" (BITNB for short) by Jen Lancaster. The book was an absolute riot! You feel a little bad about chuckling at her layoff, her financial demise and bad luck in general, but she makes it so darn funny! And, come to think of it, I can relate...

And as I have said before, she reminds me a lot of me...okay, her love of shoes and clothes remind her of me...although,not the preppy part - I went through the totally, over-the-top preppy phase earlier in my fashion career (Had "The Preppy Handbook" and loved it), I soon moved to a more edgy vibe (or at least I'd like to think - okay, humor me people)...I think she still is and will remain in the classic dressing, Polo-esque phase (I always have to throw in the trendy)...

And we have so many other similarities - Governor of Jennsylvania/Pennsylvania, she references SCRANTON in BITNB (Okay, it is a derogatory comment but hey - it's my birthplace and well, it's the home of The Office and well, SHE mentions it - I think I've been to that Howard Johnson's by the way) - we were both Journalism and Poly Sci majors (I also had a minor in literature) - we both were laid off at the same time as our husbands (boy, that is always a barrel of laughs, ain't it Mark?)...And, let's mention our penchant for weaving tapestries with words a la "The Christmas Story" - not really, she's got me WAY beat on that one (am working on that skill one teenager at a time)...really wish I had worn animal print shoes for my wedding like she did...but then again, I didn't wear black either so scratch that...And pearls - the big chunky ones, I love them too...don't wear them every day but I have them (actually they are my mom's and were my Nanny's...I kind of pilfered them after college and well, never looked back)...Oops - Sorry mom!

But, she doesn't like the Dave Matthews Band...GASP!....or Brian Adams (okay, that I understand)...she likes The Cure (now we're talking)...And Vanilla Ice (I give her credit for admitting that little tidbit...pssst, me too!)...Wonder if she likes Pearl Jam or Snoop or the Ohio Players or the Chili Peppers...OR U2, The Police, Aerosmith...Nine Inch Nails? (Did you hear they are releasing their album for free?...okay, I digress!)

Wish I could do the footnote thing on this blog so I wouldn't have to put my "asides" in paranthesis but I am sure that would be a copyright infringement...
I love her footnotes! You MUST read BITNB...Can't wait to get her new book "Such a Pretty Fat." OMG (using "Texty" lingo)...JUST ANNOUNCED TODAY (I feel like Perez Hilton) She's coming out with her fourth book in 2009 called "Pretty in Plaid"! WOW! Another MUST READ!

Hey cool! - my evil postwoman (or is that postlady?...well, she's not a lady - I prefer to call her "IT") actually arrived before 5 p.m. today! Did I tell you she ran over my luminaries on Christmas Eve? Sorry you had to work on the 24th Grumplestiltskin - just think of the big fat pension you are going to get when you retire -- Oh, by the way, why don't you retire you personality-less thing?...

AND, GET THIS... I had to chase her down (seriously...in my car...Mark had the foresight to follow me in his car because he didn't want me to appear on CNN...I don't think I had make-up on or good shoes and he knew I'd be upset if those images hit the screen)...She had the audacity to leave a notice in the mailbox that we had to pick up a package at the post office (she didn't drag her lazy...to the door and ring the doorbell -- I WAS HOME - isn't that it your job description "IT"?)- AND, it happened to be a birthday gift for little man that my sisters had paid $20 to overnight to him just in time for his birthday (don't mess with my little man)...I literally did an NYPD move on her, cutting her off from the next mailbox - I screetched to a halt in front of her, diagnally...okay, so I wasn't in a Crown Vic but I felt like "the law"(I was in the Suburban)...I'm sure she shook in her shoes when Mark pulled up behind her (in the tan mini-van)...Well, she leapt out of that Jeep in a heart beat and handed me the package...witch.

Well, the reverberations from the thumping of our oldest's car stereo system has
me thinking that I better rock on upstairs and do some laundry. I don't know what he is listening to but I am so going to sneak into his car to see what he's "down with" (am trying to brush up on my up-to-date lingo)...Up until maybe Fall of 2007, he knew no artists (okay, I use that term loosely) -
Seriously, a senior in high school and knew N-O-N-E...Everything became Nirvana to him (the only "cool" band he knew the name of...) "Uh, is this Nirvana?" "No Devon....It's the Beatles." "Uh, is this Nirvana?" "Uh, no Devon. That would be Bonnie Rait." "Uh, is this Nirvana?" "Uh, no Devon. This is AC/DC." You get the picture. What do you want to bet that he is listening to...Vanilla Ice?

Well my cell phone is ringing so I must run (Did I tell you I have a "Glory, Glory to 'Ole Georgia" ringtone? ...Angelic music to my ears!)

It's almost Spring - go buy those shoes!