If the Shoe Fits

I have been going crazy for the past two week, ok, crazier is probably more accurate if you ask my little family. But with my brother's wedding less than a week away now, combined with my normal, daily level of unnecessary stress and concern over silly, little things, I am not in the running for mother or wife of the year awards. I have been on a mission to find Natalie a pair of white dress shoes, shoes which she will most likely only wear once before they are too small, as it is February and white shoes aren't really fashionable...not that that bothers the Nattie G., but assuming that she will only wear them for half a day, I was not looking for a full priced shoe. I have been to Marshalls, StrideRite, Target, Gymboree, The Gap, godforsaken WalMart and even Payless, which let me tell you, is not paying less for anything! I regret to inform them than I can pay less elsewhere and certainly intend to. I did manage to find her a great pair of brown riding boots and black maryjanes, each for $7, but other than finding a good deal, they really aren't helpful for the wedding. So in a final effort, before returning to Payless to pay more, Nat and I headed to The Children's Orchard, which is an overwhelming children's consignment shop.

I had been there once before and walked right back out, totally unprepared for the mass amounts of kid stuff. This time I was on a mission and knowing what to expect we braved the sea of used children's clothing and toys and headed straight to the back where the shoes are displayed. There in the wall of shoes, sat a pristine pair of white dress shoes, from Payless, fyi, for, wait for it.. FOUR DOLLARS! Thank you to the mother whose daughter also needed white dress shoes to wear but once. One might think this is the great success of this story, but it isn't. Oh no it isn't. There among the boots was a pair of the same ladybug rain boots that Natalie has been stuffing her foot into. The exact same pair, in the next size up!

Even if we hadn't found the white shoes, it was well worth the search.