That Dang Oprah

Try as I might, she always finds a way to get to me.... Invariably, I come upstairs to tell the boy dinner is ready with tears in my eyes. Today, the show was about Mitch Albom's book "One More Day". Who would I want to spend one more day with: EASY. My Grandma B....My mom, like so many others, worked while I was growing up. Before I went to school, I was dropped off at my Grandma B's in the morning. If I could capture one moment of time, it would be of me at 6 or 7 swinging in the backyard of my grandma's - around 8 am - with the mist still in the air - everything quiet. Grandma hanging up clothes in the backyard. That's my memory.

She was the best......best cook.....best seamstress...best pound cake maker, for sure....She would sew for people in the neighborhood - alterations, dresses, anything. While she was sewing, she would sing hymns. Maybe that's where I got my off-key singing. I don't care. It sounded like angels to me. She would let me play hair-dresser with her hair while she worked at the sewing machine or do her nails when she was watching her stories (how else could I remember Alec Baldwin as Billy Aldridge on the Doctors?) Wow, if I could spend one more day with my Grandma B, I would show her what my life was now since she has been gone and hope (just hope) that what I've made of my life is what she would be proud of.

Damn that Oprah....

Best Ebay Buy EVER

I am J Crew's Bitch. I can't help myself. I love those pretentious bastards. Every time I get one of those catalogs with preppy overpriced clothing (weekly it seems, but don't let it fool you: only the cover changes), I lose all of my bargain shopping instincts. How can I not when they have all of these delicious-sounding colors like citron or welsh purple?

So I'm looking at the catalog and I see these shoes:


Love, love love!!! But, alas, they are $268 and way out of my bargain-shopping price range. Dejected, I head to my ninewest.com website. I spy these:

Reasonable facsimile? Oh, yeah! Alas, they are $99 and still out of my price (not to mention size range). What's a girl to do?? EASY! Head to EBAY!

These shoes, my friend, I not only find....I successfully bid on and win for $9.99!!! Take that, J Crew!

I also have outfoxed ebay in that the Rugged Warehouse here in my 'burg recently has had J Crew suiting for $12.99 per piece. Yeah, I feel like I've gotten over....while still maintaining that fresh-faced, preppy, standing on the Scottish moor-like glow, but somehow with more money in my tight-wad pockets.

I love you, J! Keep inspiring me to dress cool!