Everyone Needs a Dodgy Friend

While I rely mainly on experience and instinct I cannot try on every piece of clothing in the universe (those who have shopped with me may disagree) and this is where a dodgy mate can come in handy. Not dodgy as in "Can you take this boogy board with you to Bali" but dodgy as in will give anything a go.

While experience and photographic evidence tells me overalls did not flatter me in 1978, even though my mother did a splendid job quilting that brown waterproof fabric,  I need a dodgy mate of roughly the same proportions to give them a go.

And while my enthusiasm for "Jellies" was noted by the sales assistant at Wild Pair who claims she saw me gasp and mouth the word "Jellies" well before I reached the door, 30 years have not dulled my memory of the pain caused by wearing plastic shoes in the height of summer, rub rub blister blister need I say more.

It is not that I want my dodgy mate to have sore feet or appear foolish, in fact a dodgy mate is usually someone who is so out there that people are more likely to gasp if they turn up in jeans and tshirt as opposed to full Cindy Lauper circa 1986.

I just need someone with a sense of adventure to check out what technological advances have been made in non blistering plastic over the last three decades and how a flat bibbed piece of denim sits over E cups as opposed to the chest of a four year old.

I could go by how these lovelies look but who knows what amount of airbrushing and sticky plasters has been used. Is band-aid a listed company? this could be something to look into.

How Much ???

"Are you from Australia or New Zealand" the sales assistant said at Macy's when I asked her if she was sure that was the right price. Clearly she had come across gasping, fainting, shrieking with joy woman from the Antipodes before.

I knew makeup was cheaper in the US but how much cheaper blew my tiny mind. The teenager flies every 10 weeks and the girls and I save our moola and place our orders for the duty free, forcing her to present at the MAC counter with a list and my credit card. But that's just between NZ and AU and only means a teeny saving.

So with my kiwi peso in hand I was finally able to get my hands on all my staples plus some products I've been patiently waiting to try.

Just to give you an idea, now make sure you are sitting down and have some tissues handy, we pay NZ$70 for MAC Studio Fix Fluid, while in the land of the free, and it practically was, I paid NZ$36. Please use the the tissues now if you are a kiwi because touching up your makeup will probably cost you a weeks wages. So give a sister a break if you see her bare faced and remember to bring her a little something back from your next trip.

Just a few of my favourite things that I picked up

Young Lady Where Are Your Pants???

The teenager has taken to leaving the house without any pants. A responsible parent would probably take exception to this but I have never claimed to be responsible.

I am just chuffed that she has finally given in to my nagging "its cold where's your jacket" and while I mainly wear oversized t's and singlets as dresses in summer I am proud of her ingenuity in transitioning this to jumpers and over the knee socks for winter.

With all the savings I am making not having to buy her pants I now have twice as much $$ for my obsessive search for an oversize men's t's or singlet (otherwise know as my special lady dresses) with the magic number 74.

I encourage all of you to challenge the long held belief that pants are necessary with these other ladies (I suspect some of these ladies spent their no pants $$ on their shoes!)

Wanted ...

Huff & Puff

I accept the cold as a by product of my hanging out on the side of a mountain most of the winter but I do not accept it as part of my everyday life. I do not expect to get windburn on my way to the supermarket or to loose the feeling in my fingers between my office and the carpark. After contemplating whether mother nature had recently been screwed over by an ex (she seems to have turned into a bitterly cold bitch) I ventured forth to purchase a new coat come jacket come blanket that would be acceptable to wear in public.

Kicking myself for not grabbing the divine faux fur jacket I had recently seen in Sydney (I even sent a friend back to the shop to see if it was still there, alas no) I spent hours the next week trying on wool coats that made me resemble Paddington Bear and had almost given up when a friend made me try on her puffer.

Always fearing I would be one of those women, you see them everywhere, who look something like a cross between the Michelin Man and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters I was pleasantly surprised that the mobile duvet was almost as flattering as it was warm.

Still slightly suspicious that I could have been delirious from the cold and not wanting to risk $300 - $500 of my hard earned $$ I decided to Macklemore it (this is my new term for thrifting) and I happy to report I am now as snug as a bug in a rug and delirious enough from the warmth to imagine I look something like the stylish ladies below.