The truth is that I don't like shopping....

I don't mind the actual going shopping with friends. But, all those clothes overwhelm me. I just don't enjoy it. Nope, I am not a normal female. Even shoes don't do it for me. Last summer a friend who moved to Chicago (Hi Bets, if you are reading) acted as my personal shopper. It was great. She brought me clothes and told me if they looked good or not. It was perfect! I'm not the height of fashion, nor am I particularly out of style. I am in that in-between stage. My friend Cathy and I were talking about the fact that they need something in between The Gap/American Eagle and Christopher & Banks. A place where 37 (soon to be 38) year old moms can go and look cute and stylish without looking too young. You know, not too much skin, but no sunflowers embroidered along the collar. Not too many beads, and no birds. No exposed midriff, and no pants that come up to the rib cage. And since I'm dreaming big, my new store has only clothes in it that look good on me. And, the outfits all come with the right shoes. And, accessories. And then throw in the fact that I am a huge cheapskate, and you have the sum of all of my shopping woes.

I guess that is the reason that I spend most of my time at the mall hanging out at Barnes & Noble. I always find something in style there. Timeless classics. Funky and fun. Cool and light. And I never have to wonder what shoes I will wear with them!

Oh, I almost forgot. I got to bestow a random act of kindness on a teenage girl at the mall. I had a coupon for $30 off a $75 purchase (or $60 off $150). I looked around and just couldn't find anything that met all the above mentioned qualifications so I wasn't going to use my coupon. The girl had just rung up her clothes and I asked her if she had a coupon, and she did not. I saved that girl $60!! She was very thankful (although not thankful enough to get my address and send me a Starbucks card) and I felt happy to do something nice for someone.