Convert!

When CROCS first appeared in the streets on the feet of just about every 4th person you passed, as a shoe connoisseir I was literally repulsed and horrified! I was in disbelief that these people couldn't see how ugly these shoes were and how ridiculous they looked.

But they have continued to multipy as if they are the footwear equivalent of Scientology, I suspect CROC owners must be required to spread the word and recruit above all else. I swore I would never wear them and humiliate my usually fashionably attired feet.

Then I spotted this purple pair in a store and decided they were alot better than the 'holey' ones. As you know I am a keen gardener and I thought they would make perfect garden shoes, so I succumbed.

My feet went into raptures, they were literally the most comfortable shoes they had ever been clad in and they were a cute colour. But then it got hot here and the design of these mean't my feet were sweating big time. So with my feet begging me to keep them in cushioned and well supported but more airy comfort, 'quelle horreur' I ordered myself the pink holey ones, figuring the brighter the colour the better, if I must wear them!

My feet were eternally grateful and they rapidly became my daily footwear of choice, I have even been known to wear them outside the borders of our home, i.e. IN PUBLIC! Last week I even took them with me to work to change into whilst I was trudging back and forth clearing stuff.

And that's when I saw my good friend Judy wearing her brightly coloured CROC Thongs and full of the joys of how comfortable her feet are. So as we wear the same size, she kicked them off and let me take them for a test ride. 2 days later the little darlings pictured below arrived from Endless.com!

My feet are happy, I have eaten CROC humble pie and become a convert and now I am doing my duty and working on any other non-believers out there. Oh and by the way, the imitations do not compare at all for comfort and support.

This a footwear fashionista speaking to you people, I own more than 70 pairs of shoes! But right now if I had 1 minute to grab a few pairs and run for my storm cellar, 3 of them would be these and then 1 cute pair just to preserve my reputation.

CROCS are without doubt the best shoes for your feet you will ever wear, they're comfortable, give great support and you can wear them for hours - if you don't have a pair already, then swallow your pride and try a pair, your feet will be eternally grateful and your pride will be long forgotten!

Now I am coveting a pair of the first ones in the advert above, the CROC Wedge aka. Cyprus, how cute are those and with a heel - bliss!

Why we make a perfect matched pair...

I was always very upfront with the Hubster about my shoe obsession, I mean if you're going to ship 70 pairs of shoes 4,700 miles.....that's something he might just notice!!

So when we had ascertained this was 'Big Love' and I was permanently hauling my Brit' behind to Oklahoma, he decided the issue of 'The Shoes' needed dealing with in an organised fashion.

So one day he called me back in Blighty and said I have the solution for storing them all neatly (I should add here he is alot more concerned about 'neat' than I am!!). He had found a shoe storage system he was sure would work and it held 36 pairs.



Now he was pretty thrilled with himself at this point as he was unaware 'quite' how many shoes I had to bring with me...just alot, and to him that would be around 36 pairs! So I cautiously commented "it looks great, but I am not sure one is going to be enough". Silence.

Well I am here, so that tells you he ordered me another and now they are both full - completely! In the picture above there's a pair per slot generally and I have a matching unit opposite this one. I now have an ethos that I cannot expand out of them, so I operate a 'new pair in/old pair out' policy....in the interests of continued marital bliss!

But after arriving I soon realised I had nothing to feel guilty about and that the Hubster and I were indeed a 'perfectly matched pair' in the footwear department too.



After all a man who has this much invested in this many pairs of quality cowboy boots (I couldn't quite get them all in this shot!) hardly has a leg to stand on with his shoe-aholic wife! After all I can get about 4 pairs of shoes to the cost of a pair of his boots ;-)

I love your shoes!

This is what I heard all day long today!

I literally could have auctioned these Jessica Simpson 'ballet flat' cuties, straight off my feet to the highest bidder at school today. So I thought okay maybe it's just a teen thing, but no the older lady serving in the Quick Stop literally shouted across the store "oh my gawd cute shoes, where d'ya get 'em from?" Luckily there was nobody else in there at the time...lol!

Now this makes me feel kind of justified in my style choices, as hubby was not at all sure the first time he saw these. But then I ask you ladies, do men 'really get' our shoes? This was their first day 'out of the closet' in our rural area and they were mighty popular let me tell you.

Judging by some of the questions and comments I get in schools, the kids here think British people are just "too cool" and "so stylish"......so you know I try not to disappoint them and live up to this reputation I have purely by default ;-)

Now I have to go and search my (80+ pairs) shoe closet again and come up with another pair to keep my reputation intact tomorrow. Oh yes..........

"My name is Sarah and yes I DO have a shoe addiction"

I'm certainly no Sienna Miller, but I am doing my bit out here in the Wild West to keep the Brit' individual style and uber-cool reputation alive and well!

Why do women have weak moments...

This question popped into my head whilst I was contemplating the damage done to my usually perfect Weightwatchers diet yesterday. It was just one of those days that I know all women will understand.....from the outside nothing appeared very different about my day, but on the inside I was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions culminating in food cravings!

This time my iron clad willpower let me down, a first since Christmas, and I feasted on Kentucky Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Coleslaw (some veggies at least!) and Biscuits. But oh no I didn't stop there....I then ate 3 of my 100 calorie Reeces Peanut Butter Wafers (those 100 cal' packs are dangerous to have in the house I have decided!), followed by just a few M&M's. Last night I dutifully put it all in my points tracker, the end result being depression, a headache and I now can't eat again until Thursday!

But why do we do this to ourselves? I know hormones are often blamed and certainly that was probably a factor for me yesterday, but I didn't have a problem the last 2 months! So why now?

Why do men never seem to have these weak moments? We have weak moments regularly and not all related to food either. Most women at some point in their lives have had a weak moment where a man's concerned. Whether it be dating someone they know will be bad for them, or a last fling with an ex, staying in the wrong relationship,or a one night stand they know will never go anywhere. But despite knowing it will do nothing for our self-esteem and probably make us depressed, we charge in head first anyway!

How many of you could go to your closet or wardrobe right now and dig out an item of clothing or jewelry you have never worn, but just had to have at the time. If you're like me then you know your retail weakness - mine is shoes, a fact supported by my shipping nearly 70 pairs when I moved here! I even shipped some I know I will never have a reason to wear again living where I do now. But they were just too beautiful to be let go and after all just holding them makes me smile...lol!

How many of us hold onto clothes we know will never fit again, they may be too big or small, but the little voice is in the back of our heads saying "you just never know, better hang on to it just in case"!

I have housework weak moments too - I get up with the good intentions of getting it all done today, but then am called away by a magazine, the telephone, a friend, a book or my computer. If a man gets up with a plan to do something, usually he'll go ahead and get it done as planned and on time, he is not as easily distracted.

Even as we're indulging our weakness we already know we are going to hate ourselves for it later, but will that stop us......probably not!

I am sure hormones play a part, but I also think self-esteem is part of it, as is the need to spoil ourselves occasionally but then equally to punish ourselves too. Women are much more finely tuned into their emotions than men and maybe this also makes us vulnerable to temptations. We are more likely to take things said to us to heart, we find it hard to just let emotional stuff go, plus we are natural multi-taskers and therefore more easily distracted.

How many times have you asked a silent man what he's thinking, only to be told "nothing" and he means it! Ask a woman the same question and I guarantee the answer won't be "nothing".....it'll probably be at least two things, one of which she is worrying about!

Today I am 'kind of' doing my housework...lol! Obviously not totally or I wouldn't be writing here, but I do have two loads of laundry done, the bed stripped and the polish out ready to go. I thought I would listen to my latest book on CD, this is something my husband does with great success everyday whilst he works. But not me it seems!

I will put it on and start a task or even two and then suddenly realise I haven't heard the last few pages as my mind has wandered off somewhere else...lol. This is the main reason why every night of my life I read a book before I sleep, if I don't my mind will just keep on mulling things over for hours. A book is like my mental equivalent of an 'off' switch but not on a CD it seems!

This is maybe just one clue as to why we have weak moments and men don't....women are not only emotionally different, but constantly thinking, plus we do have all those damn hormones running amok too!

I say embrace your weak moments ladies. They're what make us all unique, very human and our lives so all encompassing, enthralling and exciting - just try to get back on track at your earliest convenience!

I am happy to report today I am back on the straight and narrow and cutting back to help me regain some lost ground.....oh and there goes my Dryer buzzing - back to the housework!

If any of you have a theory on this subject, please comment, maybe between us we can solve the mystery!