So hooray for me, I'm 60 pounds down!!! What does that mean? It's time to buy new clothes, right? YES!

Well...



You won't believe this, but the universe is against me. They are hiding all the pants!!! Seriously, no pants ANYWHERE!!!

Let's step back a bit, and I will explain.

In early December, my pants were already starting to look a little big on me. I knew that I didn't want to deal with the holiday shopper madness that would be coming in a few weeks, so I thought I'd get a jump on things and buy new duds pronto. Most of my clothes at that point, even the shirts, are looking big on me -- the shirts I can get by with until winter is over, but the pants, as you all know, don't stretch as far. But, I was going shopping, right? So time to buy both!

I go skipping la-de-da into J.C. Penney's, which has been kind of a godsend for me -- reasonable, basic shirts and pants that I can buy in different colors, fit me well, and don't break the bank. Skip, skippity skip goes me, trekking over to the area where my favorite brand of shirts lives. But...no brand. No clothes. Instead, there are these garish oh-my-lordy Day-Glo neon clothes that -- HOLD UP, YO -- JCP has released under its own label. And in the process, they are no longer carrying my favorite brand!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Have I mentioned that I am NOT a shopping kinda girl? I like to know what works for me, go in, try it on with a smile, buy it, and leave. That makes me uber happy. But having to start from scratch and try on everything in the store? ICK, no!)

I tried to be open minded and try this new brand -- because hey, I may need to work along a roadside one day and want the drivers to be able to spot me in pitch darkness -- but really, they are crappy clothes. Bad colors, bad fit, bad quality. NOPE.

So I accept that there will be no new shirts that day. I head over to where my favorite pants live, intending to buy a size down from what I'm wearing.

NO PANTS!!!!! Apparently every woman in my size has decided to buy all the pants FOREVER.

I try on other styles, other brands, and zilch. No go. I head home a little frustrated but figuring I'll try again somewhere else another day. Which I do, and no luck. Grrr....

A few weeks later, post-holiday, I pop into another store where I've had some luck in the past. And hey, I find a pair of jeans! Woop woop! But the ones I try on are the really dark ones, and I would rather have a more medium-colored pair, especially since I'm trying not to go crazy with clothes until I reach my ideal weight -- a medium color would be more versatile, I think. So I search. And search.

Well! These sneaky same-sized ladies that bought my JCP clothes have decided to buy all the jeans too!! I try the internet for this store, and they don't have any either! What is happening!!!



So here we are today, and I caught my reflection in the mirror at work. I don't know about y'all, but I go through periods where my pants look great right after they've been washed and tighten up a bit, but soon after they stretch and make me look like Ms. Baggy Butt Lady. It is definitely time to buy. But I'm a little hesitant to even venture out there again because I don't have a lot of patience for shopping and am not in the mood to spend hours searching the shops. It's looking like I'm gonna have to, though. Sigh!

Have I mentioned that I wanted to replace a pair of work shoes I love, and can't find a new pair of THOSE either?

Okay, okay. I get it, woe is me for needing to buy smaller clothes, but man! Couldn't they just leave me one thing, one scrap of clothing to give me hope? I think I'll have to take action this week -- I will put on my Super Erin Shopping Warrior costume (complete with cape) and go out and face the department store world of endless racks and rolling shelves and I will vanquish the evil pants thieves!!! Boo yah!



Well, maybe. We'll see how I feel!