Hey, Mabel...this one's for you and your friend!

So the economy sucks and the mall is having some killer sales. Purse 3/4 empty...glass 3/4 full type of situation.

I haven't shopped a lot in the last six months for a couple reasons. The first is that since I was outsourced - or since my job was - I've been on a tight budget until I have an actual income again. The second is that I've been trying to lose weight so I haven't wanted to spend what money I still have budgeted for fun on clothes that hopefully will be too big before long.

But today was sale day and I went. Now, I'm still a plus-size gal. But I thought I'd wander down to the regular size area and look around. I was looking at some sale racks in the Liz Claiborne area when Mabel and her friend entered my life.

"Mabel, isn't this the regular size area, Mabel? I didn't think they had anything BIG over here, did you, Mabel?"

I ignored the screechy-voiced elderly lady. I assumed that Mabel, her equally elderly friend, must've been hard-of-hearing because she was certainly talking loud enough for the near-deaf to hear. Although Mabel didn't respond, so maybe she couldn't hear her. Mabel's friend must've assumed the same thing because she just continued on...getting louder for both our benefit, I guess.

"Mabel, BIG sizes are down the way, aren't they?"

I looked up at the woman. She just stared back at me. I picked up an XL knit dress and held it up. I was sure it would fit.

"Mabel..."

I looked at Mabel. Mabel looked at me. I picked up another XL knit dress and looked at Mabel again.

"These are the regular sizes. I'm just sure there's another department..."

Finally, Mabel found her voice! "I think there are some larger sizes here."

Well, that wasn't exactly what I was thinking about saying to Mabel's friend but I just bit my tongue. I found two more dresses that I liked. I took all four of them into the dressing room, much to Mabel's friend's horror. (I could hear the gasp!)

I slipped the first dress on - AND IT FIT! I sashayed out to the sales floor...and Mabel and her friend were no where to be found. I looked all over. I padded, actually, I stomped around in my stocking feet from one end of the department to the other. I couldn't find them anywhere. I stomped back to the dressing room and tried on the second dress - AND IT FIT! I stomped out of the dressing room and made another tour of the department. I wanted to cup my hands around my mouth and yell "MABEL!" at the top of my lungs. But I didn't.

I went back and tried on the other dresses. AND THEY FIT! I swear, if Mabel had ever called her friend by name, I'd have gone and had them paged and I'd have made them watch me model the dresses.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I could not get my hind end into a single pair of pants in that entire department. I have no doubt about that. But every one of those knit Liz Claiborne dresses fit me and looked nice. I could wear them to dinner tonight and feel comfortable doing so.

So there you go Mabel and friend! You were so worried about whether or not I should be shopping in your area and it turns out, the answer was YES! And those dresses...they were all 80% off! I got all four for less than the original price of one! So, there's still some money floating around in my purse. And that glass I mentioned at the start...it's definitely 100% full tonight!