If you've been following me, you know that I've lost a bit of weight and that I'm at the beginning of what I hope will be a big transformation in my life. Figuring out my style and sorting out my closet are early steps that i want to use to lighten the load, pragmatically, and as a way to encourage myself that things are really changing. So my holding zone is very big. I call it my Zone of Aspiration, Motivation, and Inspiration (ZAMI) and it beckons me to keep going. If I haven't made the move in a year, then everything in that zone will go out. Yikes! That will mean I haven't made the changes I'm setting out to do, So if I get a little touchy about that, please excuse me.

I've lost a little ground on the body reshaping over the past couple months, so am waiting a few weeks for the big try-everything-on closet clean out. Fortunately, there is no shortage of things to clean and sort in our home. Today I went through hardware--screws, hooks, all those things, and tools. I've also moved my jewelry around some.

I doubt my feet will really change when I lose the last 1.5 inches, so I'm looking at shoes today, prompted by Angie's post, to which I replied that all my shoes, with the notable exception of one pair of sneakers, are comfortable. I am lucky in that my feet don't seem to be very picky. I wear comfortable shoes because I like to be active--no sitting shoes for me I thought my first pic was marvelously artistic (read "silly & so lame it's funny") My son (who thinks I have entirely too many shoes) says it looks like they are at a shoe-port group. Did he mean Odoriffics Anonymous? Cause that joke stinks! It's odious.

I've been learning a lot these last few weeks, but surely have a lot to learn , so please comment not just on which are keepers and which aren't, but also why.

Pics2-4: winter things.
I got the navy booties in the usual way. The others were all purchased up north when I flew up for the holidays and discovered I hadn't brought adequate winter footwear. What? You think I know what the weather in my home town is? Then there was the year I remembered to wear the booties up there, but didn't bring along shoes for a few days at my parents' down here before coming home. Off to the outlet mall for Florida winter shoes--winter because they're black, lol.

I think the groupings are fairly self-explanatory. 10 & 11 are specialty shoes that I might not wear very often, but when we go rafting in a couple weeks, I think I'll be glad for the water shoes, and if I get back on a soccer field, I'll want to play at least a few weeks before deciding if it's worth buying new shoes. If you want more words or more pix (like with feet in the shoes, or me wearing them) please ask.

I plan to revisit this post when I do the closet try-on, hopefully before the end of the month, but that depends on my gut.

How they fit
Blue booties: yes! Feel like they were made for my feet, and it makes me happy to have them on.
Black Clarks shoes: yes! So comfy
Black maryjanes: comfort-wise, I'd buy them again
Black Clarks sandals, Sperry "Mermaid" sneaks, and tan Clarks shoes comfortable enough for all day, every day (with the Dr Scholl's insert in the Sperrys)
Black Bandolino oxfords were purchased in Dec, got thumbs up on here last week, are included so that when I try the clothes on and look back at what shoes I have, I'll remember them.
Purple suede Clarks feel like bedroom slippers. Want to wear them more.
Cream-colored Life Strides pumps: I just carried a bulky box down 3 flights of stairs and came back up in them to check. No worries.
White loafers: did the same route with a slightly smaller load. No problem
White heels (are these mules or slides?) have been worn recently. Tried them on again just now & they're fine, as expected.
White platforms. I mentioned these on someone's post the other day as an example of shoes that were made for doing an activity and are therefore comfortable. The balance between heel & front pad of the foot is great. I did not have anything else to carry to the car, but I walked around eating a bowl of cherries, back & forth from carpet to tile. They are clearly not my style; they're for pole dancers. That's not an activity I plan to take up anytime soon, regardless of where I live. But they were great that one Halloween, and if I ever need anything like them again, I don't want to shell out for them again. Maybe I should've put them with the water shoes & soft cleats.
Red Mootsies tootsies and black flats: these seem fine when I put them on now, but I want to wear them each for a day and see what I really think.
Black sandals with heels: these are being held back to wear with a certain pair of pants that I might never fit into again. If I can wear them again, I think the shape of the vamp of the shoe would look playful with the print of the pants. ZAMI!
Pink Petunia Pigs: nope. Too small. Can't even get my foot in.
Running shoes, soccer shoes, water shoes: not worn often, but have their purposes.

closet talk
My boots will have to come later. They are stashed away for now. The suitcase that held my too-small clothes (that now fit) has a rip in the lining (not tragic; I got it for my 16th birthday, so it's had a good run). It is now the temp home of my boots (brown cowboy boots, tall dark brown boots with little detail, the black Redwings I have on in an early post and my black biker boots), the black booties shown here, and the booties in this find, which I inexplicably fell in love with. When the closet is clean, I plan to line them up along the wall with pool noodles in the boots.

The suitcase will then be home to two zipper bags: one with winter hats, mittens, etc and the other with scarves. They aren't terribly dressy, but I just can't see draping extra fabric around my neck or any other body part in Florida. If I need to use the suitcase, I can pop those things out without making a mess.

I'm not unpacking the bootcase now, but
The black Redwings fit well last winter.
The new blush booties in the finds fit when they got here.
I haven't worn the other things in that suitcase recently enough to say.

Thanks for reading--and for commenting!