The poor guy had to go on errands with me all day Tuesday after his soccer practice. He ended up getting an ice-cream and some little plastic Pokemon out of the deal, but his patience was worth much more.

As I ticked off the items on my "to do" list, I told him with a sigh, hoping I wasn't pushing my luck, "We're gonna go to TJ Maxx really quick to see if I can find something to buy for a party."

To my surprise, the Cat was really excited. "I'll help you, Mommy."

And he did.

I told him what I was looking for: a twirly skirt, maybe combining black and pink. I told him I might need a bowling shirt type thing, or maybe not, depending.

He selected a pink dress and a zebra-print short-sleeved hoodie. "This seems like what you need," he told me.

Amazing.

On the way out of the dressing room, I saw a little zebra-striped cosmetics caddy. Perfect. And then I thought about having a hot-pink bra peeking out of the zebra top. Turns out a soft polka-dotted pink and black camisole was a bit more effective.

The Cat was patient as I quickly brainstormed the "extras."

We went to the shoe department where he kept pulling hot pink flip-flops. "Those are cute, honey, but I'm looking for something with a higher heel, or maybe not." I'd know when I saw it. I pulled pink sneakers and white ones. They were okay, but not exactly what I wanted.

On a whim, I went over to the aisle one size larger. On the tippy-top shelf, there was a pair of amazing high-heeled saddle-shoes.

But they didn't have a price-tag.

I took them - along with the rest of my carefully-and-yet-hastily crafted outfit - to the register, praying they weren't going to be heinously expensive. I need those shoes I thought. They totally make the outfit. On the way to the register, I grabbed some hot-pink ankle socks, but later replaced them with fuzzy pink socks I already owned (because I figured "Hey, fuzzy pink dice were big in that era, so why not fuzzy pink socks?")

The lingerie set apparently didn't have a price tag either, so the cashier had to call the manager. I held my breath. I knew the lingerie was cheap, but oh, the shoes. The label of the shoes indicated they would be expensive, but TJ Maxx is a discount store for department store extras, so I crossed my fingers.

The manager ran the brand through the computer and came up with $39.95 for the shoes, but then they ended up on further discount for $32.

My outfit was indeed complete. I couldn't stop from beaming that I got what I needed without breaking my wallet. (Thank you TJ Maxx!)

To find out what happened when I actually attended the party, head on over to A Spectrum of Reviews. And yes, you can see a photo of me with Tim Gunn, too!