O come, angel band...

I wonder if they have a uniform allowance in heaven? I hope so, or at least some kind of reimbursement, because I just laid down a Ulysees Grant and some change on a real live angel costume with wings, and a gold lame belt cord, and a tinsel halo, all for a certain Middle Girl in my house. Seems awfully steep, and you figure if you're trying to outfit an innumerable host that it could run into some serious loot pretty quick.

In any event, little Rebecca managed to make the All-County Choir, and as part of that honor she and selected kids from all the other schools around here will be performing tonight, and she has to dress up like an angel. [cue audience] "Awww, how cute!"

Thanks!

Anyway, you would think this would be the reaction of Mom, too, but it seems that for some reason, she believed that the concert tonight was one thing, and the angel costume was destined to be for some other grand occasion sometime in December.

Last weekend, when I was piled up in bed asleep, Reba and the kids had gone to the store and purchased much yardage of material and patterns and notions and thread and geegaws and frippery and finery to assemble an appropriate angel outfit at home. Then it turned out Tuesday evening that Middle Girl needed the costume THIS week. This little bit of information released a torrent of frightening fury from Mom, who rightly noted that she could not in any way make a costume by tonight.

When it hits the fan, it really hits hard.

Reba was REALLY upset and I just sort of blew it off--after all, how much trouble could it be to go get a cheap white nightgown from Wal-Mart and fix some poster board wings? I dared not ask, though, because she seemed rather set on the idea that this thing HAD to be something that either came from a PATTERN that said "Angel Costume" or out of a PLASTIC BAG that said "Angel Costume". Some folks are rather literal-minded, you know.

Anyway, she called around yesterday afternoon (after Rebecca confirmed that she did indeed need to earn her wings by tonight) and found a place over in Vestavia that had a suitable costume. I went at lunch and picked it up, noting that the costume itself only came with the gown, tinsel ring, and the belt. Wings extra. ::sigh:: Some angel costume.

Shopped a bit and found a nice pair of wings [Warning--Wings do not allow user to fly] and paid the nice lady my money and raced back downtown with my prize, which according to my instructions, was to be left with the angel's Mommy at her place of business so she could shove little angel into it as soon as she picked her and her siblings up from school. Mom was away from her desk, and since I was running tremendously late, I just dropped it in her chair, grabbed a piece of paper, wrote out a quick "I Heart-With-Arrow-Through-It U" and vamoosed back to work.

Received call later saying "I Heart U 2".

Angel Costume Pattern -- $5.95
Five yards of polyester satin fabric -- $26
Assorted Stitchery and Add-Ons -- $10
Angel Costume -- $39.95
Angel Wing Accessory -- $9.95
Gasoline to Go Chasing All Over Town Finding Fabric and Costumes-- $15

Satisfied Wife -- Priceless
posted by Terry at 4:42:00 PM