Update on the minimalist shoes: as much as I love my Soft Stars, they're not the shoe for winter in New England. They are comfortable in a surprising range of temperatures (probably due to the fleece insole), but I doubt that range goes down to 10F, a pretty frequent temperature around her in winter. More importantly, they have NO traction on slippery surfaces. Step on ice or snow and you might as well be wearing greased ball bearings on your shoes.
The solution, for now: an old pair of whitewater booties that I haven't worn in probably 10 years. These are designed to be fairly warm (if you're wearing booties, it's because it's COLD out), have good traction on slippery surfaces, and be very very flexible -- you can't stuff 'em in a whitewater boat otherwise. I haven't had the chance to wear them in real cold weather or in snow yet, but II wore them while doing yard chores yesterday, and they definitely pass the "yes, it's a minimalist shoe" test. And cheap, wow. Have a look at the NRS webpage (
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1169) to see the different styles available.