Day Thirty-six – Silver Beaded Flip Flops

Today was grocery day.  I hate grocery shopping. I mean, do you realize how many times you handle that can of black beans, when you grocery shop? Take it off the shelf, put it in your cart. Take it out of your cart, put it on the belt. Take it off the belt, put it in your bag. Take it out of the bag at home, put it in your cupboard. Take it out of the cupboard, and open it! Grocery shopping just exhausts me. I didn’t have a lot to shop for, so I was only there for 40 minutes. I’ve been keeping track of my caloric intake, keeping a food journal, and also my exercise, with an app on my iTouch and I found out I burned 144 calories just grocery shopping! That’s more than a 20 minute brisk walk! No wonder I’m tired. I certainly earned that Skinny Cow ice cream treat I had when I got home!

So, if I’m gonna grocery shop, my least favorite of all the household chores I have do to in a given week, at least I can wear a cute pair of shoes to cheer me up:

Besides the “bedazzled” flip flops, I’m totally digging my plum colored toenails this week too. Even Nathan noticed and liked them! Now that’s what I call success!

Day Thirty-five – Beaded Flip Flops

Today I wore a pretty basic pair of flips, but they are super comfy and go with pretty much everything.

I like that I can wear these for a low-key walk.  Today the kids and I walked down to “the Dredge.”  We are lucky enough to live a block from Mission Creek and a spur of the Superior Hiking Trail.  So, we frequently head down to end of 131st Ave W., then down the gravel road to the creek and sometimes up the trails. Most days though, we just walk to the creek and the Dredge where when it really rains, the Dredge catches all the junk, trees and whatnot, that washes downstream. There’s a great, deep hole that when it’s really hot, we like to swim in. It’s almost Mayberry-ish. As I sat on a rock and watched Laura and Daniel hop around on the rocks in the creek, I enjoyed the bubbling water, the wind through the pines and just thanked God I was so blessed to live in such a beautiful area.  Not a bad destination for a pair humble flip flops.

Day Thirty-four – Denim Gingham Sandals

Gingham: The name originates from an adjective in the Malay language, ging-gang, meaning striped.^[2] Some sources say that the name came into English via Dutch.^[3][4] When originally imported into Europe in the 17th century it was a striped fabric, though now it is distinguished by its checkered pattern. From the mid 18th century, when it was being produced in the mills of Manchester, England, it started to be woven into checked or plaid patterns (often blue and white). Checked gingham became more common over time, though striped gingham was still available in the late Victorian period.^[5]

Gingham is made of carded or combed, medium or fine yarns, where the coloring is on the warp yarns and always along the grain. Gingham has no right or wrong side with respect to color. (source Wikipedia)

I think at some point every girl has had SOMETHING made of gingham. Think Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Gingham conjures up summer, innocence and our carefree girlhood days. When I was a little girl my favorite coloring books were the Gingham Girls. Did anyone else have those? They were four girls with different colored gingham dresses. I loved coloring all the little squares on their dresses.

Now, gingham is more popular than ever. Even if you are in your 30’s and 40’s you can still get away with gingham if you don’t get carried away, but instead wear it sparingly; like on your shoes!

Training

“No pain, no gain.”

This seems like such a silly, trite sentence. At least it did until this morning when I attempted to get out of bed. Key word here: attempted.  You see, at nearly 37 years old I decided it would be a good idea for me to take up running.  More specifically I wanted a goal, so I decided to train for a 5K in October.  I thought maybe that was doable.  This morning I’m not so sure.  But as I’m aging (what a depressing word!), I’m finding staying in shape is not so easy. Oh I’m still fitting into my size 6 and 8 jeans, but they’re a little tight now and everything isn’t quite as hard as it used to be.  More marshmallowy, I’d say.  Plus, there’s a whole host of icky health problems that happen when you don’t work out consistently, so I’m trying very hard to be disciplined. It’s pretty great when you have a built-in work-out partner in your teen-aged daughter, but also not so great when you your work-out partner is your teen-aged daughter who’s very fit and in shape.  However she’s encouraging and keeps pushing me on.

I’m hardly the first one to find analogies in running and fitness. God and the Apostle Paul said it all best, but I’m finding these verses very applicable all of a sudden.  Things like this:

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  Hebrews 12:10 (NIV)

I know there are people who enjoy exercise and running, but I am not one of them. I do it, because it’s good for me. It’ simply feels painful, not pleasant at the time. Probably this has a lot to do with my fibromyalgia. Literally at times, exercise is physically painful to me, and certainly the day after a hard workout, your body physically hurts!  But we all know the benefits training yields. A healthy, fit body!  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  The discipline of the Lord is never pleasant when it comes, it always hurts badly! But, when we grow closer to Him through the experience and it produces Christ-likeness, it is a joyful thing.

My mom used to always quote this verse to me before she would discipline me.  It used to make me mad as a little kid! I mean, c’mon, I was the one getting the spanking, and somehow this was going to produce a harvest of righteousness?! Give me a break! All I was thinking about was the pain!  As a parent now though, I realize how difficult it is to parent according to God’s plan.  God tells us in His Word that we are to lovingly chastise and discipline our children, not in anger, but in gentleness.  I hate doing it! But, as one who has experienced that harvest of righteousness from a godly parent being obedient, I know and understand I too, must obey God and bring painful discipline into the lives of my children for them to experience the same harvest of righteousness.  What a joy it is to seem them growing in righteousness and peace!

There is another passage that I think about when I run:

Hebrews 12:1-3

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also ^lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us ^run with ^endurance the race that is set before us, ^fixing our eyes on Jesus, the ^author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him ^endured the cross, ^despising the shame, and has ^sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For ^consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary ^and lose heart.”

Yesterday when I ran, I fixed my eyes on a certain point, “OK, I can make it to that driveway.” Then I’d do that and go, “Maybe I can go a little further, to that speed limit sign, across the bridge.” Each time I ran, I’d fix my eyes on a point and that would be my goal. I can’t run very far yet. We went 3 miles by walking/running/walking/running, but each time I ran, I set my eyes on a goal and made it there.  I’m not worrying about how good someone else is, just setting out to run MY race. How foolish would it be when I get to the 5K in October and decided, “I’m going to keep up with the fastest person here!”  I would never be able to do it and probably kill myself!  I can only run my race to the best of my ability.

The same is true in my Christian life.  I set my eyes on Jesus. And He sets my pace.  He has a race marked out for Me. I love this one conversation that Jesus and Peter have in John 21. Jesus is asking Peter to follow him and Peter does what so many of us do. He basically goes, “Hey, what about John?” And Jesus says this: “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You ^follow Me!”  I love this! In other words, don’t worry about that other guy or that other girl, you just do what Jesus has set out for YOU to do. Follow Me!  My spiritual mentor, Bonnie Thomas says, “Ministry is the wake you leave behind as you are running after Christ.”  I want to run after Christ wholeheartedly, with Him as my only goal, my only prize.

Day Thirty-three – Grey Suede Peep Toe Platform Stilettos

“Marilla,” she demanded presently, “do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?”

“A-a what kind of friend?”

“A bosom friend – an intimate friend, you know – a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul.  I’ve dreamed of meeting her all my life. . . .Do you think it’s possible?”

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

An online dictionary defined kindred spirit as “someone who thinks and feels as you do.”

For many years I wondered the same thing as Anne. Do you think it’s possible that I could find a kindred spirit? Today, I realize, like Anne, that kindred spirits are not as scarce as I once thought.  I can think of several special gals that each are kindred spirits and fill a unique role in my life.

One such friend is, Lindsay. Currently she is deployed with the US Navy overseas. We are so similar she often calls us “sisters from different misters.”  That’s where these shoes come in:

Lindsay and I are both girly-girls who love to shop and goof around together. Last fall I was shopping at Charlotte Russe and saw these shoes and instantly knew I. Had. To. Have. Them. In fact, I bought the shoes first and THEN bought the dress for my sister’s wedding based on these shoes, not the other way around.

I said something to Lindsay on the phone about the most amazing shoes I’d gotten at Charlotte Russe and she instantly knew what I had bought. She exclaimed, “You bought those grey, ruffled peep-toe 4-inch shoes, didn’t you!?”

I was like, “Yes! How did you know?”

“Because,” she replied. “I was in Charlotte Russe last week and saw the exact same shoe and instantly knew I needed those shoes, but knew I was about to be deployed and had quite an argument with myself before I decided not to buy them. But, I had a feeling you’d find them and buy them for yourself.”

I had to laugh. Please note, Lindsay lives in Virginia Beach and I am up here in Duluth, MN.  So, I posted the picture of the shoe on Facebook, so she could at least enjoy the shoe vicariously.  And I think of her every time I wear them.  I can’t wait til she gets home from her deployment. I’m planning to go visit her and we’ll shop til we drop and laugh til the wee hours of the morning.

"Friendship is one mind in two bodies."
~ Mencius

Day Thirty-two – Sequined Satin-tie Wedges

Yesterday Nathan said I looked like a cute granola girl. “A granola girl with sequins?” Yes, he thought a granola girl with sequins. 

My friend, Jyl, said my shoes reminded her of Dorothy’s magic shoes in the Wizard of Oz.

Regardless, shoes like this are not for shrinking violets:

Shoes like this will get you noticed in a hurry.  But they are also awfully fun to wear!

Day Thirty-one – Cranberry flats

I love these shoes alot! My friend, Kristin Holmes first had these shoes and as soon as I saw them I knew I needed a pair too. I found out where she got them and went out and bought them:

I always feel kinda bad wearing them around Kristin, though, because right after I got a pair, her puppy chewed hers up and by then, she couldn’t find them at the store anymore! Big time bummer!

In fact, I love the color of these shoes so much, that when I wanted to paint the front door red, I knew just what color I wanted; the exact cranberry shade of these shoes.  I even took the shoes with me to the paint department at Home Depot and told the guy, “Match the color of these shoes exactly. I don’t care how weird this looks.” He told me it wasn’t weird at all. Apparently, there are lots of women like me in love with their shoes, because he said he gets requests to match paint colors to shoe colors all the time. I think he did a very good job, because I have a fabulous, cranberry red front door now, too.

Days Twenty-eight thru Thirty – Tennis shoes

This has been a week of jeans and tennis shoes; it’s been a busy week!  It’s Vacation Bible School week at our church and I’ve been taking care of a two-year-old all week.  This is Jonas:

He’s Pastor Bryan and Laura’s youngest.  He’s been my little buddy this week. We’ve had lots of fun playing with dinosaurs, stickers, Bendaroos and going to the park.

If you’re a mom, like me, you probably spend a lot of time in jeans and tennis shoes. But, that’s no excuse for frumpiness! If you’ve spent any time with me at all you know my mantra is, “Do the best you can with what you have.”  And moms, I’m telling you right now, your “best” is NOT “mom jeans” and your white New Balance tennis shoes.  If you are guilty of this fashion sin, throw them in the garbage right now. And if you don’t know what “mom jeans” are, you’re probably wearing them. Hey, my 60-something mom is totally stylin’ in her cute bootcut jeans and mary jane tennis shoes, so you can do it too!

Trust me,  you can be cute, fashionable and still comfortable.  Some hints on jeans shopping.  For those of you in a traditional women’s size try starting at the Gap or American Eagle. Those are my two favorite places.  Gap jeans are my personal favorite, but that’s just the way my body is shaped. You will probably have to try on 30-40 pairs of jeans before you find the that pair that makes you say “Ah-ha!” When you do, buy 3 or 4 pairs! My favorites are Gap Long and Lean in a Tall (cuz I’m short but have a 34 inch inseam), and Gap Curvy Bootcut Jeans. I love that Gap makes jeans for us girls who are actually shaped like a woman, not a toothpick.  Also, try Lee jeans at Kohl’s.  They come in all sizes including Plus size and have some great jeans for women, including jeans with secret “squishy” panels. (not a technical term) The Lee jeans are cut for a woman’s body as well and although “low” rise, will not gape as they are higher in the back and lower in the front. I promise, no one will see your undies!  Take your teenage daughter or friend along to give your jeans the seal of approval!

As far as tennis shoes are concerned, be cute! There are lots of fun styles out there.  You could get a low-profile “running” shoe:

Or a fun pair of chunky tennis shoes (another cast off from Laura’s growth spurt):

Or any number of fun slip-on tennies:

Of course the ultimate in cool is a pair of Chuck Taylor’s which I don’t have, but hey, my birthday is right around the corner! And shoes are ALWAYS a great present. hint, hint. ;)

Day Twenty-seven – Gold Platform Wedges

Since I love anything that glitters, gleams, shimmers, shines, twinkles, blings, sparkles, glistens, or glimmers, these are the perfect shoes.  And since I am short, I also love the fact that they make me about 5’8”. What more could you ask for from a pair of shoes!?

Day Twenty-six – Brown plaid flats

Funny story about these shoes:

I was at Barnes and Noble shopping one evening with my friend, Tammy. That night I had on a pair of high heeled clogs.  As we were browsing and sipping our coffee something felt weird under me.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I looked down. And then, my 3 inch, chunky heel broke right off of my shoe! Tammy and I both started laughing! I particularly thought it was funny and started to walk around Barnes and Noble with one flat shoe and one 3-inch high heel. Up. Down. Up. Down. I was cracking up. Tammy was embarrassed.

“Cut it out, Molly!”

Of course, that just made me do it more.

Thankfully, DSW is next door to Barnes and Noble, and I had a witness who informed Nathan I truly HAD to buy a pair of shoes that night! As you can see, I opted for a sensible pair of flats for mall walking.

Day Twenty-five – Red quilted Mary Janes

Considering that red is my favorite color to wear and that I love to quilt, it’s only right that I have a pair of red, quilted shoes, don’t you think?

Day Twenty-four – Black snakeskin stilettos

It’s been a busy few days. Yesterday I spent the entire day running around in a pair of three-inch stilettos. No, I’m not insane, I’m just one of those girls who can run in high heels. I think a pair of black high heels is a staple of every well-dressed girl’s wardrobe, and my stilettos went a lot of places yesterday.

They started the morning at 6 a.m. here in Duluth. We had to get up early to drive to Winona, MN. A dear, saint from our first church down there had gone to heaven last week, and her memorial service was yesterday.  My high heels held me up while I remembered Jane and while I hugged some of my most favorite people on earth; members of our first church, the Pickwick Community Church. Oh, it was so good to see their smiling, loving faces and hear them exclaim, “We’ve missed you! I can’t believe you’re here! My how your children have grown!”
They also took me to the Winona Country Kitchen for lunch, my one and only job during my time in the ministry. The owner, Butch Bierly, still owns it and remembered me. I loved waitressing at Country Kitchen. It was well-managed and sort of like a big family. Butch was like the dad, and our manager, Scott, like our big brother. But, I’ve never regretted quitting to take care of my babies full-time.
Later, we drove up Garvin Heights, which feels almost exactly like driving up 40th Ave. here in Duluth, to visit and stay with our friends the Schwab’s.  If you looked up the word “friend” in the dictionary, Ben and Judy’s names would be there next to it. When we first moved to Winona and I had Laura, I was looking for a Bible Study to attend. I was 22 years old and a “newbie” basically. Judy was 34 years old and a seasoned mom by then, but never made me feel less than worthy.  She took me under her wing and into her home and Bible study, and we were fast friends.  She was my friend through a lot of my first “crisis” moments. Losing our baby, Jess, being the biggest one.  Judy and I have both grown through our friendship with each other.

When our most difficult trial ever came upon us, a violent attack on our home and our lives in the middle of the night by a drunken neighbor, Ben and Judy accepted our frantic call and took us and our frightened children into their home. They cried with us and prayed with us, and allowed us to make their home, our home for several days while we tried to find some stable footing, as our world had been turned topsy turvy by the attack.  Ultimately, the violence led us away from Winona, and our friends prayed and cried with us again, as we packed, but we’ve always remained close friends.
Later that afternoon, Nathan and I drove out to Pickwick and our first home and church. My black stilettos walked the lawn and sidewalk of our first home.  How bittersweet! The trees we had planted as seedlings 10-15 years ago were now HUGE and beautiful!


I once more bent over to take a picture of my tiny daughter’s handprint in the sidewalk Nathan had carefully crafted 12 years before.

And then we said good-bye, this time probably for good, which brought tears to my eyes. This picture will tell you why:

I don’t understand God’s purposes in moving us away from Pickwick and closing the church there, but I know for the 6 years we were there, He used us as willing vessels to touch and change lives.
One life that I know was touched was my friend Sara. She was the first person I ever met and befriended. I wasn’t sure if she still lived in her house down the road, but I thought we’d drive by and see, and she was sitting on her porch. “Stop the van!” I yelled. Nathan slammed on the brakes, and I jumped out of the van. The look on Sara’s face was priceless! And worth it! She invited us in, and we visited with her and her children for awhile.
And then, my shoe took an interesting trip.  Her chocolate lab was chewing on something and we were watching him, but not paying much attention. Suddenly we both realized it was one of my shoes!!!! Good thing they’re not expensive shoes! Thankfully, Rex didn’t put any bite marks in them. But, even if he had, I wouldn’t care. Good friends are worth far more than a pair of shoes!

Last, but certainly, not least. My lovely, well-worn by this time, shoes, took me to LaCrosse, WI. Nathan and I were celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary, and we decided to go to our favorite restaurant, Piggy’s, along the Mississippi River.  We had a lovely, romantic dinner and a walk along the river.

Through all the moves, all the ups and downs of life, and all the pairs of shoes I have bought and worn, one thing has remained constant and the biggest blessing to me in my life, and that is the faithfulness and love of my husband the past 16 years of marriage. I am so blessed to have him as my partner and best friend in this amazing journey we have found ourselves on.

Day Twenty-three – Studded high-heeled sandals

DSW to the rescue again! I got these totally trendy heels last summer at my favorite shoe store.

I wanted a shoe that had a slight “gladiator” feel, but wasn’t too trendy. As always, DSW delivers the perfect shoe at the right price. These shoes look great with skirts and dresses and today I wore them with a pair of distressed, boot cut jeans. Go get you some!

Day Twenty-two – Fleece Line Clogs

Curses on the East Wind!
For those of you who don’t live here in Duluth, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but if you are “lucky” enough to live along the North Shore, you know exactly what I’m speaking of! Yesterday my days of flip flops and sandals came to an abrupt end. And here I thought no one would get a glimpse of my winter shoes til. . .well, winter. Silly me. Even after nearly 8 years in Duluth, I’m still a Missouri girl at heart. I expect summer to feel like summer. Crazy, I know.
But, when the East wind blows it brings migraines, gale size waves on Lake Superior and freezing cold temperatures. Monday was balmy, sunny and about 75. Tuesday was blustery, pouring rain and about 50. You’ve never experienced cold until you’ve felt a Lake Superior lake wind.
Hence the fleece lined clogs. I picked up these little beauties last winter. Still cute, but boy, do my feet stay warm in them.

Hopefully warmer temps will return very soon, cuz I just painted my toenails last night!

Day Twenty-One - Keens (the Cadillac of Hiking Shoes)

So, what do you wear on your feet when you go hiking?  Tennis shoes? Rookie.  Tevas?  I guess that's ok if you don't mind coming back with your big toe all mangled and bloody. Merrill's? It's ok, but you haven't reached true hiking Nirvana yet.  Those of us who own a pair of Keens know the secret: Keens rock!

I've noticed that Coloradins tend to love their Merrill's, but those of us in the upper Midwest stick tightly to our Keens. Probably because when we hike we go in and out of a lot of water when we hike.  When hiking over boulders, pebbles and through streams, you need traction, toe protection, a shoe that can stand up to water, and also let the water and pebbles drain out.  A pair of Keens are perfect for that! Plus, they are super comfortable and offer great support.

Recently Keen redesigned their women's shoes to make them narrower. I think I've mentioned before that I have narrow feet, so I'm doing my best to wear my Keen's out so I can have a new pair. Problem is, Keens are like the Toyota of shoes. They are durable! And I guess at $90 a pop that's a good thing. Love my Keens! The weather's perfect, let's go on a hike!

Day Twenty - Cream Suede Mary Janes

After stilettos and flip flops, I think I like the tennis shoe/Mary Jane hybrid the most. At least, my closet and shoe collection shows evidence of this. I have about 10 pairs of these classy, yet sporty little shoes. They are perfect for so many things. You can wear them hiking, biking, with jeans, a skirt, around the house, out on a date. I love them! American Eagle brand shoes (which are sold at Payless) have a bunch of fun Mary Janes.


So, what do I look for when I buy shoes? What makes a shoe, a “Molly” shoe? Usually there’s something different about the shoe, a something extra that jumps out at me. It could be an embellishment, a fun heel or a fabulous color. On this pair of shoes it’s the tiny hint of metallic, sparkly gold that did it for me. If you look closely, around the edge, they are not just cream colored shoes, but the trim is pink satin and gold metallic thread. It’s that something special that makes a shoe go beyond boring to WOW!

Day Nineteen – Brown Embroidered Flip Flops

Another day, another pair of flip flops. Nothing special. Today my flips took me to Menard’s to pick out an area rug. I decided to rip out the carpeting in the guest room. That’s it, I’d had it. The carpet has to be at least as old as I am, salmon, bordering on orange and unbelievably, disgustingly dirty. Out it went. Underneath, hardwood floors. Not in the best shape, but a few well-placed area rugs take care of the worst of it. I’m not exactly a work-boot kind of girl. Flip flops work for me. But, I can hoist a 9 foot rolled up rug with the best of them. I have muscles and I know how to use ‘em!

Day Eighteen – Jeweled Wedge Sandals

Great minds think alike. A few days after I bought these sandals I came into the office at church with them on my feet and lo, and behold, Mardy had the same pair on her feet!

They’re pretty to look at and go with everything, but beware! If you aren’t careful you can fall off of them easily. I have to be super careful when I walk in these shoes; I’ve been known to fall off these shoes before.  Falling off your shoes is a definite fashion faux pas.

Day Seventeen – My Favorite Shoes

You’d think out of 70 or 80 pairs of shoes I’d have a hard time picking just one pair of shoes to be my favorite. But, this pair wins, hands down.

Red high heels are magical. The ruby slippers got Dorothy back home. Kelly Pickler wrote a song about her red high heels:

“But you say that you’ll call and you don’t
And I’m spinning my wheels
So I’m going out tonight
In my red high heels”

The first time time I saw these shoes I broke down and begged. I’m not above begging for a pair of shoes. I told Nathan I “needed” them. He raised his eyebrows at me. “OK,” I conceded. “I don’t NEED them, but I really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want them.” He bought them for me, “Not because you need them, but because I love you and want to give you a gift.”

Again, yes, I realize I’m a spoiled brat. :) But, I don’t take the love of my wonderful hubby for granted. Ever.

Day Sixteen – Black Sandals

Basics are good. Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. Levi’s Jeans. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Apple Pie. Your favorite sweatshirt. A white t-shirt.

Nothin’ too exciting on my feet today, but every well-stocked closet needs basics. A pair of tennis shoes, a pair of black stilettos, a pair of brown boots. In the summer, a pair of flat, black sandals goes with everything and is comfortable.

Day Fifteen – Brown Ballet Flats

Laura’s mad at me.  I’m wearing her favorite flats.

They used to be hers. But, it’s not MY fault her feet grew and they just happened to be my size! Poor Laura. She’s now a size 8 1/2 and these shoes (along with several other size 7 1/2’s) had to come live in my closet. Sigh.

Blame it on Dad and his size 13’s!

Day Fourteen – Flower Flip Flops

I love flowers. I have gardens all around my house and in the summer I always have fresh flowers in my house. So, I figure why not flowers on my toes too? Forget the whole, “Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes.” It should be “Rings on her fingers and FLOWERS on her toes!”