Week 4 - Lines

Week 4 - Lines

This week has been super busy so I'll make this a short post. 

ISO 200, 1/125sec., f13

My garage with power lines overhead and shadows of my clothesline. I loved all the different directions I found in this one. 

ISO 800, 1/160sec., f11

Timbers in my yard with shadows of our fence. 

And just for fun, some crazy editing of the last shot. Invert and extra contrast. 

Week 5 - Steel.

Hmm, so what's made of steel? Does Superman count? 

Me, My Shoes and My Major Pains in the....

Feet! Pains in the feet...what were you thinking? 

You know the stereotype about women? That we just love to shop, especially for shoes? That's not me. And never has been. Shopping for shoes or clothes has never been enjoyable to me. I just want to get what I need and get out. Imagine my despair when I had to throw out all my shoes and replace them. Oh no!!! 

Let me explain..I've suffered from foot pain for at least ten years. It had been on and off and, up until a year and a half ago, I could always do something to ease the pain. Put arch supports in my shoes, stop running for a while or just buy a new pair of shoes. I had to completely give up wearing flip flops about 5 years ago because they hurt my feet so badly. But about a year and half ago I was having serious and consistent foot pain for months that wouldn't go away no matter what I did. Many days I was on the verge of tears because the pain was so bad. I was to the point where I was running on my treadmill barefoot and I had a pair of flimsy canvas shoes I wore all the time because that was the closest to being barefoot. I didn't own one pair of shoes that didn't hurt and going barefoot was the only thing that could ease the pain. 

I finally went to a podiatrist who measured my feet and, lo and behold, I was wearing the wrong size shoes. I had been wearing size 9 since high school and the doctor said I needed a 8 1/2 wide shoe AND I had high rigid arches. I was wearing shoes that were too small, squeezing my feet and didn't have enough support. 

Great (insert sarcasm). I had to buy new shoes. 

I've went through a lot of shoes in the past year. Some worked (I bought men's cowboy boots because they are wider than women's and they feel great), some failed miserably (I still have to put arch supports in most of my shoes). But I just have to share the VERY BEST SHOES OF ALL TIME!!! 

Okabashi Shoes.

4 Reasons this company is awesome! 

1. Made in the USA

2. These shoes are completely recyclable. 

When your shoes wear out, send them back to Okabashi and they'll make them into a new pair. 

3. My feet have NEVER hurt in Okabashi shoes. (They're endorsed by the American Chiropractic Society.)

4. VERY affordable. Prices range from $13 - $20 dollars a pair. 

I just received two new pairs last week. These are Clogs. 

The Okabashi shoes are rubber like, not soft and foamy like Crocs but sturdier. 

Each pair of Okabashi shoes have a built in arch support. I've been wearing these brown ones all over the house and I've forgotten that I'm even wearing them. They are that comfortable. 

Please ignore my ugly toes. 

I also got a new pair of Classic Flip Flops this week! 

Last summer I wore a green pair of Okabashi flip flops everyday. No joke. I wore them to church, in the garden, EVERY WHERE! They felt so very good on my feet. I hadn't been able to wear flip flops for 5 years! Okabashi has been a blessing for my feet. 

My green ones aren't worn out either; they really do last. 

I just wanted a second pair for the summer. (Guilty pleasure)

My favorite part of these Okabashi shoes are the little bumps. It's like getting a foot massage all day long! That's my idea of heaven right there. 

GREAT SHOE #2 -Vibram 

I run a lot; 20+ miles a week. I did end up getting new running shoes after I remeasured my feet but I enjoyed running barefoot so much that I kept doing it a few days a week on my treadmill for the past year. Although running barefoot feels good, with my high arches I can't do it everyday or my feet start really hurting again. I have found that my feet feel much stronger than they did a year ago. 

DR bought me a pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes for Christmas!

I admit, I over did in these shoes the first week I had them and ran in them 4 days in a row and my feet hurt for a week. I'm smarter now; a couple days on and a couple days off. 

Basically the philosophy is that our bodies were never made to shoes and the shoes we do wear make the muscles in our feet and legs weak and throws off our alignment. Naturally, our feet are designed to work best barefoot but after decades of wearing shoes (on concrete, not natural), it takes time to adjust to wearing or running in these shoes on a daily basis. 

So even though my feet should be able to go barefoot, I've spent too much time in other shoes and I don't have the strength in my arches (yet) to wear these shoes everyday. 

Despite not being able to wear them everyday I do love these shoes. They are comfortable to run in and much warmer than I anticipated. I don't wear socks with them though you can buy toe socks off the Vibram website. There's plenty of traction so I don't have to worry about slipping in them. The bottom of these shoes are strong enough too that I don't have to worry about anything poking into my feet as I run. It's kind of difficult getting used to putting them on, I'm still working on getting the right toes in the right holes! And when you run in these you almost have to relearn your stride. I don't take as long of steps and my feet land more on the ball of my feet rather than the heel. I have found myself lately running at a faster pace in these shoes than traditional running shoes and that's encouraging! Vibram's aren't cheap though; $100+ per pair. However if they strengthen my feet I think the price is worth it. 

My feet problems are probably totally different than yours but if you are looking for a new pair of shoes I definitely recommend that you check out Okabashi and Vibram FiveFingers! That may have something just for you. 

Marker Monday - Microwave Mystery

And just WHAT is so interesting in the microwave boys? 

It's not popcorn. It's not hot dogs. 

No, they aren't having a Peeps war.

I don't think I've ever seen Yip smile this much over food. 

It must be more exciting than merely something to eat. 

Cool!!! .... What is it?? 

An Ivory Soap Explosion of course! 

(one bar of soap from microwave. Only do a 1/4 at a time!) 

All you need is a bar of Ivory soap, I don't think any other brand will work, and a microwave. Cut the soap in fourths and one piece at a time put in the microwave, watch it grow and take it out when it's done. Ours took about 30 seconds but it may take longer depending on your microwave. It won't be too hot to touch and the boys enjoyed playing with it right away because it felt like foam. After it cooled though and you squeezed it then it turned to powder. 

So, what do you do with it now? 

I used a whole bar of soap to make homemade laundry detergent. 

(4 cups of bar soap grated or microwaved in this case, 2 cups of Borax and 2 cups of washing soda. Mix and use 1- 1/2 T per load of laundry.)

We also made Clean Mud! 

You need one bar of Ivory soap foamed in the microwave, a few sheets of toilet paper and 1/2 cup of water. 

After the soap has cooled mix the toilet paper and water with the soap and it will dissolve into the consistency of mud. You may need to add a bit more toilet paper to thicken it up. 

What a ball this was! And it felt like mud. I was getting kind of worried because there were bits of this mixture all over the carpet but after it tried it vaccumed up super easy. It looks like a mess, but it's only soap after all and we just tossed all the toys in at bathtime. Double duty! Use the soap on the toys to clean your kids. I thought it might chunk up on the tablecloth too but I threw it in the washer, but didn't add detergent, and it came out clean as a whistle! 

Clean Mud...a pretty fun, and clean, activity for a cold winter day. 

Sunday Devotions - Rest vs. Work

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:30-32

It's 8:30 on a Saturday night and I'm finally sitting down to write my Sunday Devotional. Whew! 

What a day it's been! The boys had a friend sleep over last night so there was an extra rugrat running around this morning. Later in the morning I loaded the car with kids to buy materials for 4-H projects. Then after coming home, fixing lunch and getting Yahoo down for a nap the boys and I worked on their projects.  After Yahoo's nap we had a fine time making animal cheese crackers for a church dinner this evening and then we played with some Clean Mud (check tomorrow's post for the recipe!). I timed it just right that I could run on the treadmill while the kids watched a movie and I'd heat up leftovers for dinner as soon as I was done running. But as soon as I got off the treadmill DR came home from working all day transferring grain to say he had to run to town and, "Why don't we go out to eat at Applebees?" After a quick shower, no makeup, and getting the kids hustled into the car, we were off! Dinner was great, then a fly by the store DR needed to get to, and we were home right at bedtime. Everyone was hustled through the toothbrush, pajama routine and were down for the count. Even DR's sleeping right now. 

I felt like I haven't had a chance to sit all day. But even as I'm sitting here looking around the living room my mind is building a To Do List; pick up toys, work on painting, fold laundry, the list goes on and on. But I have no energy to keep on working tonight. If I did I would be worthless tomorrow. 

I think the apostles probably had some problems with getting enough rest too. Jesus had sent them off to do God's work and they had returned, probably very excited, about what they'd taught and done! Who wants to rest when the power of God is with them to do great things? But Jesus knew that rest was important to his disciples, despite their great excitement and energy. If they didn't rest and recharge the power of God wouldn't be able to work within them in the future. They would just burn out. 

The same is true for all of us. Life is so much go, go, go. Where's the rest? If we don't carve out time for ourselves no one else will. No one can go indefinitely without recharging their batteries, physically and mentally, or burn out is bound to occur. I think for mothers of young kids it is especially hard to find time to rest and pray. We are on the go from sunup to sundown and many times up in the middle of the night too caring for our little ones. 

It's hard to carve out that time but perhaps it doesn't have to be a huge chunk of time all at once. Can you try five minutes of sitting down doing nothing? Ten minutes? There are days I feel lucky to get three minutes of time to just sit before I'm called on by one kid or another. But the intention is there. 

Dear God, Thank You for reminding me today that rest is so very important. Rest for my body and my mind. Resting is the only way I can prepare myself to do Your work. Help me find rest today Lord that I may do Your work tomorrow. Amen. 

I wish...for a TOY library!

Over the past year I've been lucky enough to help our local Kansas Parents as Teacher (KPATA) coordinator, Melissa, plan out play dates in our town. Kids ranging from 0-5 come into her PAT (Parents as Teachers) room in an old high school building and do all kinds of stuff! We play games, read stories, sing songs, do art projects usually following a different theme every month but Melissa is awesome and has so much energy! She does different things every month! We are just gearing up for another year since we haven't met since November. 

While Melissa has tons of energy, her position is time consuming She is always traveling for many play groups in our area and has a couple rooms in this old school building to store things but has never had boxes or shelves to put them on. It's kind of become a dumping off spot for her before she takes off to the next town and the next group of kids. 

So this last week she and I have been digging through two rooms worth of stuff; cleaning, organizing, and throwing away. Toys, games, puzzles, blocks, art supplies, Little Tikes toys (that I drool over), manipulatives, books...all this stuff that ranges in age appropriateness from birth to kindergarten. 

She has so. much. stuff. 

As we've been cleaning and going through stuff she was kind enough to let me borrow anything I wanted to! This is only a few of the things I've brought home. It's been great because we've gotten new toys that all my kids are interested in (and it's gotten them away from the tv) and I haven't had to shell out a bunch of money for new toys and games. Plus Melissa has some great DURABLE toys and games you can't find at the local WalMart. I HATE spending money on a toy or game that breaks easily or doesn't work. (Like Elefun. Hate that game. It doesn't work. Don't buy it!)

Wasn't Christmas only a month ago? How many of your kids aren't playing with their presents anymore. It's true with some of my kids' toys. I've heard the advice to rotate toys around so your kids won't get tired of them. My problem is I don't have the time/space to do that or if I do when I bring them around my kids have out grown certain toys in a short amount of time and don't want them anymore. 

Wouldn't it be awesome to have a TOY library? (Not Goodwill where everything is broken!) A place where any parent or child can go into and check out a game or toy and bring it home for a couple weeks before they have to return it! Just like a library but with toys/games instead of books. 

How many problems would that solve? Parents wouldn't have to spend money buying new toys that their kids may or may not like. A toy library would be giving low income families the opportunity to enjoy high quality toys and games! Toys could be rotated as your kids outgrow them, especially for toddlers! Just like recommending a great book to a friend, parents could recommend great toys to other parents. 

I'm not sure if or how someone could even get a Toy Library started. I don't live in one location long enough to start one myself or I'd figure it out. 

That's what I wish for though, a toy library. That would be awesome. 

Foody Friday - Cheesy Crackers just like Goldfish!

Last week I met with my ladies group and we were having a lesson on cheese and a cheese tasting. There was goat cheese, brie, hivarti, muenster...so many to try! One of the ladies made these wonderful cheese sticks that I thought tasted just like Goldfish crackers! 

Cheesy Crackers

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick of butter

3/4 cup of flour 

dash or two of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 

Process all ingredients in a food processor until worked into a ball of dough. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured tea towel or other cotton cloth and cut into squares, about 1" or so. (Next time I'm going to use alphabet cookie cutters!) Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes in 350 degree oven.  

Not all of my kids were convinced however that they were wonderful; one of them just had to veto it. Ah, two out of three isn't bad. 

Week 3 - Dirty

Week 3 of 52 Weeks Photo Themes 

 Dirty! 

And I was fully anticipating taking photos of my kids amongst a giant mess of one sort or another. Imagine my surprise when this week's subject was my hubby DR instead. The weather was unusually warm this past weekend, upper 50's and low 60's, which DR took advantage of and worked up the dead organic matter and compost into our garden plot. 

f5.6, 1/100sec, ISO 100

f7.1, 1/320 sec., ISO 100

I haven't a clue why but this picture should be rotated 90 degrees to the left. I tried ever trick I know to get it turned but I couldn't get it to work.

I'm really happy with these photos. It was a beautiful day although tricky with the bright sunshine and the freshly turned soil smelled fabulous. It's one of my favorite smells in the world by the way.

Next week, Line(s).
Hmm, I'll have to do some thinking and looking on that one.