Sorry for the squint. I have extremely light sensitive eyes! A beautiful sunny day, faithful dog by my side. What could be better? A beaded tunic gifted to my by my mom.

How about animal print flats with an animal admiring them! Ash liked them so much that he lay on my feet and rolled around. Maybe I should explain no real animals were involved in the making of these shoes!

And of course with my photos, there's always a back story. This was taken just before Ash tripped me and I stumbled over the tripod spraining my ankle slightly. Fortunately, I had already taken the camera off since I now have quite a reputation as a camera killer. Who knew fashion and photography could be so hazardous to your health?

 

You're Not Going To Believe This

My husband actually had a free Saturday today and spent the entire day with me. So we started off with breakfast at noon, but it gets even better than that. He wanted to look for some new work boots, so we headed off to a shoe store together. He likes the same store I do that has new and lightly used high quality shoes. Now I realize that many people already envy my awesome hubby, but a husband that shoe shops? Wow! We did some serious retail bonding and when we returned to his truck, I squeezed his hand and said, "I just feel so close to you right now!" At that point he shot me such a questioning look that I realized, O.K., he's a man that likes to shop but still a man.

And the continuing saga of "Boot Quest" . . .
I'll try to get some photos of our purchases tomorrow. I made another attempt at a black boot in hopes these won't shred my feet. I'm not sure why I have such a hard time with boots. If they in any way squeeze or bind my ankles, they kill my feet. Some that seem totally comfortable at the time, backfire later. Most boots render me barely able to walk the next day, but I love the look of them. So what's a girl to do? Keep buying and one has to eventually work, right? I think I need to put some of the failed boots on ebay because they are barely worn. We ended the day by purchasing a new mattress and box springs. I just happened to mention how well I slept in the hotel last week because of the mattress and he insists on getting a new one. Do I have a wonderful husband or what?

Casual Continued

 I'm continuing a casual trend here because of my casual footwear. Also Fridays are usually casual or even "clean the office day" since we don't have a cleaning service or rather your looking at half of the cleaning service right now. I'm loving this burgundy cardigan because I can pair it with all kinds of colors--like this purple tee here.

And I was trying to hurry to beat the sunset so I could get a quick outdoors shot. So when I hurriedly set up the tripod and this shot, I got what looks like a monster blade of grass in front of me. Hey, I'm asking Santa for a better camera and hoping for much better photos for this blog. Maybe I should also ask for better photography skills too.  Like I've said before I'm using a $60 Kodak Easy Share Sport. It does have it's advantages though. When I was taking these, it started to sprinkle and I didn't scream and run for the hills.

Goin' Casual

My feet are feeling totally better but I'm still afraid to wear dress shoes for more than 1/2 a day. At first this discouraged me and I didn't even want to do outfit photos. However, since part of this blog's purpose is encouraging others with fashion barriers, I thought it might encourage others with foot problems. This is just part of my life that I'm opening up here. So instead of the big hold up that I thought it was, this just fits right in to my purpose for being here. I have done the whole skirts with althetic sneakers look before. Not a good look for anyone really, unless you're commuting or something. In fact the charicature someone drew of me for my baby shower when I was pregnant with twins was a huge me in a huge denim jumper with untied reebok's. Yes, even 14 years later I'm embarrassed and appalled. It was kinda funny though. Lets see if we can go for a more attractive casual look.

And just for fun I threw in my faux fair isle crochet sweater!

Shoe Shots

As a result of the recent foot rebellion, I broke down and went shoe shopping even in the thick of Christmas shopping season. Ow, now my wallet hurts. We're having to keep it simple for Christmas this year but my workout shoes are, oh about 2 years old. They are running shoes but I don't run in them due to the arthritis. My feet would really kill me then! But I do walk, hike and play a mean game of Dance Central in them. Really, I should be shot for not totally pampering my difficult feet more often, but since I wear fit flops and Merrill sandals all summer and Merrill clogs in winter, the athletic shoes don't get worn out very fast. I decided I needed some dress shoes that don't kill my feet so I can look stylish without pain. Here they are!

I'm so excited about how comfy these are that the shoes got their own photo shoot. Yes, sad I know. They are brown Un Bridle from Un structured by Clarks. The athletic shoes I bought are New Balance Country Walker in brown. I didn't post a picture because they are just brown walking shoes. I love them partly because they fade into the background I'm hoping they won't be as noticeable as white sneakers on bad foot days.

Oh, and there was an outfit that went with the shoes. As an afterthought, here it is.  

My Feet Hate Me

Apparently the cute shoes I have been wearing lately have angered my feet . Several times I have been in great pain by evening. Could it be the Christmas shopping I did while wearing boots? So for several days I had to go back to wearing running shoes or my Merrill clogs. I learned my lesson. Cute shoes are OK at my desk or short events but not shopping. Dang it.

 My stepson has taken possession of the laptop for a few days. Stay tuned for a decent post tomorrow hopefully. Temporarily my black Merrill clogs which my husband has proclaimed the ugliest shoes ever, are my footwear of choice.

Shoe Storage

Shelves courtesy of my husband. Didn't he do an awesome job? Out of gratitude I allowed him a small section on the right for his shoes.

This makes it look like our house is incredibly organized. If only I could get the rest looking like this. Well, I can dream and maybe work on it a room at a time.

I Have a Photographer (or two)!

My sons have agreed to be my blog photographers, and that will hopefully improve the quality of the photos.  I'm sure the ol' tripod will still be of use when they aren't available. I just can't seem to get a natural smile when I'm photographing myself. I have to have someone there that makes me smile, and my kids usually do.

Wide-leg Pants

I'm just not loving the wide legs which are supposed to be good for women with lower body issues, right? I'm kind of getting a large tree stump vibe from these, and my legs look way bigger than they actually are. At least they are very comfortable. Maybe it's because they don't cover my feet, but that is so not happening. It may look good in photos but isn't practical for my life.

And heels!

I'm actually wearing heels, sort of. They are low, almost made like a wedge really, and a solid and stable shoe. "Comfort" shoes often feature a flexible sole, but with rheumatoid arthritis feet, I need a solid supportive sole. Finding good shoes is a major battle for people with arthritis. I have spent a fortune trying out different things and have a pretty good idea what works now. I have done the "I don't care if it hurts, I'm wearing cute shoes" and the always in athletic shoes approach. I will not put myself through foot hell for the sake of fashion, but I refuse to just give up. Now I have reached the point where I'm determined to find attractive shoes without sacrificing the health of my feet. What's your priority in choosing shoes, comfort or appearance? Can they both be met?

 
 Now don't I look more relaxed with a real person behind the camera?