Celebrate The Small Things - Oct 3 - Girly Stuff!

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating a couple of girly things...shoes and makup!

First, my search for a pair of shoes that I can wear with my custom fit orthotics (and are not sneakers) has resulted in these!

Yes, they cost me $135...but considering that this is my second pair of shoes that I wear, I'll take it.  It's always been hard for me to find shoes because I'm a size 5.5, with a bit of a wider foot.  And now that I have my orthotics, this has made things even harder since I need to find shoes with a removable insole to accommodate them.  Next, I sort of need a bigger shoe...and this doesn't always mean a size bigger.  My new boots ended up being a great fit because I got them in a size 6, but they don't feel too long, probably because of the orthotics.  I ordered a pair of cute Clarks shoes, but I had to return those because when I put my custom inserts in I couldn't get my foot in the shoe...at all!  I think Clarks tend to run a bit small and narrow and just may not be good for my feet...too bad since they were really nice shoes.  Anyway, I'm really happy with my cute new boots!  (For anyone looking to order shoes that are orthotic -friendly, I ordered from onlineshoes.com --they have a great return policy and a wide selection.  Click here for the boots I ordered).

Second thing I'm celebrating is my new makeup palette (from coastalscents.com) that I got on sale at 50% off...and I had an additional $5 off coupon!  Total cost:  $5 for a 20 eyeshadow set!  So proud of my frugal shopping!  (As I'm re-reading this for editing purposes, I'm cracking up at the frugal comment...right after I just told you that I spent a fortune on my boots! LOL)

(The bottom picture has both the Revealed 1 & 2 palettes, just to compare both.)

Happy Weekend!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

 

Celebrate The Small Things -- June 20

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating having my brother and his family over for the week.  My little bro lives several states away, which equates to a 20 hour car ride, so we don't get to see each other too often.  I'm loving having him here and visiting with my adorable niece and nephew...they are too cute!

Below is a pic of my son and my nephew watching tv together...they look the same :)

I'm also celebrating good medicine.  My arthritis has been going crazy the past couple of weeks and so I've been taking my newest pain medicine, ConZip (extended release Tramadol), almost every day.  It has really helped take the edge off.

Also celebrating my orthotics...I think they may be helping a bit and I'll take anything I can get!

My brother just reminded me...celebrating old school music that makes you dance in your car like a crazy person.  We heard "The Humpty Dance" twice in three days!  Woot!  Special thanks to Sirius XM radio's 90's on 9!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

 

My New Custom Orthotics...The Jury Is Out

I got fitted for my custom orthotics a few weeks ago (you can read about my fitting here) and was finally able to pick them up this week.  Figured I'd get pictures before they get all gross and stinky.

Here they are with my Easy Spirit sneakers in a size 6, which is a half size bigger than I normally wear.  They easily go in and come out.

The top of the orthotic (the black part) feels soft.  The part where the toes are is very flexible.  The rest is pretty rigid.

This is the bottom...the white part is the heel.  

They feel kind of weird, but not bad...just different.  I have to give them some time before I come to a decision about them.  The only other pair of shoes that I've tried them with is my Sketchers sneakers, which are my usual size, a 5.5.  They fit inside them okay, but my feet fit really shallow.

The good news is that "right" and "left" are printed on the bottom, along with my name...so I feel a little bit like a kindergartener :)

I go to see my ankle surgeon this Friday for a post-op check up and to see what's going on with my lack of progress.  I'll do an update post next week to keep everyone informed!

Arizona Braces and Custom Orthotics

Monday morning I had my appointment to get fitted for my custom orthotics.  So, in other words, I'm full on my way to being a grumpy old lady ;)

I went to the same place, and had the same dude, that I got my arizona braces (AB) from.  Those arizona braces basically held off my ankle replacement surgery for about two years.  Wearing them helped me to stay on my feet just a little longer because they work by simulating a fusion.  They're not the most comfortable things to wear, but without them I would have been so much worse than I was.

For those who have never seen these braces in person, they are made of a rigid plastic and covered in leather.  The inside, where they touch your leg, has a thin foam layer.  You put them on (with socks, or they will end up stinking to high heaven), lace them up, and then wear them with a rigid shoe...I sized up a half a size, took out the insoles, and wore them with sneakers.  The worst part for me was that they got very hot in the summer and I even ended up getting athlete's foot and had to treat my feet with over the counter spray.  Yeah, not so sexy.

Looking at the picture, you may ask, "why are they different?".  One is taller than the other and the heels are different on them as well.  The only answer I have is that since these are custom made, and I had them made about a year apart, they will vary.  I do think that the one that did not have the rigid plastic on the heel was more comfortable than the other.  At times my right heel would go numb because of the plastic.  So if you have to have these made, ask for a soft heel.

When I was fitted for my ABs, it was all very hi-tech.  I placed my foot on a stool and then the tech, Ryan, used what looked like a grocery store scanner to “paint” my foot and leg with the laser.  The images came up on the computer and are then sent to whoever makes them.  It takes about 2 weeks for them to come in.

Getting fit for my orthotics was different.  No laser beams that look like a scanner.  Instead, I had to place my foot into this blue foam.  Actually, Ryan took my foot and gently placed it in there and then pushed down on my toes and in the correct places on my foot to insure that I had a perfect footprint.  The foam felt like I was stepping in sand, but when I took my foot out it was all clean...no debris left.  I did this for both feet and we were finished in about 5 minutes.  Easy peasy.  Like the ABs, they should also take about 2 weeks to come in.

As a kid, I had custom orthotics made for my flat feet.  They were horrible and very painful to wear.  I asked Ryan if my new orthotics would be like those, all the while hoping that in the past 30 years that medical science had greatly improved in this area.  He said that they don't even make those kind anymore because they were too rigid.  Thank God!  Ryan said that the new ones will be firm, with a thin padding on top.  I'm just hoping that they will fit into shoes other than sneakers.  I've been confined to sneakers for the past 3 years or so because of the arizona braces.  I'd really like to wear some boots!

I miss my boots!