Shoes

I always wear flip flops or Doc Martens, so this doesn't really apply to me. I mean, I do need to get my toenails painted, but that is besides the point.

Shoes are a real battle for us. Why? Because Darsie wears a DAFO(in fact, besides color and ribbons, it is very similar to the one featured on this page). ONE, as in singular. What does this mean? This means that one foot is much wider and also longer than the other foot. Meaning, shoes are difficult for her. Normally her feet are very slender, like mine. I always had a hard time finding shoes that didn't fall off (hence the non-seasonal wearing of flip flops).

I belong to a bunch of CP message boards and there is ALWAYS talks about what shoes work best with AFO/DAFO's, etc.. A lot of people find luck with cheap shoes at Walmart, or Payless Shoe Source, or with Vans, or Converses. I've tried everything and anything I could find. I took D to countless shoe stores.

Our problem, as mentioned above, is that one foot is pretty normal, although she could use to wear a shoe with a more narrow width, and one foot is HUGE! So, not only do we need TWO entirely different sizes because of the DAFO, but we would need two entirely different WIDTHS.

Luckily for us, our PT had a solution. There aren't many companies out there that make shoes to fit over orthotics, but Hatchbacks does. One of the best things is that we can order a pair of shoes of two completely different sizes for the price of, get this, ONE pair! And because of how they fit over the orthotic, we don't need two different widths.

We've been borrowing this pair from from our PT but we just ordered this pair. Darsie wanted pink and all.

It is nice to have a solution. One thing I've found out from the special needs community (I hate that term...but what else can I use - differently abled? To me, that is just, if not more lame. And Darsie is clearly not disabled), is that because one solution works for some, doesn't mean it won't work for others.

On a side note for those of us who use or children use DAFO/AFO/orthotics, what do you do with them when they are outgrown? My PT collects them and donates them to foreign countries where children couldn't afford them.

Oh yes, windows.

We've been living in our house since.. oh, April. That means almost 7 WHOLE MONTHS. And guess what, do you remember that commercial where the elderly couple sat at their window watching the young couple that just moved in to their new house "get it on" because you know, they didn't have any window coverings. Yeah, well, that is Jeff and I. Not the "getting it on" part at least because, you know, you are the internet and all and my mom always told me crazy people were on the internet (how is THAT for a run on sentence and grammatical errors up the WAZOO).

Anyways, so yeah. No window coverings. It didn't used to be a problem but then Jeff and his dad had a fun time with chain saws in the backyard and now...now the neighbors can see. And our other neighbors finished their house and moved in this weekend. They don't have window coverings yet, either, though (in my defense...or something).

So, wooden mini blind? Faux blinds? Curtains? Roman Shades?

Tell me what looks good because home decorating, not my thing.

So tell me...

Do you think a purple, no, lavender suede jacket is a fashion NO, YES, or MAYBE (with beer goggles on)?

Sorry to be so sparse lately. I've been doing a lot of freelance, a lot of mothering and wifing (taking care of a food-poisoned husband), cooking, a whole lot of not sleeping, and not a whole lot of blogging.

I PROMISE. Good things come to those who wait.

A Public Service Announcement

If you happen to live in a house on a septic system, don't use powdered soap. Why you ask? Well the pipe that goes from the house to the tank becomes clogged, no PACKED with soap and therefore renders the pipe useless and you can guess what happens then.

LUCKILY, it was at a house we own but don't live in.

UNLUCKILY, it has tenants in it, so we spent Saturday at the other house with the septic company. Jeff helped dig up the lid and all that good stuff.

UNLUCKILY, we are out the $412 to clean and pump the tank.

LUCKILY, we didn't have a blown septic.

Moral of the story - powdered soap is your enemy and a monthly dose of draino is your friend.

The end.

In bloggy news...I'm working on something new and food related. I will share more as it is developed. I'm hoping to release it to the public next week.

Have I got a recipe you have GOT to try!

Except if you are allergic to milk (sorry), watching you fat/cholesterol/whatever....

King Ranch Chicken Fancy Pants.

OMG. It was awesome. Although a bit time consuming, it was good. Good as in Jeff who hates chicken said to put it on the family favorites list.

I served it with (more) sourcream and corn chips. I think a rice side dish would be good too. I also think I will put more than 10 tortillas (I used the really small ones though, so maybe the recipe calls for larger ones, I don't remember) to give the dish more structure.

So, another recipe that you need to do, like next week.

When learning to drive a stick....

When learning to drive a stick....

Roundabouts are your friend! I used to hate them but now I love them!

I got my first honk today, too. Yes, I stalled. I did it just to piss you off. I knew you were in a hurry to get somewhere and I wanted to steal those 15 seconds of your life that it took me to restart and go. They are mine now and never coming back. I'm saving them in a jar right next to my jar of tears. I've wasted thousand, no millions of seconds and I'm still ok. Somedays I might even be cool. Ok, not really because I can't do text messages to my husband when the phone guesses what you are trying to type.

I have a new appreciation for new drivers now. So, be kind, be kind.

It can't be just Elise

Why do babies have the need to "fill" a diaper about 5 minutes after being changed? And of course they have to be all smiley and cute about it.

Pesky baby.

Update on my new pennies

First of all, the new cookie pans. AWESOME! They are super heavy duty and two different sizes. Two are the normal sheet sizes and the other two are half sheet sizes. I never thought I would really use the half sheet sizes but they are GREAT! First off, applaud my healthy eating choices because the two smaller ones are PERFECT for family sized portions of buffalo chicken strips and curly seasoned fries. Hooray! They are perfect for garlic bread as well. Oh yeah, and cookies, hence the whole "cookie sheet" terminology.

Second, the whole new car thing with the manual clutch thing. I took my first maiden voyage this morning (aka. drove it all by myself without a "spotter", aka. the man who moans that I am wrecking the new car). Still am stalling on take off. Still feel like an idiot. BUT, it is getting better. And it still has the dealership cardboard plates so maybe people will have a bit of pity for me. If they don't, screw them. Seriously, sitting behind me while I restart the car doesn't eat up that much of their day. So, the asshole who rode my ass all the way home, you suck. It is nice having a car you know will start, even if you can't drive it (very well). It is a super awesome car, too. I have another outing this afternoon and while it freaks me out, pushing myself to do it is the only way I will ever get comfortable.

I wonder how long it will take to get comfortable. Please tell me soon as my poor nerves are wrecked.

Shiny New Pennies

When you car starts sounding like hoarse elephant all the time and it hesitates a lot, it might be time to look into replacing it. When the mechanic gives you a repair bill that is more than it is worth, it is time to look into replacing it.

Jeff and I have hemmed and hawed for MONTHS about what we are going to buy. SUV? Sedan? Used? New? By the time we were going to make a decision, we would be completely gray and needing donut cushions on our seats. Somehow we decided late Sunday afternoon to go to car hell, errr, car shopping. We bought our truck at this particular dealership so they know us, or rather, they know Jeff. You know how normally the salespeople swarm you like flies on soda-covered small children? Well, when they see Jeff, they run the other way. In short, the Land Rover is gone. Hopefully to a better home than me (not difficult). In its place, I am now driving a Dodge Nitro.

Only problem is....it is a manual and I uhmm, don't know how to drive a manual.

After last nights training session, Jeff threatened to take it back to the dealership. I am that bad. In my defense, it was late, no one had eaten, kids were crabby, and it was raining.

How am I supposed to know that you don't give it gas while shifting? Oh yeah, the whole car jumping sideways thing? Not on purpose, I swear!

On another note, I also got new cookie pans this weekend. Yay, consumerism!