Toe each his own!

I continue to be amused by the differences in my family. Shoes are a perfect representative of those differences. My husband and my youngest daughter are all about the shoes above. For different reasons, of course. My husband wants them for running after reading a book on running that says running barefoot is better for your feet. These shoes keep your feet clean, while giving them the barefoot feeling. He's hoping to find them in blue/cameo, not purple. My youngest thinks they will be perfect for her trip to Thailand in April. Never the fashionista, she claims she can climb trees, run, jump, and only need to take one pair of shoes on her trip. (Can you imagine a trip for a month and only one pair of shoes?) She would like a little style, however, thus the maryjanes:

My oldest daughter drools over shoes like these, that look very much like the ones she wore New Year's Eve this year:

And this is my newest acquisition in shoes. I stole the idea from Blissed-Out-Grandma. Warmth and comfort are high on my list of desires.

What about you? What type of shoes are you into these days?

P.S. I'm in the middle of something and will be reading and catching up in a few days!

Sustainable Gift Giving

One of the things that our family is doing, like so many, is being very careful with purchases. I have begun to not only think about the price of an object, I ask myself if it is needed, but also what is the impact of that object on the earth. In the case of shoes for toddlers, the answer is almost always yes - they are needed. So I thought I would share these cute shoes with you. They are made by Simple Shoes and I ordered these through Zappos. I try to use local vendors for most things, but being a grandmother in one state, with a grandson in another, it is not always possible. In this case the shoes will be delivered the next day, free shipping, and return if necessary. Our younger daughter has been wearing shoes by Simple for a few years now. Most of hers are made of the sustainable product, hemp, with recycled materials for the soles. I like the product specs on these little shoes:

• Constructed from washable, earth-friendly suede.
• The suede is from an eco-certified tannery.
• Certified organic-cotton fleece lining for comfort on your feet.
• Organic cotton comes from non-genetically modified seeds. It is also grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides.
• Recycled PET and natural latex elastic laces with pull toggle for a snug fit.
• Foot form inserts are made from post-consumer recycled paper.
• Non-marking, natural rubber outsole with toe bumper.
• Even the box that your fun shoes come in are created from post-consumer recycled paper, soy-based printing ink, natural latex, and a starch-based glue.

Some things are just not cute!

Go here to see some equally amazing specimens on the Paris runways.

New Economy & Clothes

We go to Oregon quite often to visit family, so I generally save any shopping for when we head in that direction. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, and Nevada's continues to rise. Which brings me to an annual event my daughters and I share. Fall shopping for warm clothes. Both Portland and Tahoe require such expenditures. Some things just wear out by the end of the season, and warm boots take a beating in the snow and rain. I purchased just what was needed, and so did the girls. Basic layering t-shirts and a sweater or two, to spiff up last year's winter jeans and skirts. I looked at all of the things people probably wouldn't buy this year, and thought this economy is not going to improve through consuming. I think those days are over. People are being very conservative. Our country, and maybe the world, needs to retrain and retrench.

My younger daughter needed a few things in order to segue from college hippie to working girl. Baby steps with that one - she doesn't feel the need to dress up for much. But she actually seemed pleased when I took her shopping, explaining that going to work with holes in your leggings should be a thing of the past. That, no, it was not okay to save all of her good clothes for going out at night, and wearing the worn ones to work. (She doesn't work with the public, except by phone.) It was time to think about moving up from her basic job and maybe into a more interesting position in the company. Hers is one of the few companies actually growing in this economy. That if she wanted a different car, that held friends and camping equipment - she would have to improve her income. Parental units are pretty much finished with their responsibilities. She knows she is lucky to have a college education minus student loans. She is lucky to have a job that has health insurance, including eye care and dental. She is lucky to have the possibility of upward mobility. Her dream of farming may have to be on her own time, however, starting in her own yard. Travel will have to wait until she can take a leave of absence, but she is lucky to work for a company that will allow her to leave for three months and come back! In other words, it is time for her "to paddle her own canoe," as my father used to say. She graduated into a new world. A new economy less forgiving, and not at all conducive to moving around looking for just the right fit. More like the world her father and I knew when we graduated high school. The Vietnam war was raging and inflation was double digits. Gas lines were long, and finding a good job was a blessing.

I actually think she was listening.

Hmmm... Maybe we are entering a new era, she and I. She is growing up, and I am learning to let go. Maybe, just maybe, we did a good job raising her. She is capable and prepared. Smart and industrious. She is loyal, honest, and works well in a team environment. Good workplace qualities. She always earns an additional bonus at the end of each month, given to those making few errors.

In a country where one in ten Americans are out of work, an estimated 15.1 million and growing, I'm grateful. And more importantly, I think she is, as well. At least for the moment. And isn't that where we're supposed to be living?

Warm Boots

In case you haven't noticed - I have been watching a boat-load of movies lately. That is partly due to the new television that came with the remodel, but mostly because we are somewhat snowed in. We were able to get to the grocery today, and I did manage to exchange some boots for my younger daughter. She called, stating that she is dreaming of warm boots, and had been shopping for no-longer-existing-boots in Portland (all sold out with the current glut of the white stuff there, too.) It just so happened one of her Christmas gifts was a pair of warm UGG boots. Since she was unable to get here for said Christmas openings, she did not know this during our boot conversation. This brought me to a dilemma. The boots I had bought were really not the ones I wanted to get for her, But I took the advice of the sales lady, going with the ones all the young girls seem to want. After our morning conversation, I realized I should have gone with my own instincts and bought the ones that were taller. Especially after discussing this with my older daughter, who has been totally appalled with her younger sister's lack of fashion sense - cheap Rite Aid boots, worn short, (one pair already worn out in three days), with leggings not quite reaching inside the boot. Should I add that my daughters could not be more different? One is a fashionista and one is NOT. After a conversation with the local retailer (we tried to utilize local retailers as much as possible this shopping season), I knew I had to forge down and exchange for the last pair of boots in her size, in the shape and color that she wanted.

Which brings me to something I feel pretty strongly about. I believe buying one thing, of good quality, and using it for many years is preferable to an ever-changing quantity of cheap things, that end up in the landfill. I would rather pay more for these boots, getting her exactly what she wants and needs, and have her wear them for more than one season, or year, than buy more boots that are thrown away at the beginning of Spring. With these changing economic times, I think we are going to go back to that way of thinking. No longer should we buy lots of stuff. Period. We should buy those things that enhance our life (warm boots certainly fit this category), with an eye on reduce, reuse, recycle. It is going to be a big change for all of us. But maybe being stuffed into a small bedroom for two months gave me a new perspective. I have been very spoiled in living in large homes, even having two homes. What I learned in that bedroom is that we can be happy with a lot less. Just being downstairs in this small condo feels like living in a mansion. I realize I need less space than I have always thought I needed to be happy. I think we all will realize that we need less of everything, and those things that we do buy should be of a quality that is sustainable. My in-laws have the same furniture that they have had for most of their 60+ years together. It never occurred to them to throw away their furniture when it just needed to be re-covered. We need to get there, too. As for me, this small space is lovely, and it will not be done again in my lifetime.