Month: January 2023

Still wearing skinnies

/ edebock / 5 Comments

Logo by SamFashion influencers have been telling us for at least two years that skinny jeans are out, but cabi is one brand that knows when something works, you don’t change it. Of course, they offer other styles as well, but because cabi knows that there are lots of us who still enjoy wearing our skinnies, they have continued to include them in their collections.

I do have a couple of skinnies that I don’t wear anymore and probably won’t hang onto much longer, but that’s because of their low rise. I was never more thankful than when pants with higher rises became popular again! They’re ever so much more comfortable and instead of spilling over, a middle age muffin top can be hidden or at least somewhat minimized.

Though they also work well with other footwear, for those of us who live where winter is long and snow is deep, skinnies continue to be the best choice to wear with tall boots. The pair that I absolutely love and have continued to wear faithfully are actually corduroy, not denim. The warm caramel Button Fly Skinny from cabi’s Fall 2020 collection are velvety soft and have plenty of stretch for all day comfort.

When I learned that my cabi stylist had a pair of this year’s rich brown ones in my size in her season end sale, I snapped them up too!

Although this spring’s white denim version is called the Button Fly Straight, they appear to fit most gals like a skinny.

What about you? Do you still wear skinnies?

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with cabi nor am I compensated in any way for posts like this one.

Bursts of beauty

/ edebock / 6 Comments

I’ve never been a big fan of winter, but once in awhile it gives us bursts of amazing beauty that help make it more tolerable. This is my 48th winter on the Canadian prairie and never have I seen hoar frost like we were blessed with this week! After a long series of grey and foggy days, most unusual in our part of the world, the sun broke through and the results were breathtaking. With little or no wind to shake it loose, the frost had been building for days.

IMG_5014

Hubby and I have been cleaning out our storage room recently, something that needs to be done from time to time. A trip to the dump turned into a sightseeing and photo taking excursion!

IMG_5021 2

Looking at the photos, it’s easy to see why we call the topping that we put on cakes frosting or icing!

IMG_5027

Power lines, heavy with frost, became thick ropes of white. Little wonder that power has been flickering and in some cases, going out.

IMG_5023

Even the surface of the snow was powdered with frost crystals. Though I didn’t see the big animal itself, those were clearly moose tracks leading in and out of the clearing above.

IMG_5031

Closer to town, the frost clinging to the cemetery sign gave it a whole new look. Across the road, the entrance to the park where we often go snowshoeing was even more beautiful than usual.

IMG_5036

Sadly, once the sun hits it, the frost doesn’t last long, but its fleeting beauty is a reminder that even winter has moments of magnificence.

Those darned socks!

/ edebock / 10 Comments

Logo by SamWe hadn’t been married very long when hubby was shocked to discover that I had no intention of darning his holey socks. He grew up in poverty and darning socks was something his mother did out of necessity. We were both teaching school, however, and could afford to buy new socks when our old ones wore out. After more than 46 years of marriage, however, I recently darned a pair of sock slippers that he uses when we travel. Not only did I want to extend the lifespan of something that he loves, but mending and darning, once second nature to homemakers, are making a comeback as a way to participate in sustainable fashion.

IMG_5004 2

I’ve done lots of sewing and needlecraft in the past, but since darning was something new for me, I first had to figure out how to do it. You can learn almost anything from YouTube, so I started by watching this very helpful video.

I don’t have a darning egg. In fact, until I decided to tackle this project, I didn’t even know that such a thing existed! Always one to improvise when necessary, I found that an empty olive jar did the trick. Next, I dug into my old crafting supplies and found some yarn. I would have used blue to match the soles of the socks, but I didn’t have any, so I made do with what I had.

After just one false start, I figured out what I was doing and the first part of the process went fairly smoothly. I was even beginning to think that this darning thing was pretty easy.

IMG_5007

The next part was more challenging though and I’m sure the end result isn’t as neat and tidy as it would have been if my late mother-in-law had done it. I’m satisfied though and so is hubby. I just hope he doesn’t think this means that I’m going to start darning all his holey socks because that’s definitely not going to happen!

IMG_5010 2

These boots!

/ edebock / 8 Comments

Screen Shot 2023-01-07 at 10.57.26 AM

These boots are made for walkin’And that’s just what they’ll do 🎵

Ever since I unwrapped my Christmas gift from hubby, the lyrics of that old Nancy Sinatra song have been going through my mind! Back in November, in this post, I wrote about wanting a pair of warm ankle boots that would be safe and comfortable for winter walking. When hubby didn’t know what to get me for Christmas, I decided to help him out.

This is my third pair of Taxi boots, the other two purchased second-hand. Taxi is a well-established footwear brand developed by a design team based in Toronto, but shipping is now available to customers in the US as well.

My new red boots are water resistant and have durable rubber soles and soft faux fur lining. I added a pair of thermal insoles for added warmth. The outer zipper is purely decorative, but there’s a fully functional inside zipper meaning that I don’t have to adjust and tie the laces every time I wear them! How easy is that?

Screen Shot 2023-01-07 at 10.59.33 AM

While these boots are made for walkin’, they’re also stylin’. Though they look great with jeans, I decided to be adventurous and wore them to church on Sunday morning with a sweater dress and leggings. I thought they gave the outfit a slightly edgier look than when I wear it with shoes or tall fashion boots.

IMG_5000

Would you wear ankle boots with a dress?

Loving my new pjs!

/ edebock / 2 Comments

Logo by SamI’ve never been a person who spends all day in pyjamas and I certainly don’t wear them in public, but after opening a Christmas gift from our daughter, I could be tempted to change my ways! They are so beautiful and also very comfortable!

 

IMG_4993

The handwritten gift tag included a note that said, “Special Delivery! Product of a local vendor in Bogota, Columbia!” She knew how much something like that would appeal to me! Our daughter is not a traveler (she seems to have missed out on that gene) but she has a close friend who’s husband is Columbian, so I’m guessing that they had a part in helping with her Christmas shopping. 

Always curious, I decided to search for the vendor online and quickly found her Facebook page. My pyjamas are even pictured there!

262799249_1594215124256754_262018003487550932_n

I love the rich, vibrant colours and I’m learning to identify some of the South American birds. I recognized the toucans and hummingbirds, but according to illustrations on the Facebook page, there are also Mountain Carriqui, Quetzal, Guacamaya (macaws), and Carpintero (woodpeckers). 

The pjs are made of a lightweight satiny polyester with a touch of spandex. My newly acquired Spanish vocabulary has been very helpful in reading the fabric care label. Lavar a mano = wash by hand. Secar en interior = dry inside. No planchar = don’t iron.

So, will I wear them in public? Probably not, but if I did, I’m sure I’d look at least as good as the woman we once saw walking through the Louvre in Paris in pink pjs! 🤣 

 

One word for 2023

/ edebock / 15 Comments

For each of the past six years I’ve chosen one word to inspire or guide me in the new year as well as a scripture verse to go along with it. My past words have been Still, Grace, Inspire, Bold, Truth, and Freedom.

Little did I know when I chose Freedom as my word for 2022 what a contentious topic it would soon become here in Canada. At the beginning of January, I couldn’t possibly have imagined that less than two months later hordes of protesting truckers would close Canada/US border crossings and take control of the streets surrounding our capital buildings in Ottawa, all in the name of freedom. As I wrote at this time last year, there are really two kinds of freedom, freedom to and freedom from. The so-called Freedom Convoy was fighting for freedom from Covid-19 vaccination mandates. There is no doubt that the pandemic did, at least temporarily, curtail our freedom to travel, to gather in large groups, to celebrate special moments with those we love, and to enjoy many of the activities that we once took for granted, but in my opinion, the protesters were forgetting that with freedom comes responsibility. When I chose Freedom as my one word for 2022, it wasn’t Covid that I had in mind. I was thinking on a very personal level of freedom from trauma induced bitterness that had taken hold in my life.

When it came to choosing a new word for 2023, I considered several possibilities. When I first started thinking about this in late November, I was suffering from scanxiety. As I worried about whether or not my neuroendocrine cancer was spreading throughout my body and thought ahead to hubby’s upcoming prostate cancer surgery, I thought that perhaps Courage was the word I wanted. Once I learned the results of my most recent CT scans, however, that didn’t feel like the right word anymore. For several years I’ve considered choosing Intentional as my one word, but as I thought about that one I realized that I already live quite intentionally. I wanted a word that would give me something more to aspire to in the coming year. But what would that word be?

I thought about how good I feel at the end of a productive day, a day that has gone really well, and tried to come up with a word to describe that feeling. Surely that would be a good word for the coming year. Accomplish came to mind and I almost settled on it, but then I decided that it was too work or task oriented. I do feel great at the end of the day if I’ve accomplished a lot, but I also feel that way when we’ve spent the day hiking or paddling the kayak.

After pondering some more, I finally settled on the right word.

Contentment

According to the Collins English Dictionary, contentment is “a feeling of quiet happiness and satisfaction”. Perfect!

Once I’d finally settled on my word, choosing a scripture verse to go with it was easy. I knew right away that it would be Philippians 4:12b.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Whether my health continues to be stable or begins to deteriorate, whether the Covid pandemic is truly over or not, whatever my circumstances are in the coming year, I want to be able to say with the apostle Paul that I have learned to be content in any and every situation. As I plan my days, I’ll consider what I need to do to end each day with that feeling of quiet happiness and satisfaction and hopefully act accordingly.

41+G9hEvTtL._AC_SY780_

Have you ever chosen a word to inspire or guide you in a new year? What would your one word for 2023 be?