The Philosopher's Wife: October 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015

A Shoe Review: ja-vie Flats

This post contains affiliate links. I received a pair of shoes in exchange for my honest review.

I had received these Shimmering Black Lurex flats from ja-vie just before we moved, and somewhere in the moving craziness they were misplaced. I was very excited though to find them just in time for my college reunion trip. It was a great trip, although a little bit of a whirlwind, and these shoes were perfect.

We were away from home for just over two days. The trip included two flights, guiding two children through the airports, middle of the night car rentals, a reunion luncheon, a fancy alumni reception, dancing, church, the Homecoming football game, ultimate frisbee, and more. I wore my ja-vie flats for everything -- except for frisbee. These were the only shoes I brought with me, the frisbee shoes were graciously loaned to me by a friend.

Generally speaking, it's certainly a good idea to break in a pair of shoes before you wear them for two days straight -- especially when there will be lots of activity! I didn't do that. The first time I wore them was on the way to the airport. Did I end up with blisters? Nope. Were my feet screaming for release? Nope. One baby toe got a teeny-tiny bit sore . . . but that could have happened while dancing or playing frisbee, I'm not exactly sure.

What makes these shoes so special? As the website states, "these flats combine the softest double-ply mercerized cotton knit "sock" with lightweight jelly out-sole and cushioned leather insoles". Guess what! These shoes are machine washable! (Not the leather insole, but the rest of it is!)

April 2016 Update: I still wear these shoes constantly. Sometimes after church on Sundays the family and I will visit one of the Disney parks for a couple of hours. These shoes are perfect for that! (Although, I wouldn't recommend them for an all day visit at Disney -- while they are an incredibly supportive flat, definitely go with super-supportive athletic shoes for an all day visit!)

These awesome flats can be purchased directly from ja-vie, or from Amazon for faster shipping.Three cheers for Prime shipping, right? Join Amazon Family 30-Day Free Trial

Navy Khaki Baby Dots

Black Cap / Cranberry

Parrot Green Cap/ Bluebird

Friday, October 23, 2015

Seven Quick Takes: The Week in Review

This page includes affiliate links.

1. As some of you may have seen on Wednesday, we went to a Pumpkin Patch! 'Tis the season, right? This was more than just a pumpkin patch though. In addition to the traditional hay ride there was a petting zoo and a train ride.

2. It's no secret that I love a good thrift shop find. We stopped a Goodwill outlet while the car was being serviced on Saturday. (The AC in the car is officially caput -- kind of a shame since we're still hitting high eighties. Oh well.) The kids both have three new shirts each, I have a new shirt and pants, Peter found a nice overcoat and a Halloween prop, and Dominic now has a Cars sleeping bag. Our grand total? $6.36.

3. Sunday was my birthday. We enjoyed a lovely day at Disney. I rode my favorite ride a non-excessive ten times. Do you recognize it?

Photo source

4. How many of you are still sewing Halloween costumes? I am.

Photo Source

5. Enter my yarn giveaway!

6. I'm finally going to get a serger! I'm pretty excited about this. All my seamstresses, can you give me any tips? Advice?

7. Catherine is very unpredictable when it comes to what rides she will and won't do at Disney. She'll ride Star Tours non-stop without blinking an eye, but Ursula on the Little Mermaid ride give her tremors (although not as much now). I was shocked this week then when she exclaimed that she wanted to ride Tower of Terror. And she did. I think it might be a while before she rides it again . . . but I was so proud of her for following through and doing it.

Photo source

Linking up!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

WIPS

I have a box of Works In Progress that still haven't been unpacked from the move. I untaped the box, looked inside, pulled out a couple of projects, and pretty much left it. The box is conveniently sitting to the side of my crafting space. (Which is currently covered in Legos.)

I'm still knitting my Traveling Woman Shawl, although it has taken a back seat once again, poor thing, but I'm hoping to get working on it with earnest very soon.

Here's a little teaser of a crochet project that I'm just about finished with. I need a teeny tiny amount of black yarn, and I can't find any! I literally have boxes and boxes of yarn, but I can't find even a couple of yards of black. I suppose I will HAVE to go yarn shopping.

Oh, I'm also planning on sewing Catherine's Halloween costume. And the treat bags. I should do that. Soon.

What are you crocheting, knitting, or sewing? Anyone else still have Halloween sewing to finish? Or (*cough*) start?

This yarn could be yours! Enter the easy peasy giveaway. (Ends 10/31/2015.)

I'd love it if you could show the sponsor, Chaleur Hand Dyed Yarn, some love. She's been super sweet to work with and I want her to know how much we appreciate her generous giveaway prize.

Maybe we could help her get to 1,000 Facebook fans?

Linking up with Small Things and Frontier Dreams.