Love before sight - It's a stretch...dream booties

Do you ever imagine something so clearly that only that will do?  In a world full of taupe/grey booties I had this image in my head of the perfect pair and I could not find a pair that came close.  That was until I went in Nordstrom Rack on a whim, and came across this one pair of Vince Camuto booties in size 7.  They were exactly what I'd dreamed...just one problem, they only had that pair, and they were a little tight.  I'm usually somewhere between a 7 and a 7.5 but I did what all rational women do...I bought them on the spot then googled ways to stretch leather.

I think I was successful! We'll see when I'm back hoofing it around NYC this fall, but they feel much better.

Here was my method - hopefully it works because I love these booties too much to admit defeat
1. Mix 3 parts water, to 1 part Rubbing Alcohol.
2. Soak said mixture up with a rag, then heavily dampen the inside of both booties.
3. Put on a couple pairs of socks and stuff feet into booties.  Wear around until the inside dries, and then repeat if necessary. 

Any shoe stretching tips?  Have you ever fallen in love with something before you saw it in person?

Easiest Cobbler Ever!

Over the weekend I had some peaches, some blueberries, and some time so I decided to make a delicious cobbler.  It was so easy to make and didn't last long at all. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ripe (but still firm) peaches
• 2 cups blueberries
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 2 tbs sugar

Weekend Update

It was nice and sunny and nice and busy this weekend.  My parents are in the swing of a major home improvement project and so I got to play gofer, errand runner, and bartender...

Homemade Margaritas...apparently the cups I was using were too small.  Also my efforts for making them without a mix were entirely underappreciated.

I never eat artificially blue things.  It's a strange OCD issue because I'm completely aware that other artificial flavors are just as bad if not worse, but I can't do it...luckily I have people who are willing to eat blue things for me. 

Breakfast

Confession: I've never been a big breakfast person. I hate almost all breakfast foods. I HATE eggs and heavily dislike bacon (gasp).

In an effort to be healthier and stop eating pancakes and French toast multiple times a week I'm going back to the old staple...fruit.  I also grabbed a piece of ham for some protein but it didn't look so pretty. 

Things I don't miss

TRAFFIC! (And needing to pee during said traffic)

Meeting the (my) Parents

This trip home was the first time J met my parents, and we both did a good job pretending that we weren't nervous but I think it's safe to say that we were both holding our breath a little. (Spoiler alert: It went great!)

Here is my only tip for bringing someone home for the first time, over an extended period of time.  STAY BUSY!

Falling Can be Deadly

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm outdoorsy and go hiking.  My brand of hiking includes a maintained trail, usually bathrooms at the trailhead, and something just hard enough to make me feel accomplished, but not so hard that I need hiking boots and pants with a million pockets.

I was super excited to drag J along who I'm happy to say seemed to genuinely enjoy it!  He especially enjoyed jogging ahead when I was huffing and puffing, lol...such a guy.  Look how much taller he is than me, AND I was carrying our bag so of course it was easier for him...right?

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