Stretch Those Toes, Baby!

Nothing will ever be as dear to me as my sweet mother was and the lingering memories of her.

She has been with Jesus since 2010....I can't believe she's been gone that long.

Although I didn't inherit her meek and mild spirit or her quiet demeanor,

I did, however, get a few things from her...

...her chin, her hairline (and I passed that on to Adam and his Olivia) and I hate to say this...

...but something that I wish I hadn't gotten.

Her bunions.

Let me rephrase that...

Bunions that I don't ever want to become like hers.

Even my earliest memories of her include finding my little girl self gazing with a puzzled face 

as to why her feet (specifically her toes) looked like that.

Of course these are not actually her feet but they are remarkably close to what hers looked like, 

including the numerous bunion and corn pads.
I do declare that someone snapped a shot of her feet and sold it to the internet...seriously!

source

Mom, if you happen to be looking down on me now, please forgive me...
I only want to help others by sharing this.

I remember it nearly causing me physical pain just to look at them.

She had the hardest time fitting into shoes, to say the least.

But what I don't understand is she always wore sensible shoes...never high heels or pointed toes.

Maybe just ill-fitting ones but no doubt she was on her feet a lot raising those eight kiddos!

~

I guess I probably noticed the beginning of bunions forming in my late 30s to early 40s.

I have always had a thing for cute shoes and for quite a few years

I was guilty of cramming my feet into those high heeled, needle nose torture chambers.

But only for short amounts of time to church or special occasions...never on the job.

In fact, my favorite "shoes" were the ones I was born wearing.

Then of course, there were my flip-flops....still, my go to favorites.

When I first started noticing the bunions, I became determined to keep them at bay!
~
Just so you know, I have never done a review post on any certain product,
although I may have simply offered my humble opinion about this or that.
I am not getting paid and no one affiliated with the product has asked me for a review.
~
So let me tell you how this post all came about...

Probably more than ten years ago, I came across an ad in the back of a magazine.
It was for Yoga Toes and they immediately got my attention.
Yes, they have been around a good while.


Fast forward to...whenever...I cannot even locate my order on my Amazon account.

I thought for sure that's where I got them but I may have ordered from the Yoga Toes site.

Like I said, I have had them for at least 10 years and used them often...that is until...

I lost them somewhere in a messy drawer I misplaced them and couldn't find them anywhere!

That would be until just a couple of weeks ago and I nearly jumped for joy when I found them!

If you think I was going to order another pair for over thirty bucks...uh...probably not...
...but now that I think about it, maybe, just maybe I would have!

I knew they had to be here somewhere...and, of course, they were.
I do realize I'm telling on myself for not keeping things in order like I should. 😏

So yesterday I got those babies out of their cute little mesh bag with the drawstring top

and plopped them on my feet for a couple of hours while I watched my afternoon cooking shows.

Really though, you don't just "plop" them on...it takes a little bit of work to get 'er done...
...and it probably also depends on your specific toes.
If they are long and skinny, I'd say it's much easier than prying apart short, fat ones like mine. 😖

Immediately after I posted this photo on Facebook while I was busy "Yoga Toe-ing",
it evidently sparked an interest in my friend, Lea from Cici's Corner
and her interest in them encouraged me to write a post about them......so here it is!
~
In all honesty, I had forgotten just how wonderful my feet felt during and after the stretch.
These are not something you can wear to walk around in nor wearing them to bed for the night.
The instructions tell you to start out wearing them for short increments of time...
...maybe 10-15 minutes at first and gradually work up to an hour or longer.
I had mine on for probably at least 2 hours, maybe a bit longer.
It's also important that you get the right size so they aren't uncomfortable but give a good stretch.

Over time, my big toes have become more and more numb, due to bones pressing on the nerves.
I always wear silicone toe spacers with closed-in shoes and socks and also while sleeping.
They do keep the big toes more in line and they have also helped me greatly over the years.

 I purchase these at Walmart and they are soft, comfortable and do a great job.
But the thing about the Yoga Toes is the actual stretch they provide for your feet and toes.
It is highly beneficial to exercise and stretch other joints and muscles in our body, right?
So why not our feet and toes as well since they carry all of our burdens all day long!
You can read about the therapeutic benefits by clicking here.

  And when it's chilly outside and I want to keep my feet warm and toasty while I stretch,
I have these cozy socks as well, which also provides a comfy "posture" for your toesies.
(The socks are manufactured by Hithop, not Yoga Toes.)

Amazon

So...there you have it...everything you always wanted to know about...

...but was afraid to ask.

Have you ever tried them??
Have a wonderful week, my friends!

A Mother's Day....Memory?

Most of us have many wonderful and precious memories of Mother's Day...

...I know I have and I hope you have as well.

But have you ever come across a so-called memory that you don't even remember?

This is something I experienced this very week and it still has me puzzled.

~

A while back, as I was going through an old photograph album from my school days,

something fell out that had been tucked between the pages.

It was some folded up papers that were tattered and yellowed, sealed in a zip-lock sandwich bag.

So I opened it up and saw that it was a Mother's Day picture that I had made for Mom,

and stapled to it was a two-page handwritten note.

At the time I discovered it, I was up to my eyeballs with stuff. 

I promptly set it aside to read later and then possibly blog about it for Mother's Day.

Y'all know how much I like to reflect on the good old days!

Long story short, I set it aside so well that I actually forgot all about it...

...until this week and then the hunt was on to find where I had put it.

I tore my craft room apart trying to locate it and finally, there it was, hiding in plain sight.

Oh I was so excited when I carefully opened that plastic bag and slipped it out,

taking great care to not tear those brittle folded papers.

~

I don't know how old I was when I when I wrote this.

Heck, I don't even remember writing it at all...

...all I know was that I still spelled my name with an "ie"...(Debby with a "y" came later).

When I had set my little discovery aside, I had then imagined it being a sweet and heartfelt letter...

...one that said all those things that we say to our moms on their special day.

You know, just oozing with all those loving expressions and declarations of our love for them.

And so I began reading what looked to be 3rd or 4th grade cursive handwriting.

It was just too much to get into the photos and very hard to read so here's what it said:

What Is A Family?

     Take one husband, one wife, four walls, one small dog or stray cat; mix well; add a generous portion of time; and you are almost certain to have a family. The dog or cat isn't absolutely necessary for the recipe, but somehow or other it seems to give Mother Nature the right idea. (What??)

     The family from Dad's point of view, could be the collection of people in the whole world--a pretty and efficient wife, a highly intelligent son, an angel of a daughter, a well behaved dog, and of course, himself -- very nearly handsome and has a real head for business....if only the rest of the family could have a little of Dad's intelligence. (Haha!)

     Mother comes to view her family with fatalistic resignation. (fatalistic resignation...oh my) No matter how she slaves at cleaning, cooking, washing, polishing, sewing, mending or ironing, Dad will never notice it. Then there's Sonny...spends his Sunday School money for jelly beans...Sister getting phone calls from strange boys. If only the family would appreciate all that Mother does for them. Sonny thinks he has a keen family (keen...haven't heard that word since Leave it to Beaver)...it would be nice if Dad was a little smarter...able to make a kite that would fly. Mom is an angel (of course)--but a strict angel. Do this, run here, stop that, pick it up-- gosh! Sister? Well she's better than most girls. Sister is tenderly tolerant of her old-fashioned family. Dad is a lovable old man--easy to persuade with a smile and a kiss. Mother is just dear but so far behind the times....Sonny? Ugh! (poor Sonny)

     When God made the family, He must have meditated a long time. The family must have food, shelter and clothing, and guidance, so there must be a mother. The family must not be dull, so there must be boy to shout and jump, run and get in the way. The family must not be forgotten, so there must be a girl, an angel who will make them so very, very proud.

     The family is a storehouse in which the world's finest treasures are kept. The small pleasures, the great sorrows, the dreams of the world are contained within these four walls called HOME. 

WHAT IN THE WORLD??!!

I have racked and racked my brain to try to remember myself writing these words,

let alone presenting it to my mom...needless to say it didn't come from my heart...or my own mind.

I can only guess that it must have been some sort of writing assignment.

How is it that I cannot even remember this at all?...

...me, who remembers so many trivial and minute details from my childhood?

Where has this memory-that's-not-a-memory been hiding all these years?

I may never know...or, it may come to me tomorrow!

All I know is that my mom undoubtedly got a big kick out of it!

~

As hokey as most of this little piece of prose sounds, especially in today's world,

the last paragraph tugged at my heartstrings, bigtime.

If the family is a storehouse then Mama must be the shopkeeper.

Happy Mother's Day!

MAY...we hodgepodge for a bit?

When April steps aside for May, like diamonds all the raindrops glisten;
fresh violets open every day; to some new bird each hour we listen."
~Lucy Larcom

Happy May, y'all!

One more month and we will be halfway into 2018 already.

How can this be possible?

The weather here is just utter perfection...and look here, I got my veggies planted!

I read where planting marigolds among them helps keep the bugs out.

We shall see!

 

I'll keep you posted if they live... or if they die. 😉

 

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May." 

~Edwin Way Teale
 

So Saturday morning while I was getting my hands dirty,
Jim was out thrifting...one of his (mine too) favorite things to do,
and he came home with some great vintage finds...

...a great old rocker for $20, this adorable enamelware tea kettle for $4
and a mismatched set of old...and I do mean OLD salt and pepper shakers for 10 cents each.
The shakers are the same pattern, but are from two different sets.
They were absolutely filthy with what must have been years worth of yuck
and the lids were so corroded that I had to soak them off in hot water.

Look what beauties they turned out to be.
After a bit of research, I found that they were made in 1897 by Heisey.
I had no idea what Heisey glass was until I googled it.
~

"The month of May is the pleasant time; its face is beautiful; the blackbird sings his full song, 
the living wood is his holding, the cuckoos are singing and ever singing; 
there is a welcome before the brightness of the summer."

~Lady Gregory



Purple salvia, African daisies and snapdragons.

Okay...so now on to the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours.

~

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

Well, I have several, actually. but after reading this question, my mind immediately went to snapdragons. I have always loved them because they remind me of my sweet mom and I even wrote a post about them a while back. Every time I see snapdragons, I think about the time when I was a little bitty girl and she showed me how to make them "talk". I think you know what I mean. And naturally, you can find some growing in my planter boxes year after year.



2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

Pretty much on a daily basis, I am in the position of helping someone...whether it might be assisting a patient with appointments, getting in and out of the door, directing lost folks to the proper building, and many times it's just greeting them with a smile and helping to make their visits to physical therapy a positive and sometime actually fun experience. Of course there are many other times that I, along with Jim, help people in other ways but this is what came to me today.

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

I like my salsa a little on the spicy side......I think I hear a song coming on...I'd say medium+ and not too heavy on the cilantro. I have tasted some awesome homemade salsa and then I've had some that practically gag me. I personally have never made any of my own. Our favorite local Mexican restaurant has very good salsa...and we sometimes even judge the restaurant by their salsa. Jim is pretty much a straight forward salsa kinda guy but I like some of the fruity varieties as well. This is one brand I have tried and it's excellent.

4. When I was twelve years old...

...I looked like Miss Piggy. Lord have mercy.

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

It would have to be first light. It would apply to my life every day just about as long as I can remember...let alone recently or currently! I am up before first light and ready to start my day. I keep waiting for the day when my body allows me to sleep in somewhat. But you know what? I'm really okay with it because I love getting an early start to my day even if I don't have any real plans so it's all good.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
I saw this on Facebook the other day and realized I was just like Snoopy.  😏

Until next time, Hodgepodgers...

A Very Merry Hodgepodge Christmas

Merry Christmas!

It's almost here!

Are you ready?

As we speak, I smell the cookies baking and they must be getting done.
More about them later.

It sure would be nice to have some snow but it sounds like we're going to get rain instead.
Oh well, one can only hope.

The other night I got a little misty-eyed as I paid special attention to this picture of Mom and Dad.

It must have been taken back in the late 80's or so.

We were at a Christmas gathering at my sister, Ruby's house...

...I remember there was mistletoe hanging in the doorway and Dad stole a kiss.

Ah...precious Christmas memories!

~

So we're here for Joyce's Hodgepodge...

...where she asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.
Let's get right to them...
~

1. Where have you found unexpected magic or delight this holiday season?

Funny you should ask this question this week. My sister in Ohio called me last Saturday to ask me if I had the recipe for Mom's fudge. I told her I would look for it and let her know. I knew it would take some effort to find it since I was sure it was in amongst a bunch of recipe cards I kept in a basket on the top shelf of one of my cabinets that I rarely use. Yep, there it was, copied on a recipe  card written by me when my handwriting was much more legible. As I was looking for it, I came across another card, written in Mom's handwriting. My heart immediately soared as I recognized her penmanship, the card itself stained with spots of this and that as well.

It was a recipe for Cut and Color Cookies, a basic, simple buttery sugar cookie that Mom made every year at Christmas along with her melt-in-your-mouth orange rind cookies and chocolate and peanut butter fudge. Instead of making the colored corn syrup glaze for the top that the recipe called for, Mom left it off and just added red and green sugar sprinkles on top. My mind was transported back to my childhood as the images of these goodies permeated through my brain, making it almost possible to taste them! That's when I decided I wanted to make a batch of my own!  So...these are the cookies I was smelling earlier.

Just like Mama used to make. Unexpected delight? You bet!

2. What's your favorite type of holiday gathering? Will you/have you gathered in your favorite way this month?

I'm sure most of us will agree that being around family is what we love, especially at Christmas, no matter where we are. I love being at home OR in someone else's home. Two years ago, we spent Christmas in the Smokies at an indoor water park in Pigeon Forge with all of the grands. The kids had a blast and while we had a great time, it just didn't quite seem like Christmas...PLUS...it was 80 degrees, even in the mountains! As you may remember, we have already had our main gathering a couple of weeks back and will have another, a more low-key version, again this weekend at our home. I am making lasagna because I am already tired of Christmasy-type foods!

3. Time has named 'The Silence Breakers' (women who came forward with stories of harassment)  'person of the year' for 2017. Would you agree? If not, who do you think deserves the title?

You know, I'm not really sure what I think about all of this mess. All I know is I'm pretty sick of hearing about it and I can think of many other reasons to "glorify" a person or persons other than for coming forth with their version of the "truth". There is absolutely NO justification for a man OR a woman to behave badly, no matter what. My question is why wait years and years...and then one comes forward and then they all come out the woodwork, it seems. And were all of them totally innocent, themselves? Did any of them flirt or give those men the wrong impressions? Who knows? Why now? Why all of a sudden? Not a popular answer, I realize. These men (and/or women) will have to answer to their Maker, as we all must do. In this day and age, I have no clue who deserves the title...glad I'm not on that board!

4. How did you spend your time this year? Are you happy about that? Elaborate

I worked, I played, I worried, I prayed. That is about the norm for me. Just let me say that it has all worked together and I have nothing to complain about. How about asking me this question in a year or so. 😐

5. Bid farewell to 2017 in ten words or less.

What's done's done, what's said's said...another chance in 2018.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

If I don't get a chance to post again before Monday,
I want to take this opportunity to wish you ALL a very Merry Christmas!

Love and hugs,

And then there were seven.

He was just one week shy of turning twenty and already serving in the Air Force

stationed in South Carolina when I came along.

He came home as often as he could but South Carolina soon became his permanent home.
My first memories of him, although somewhat faint due to the fact that I was only three or four,
was when he would pick me up, balance me in the palm of one big hand
and extend me up to the ceiling, all the while chanting, "Way up high! Way up high!
I can also remember Mom offering this warning..."Now, Bob, you be careful with her!!"
Funny thing is, later on he performed this trick many times with his own three little girls.
~*~
 I remember looking forward with great anticipation to his arrival when we were expecting a visit.
You could find me perched at the window that faced the end of our road throughout the day,
not putting into perspective the 13+ hour drive it took to make it to Ohio.
What does a little kid know about perspective, anyway?
~*~
 Back then I called him Bobby and he called me Little Sis.
Later on, he was just Big Brother and I was Dee-bor-AHHH.
He had a nickname for just about everyone and mine was his quite unique interpretation of Deborah.
The name stuck with me all throughout my life and if he would have felt up to it,
I'm sure he would have called me that when I saw him a few weeks ago.



Judging by the shirt (and the wallpaper) this photo was surely taken the same day as the first one.
These are my other two brothers, Jerry on the guitar and Doug on the fiddle.
Music has played a huge part in our lives and you could always find a collection
 of stringed instruments stashed here and there throughout the house.
They say it all began with our dad although the only instrument I ever heard him play
was the harmonica, which he called the french harp.



Fast forward to what looks like the 70's (above) and sometime in the 80's (below).



This is one thing the Billheimer brothers were kind of famous for...well, maybe not exactly famous.
Now, I don't know how to play either one of these but I can only imagine how difficult it might be to strum someone else's guitar with one hand and chord another's mandolin with your other hand...
...all at the same time!

The video above was taken several years ago at one of our reunions.

They really all can sing quite well but this is just an example of their crazy shenanigans.



Group photos through the years...

He wasn't able to be with us for the past two reunions.
Cancer that he thought was behind him returned, this time with vengeance.
He fought the good fight until he just wasn't able to fight anymore.

Last Wednesday, August 30, his three beautiful daughters were given the gift
of singing him into glory.

It's really kind of difficult to wrap my brain around—losing a sibling.

I've tried to imagine what it would be like, especially since all of us are getting up there.

Although, due to miles, we weren't able to be together as often as we would have liked, 

our moments together as a family were such blessed times.

~*~

Over the past several weeks I am learning that one of the greatest losses in life

surely must be the death of a brother or sister...

 ...and many of us will have to face the loss of a sibling more than once.

Our siblings share many of the same memories and family history 

and when one of them passes away, 

they take one of our connections to the past with them.

My family and I miss him so very much already, 

yet we are rejoicing that he is with the One that he had served for so many years.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

~*~

So I want to say "thank you" for the sweet and kind words of condolence

and particularly for the prayers for me and my family.

You all are the best.

Much love,