Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas at the DeBoers

~A sneak peek of our house at Christmas time~

A happy snowman to light the way~









A silver seashell tree to remind us of the beach :)


Our short and little Christmas tree full of favorite ornaments~










One of our favorite ornaments, a chocolate covered strawberry, mmm, yum!




A jolly santa watching over


Miniature stockings from the dollar store :)


Santa on the bathroom door, making sure Abigayle and Amelia are being good~













Pretty ribbons on the shower curtain


Santa waiting to clean everyone's hands.















Our nativity scene in the living room window~










Another nativity scene
Amelia's pink tree


~And the stockings are hung in the basement with care hoping Santa Clause will soon be there~



~Merry Christmas from us to you~

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Bunions or Bahama's?


You probably all know the answer to this question by now~ obviously I chose the Bahama's, but only after long deep  thought.

I have been cursed for many,many years with old lady bunions. Thinking back, I remember these nasty bony growths since the fifth grade, when I tried everyday to wear my sister Marie's, three size too small, blue dock shoes. I just had to cram my hooves into these shoes and pretend like they fit. Upon blowing out the sides I took thick white yarn and sewed them together leaving bulging gaps for my feet to ooze out of. Why? til this day I can't answer that question-- perhaps it was being able to say that I could still fit into a size 2 shoe, when in reality I was wearing a 6? Perhaps it was teasing Marie-- blowing out her favorite pair of shoes? Looking back, I must have made a wonderful impression on the teachers at my elementary, they must have thought "poor, poor, family, they can't even afford shoes!"


The next year, sixth grade, I read about Chinese women wrapping their feet so that they wouldn't grow, so that they would have delicate, tiny feet-- I was well past that stage with my now size 8 clod hoppers, bulging with aching bone spurs and bunions-- what had I done? Darn boat shoes, Darn Marie and her stupid shoes.

Through the years I have managed to pack my extra wide feet into some of the most excruciating, painful shoes known to man all in the name of "looking cute"-- which has recently came back to bite me in the junk in my trunk.

The last visit to the podiatrist left me with a scheduled double- bunionectomy, because of the intolerant pain and daily charlie horses in the arches of my feet, the waking in the middle of the night writhing in pain from these bunions which have now multiplied and are now growing on the outside of my  feet as "bunionettes"-- not painting a very pretty picture am I? And that is part of it too-- who wants to have old lady feet when you're not an old lady?


So a few weeks after scheduling the surgery I was talking with my friend Cari and we decided to plan a winter getaway-- to the Bahama's. You know that $2,300 deductible I was going to have to pay for my bunionectomy? Ha! I love my bunions, my hallux valgus- for you medical people-- I love the pain they bolt through my calves and ankles, I love the red throbbing growths on my feet, I love that after a day of wearing pointy shoes I have to elevate my feet and wrap them in a warm "boo boo buddy" just to get them to stop cramping and spasming,  I can live with this pain-- in fact they aren't that bad looking, and in the right flip flops no one even notices!!!

Bahama's or Bust-- the bunions can wait!!!!