A Love Note to Clogs

Dear Clogs,

Some people say you are clunky and ugly. Others say you are only good for work. But I am here to tell you that I think you are beautiful and one of the greatest things to ever grace the world with your presence.

Your comfort level is unparalleled. Your convenience cannot be matched. Your cuteness factor is debatable to some, but to me, you are the loveliest. I will adore you forever and I will not be ashamed. Although I may choose to not wear you to work for fear of being shunned by more fashionable personages than I. 

Clogs being splendid on a Thanksgiving walk in the woods in 2015.

You have served me so well through the tumult of 4th grade, the academic rigors of college, the snowy winters of New England, several garage construction projects, and many a voyage through airport security. 

And let's not forget the late pregnancy and early postpartum days. So comfortable! So convenient! So easy! So little bending over!

Heels, wedges, boots, booties, sneakers, flats, sandals, and heck, espadrilles all have their places, but I challenge anyone to find a more functional, comfortable, and, if your taste even remotely correlates with mine, dare I suggest...cute shoe than clogs. Paired with the right clothes, I say they are adorable. I'm not sure my pictures actually do that, but I loved them nonetheless. 

And, dear clogs, I have my eye on a few more pairs of you for future purchases. Just look at these! Clogs WITH HEELS:

Lotta from Stockholm knows what's up.

Or these, also from Lotta from Stockholm:

If they weren't out of my price range (I mean really...all of these are a little beyond the average price range, but humor me), I'd be all over these Sven clogs with a braided strap...

Not only because I like them myself, but also because they also have KID'S CLOGS. I can imagine almost nothing better. 

And so, dearest, loveliest clogs, I want to thank you for your many years of service. Thank you for filling an important gap in my wardrobe, for lasting forever, for your amazing durability, and most importantly, your encouragement for me to stand by my somewhat questionable shoe taste. I hope you become a trend nationwide so that I no longer have to justify my opinion to anyone who doubts your superpowers.

Love always,

A Clog Aficionado 

Crunch Time

So I'm slowly becoming a hippie.

I guess at some point it was inevitable, having grown up in Vermont and all, but for several years I thought that I had avoided it. NOPE. The granola is here, and probably here to stay. 

It started with face wash, which seemed innocent enough AT THE TIME.

This image is taken directly from Damn Good Face Wash's Etsy store. It's fantastic! Go buy some!

Despite the fact that I'm 27 years old, my face has continued to break out. But now, it's so much better! It's amazing! And suddenly, I figured the magic HAD to be in the all natural ingredients, and so I went on an all-natural tear, one household product at a time. 

The next step down the path was the Mrs. Meyer's hand soap. It just smells so good! And using it basically puts another star in your crown, right? It's almost like solving global warming because it came from the earth. Basically. 

Please ignore the black speckles on my sink. They have since been cleaned.

The all-natural soap (bar soap, of the used-for-showering variety) was the logical subsequent addition, but I knew I had really swallowed the secret sauce the day I got an essential oil diffuser. 

Does it actually make me sleep better? Does the essential oil boost my immune system? WHO KNOWS. Does it serve as a delightfully scented humidifier when we're already facing 100% humidity? YOU BET. With this stuff, I'm practically guaranteed to live to 969 years old, like Methuselah, right?

I think I'll stop well before long-skirts-and-dreadlocks status, and next week they'll probably tell us that lavender is actually poisonous, coconut oil is linked to Alzheimers, and wheat germ is the new superfood, but for now...I should be healthier by the day.

Oh, and if my hair starts looking exceptionally greasy next week? It's because I tried an all-natural shampoo. We'll see how that goes.