Kate Spade New York Diva in Navy Suede

Kate Spade New York Gillian in Black Suede

Kate Spade New York Chad in Taupe Suede & Taupe Lizard

Kate Spade New York Charm in Multi Sparkle Glitter

Kate Spade New York Charm in Camel/Chocolate Leopard

If The Shoe Fits Shoe Store & Radio One Detroit Hosted the Charity Event for the BG Harris Project!

Radio One Detroit partners with ‘If The Shoe Fits’ to raise awareness and increase prevention of Domestic Violence. Proceeds of sales went to the BG Harris Project, which provids a voice for those who have and want to survive domestic violence and abuse.

More information on the BG Harris Project

[ione_media_gallery legacy_id="8325" src="http://detroit-hub.interactiveone.com"]

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If The Shoe Fits Shoe Store & Radio One Detroit Hosted the Charity Event for the BG Harris Project!

Radio One Detroit partners with ‘If The Shoe Fits’ to raise awareness and increase prevention of Domestic Violence. Proceeds of sales went to the BG Harris Project, which provids a voice for those who have and want to survive domestic violence and abuse.

More information on the BG Harris Project

[ione_media_gallery legacy_id="8325" src="http://detroit-hub.interactiveone.com"]

RECENT POSTS:

• Creating Jobs: Fantasee Blu Partners With Masonic Temple Job Fair
• Your Weekly Horoscope With Psychic To The Stars Psychic Wayne
• 105.9 kiss-fm Gives Back At 30 Days To Lose It Event!
• First Post-Baby Pics Of Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz With Son Egypt!
• Rihanna’s Verbally Abusive E-Mails To Chris Brown REVEALED! [PHOTO]

Continuing the festivities, Laced ran the final Adidas “If The Shoe Fits” competition at the Swap & Cop. What ensued was 30 minutes of suspense, frantic number allocating and people trying to pretend their feet were smaller than they clearly were. In the end though, four people walked away with a new pair of shoes for the grand total $0.00 and about 60 others had a room full of next year’s samples, bargain buys, local art, vendor displays and other wicked goods to relieve the pain.

- P4,

RM is debuting a part of the line in the Spring 2011 offering.  The 25-piece collection will have a broad range of styles and will be priced from around $160 to $395.

a la RebeccaMinkoff

Desire to run a super difficult relay: tons of it
Skill level: experienced enough
Accomplishment of 6 miles average at climax of training: 100%
Gear bought specifically for the race: 50% (thank goodness I can use it for cycling)
Bloomability: Screeched to a halt.  For now

I could say the same thing for a writer, minus the shoe part. If the agent/publisher/editor/plot fits…you get the idea. Only…

Thankfully (and with much appreciation) writing is a bit different if you can avoid the physical strain that surfaces, and I mean you must avoid it like the plague. If left unattended it’s quite a disaster, quite like Pippi’s hair and attire. She’s a bit of a masterpiece though–a crazy-quilt, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, spunkyiness all wrapped up together kinda masterpiece, but somehow she works out just fine because the writer made her fit into our little reader minds despite Pippi not being cookie-cutter. So how do I make this happen and how will it work for you?

So while I had to abort “Operation Blue Ridge Relay” due to foot injuries (note: my feet won’t be taking me taking me any great distances anytime soon Dr. Seuss, but at least I’ll still be going quite a few places).

I’m still here to say:

• If failure fits, wear it. Only don’t let it drag you too far down.
• If the title “aspiring author” fits snuggly, wear it. Only hurry along and BLOOM soon because it will be much too snug before you know it. No one enjoys the company of a suffocating author.
• If “Too busy for my WIP.” fits inside your head, then well, wear it, but only for less than a second. Seriously, MAKE TIME!
• If confuzzled fits, wear it. BUT please, please, do sincerely try to discover the answers. Find solutions to your writing predicaments. Ask questions. Seek advice. Play around with your options and make changes.Do a nose dive into intuition and mere chance and spare yourself the pity party.

She, confident in her tidy footwork and sporting sandals, grinning from ear to ear.

Usually, I’m the coach and she’s the player.

She ran me through drills, coaxing me into diving for the ball from the goalie box. “Mom. You have to use your hands.” Says she, waving them vividly in front of my nose as I stumble toward her easy corner shot.

She slows down, sensing my frustration. Kicks the ball gently, like I’m an awkward toddler- and perhaps I am. I didn’t realize until just now how tense and head shy I’ve become; knowledge of pain has brought instinctive recoil. She waits. Rolling the ball toward me with her hands, instead.

We move on to the field, waiting for the other players to show up. Dribbling the ball back and forth, she’s as comfortable as a water bug. The ball just seems to follow her lead. The group straggles in, one by one, until we are nine in all. Des looks inquisitively and without hesitation, I volunteer, “Des can play, if no one minds.”

She didn’t bring her gear: no shin guards or cleats, no socks… just her smile and her sandals.

“My hiking boots are in the truck, they might be safer…”

She’s already lacing them up.

It turns out, even in hiking boots she can hold her own. We played together, passing back and forth. She seemed to know where I’d even before I did. The highlight of the evening was a 15 yard pass she directed between members of the opposing team… it found me and I found the striker who used to play so many years ago.

We scored a goal, she and I.

Driving home afterwards, I thanked her. For being the kind of person who doesn’t mind schooling her mama on the finer points of diving for a soccer ball. For being the girl who says, “I don’t know why you think you’re slow. Every time I look, you’re in a different spot. You move faster than I can think.”

I thanked her for being so pragmatic, so unselfconscious- playing in hiking boots and scrimmaging with the best of ‘em. She thanked me for playing soccer. For getting out on the field, rain or bugs or shine. For asking her advice and taking it, and letting her be the coach.

We scored a goal, she and I. For every mom who’s ever wondered if she’s Enough. For every daughter who’s ever wondered if her opinion counts.

Becoming isn’t easy. Stumbling slowly onto a field my feet used to own is an exercise in humility; it’s not graceful or smooth. It’s a reminder of how her academic struggles feel to her, and how confidence-quaking it is to immerse in something completely foreign. Life requires this of children, and they aren’t permitted to barricade against it. As adults, we have earned the privilege of ducking behind familiar things. Sitting on the couch, resting on our laurels, we fondly remember the “way things were”. When we were, whatever we were.

Today, I see the world a little differently. I’ve stumbled through the familiar and into something altogether different. My mind stretched a little, trying to accommodate the thought that perhaps this clumsiness is a necessary part of learning. It teaches respect.

It’s one thing to know a concept distantly, with the intellect… quite another to know it intimately, with every muscle and sinew and bone. One thing is for certain, neither of us is a placeholder. Win, lose or draw- we’re on the field. Together.

So, for the shoes, I was thinking to get something satin-ny and not too high a heel coz it makes me uncomfortable and feel easily tired on the legs. Remember, I have to stand all day long entertain the guests aite? I need something comfy (which I know, is impossible, but at least something that won’t kill my feet completely) and pure as white!

Perhaps 1.5 inches bare strap heels or peep-toe shoes, slip-on (easy for me to slid on and off), a few touch of diamante and have I mention it has to be satin-ny? Choices of brands? None in particular. Nothing too extravagant -it has to be something that I would wear again in the future, or else it would be such a waste of money..

Perhaps something of the like??….

Okay, you can shoo for now!

Sometimes the bridge

Over troubled waters

Is an outstretched hand

A pair of non-slip soles

Anchored in difficult places

Don’t wait for the water

It doesn’t slow down

Safe crossings are made

Not discovered

In the nick of time

Be the bridge

Between confusion

And understanding

Open your heart and hands

When reach exceeds grasp.

__________________________

A story, in 55 words. For more brevity and wit, go see G-Man.

__________________________

The Safe Crossings Foundation is a program operated and managed by Providence Hospice of Seattle. The primary focus of this foundation is the work of helping children cope with grief in the face of enormous personal loss. From the Safe Crossings Program, in their words:

“The loss of a parent is a profound psychological trauma for a child. Losing a sibling or other loved-one can also be very traumatic. Such events can lead to serious social and emotional developmental problems. Young children invest almost all of their emotional energy in their families, particularly their parents. With the death of a parent or sibling, a child’s world is turned upside down.



Young children may view death as something that can “come and get you” or as a contagious condition. Often there is a feeling of guilt. Older children often worry about what this will mean for the family economically and how their lives will change. Difficulty concentrating in school and completing assignments is common; often these children are concerned about how to grieve and still fit in with their friends in school. Often there is a physical as well as a psychological toll with a higher susceptibility to illnesses and ailments such as headaches and stomach problems. For teens, there are particular risks of depression and anger. Also, teens may seek to escape their pain and grief by engaging in high-risk behaviors such as alcohol and drugs, reckless sexual activity, or driving dangerously.


The dangers to children when they experience such a loss can be greatly diminished by a program like Safe Crossings. Even when children are very young, they often feel that they are burdening their parents when they talk about their feelings. The Safe Crossings counselor is someone with whom it’s okay to talk. She’s there to listen and to help the child express the pain. We help a child decide how to say goodbye. These children are guided and supported by a trained counselor at a time when other family members are themselves grieving and struggling to cope. Surviving parents can learn that children will experience their loss differently depending upon developmental stages, and that, for younger children, this often will mean a delayed grief reaction. Parents learn what behavior is normal and how to be supportive. Through grieving groups, children can learn to express their sadness and to rediscover their childhood. Older children and teens often long for someone outside of the family with whom they can talk. They find in their Safe Crossings counselor the support and guidance to see them through this difficult transition so that they can go on with their lives.”

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo da Vinci

These folks went out:

Norio Matsumoto

Stieg Larsson

Lhasa de Sela

Zainab Salbi

Maggie

Sophocles

What if the shoe doesn't fit, can I still park here?

She got two compliments.

On my drive home from Louisiana to Texas, I began thinking about Barbie and “Annie.” I found some interesting comparisons.  “Annie’s” hair is usually all over the place, while “Barbie’s” hair is perfectly in place.  “Annie” wears an apron, while Barbie wears an evening gown.  “Annie” wears no shoes, while “Barbie” wears stilettos.  And that’s when it hit me-we often see ourselves as lifeless “Raggedy Ann,” while God sees us as beautiful “Barbie.”  I Samuel 16:7 says “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”  While media and magazines push outward extravagance, God longs for our hearts to worship Him extravagantly. 

Don’t get me wrong ladies-every barn looks better with a little paint!  There is nothing wrong with looking good, but our focus must be balanced.  So, how do we accomplish our “Annie” tasks while taking care of ourselves like “Barbie?”

The first thing to remember when balancing our lives is that we cannot do it all.  We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be everything to everyone.  This often happens when we fear something is lacking, so we wear ourselves out trying to fill the void.  We must protect our priorities and relinquish the things that steal our time.  For example, enjoy time with your children, even if the house is not perfect.  Strive to keep an orderly home, but know that your children will remember the quality time you spend with them much more than the dirty dishes that were left in the sink.

We also need to take care of ourselves. There is a balanced way to do this, and we must care for ourselves if we are going to care for others.  Be sure to rest, eat well, exercise and do something you enjoy while maintaining the responsibilities that God has given you.  It is rare that anyone needs us 24 hours a day.  Make a decision that you will take care of yourself so that you can care for others with excellence. 

Finally, stop focusing on what is wrong with you, and take an inventory of what you do right!  As women, we often find it easy to name our flaws while struggling to list our strengths.  If this is difficult for you, write down five things you do right each day.  Make a conscious decision to examine the good qualities about yourself, and focus on those things as you continue to make progress in the other areas. 

The Bible says, “as a man (or woman) thinks in his (her) heart, so is he (she).”   So focus on the good things!  You are a beautiful “Barbie” in the eyes of your Heavenly Father.