Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[galaxychaser]

I too have big feet so I bought m11/w13. Hope they fit.

payless closed a while ago so I bought like 15 pairs of shoes from them for $10 or less a pair. I am happy I got shoes to wear for cheap. 

[ChiCricket]

7 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

As with others here, I so appreciate this group, because we really run the gamut(s?) between/among pretty much every sort of person from the introverts to extroverts, religious to atheist, the well-off to the struggling both in financial and health issues, the serious to the funny...we just have it all, and somehow manage to not only very, very rarely ruffle any feathers, but to actually support each other. That's got to be pretty remarkable!

Agree with all of this.

[Sew Sumi]

Am I the only one here who has average feet? 😂

[ChiCricket]

19 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

They're both in their 70's and go to church together, fish together, and play Santa and Mrs. Claus together for homeless kids in shelters. They are so darn cute! 

 Here's my sister and her husband this year. 😊

[Absolom]

7 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Am I the only one here who has average feet? 😂

I have small feet. :)

[Christina87]

@ChiCricket AWWWWW!!!! They are adorable. I'm glad she finally found him after allllll those awful guys. 

[Sew Sumi]

Mine are on the small side of average (7). But I am borderline wide, so I sometimes have to go up half a size. 

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone watched big mouth and f for family on Netflix?

both highly recommended.

  I tried watching  Big Mouth, but it was too uncomfortable to watch for me. Which is odd, because I'm kind of a dirty old lady in some aspects. 😁

I really feel for males if that's how they really go through life though.

 (are there any males reading this who have seen it? Is it true to life?)

[lookeyloo]

38 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Am I the only one here who has average feet? 😂

7 M  What does that count as?  One of my friends said a while back (she wears a 5) that size 7 was a clodhopper!

5 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Are you happy?

(sorry couldn’t resist)

Laughing!  Yes!  Did my "yay" give it away?  We did ride to a giant indoor flea market and then rode back to one of our favorite places to eat, not fancy.  

[ginger90]

I wore a size 8 shoe for many years. I went up to a 9, during my first pregnancy. I went to a podiatrist about a year ago, because I’m old! She told me I should be wearing size 10 shoes. So, now I do, and it makes my feet happy to wear the correct size. 

[MargeGunderson]

Fellow big feet people! I was once browsing the shoes in TJ Maxx when the very petite person next to me exclaimed loudly to her friend “ugh, these are the shoes for the giant girls.” I looked down at her with a death glare and she and her friends scurried away. My big feet match my giant head, which is good beacause otherwise I would be a weeble wobble. 

[Zella]

The part about being big-footed that really kills me is I am not a tall person, height-wise, so it doesn't even make sense for me to have big feet. I'm only 5'4", but my 10 W feet are bigger than the feet of relatives who are half a foot taller than me. 

I also have weirdly shaped feet, so the heel is tiny, but the rest of my foot is very wide. I once traced my feet for custom shoes and was told that I must have done something wrong because they couldn't see how that narrow of a heel would go with that wide of a foot. . . .

All this is to say I have a massive complex about my feet.

[Catfin]

6 hours ago, Suzn said:

I've only posted on this thread a time or two because I think I'm too private/introverted to share much personal information, even anonymously.  I do keep up with it, usually daily, because I find this lovely group always interesting.  Thanks to all of you who share their lives here.  Happy New Year!

The doggie in your av is adorable. ❤️❤️

[ChiCricket]

4 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Mine are on the small side of average (7). But I am borderline wide, so I sometimes have to go up half a size. 

Ditto. I usually buy "guy"  gymshoes because they are a bit wider. Then they fit without being too big on me. Plus, a  lot of times the places I shop (Target and Wal-Mart)are out of any size 7 or 7½ women's shoes, if they look nice, are comfortable, and not too expensive.

 There are always tons of the bigger sizes left on the shelves though.  I used to think "who are these women that wear size 11 and 12 and why haven't they come to buy their shoes here!?" 

Sometimes I have found great shoes in guy sizes on clearance, because I guess they looked  "too girly."  Ditto on men's T-shirts, which I prefer because they're longer in the back than women's style are, and they cover my behind.

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChiCricket

[Catfin]

5 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Moretek-Fitbit-Flex2-Flex-2-Band-Strap-Adjustable-Replacement-Wrist-Band-for-Fitbit-Flex-2-Fitness-Smart-Watch-3-Pack/339629293

 

i ordered those. Hope they fit. 

 

I got these too. Never bought converse shoes.

https://www.nike.com/t/converse-chuck-taylor-all-star-sherpa-urban-high-top-boot-unisex-sherpa-boot-GFK4sz

I have had very good luck with an aftermarket band. Also, those boots are awesome! Great price, too. I just got some Sperry boots, nut like the looks of those! Thinking the kid would wear those, he’s averse to boots, but we are/we’re up to our asses in snow and he NEEDS to have something warmer. 

[ChiCricket]

58 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

@ChiCricket AWWWWW!!!! They are adorable. I'm glad she finally found him after allllll those awful guys. 

Aw thanks. The funny thing is that even though B.  was married for 56 years before his wife died, he says he is only now truly happily married.

His late wife hated him playing Santa, and would never support him in doing it. He even made sure to mention on eharmony that he was looking for someone to play Mrs. Santa, and that it would be a deal breaker if they wouldn't. 

12 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I have had very good luck with an aftermarket band. Also, those boots are awesome! Great price, too. I just got some Sperry boots, nut like the looks of those! Thinking the kid would wear those, he’s averse to boots, but we are/we’re up to our asses in snow and he NEEDS to have something warmer. 

I can't believe what a pitiful amount of snow my Chicagoland area got this year.

 (I'm sure I just doomed us to a blizzard soon)

[doodlebug]

21 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Well I am 62 and you have given me a large measure of peace about my self. I do love this group and wish we could meet. To be honest I have a bit of a daydream that we all meet at a large restaurant. We are wearing name tags with our forum names and the hostess is going nuts trying to figure out Crazy Cat Lady, Happy Fat Chick ect.

It’s not impossible.  I belonged to a newsgroup years ago and became friendly with about half a dozen people outside the group.  I’ve gone to visit them, they’ve come to visit me; 3 of us met up in Nashville for a long weekend once.  I even vacationed in France with a newsgroup pal.  We exchange Christmas cards and hang out on Facebook these days.

[galaxychaser]

34 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I have had very good luck with an aftermarket band. Also, those boots are awesome! Great price, too. I just got some Sperry boots, nut like the looks of those! Thinking the kid would wear those, he’s averse to boots, but we are/we’re up to our asses in snow and he NEEDS to have something warmer. 

Yes and Nike took extra 25% off. I figured $35 isn’t too bad for boots. 

[CalicoKitty]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

Am I the only one here who has average feet? 😂

Nope.   I wear 8N if I can find them, but medium width is usually fine.  Just ordered some new Merrill mesh clogs in a second color.  I'm not a shoe diva, so I buy expensive and wear them for several years. Comfort and fit come first with me.

[Christina87]

59 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

Aw thanks. The funny thing is that even though B.  was married for 56 years before his wife died, he says he is only now truly happily married.

His late wife hated him playing Santa, and would never support him in doing it. He even made sure to mention on eharmony that he was looking for someone to play Mrs. Santa, and that it would be a deal breaker if they wouldn't. 

I can't believe what a pitiful amount of snow my Chicagoland area got this year.

 (I'm sure I just doomed us to a blizzard soon)

Awwwww that is so sweet! I hope they have many, many, many happy years together. Stories like this melt my heart!!! He must be such a sweet man, and I can't imagine what anyone would have against him playing Santa! He found his Mrs. Claus! Did they have a December wedding?

[CherryMalotte]

1 hour ago, Catfin said:

I've only posted on this thread a time or two because I think I'm too private/introverted to share much personal information, even anonymously.  I do keep up with it, usually daily, because I find this lovely group always interesting.  Thanks to all of you who share their lives here.  Happy New Year!

To you as well, HNY!  And yes, join right in.  I've said things here that I can't say on my FB page, mostly about my struggles with my parental units, and I've found it so liberating and a relief to find people that will really listen.  There are times when I've thought 'oh shit, maybe I shouldn't have typed that' but I've never been judged.  It's a wonderful bunch of people here, all very different but very much the same in our compassion for one another.  

Mr and Mrs Santa are sweet and adorable!!!!  It's people like those that give me hope for the human race, that they are so caring to do that for children.  No, that's dust in my eye, I'm not crying.

 

Quote

I can't believe what a pitiful amount of snow my Chicagoland area got this year.

Honey, you didn't jinx us.  It's the Midwest.  We are bound to have a hellish February/March.  I remember snow in late May.  Thundersnow too, freaked me out.  I'd much rather have a blizzard than one of our F5 tornadoes.  Been a little too quiet on that front.     

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

The part about being big-footed that really kills me is I am not a tall person, height-wise, so it doesn't even make sense for me to have big feet. I'm only 5'4", but my 10 W feet are bigger than the feet of relatives who are half a foot taller than me. 

I also have weirdly shaped feet, so the heel is tiny, but the rest of my foot is very wide. I once traced my feet for custom shoes and was told that I must have done something wrong because they couldn't see how that narrow of a heel would go with that wide of a foot. . . .

All this is to say I have a massive complex about my feet.

I have no idea what average is either, but at 5'3", I mostly wore a size 8.5 until after all my kids were born/age 35 ish, at which point I wore a 9 or 9.5 for a long time, but have come to find that a 10 seems safest of late. And I'm not getting any taller either! My feet are also wide, so basically I feel as though I need boats.
 

[Jynnan tonnix]

3 hours ago, Christina87 said:

@ChiCricket AWWWWW!!!! They are adorable. I'm glad she finally found him after allllll those awful guys. 

I am soooo happy to read this as well.  I just don't know, sometimes, what really constitutes a happy marriage, but am so glad she seems, finally to have landed in one. I suppose that all these stories have also served to support my preferred view that I have a gem in Mr Jyn despite my feeling so often that he's simply not anything like the person I ever envisioned marrying.

I know that a few weeks ago someone here had asked something about him/us based on things I had said in the past, and I never got around to answering. Whoever it was had specifically said she was not looking to intrude or put me on the spot, which, if you know me at all, you know that that simply doesn't really exist in my world...I'll tell anybody anything if it comes to my feelings. But I can't locate the post right now. So anyone with questions, ask away. 

Right at the moment, after spilling some of that stuff about my cousin, and (coincidentally) rearranging a bunch of old paperwork to suit a new desk setup which was part of my birthday/Christmas present which kicked up a fairly long-forgotten "note to self"...let's say I have a lot of stuff on my mind.

To say nothing of a few glasses of wine, which, having re-read what I was trying to convey, seem to have had their part in my grasp of the English language as well...

Edited January 6, 2019 by Jynnan tonnix

[Catfin]

2 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Fellow big feet people! I was once browsing the shoes in TJ Maxx when the very petite person next to me exclaimed loudly to her friend “ugh, these are the shoes for the giant girls.” I looked down at her with a death glare and she and her friends scurried away. My big feet match my giant head, which is good beacause otherwise I would be a weeble wobble. 

Two of my sisters wear 11/12 depending on the brand. They joke about searching  “cross dresser” tags on eBay for shoes as some larger sizes are posted under such headings by shoe distributors trying to clear out big sizes. 

2 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

 

I can't believe what a pitiful amount of snow my Chicagoland area got this year.

 (I'm sure I just doomed us to a blizzard soon)

I should have said slush, not snow. Minneapolis here, 44 today. 

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, Catfin said:

Two of my sisters wear 11/12 depending on the brand. They joke about searching  “cross dresser” tags on eBay for shoes as some larger sizes are posted under such headings by shoe distributors trying to clear out big sizes. 

My college roommate's mom wore size 12 shoes, and she shopped at a store for cross dressers for shoes. This was pre-internet in the middle of nowhere in Missouri, but she said it was the only place she could find nice women's shoes that fit! 

This thread has made me feel a lot better about my feet, by the way, so thanks to all of you for that.

Edited January 6, 2019 by Zella

[Ohiopirate02]

3 minutes ago, Catfin said:

Two of my sisters wear 11/12 depending on the brand. They joke about searching  “cross dresser” tags on eBay for shoes as some larger sizes are posted under such headings by shoe distributors trying to clear out big sizes. 

If I ever feel like getting some 5 inch heels (not likely since I'm 5'10"), I know that there are websites that focus on shoes for drag queens.  I have also heard that stores that cater to larger African American women carry larger shoe sizes.

[Catfin]

I’m feeling  the ❤️❤️ for Mr. Fin right now. He was just  on his hands and knees with the cat’s laser-pointer, showing her a box elder  bug walking about. “Here Kitty-kitty, mighty hunter. Someone wants to play with you!”  We lost our old dog at the end of September and it’s fun to see him getting closer to our kitty.

[Christina87]

6 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I’m feeling  the ❤️❤️ for Mr. Fin right now. He was just  on his hands and knees with the cat’s laser-pointer, showing her a box elder  bug walking about. “Here Kitty-kitty, mighty hunter. Someone wants to play with you!”  We lost our old dog at the end of September and it’s fun to see him getting closer to our kitty.

Awwww!!! So sorry for your loss. Losing pets is the worst, as they really are part of the family!

[ChiCricket]

12 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I’m feeling  the ❤️❤️ for Mr. Fin right now. He was just  on his hands and knees with the cat’s laser-pointer, showing her a box elder  bug walking about. “Here Kitty-kitty, mighty hunter. Someone wants to play with you!”  We lost our old dog at the end of September and it’s fun to see him getting closer to our kitty.

   Aww..I want a kitty again! I'm going to get two when I can.

 This is going to sound terrible, but I'm waiting for my dog to croak first.

She's a chihuahua we rescued from a really bad situation. We've had her for many, many years.

 She has always hated my guts (we don't know why.)

   I've been nothing but nice and loving to her from the get go, but she absolutely hates me.

 Loves my husband to pieces though. 😂

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChiCricket

[ChiCricket]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It’s not impossible.  I belonged to a newsgroup years ago and became friendly with about half a dozen people outside the group.  I’ve gone to visit them, they’ve come to visit me; 3 of us met up in Nashville for a long weekend once.  I even vacationed in France with a newsgroup pal.  We exchange Christmas cards and hang out on Facebook these days.

   I met once years ago with the friends I made in our online Beanie Baby collectors group.  We were all addicted to those stupid beanies.

It started in 1997, back when we all still had AOL, and dial up.

  I had an 'in' for getting the 'hot' Beanie Babies at the time (I worked as a pharmacy tech in a little independant drugstore who soId them.) I bought and sold a lot and I made a good profit, but was always very honest in my dealings.

  Who knows what in the heck  Beanies were stuffed with, but we used to joke that it was some kind of crack. I look back now and can't believe how we grown women (and one lone guy) were so determined and frenzied to complete our collections. Yes, we all had at least one kid..but these Beanies were mainly for us.

  They had a couple of meetings in various cities until they got me to go to one. I only went to the one I did go to,because they held it in Chicago. I hemmed and hawed and made all kind of lame excuses about not going at first. I was terrified to go and be around all those strangers. But, they got me to go.

 To be honest, I was mortified when all the attention from the very large group was laser focused on me a little while into the dinner. Someone said Chi..come up here! I shrank with horror and almost started to cry. OMGosh it was awful. I felt like I was in school again..and people were looking at me. They saw how scared I was, and someone came to where I was sitting, and said " we all chipped to buy you something."

 It was a little cage from China Town, and it had live crickets in it! They all thought my reaction was hilarious. I.do.not.like.bugs.

  I can act one way on online behind a screen, after I get used to the site, but I can't ever interact that way in real life , away from my family, no matter how hard I try.

 Oops..wrote a novel. Sorry

I'll end by including a pic from our group. I put all the names of the group on a map showing all the places we were from, and that's what is being held up. 

(not saying which one I am.) 🙃

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChiCricket

[Sew Sumi]

You're in the Cubs jersey. I just know it. 😁

[Marshmallow Mollie]

I am the opposite of @Zella when it comes to feet, but nonetheless have a bit of a complex. I am 5’10” and wear a 8.5. How do I stand and not fall forward due to my tiny feet?! 

My feet are also very narrow which makes finding any shoe other than athletic shoes very difficult. 

[Catfin]

3 minutes ago, Marshmallow Mollie said:

I am the opposite of @Zella when it comes to feet, but nonetheless have a bit of a complex. I am 5’10” and wear a 8.5. How do I stand and not fall forward due to my tiny feet?! 

My feet are also very narrow which makes finding any shoe other than athletic shoes very difficult. 

5’11, size 9. 

[Sew Sumi]

Good lord, is there anyone here under 5'10" ? I am 5' on a good day. 😁

[Absolom]

5'1" with size 5.5 feet.  I'm sure there are some more shorties lurking about.

[crazycatlady58]

5'2" size 7.5 w. I work in a shoe store and thinking, I can fit you and you and you and maybe you.

[ChiCricket]

30 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

You're in the Cubs jersey. I just know it. 😁

NO WAY.. Big  White Sox fan here!

I have a mixed marriage though, my poor misguided dh is a Cub fan.

23 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Good lord, is there anyone here under 5'10" ? I am 5' on a good day. 😁

5' 2"  :)

[Sew Sumi]

LOL! South Side it is! I just figured a native coming home would make it known where her allegiances lie! 

Apologies for the grievous error. 😃

Edited January 6, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[ChiCricket]

8 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

LOL! South Side it is! I just figured a native coming home would make it known where her allegiances lie! 

Apologies for the grievous error. 😃

 

What's even worse is that every single one of my five kids, and their kids, are Cub fans.Where did I go wrong? 😢 😂

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChiCricket

[galaxychaser]

48 minutes ago, Absolom said:

5'1" with size 5.5 feet.  I'm sure there are some more shorties lurking about.

Aaww one of my acquaintances is your size! She has trouble finding shoes in 5.5. 

[emma675]

5'8", size 8. What's weird is that I'm a fairly normal size overall but I always have to get wide calf boots. "Normal " width boots are almost always too snug.

[Sew Sumi]

Ah, the "athletic calf" market. 

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I know that a few weeks ago someone here had asked something about him/us based on things I had said in the past, and I never got around to answering. Whoever it was had specifically said she was not looking to intrude or put me on the spot, which, if you know me at all, you know that that simply doesn't really exist in my world...I'll tell anybody anything if it comes to my feelings. But I can't locate the post right now. So anyone with questions, ask away. 

That was me! I recalled you stating in another thread that you’d never been “in love” but were lucky to have Mr Jyn, and you were still partnered with him. I was wondering what motivated you to marry? (We were talking about why some Duggar couple was together, I cannot remember which one.....)Was it a social expectation/partnered sex/sharing resources/ companionship type motivation?

 

I am different from you in that I am very extroverted and love chatting with new people (I’m the person that can go to a party where I don’t know a soul and find people to talk to and have fun), and I do experience familial and platonic love quite strongly (I love my Mom and my best friend for example) but romantic love seems like so much emotional energy like WOOSH. Some of my childhood friends have said when we were younger they thought I just hadn’t met the right guy (or I was being an unfeeling asshole) but as we get older they are like “no Scarlett just doesn’t have the feelings most of us have.”

 

Which is why I think I’m aromantic (or at least on that spectrum). Very thankful I live in the 21st century and I am not required to partner to survive economically. 

[Scarlett45]

12 minutes ago, emma675 said:

5'8", size 8. What's weird is that I'm a fairly normal size overall but I always have to get wide calf boots. "Normal " width boots are almost always too snug.

Normal width boots fit NO ONE besides the very willowy. I’m a plus size gal but I have to buy extra extra wide calf boots.....they are crazy expensive that when my last pair died I didn’t replace them (2years ago)- 18 inch calves at 5’7 and I wear an 18w. But get this, I wear a size 5.5 RING! I share a ring size with my friend that’s literally HALF of my size.  

[doodlebug]

3 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Aaww one of my acquaintances is your size! She has trouble finding shoes in 5.5. 

I’ve got a friend who is 4’11” and wears a size 5 shoe.  She had a PhD in special ed and, years ago,worked in the office of disabled students at a prominent university.  She did a lot of speaking on the topic at various seminars and conferences representing the university.  She needed business suits and pumps for these things and had a helluva time finding them.  She would often buy the smallest suit she could find and have a dressmaker take it apart and cut it down to her size. Shoes that didn’t look like childrens’ styles were practically impossible to find.  When she would find professional looking shoes that fit,  she’d buy a couple of pairs in every color because she never knew when she’d find them again.  She was glad to leave academia and wardrobe headaches behind.

I’m 5’4” and wear a sized 9 shoes.  Between heel spurs, bunions, arthritis and hip and knee replacements; finding comfortable shoes that aren’t too ‘old lady’ has become very time consuming.  I’ve got dozens of shoes that seemed comfortable at first, but weren’t over the long haul.  Closets full. I wear sneakers a lot, even at work.  I figure if Ellen DeGeneres can do it, so can I.  Skechers seem to work best for me.

[Scarlett45]

19 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Aaww one of my acquaintances is your size! She has trouble finding shoes in 5.5. 

Nordstrom. They have their special shoe size sale yearly. 

[jjane]

Hi Guys, First, thank you for the love and support about my Husband being in the hospital. The fact that someone said she would come to be with me if she were still in New Orleans blew my mind. I was very lonely and worried when I made the original post and your posts really made a difference. Today was his first good day, he looks more like the big solid guy I've spent forty years being in love with. He is walking on his own and getting out of bed when he wants, so that is wonderful. He sill has cancer, but I have convinced him to get a second opinion as to whether they should be able to go in again and attempt surgery. If not we will do the hormones and radiation and go from there.  Please know that I appreciate the support more than you will ever know. This is a wonderful community that I am proud to be a part of. Much love and many hugs back.

[emma675]

Scarlett45, what's weird is that I'm a size 8 in clothes, too, and don't have athletic calves in the least (I need to work out, period, tbh) but the wide calf boots are the only ones I can wear over jeans without feeling like I'm cutting off the blood supply to my feet. I feel like boots have gotten smaller in width over time. I do have sausage fingers, I wear a size 7 or 8 ring on my ring finger. 

jjane, hang in there. It's always wise to get a second opinion. 

[pinkie]

*waving* @ everybody...I love how friendly & supportive everybody is here...I’d love to be friends w/ all y’all! : )

[allonsyalice]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Good lord, is there anyone here under 5'10" ? I am 5' on a good day. 😁

I’m five feet, half and inch! I havent grown since i was 12. Its been a solid ten years.