I had a chance to wear these adorable sneakers yesterday to my grandsons’ baseball tournament games. I wore them with a casual Lilly Pulitzer dress, and it made for such a cute outfit. It was a bit risky wearing them to the tournaments since we ended up walking back and forth through weedy fields to get to the various ballfields/diamonds where the games were being played. This was my first time wearing them, and I was in them for 6 hours. I found them to be super comfortable. They didn’t feel heavy or make my feet feel hot, and the soles were cushy, nice, and flexible. There was no breaking-in period needed at all; they were comfortable from the start. They also offered great support, which is very important to me. I have them in white, too, but haven’t had a chance to wear those yet. Very much recommend these, and you’ll find them available here: Pink Embroidered Sneakers. (Note: I ordered 1/2 size up since I knew I would be wearing them with fairly thick, low-cut sneaker-type socks, and that was perfect. If you’ll be wearing them without socks, order your normal size.)
My grandsons have really gotten into eating ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce whenever they visit. I only have 4 regular (not soup) bowls in my everyday china here, so I ordered this set of 6 porcelain bowls. They are so colorful and sooo pretty! They look even better in person than they did in the ad. They are dishwasher and microwave-safe. Can’t wait to surprise my grandsons with these next time they visit. I think they will love them. If you could use a set of bowls, these are available here: Bowls for Cereal, Ice Cream, Fruit, Oatmeal.
Yesterday at the tournaments, as late afternoon approached and we were once again making our way across a field to get to another diamond, we were bombarded by billions of these tiny flies. I tried to search today to see what they were, and the best I could determine is that they may have been midges or possibly Mayflies. Thankfully, they didn’t bite, but they were constantly landing on our faces, necks, arms, legs, and clothing. I don’t know if they were drawn to sweat since it was pretty muggy and hot yesterday, or what was going on, but it was awful! They were making our lives miserable! That’s when I remembered hearing someone mention they regretted not bringing along their DeWalt fan. We had a break between games, so I headed out to pick up some food since the concession stand was closed. When I got to my car, I was amazed to see the flies even covering the cars in the parking lot! They were all over the back and sides of my SUV, so much so that I had a hard time getting in the car without bringing 50 inside with me. I’ve never seen anything like this! lol Anyone recognize this annoying, clingy insect?
I picked up a bunch of chicken fingers and this awesome DeWalt fan while I was out. I knew it would not only help with the heat, but it would be a great way to keep the flies at bay. Thank goodness the battery I purchased had some charge already on it. I love this fan! Not only will it be great to take to spring/summer games on hot days, but I plan to use it when I’m working in the garden. When I purchased the battery, I went with the DeWalt FlexVolt that has a long, long runtime. Any DeWalt battery (or battery made to work with DeWalt tools) will work with it. Still, I went ahead and purchased the FlexVolt since the info I found online stated that “A DeWalt Flexvolt battery will run a DeWalt jobsite fan for 6-24 hours, depending on the speed.” So that means I could run it at full blast (which I probably wouldn’t do,) for around 6 hours before it would need charging again. So it should easily last through a day of tournament games and working in the garden. It should also come in handy if a power outage happens on a hot summer’s day.
From reading reviews, I’ve learned it works great as a shop fan, too. Some reviewers even mentioned taking it along on golf carts! It would be great for an overnight camping trip. It would also make an excellent gift for anyone who spends time out in the heat. I wish I had known about this fan before now! I will def be using it in the garden this summer when I’m planting a bed and will be in the same spot for a while. If you would like to read some of the 8,171 outstanding reviews that have been left, you’ll find those here: Powerful DeWalt Battery Operated, Rechargeable Fan. The FlexVolt battery is available with the DeWalt charger here: FlexVolt 6.0-Ah Battery and Charger, and without the charger here: FlexVolt 6.0-Ah Battery. Again, the battery can be charged on a regular DeWalt charger; it will just take a bit longer to charge than if it’s being charged on the fan-cooled charger that I’ve linked above.
The rechargeable lamps I ordered arrived, and I LOVE them! They are so pretty!
These are so pretty and elegant! You’ll find them available here: Rechargeable Lamps with adjustable brightness. (Lamp is available here: Rechargeable Table Lamp with dimming)
This style comes in sets, and I ordered the set of four. I only took out two for the photo. What I love about these is that they are great for situations where you need a lower lamp.
They would be great on tables because the light shines downward and not out, so they wouldn’t be too bright for the eyes. I should have turned off the lights and closed the shutters for the photos. Didn’t think of that at the time, but you can see the light shining downward onto the table. I can’t wait to use these in the future, including for outdoor dining. (Lamps are available here: Rattan Style Lamps, available in sets of 2, 4, and 8. )
Have a wonderful weekend! See you tomorrow for Metamorphosis Monday!
We love our DeWalt fans! We take them out on our boats up north to keep the black flies & deer flies from eating us alive! Those definitely aren’t mayflies—mayflies are a smalller dragonfly. They swarm us up north, but they are very short-lived & they don’t bite.
Your Midge guess is probably exactly what they are: Lakefly midges. We got to know those during a week in Chardonnay, OH. Our “midges” are what we call no-see-us & they Bite!! We love being in our woods & on our lake, but we definitely had to learn to be prepared.
I’m sure you were the loveliest fan @ the games in your Lily & pretty shoes!
Oh, I can see how they would be great to take along on a boat.
We could def see these guys, they look like baby flies, very tiny flies.
I love wearing cotton or linen dresses to the games. I’ve found they keep me so much cooler than anything else. Didn’t see too many dresses there but a lot of folks were wearing “athleisure” outfits that looked like a skort…skirt with built in shorts. I just don’t like the feel of that type of fabric and how it clings to the body. Not a flattering look on my body, although I’m sure it’s comfortable for those who wear it. I would love to find a cotton version of the athleisure skorts. lol
I had to laugh – as you know “GRITS” never sweat – we glisten. Welcome to tournament games! You’ll need to check out folding wagons with rubber wheels (I recommend the longer versions – plenty of room for folding chairs, umbrellas, coolers, fans and snacks) and shade umbrellas or pop-up canopies (we found the umbrellas easier to set up/move from game to game – the wagons really help with the moves, too!!!). I miss those days – they will go by so quickly. It’s so great that you have a home so close to your boys. Cherish these fleeting day!
I do have one of those, purchased it last year. This is the one I bought: https://amzn.to/4gKEYTV . I saw several double decker versions at the tournaments and I really like how those looked. The one I have now is pretty heavy to lift to place in the back of my SUV, but at least folding it up is easy. I wonder how heavy the double decker ones are. I like how there’s a great spot for the chairs on the bottom of the double wagons.
One of the familes whose son is on the same team always bring a large tent. What a difference that makes! My son and I have talked about getting a tent, but with two boys playing, we would have to continually take it down to move to different fields, depending on who was playing. Sometimes they are both playing at the same time on different fields.
Thanks, Margaret! Not sure how long I’ll keep this house, but it is wonderful being so close to my son, DIL and grandsons. I love that part!
Happy Sunday!
Those bowls remind me of Morocco. Yours are lovely.
Super slick idea to run and get a fan during a lunch break. Several folks nearby you could also enjoy a breeze. Jealous folks might say it’s “too loud”.
You must have been the best dressed lady at the tournament.
I thought that exact same thing…reminds me so much of the designs you see there. I was desperate to find a way to get the bugs to leave us alone! Ha! That was one of the most frustrating experiences ever! If I lived where those were outside for a few day/weeks, I wouldn’t leave the house during that whole time! lol
Yes, I was happy to share the breeze; it definitely puts out enough for everyone around.
I’m thinking those are fungus gnats.
Ugh, that sounds disgusting! lol We first noticed them as we were walking across a recently mowed field between the baseball diamonds. I wonder if they were eating/nesting in that field, and we stirred them up. They were after us, after that. Relentless!
Love those battery lamps; will order one or some when I can decide which ones!
They are really cool, and I’m amazed by how much light they put out. I have three completely different sets now: white shades, brown rattan shades, and a colorful, floral set. If you’re only going to get one set or one lamp, I’d probably go with a set that has a white shade. They come in all kinds of finishes: brass, silver, black, white, etc.
We have mayflies here, but we call them fish-flies. They don’t bite and they do look like a mini dragonfly. I wonder if those flies look like what I call baby flies. We have a lot of them in Michigan & they’re a pain! Love your shoes!!!!!
These little flies didn’t bite, thank goodness! If they had been biting, I would have left immediately because there were billions of them in the air. lol They did look like baby flies! I’ve never seen anything like them before. Thanks, Sharon! I was surprised by how comfortable they were right out of the gate.
I ordered the shoes after your last post on them. They are super cute and the one on my left foot was super comfortable. Sadly, my baby toe on my right foot did NOT like them and is still hurting from them 5 days later. I’m really hoping that they fit my daughter ~ free shoes for her :/
So strange that it’s only on one foot. I wonder if the shoe is defective, and you could possibly return it due to that? Cindy, do you wear them with low socks? I wonder if that would help. Maybe you could try wearing the shoe that hurts with a really thick sock around the house to see if that stretches that are bothering your toe.
I had worn them around the house, with no problem. It was only when I was out and about that the problem arose. I did not wear them with socks. My daughter took them home, so will see what she says.
We call those “mayflies” or “muffleheads” or “midges” here in Northern Ohio. Everyone knows what you mean. We usually get a one or two week wave of them in early summer than they disappear. Here we get them closer to the lake, not so much at my house.
Interesting! Glad they don’t stick around the whole summer! We don’t seem to have them here where we live, but they sure did like that baseball park!
If it’s Ohio, they’re midges. My daughter in Cleveland dreads midge season every year.
I can see why! They are obsessed with humans! And cars! lol
This is a great post, Susan! Such pretty things. The sneakers are adorable and those bowls are just gorgeous. Such a good price, too! I had no idea there were battery operated fans. Love that! We are in a heatwave here. That would be so handy to just carry around the house, lol. Great for outdoors though. The lamps are great too. This post was full of good ideas and pretty, but also practical things. Thanks!
Thanks, Pam! I’m taking that baby out in the garden with me when I start planting flowers. We are experiencing that heat wave right now too, even hot in the mornings now!
We take our fan with us to car shows and it helps so much!!