When I named this site, I did it because there are all kinds of random things that interest me. And often those worlds have nothing to do with one another.

Most recently, I became intrigued by finding a way to have “pretty” nails without all the fuss and stink. And I have been redeeming my feet from the land of crack, dry, and itchy.

Nails

When I was in Nauvoo for a Women’s Conference this past March, they had a vendor space. I bought some pictures, talked with the garden tower person, picked out some Lularoe dresses for my daughter, and checked out the Jamberry nail wraps. Fun times.

Fast forward, and making our nails pretty is a thing my autistic daughter and I now do together. But so far that had just been standard grooming, cleaning, and nail polish.

But dealing with polish is a bother. It smells terrible (according to the pater familias), one or more nails will almost certain to get smudged before they dry, and the nail polish chips within a day or two.

Jamberry wraps are quick and come in all kinds of fun designs. So that’s something fun we will do this summer. Below is a consultant video showing some tips and tricks to make the nail wraps work better.

Feet

So I am the queen of dry skin. My skin was so dry that as a young person I presumed I would never marry. It’s that bad.

In time my feet got looking like the “before” pictures in foot care commercials, with white, hard, cracked heels. On particularly bad days the cracks would become so deep that bleeding and infection would occur. Call me silly, but I’ve just not a person who wears support shoes with sweat-wicking socks, chooses to soak my feet for 20 minutes morning and night, and wears moisturizing booties to bed.

I’d gotten to the point where I thought perhaps the cracks in my heels were permanent, never to be healed.

But I recently stumbled on a regimen that has made a huge difference.

1. Wash feet. Obviously this is where the 20 minute soak comes in, if one has the time. Else one can slather down one’s foot with hand sanitizer. Sanitizer is relatively inexpensive, really fast, sanitizes your foot, and also does a touch of moisterizing, as sanitizers contain glycerine and may also contain aloe or vitamin E.
2. Apply anti-fungal (optional). When your feet are as abused as mine had become, it’s possible there’s something living on that part of you. Commonly referred to as “athlete’s foot,” foot fungus likes to live in places that are moist, like the spaces between your toes or the parts of your feet that remain cooped up inside shoes made of plastic or other man-made materials. When it shows up elsewhere on your body it is called other names, like ringworm. Nasty stuff. So if one’s foot is itchy or if there is evidence of patchy skin, get some antifungal medicine and apply during your twice-daily ablutions. Instructions often urge you to apply the treatment twice daily for at least 10 days, rather than stopping as soon as the symptoms disappear.
3. Apply heel balm. There are various sorts, but I particularly like Flexitol.

After a number of days, I realized my feet were actually starting to resemble normal human feet. Then, for grins, I did one of those baby feet chemical peels. Kind of amazing – I now have feet that aren’t terribly embarrassing.

Sweet!