Project Pinterest: Cutoffs

I keep seeing great tutorials for making shorts out of old jeans and finally got around to making myself a pair before I left for the lake. I used a pair of cuffed jean shorts from H&M that I'd just gotten tired of wearing. Here are a couple shots Teresa took of me wearing them yesterday at the lake.

Rather than boring you with more photos of me and buckets and fabric in my yard, I'll just tell you to check out the great Mr. Kate basic jean short diy that I used. I just changed mine up a bit and went for variety in color instead of letting it bleach all the way by sort of wading the shorts up and letting some of the fabric float up and out of the bleach.

And just for fun, here's a before shot of me in the shorts a few years back on a road trip through Yellowstone. Can you believe they are the same pair?

Monday Motivation

Hello from Priest Lake, Idaho! We're on vacation here for the week and this is our motto. There will be lots of relaxing happening!
Even though we're on vacation, we won't be totally unplugged and will still be posting lots of fun things this week so stay tuned...

Friday Round Up

Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is as amazing as this mythical llama.

I'm looking forward to Sunday morning when I get to fly out of the city for a few days and away from all the stresses of being in the middle of a super busy season of work and life.

Meanwhile, here are some things that struck my fancy from around the web this week...




Check out some unique games from developing countries that you won't see in the Olympics in this awesome Huff Post piece written by my friend Lindsey.

Since 1982, these guys have taken the same vacation photo every 5 years.

Breaking up with Gotye.

A great story of happily ever after arising out of tragic circumstances for this couple. 

The Bachelorette finale in 30 seconds. 

These avalanche bars might have to make an appearance on my vacation next week.

Easy up-do to try.

The Queen of Versailles: I want to see this documentary. It's been described to me as a combination of an interesting social commentary on wealth and the recession and The Real Housewives. 

"Fashionable Facepaint" on Mr. Kate.

Project Pinterest: Dying Things...

Ever since the ombre curtains, I keep looking for things to dye. I'd forgotten how fast and easy it is to change the color on something and make it like new again.

So this week, my sister came over and we took some of her white things that were no longer white and turned them purple.

We didn't really have a plan when we started and were just aiming for something different than dingy white. So when the purple on this flag shirt wasn't dying as evenly as my sister wanted, we decided to go with it and we splashed bleach across the shirt after we dyed it. In the end, it think it was my favorite!

PS. If you're looking for more... precise dying tips, check out Lazy Saturday's post on dying clothes. 

The Olympics Are Almost Here!

It's almost that time again. We have patiently waited four years and now they are finally upon us, the Summer Olympics! USA, USA! Do you have big plans for watching the games? We'll be in Idaho next week relaxing and playing our own version (more to come on the Priest Lake Olympics).

Here are a few great links from around the web that are getting me into the Olympic Spirit:

An inside look into the Olympic Athletes Village.

I love the US Women's Soccer Team! This video is so silly and fun, can we be friends?

The ESPN "Body Shoot" makes me want to hit the gym right now.

Have you seen the Spanish Olympic uniforms yet??

US athletes to know before the games begin.

William and Kate's official Olympic schedule, can't wait to see Kate in her "dressed down" look.

Kid's Guide to the Olympics (this could also be called Teresa's Guide to the Olympics!)

(Images from here)

Drink of the Month: Shandy

Have you ever had a shandy?
Daisy, my good friend from London and our resident expert on all things British, introduced me to the shandy a few weeks ago. It's a great summer drink that seems to be quite popular on the other side of the pond. It would be perfect to serve at any Olympic-viewing parties you might be hosting in the near future.

Shandies are simple, just 1/2 beer and 1/2 sparkling lemonade. I know it sounds a little weird, I'm always off put by mixing anything with beer, but trust me, this one is really good.

If you want to shake it up here's a raspberry shandy recipe.

(Image via My Recipes...also, check out their beer and ginger ale shandy)

Gluten-Free Summer Appetizers

Jenny and I are getting ready to head out on vacation next week (!!!) for some lake-time R&R and I've been doing some research on fun appetizers to bring along (GF of course). Here are a few ideas from around the web, what looks good?

Fried Zuccinni Chips with Lime-Mint Dipping Sauce 

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Asparagus w/ Spicy Dipping Sauce

Hot Spinach Dip - w/GF bread!

Smoked Salmon Dip

Avocado, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps










Figs with Soft Cheese (Brie) and Balsamic, YES:

Wedding Wednesday: Giving Great Gifts

We're shaking things up this week and today's post is for all you wedding guests out there.  A couple of tips on getting your friends and family great wedding gifts:

1. Buy something on the registry. I know some of you probably don't want to hear this, but if you really want to bless your friends, get them something that they want and need.

2. Last minute shopping is great! I love to run to the store the day before the wedding and pick up one of the boring yet super important items still left on the registry. I've bought numerous mattress pads for friends. It's not a very exciting present to give, yet it's so necessary. I promise, your friends will be so thankful! And if you want to make it a more exciting gift, spice it up with an added something extra. 

3. Consider having the gift shipped. Especially if the couple is getting married in a different city from where they live, save them from having to transport all of their presents. If you order something from the registry, most stores will offer you the option of having it shipped directly to their home, you don't even have to know the address. 

4. There's nothing wrong with gift cards. When Jason and I  got married, we had both previously lived with roommates and were starting from scratch in putting together our house. Having gift cards to run out and pick up things we didn't receive as wedding gifts was a huge lifesaver. There are definitely some present giving circumstances in which gift cards seem impersonal, this is not one of those times, I promise. I remember who gave me my sets of china and in the same way,  I remember who gave me the gift cards I used to buy my very, very much needed vacuum cleaner. 

5. Remember good etiquette. Although it is polite to be timely about these things, a belated gift is better than not giving one at all. On the flip side, it's polite to be timely with thank you cards, but gift givers, be patient with your newlywed friends and give them a break if it takes awhile.

For Brides, if you haven't already check out Registry 101.

(image via)

Summertime Sseko Sandals

How cool are these shoes?! Sseko sandals can be tied into over a dozen different styles so that you can wear them however suits you on any given day. Jenny discovered them at a wedding last week where all the bridesmaids were sporting them, aren't they cute and fun?

Wait, it get's better. They are made by women in Uganda who are in their "gap year" between high school and college and need to save money to pay for their tuition. Watch the video below to learn more about why there aren't many economic opportunities for women in this stage and how these shoes enable Ugandan women to get higher education.


Sseko Way from Sseko Designs on Vimeo.

They are offering free shipping until Monday on orders over $65 with the code "birthdaylove" so get shopping!

Green Tea

I've been on a green tea kick lately because I keep reading good things about it.

In studies, green tea has been shown to boost your metabolism, helping you to burn more fat, prevent cancer and heart disease, stave off dementia, prevent blood clots, protect the liver from the effects of alcohol and more...

I'm far from an expert on the subject, so here's what smart people in the know say about it:

Shape Magazine discusses a study that suggests green tea can help prevent weight gain.

WebMD has a good chunk of information on green tea's benefits.

The World's Healthiest Foods is great source of information on green tea's benefits complete with studies to back up their claims.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get some green tea!

I've been trying to drink 3-4 cups of green tea a day, as that's the amount traditionally consumed in Asian societies and therefore what most of the studies used as a basis for their research.

I love Choice's Green Moroccan Mint, it's organic and fair trade.

Green Tea Extract capsules are also available if you're not a tea drinker.

Image via intea.com.

My Niece the Boss-Lady

Indulge this new auntie for a moment. I got the most hilarious email from my sister-in-law, Kasi, last week with photos of my niece Kenedee on my brother-in-law's birthday. Kenedee (who is three months old today!) has an adorable, expressive little face and Kasi's captions were so spot on. Sometimes I really do think kids see their parents as "employees!" Enjoy some cuteness this Monday morning!

1. Boss Lady laughing at employee's joke

2. Boss Lady with employee

3. Employee trying so hard to get approval

4. How she really feels about employee







PS. Thanks Kasi for the photos, you guys are awesome!

Monday Motivation

Ever been suck in the middle of something you hate? Maybe it's even just a rut in life.  I've found changing my attitude to look at those things as adventures makes it a lot easier to suffer through and often enough, days, months or even years later you can look back and laugh or reminisce over lessons learned, thankful for the experience or at least thankful that it's over.

Friday Roundup

Friday is finally here! Is it just me to do the work weeks seem longer in the summer? What's everyone up to this weekend?? I'll probably head down to Bite of Seattle or maybe try to catch some of Capitol Hill Block Party and try to stalk Neko Case (I kid!).

Anyway, enjoy the weekend! To get you started....

This song is on repeat in my life.

Amazing cat videos of the week: one and two.

Loving this style of home decor.

Apparently this Swedish lawn game is all the rage, Patrick's pretty into it.

Interesting article on making friends after a certain age.

Great sale happening over at Madewell (plus 30% off thru Monday!) I think I need these shorts.

POTUS and FLOTUS caught on the Kiss Cam-- so cute!

These fish tacos are a perfect summer treat, we made them last week with Mojitos for my mom's bday.

This looks like a dreamy vacation spot. 

Hilarious live-tweet breakup on a UK train...with epic ending!

The Ben and Jerry's truck wants to give you free Greek-FroYo.

(Photo via)

Project Pinterest: Make Your Own Font

Who like me loves fonts?

Last week I was THRILLED to see Love Notes by Lauryn's post about myscriptfont.com. It's a site that takes your handwriting and turns it into a font you can use just like any other on your computer. It was super easy. Print out paper, write all the letters, scan paper, upload, wait a few seconds and the next thing you know you're installing your own font!

Everyone should try this! I actually have a few other projects in mind to do with this later this year so stay tuned...

On Making it Work Long-Distance

Over the five and half years that Patrick and I have been together we've had two extended periods of time where we were in a “long-distance” relationship. The first was when we were dating/engaged before Patrick moved from Seattle to join me in Washington DC. And the second is now. You may have been wondering why I spend so much time in Oregon? It’s because Patrick works in Portland full-time.


For us, living apart is a choice that we made (and continue to make) based on a desire to establish our careers and be close to family in Seattle. I joke with Patrick sometimes that “we never chose the easy way” because we tend to seek out adventure and have a high tolerance for risk in our lives. Sometimes this works out well and we high-five each other for living life by our own rules. And sometimes life gets really hard and we have to push through to achieve an outcome that we are committed to.

Keeping in mind that we are by no means experts (nor do we want to be-- ugh), here are a few things we’ve learned along the way:

Funny faces during FaceTime :)

-  Be intentional about the time we do spend together. Because we only are together on the weekends, it’s easy for all of our time to get filled with social engagements, family dinners, happy hours with friends, etc, etc. It is essential that we block time for just the two of us since we don’t get this on the weekdays. We’ve tried to spend one entire weekend a month just the two of us (Cannon Beach and the Willamette Valley were two of my favorites!).

- We both hate talking on the phone and Patrick is not a fan of Skype but we have learned that consistent Skyping/FaceTiming/phone calls are a must. Sharing the little details of each other’s day can feel mundane but is really what keeps us connected throughout the work week apart. Patrick does love FaceTiming with Rafa (our kitty) though, go figure. ;)

- Recoginze when you’re overwhelmed. Sometimes I start to get annoyed and short with Patrick and unless I take a step back and can acknowledge, “yes, this is hard and it’s getting to me” I tend to let things bottle up. It is HARD living apart and it's good to keep some perspective.

Patrick put this up on the bulletin board.

- Have a sense of humor about it. It's important to not have every conversation be super serious or "planning" for future activities since we don't get to have as many of them as we'd like. One thing I love about P is his ability to keep things light and make me laugh even when things get rough.







I’m fresh out of new ideas at this point though, would LOVE to hear any tips from you all out there about how to keep a relationship strong from far away!

Cornbread & Cracking Eggs

The other day, as I ran to take my cornbread out of the oven once it began to smell amazing, I suddenly realized, that's a trick I learned from Weeds. Really, Weeds, the show about a pot dealing soccer mom taught me that cornbread is done when your kitchen is suddenly filled with the scent of it.

Also, I learned how to crack and egg with one hand from Sabrina:

PS. Unlike the cornbread on Weeds, mine is drug free!

(Vintage Kitchen image via Gold Country Girls)

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!

South Africa is celebrating Nelson Mandela's birthday today through a day of public service. Around the world people will be giving 67 minutes of their time to help others in honor of the 67 years that Mandela has been fighting injustice. Will you participate? I wish I'd learned about it a bit sooner but I'll try my best to give back to my community today in some creative way.

The former South African President and life-long activist is a personal hero of mine and I wish him all the best on his 94th birthday. Love this video of children in Soweto singing Happy Birthday to Madiba!

Wedding Wednesday: Last Minute Tips & Tricks

Well, here we are in the middle of wedding season, so I thought I'd offer up some (sort of random) pieces of wisdom for all of you about to say "I Do".  Things I've learned after years of weddings, things I'm reminding brides of in the weeks leading up to their weddings and situations I've often run into on the big day. 

Be sure to have your bouquets and boutonnieres arrive in time for photos! Also, be sure your bridal party and family arrives on time too! If they tend to run late, try telling everyone to be ready 15-30 minutes before you actually need them.

Boutonnieres go on the left. 

If a boutonniere breaks, do a little flower surgery. Usually an extra pin going up through the base and into the decapitated flower will hold it together and keep it looking nice for the rest of the day.

How to tie a tie. 

How to tie a bow tie. 


Appropriate socks are something groomsmen often forget. Have the groom grab  some extras to have on hand. No one wants a groomsman in white ankle socks and black dress shoes.

EAT! Don't forget to be eating throughout the day. Have your venue (or a kind friend) provide snacks or lunch for you and your bridal party at some point during the day and have plenty of water on hand as well. Everyone will want to talk with you at the reception, but I promise, you'll enjoy it more if you get a chance to sit and eat for a few minutes somewhere during the night. Sometimes the best time to do this is right after the ceremony while the guests are at cocktail hour.

Give your DJ  "MUST PLAY" and "DO NOT PLAY" lists. Trust me, even the best DJ's can pick a song you hate. A lot of DJ's will ask for this anyway, just to get a sense of your style.

Avoid the risk of staining your dress and stick with white wines, champagne and other light colored beverages for the day.

For more, check out our Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board as well as the last roundup of wedding ideas.

Photos JKoe Photography, shot last weekend at Semiahmoo Resort.

Would you go out to dinner with complete strangers?

Have you heard of Grubwithus.com? It's a great way to meet new friends or "network" and an all around pretty genius idea.

Have you ever moved to a new city and had a hard time breaking into the cliques that already exist? Traveled to a new place for fun or work and had to eat alone because you didn't know anyone? Grub With Us offers a way to connect with other people for a meal in many large cities around the US. All you do is sign up for the restaurant and time you want to meet up and voila- new friends abound! What a great way to meet new people and experience the culture of a city. And to make sure there is no awkwardness, you prepay your bill online before even meeting up.

(photo via)

"Excellent Horse-Like Lady"

Yep, you read that right.

"Excellent Horse-Like Lady" is the name of a North Korean pop song, translated into English, of course. We can only hope that in Korean it comes off being a bit more complimentary.

After hearing this story on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's love life I was immediately intrigued  that Kim's possible love interest is best known for her song "Excellent Horse-Like Lady".  I googled "North Korean Pop Music" and came up with a few other AMAZING song titles:

"The Joy of Bumper Harvest Overflows Amidst the Song of Mechanization" Is it just me, or does this sound like a title Sufjan Steven's would come up with?


"The Dear General Uses Distance-Shrinking Magic" Unfortunately for us the video for this one doesn't demonstrate any of this special magic.


"She is a Discharged Soldier" Um...ok. 


"We Shall Hold Bayonets More Firmly" Propaganda filled battle cry or song about gun safety? 


And finally, incase you were wondering what a music video to a a song titled "Excellent Horse-Like Lady" would look like:

Apparently "horse-like" is a way to complement hard workers? I'm going to have to start using that phrase...

(image via wikipedia, song titles found here and here)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Back in college Teresa and I lived in a house with a bunch of girls.  We listened to lots of Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Shins. No matter what shirt I wore, you could usually see my stomach (apparently that was the style). Teresa still ate gluten  and I created Muffin Mondays for my roommates. Basically, I got up extra early on Mondays and made muffins for everyone. Needless to say, it was a pretty big hit. Who doesn't like muffins?
Here's one of my roommates' favorites:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
(adapted from Cook's Encyclopedia of Cookies)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 large ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more!)

Grease muffin pans or use paper liners.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Mash the bananas with electric mixer. Beat egg, sugar and oil into mashed bananas.
Add the dry ingredients, beating on low until just incorporated.
Mix in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Monday Motivation

Friday Roundup

Happy Weekend! Go read a book! I'm half way through 4 different ones right now. I love summer reading. We're off to shoot a wedding. What are you up to? Here are a few fun things to look at.

Yoga is good for you!


The New Yorker poses the question "Does Wes Anderson Hate Dogs?"

International Justice Mission's new campaign. There's recipes! 

The clothes Amy Winehouse never got to wear.

Who is "The Girl From Impanema"?

People Water: Great idea, great non-profit...also, they sell "#teamjef" shirts.

Pinstrosity: A blog of Pinterest projects gone wrong, some very very wrong.

VW Toaster. 

WebMD is doing "30 Days of Salads" on their Facebook and Twitter. This one looks great and this one.

Quote by George R.R. Martin via Petite Curie

Project Pinterest: Ombre Curtains

This week for my project inspired by Pinterest, I made ombre curtains for my bedroom.
We've all been pinning anything and everything ombre since, well, since pinterest began and this is my first attempt at actually making something ombre.

This started off as a DIY project based off of a tutorial from Rit Dye and this, which made it look so easy!

The moral of the story, it wasn't super easy and involved a lot of trial and error. I've decided that this is much more of an ART project rather than a CRAFT, if you get what I mean, I felt like I was painting or something.

Case in point: I started off mixing two different Rit Dyes as suggested on their color palate. I ended up adding more of one color and then another color entirely to my dye mix as the project progressed.

So while this isn't really a tutorial, keep reading, I do have some tips and tricks I learned along the way.

I started off slightly modifying Rit's instructions to work for curtains. First, I put my curtains on an old rod and rigged myself a little pulley system in order to try and dye them evenly. This worked and I'd recommend it. At the end of the dying process, I took the curtains off of the rod and quickly dunked the lightest part into the dye and immediately rinsed it out.


Please note the cat in the window staring intently at the craziness happening in the yard...

Rit's instructions end with throwing the project in the washing machine. Bad idea. Basically, when I took it out the dye had bleed and the whole thing was a fairly solid salmon pink (which was not at all the color I was aiming for) and you could hardly tell it was ombre. Oops.
So in comes my brilliant idea of using bleach....and it worked! I dunked the light end into a mixture of bleach and water and let the dark end sit in the dye for longer and basically spent the next few hours going back and forth between, "Oops, I bleached out too much color" and "Crap, now it's too dark".

Once I got it how I liked it, I rung it out and hung it on a ladder and sprayed it with a hose for a really long time, in leu of throwing it in the washing machine. I wanted to get out any excess dye and bleach without letting the colors run again.

And voilà...curtain success!

Other tips and tricks...
If you do end up with bleach on one end and dye on the other, throw the whole thing over top of a ladder letting the bleach rinse out and down one side and the dye down the other. 


I'd recommend doing this outside on a warm day, I was pretty soaked by the time I finished hosing everything down. There was a point when I looked down and realized I was standing in what looked to be a pool of blood. Thankfully, it was just a puddle of red dye run off, but none the less, I'm very glad I didn't attempt this inside.

Also, I knew I'd get dye/bleach on my clothes, so I just wore an old swimsuit and got dye all over myself and pretended like I was some sort of hippie artist, which I kind of was for the afternoon.

The "Globals" Generation

Have you heard of the “First Global Generation?” I hadn't until I listened to an NPR broadcast the other day that caught my ear. Apparently it’s a new name for a generation of 20 and 30-somethings who spend many of their young adult years living outside of the US and have cultivated a sort of “global citizenship” that informs a broader world view. Many believe that it’s not just their role to attain the “American Dream” for themselves but also to make sure that all people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. First Global's don’t want spend their money on things but prefer experiences. Owning a car or home does not provide a sense of security but ties them down to one place when they would prefer to be free to move about.

One of the interesting parts of the article was how much studying abroad has influenced our generation's way of thinking. More than 270,000 students studied abroad in the 2009-2010 school year. When I was at UW I studied abroad in both Havana, Cuba and Cape Town, South Africa and I can honestly say both experiences had a huge impact on how I have lived my life since. They gave me a desire to know people around the world, learn more about world history, think more openly about different ways of living, and help people who have not been given what I have.(The photo above is of Jenny and I in 2005 meeting Desmond Tutu in Cape Town and below is at an HIV/AIDS March to Parliament we participated in there.) 

I think it’s pretty exciting that my generation is interested in expanding their world view through travel and giving back through charity and non-profit work. Did you study abroad? Do you consider yourself a part of the "Global" generation? Are there dangers to such a lack of permanence in the lives of this generation? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 

"Hush" Pod

Check out this hilarious "Hush" Pod I ran into over at Apartment Therapy. It allows one to disconnect from the world in a "womb-like" wool felt pod. Would you ever buy one? Is it just me or is it a tad small? I bet kids would love this-- perfect nap time spot!

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Trivia

My sister hosted a bridal shower at my house last weekend and ended up making a true/false game of historical wedding trivia for the guest to play.

Can you guess which ones are true?

Something borrowed - transfers happiness to the bride when borrowed from a happily married woman.

                       

Romans broke a thin loaf over the bride's head at the end of the ceremony as a symbol of abundance. The wedding guests ate the crumbs, as they were believed to be good luck.

The rings are placed on the 4th finger of the left hand, as the early Egyptians believed this finger contained the vein that led to the heart.

In early Northern Europe, newly married couples drank a fermented honey drink, known as metheglen for thirty days or until the moon waned. This time became known as the honeymoon.

In ancient times when the bride was captured, the groom hid his bride to prevent her angry relatives from finding her. From this came the concept of the honeymoon trip.

Anglo-Saxon brides wore their hair hanging loose while Jewish brides shaved their heads.

Roses are considered the "love blossoms" and became very popular during the Victorian era.

The throwing of rice originated in the Orient as a symbol of good luck, fertility and prosperity and evolved into the colored, paper confetti we know today.

Sometimes old shoes were thrown at the newly weds as they left the church and in Tudor times, people would throw old shoes over the Royal bridal carriage for good luck.

In Europe the shoe became a symbol of domestic authority and in Anglo-Saxon marriages the bride's father transferred his authority to his new son-in-law by handing him his daughter's shoe. The groom would then hold up the shoe and tap it  on the bride's head three times.

In very early times the engagement ring was given as partial payment for the bride and was a symbol of the groom's good intentions.

The first engagement rings were made of grass and later from leather, stone and crude metals.

And for the answers... 

They are all true! Crazy right, I'm really glad no one smashed bread over my head at my wedding. 

Photos by JKoe Photography 

Wednesday Smile

My friend Alicia just got a new kitten named Victoria! Isn't she an angel?

Click below for more kitty cuteness/hilarity from around the web to get you through "hump day."

Salt Water Sandals

   Me, my mom and little sis all rocking Salt Water's....Me wearing my mom's pair 25 years later.

In my mind, Salt Water Sandals are the epitome of  childhood summers. They bring back memories of popsicles and wading pools, among other things*.

Last month, I was about to buy an adult sized pair for myself but on a whim asked my mom if she still had hers and she did!  I put them on and have been wearing them practically every day since. My favorite part is looking down and for a split second thinking I'm a kid looking at my mom's feet.

Apart from being classic and nostalgic, they are super durable (please note that the pair I'm sporting has lasted since the mid 80's!) you can wear them in the water and they are really comfy. I can, and have, walked miles in them.

Also, you can get them in tons of colors! I'm eying the yellow ones...

Did you have a pair?

* My family can't talk about Salt Water Sandals w/o bringing up that time that my sister tripped in the parking lot after swimming at the Y. She fell on her face and had to be rushed to the emergency room for stitches. Sadly, the sandals were blamed and we stopped wearing them. In defense of the sandals, as a child Stephanie  fell on her face two other times requiring stitches sans the Salt Waters. I don't think it was her footwear. She was just slow to learn the important lifeskill of putting out your hands to catch yourself if you fall, sparing your face. I'm happy to report that she has since learned to catch herself while falling and she has had 2 broken arms to show for it.