Styling My New Work Boots & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #786
I know that I have mentioned previously how much I enjoy splitting wood for my fireplace. Ever since getting our fireplace redone and up to code, the wood chores have become my favorite out of all of my household obligations. From stacking to splitting to fireplace prep and clean up, I truly enjoy every bit of it. I think it makes me feel a little closer to nature. It also makes me feel a little closer to my retirement goals of living in an isolated, rural place where I can chop my wood at any time of day instead of being bound by city noise ordinances that prohibit the sound of my wood splitter and hammer before 7:00 a.m. Granted it doesn’t get light here until after 7:00 a.m. so I can’t really chop wood before that during the winter months. But in the spring and summer, I am ready to get moving on my outside chores by 5:30 a.m.
I know that I have also mentioned the burden of my glass feet. Considering the frequency at which I break my toes and metatarsal bones, I’m beginning to think that I might have the most fragile foot bones in the history of humans. Because of the fragility of my feet, chopping and hauling wood is a bit dangerous for my shatterable shoe stuffers. So after one wood chopping season of repeatedly smashing my brittle foot bones, I decided I needed some work boots with safety toe caps to protect my feeble feet.
When I began my pursuit of new work boots, I had no idea about all the different options in safety toe construction. There are aluminum, composite, carbon, and steel safety toes options with each one having its own benefits and drawbacks. Steel and aluminum toe boots tend to be heavier due to their metal composition with composite and carbon carrying significantly less weight. So I immediately ruled out steel and aluminum. When comparing carbon and composite toes, carbon tends to be a bit more expensive and not as readily available in a variety of styles so I settled on these Justin composite toe work boots.
The major drawback of composite toes is their bulkiness. The toe of the boot is thicker and more bulbous than aluminum, carbon, or steel toes. Obviously there needs to be some extra length in the boot to accommodate the safety toe, but that extra length is definitely noticeable as I frequently trip over my own toes when wearing them. It happens most often when I am ascending stairs. That bit of extra toe length tends to catch on the lip of the step because I am not used to my feet being bigger than they actually are.
Despite my frequent tripping, I actually love these work boots. They have saved my toes numerous times already during my wood chopping and hauling workouts. Not only are they effectively fulfilling their mission of toe protection, they also have abrasion, slip, and chip resistant outsoles which provide durability and stability on various surfaces including the perpetually frozen and snow covered ground we experience during North Country winters. And the cherry on top is they are actually really cute for a pair of work boots. I just love the stitching details with the little yellow hearts and the purple piping that trims the top of the boots, adding a bit of femininity to their ruggedness.
Since I have mostly been wearing these boots at home for outdoor choring, I decided they are cute enough to style with an actual outfit that I wore for a recent day date with my husband. I paired my new work boots with my new rust colored leggings, a black tee shirt, and my colorful space dyed long cardigan. I accessorized with a new black wide brimmed hat, an old pashmina scarf, and my go-to combination of layered necklaces and flea market earrings to create a winter boho outfit that suits my style aesthetic perfectly.
I have to report that after just about one or two wears, these boots were adequately broken in and become more and more comfortable with each wear. I literally panic every time I get a new pair of cowgirl boots. They are always very stiff when they first arrive, making it a struggle to get them on my feet. It seems I forget every time that cowgirl boots just need a few wears until they comfortably fit my ground grippers. But once they are broken in, they are the absolute best and most comfortable footwear I own.
My husband also ordered a new pair of composite toe boots for work but his are all wrapped up for Christmas. I had intended on saving my new boots for a Christmas gift as well but there was wood that needed chopping long before the arrival of the holiday and I wasn’t willing to risk the safety of my poor frail feet. Jeff has safety boots already and just needed a new pair for work so he was able to wait a few weeks before getting his new boots. He did, however, get some new dressy casual clothes including these chino pants and moose sweater. He wore this outfit for our day date. We went out for some brunch and then headed to the local library to do some research on the history of our home. That is a fun story that I will have to save for another day!
With lots more winter ahead of us (it actually isn’t even officially winter yet) and much more snow to come, I will be wearing my new work boots frequently! Do you have winter chores that require specific gear?
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
16 Comments
Amy Johnson
Those are the cutest work boots I ever did see! Thanks for the party!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! They make me really happy!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melynda
When we moved for WY to TX all the heavy duty winter gear was given away. But now that I have been here for a couple of winters, I do need to invest in a medium weight fleece jacket, because we do have some really cold days in December. And I just don’t tolerate the cold as I used to do…
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for stopping by, Melynda! I look forward to the day I can give all of my winter gear away, but I think I may end up retiring in a wintery place after all. I don’t tolerate the cold as well as I once did either. Fall and winter were my favorite seasons until I turned 50. Now I much prefer the spring and summer months. I hope you have a lovely weekend and a very happy holiday season.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Glad to hear you are adjusting to them okay and that they are in fact saving your toes!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Ha ha, yeah, I can picture you in your retirement years, in a bit hut in the middle of nowhere . Chopping wood. Not my cup of tea! All that snow over there is hilarious. We have winters with perhaps 3 days of a bit of snow. Can’t even imagine anymore how white roads look like. Luckily! Thank you so much for the feature!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Nancy, I misread your first sentence as “I can picture you in your retirement years, as a big nut in the middle of nowhere.” And I cracked up, like the big nut that I am! LOL All this hilarious snow is really messing with my shoe game! Most of my favorite cowgirl boots are not meant for snow at all and it makes me sad that I can’t wear them. I spend most of the winter in my snow boots. But now I have these cute work boots that are waterproof and work in the snow, too! Yay! Enjoy your weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
Cute + practical = perfection! Of course I am also reeling from the idea of being ready to get out and do chores at 5:30 a.m. but prevented by darkness and noise ordinances. Aren’t the days crazy short right now??
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sally! I definitely get excited when I find things that are cute and practical! The days are so stinking short right now. The kids go to school in the dark and if they have any after school activities they come home in the dark. We take lots of vitamin D up here! I imagine you probably need extra vitamin D where you live as well. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend, and stay warm!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Those boots are so cute, I would never have known they were work boots unless you had mentioned it. Chopping wood is hard work, you (except for your glass toes!) must be in grea physical condition. The only special gear I have for outdoor chores is to bundle up extra warm and wear lots of layers. I get chilled very easily and am in awe of the kids and teens that run around outdoors in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops until it’s 40°! Enjoy your weekend and thanks for hosting the link up.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Di, thanks so much! The wood chores are labor intensive but I love it. It gives me perspective to appreciate my health and the fact that I am able to do these types of chores. One day I won’t be able to so I embrace it now! The kids up here in the frozen north country are still in shorts when it’s single digit temperatures. It drives me crazy! The only time my kids wear coats is when they are outside playing in the snow. Otherwise, they wear sweatpants, hoodies, and crocs all winter long. One of the big reasons that kids don’t wear coats to school is they are not allowed to wear them during classes and they can’t fit them into their teeny tiny lockers so they have to carry the coat with them all day long. So I totally understand opting for a few minutes of being cold to avoid the inconvenience of hauling a giant winter coat with you all day long. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend. Stay warm!
xoxo
Shelbee
nicole orriens
I love your work boots! They’re quite fashionable. I didn’t know workboots could be so nice.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nicole! I was really excited to find cute work boots. I didn’t even notice the little yellow hearts when I ordered them. I was so pleasantly surprised when I did notice them. They really make me smile!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
I would never have known those were work boots if you hadn’t said so! They really are good looking even cute boots. I remember my mom having to buy steel toed shoes or boots for work, and they were the ugliest things on this planet! Jeff definitely looks dapper in his moose sweater! We are getting dumped on by the snow, but it’s supposed to be in the 50s next week. Welcome to Indiana!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
They have come a long way with work boots, for sure! I was really excited when I saw all the cute options with protective toes. We are always getting dumped on by the snow! We have some high 40s coming our way next week though with some rain so maybe, just maybe, it will wash some of the snow away…just in time for the next round! Have a wonderful wintery weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee