All Things EARTH... part 2

Safe travels, Melody and Sally!

Laurie, cute photos, it looks like you are all having fun :)

Melody, it looks like you're off to a great start! Beautiful day, indeed. And that key lime pie looks scrumptious.

Sally, that's some serious wardrobe planning. It looks like you've covered all the bases for whatever weather and activities you'll have. I think I'll cut and paste that to save for the day when we can take a nice long trip like yours. I look forward to hearing all about Spain! I imagine it is a wonderful country to visit. Aren't we all lucky that we have the opportunity to travel? Even though it may not be as often as we would like, we've all had such rich experiences.

Laurie, I've been thinking about your uniform idea, and I have to agree that I compartmentalize that way, too. I'm very function-oriented about my clothes (and other things as well). I have work clothes, around the house clothes, going out in the city clothes, gym clothes, casual weekend clothes... and there's not a lot of overlap. I'm not one of those "this is my trademark look and I wear it all the time" kind of people.

My young students would laugh if they saw my tech. I'm not a do-everything-by-smartphone person: I don't like the compromises that requires because I would rather have the best tool for the job. I type email on my laptop, read on my nook, listen to music at the gym on my teeny clip mp3, take photos with a proper camera.

So, while it's nice to imagine a pared-down life -- which I can manage well enough for travelling when I have to -- in reality I prefer to have just the right thing, whether it's the perfect pants for work or a really good whisk for the kitchen. It doesn't have to do with expense, it's really about finding the perfect fit.

Did I say I lost my nook at the airport last month? I've been lost without it. DH just bought me one for an early birthday present. Yay!

I will return post cruise and tell you if my packing worked out . We did a one way rental car to fort Lauderdale so now we are chilling at the hotel .

We're ready to board . My Earthy guy. Melody

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You both look great!!!! Have fun.

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Well, I decided to keep both of those dresses. The brown dress is a nice, comfortable option. To see if it will work for a cruise, I'm going to iron it, then roll it and see what happens. Or I could try the half gold when it is in a dry cleaning bag.

The orange dress is being hemmed. I have a few other things being adjusted too.

I'm kind of ahead of myself for my September cruise!! Melody and Sally have me thinking vacation, along with Pam's overview of Navigator.

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I am into day 6 of my trip . During the daytime everyone is casual including lots of gym wear.At night everyone is still casual no gym wear .On formal night a lot of pants with fancy tops and some short dresses.I have not seen any gowns .In fact it is much more casual than I thought it would be .So far my wardrobe is working nicely .The weather has been chilly so not a lot of sunbathing but lots of activities going on .The crew are great but some of the areas are too small with all the people basically inside .

I'm in such anticipation to hear about Melody and Sally's cruises! Melody managed to catch an angle of Galveston that makes the water look very nice. Normally, it is pretty brown...and you can see the hint of that in that photo...

I just got back from chaperoning a chorus trip for DS to Chicago! OMG. It was COLD. And windy. And raining!!

We knew prior to the trip that the weather was not going to be wonderful. I'm ever so thankful that DH thought DS and I really needed rainwear. We've had so many discussions over raingear over the years...I knew a few candidates for a raincoat. I thought I would share my findings with everyone.

So. I went out to Cabelas because they were supposed to have a fun color of the Columbia brand Pardon My Trench. I liked the idea of that coat for city wear...and not too active wear (hiking, etc.). As the reviews that I found said, it is cut small...when I tried on my typical size...it was tight across the shoulders and arms and it was also tight around the hips. I couldn't get a bigger size in the store. It was all well and good because I found a different coat that I LOVE...and it performed AWESOME in windy (we all guessed 30 MPH+ winds by the water) rain condition I had to walk over half a mile in to get from the Field Museum to the Planetarium.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/clothing/womens-clothing/womens-outerwear/womens-rainwear%7C/pc/104797080/c/104789880/sc/104480280/i/103914180/womens-storms-edge-stretch-rain-jacket/1931774.uts

The first thing I can say about this coat is that the material is NOT crinkly. It is quiet and soft and not annoying in the way that typical raingear can be with a very loud sounding material. It's a thing for me...I really dislike that sound. And it is absolutely WATERPROOF. I can tell you this from experience. It did get wet. It was soaking wet in places on the outside. More than the water just beaded up on the outside...I did experience that as well...but the soaking walk in the wind and rain...I was still dry underneath this jacket.

The pouch for the jacket is really handy. DH's jacket doesn't have one. I felt like my coat was easier to deal with because I did have the bag.

The purple is the color that seemed most Earth to me. The Hot Coral was very FIRE. The teal color was okay...it might be Earth, but really, DH and I both felt like it was kind of dreary which makes me suspect it was an AIR color more than EARTH. I bought the purple and I really liked it. It was a fun, happy color to have on a cloudy, colorless day.

Anyway...I wanted to share because this is a very good rain coat and I highly recommend it. We ended up buying a blue one for DS because he didn't have one either. The blue was a fun electric color...definitely a Fire or Ice blue. DS had the same experience as I...the coat was wet but we were completely dry underneath. We talk about rain gear...this was a winner. Field tested in Chicago.

Saturday was the second formal night and it was much dressier.Lot's of tuxes and some long gowns. Plus lots of dresses . We have been listening to the piano player a lot and He really gets the crowd going .We have finally made it to Portugal .Yeah ! I am so glad to be on land .We have Met lots of very nice people and we are having a great time .

Sally, it sounds like you're having a lovely time. I hope you enjoy Portugal, from what friends have told me it sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

We finished our move yesterday, and today I started my new commute. It took me two hours to get home, so I am going to shift my hours so I start earlier and leave earlier. I also learned how to download library audiobooks to my phone because most of the drive is soooo boring.

It was very pleasant, though, to eat dinner while watching the goldfinches visit our bird feeder. :)

It is not so pleasant that we have bats nesting in our chimney. :eek: They are a protected species here in NJ so we will have to wait until after nesting season to have them removed.

My five-week work wardrobe consists of a pair each of navy, black, and khaki pants, each with a matching sweater, and an assortment of tops that match at least two of the pants. As I packed I put the matching jewelry in my travel case. What I am missing is a pair of comfy driving shoes. My work shoes were killing my feet by the end of the day, something about the angle of my foot on the pedal.

My three-month casual wardrobe is a collection of my favorite Lucky Brand shirts, both long and short sleeved, a pair of jeans, two capris, two skorts, two shorts, and the odds and ends I keep here at the lake. Here I can do laundry any time I want to! I'm going to be Laurie for the summer!

Anita, your raincoat experience is why proper outerwear is so important to big city life. We walk a lot in all kinds of weather. It is very different from places where people throw on something to ride in the car and can park near their destination. We also know our hats and how to wear them so we don't have hat hair at work. :)

DH listened to audio books a lot when he was doing the 120 miles round trip commute across Houston. It really is better than listening to music. We got so in to it that we were listening to books when we did our Houston to Disney drives. It's a really good idea!

I sent you an email this afternoon...I'm really getting into the planning of our trip north. DH is taking time off work...I am SO EXCITED!!!

I just bought ballet tickets!! I admit that I would have preferred to see the opera at the Metropolitan Opera BUT...seeing the ballet there is still going to be wonderful I am sure. The important thing is getting to see something at the Met! Do you call it the Met? Or is the art museum the Met? Or are both the Met and it's just a matter of context? How fancy will the matinee be?

I agonized over the seats. Absolutely AGONIZED over the pros and cons of the different areas of the house. Finally though...I pulled the trigger and made a decision. Everyone is trusting my choice. I'm really excited about it all, so I think that means I did okay in my selection!

Having the rain coat is a must for me now for travel. You just can't stop your day when you travel because of the inclement weather. I agree with your idea of having an indoor plan and an outdoor plan...but either way...when you are relying on your own two feet for your urban transportation needs...you NEED a rain coat. I would second excellent shoes too. I was finally able to use the boots that I had purchased when we thought we were going to NYC in November last year. Waterproof Columbias that have some sort of heat technology to reflect your warmth back to you? Those were excellent. The one day that didn't rain, I didn't wear them and I could tell such a difference in how warm I felt...simply because my feet weren't as warm as before. The cold got to me more.

Oh...and I had a scarf too and that made a HUGE difference as well. My MIL has given me one gift that I can honestly say was such a great gift, something I use on a regular basis (in season). At one of her conferences, there was a booth selling scarves. The label says "Made in Scotland" and they are cashmere scarves. There were one of those $10-20 items depending on how many you bought? She bought herself and all the daughters (my 3 SILs and myself) one. I love mine. I had spent a bunch of time going over all the color theory with her and she bought me the most perfect Earth scarf...and I wore it and I was warm and so happy in Chicago.

Who knew it would be so cold in late April?

So excited for Philly and NYC in late May!!

Glad you made landfall, Sally. I hope we hear more about your travels when you return.

Margaret, how DO you wear hats so you don't have hat hair? Regardless how many actual pieces you brought with you, it sounds like you've got a perfect 333ish wardrobe for your summer months.

Anita, I'd like to know what waterproof Columbia footwear you are talking about, please. My feet ache. A. Lot. If you can walk in something all day, maybe I could manage to walk a block or two.

Margaret ,I have to say I love my lucky top and will be buying more when I get home .Sorry about your commute but luckily it is not forever .Anita ,I love the rain jacket .I lucked into a perfect one at Macy,s before this trip .Today we toured Lisbon,Sinatra and Cassis .Absolutely gorgeous cities .We went with I hate tourism tours .They were great .We saw so much plus they served a Portuguese lunch with green wine at the end of the tour they gave us Portugese pastries and a shot of a Portugese cordial .If you ever get to Lisbon use them .

Anita, I like that raincoat. I have two - one that is work appropriate, and one that is more casual. I know, here I go again with the separate things, being uniformish. I made that word up. :D

The work like one is really good for anything, but I feel like it goes well with work clothes. A trench coat, as much as I like the look, is just an awful choice for me. The one I have is a dark olive green with a hood, so it is very practical.

The more casual one you might remember from some pictures where I wore it on the Pacific Coastal cruise. It's an orange-coral color.

The olive one is much more water repellent than the other, but it does make that noise you were talking about, Anita. I'll try to get a picture of these.

I want, for casual wear, those pull on boots? I have no idea who makes them, but I need a good earth color, like olive or brown. I would love something like that will all the wet sloppy weather we have. It has been all over the place lately - warm, cold, wet, dry. Spring like for Central New York.

Margaret, I refuse to keep music on my phone. It has to be on my Ipod. I prefer non-Apple items, but they have the market on music storage. Then there is my phone. I have a Nook for reading. I have a lap top. The family, as a whole, has a desk top. I don't have a tablet yet, but I think about it because I like things separate.

Sally, it sounds like you are having a great time. I love when I have a favorite item. As of late, I try to pay close attention to what I wear that I love, and try to keep it in mind when I shop. I am focused on buying things that I love, not just like. I want to make good choices and keep in mind my personality. In other words, I want to get a lot out of those things.

I am looking for cute shirts. I am good with knit basics. I have some tops that do double duty, like I wore on my last cruise. I guess I want some things that just feel nicer, yet are still casual. That shirt from Dress Barn that a lot of us have is a good example.

Margaret, I'm glad your daily commute isn't long term, or during the winter. That would be awful! Audio books sounds like a good idea. I've never tried them due to my hearing. I do listen to music, but because I remember the songs from when my hearing was better. It takes me a bit to get the volume right, and I have to pay close attention. It's hard to describe, but it works.

These are the coats. The orange coral isn't quite as bright as it appears here, but it's close.

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Glad you made landfall, Sally. I hope we hear more about your travels when you return.

 

Margaret, how DO you wear hats so you don't have hat hair? Regardless how many actual pieces you brought with you, it sounds like you've got a perfect 333ish wardrobe for your summer months.

 

Anita, I'd like to know what waterproof Columbia footwear you are talking about, please. My feet ache. A. Lot. If you can walk in something all day, maybe I could manage to walk a block or two.

I second the request to know how to wear a hat so that you don't have hat hair!

Debbie...these are the shoes I have:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q7Q67PS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I have the red. At the time that I purchased them back in Oct 2015, the red ones on Amazon were the less expensive than the black or white ones on Zappos. And Zappos didn't have the red ones.

I went with red, first, because I love red, second...I didn't care so much about having such things as these boots "match" or "go" with whatever I'm wearing. Once upon a time ago, I got two new pairs of shoes on the same day. I loved the red ones I got but in the store, I was very concerned that red wouldn't go with as many outfits as the more sensible brown ones. Over the years though, I wore those red ones out while the brown ones stayed in the closet because the red worked with just about everything...maybe just because I DECIDED it did. Regardless, lesson learned...I love those red boots.

One reason I went with the Columbia is because I have had a couple different pairs of light hiking shoes from them that have really worked for me. So when I went looking for warm, waterproof, I decided to shop that brand first to see what I could find.

These boots have a hiking boot like sole and insole. They are seriously warm. And I found them to be waterproof for all the wet that I have experienced with them. I generally need a generous toe box and I don't have a very high volume foot...not thin though. I do have larger than average calves...and the height doesn't bother me at all. Also, I have been able to wear pants OVER these boots...they are form fitting and not so thick, despite the quilted look.

I wouldn't recommend these for warmer weather. I think they'd be awfully sweat-a-licious in warm weather.

Thanks, Anita. That's exactly the info I wanted. It makes a decision so much easier when you have the advantage of someone's personal experience. I so much admire the ability to use exactly the right words to convey thoughts painting a picture for my brain. I appreciate everyone's generosity of spirit on our threads.

I ordered a pair of girls Columbia Youth Minx Mid II Waterproof Omni-Heat-K Snow Boots. In my excitement to brag, I think I linked to my account. Not totally sure, since I'm tech-illerate, but, in an abundance of caution, I edited to delete the links. Dark Mountain/Melonade is a dull navy (EARTH?) with light coral (FIRE) trim. I'm so glad I remembered I can wear girls sizes when they are wide enough. Laces help so much with extra width. Bargain. And. Score!!! I think they will go very well with my newest navy Columbia coat bought on clearance earlier this spring. Just six more months before I'll use them, but I'm prepared for winter!

Anita, those definitely look like warm winter boots to me. It sounds like they did very well for you.

Debbie, I'll have to check those out.

I do have winter boots in brown. We have a lot of winter weather here so like with clothes, I have different boots for different purposes.

I have a wide foot so it can be hard to find things that fit well.

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Oh, and I can't wear hats either. Not only do I get "hat hair" they cause my hearing aid to make a whole lot of noise, lol.

Our weather here has been rather cold and dreary. Lot of rain too. Tomorrow's high is 58, then 65 on Sunday, then down in the 40s for a few days. Yuck! But I'm sure it will be hot before we know it.

We are on the final lap of our trip .We love Spain and Portugal .Today we went to Soller and had lunch at a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water .We each had baguette sandwiches filled with ham and cheese .I had white wine and Gary had a small beer which was large .Our bill was $12.50 .Earlier in the day we stopped for espresso,s.Our bill was $4.00. These towns are beyond gorgeous .As for my wardrobe I really overpacked .I could have easily cut it by a third .I did send laundry out .RCL,s wash and fold is great .The items come pack almost wrinkle free. Tomorrow we start our five days in Barcelona .All in all we e joyed Freedom of the Seas .The only problem was the inside spaces were not designed for bad weather and the ship really felt crowded since we had windy and cool weather the whole crossing .The did tons of extra activities to keep everybody busy .I was just happy I had my kindle fully loaded .

Just landed back in Galveston. I wore every piece of clothing I'd brought except one pair of khaki capris! Photos when we're home. Great trip!!! Melody

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Welcome home! Itinererary can make a big difference in how much you use of what you pack. I don't think I mentioned it but I did a lot of reusing on the Pacific coastal cruise. It was very cool or cold throughout the trip.

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Has anyone been to Abi Beach in St. Thomas?

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Anita , I went to Desigual today .They were having a 30 off sale so I bought my daughter something and I bought myself a top .Great store