aoknkentucky

I was waiting for Kim to post her pictures since she was much better about taking pictures, and since I'm behind the camera, my pictures don't include me unless DH suggests a selfie and that doesn't usually show much of my outfit. Now I have have computer issues. New internet cable is due to be installed today. Horribly slow speeds makes downloading pictures a horrendous mess and evidently I must relearn how to post pictures. I'm having a senior moment or three, but promise that I'll post something to look at as soon as possible.

Anita, hope you are feeling better soon.

The scarf I wore with the red maxi was one that I kept from our massive scarf experiment at the Meet n Greet summer before last. It includes poppy, lime and my greige color.

I was afraid the blue dress wasn't my best colors, but when I tried it on, DH said, "Wow! That looks GOOD on you." I knew it was a keeper. I love it when he's an appreciative audience.

Kim looked as good in person as she did in the pictures. She rocked it!

I know how much we learn from taking pictures of outfits about which we are uncertain. This trip taught me that I need to take pictures of everything I put on. A couple of dresses looked better in the mirror at home than they did in the photo taken on the ship. Lesson learned.

Pam, if you have time before you leave, you have mail about our excursions.

I took 3 prs of shorts, 3 sleeveless, wore one short-sleeve and took a short-sleeve lace top to wear over a cami. I took 3 swimsuits and cover ups and 4 strapless maxi-dresses for daywear. I chickened out of the strapless dresses so it left a gap that I filled with casual tops and shorts. Also, I thought the 5 excursion days would all be coverup/swimsuit days. 2 were not, so I was a little short on casual outfits. My fault totally.

It was 75-80 each and every day. Lovely weather for sleeveless off the ship. On the ship, I carried a scarf or sweater everywhere. Inside I needed it. Any outside areas it came off again.

Does anyone notice that after 11 years on this board, I've finally worked up the nerve to use a photo as an avatar? I'm becoming brave in my elder years!

Have a great time, Pam. I should have taken at least one more daytime top. I had planned to wear strapless maxi-dresses with a scarf for modesty for our sea days and chickened out after breakfast the first day. I snuck back to the room and changed to a daytime top and shorts like everyone else on the ship and felt more myself. Lesson learned. Analyzing is good, but sometimes it just pays to do what comes natural, ya know?

Hey, Caroline! I tried to send you an email this morning but both of the handwritten emails you gave me wouldn't work, so I sent it to the email address on your card. Let me know if you didn't get it and I'll try something different. Thanks!

Sorry that I missed saying Bon Voyage, Laurie, but I sure hope your shingles are easily dried and gone soon. Those big green horse pills that they give you aren't easy to swallow, but they work miracles for the itching spots.

Anita, it's been a year since you did the KonMari thing? I swear that time is steam-rolling for me. I know what you meant, but I can't resist mentioning rearranging your chest of drawers. I didn't think you meant pairs of drawers, but it did give me a quick giggle.

Margaret, I get copies of NorthStyle, but haven't ordered from them. If you do, please let us know about the quality of material.

Well, not bad for being gone since February 4, but it took me until 3:15 pm to catch up my desk and email at work. I’ll post a brief overview now and then try to post a better pictodiary in a few days. I have very few pictures of outfits. Heck, I have very few pictures of people. But the main take-away for me was that I had a ball. Our tablemates and excursion mates (Kim and DH) were excellent company. I overcame my fear of snorkeling. Non-swimmer that I am, I swam in 63 degree water in Titou Gorge where part of Pirates of the Caribbean II was filmed. We saw five new islands through the eyes of proud citizens. Kim did a grand job of researching and securing the very best of the best excursion guides.

Pam, there was no need to whip the crew into shape. Lands sakes, they were cleaning that ship constantly. As everyone else has mentioned, Serenade is an older ship and could use a refurb, but I like the smaller ships. I would have liked the cinema to have seated more people. I think there were seats for 30 maybe. We arrived 15 minutes early and watched The Intern sitting on the steps. If I had known that they’d be showing it a couple nights later on the poolside big screen, I would have saved my poor bottom that agony. Oh well.

I have two very full suitcases of dirty clothes waiting at home and two grandchildren waiting to see me. Just let me kiss and hug on my grands and wash up my duds and I’d gladly take this cruise again. Heck, I could just take them dirty, splurge and send them out to the laundry. Let me run by the ATM on my way back to the airport. Pam, is your cruise sold out? LOL Maybe someday I’ll have that opportunity, but for now, it’s back to the real world.

DH says he’s laid out steaks for tonight’s supper. He cooks a mean steak and that sounds good for tonight, but he’s never concerned with veggies. Gotta go home and see what I can rustle up to go with that meat. Talk to ya’ll soon.

I'm already on vacation! DH and I are watching TV in our Nashville hotel room, packed and ready for our early flight to FLL tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to the cruise, but most excited to see my FIRE buddy, Kim again. Hey, why don't we plan a short Meet-N-Greet EARTH-FIRE cruise? I don't care what the ports are. If it's anything like our last MnG, we won't stop talking long enough to get off the ship to go anywhere!

Margaret, thanks, for sharing Vogue. Such interesting things!

I LOVE the Magenta nail polish. Love. Love. Love!!! It was my most favorite color in the 64 Crayola box.

Anita, I love your hat. The overexposure picture really lets me see the detail stitching. Love the scarf-hat combo. I would never have picked the hat pattern, but it looks adorable in real life. Perhaps, it's how natural it looks on the model? Great work!

Thanks for the video. If you happen across something similar for shoulders, please pass it along.

AHH, Thanks for thinking of me, Anita. We do not have a Target. We are a Walmart kind of town. BUT, we will be traveling soon and have a Target on our route that happens to be near needing-to-pitstop time. I'll see if I can manage to pop in since I haven't found a scarf to polish off my taupe/greige/mushroom capsule.

Sorry for your loss, Margaret. There is a special bond with certain animals that I will never forget. You must have many, many wonderful memories to enjoy for years to come.

Since everyone is sharing, I grew up with horses, dogs, cats and chickens; pigs and cattle when I was very young, but I guess the chickens, pigs and cattle don't count as pets. My children had goldfish, hermit crabs, dogs and cats. I'd be a horse person if I could and I like dogs, but will always be a cat person. I just don't keep house well enough to have indoor pets and we are away from home so much camping on weekends, that it isn't fair to have animals now. Maybe some day.

Anita, I LOVE your fleece gloves. They look so stylish. Like Laurie, I sewed for my daughter when she was little and made curtains, tablecloths, pillows and such. The only curtains in my house that weren't made by me are my living room curtains and I hate them. I'd like to carve out some sewing time again soon. But as the old saying goes: if wishes were horses, we'd all take a ride.

Laurie, I LOVE those aqua stone-embellished sandals and the aqua stone necklace that's in that same picture. If they are all the color I see on my monitor, I'd wear the top, too. I have a personal problem wearing multiple patterns, so I'd need to wear the necklace and the sandals separately. I think they would look fine together for anyone else though. I really appreciate the way you show us your ideas in pictures. It helps me so much.

Wowsers, Pam. When you do up a milestone, you do it up B-I-G, girlfriend! What a wonderful adventure you have planned.

How I wish we could think about being gone from home that long. I'm really pushing it to be on our upcoming cruise. I'm not sure if I'm more concerned that my boss may decide he really doesn't need me, if my workload when I arrive back will find me running for the hills, or if I'll be tempted to say "chuck it all" and attempt to miser my way through the next two years until retirement.

I pulled all the wrinkly items out of my monster suitcase (summer storage) last night and began to make outfits and pull jewelry together. Laurie's pictures gave me the incentive to take pictures last night, and I'll try to post a few next week, work load permitting.

Less than four weeks to go!

Just wondering if anyone else found TVF recent "wearing unflattering colors" posts amusing. I know she doesn't believe in color theory dressing, but it seems egregious that she doesn't acknowledge that a color doesn't look the same on all people. JMO.

 

I still love her core idea. My next cruise is one where I don't think there will be much re-wearing, though. It is just going to be too hot and (hopefully) too active. There may be some sink-washing but with careful packing I'll be able to fit what I need for 7 days in my suitcase.

 

If you saw how much room was left after DH packs a pair of shoes in a carry-on, you'd understand why we always check bags. I'll never be able to use those threads about packing for 30 days in a roll-aboard. :)

I found TVF posts amusing until I realized that I could use that information on my upcoming cruise. Her idea about using strong colors on a navy background caused something to click in my pea-brain and I have a new outfit for my upcoming cruise. I bought a navy maxi skirt and 3/4 sleeve lace sharkbite tunic to coordinate with BFF's daughter's summer wedding. I haven't worn it since because I knew the color wasn't the best for my FIREiness. Last night I tried my bestest Meet & Greet light peach scarf and matching jewelry. Taa-daa!--new outfit that looks as if I had planned to wear those colors together all along. It doesn't look as good it might with a nice aqua, but it's worthy of being my 2nd formal outfit.

We are flying Southwest for our upcoming cruise and I have decided due to length of the cruise, heat and activities, I will check a bag this time. My OCD tendencies have mellowed a little with age and medications, but the idea of allowing my outfits out of my control for even a little while is a bit disconcerting. When I first cruised, we drove to port. When we began flying, it never occurred to me that my luggage might be lost. Now I know it is a real possibility. I'm taking two separate color schemes and think I'll pack one color scheme in my check luggage and the other in my roll aboard. I can't give up total control.

Sure glad to hear that your DH is on the mend so soon, Margaret. My DH had rotator cuff surgery last January. I thought it would be horrendous. He took only one pain pill the night we were home from the hospital because I insisted. He was a real trooper. Did all the rehab as instructed and hasn't looked back. I hope it is that way for the two of you.

Lowest level tan, 6 min. at a time 3x/wk for 6 wks.

I asked the dermatologist about it & said if I didn't I BURN. But this way I don't (I still do 50 SPF on the cruise). He said while he doesn't condone tanning beds, getting burnt (and potentially ruining ones vacation) is no better, so it seemed the lesser of 2 evils.

 

But the last time I did it, a spot on my face POPPED after 1 tan (age spot?:eek:) I decided that was no longer worth it. I have spent A LOT more time in the sun during summers (with SPF) at pool with kids & baseball games the last 15 years so seem to burn less.

 

Now I spray tan & use sunscreen liberally---still come home tan!

This is me EXACTLY! I made sure I had a tan base on my first two cruises. When my first tan/age spot appeared, I decided tanning was no longer worth it. What can I say? My teenage years were the late 60s/early 70s when we slathered on the baby oil and sunbathed on tin roofs. Sheesh!

60 year old skin is still 60 year old skin, but I haven't needed anything removed yet. High SPF sunscreen with self-tanner, sunglasses and a hat make me feel better even if I don't look better.

I understand not too short--not too long, Laurie. The day I think my hair looks perfect is the day I need to make sure I'm booked for a haircut, because the very next day is a I Hate My Hair Day.

My decorations are stored upstairs too. Poor hubs says, just show me what I need to bring down. He's so good. AND, he enjoys the decorations as much as I do. The carting up and down? Not so much.

Ahh, yes, my big hair. NOT! Mine is the stick straight, limp as a dishrag, getting thinner by the day that hangs in your face and looks chewed off when it's wet kind of hair. Oh, well, what the h*ll. Let's post 'em anyway!

We had a lovely Christmas and a nice New Year's long weekend, but I'm back to work today. We are still watching taped Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, so I'll watch tonight while putting away Christmas decorations. There's no need to get squirrelly about rushing through the holidays, but I really should begin reclaiming my house this week. My New Year's resolution is to slow down and enjoy life more. I think I can safely say that I'm very successful so far. LOL

I've begun my cruise spreadsheet, and I'm going to begin sorting through the suitcase where I stored my summer duds this fall. This time next month, we will be in cruise mode. Whoopee!!!

You asked for a packing list. Below is my packing list for our 2013 Alaska trip. On the plane, I wore an outfit from this list that included my heaviest, cognac boots. I hand carried my ivory 3/4 length rain parka (earmuffs and gloves in the pockets) and was able to pack in my carry-on and purse/diaper bag. No, at 59, I have no need for diapers, but the little compartments make packing easy. The packed tiny cross-body bag works for all but evening dining room time when I carry my glitzy clutch. The clutch holds my ziploc of makeup enroute to the ship.

Tanks: ivory lace tank

peach drape tank

red/peach/cream drape tank

SS Top: aqua cashmere T

red cashmere T

3/4 SL: sapphire drape T

starburst drape T

red/blue/green drape T

Cardigans: navy/aqua/ivory argyle cardi

red cashmere cardi

sapphire drape 3/4 sl cardi

Pants: NYDJeans

navy Columbia Pants

brown slacks

denim leggings

Shoes: cognac boots

brown or red flats

dress sandals

aqua or gold flips

Socks: navy dress smartwools

brown dress smartwools

boot smartwools

knee-high hose (2)

Undies: 2 bras - 3 panties

Scarves: donation scarf

aqua woven scarf

db polka dot scarf

red w-multi stripe scarf

Red-yellow bandana

brown pashima

blue/peach/pink Scarf

Jewelry: gold hoops-medallion

medallion necklace

Africa earrings

Africa necklace/bracelet

long sparkly earrings

sparkly bracelet

gold or red earrings

pearl stud earrings

pearl necklace

belt

Extras: makeup in dress clutch

safety pins

3-prong plug adapter

medicine

deodorant

razor

earplugs

floss & large needle

toothbrush & paste

1 gallon ziploc bag

inflatable travel pillow

travel tickets and info

business cards

tiny crossbody purse

$1 rain ponchos

cell phone & charger

camera, SD card & charger

Extras: 2 gallon ziploc bags

swimsuit & cover-up

visor or hat

dryer sheets for static

Binoculars

Video & Charger (DH pack)

Daypack (DH pack)

3-1-1: Hairspray

Toothpaste

Bullfrog (sun & bug)

Cetaphil

Sun Oil

Nasal gel

Mascara

I bought and am sending back a LandsEnd tankini: http://www.landsend.com/products/wom...24?sku_0=::PL4

Deep Sea Fiesta Floral has FIRE lime and aqua along with white, navy, and EARTH orange and EARTH gold/yellow. I so hoped it would look FIRE. It looks EARTH to me. Sort of. The navy and white make it look like one of those prints that isn't really flattering on anyone IMHO.

I also ordered this in Chesterfield: http://www.landsend.com/products/wom...61?sku_0=::VXL

If you haven't jumped on the puffy vest craze this year, this one is definitely EARTH. The larger picture of the vest looked FIRE, but this one is definitely the color of the tiny color box. Marigold, I'd say.

Ahh, Linda. Retirement! So very glad for you to be able to retire and relieve a little of your stress. Please take care of yourself and check back in with us as often as you can. I can't promise to do a trip report, but will try. I had one of my fall reports all ready to post and lost my photos on the new uploader thingy that the EARTH girls have been using. At that point, I needed to gear up for Christmas and figured that everyone would be over and done with fall foliage. Oh, well. We had a great time. Again.

Go ahead and tackle whatever you want done the most, Linda. As soon as that grand arrives, you'll not have time for anything but baby. It's the most wonderful part of this stage of our lives.

I don't know if you ladies ever have trouble finding swimsuits, but there seems to be a lot of aqua and bright orange out there right now. I did a quick check at Target online, and they have some cute coverups. I look for something that is lightweight, but I don't want it completely sheer, you know? I also look for different things, as going from my cabin to the hot tub or pool is one thing, and an excursion is another.

 

Are there any cruises planned for the new year?

I bought and am sending back a LandsEnd tankini: http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-beach-living-v-neck-tankini-top/id_294724?sku_0=::PL4

Deep Sea Fiesta Floral has FIRE lime and aqua along with white, navy, and EARTH orange and EARTH gold/yellow. I so hoped it would look FIRE. It looks EARTH to me. Sort of. The navy and white make it look like one of those prints that isn't really flattering on anyone IMHO.

I also ordered this in Chesterfield: http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-down-vest/id_287961?sku_0=::VXL

If you haven't jumped on the puffy vest craze this year, this one is definitely EARTH. The larger picture of the vest looked FIRE, but this one is definitely the color of the tiny color box. Marigold, I'd say.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my FIRE sisters. See ya'll in the new year.

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all my EARTH friends! Talk to you all in the new year. Love to you one and all!

I agree, Laurie. I enjoy cruising because it is so easy and relatively cheap for the time away from home. Other that cruising, I have several places in the U.S. that I'd like to see and some that I'd like to see again. Africa seems very exotic to me too.

I was once told by my chiro to apply ice for 15 and off for 30, heat for 15 and off for 30, repeating for as long as necessary, but always ending with ice for 15. The exchange of blood flow to the area helped healing after ice only for the first 24.

Pam talked one time about the healing properties of fresh pineapple after her DH fell. I think he felt like he WAS a pineapple after she pushed him to eat enormous quantities, but swore he healed quicker.

Whatever you do, Melody, please take care of yourself and have a great time. --Debbie

Novica dot com showcases artisans all over the world in conjunction with National Geographic. Lots of choices with lots of price points. Everything I have received has been different to the point of feeling like it's one of a kind. Like someone mentioned about Etsy, you will need to narrow your field of search. --Debbie