All Things EARTH... part 2

Margaret , It is so frustrating looking at things in your closet that you love but are the wrong size . That is why it took me so long to get rid of my clothes after my weight loss .

Anita, I feel the same way when I do not see my daughter for awhile .We all need that connection.

Laurie, I would go with a short formal .

Melody ., A lot of snowbirds come for Jan. through April so they are home for Christmas . This January has been crummy weather wise . The best months in Florida are October, November , December ,March , April and May . Feb , can go either way .Our real estate market is hot here also especially for waterfront properties .

Anita, I'm just going to miss you in LV. We would be arriving on Saturday, Feb. 24th. I'm so disappointed! You, your mom, and I would have so much fun, I'm sure.

Laurie, IMO, black tie optional means the woman's dress is dictated by what her date is wearing. If your DH is wearing a tux, then a long gown would be appropriate, but if he is in a dark suit I would choose a cocktail or tea length dress, which can be as sparkly or not as you choose. I think the rise of the LBD is because it is a safe choice, but where is the fun in that?

IME dress code on land is more specific than what you would see on a cruise, where people are all over the place in terms of dress on formal nights. When we had our anniversary party it was black tie optional, and I included a little blurb on the information card we sent with the invitation defining what we meant. We had people coming from across the US and I wanted everyone to be on the same page. In some places people think that a nice dress you would wear to church is formal, but we are very fancy here in the Big Apple. :)

Have any of you been watching The Crown? Like Downton Abbey, most of the women are very lightly made up, so the clothing choices really highlight what looks good with their skin or not. Many of the gowns are truly stunning. I wonder if there is an archive somewhere of all the Queen's clothes? And speaking of the LBD, it is lovely to see the crowd scenes, especially the balls, where all the women are so colorful. Back then, black was for mourners and of course they wouldn't have been attending parties.

I have my eye on these pants in Deep Thistle as an alternative to jeans:

http://www.coldwatercreek.com/pants-and-shorts/casual/pinwale-pull-on-stretch-corduroys/67036.html?dwvar_67036_color=578#q=67036&start=1&cgid=

I also really like these no-waistband dark wash jeans:

http://www.coldwatercreek.com/jeans/view-all/knit-denim-pull-on-slim-leg-jeans/12113.html

And this is a cute swimsuit in a style that works for me:

http://www.coldwatercreek.com/outlet/swim/dots-for-sure-square-neck-swimsuit/12960.html?dwvar_12960_color=607#prefn1=config&prefn2=size&prefv1=Misses&prefv2=12&start=12&cgid=outlet

Sally, we used to live in FL, on the Space Coast. I’d love waterfront property, but want to be in a turn key, leave for a few months without worries. Les would be happy back on Space Coast, but I really prefer the Gulf side. Laurie, Red Sox training camp [emoji6]

We’ve talked about not being with the kids, Les laughed & said we’d probably see more of them in FL (he’s likely right[emoji849]).

Laurie, I’d go with the short formal as well. I really like your necklace choices for the left & right dresses, on the fence about the center.

I had a dermatologist appt yesterday, so I’m just sitting here, no gym or pool until Monday to let the biopsies heal, sigh. I can’t even crochet cause he biopsies my right thumb (& it hurts like the devil).

Everyone have a good weekend. Melody

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Just a quick note during my lunch here.

Some areas are flooding because it is 60 degrees, but everyone has some water because we had a lot is snow.

By the end of today, our temp are dropping all the way down to 10. The water will freeze to ice, then we'll have freezing rsin, then snow. Up to 16 inches by tomorrow evening.

Margaret, my mother always said black was for mourning. I don't miss it all.

My daughter's are watching that show and they love it.

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Waterfront property comes with a lot of problems . Things are constantly rusting . We are always replacing light fixtures and we are on our third front door .Plus our house is three stories with the first story starting at 17' up so it really is time to move . I used to live in a house one story where they did all the outside maintenance and they had a clubhouse and a pool and tennis courts . That is ideal and what I would like again.

It was 61 this morning when DH left for work, and now it's raining cats and dogs. We are heading to a low tomorrow night of 14. We can literally watch our new wood floor expand and contract with the weather. :eek:

Melody, good luck with your biopsies. My next skin check is in March.

Sally, what you had in the Venice area is what I’m looking for & I bet they now have pickle ball too!

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Well, our weather wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't as awful as it could have been. I think we have about 10 inches of new snow. The real issue is that it reached 60 during the day Friday, and by Friday night, it was down to 10 degrees. This morning it was -10.

From the previous storm, many areas ended up with flooding and ice jams. We are not really near any bodies of water, so things were fine for us.

So with this weather, we got home from work Friday and stay put until yesterday afternoon. The roads were pretty messy, but it had stopped snowing. I used some of the down time to work on the software, since it is accessible from my computer.

Today, I tried on dresses. Lots of them! I'm rather frustrated, because there are things that I love that are too big. I think I mentioned before that it depends on how much something needs to be adjusted, or if it has been adjusted once before already. I do have some wonderful newer things though as well. I didn't want to wear all the exact same dresses as I did the last cruise. I really like that yellowy print dress. I think that will come with me on this trip. It surprises me because it is a print and not my usual style.

I have two dresses that are jersey knit, but only need the side seams taken in a little bit, so I'm comfortable with doing that. One is a maxi dress that I have not even worn yet! I was going to bring it on the last cruise, but when I tried it on it was baggy so I put it back in the closet and forgot about it.

I'm feeling almost obsessed with this cruise, because I haven't felt like I have been able to do much lately other that work, general household chores and the gym. A lot of this is the weather. I did go to a basketball game on New Year's Eve though, and that was a lot of fun.

And I get to plan to go to Boston in June again to see the Red Sox! Yay!

I also have that charity event coming up. I found pictures on their Facebook page. I don't recall any tuxes, but there were full length dresses. There were formal short dresses as well. There were only a few people that seemed too casual, so I think I am fine with either a long dress or a short one, as long as I make sure they are formal. One lady was wearing a red lace dress, just like the new teal/blue one I have...same styling, everything. I got to thinking I have that long red dress I could wear...but the bank has a whole table, and so far, only a few people are coming, and the ladies are planning on wearing shorter dresses to the best of my knowledge. So I guess that is the way to go.

The sequined lace dress that I have is a Ralph Lauren dress that crosses over in the front. It falls mid knee, I think. I have taken it in, and it seems to fit okay. I think it will work out.

I think that a lot of times, when people think about moving to Florida, waterfront is the first thing they think of. I think with the pan handle, you can live more inland, but still be a pretty short ride away from water, right? And you can hop on a cruise ship by just driving to a port. We were on a cruise once, and happened to run into someone who used to live a few towns over from where we live now. He said it is so much fun to just go on a 4 day cruise, and it costs hardly nothing because they drive to the port, get a resident discount, and can go whenever they want to. The guy told us they have it figured out very well now - they know when it will be cheap to sail and can keep an eye on the hurricanes in the fall.

Laurie, if you’re going to be sitting with others that you work with find out what the senior woman is wearing & go by that whether long or short.

Our son got Red Sox tickets (against the Yankees on April 10) from his wife for Christmas, they’re going to use the weekend as a belated honeymoon (without the kids, kids are ticked, they want to go too [emoji23][emoji23])

I don’t want waterfront, but I want to be close. We have friends at the Villages, but that’s in the middle of the state & all they do there is golf (neither Les nor I golf) & go to happy hour. We’re really only considering Ft Myers/Venice area. Melody

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Everybody thinks if they move to Florida they will be cruising all the time . This is just not true . Some people do but a lot of people want different type of trips .I cruised more when I lived up North to escape winter but since moving to Florida I found I wanted to escape the beach and go on other types of vacations . We still cruise but very rarely to the Caribbean.

Melody , I just read in the paper today that there is a new planned community being built near where you are considering . https://www.babcockranch.com/?network=g&matchtype=b&keyword=babcock%20ranch%20fl&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnOzSBRDGARIsAL-mUB3-vrY0yOTz_pYHqJsRSVIeUoSC21BRhnRKYalkJJcsTGDVxQ0ZEE0aApD9EALw_wcB

This is the yellow print dress I was talking about.

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Sally, I can imagine that if I lived in a warmer climate, I would want to see something other than beaches and the like too. I think that even though I really look forward to seeing Alaska someday, I'm not exceptionally thrilled about going somewhere that may be cold. I know the Pacific coastal cruise we took was a lot colder than we expected. I would like to go no that cruise again. I think I will bring much warmer clothes though.

I am also interested in one of the fall cruises that sails from the east coast and goes to some great leaf peeping areas.

Even though I'm not moving or anything, I am always intrigued to see what housing is like in different areas. It's probably because of my job.

Sally, I'll be the senior person at this charity event, from what I can see. I've gone to other functions that are similar, but I don't think anyone who is attending has been to this particular event, and I will be the only senior officer in attendance. m

If any of you are on Facebook, you can search Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society and look at the photos. This event is a few days before Valentine's Day, and is always a bit of a Valentine's Day event. There is usually a lot of red being worn.

I am thinking that I may not be able to do another cruise this fall, but I would like to do something. One of the fun things about cruising is that you can plan and pay for things in advance, and you are all set. I know that even a weekend getaway can end up costing a lot. I was thinking that if my husband and I take some vacation days, maybe going to New York City for a few days will work? The hotels are very expensive, but maybe we can stay just out of the area or something. Jet Blue is really cheap, but I am also very inclined to take a train. My husband and I like trains. Driving isn't the best thing - all that traffic, and then you pay to park your car and end up using public transportation anyway.

I was thinking we could see a few things we have always wanted to see - Ellis Island, The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty. History is one of my husband's favorite things, so I know he would love this.

I only learned what pickleball is last year. It looks fun, and though I'm not supposed to run I think I could manage it. I like that its social.

So I was able to address three of my fashion woes. I bought this coat, super discounted, which I can wear to work on non-parka days.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/l...iABEgK-2fD_BwE

I ordered three pairs of boots to try, and they should come tomorrow. Hoping one will work out.

I bought a blue crushed velvet top with a wide neck that makes it look not quite sleeveless even though it is. It doesn't photogragh well because of the shimmer, but its like denim blue/ice blue, very pretty with my eyes. I plan to wear it for our annual Chinese New Year dinner with friends.

I also got this Vince Camuto top for evenings. The plaid is dark orange and red. It doesn't look like much but there is something about the cut and drape that is flattering on me. I figure when the foofy sleeves go out of style, I'll just have them removed.

Laurie, if you fly into LaGuardia it is only a 15 minute cab ride to Long Island City. There are several reasonably priced hotels in this area that are only 1 subway stop from Manhattan. When we did our reno we stayed in some of them, usually for between $150 and $200 per night. I often used Hotel Tonight to check rates and pick which one to stay at (today it's showing $63 for the Best Western, probably because it's so ***** cold nobody wants to be here). We were somewhat limited because we needed parking for our car. It is a neighborhood in transition from industrial to residential, so it is not always pretty and there are few restaurants, but if all you want is a place to sleep it's very reasonable.

If you want a leaf peeper cruise, I would choose earlier in the season rather than later. After our November BVE on the Royal Princess last year we heard that the weather on that cruise was cold and rainy, and they missed several ports because the seas were too high to tender. It is very late for color for the first part of the cruise, as well.

Empire State Building and SoL/Ellis Island are best done early in the day. Earlier the better.

Love love that yellow dress on you. :)

You should come to NY, we could all have dinner!!

Laurie, if you’re senior person where what you want, long or short. Your red lace cones to mind as being really nice just before Valentines Day.

Love that yellow dress on you

Pickle ball is a lot like badminton but you don’t have to raise your arms above your head. I have an issue running with my foot & I’m able to play it occasionally. Melody

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Margaret , I love that jacket and I really like the top you bought .

Laurie , I did a New England ,Canada Cruise years ago . It was fun but a totally different type of cruise . We went in September so the leaves were just turning . We lucked out and except for Halifax had great weather .It was cool but not real cold for the cruise . I am considering the cruise that goes from Montreal or Quebec to Boston this year . It is amazing how much the prices have increased on those cruises . Of course We did the cruise during the recession when even Alaska was a bargain.I am also looking at The Pacific west coast cruise or maybe just a land trip . I can't seem to make up my mind this year . You can find great rates for New York City if you go in an off time and search Travelzoo and Hot Wire .

I hadn't heard of Travelzoo, that is a great site. FYI you can also search for future dates on the Hotel Tonight app.

My boot choices arrived today, and two of them were so oddly made that I couldn't get my instep into them. Don't you wonder why they never try a sample on real feet? The last pair I like but I'm going to try the next size up so I can wear thicker socks in them.

Still on the hunt....

I went to Nordstrom’s & DSW today with my oldest daughter & didn’t find a thing other than sore feet. She, however, bought chocolate brown pants at Chicos, 3 suits at Dillards, 2 suits at Macy’s & 4 pairs of shoes at Dillards! She just got a promotion & wanted a few new things. Laurie, Chicos had 4 different brown pants, all on sale.

Margaret, love that Canute top, but I think the sleeves would drive me batty! Melody

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Melody, it's entirely possible that after I wear it for the first time, I'll have them removed. They're knife-pleated and really pretty, but since I got it to wear out to dinner, if I can't eat without them landing in my food....

There are lots of sleeve embellishments this season, and I just can't see wearing a lot of them to work without it driving me nuts. And how do you stuff all that fabric into a jacket?

Here is a photo of the other top I got:

http://www.solesociety.com/vince-camuto-extend-shoulder-knit-crushed-velvet-tee-base-blue.html?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=816839716&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIraijsarb2AIViSaGCh1_MAJvEAkYCSABEgIt_vD_BwE

Margaret, i love pretty sleeves, but they’re just too much stuff! Agree, how do you wear a jacket! Love that icy blue top, simple & elegant

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It got above 30 today so I wore my new coat. :D

Wish me luck, I had a spot on my arm biopsied today.

Sending thoughts and prayers to you Margaret!

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Melody, if you could share the link to the Chicos pants, that would be great. I found a pair of brown and a mahogany kind of color, both which appear too casual for work. But I'm going to order them to see. One pair is on clearance for 9.99 and I need casual pants too. So they'll be keepers either way as long as they fit!

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Sally, the reason I haven't done the Canada New England cruise yet has been the cost. I'm prepared that it may not be warm. We could drive to the port (Boston) though so there is savings there.

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Margaret, good luck on the biopsy. I’m waiting on results too from last wk. price we pay for liking sun.

Laurie, the pants were in the store, I don’t have a link. Melody

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