All Things EARTH... part 2

I just took a look at it, not good colors for me I need more color. I’ll look at Dillards & Macy’s on Sunday

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Ok, I think I’ve found my dress . Macy’s & $65. Melody

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love, love, love it, Melody

I just had to replace my phone unexpectedly due to a hardware issue. I’ve lost all my pictures, all my contacts, everything [emoji22]. I’m going to be busy trying to restore everything. It was so quick that I couldn’t even download from cloud 🤬. Melody

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Melody, I know the feeling. With me, I had all my contacts and photos transferred to my new phone. One day, I went to check an old photo and it was gone. All the old photos, which were in a folder, disappeared completely. I now used Verizon Cloud and have an automatically scheduled backup. I wish I could get those old pictures back!

That dress is very pretty, and it seems to be a style that you would enjoy wearing, based on photos you have posted. The color is so nice...I would imagine that would work well with a formal night, if you so desired to wear a dress?

It seems like I have a lot going on at once, but it's all good. We are getting things done. We have been looking at a new mattress off and on for a few years, knowing that our current one creates a lot of aches and pains. You can always tell based on different hotels and cruises when your body likes your home mattress or not.

We've been looking at Sleep Number for a long time, and really liked the idea of an adjustable. The one we liked, however, was an arm and a leg. We've looked at them again and again. One day, at a home show, Beauty Rest had a display and although theirs was much better priced than Sleep Number, it was still awfully expensive. We ran across the bed in a store yesterday, and got to talking the the clerk. The price was less, but we were not ready to buy it. Then we realized we could get the mattress and box spring now, and, get the adjustable base later. (we couldn't use our existing box spring because we are going from a queen to a king) Also, we have an issue with getting a king sized mattress up our stairs, so we have to go with a split king. I was surprised to find that many places don't carry them anymore, and then I found out why. It's just two twin x-long mattresses! King box springs are usually sold split anyway.

But we are excited, as this gets delivered next weekend. I picked up a set of sheets at Costco today. They have a brand called Charisma, and we currently have a set of the 420 count sheets, and they are wonderful! So we bought a new set for the king bed. I've been looking at comforters at JCP online, and have found quite a few that I like. It's a good opportunity to try something different.

The bedroom walls are this neutral tan like color that we picked out a long time ago. I'm not looking to repaint right now, so I knew we needed something that would look okay with that. Our curtains are gold. This is where the dilemma is: the color, and the fact that to replace them, I need to buy 8 new panels. They need it, but one thing at a time. I am eying comforters that are teal based, and I spotted quite a few that will work with the existing things. This way, I can replace the window treatments when I am ready.

We also saw a Fuji waterproof camera while we were there for about $150.00. I need to review it further, but I would love something that can go in the water, and take a little bit of a beating. It says shockproof, but not Laurie proof, lol. I didn't look to see about wifi capability, but that is high up on my list. I loved that it was small and would be so easy to carry.

We have two projects that we have saved a while for, and it turns out they will both be done at nearly the same time. In our family room, we have a double window on one wall and a single on the other. We're taking the single out and replacing it with a double. The curtains will be the same, but I needed to get new blinds because I couldn't get one more of what we had in the room already. I bought those a few months ago when we were getting it all set up.

The other project is in my mud room. You may remember the coat closet/pantry we built? On the other side, we are having a built in installed with a bench and small desk/utility area with drawers. I can use it for sewing, my laptop, a craft project, etc. We are using a company for that. We can do a lot of things, but we are not woodworkers! It's the same person who did our fireplace surround and the builtins in the family room.

It's funny, because we will plan these things out, save for them, and then pick up the things we need to go with them, if necessary. We got a nice upholstered dining room chair to use in the desk area. We were using one of those metal folding chairs at the sewing table when I need to sew, and it will be nice to have this set up.

So how is everyone else's weekend going?

Laurie, I’ve had a Fuji underwater camera for several years (2 models). It’s a good basic camera. We’re going to upgrade our underwater camera to an Olympus TG-5. It’s the only underwater camera our camera store highly recommends. Nikon & Fuji are “they’re a good basic camera”.

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We had a family get together yesterday (good thing because it’s been rain & hail all day today). I think Lexy had the best day . Melody

Melody, what a sweet photo. It's scary how much our phones have become an important bucket for all kinds of things. I keep my dad's med schedule and all kinds of crazy things in there that I might need on the fly.

Laurie, we went through a whole bed saga this winter after I had slept so well both on our cruise and at Disney. It took us three tries and we ended up with two twin XLs in different models so we could both be happy. We kept our king size bed and sheets but I also got us new pillows. I bought a dedicated side sleeper pillow. Between that and the new bed, my arms don't fall asleep at night anymore. Now we are thinking of doing the same thing at the lake. I hadn't even realized how poorly I was sleeping until we went away.

It was supposed to be a rainy weekend so I decided to spend some time learning about my new camera. The weather was not so bad so I did some experimenting outdoors. I still need to practice a lot of the features that are new to me (wifi! tiny movies! filters!) but I did get some good practice with the zoom. It turns out I can hold a camera steady. :)

Great picture of the doves Margaret

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Those pictures are fabulous! Tell me about the camera...is it bulky? Easy to use?

I would love just one camera that does it all: waterproof (submersible), shockproof, WiFi, small and lightweight...easy to use. I really would rather not have multiple cameras.

I stopped in both Lord and Taylor and Macy's while we were at the mall. It seems like the formal wear was mostly black and uneventful. I guess that is why I order online so much. I forget about Dillard's and other places but we don't have those around here.

I'm going with the cooling memory foam pillows. Costco had them for a fraction of what you pay in most stores. Bon Ton is 50%-70% off and still a lot more. I sleep on both my back and side.

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Laurie when I was looking for dresses I saw black & navy & blush. I look awful in blush & I’m not crazy about navy & I won’t wear black to a wedding (unless that’s the color requested). I’m hoping this cobalt blue works. Melody

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Laurie, our camera store doesn’t carry the camera Anita bought. The Olympic TG-5 is about $400 & it does everything, you can also put a fisheye lens on it if you wish. It is waterproof to 100’, shockproof, freezing temps to -10F & heat to 110F. WiFi, zoom & small & lightweight. The Fuji is a good low cost camera that does everything (I’m not crazy about it’s zoom or pictures in low light, otherwise it’s good)

I’d try to go with one camera, but I take Les with me [emoji23][emoji23]. He always has at least 2. Melody

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The camera I got is the Canon SX60HS. I chose it for its zoom capacity and good image stabilization with the Africa trip in mind. It is not small or lightweight. Not particularly heavy, either, but it is substantial. Just on the auto setting it takes amazing pictures though. It replaced a ten-year-old camera I've been using that belonged to DH until he upgraded a few years ago. The technology has changed quite a bit and my new camera has wifi, some built-in color filter features, and a mini-movie maker. On that setting it will take a few seconds of video before you press the shutter, and then combine the photos you took that day with that setting into a little film. I'm not a huge social media person, but I can see how those features would be appealing to some. Mostly I'm just very happy with the optics and ease of use. There also isn't a huge learning curve for me since the buttons and menu features on our Canons are all very similar.

On our last three cruises I didn't even take my regular camera, just my D10 underwater one, and DH had his Canon which is much better than the D10 for telephoto, indoor, and night shooting. I find my D10 is perfect as a general snapshot camera for the usual vacation photos. It is our default for any excursion or activity on the water or at the beach (DH leaves his behind on those). It would be considered hopelessly old by now, but I love it. If I bought new I would go with Melody's recommendation and choose an Olympus, they get really good ratings. I follow Mitsugirly here on CC because she's big into snorkeling too and underwater cameras. There is always a discussion about cameras at some point on her threads.

I moved away from a memory foam pillow. Even though they feel cool to you, as the foam gets warmed from your body heat it can get flatter and flatter as the night goes on. Maybe it depends on the brand, IDK.

Melody, it took a long time for DH to move away from the SLR with all the lenses and the huge case. I've probably stood in every major cathedral in Europe with one hand out holding a lens while he changed them. :) Antarctica was the last "film" cruise we took. It was a giant pain in the neck there because the lenses were always fogging.

I haven't done any clothes shopping for summer. I'm too fat for most of my dresses now, but the endocrine program I'm on is finally starting to work a bit, so hopefully I'll get some energy and take this weight off. It turns out my hormone tests show I'm not actually menopausal yet, it's just that my entire endocrine system is so out of whack and the only thing my body is still making enough of is estrogen. Yeesh. I have a plan for the summer to support what my doctor is doing that includes eating healthy, getting enough sleep even if I have to take an afternoon nap, and active stress management. My health is more delicate than I like to think it is... I am always in denial of how much I can actually do in a day.

Margaret. I know what you mean with health being more delicate than you like to think. Our daughter is having a yard sale on Friday (at my house [emoji15]) so of course Les & I have been digging thru boxes etc on the hottest day this year it’s 98 right now. I’m done & going for lemon soft serve!

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It's that time of year when I try to get all my errands done by noon so I avoid the heat. I can't take it these days. We'll be in the 90s for the weekend, which is awesome because we have friends coming to the lake. Lots of swimming!

Got this cute workout shirt in an EARTH purple at Costco today for 12.99. The red is definitely pinkish, the green is very bright, and the blue is Melody Blue. It's official, you have your own color. :)

https://www.costco.com/Tuff-Ladies'-Active-Keyhole-Tee.product.100390351.html

I hope Anita is having fun! Our friends' cruise starting last Saturday was delayed for a noro cleaning, so I hope everyone is staying healthy.

I always think I am going to accomplish this or that and weeks go by .For awhile I was taking Orgain to give me an an energy boost .In other news I am totally into prints this season . The wilder the better . Chico's and I are now friends .

Cute shirt Margaret! I’ll have to look for “my” color at our Costco. This is supposed to be the hottest week of the summer (so far). High 90s & only dropping to 80s at night. Unusual that we don’t get cool nights

I can’t wait to read Anita’s review. If any of you haven’t read her pre review on the Celebrity board, you really need to pour a glass of iced tea & plan to enjoy a good 30-45 minutes. She’s an excellent writer, paints a total picture. Melody

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I loved Anita'a pre review so I am sure the actual review will be great .

I loved Anita's pre review so I am sure the actual review will be great .

I read it too and it gave me hope that I will meet our luggage restrictions. She had to pack a lot more gear than we do.

Well I got an offer I couldn’t pass up from our TA. So, we’ll be doing a Mardi Gras cruise & b2b Feb 21, 2020 to Mar 13 2020 (21 days). I scored the same Reflection C1 aft cabin (figured I’d need all the exercise possible!). We got the premium beverage package, gratuities, WiFi & $300 OBC for each cruise. Fabulous firecracker sale. & it’s almost $5K cheaper than the same Mardi Gras cruise this year. Just couldn’t pass it up. Always wanted to do Mardi Gras & what batter way to do it than using a ship for our hotel! Melody

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Melody that sounds like such fun! Always great to get a deal, too, on an itinerary you really want.

Our TA isn't much help on price. I usually do all the legwork on that. But she has gotten us out of sticky situations far from home more than once, and she's fierce when it comes to good airfare, so we don't plan on changing. Maybe when we're retired and we can travel several times a year we'll look for someone more aggressive on cruise fares. Of course our schedules won't be so tight then so we can do the last-minute fares.

I just learned that next year's Zumba cruise is finally during my spring break, and it's going to be on RC Navigator OTS. I wanna go! So much! Maybe I can talk DH into an early birthday present. :) That would be so much more fun that going to the Teaching English convention in Atlanta.

I just learned that my DB, his wife, and his in-laws are heading to Alaska this weekend on Explorer OTS. I would never peg him as a cruise person, so I look forward to hearing what he says. His wife doesn't like anything so I'm surprised she agreed.

After my doctor appointment today I splurged on a spa pedi and now I'm sporting this awesome dark periwinkle color, similar to this:

https://www.zoya.com/content/item/Zoya/Zoya-Nail-Polish-Danielle-ZP920.html

Margaret, too funny, I got a pedicure today & have mermaid toes. Melody

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Melody , That will be a great trip . I always look at the Mardi Gras Cruise but I have yet to pull the trigger . We were at the start of Mardi Gras years ago . It is crazy but fun !

With the GO Best for $300 the cruise for 2020 is $5K less than the same cruise in 2019. We got a C1 aft on deck 11 for $4K with premium beverage, gratuities, WiFi & $300 OBC, yes the promotion paid for itself!

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Sally, always wanted to go & we’re going with good friends too

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