All things EARTH...

[awhfy]

Mousey I bought 3 workout outfits at Kohls today for $50 DH laughed & said you're replacing all those suits you took to Dressed for Success )when I retired) with gym stuff

 

I also got the cutest pair of Sketcher memory foam shoes that are black pink, lime, yellow all cross hatched together I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. I'll be able to replace 3 pairs of shoes (that are already in the suitcase, double bonus).

 

We leave Monday for a week at spring training ;) & a 14 night Caribbean cruise. Can't wait to leave cold & snow! Melody

[laurspag]

Speaking of hair, I desperately needed a haircut so I had one scheduled for Saturday. I was really sad that they called and cancelled. I haven't had it cut in 5 months! My hair is rather fine, but there is a lot of it. It is silky and doesn't hold curl well. It is very straight. I really want yo do something different but I don't know what.

[Danni3ll3]

Speaking of hair, I desperately needed a haircut so I had one scheduled for Saturday. I was really sad that they called and cancelled. I haven't had it cut in 5 months! My hair is rather fine, but there is a lot of it. It is silky and doesn't hold curl well. It is very straight. I really want yo do something different but I don't know what.

 

 

Would it be long enough for an inverse bob? My hair is similar to yours although since menopause, it has gone wavy (not in a nice way though) and I have to blow dry it straight for my inverse bob. I love this cut and it is flattering for most face shapes.

[mousey]

Mousey I bought 3 workout outfits at Kohls today for $50 DH laughed & said you're replacing all those suits you took to Dressed for Success )when I retired) with gym stuff

 

I also got the cutest pair of Sketcher memory foam shoes that are black pink, lime, yellow all cross hatched together I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. I'll be able to replace 3 pairs of shoes (that are already in the suitcase, double bonus).

 

We leave Monday for a week at spring training ;) & a 14 night Caribbean cruise. Can't wait to leave cold & snow! Melody

 

Melody,

 

I'm so jealous...LOL...I've never done a 14-day cruise...it's on my bucket list.

I hope you have an awesome time!;)

[Anita Latte]

Dannielle...I agree with the inverse bob. That's kind of what I have right now. Except...mine has more layers than some. Mine is very short in the back...my stylist calls it "stacked" in the back...she used the trimmer on the lowest hair back there...so my lowest hair in back is my hair line (and it is the shortest hair) and then it layers up from there. The front length is at my chin. I love that you can have the look of longer hair (around the face) but some of the ease of a shorter cut.

 

My hair has a bit of a wave too. Once, a stylist gave me a curl enhancing product. It was like a lotion...you put it in wet and then scrunch it to make the waves even more wavy...never really curled. Have you ever tried anything like that? I find that, like most things today, anything goes...and some of the "purposefully messy" looks are really fun and attractive. Most of them take a lot of effort to achieve though...but the curl lotion was easy and usually produced a nice look...especially for such an easy morning.

[awhfy]

Ok, I think we are all sisters from another mother. I'm having my hair cut into an inverse bob on Friday with a very short stacked back...too funny. My hair is string straight, but lots of it. Laurie, I adore the longer cruises, I really relax. Melody

 

Oops, here's the picture of the shoes!

Edited February 19, 2015 by awhfy

[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , Those shoes are soo cute . I am going to order a pair .

[awhfy]

Melody , Those shoes are soo cute . I am going to order a pair .

 

 

Sally, I got them at Kohls, Sketchers, Stretch Weave. They run big. I normally wear a 7.5 or 8 these are a 7. They also come in a hard to describe, creamy silver too. Melody

 

 

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[Anita Latte]

Stretch weave...that's what the shoes that the one lady at Curves wears are like! I posted that link earlier for a different brand. They are supposed to be really comfortable and conform to your feet nicely, especially if you have odd shapes to your feet (like bunions). Because of that stretch factor...I have read that people generally wear one half to one whole size smaller than their normal street shoe size.

 

Melody...my friend has a similar color scheme...all those fun bright colors on a black background. They need to come up with one on a brown background!

[awhfy]

Anita, they had the same shoe in a creamy silvery beige & 3 different color combos that had a strap across the instep; one pink, one bright blue & one black & white. Funny, a woman trying them on said, I'd buy it if it was brown. They're wicked comfortable, my granddaughter (6-1/2) is really upset that they don't make them in her size! I'll be wearing them on the plane with my neon pink parka, jeans & black cowl shirt (I don't think DH will lose me [emoji6])

 

 

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[Danni3ll3]

Anita, I have tried the messy look but it doesn't work for me. My hair is just too fine to hold a decent curl. My hair is longer than yours in the back. It was stacked at one point but my hair dresser has decided it should be longer. Yes, he get to choose what happens to my hair. He has been cutting my hair for 32 years and he is moving away. Wahhh! Luckily the lady that colours my hair also did a great job when my regular couldn't do it so I know it will be fine. I also let her do whatever she wants in terms of colour and I often get compliments on both the cut and colour. I believe that I am her only client that does that. I look at it this way. It is only hair and it is fun to change it up once in awhile. I must note that she never does anything too outlandish even though I have had a few purple streaks among the brown, auburn and blond that covered my head. Right now I am a chocolate brown with a few chunks of blond that peak from under the chocolate. It always looks fantastic and I totally trust her.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Danni3ll3

[laurspag]

Anita, I was just going to say that those shoes are like the ones you posted a link to! They do look comfy.

 

I have been seriously thinking of going back to the inverted bob again. I had one of those for a while, and it really does work well with my hair. I think for the next cut, I'm going to get a really good trim and shaping, and then focus on the inverted bob for the cut after that. My daughter has these oh so delicate highlights that are really nice, and it has me thinking.

 

As you know, I'm always looking at this, that and every other thing, but I tend to be a really cheapo when it comes to my hair. At the same time, I like to go to a salon with a the same people working overall, without constant turnover. The person who does my hair is great, although it can be hard to get an appointment when I want one at times. She is an expert when it comes to the inverted bob. Where the cheapo thing comes in is the highlights. I feel like it is time to let myself do something like this for myself...

[laurspag]

Oh, and I forgot to tell you...we got about 4 more inches of snow last night, and now we have brutal winds and very cold weather again. It was -17 with wind chill a few hours ago. I am so over this. It's getting rather depressing.

 

On the plus side, my sister is all moved. I apologize if I sounded callous the other day. It's one of those cases where things just get complicated and difficult. I picked her up a few things last night on the way over, because I didn't want her to have to go out in this yucky weather.

[laurspag]

My hair is cut like this right now, but since I'm overdue for a cut, it is even longer:

 

 

I wish I could find a good picture of the inverted bob, but I can't. Either way, I look at it this way...whatever I do, it will grow out if I don't like it. My hair grows quickly.

[awhfy]

I forgot to get my daughter to get a picture of my new haircut, but it looks like hers with a bit of a bang (& all silver). It's a really good picture of an inverted bob (FYI, DD)

Edited February 21, 2015 by awhfy

[ChollaChick]

Melody - that cut is adorable on your daughter and I bet it's just as cute on you. I wore an inverted bob like that and liked it. I'm just not sure yet if I'm ready to lose the length yet. I made an appointment for Monday with a new stylist and am going to have him color and cut my hair. I love what he has done for friends that use him, so I'm hoping he can work some magic on my hair. The truth is, I like my hair when it's straight and I like my hair when it's curly/wavy. I hate my hair when it's frizzy which seems to happen a lot more often than I'd like. It may be that I'm using the wrong products or not enough products or too much... but whatever it is, I'm hoping that this new guy has some good ideas that will keep me from taking a blowtorch to my head. :) I never really fear doing a change to my hair because my hair grows really fast and if I hate it, it won't take long for it to grow out.

 

Laurie -- you have gorgeous hair. I bet anything you do with it will look amazing.

 

Off to work I go... have a good weekend everyone!

[Anita Latte]

Melody...very fun hairstyle. My inverted bob doesn't have as big of a difference between the longest front length and the length in the back. I think that's part of the fun of the hair cut, if you have a good stylist...it can be adapted to what length suits your face best. The general idea is the same though.

 

I didn't share that I got new eyeglasses. My previous ones were black plastic frames (I don't like the feel of the nose pieces that are on most wire frames). I picked these glasses out before knowing my Earthy self...and yes, I've had them for that long. I finally got around to replacing them! I got some lovely lighter colored Earth toned frames...they totally blend into my hair color. I'll have to get a photo to share...it's just an amazing difference.

 

These are my new glasses. Yes, the ear pieces of the frames are more of a grayish color with a green undertone...but the contrast IRL doesn't seem as great as this photo suggests:

 

https://www.altaireyewear.com/images/frames/GEN/G5020/G5020_303_SM_03.jpg

 

And my new bronze oxford shoes arrived yesterday. LOVE them! I've read the Marie Kondo book now...and I can say that my new shoes definitely "spark joy." I'm excited to play with them. The weather is just too cold to inspire much wardrobe fun...I'd rather sit in front of the fire. Maybe the house should be heated more...but we keep the bedrooms very cool...which makes for better sleeping for us. More blankets...less drying, forced air. Changing clothing in that temperature though...not fun.

 

I'm looking forward to the once and done process of the KonMari method. Clothes are first and so I will start there. I'm thinking next week when DH travels for work (he'll be gone Mon thru Thurs).

[awhfy]

Anita, we keep our bedroom at about 60. Best thing we ever did when we renovated the master bath was to put heated tile floor, talk about a sumptuous feeling, especially on a frigid night. I will dress in there if it's really cold.

 

Right now it's snowing like a banshee, hope toads are clear enough for us to get out of Denver on Monday [emoji15]

 

 

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[cruzisme]

I am sending you all sunshine and warmer temperatures from Vancouver Canada!

This year has been very warm so I feel for all of you as you shovel snow etc.

I too lived Back East as a child so I did my fill of shovelling snow!

 

Keep warm and yes, it will get warmer. Hang in there:)

[laurspag]

We have two zones for our heat, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. This is because we have hot water heat. I like keeping the upstairs at around 63. The type of cold we get here during the winter feels a lot different than the cold we get in the spring.

 

We have a gas fireplace and we love it. However, it is close to the thermostat so it will cause the heat to shut off downstairs. That's not too much fun if you are in one of the other rooms. We tend to use it in the evening only, when we are going up to bed afterward. The upstairs thermostat is far enough away so that it isn't affected.

 

I tried on some of my dresses today with jewelry, but it is really cold and snowy today, and I was getting cold! It did give me some ideas though.

 

We were at the mall before that, as my husband had a return he wanted to make. I looked in a few stores at jewelry, but wasn't finding anything I wanted. My husband suggested Macys, and they had a ton of nice things. What was hard was that I didn't find much that coordinated. For example, I'd find a great necklace with no matching earrings or bracelet. Overall though, they did have a big selection and a good sale going on and lots of clearance.

 

I have a champagne lace dress I picked up in Lord and Taylor, or should I say...I had my daughter pick up. I've been watching it a while, and she picked it for me on Sunday. It was marked down even farther, as the hem was coming down. That is a quick fix, but I probably won't do it because it's way too long and needs to be cut and hemmed anyway. When thinking about jewelry for this dress, I told my husband that I thought it would look great with some color...such as red. At first he looked a little confused, until I showed him what I was looking at. It got me thinking about all sorts of different earthy colors, and how the right style could work with this dress.

 

Because of it being lace, I don't really like the idea of large or exceptionally busy jewelry. That can make it hard for me, because I'm not the dainty pendant on a chain type.

 

This is the link to the dress, but it is deceiving. The dress is not off white. It is a wonderful, warm beige/champagne color. Now, that isn't my best color, and the dress isn't the most forgiving. But I think this is, in many ways, a great goal dress for me. I can wear it as is, but I can also work on my body tone to make it look better.

 

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lord-and-taylor/lace-wrap-gown

 

jewelry wise, I found this, and also the matching earrings. I was able to find a great bracelet to go with it, although not the same brand.

 

http://www.1928.com/collections/downton-abbey-jewelry/downton-abbeyr-ruby-red-jewel-gold-drop-necklace.html

 

There is a nice feel of how the jewelry goes with the dress.

[laurspag]

Anita, those glasses look nice! It's funny, because I'm due to make an appointment. I'm lucky if I can get glasses to last me two years, but I made it with these. They are definitely in need of replacement. The frames have held up good, but I need new lenses. Even if my eyes haven't changed, the coating on the lens wears off, and it does this funny thing...it's like the coating starts to separate, and it is almost like being smudged. Anyway, I'm hoping to find the right shape this time. I know that the shape at the top should be similar to your eyebrow, and that the top should end up in the eyebrow area...now to find something like that! We'll see.

 

I do think my eyes have changed though. Do any of you have experience with the contacts make for people who wear bifocals?

[ChollaChick]

Laurie - I have worn glasses or contacts for over 30 years. I recently got the bifocal contacts and they work well. I am down to my last pair so I have been mainly wearing my glasses, but the contacts were very easy to get used to.

 

I got a new pair of glasses last year that are very similar in shape to yours, Anita. I really like them. The shape seems to work for me even though they violate the "eyebrow rule". Actually, they kind of violate all the rules - my glasses are rebels. Lol. They are not earth toned. I struggle with a lot of earth colors looking muddy on me. And the earthy glasses were just not working. These glasses are actually a very dark blue with flowered edge pieces. They looked the best of all the ones I tried on. Sometimes I seriously doubt my earthiness because of the muddy effect I get with a lot of the colors I associate with OUR colors. Do you know what I mean?

 

Laurie - your new lace dress is beautiful. I can totally see you wearing that. It's very much your style. I think for our upcoming cruise there will be three formal nights (it's a 12 nighter) so I need to start planning for that. I am excited. Its finally in sight after four cruise free years one is within reach. Yay.

[Anita Latte]

Anyway, I'm hoping to find the right shape this time. I know that the shape at the top should be similar to your eyebrow, and that the top should end up in the eyebrow area...now to find something like that! We'll see.

 

I do think my eyes have changed though. Do any of you have experience with the contacts make for people who wear bifocals?

 

I read that post that Curt did and totally disagree. That's insane to think that your glasses will be that big all the time that the frame will follow your exact eyebrow line? No way.

 

I think the top line should have some sort of complementary line that "goes" with your the line of your eyebrow but don't go looking for that non double eyebrow look... The bottom shape is very important for the effect on your jawline and overall face shape. What I like about my current glasses is that it's a soft angle, but not curved and the bottom of the glasses is narrower than the top (this really helps my face a lot).

 

And the most important thing...MUY IMPORTANTE...your eyes should be in the center of the frames. CENTER. If you have extra glass hanging below your eyes...I can't describe well...but it has a negative impact and isn't nearly as flattering as when your eyes are in the center. That is a fix that is hard to do...so really pay attention to where your eye hits in the frame because that's the way it will be most times, even after "fitting."

 

My glasses last because I don't wear them daily. I often go without any corrective vision. I just have learned to live in a somewhat blurry world when I don't NEED to see clearly. My vision isn't horrible...and my correction is as much for astigmatism as for near-sightedness. My prescription hasn't changed in like 5 years. There's only been some sort of axis change in my contacts, but that is related to the astigmatism not the magnitude of my prescription.

 

I don't have any problems with up close vision...so I don't have bifocals.

 

Funny all the talk about heating. We have the upstairs unit set for 62. DS sleeps above the garage...so his room is usually colder than the set point. I set it warmer downstairs, that thermostat is in the same room as the fireplace, which has a gas starter but is wood burning. We can really get the heat going in the family room. It was 77 in there last night with the fire!

 

I love how that saves on the gas bill...we are blanket people. I have blankets all over the house on the sofas and chairs. And of course, we dress for the weather...some of DH's family...OMG...we go over to their house and they are wearing shorts and tees and blasting their heat. All I can think is...what kind of bill do they pay each month? I have other things I'd rather spend my money on...

[Anita Latte]

Oh! Your dress is just you Laurie. Very nice.

 

The jewelry reminds me that the dresses and costumes from Downton Abbey are on display at the Biltmore until the middle of May. I've been trying to figure out how to do a little weekend jaunt to the area to be able to see them! The Biltmore itself is way out of my budget...but there are some more affordable packages to some nearby hotels that include admission to the Biltmore. The big question was whether or not to include DS...I was thinking it might be a nice romantic getaway for DH and myself, but I'm not sure what DS would do.

[Sailor_Sally]

I wore glasses & contacts for many years . I tried the bifocal contacts but did not like them so I settled on monovision contacts. One eye is for distance and one is for close up after you wear them your brain adjusts and it is just like they are both the same vision . When I was in my 50's I had cataract surgery and they implanted monovision lenses . I now am free from glasses & contacts forever . It is great !

Laurie, Love the dress & the 1928 jewelry will go great with it .

Anita , Love those glasses !