All Things EARTH... part 2

[laurspag]

Mine we ordered so about two more weeks. It's a sectional for the family room.

 

And on the dresses...the big thing is that I want a better deal! And I need work clothes more.

[laurspag]

I'm hearing Florida is in for some bad weather tomorrow. Sally, I hope you are safe from the storm.

 

In other news, I'm considering a short cruise in February. It is a 4 day that goes to Cozumel. Maybe!!!

[awhfy]

Sally, stay safe. FL could get over 15" of rain in places

[Sailor_Sally]

Thank you . The storm was bad yesterday with flooding , lightening and wind . Today it was just storm squalls with wind & rain . We also had some flooding . Tomorrow should be back to normal .

[Sailor_Sally]

Thank you . The storm was bad yesterday with flooding , lightening and wind . Today it was just storm squalls with wind & rain . We also had some flooding . Tomorrow should be back to normal .

 

I spoke too soon . We had thunder , lightening , wind and strong rain all night and into the morning . I thought we would float away . It is always exciting living on the water when a big storm goes through . It is sunny now and the only damage was it destroyed my patio umbrella . I am soooo glad to see that storm leave .

[Sailor_Sally]

I'm hearing Florida is in for some bad weather tomorrow. Sally, I hope you are safe from the storm.

 

In other news, I'm considering a short cruise in February. It is a 4 day that goes to Cozumel. Maybe!!!

 

 

I knew you would have to get a cruise fix before September .

[laurspag]

You bet, Sally! And my husband is liking the idea. I am thinking of February, because we can usually get decent fares. Spring break varies a lot, but mostly for the month of March. School kids get a February break depending on location, and that is usually the week of President's Day. I'm getting good rates for that week still, but I'm looking at the week prior. There is one on Brilliance that runs 4 days starting on Thursday. Even with flying down a day early, I'm only using up 3 vacation days from work because I'm off on President's Day.

 

We'll see where we end up! I don't mind the end of January, but March...as I mentioned, spring break. And I'd have to work around the NCAA basketball tournament, lol.

 

It's funny, I decided to take a vacation day on Tuesday thinking I would end up with a 4 day weekend, and be doing all sorts of things. My husband is currently working overtime until around 10:30 PM, and does the same again tomorrow. Then my girls had plans today. One has plans for tomorrow. Long story short, it's turning into an uneventful weekend of weeding the garden! Maybe I'll figure something out for Monday or whatever.

[MJC]

Laurie, I finally took advantage of the cooler weather and spent yesterday trimming all our bushes. :) Today I'm going to tackle the front garden, which is usually in full sun, so not a project for 90 degree weather. We were trying to be frugal this spring so we didn't mulch the gardens or treat the patio, and as a result I have been battling weeds like never before, and the weeds are definitely winning.

 

We kind of planned our weekend expecting massive amounts of rain from Hermine, but she's far enough out in the ocean that we're not getting bad weather in NJ. We do have the high winds, but no rain so far. I have no excuse now to not be working in the yard again today. :( At least it's exercise. DH has a cold so he is resting a lot

 

Sally, I was thinking of you. My sister is living on Siesta Key until her house closing next week, and they lost power during the storm. Glad to hear that things weren't too bad for you. Scary though, I'm sure.

 

I had another productive trip to Michigan. My dad's cancer is very small and he'll have the easiest of the surgeries we were anticipating. He doesn't have any other melanomas, so we were very relieved. I'll head out there again at the end of the month to take him to Ann Arbor again for the surgery. Fortunately the doctor at the assisted living facility will be able to take out the stitches and save us a second trip to AA.

 

I am very relieved to have put his Corvette in storage. Since the facility is repaving the parking lots, I just took the keys while he was in the bathroom and put it in the garage and told him about it after the fact. He has some anxiety every morning when he doesn't see it out front, but I feel that is better than the anxiety the rest of us were having that he was driving it without insurance, not to mention the risk that he would have an accident and hurt himself or others. They are very kind there and will walk him over to the garage (because he doesn't remember where it is) to see his car all safe and sound whenever he gets agitated about it.

 

It turns out I will be traveling each weekend for the next three weeks. I am so happy to have my little EARTH capsules and my nice hand luggage for these kinds of trips. One of these days I'll take a pictures of my shoe capsules. As much as I love pretty shoes, I have been trying to limit my purchases and be very goal oriented about it. Each capsule has a dressy shoe, bootie, work shoe, walking shoe, loafer, work sandal, walking sandal, and flip flop. I have black, brown, saddle (tan), and pewter/champagne capsules. I found that those were the kinds and colors of shoes I wore the most. I have some lovely shoes that just sit in the closet most of the time, so I am trying to be more strategic. All this is definitely the end result of the color theory and capsule planning that I've learned in the last few years.

 

I do have several pairs of boots and evening shoes, but I don't consider those as part of the capsules. Well, maybe the boots would count but I only have them in black and brown. I also have a tote bag and at least one handbag for each capsule color.

 

I've also been refining my bottoms. So, I've been focusing on black, navy, brown, and champagne/khaki. Each capsule has a long skirt, short skirt, dress pant (or two), casual pant, ankle pant, pedal pusher, and skort. I do have a few patterned bottoms and orphan colors, but since they are hard to travel with (very specific and don't mix and match well) I have been thinking more carefully about buying any more things like that.

 

So, with limiting the colors of my bottoms, shoes, and bags, I can go crazy with mix and match Earth tops and have an easy but interesting wardrobe that also travels well. The core of my work tops seem to be the Pleione ones I talked about before, and my favorite casual tops are the ones from Lucky Brand, so even though I have lots of tops that I like, I find that there are still some that I always tend to grab first.

 

I have my eye on the Baja/Sea of Cortez cruise from Princess for next fall. I've been watching the pricing changes for this year and I have a strategy to score a deal next year. It would be during the slow time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the prices drop significantly after final payment date, so I think if we jump at the right time and aren't picky about our cabin, we can do all right.

[MJC]

I knew you would have to get a cruise fix before September .

 

:D:D:D

 

Nachi Cocom!!

[laurspag]

Well, one of my daughters didn't have plans for today, other than meeting a friend for breakfast. So we decided we'd head to the Waterloo Outlet Mall when she is done. Now, the other daughter had a change in plans so we are all going to Waterloo for now. I'll finish that weeding tomorrow!

 

I got some incredible deals at the Loft Outlet Store the last time I was there, and the selection was quite different than what you see in the regular store. I'll see what I find today. I am thinking summer items will be on sale, if I need them, and fall items should be in.

 

I found a suit! An olive green one. I didn't want to spend a lot because if I lose weight, those are difficult and expensive to take in. I have to buy separates, and I found an olive green suit at New York and Company. I had a really good coupon and free shipping. I believe I paid about $90.00 for both pieces. That isn't great, but it's not horrible either. I wasn't finding anything in earth colors, and when I did, I was going to be spending a lot more than $90.00 so this was a good option for me.

 

I can get away with mix and match attire overall, but I always need one matching suit for certain meetings and so on. This fits the bill.

 

If I go the route of sweater sets, I can dress them up really nice with jewelry and nice shoes. That is one of my favorite go to ideas right now, since sweaters have stretch and I find that if you loose a bit of weight, you can still be a medium, you know what I mean? For pants, I rotate between JCP and NY & Co. right now. I can get good sales when pants are about $20.00 to $25.00.

 

It's always nice to think that you can wear the baggy clothes, then go shopping when you are "done" losing weight. The thing for me is, I've been losing weight for about a year and half, and it is a slow process. I still need clothing for various things that needs to be presentable. So I look for really good sales, and with dresses, I look for styles that can be taken in easily. I also make sure that I really love them. If I don't love them, I am not inclined to spend the money to have them adjusted.

 

Remember that ivory/tea stained color lace Ralph Lauren dress I wore on formal night a few cruises ago? I loved that dress, and it was on clearance. I still waited, and got it for something like $45.00. It still fits nice, but I need to take up the shoulders a bit. I may be able to do it myself, but if not, my tailor can do it for $20.00, and I love the dress so it is well worth it.

 

Athleta is having a nice sale right now with clearance. I love the look of some of their skorts, and I know that Melody and Anita like their clothing a lot. I only have a swimsuit and coverup from there, but I like them a lot. Plus, they have free returns!

[MJC]

Here is my theory about losing weight and baggy clothes.

 

YOU know they are loose because you know your own story. But to other people who may not know about your weight loss journey, they just look like ill-fitting clothes. Especially for us professional women, who need to meet the expectations of others to a certain extent in terms of looking professional, replacing those loose things at an earlier stage is just part of the deal. I can rotate some stuff to casual wear or lake wear, but with pants and things they just have to go to Goodwill. That's why bargain-hunting until I get to a certain size is necessary (but fun, too, for the thrill of the hunt).

 

My mother spent her whole life unhappy with her weight and wearing cheap baggy stuff "until she got smaller." Which she never did. I value myself enough that I want to look pulled together regardless of how much or how little I weigh. I am willing to give up a nice dinner out for a good pair of pants any day. :)

 

Back to cruising... I am now obsessing with learning everything I can about the Ruby Princess!

[awhfy]

Chicos (at least at the outlets) had a ton of Browns, I counted 6 different shades! My oldest daughter & I spent over 6 hours (& 28,000 steps on her Fitbit!) wandering the outlet yesterday. Chicos, Columbia & White House Black Market were the winners... This morning (@ 5:30am) we went to the balloon festival with our younger daughter & DGD. I wore my new wine colored hoodie from Columbia (also bought a mocha one). Two great days!

 

Second for Nachi Cocom. Best grilled grouper I've ever had! Melody

 

 

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[laurspag]

You make a very good point, Margaret. And here's another thing: I have to be careful with my selections to begin with, because I'm "boobified" and a bit short waisted. I look frumpy extremely easily. So if I have something baggy on, it's awful.

 

And I have those work impressions to make. I'm so happy that I found three pairs of work pants at JCP a month ago where one pair was $17.99 and the other two were $24.99. Then I had a coupon besides.

 

And those two Ralph Lauren dresses at L&T that would be over $300.00 total? Well, with today's Bloomingdale's sales prices, they were available for $121.00. I signed up for member loyalty, so there is free returns. There is no harm in trying. There was also free shipping as well. The dresses have simple lines, so we will see what they look like on, and if they can come in easily if I do lose more weight.

 

I would like to lose more, but my journey has been to take care of myself, and that is what I am doing. I am not focusing on a number.

 

No offense to anyone - on this thread or another - but I worry when someone posts that they want to lose weight for a cruise. It seems like it becomes a circle, because it isn't a lifestyle change, it's a short term goal.

 

Am I making sense?

 

Melody, I walked by the Chico's outlet. Boo! I should have stopped in! But there is one at the mall also, so I will try and get up there. I will also check online.

 

WHBM has some cute things online. I'm waiting for a sale on the right items, where I can use my coupon too. We'll see. There is nothing I have to have, just some nice things that I like.

 

Loft Outlet served me well again. There are wonderful sweater sets, but I will need to take pictures for you to see. They have some wonderful earthy colors that I just love there. They don't have shells, as I think we would all call them. They do have different camis, and they have a lace bottom and lace trim on the top that peeks out. It is a very polished look. I have some from my last trip that have a shell, but it has a dyed to match lace overlay, and those look really nice for work.

 

It's great to see who has what. I thought there would be more fall things, but it seems like most stores are focused on summer clearance, and then back to school jeans and some basic tops. It was still a fun trip.

[laurspag]

One thing I forgot to mention about cruise ideas. I present them to my husband in a spreadsheet. No kidding! But it gives him the options in a way that we can clearly see what we are considering. I list them with the ship, date, port, prices. Then underneath I list the pros and cons.

 

For example, we are looking at 5 cruises at the moment. 4 of them are for 5 days, one is for 4 days. The 4 day is cheapest. So the cost and maybe the ability to afford a junior suite (aft balcony, anyone?) are the pros. The cons would be that it only has one port of call (Cozumel) and we've been on Brilliance before.

 

Two of the options are on Independence, with exactly the same itinerary, just different dates and prices. Pros are that it is Independence, and we LOVE this class of ship. The cons would be that it is a bit more expensive, and the overnight pre-cruise hotel would be more seeing that we are sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. And it goes to Jamaica. Not my favorite place, but in Labadee, we can get one of those beach beds again!

 

Choice Air is a strong consideration, seeing that we are looking at February. At the same time, I was thinking of just using Jet Blue, and making sure I get travel insurance. I understand that Choice Air will make sure they get you on the ship. Us that live here in the Northeast know that if we get snowed in, we get snowed in. So would it just make more sense to book Jet Blue, and purchase travel insurance? The air fare is definitely cheaper. And I will still get travel insurance, I always do.

[Sailor_Sally]

All this fall shopping is amusing to me as we do not have fall or spring just summer and winter so I wear the same clothes until late October or November when I start wearing darker colors until late March when it is a return to summer clothes .

Laurie, Since you are flying I would make it a five day .We are using choice air for our TA flight but only because they are a lot cheaper for one way europe flights . You are probably better going with Jet Blue & insurance .

Margaret , You really have your hands full with your Dad and all your travel. Your capsule wardrobe sounds perfect .

Melody , You are a shopping super star .28,000 steps !

Edited September 5, 2016 by Sailor_Sally

[laurspag]

Sally, I try to transition clothes the best I can between seasons. We get so much of everything here in Central New York. Right now I'm wearing shorts. Then I will go to crops when it gets cooler, then maybe ankle pants on to jeans...but the tops I have I can layer. So today it's a short sleeve top, and the next time I wear this it may be with a cardigan, then a cardigan and a scarf, then with heavy fleece over it...lol!

 

But yes, we definitely need clothing for multiple seasons! And there are few people who will wear white after Labor Day around here.

 

Melody, that's a whole lot of walking!

 

I got some very bad news today. My sister-in-law has been fighting cancer. They originally told her that it is a highly treatable form. They have since changed the diagnosis to a much rarer form of lymphoma. A week and a half ago, they they did a scan and decided on a more aggressive form of chemo.

 

She went into the hospital this weekend, and she is now filling up rapidly with tumors that weren't even there ten days ago. They are only giving her a few more days.

 

Lots of prayers are needed for her family. She is a year younger than me, I believe.

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie, So sad to hear about your SIL . It really brings home the idea that your life can change in a moment and to enjoy it while you can.

[laurspag]

Thank you, Sally. I've lost my dad, my sister, my BIL and now my SIL in a short amount of time. I have also lost friends and others as well. Some were older, some were younger. It seems like they were all taken too soon.

 

If I had to live my life over again, I would do a lot of the same things all over. But I would take more time to enjoy little things. I was a divorced mother of two for a long time, so I worked hard to support them, take care of a home, and take time for them. I put aside household chores to sit on the floor an play Barbie, and we baked cutouts together for every imaginable holiday...I'm so glad I did. I never set aside any time for me though, and now that my daughters are in their twenties, I often find myself asking who I am? So it's a discovery process. But I do wish I had let myself enjoy things that were for me, personally, as well as for them.

 

I hope that didn't sound selfish. It wasn't meant to. It's just that losing someone makes you think a lot.

[awhfy]

Laurie, so sorry about your SIL, at least the suffering isn't too long.

 

Don't ever feel bad about neglecting chores to play with your girls. No one ever said, I wish I'd cleaned more! Those are memories your girls will always cherish. Melody

[laurspag]

Thank you, Melody and Sally. We laid my SIL to rest yesterday. In true family fashion, we started with mourning her loss, and ended by celebrating her life. She was a wonderful person.

 

I did order those two Ralph Lauren dresses, and they came in. Here are my thoughts.

 

The olive green dress is just dreamy from a color standpoint for us earth ladies. It is truly a fabulous earthy shade, made even better by the antique gold trim at the neck. The fit of the dress was not right for me though. Also, it goes down quite a bit in the back, so i think even a strapless bra would be an issue. It does not have anything built in for the girls. It is a great fabric, fully lined and worth giving a try if you are looking for a nicer dress. For me though, it's going back.

 

The other dress was different than I thought. I kind of thought the texture would be similar to linen, but heavier, with the leather like trim. The fabric is actually much richer looking (for lack of a better word) than I thought. It's a beautiful dress. I'm still debating on if I want to keep it or not, since I got such a good deal on this by the time all was said and done.

 

I'm still researching ideas for a February cruise. I found myself focusing on two weeks, one of which was winter break for many schools. That meant I was narrowing it down to three other cruises.

 

I mostly use one TA, and I followed him to his new place of employment. However, I did decide to do a check at his original agency and because I said February without giving a specific week, she came back with a few options I really didn't consider. So the hunt goes on!

 

We are looking at day trips for our vacation the week after next. Because we didn't plan anything, I find myself yearning for Lake Placid. I love that place! But if we do decide to do something such as that, it would probably be mid week for an overnight stay. That takes a lot away from the trip, as there is probably close to 5 hours of driving each way. But I'm inspired by you, Melody....we never really do anything that is impromptu, and I think this could be a small scale way of doing it. Ithaca is also another thought, and a much closer drive.

 

I even look forward to all our ideas, and what to wear each day, lol. Some days, it will be about comfort and other days, I will want to be put together but casual. I have a few pair of new jeans and maybe the weather will be right for them? One pair is a "skinny" pair, which I'm hesitant on. But they will look nice with sandals if it isn't too cool and a few of the tops that I have. I'm just trying different things these days. I avoid skinny jeans and crops because I'm an inverted triangle shape, and I feel it draws more attention to that rather than balancing it out.

[MJC]

Laurie, I'm so sorry for you and your family to suffer such a loss yet again. It seems like your family has an unfair share of losing people early. My thoughts have been with you.

[awhfy]

Laurie, your SIL is in a better place, but it's so hard on those that are left, hugs.

 

On your mini vacation, what about Niagara Falls? We went on both sides, the Canadian side is spectacular (& a bit spendy). You might even get some color change. We didn't book anything until day of arrival (& did it by smartphone). If I've learned one the from our trip; don't yearn, do!

 

Melody

 

 

 

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Edited September 12, 2016 by awhfy

[Sailor_Sally]

We just booked a four day cruise just as a quick getaway . I will be breaking all the rules by only taking a carry on and only casual clothes though a few are sun dresses but no dressy clothes at all. We plan on skipping dress up night .It's next month.I have also been firming up our plans for our Transatlantic in April and trying to decide if we should fly business class . I hate those long flights .

 

Melody , Great advice about stop yearning and start doing . Most of my friends are turning 70 and every week I hear about new medical problems that have ended their traveling days.

[laurspag]

Melody, I love Niagara Falls! The last time I was there was 2009, so it's been quite a while. I have mentioned the idea to my husband, who really hasn't said too much. Mostly, it's because he has a great deal of overtime the past few weeks, and then with my SIL passing, it's just taken a back seat to things.

 

I love the Canadian side. We often stay right in the middle of things and then just walk everywhere.

 

Thank you, Margaret. Yes, it does seem that we lose people way too early in my family. It's one of the many reasons that I have tried to take better care of myself. Sometimes, it doesn't matter what you do but I don't want to create any problems by not doing what I should either.

 

Sally - good for you! What line and ship are you going on? What itinerary? I do love the whole dressing up thing, but my husband and I have talked a few times about going more casual on the shorter cruises in particular. Right now, with the 4 and 5 day cruises we are looking at, the plan is to wear a short cocktail dress on formal night. Maybe that gold sequined dress I got from Steinmart? Gee, I'm planning my outfits and I haven't even picked the cruise yet. :rolleyes:

 

Melody, I have been so much more aware of how short life is lately. I'm trying much harder to enjoy it more.

[awhfy]

Sally, have fun! Laurie, that's why we just took off & drove to the east coast. We stayed at the Hilton Fallsview & really enjoyed our free upgrade to a jacuzzi suite! Before I retired I averaged 70 HR weeks, lots of 80 HR weeks & lots (& lots) of travel & didn't get much time for leisure travel...I'm making up for lost time [emoji6]. It isn't feasible for us to take the short cruises, our airfare would be insane! Anything under 10 days just isn't cost effective Not sure if I let you all know. We switched out our Celebrity cruise scheduled for Mar of 17 to a b2b in Apr 17 on Royal's Liberty out of Galveston, we have several friends on this & it'll be a ton of fun

 

My foot surgery is tomorrow - I'm not looking forward to 8-12 weeks of being non-weightbearing [emoji22]. Melody

 

 

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