laurspag

Slidergirl, I have some golden luster pearls that would work with the dress. I love the way they are a bit of a twist on a classic. They felt too big to me though, as they are a larger double strand. I appreciate the input! I was leaning towards the last necklace as well. I sometimes try things that are different that don't always work the way I think they will. It's nice that I have things to choose from. Have you noticed how they don't really make thi gs that are ideal for jewelry when it comes to traveling? I have to use little boxes for some of my necklaces because they don't fit in a jewelry roll.

I forgot to mention but I don't have earrings that go with the pendant, so it would.just be the necklace. I might have a good bracelet. Thoughts??

I need so.w thoughts. I have a dress chosen for dress your best night. It was the mother of the bride dress I wore for my daughter's wedding in 2019. It is a high low jersey.dress that reaches the floor in the back, but feels more elegant than formal due to the fabric. I did not want to wear the wedding jewelry, as it felt too formal. I thought I knew what necklace I was going to wear, but then I wanted to try some other options. They are all completely different. There is a statement necklace, a smaller, more traditional pendant and then a more whimsical option. Here is the dress. It isn't earth. I added a filter to try to get the color as close as possible. It is a bit more blue. i was trying to get good photos, but these will do for now. Statement necklace: Next is the traditional: Lastly the whimsical. Just to note, it is two dimensional, with silver, gold, rose gold and a few rhinestones.

It's funny when we talk about shape. I think we learn more and more about our bodies every day. For myself, things such as ties, belts or a change in a dress near the waist is bad for me. I'm short waisted, and with the large chest I have, it creates a really bad silhouette. I'm not sure what the proper name is for my shape. inverted triangle is the only thing that seems accurate, since my shoulder span alone is pretty big, but then there is the chest below it. I find that something semi fitted is usually a good style for me, but I emphasize the semi part. It is really more about something that follows the body shape. Some looser dresses tent out over my chest. I do have some nice swing dresses that drape well, so that works good. So does a-line. Sometimes, I find a dress that makes me look like I have a waist, and that is very exciting for me.

7 nights on Harmony out of Miami, Anita. We go to Cococay, St. Kitt and st. Thomas.on sea days, we do all sorts of things but I don't have the sweat issues I have when we are in port. There may be days where I cN rewear things, but after the hike, for example, I will probably need a clean outfit. I'd rather bring home an extra outfit than trying too figure out what I can rewear, you know? Wimbledon looks like such a wonderful bucket list item. I'm excited just seeing the process you went through and how you were able to attend. That has to be a wonderful memory for you. Pimms...I will have to look that up. I am not familiar with it. And I really like your dress! It looks like it travels well. I am trying to pay more attention to that when I narrow down my travel clothes.

This is where I am at right now. I want to eliminate one outfit. The new tank top has great colors. I can wear it with so many of the shorts. The background is a very light ivory, but the rest is good.

Anita, mosquitos like.me too. It's awful. I did an ecohike in Roatan and visited ruins in Costa Maya. I wore pants one of the two times and the other time, the bugs treated me as an all you can eat buffet. I haven't tried the rust ones on, but I was thinking of the ecru Athleta pants. They are perfect for this. I currently have a sleeveless workout shirt planned, as bug spray works decent on my arms. Not my legs though? No idea why. I'm really liking the green top. The wrinkles fall out with body heat. The brown is the quickest drying.

Melody, you look great! Your dress is very elegant. I'm hoping it was light enough for you so that it helped the heat and humidity. Anita...Wimbledon! What a thrill! How amazing. I can't wait to hear more. Your beer sure looked tasty! Margaret, I am trying to figure out right now what daytime outfits to leave home. I love a clean outfit, and I'm not necessarily a fan of rewearing things after a sweaty day. I realized that I would prefer pants for the hike we are doing to help deter bugs. Plus I sometimes.like to change after dinner and it tends to be cooler. So I'm trying to figure out what stays home. I'm trying not to overpack. I'm also trying to pick a necklace for dress your best night.

Most of the museums I have gone into have been for things other than art, it seems. I have been to a lot of car museums, as my husband is a bit of a gearhead. We also enjoy history and science museums a lot. We have a museum downtown, and I've been talking to my husband about going for a visit. At Christmas time, they always have an exhibit called Festival of the Trees, which I really want to make time for. My husband tends to work a lot of overtime from around November through April, so it feels like we don't do as much. One museum I found fascinating, as well as overwhelming, was the Corning Glass Museum. tt is endlessly big. My mother in law was quite a painter, and I enjoyed art a lot when I was younger. I'm just not very good at it, lol. My husband has told me so many times that when I retire, I need to go out immediately and buy art supplies, because he thought I was very good when I showed him some things from when I was in high school. I told him that my mind is too full all the time to be able to just paint or draw. But hey, if I'm retired, it wouldn't hurt to try! I've got a few more years until then though. Oh, and I love to go to aquariums. I am just a little over a month away to my cruise!!!! Yay!!! I'm making a shirt change, but will otherwise wear the items I have been posting. I am making no changes to any of the dinner dresses, and I think I have jewelry figured out. There is just the necklace for dress your best night that I'm on the fence about. I don't want to wear the one I wore for my daughter's wedding. The other option is a nice one, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I will likely bring that one though. I have a pretty good sized collection, but I don't really see what I want. Instead of drawing and painting, I should learn to make jewelry, lol. That would be a blast. Anita, I love how you didn't plan and just went with the flow. I am getting much better at that. Tate Modern sounds so intriguing.

Here are some of her earrings I have. She makes such beautiful items. She has a drop coming tomorrow with a pair that have gold and yellow pressed flowers in the clay.

By the way, I totally get what you mean about the ecru pants. First, they are lightweight and breathable, so they are easy to wear when it is warm out. I was just home, but I found myself being careful that I didn't get them dirty. I love my morning coffee. At one point, I drank it black and then with just cream. For the past several years, I tend to make a nice medium or dark roast on my Keurig, and add a sweetened creamer. Chobani has some nice ones that are especially appealing because of the natural, simple ingredients. I absolutely hate the containers though....I end up with it dripping everywhere. I love a caramel macchiato when we are out and about and I get a specialty coffee. Pictures to come of the earring options. I used her Instagram page for the photos because mine were not coming out very good.

Anita, you all look so happy and relaxed! Sometimes, it can be a lot of fun to enjoy time with our adult kids. I know I love spending time with my daughters. I was always told that from my dad's side, I'm all Polish and from my mom's side, a little bitt of different things. I have found that my mom was correct, but my dad had some German in him. Since my mom did also, I'm more German than Polish. I always use that as my excuse for liking beer! We don't really need an excuse though. One of my favorite pictures is from a cruise where we went to Key West, and had lunch at a place called Flying Monkey. They served a local all called Crazy Lady Honey Blonde Ale, and I've always wanted to go back to Key West, just to get those crab cakes and beer again. My standard go to beer is Blue Moon, because I love having a beer that doesn't taste watery but still has some good fruit under current to it. In the fall, I will stock up on Sam Adams Octoberfest because it is only available for a month or two. I see a beer in my near future. See what posting about pubs does? Seriously though, I love that you really seem to be at home with yourself. Does that make sense? It has taken me a long time to figure myself out, but I'm starting to pay a lot of attention to when I see something and it makes me happy. For example, Express has had this mustard satin swing dress that I've been eyeing for a while. Whenever I see it, I think of these really fun earrings I have been migrating to lately, and I imagine wearing this dress with those earrings. I just want to be me. I mention this because when I see you wearing those neat harem pants, I think that they make you smile like I smile when I see this dress I like. Here is the link, and I plan to buy it as soon as the website figures out their issue. I have a coupon and cash about to expire, so I decided to go for it: Satin Halter Neck Mini Shift Dress | Express | Express I'll post picture of the earrings when I have a moment. Did you see many cars, or is the tube the main mode of transportation?

Im.glad you are having a great time, Melody!

Anita, those ecru joggers from Athleta....I HAVE THEM! Here is a funny story. I have the rust colored ones, and earlier this year, they were having their semi annual clearance and the ecru ones were on sale. I decided to get them, as I figured they would be a nice neutral to have. After they came in, I debated about returning them because I thought they were a bit too snug. After you posted those, I remembered that I had them and tried them on again! They fit! I've been wearing them for two days now. 🙂 I am not sure about the rust ones, as they are a size smaller than the ecru ones are. I need to try those on again. I would very much like the olive green that they have now, for the same reason you have mentioned - it's a good green. I have an older pair of bottoms from Athleta in a color they called green, and when they came in, I was certain they were gray. I could only get a glimpse of green in certain lights. I wonder if it is the same green you have? Those were recently donated, as they haven't really fit well in a while. Those had a stretch woven front, and a knit back so I could wear them, but they just didn't look than good. Today was check in day. That always gets me excited for a cruise. I love hearing about your visit, Anita. I am always so fascinated by the different places we travel to, and how people get around, what they do, etc. It's like when I go to Boston. I was thinking about how Melody is there now, and the train is really the way to go. I saw buses, but the train seems to go wherever you need it to. We walked a ton too. I especially liked walking, because you get a glimpse of what it is like to live somewhere different. There are all these attached (row?) type housing, and on one side of the street where these dwellings were, things were quiet with trees, people walking their dogs. You cross over a median, and the train is running and there are grocery stores and restaurants. It is true city living. Syracuse has only a bit of that, really. It is mostly commercial and as you move away from downtown, there are many very poor areas, with plenty of boarded up houses. I'm not into big projects these days, but some of the abandoned houses have the most stunning architecture, and just need some love to bring them back to life. It's a rough thing to live in the city though, and it takes a lot of money to restore a house. Kat, I love that Dressbarn shirt. I have had it a long time, as well as Melody. I think maybe Margaret has it too? I think I can go back to around 2016 with it. It just had great earth colors, and it travels well. The tropical flowers scream vacation too.

I would definitely wear those for travel too! I'm loving the new shade of green. I too have an older pair in a shade of rust. I wore them last year on my cruise. I have to try them on and see how they fit. If I use this existing pair or a new pair, I was thinking of travel to and from, plus the day hiking. The bugs were awful last time, so leg coverage would be good!! I totally know what you mean about shoes. I have absolutely none that don't bother me. I kind of grade them on a slide rule these days. That is why I was excited about the kitten heels for formal night. I'm going to work at breaking them in, but I think I am at about 70% as far as comfort goes.

I would definitely wear something like this. I love this green and they also have a camel like color that might be versatile. https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=533655#pdp-page-content

Just a little diversion here, but I worked on daytime outfits again. Here are some pictures. I'm not bringing everything you see - I just took pictures of ideas. IN this picture here, the top row is the same pair of shorts with very similar tops. On the bottom is the same top with two different pairs of shorts. That trusty Dressbarn shirt... This picture here contains two skorts. I'm not on the gold one, I think I need to wear it a few times. It is a bit snugger than I like. The marine blue skort went with me the last cruise, as I love the quick drying feature when I am sweaty. The bottom left is an outfit where the shorts are similar in color to the skort. The picture of two shirts are just some options. I especially like the gold shirt with the ivory shorts you will see in another picture. These two outfits here I like a lot. The tops are comfy, as well as the shorts. With this last picture of daytime outfits, the one on the right is something I really like. These are the same shorts in the first picture. I've had the top a long time, and it is super light weight so it is good when you want a little protection from the sun. More than likely, both items with go but not necessarily be worn together. I always have an outfit for when the evening is a little cool and that top with my linen pants or cropped pants works well. The shirt on the right is a cold shoulder top I love. You can see that there are a lot of mix and match options, which I love. And swimsuits! I didn't take pictures of the coverups. WE hve a day in Cococay, and that will likely be one of two tankinis on the bottom, since they are less complicated than a one piece. The upper right is a $25.00 (I think?) clearance suit from Athleta that I think will work for the hot tub.

Anita, you have touched on a lot of topics that I have think about quite a bit. I often ask myself what to wear on a flight, on I personally opt for comfort, while also trying to look nice. I tend not to wear sweats or leggings too often, but it is a personal preference, I guess. When I am sitting a while and don't really have a lot of options for moving and stretching, the idea of wearing something tight in the waist or uncomfortable shoes just takes away from the excitement for me. For this upcoming trip, I was thinking of wearing a pair of the woven jogger style pants I have from Athleta. I also have a pair from Eddie Bauer. The elastic waist and stretchy fabric is ideal. I usually grab a sleeveless top and then add a sweater or something similar. I am almost always cold on a plane. The last two cruises I have opted for a zip up hoodie in an warmer oatmeal color. It so happens that I picked it up onboard one of my cruises so it has the RCI logo on it. This zip up serves as my go to if I get cold during the cruise. While I may get chilly, I seldom want to add layers when onboard. I'm sure that would be different if we were sailing someplace cold. That outfit will likely be my going home outfit too. I've only been on one flight that had a middle section. I think it is because we are usually just flying to and from Florida, so our planes aren't super big. Most have three seats either side, but sometimes only two for the last leg home to Syracuse. The black ballet flats that you said you didn't really need - were they your new ones you purchased to go with the dress? I always love to see what others are wearing. As for city attire, Syracuse is extremely poor. Those people you see in the city in the hub of downtown are there for work or for some of the restaurants and bars vs. living in the area. Workers are wearing general business attire or business casual, with sneakers that they change out of once they get to the office. (my daughter cannot wear sneakers in the office at all, even when she allowed to wear jeans) I live in the suburbs so what you see me post is pretty much how I dress everywhere. I love that backpack. My older daughter has one that she tends to use instead of a purse. My grandson is almost four now, so it holds a few extras, such as a coloring book, his tablet, wipes for when he gets dirty, etc. He is past the age where she needs a diaper bag, in most cases, but she still needs room for extras. I need to find the type of crossbody bag I want. It's hard - I have to accommodate more than a wallet area and phone. Prescription sunglass with case and hearing aid batteries go with me everywhere. Plus my phone is a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so it is kinda big. I was looking a bit at the hard sided luggage. I'm good for now with mine, but my daughter sometimes travels for work, and I thought about getting her luggage for Christmas last year and didn't. I was wondering a lot about the pros and cons. The open in the middle part really throws me off.

Margaret, this sounds like it is going to be such a fun cruise. Being able to see the Northern Lights is a bucket list of mine. Alaska is as well. I find preparing for cooler weather trips to be tricky, but at the same time, simplified. It is tricky because you can be dealing with lots of different temperatures. Layers can be the way to go, for sure. Where it is simplified is that when you are out and about, your clothes are covered and you aren't sweating so re-wearing clothing is easy to do. I know when I went on the Pacific coastal cruise, I thought it would be warmer than it was, but I easily could have brought along a few pairs of jeans to repeat, and then tops, scarves and sweaters to rotate to help with packing. I was just thinking that depending on what you are doing, you may need some specific clothing, right? I love the clothes planning, that is so much fun for me. I've been taking pictures of daytime outfits, but it seems I am often wearing an item I'm bringing or perhaps there is something in the laundry. I had a bit of a cold over the weekend, so I didn't do a whole lot last week. I am thinking that this week I will be in a good spot to take pictures, I think. I dress simply during the day, but it is fun to plan out a few accessories for sea days and what not. I usually pick the nicest outfit for boarding, because it is nice to start out the cruise feeling good! I don't know if any of you shop at Banana Republic. I never did in the past, as I always felt they were too expensive but after the visit to the outlet store, and seeing some good deals, I decided to take a better look. That is wear I found the charmeuse maxi dress that I posted a few months ago. i ended up getting a pair of work pants for myself and a few for my daughter. Then about 3 weeks ago, I got a suit for work that was on clearance with an additional percentage off. It is a really nice olive green. both purchases came with "cash" to use at another time, so I took a look and ordered a few very well priced items. I wanted to share a really pretty linen shirt they had. I tried it and loved how it look, but it was a more traditional linen, and it was just too rough for my skin. It was $57.00, with an additional 20% off but then I was able to use the cash I earned as well. Embroidered Linen-Blend Blouse | Banana Republic Factory (gapfactory.com) I also got a nice pair of olive shorts and a top for work. All were marked down. Melody, it sounds like you have a fun trip to Boston planned! We really have nothing planned other than our cruise in September. It has been a summer of catching up on things we have been putting off. I don't necessarily mind, as we really want to get things caught up. I think replacing the furnace really cut into our budget, and while we have good health insurance, all the copayments for tests, doctors and treatments for my husband have added up. It is good to be getting back to normal, even if our budget is a little tighter temporarily. Talking about all these things makes me want to run upstairs and start taking clothing pictures again, lol. I think I have to do the laundry first! It has been very hot here, so I'm wearing lots of warm weather clothes. That reminds me - I wanted to ask you all a question. Do you find you wear more dresses or shorts in warm weather? I tend to wear a mix, but for a cruise it is definitely shorts and some skorts because of the wind. I have some basic knit swing dresses that are a go to when I get home from work at this time of the year.

I've been looking at daytime clothes for the cruise since I think my dinner attire is fairly well set. I like to try and make sure I can mix and match a bit, just in case. I like to throw in jewelry too, but I focus on keeping it functional. Here is a group picture of some items, but there are a few tops I didn't get out that will likely be replacing some of these. I think the top left two outfits are set. That Dressvarn Hirt has gone on every cruise since I got it, lol. The green shirt next to it is a cold shoulder top I like a lot. The bottom left outfit is a quick drying skort that is good for being out and about in a port, where I'm likely to be sweating a lot. The shirt is an oldie but goodie from Target that is quick drying too. I happen to be wearing a shirt I think I'm bringing...it's funny because I took pictures last weekend but was wearing a pair of shorts I couldn't add to my photos because I was wearing them.

Ah yes...I enjoy people watching too! It's fun to see what others are wearing. It may be something I would or wouldn't wear,but still fun!

I'm glad you are having a good time, Anita! I look forward to hearing about it when you return. I probably wouldn't even know where to start with a trip such as yours- there must be so many options for things to see and do. Margaret, I think when you wear heels, and then put on something like a kitten heel or smaller wedge, it's shocking how incredibly comfortable they can be. I was very excited that they felt so good. Shoe fit is a really rough thing for me. First, I have a good sized foot. I wear a 9 wide. Sometimes, they still aren't wide enough. My foot as a whole isn't wide, just across the toe span due to bunions. For shoes, I often have to add inserts to the heel and sometimes in the shoe itself to keep it where it needs to be. Sandals during the summer and clogs in cooler weather are a lifesaver for me. clogs aren't an option for work, but I can find sandals that are appropriate. I'm very happy that the dress code has relaxed a bit. I find chunky heels better than a spily heel, but some of them are hard for me to get used to visually. After all, your footwear needs to work with the outfit.

Slidergirl, I wasn't familiar with this brand but I just checked them out. They have a lot of cute prints. I think the first word that came to mind when looking at their options was "fun". It really seems to give off a fun, boho vibe.

Melody, they come in wide and regular width, and I think 3 or 4 colors. Honestly, they are some of the best shoes I've tried on in a long time. If the bottoms seem slipperty to you, as many dress sandals are, just scuff them with sandpaper or get those non slip pad for shoes. I am very focused on making sure I don't slip or anything like that. I started toying with daytime outfits this morning. I really like and look for pockets, but my phone is often too big. I also have to switch between regular glasses and prescription sunglasses readily. I ordered this small crossbody a while back but ended up returning it because it wasn't big enough for my eyeglass case and phone both. (plus hearing aid batteries and sea pass) I need to try again. I have some pairing done for the two dresses I didn't post, but really just in case something comes up and I swap out one of the other dresses. The other animal print dress I've had for quite a while and it has gone on a few cruises before. The purplish dress was throwing me off. I think I may wear it to work soon. If just doesn't feel like a cruise dress to me, for some reason. I hope that makes sense!

Those are my new ones! Aren't they great? I have another pair of from this brand that also have kitten heels in a bone color. I purchased those 4 years ago, so I'm not sure if they still make the style.