All things EARTH...

[laurspag]

I am thinking of you also. I hope everything went well.

[cruzisme]

Margaret, hope all went well for your hubby.

[MJC]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for thinking of us. DH is doing very well, his surgery went like clockwork and he's meeting all the benchmarks so far to possibly come home tomorrow evening. It's been an exhausting couple of days but I know the real work will begin when he's home! Can't wait to have him home, though.

[laurspag]

Margaret, I'm so happy to hear everything went well for your husband. It sounds like he is a determined man. You are right when you say the real work starts when he gets home, but it gets better each and every day. I was thinking about you living in an apartment...you have an elevator, yes? Maybe that's a silly question, but I was trying to figure out how he would get there after this type of surgery!

 

I'm off today, as I had some vacation time to use up before the end of the year. I'm still going to lose a day, but I'm happy that I could squeeze today in. My daughter and I are running errands - the post office for stamps - and a few other things before going to the mall. I don't really need to pick up much at this stage, but it will be fun to get out and spend time with her. Plus, we have to get a Winnie the Pooh charm for my other daughter's Pandora bracelet! Fun!

 

I took some pictures of my decorating, but I didn't get a lot. Here are a few.

 

Outside:

 

 

Inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are more pictures, but I have to upload them yet. We love to decorate. It's just hard to bring all the different things together the way we want.

[awhfy]

Margaret, so happy your DH is doing well, now you can relax (till he gets home, then you'll be too busy). Enjoy the time together Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret , Glad to hear everything went well .

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie, Your decorations are great . We hopefully will get our tree up this week.

[mousey]

Well, moving right along...

 

I got my Thanksgiving stuff put away and took out a few Christmas things. I did 4 loads of wash and got the house lightly decorated for Christmas. It's just enough because as you know we're off on the cruise on the 19th - 26th. We'll open a few gifts before we leave and then some when we get back from the cruise. I can't wait!

 

Margaret,

It's a long haul to recuperate so I hope your DH has a lot of patience (and you too...LOL!) My cousin's husband got cabin fever and is just now getting out of the house and driving. It took him about 2 1/2 months to get to where he is. He's still not able to walk for too long of a time. The DH and I went with him and my cousin to a couple of estate sales on Sat. Then we went to lunch and took a short stroll (about 1/2 hour) around a new outdoor mall in our area...then he was done for the day. Here's hoping the DH recovers quickly and completely. Try to find some time for yourself too. I took my cousin out to lunch once a week during her DH's recuperation and the DH and I visited him and brought some pizza and salad (his choice). He and the DH grew up together as did my cousin and I so we go back a long way and have many many great shared memories of fun times throughout our lives.

 

Laurie,

I can't believe it...your outdoor trees are exactly like two that I bought a couple of years ago at an after Christmas sale. I gave one to my niece for her first apartment and I kept the other one and put it up every year on a credenza by the stairs going up to our bedrooms. I mean they are identical...LOL. I just put mine up yesterday. I decorate it with red ribbons and these adorable hand-crocheted snowflakes that my Mom made for me. I top it off with a hand-tied, red and green plaid bow. Your decorations are lovely...love the cute deer.

 

I got all my Christmas shopping done and wrote up all my Christmas cards. We average about 100 a year. Whew! Today I'm off to the post office to mail the cards and the SIL's (DH's sister) birthday and Christmas gifts. We have a few things to get for the DS and then we're done! Yea! I'm sending gift cards for the kids to my SIL (my DB's wife) so she can buy my nieces and nephews whatever it is they are wanting this season. I do that for all my niece and nephews when I'm not in town. Works great as the SIL loves loves loves the holidays and loves to shop and wrap gifts. She's a peach!

 

I also got our donations for the Vietnam Vets bagged up and listed and now I just have to finish pulling items to donate to my friend's non-profit organization. After that it's time to put outfits together for the cruise and decide on which excursions we'll take...yea! This trip is going to be extra fun because two of our dear friends are going to be at their house in PV so we'll be meeting them for lunch while we're docked there. Can't wait...such a special treat to have them there while we are.

 

Wishing everyone the best of whatever holidays you observe!:D

Edited December 7, 2015 by mousey

[awhfy]

I did our Toys for Tots trip today. Should've seen the faces when I pulled in & said, all of it guys. Like to see happy Marines

[mousey]

Not a good day here. Dad's in the hospital and if things go well he should be home by, hopefully...fingers crossed, Sat. If things don't go well he will require surgery and that would be the end of our cruise. Thank goodness I anticipated that something could go wrong given my mom and dad's health issues so for the first time ever we bought travel insurance through Carnival so I would be able to get our money back if, worst case scenario, we have to cancel. Much as I would hate to have to cancel the cruise...dad comes first.

 

I'll keep everyone posted as I should hear something by the end of tomorrow as to how things are going.

 

Thanks for all your support and prayers, which are much needed right now.

Edited December 9, 2015 by mousey

[awhfy]

Mousey sending healing thoughts. We always buy insurance, cheap peace of mind. Melody

[laurspag]

Mousey, I'm sorry to hear that your father is t well.

[laurspag]

Oops. I wasn't done with that post. I'm sorry your father isn't well, Mousey. If he does need surgery, maybe he will be stable enough for you to go on your trip?

 

I also always buy travel insurance.

 

Margaret, please keep us posted on your husband.

[Sailor_Sally]

Mousey , Sorry to hear about your Dad !

[Sailor_Sally]

I have had four claims on travel insurance . It is cheap for peace of mind .

[mousey]

Thanks for all your support as usual. Just playing a waiting game right now. We'll know more by tomorrow hopefully. It's so hard being so far away and not being able to help. Ugh.

 

Margaret...here's hoping the DH is doing well.

[MJC]

Mousey, so sorry to hear about your dad's troubles. I hope things are looking better today. Insurance is so important when you have elderly parents. We never travel without it now. We're thinking of you and hoping your dad can avoid surgery. Keep us posted.

 

DH came home Monday evening and our first night was pretty rough. But, he's doing very well so far and even walking outside with his walker. We did a lap around the building twice yesterday. We're both learning as we go and are trying to develop a comfortable routine for him. Yesterday the PT worked with him on getting into our tub shower and he was so very happy to have a real shower. It's amazing how the stitches are on the inside with glue on the outside. No staples or stitches to remove.

 

Have I said I'm exhausted? OMG. When he takes a nap, I try to sleep too. It's like having a baby.

 

Laurie, your decorations are so pretty. This year, because it's so early in December, I'm going to wait until Chanukah is over before I put up any Christmas things. The last day is Monday.

[laurspag]

Margaret, it sounds like your husband is doing really well. He is on the road to recovery!

 

Isn't this weather strange? We have no snow yet. I know that will change. It was spring like today but it has been quite cold for about a week up to the change today.

 

We did decide to go ahead with our February cruise. I'm very excited about it. I'm hoping to have time to make Nachi Cocum reservations this weekend for Cozumel and I think we will book with Captain Marvin in Grand Cayman to swim with the stingrays again. It's funny because we will be on Allure in June...we've ever had two cruises this close together.

 

It's funny because I already know what I'm wearing each night of the February cruise, lol. I'll get to that stuff after Christmas. I may need some new shorts but I should be set otherwise.

 

I'm still having some hip issues but its not too bad. I need to start taking Tylenol a bit more regularly and see if it helps. Naproxen is not a good thing to take long term so I was afraid to use it. I used it for 5 days and stopped. Overall though. I'm doing well with the bursitis. It's weird but exercise makes it feel better so I'm still focused on my gym routine but I've changed it up a bit.

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[mousey]

Laurie,

Hope the hip is better and same with Margaret's DH.

 

Good News!

 

Dad is going home tomorrow! They broke up the blockage and he's doing very well now and will not need surgery! Yea! So, it looks like I'll be doing some packing this weekend!

 

Thank you all again for your support! Trust me it helps to know people are sending positive thoughts your way. :D

[MJC]

mousey, I'm so happy for you and your dad!

 

yay Laurie, February cruise!

 

Just yesterday on our news they were talking about how it's the latest Buffalo has gone before having snow. It's supposed to be 62 here tomorrow, a possible record.

[awhfy]

Good news Mousey!!! Laurie. We're getting snow tomorrow

 

Our youngest DGD asked me to take her shopping to get her Mom a Christmas gift. I can't wait to see what she picks out. She's been saving her money since September for this. She is my mini fashionista so this could be interesting...it'll be fun! Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Mousey , Great news about your Dad .

 

Margaret , I hope your husband is doing well & you get some rest

 

Laurie , Have fun planning your Feb, cruise .

 

Melody, Have fun with your granddaughter . We went to Gary's granddaughter's Christmas show yesterday . She is 3 1/2 . It was so cute . My grandson who is also 3 1/2 had his show yesterday but he lives in upstate New York so my daughter filmed it for me . Those shows really got me in the Christmas mood .

[awhfy]

Sally next week are the Christmas school performances for us & oldest DGDs jazz concert (she has 3 solos). Busy time of year & I haven't started baking yet...

[Anita Latte]

Yes, Melody...Good news. There seems to be good reports from everyone regarding all the health concerns that have recently hit. I'm very happy to read it. Margaret...praying for both you and DH to have the patience and the stamina for the recovery road. mousey...so glad you can go on your long looked forward to Christmas cruise. Laurie...very glad that you are working through the hip bursitis and finding a way to keep up with your fitness.

 

Meanwhile...one of the most inspirational things that I have done in a long while...was yesterday...I went to see the inaugural exhibit of Oscar de la Renta at the SCAD FASH in Atlanta. This is the new museum that is associated with the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Here in Atlanta, the museum focuses on fashion and specifically, fashion in film.

 

This first exhibit was first at the main campus in Savannah and the majority of it was transported here to Atlanta. A friend had gone and told me about it...I'm so glad that she did. I asked another friend to go on Thursday and it was a fabulous day.

 

The exhibit featured 84 dresses from the Oscar de la Renta label. Some were designed by the man himself, some by Peter Copping for the label. Some were on loan from the celebrities that wore them, some from ladies that I assume were more "normal" but with a great fashion budget!, and some were from the Oscar de la Renta Archive. The dresses were on manikins and were touchable, though they asked that you refrain from doing so, of course. Point being, you could truly admire and appreciate the workmanship that went into the vast majority of the gowns and dresses on display.

 

I would like to share what I saw. I had to come home and order the book from Amazon. It was for sale there too, but I resisted. I'm so glad. It was on sale on Amazon and there is currently a limited time sale code advertised on the site...and I am eager to read even more about what I saw.

 

I have high hopes of doing more sewing and learning more about that craft. My Great Grandma taught me what has been taught to me and otherwise, I am self taught. I focused in on several looks that I thought I could adapt to an everyday or special occasion outfit that would work for me and be something to aspire to do.

 

It feels like it's been a while since we've been staring at fashion photos...so I hope everyone feels up to the journey 'round the museum that I will recap, if only for my own benefit!

 

The first gown:

 

 

is like the flagship gown for this collection...featured on the cover of the book and the program at the museum. Courtesy of Taylor Swift and worn to the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, May 2014.

 

The hand beadwork on the gown is amazing...and the color in this photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful peachy pink color that the gown is IRL.

 

To whet your appetite for more...I will begin...

 

With this:

 

 

I know how much Laurie and Margaret love lace, so of course, I thought of them in particular. The thing that is so wonderful about this ensemble is the fact that it is a lace JACKET. Unfortunately, I could not touch and move the jacket around to reveal the dress underneath. The dress underneath though, did appear to be more lace over a strategic nude colored lining. And as far as I could tell, the dress underneath was a strapless dress.

 

My thoughts were...how amazing is this! A very practical application of this idea would be to simply purchase a very plain and hopefully well fitting underdress of some sort and to sew the lace jacket to coordinate with the dress. If you were to cruise...and were seriously trying to limit weight/space/# of garments...you could plan to wear the jack with your dress on a subsequent formal night. OR...the lace jacket might be just enough of a cover for early summer/late summer/transitional weather for a special occasion...enough that you wouldn't need to obscure your dress with something in order to keep warm.

 

The fact that is was black reminded me of all the ladies here who are still loving their black...

 

This dress is now a permanent part of the SCAD collection, donated by Jeanne Ferst.

 

This teal and brown jacket was all about Margaret in my mind...if not necessarily about the style...then about the color...and definitely about the appreciation for the work involved in the construction:

 

 

 

I must admit that I was almost shocked to see a bit of a belly curve on the manikin!

 

The teal and brown is shown courtesy of Mercedes T. Bass, New York.

 

I thought again about how wonderful the detailed jacket was with whatever simplicity you might choose wear beneath. The dress here is a throw away piece that was added only so that the manikin wasn't nekked.

 

The lovely Sable-collared coat (which I admit I think it FANTASTIC) is c. 2001, courtesy of Anna Wintour, New York.

 

Anna Wintour courteously loaned many garments for this exhibit. When the docent first mentioned her name and had to explain who she was...well...it was quite the Devil Wears Prada IRL moment...

 

This lovely collection of red, with Flamenco influence:

 

 

again, made me think of both Margaret and Laurie. I did take more detailed pictures of several of these dresses. While my affinity for red dresses isn't a pronounced as Laurie's...I do, also, love a red dress... And there were a couple here that I took very detailed photos of with the thought of doing a sort of knock off...

 

I will continue to share the various gowns and dresses over time...as I feel the urge to write and share...

 

This is the one that felt most like me...I suppose. Or perhaps, was a dress that I most wanted to recreate, adapted for me:

 

 

This is from the current Fall 2015 collection:

 

http://www.thefashionspot.com/runway-news/543771-oscar-de-la-renta-fall-2015-runway/#/slide/4

 

Several dresses shown on this runway were a part of this exhibit. I loved the use of the pattern in this dress. I think the strategic turning of the tiled pattern to break up the space on the body is truly genius. This dress just has an ease about it...it would be so easy to wear. I'm not often attracted to dresses with sleeves. I want one.

 

I think we've enjoyed the manikins window shopping in the past...

 

There was a video here that highlighted the exhibit in Savannah, which was larger and more elaborate in its presentation:

 

http://www.scad.edu/ovation-for-oscar

 

I know that this exhibit will be in San Francisco next year...and it sounds like it will be very elaborate...definitely will have more pieces on show.

 

https://deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/oscar-de-la-renta-retrospective

 

I've never thought of myself as a student of fashion...and I wouldn't have necessarily thought that seeing this exhibit would be as lovely an experience as it was...so I'm passing along this info partly because I only found out about it by the word of a friend. If you can see this exhibit...I highly recommend it. It truly is amazing to see this work IRL.

[MJC]

oops

Edited December 12, 2015 by MJC