All things EARTH...

[awhfy]

Major score this morning! Celebrity is having a 5-day promotion (ends Monday). You get to choose the Go Better (select two options) & also get $100-400 depending on your room category. You qualified for this if your room rate had gone down. I figured, what the heck & called (hoping to get $100 in OBC).

 

Darling Clifton (my new best friend [emoji6]) said, let's look. He comes back on line & says, we can do that. Here's your choices... We picked the beverage package & free gratuities & $200 in OBC. I'm happy!. Then he says, and...what there's more? Since the C3 rate had gone down (& we have a C2 at the C3 rate) Celebrity will be refunding the difference back to your credit card (we made final payment on Wednesday last week). He says, want to know how much? I said sure, he laughed & said, $1194 back to the card. I almost fell off the kitchen stool!!! He says I just pushed you an email, check it out to make sure everything is ok. I print it out (cause I can't see it on the phone) & everything is there. Clifton my best buddy, you were great!

 

I thanked him & asked to speak to his supervisor, gave a glowing review of how much he'd helped me, when all I'd been hoping for was $100 OBC. She thanked me & said he'd receive a $50 bonus & an extra day off with pay. Clifton & I both had a win-win day!!!

 

We've never had anything like this happen to us before!

 

Anita, pretty face on your Princess Grace! Melody

 

Melody

Edited February 6, 2016 by awhfy

[laurspag]

Melody, what a great deal! I try to watch for price drops and everything...lately, that doesn't happen. However, about 3 months after I booked my cruise for Allure, there was a $300.00 price drop so I rebooked at that right.

 

I'm having trouble bringing up anything on my upcoming cruise, and I think it may be sold out. A little while back, I could only bring up suites so maybe!

 

Margaret and Anita, your cats are so cute. My current cat is not like any of the previous ones I've had. She doesn't have that playful streak in her at all. I had one cat who loved paper bags. I'd come home from the store and put an empty bag on the floor, and he'd play and play and play. He was so fun to watch!

 

Mousey, you may be ready for a new ship or itinerary, but sometimes, we just have times when we don't feel up to things. This may have been one of those times. I have thought about a Christmas cruise before, but we have a lot of things that we love to do, and I think a cruise would end up feeling rather bland next to our traditional things. Maybe that was the case with you?

 

I'd love to go on a New Year's cruise sometime.

[Sailor_Sally]

Wow melody what a score ! This really makes your vacation great .

[laurspag]

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Is this a holiday? ;);)

 

I'm making some things that are not exactly healthy. This may mean an extra trip to the gym this week! But we are careful eaters overall. We won't pig out today, but we aren't exactly having salad and carrot sticks either!

 

I'm really, really in cruise mode. We leave in two weeks. During this week, I'm going to be ironing and what not. I did a test run of rolling shirts, and was surprised how nicely they did. As a matter of fact, I was rolling wrinkled shirts and they came out looking better than when I started after two days of being rolled up. I may do this for my tops and my husband's undershirts and knit shirts he is bringing.

 

My husband and I had a work event to attend on Friday evening. It was a fundraiser for our local zoo, a black tie optional event. I asked someone who had attended before what people actually wear. She said most men wear regular suits, but you will see a few tuxes out there. I would say that it was 2/3 suits, 1/3 tuxes. There was definitely more tuxes than what I expected.

 

For women, she said I'd see everything. There were a few long dresses, then mostly formal cocktail dresses. There was nothing "clubby", if you know what I mean. I would say about 1/4 wore very nice outfits that were dressy, but not quite formal.

 

I saw no one dressed out of place. I only mention this because I was so curious as to how this would be. I wore my favorite red dress, and it's still too big. :mad: I don't want to spend more to have it taken in again, and the top part is pretty good so I think I can do the side seams myself without too much hassle. There were a few other people wearing red, since Friday was a day to wear red anyway, to raise awareness for women's heart disease.

 

Anyway, this was a lot of fun! It's great to see something like a zoo transform into a formal event. The blackened catfish was amazing!

[MJC]

Melody, what an awesome deal! Sometimes I watch the 90 day ticker on VtoG and I wish I were retired so I could take advantage of some of those deals. How great is it to get a good deal on a cruise you already hand-picked, though? Sweet.

 

Laurie, that sounds like a fun event at the zoo. Our next dressy event is a bat mitzvah this Sunday. Yes, Valentine's Day. ::sigh:: DH already knows there has to be chocolate when we get home. :)

 

My insurance co. finally came and appraised my car this morning, and then they arranged to tow it to the shop. It may be another week before I get it back because the shop has to assess the damage, find the right wheels, and repair the sensors, etc. Sheesh.

[awhfy]

Margaret, that's awful on your car. Hopefully they'll check your car for damage that may not be visible.

 

We were pretty thrilled to get that refund, it was almost exactly what we'd just spent on DHs new computer, pretty funny.

 

Our last formal event was a couple of weeks ago. DGDs jazz band had a black & white dinner dance fundraiser. DH wore his tux & I wore a truly formal gown (black lace) we looked pretty spectacular--still waiting for the pictures. DGD told us that "you clean up well". 17 year olds!

[mousey]

Cute cats ladies!

 

Melody...you scored big time...congratulations!

 

Lauire...I believe you are right. I would have had much more fun had we gone to FL and spent the holidays with my family or to New York to spend it with the DH's family. But money was an object and as I said our cruise was practically free. I did have a good time...it wasn't a disaster or anything like that it just wasn't what I wished it could have been. This Christmas come whatever...it's off to FL for the Christmas holidays.

 

So happy that the Broncos won the Superbowl! Yea! This coming weekend it's the Grammys! Visitors will start arriving Friday morning and will be with us through Tues. Can't wait to see the DS again!

 

Hope everyone has a great week!:D

[Anita Latte]

Melody...WOW!!! Definitely pays to just call and find out.

 

Laurie...I love the juxtaposition of dressing formal in what might normally be a very casual setting. What a great event at the zoo! I'm sorry that I don't recall which red dress you are talking about though, but I wish you success in your alterations.

 

Aww Margaret, what a serious PITA. We've dealt with our share of car issues...pretty much nothing about it is any good. It's all just a hassle.

 

mousey...it's interesting to read your take on your Christmas cruise. In my life, I have traveled for Christmas just a few times...that is, traveling NOT to a family member's house, but somewhere that is more "vacationy". The successful travels during Christmas/Thanksgiving for me were the ones to a time share...where you basically set up house in a different location. Ultimately, it's a pared down kind of holiday...but we were able to do enough of our "normal" that it was a welcome change of scenery.

 

Of course, both time shares were to mountainous places...one with feet of snow (Pagosa Springs, CO), so that really helped make it feel very Christmas-y after all the warm Texas Christmases.

 

Just to share my current sewing experience, for those that care...

 

I'm making a fleece jacket and I've decided to try my hand at doing the FBA (full bust adjustment) so that the jacket will fit better. I debated whether or not this was worth it...the fact that one of the best fitting jackets that I've tried on in recent times was a maternity jacket at Goodwill was a contributing factor to deciding to do the FBA on the jacket.

 

Isn't that sad? But unfortunately, I'm carrying my extra weight similar to a pregnant woman. Sigh. So trying on a maternity version of a smaller size was pretty eye opening.

 

Making the adjustment to the pattern pieces makes the pieces look absolutely ridiculous. This jacket is going to look TERRIBLE on a hanger. I have a new found respect for the idea of taking a flat piece of fabric and forming pieces of it to wrap around the outside of a three dimensional object.

 

The take away is that I needed to make a jacket that was 2 sizes down from what I thought I would be making based on my largest bust measurement. I picked the pattern size based on my "high bust measurement" which is the one that is under the arm pits and across the top of your chest above your girls.

 

This means that the shoulders, armpit, and back should be much better fitting...which really translates into more flattering.

 

The FBA also adds inches to the waist and hip (depending on the pattern) which you may have to take out again if you are slender (I'm not, so that actually helped me with my personal weight distribution). However, I did still have to add a bit to the hip area because my numbers are pretty even for my bust and hip, and since I made the smaller size to fit my shoulders, etc., I needed to add some hip inches.

 

Such a pain to be "out of shape" compared to the standard pattern.

 

Also...pattern sizing hasn't changed over the years. So the numbers are really crushing if you care about such things.

 

Mom has been watching I Love Lucy. So funny. In one episode, it came to light that Lucy would be trying to fit into a size 12 dress. It turns out that she weighed 132 pounds. She asked Ricky if it was a large 12 or a small 12? Ricky says, it's a 12 12 because he's a man. Lucy says, no matter, I'll lose 10 pounds and the dress will fit.

 

So back in 1952, Lucy needed to weigh around 122 pounds to fit into a size 12. On the Biggest Loser on Monday, one contestant was in a size 10. She weighed around 180 pounds.

 

I prepped my pattern and cut out my pattern pieces yesterday. I'll be sewing today. Hopefully, I'll have photos to share later or tomorrow. :)

[awhfy]

Anita, can't wait to see the jacket. Have you thought about getting a mannequin to pin your pieces to? I remember my aunt (dressmaker/tailor) always using an adjustable mannequin especially to make jackets & coats. I've seen them at Goodwill several times. I know what you mean about being out of shape with standard patterns.

 

DH has surgery tomorrow so I'll probably be off the boards for about a week. Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Anita , It is so interesting reading about your sewing projects . I haven't sewn in years but I used to really enjoy it .Several of my friends carry their weight in their abdomen and look great in the tunic & leggings look . The top floats over the abdomen and the leggings emphasize their legs .

 

We have had to delay our TA cruise until next year . My Mom who is 99 is not doing well so after a lot of thought I decided that being in the middle of the ocean at this time was not a great idea . So instead of concentrating on the trip I turned my energy to my house for now and am knocking off several projects .

[Anita Latte]

Sally...the good thing about cruising is that there is always another one. Or, at least, it is HIGHLY likely that there will always be another one. Seems like you've made a thoughtful decision to delay your cruise.

 

I need to be careful with the tunics. If I wear the wrong style, I can look pregnant...not a good look. I don't have stick legs...so I don't have slender jambs to balance out a fuller top. I tend to do well with a semi-fitted shirt of some sort and them another open layer on top. That divides my body up pretty well. My rib cage is a good contrast so if I can show that off but then have an open jacket or sweater do the float over the body look...

 

Melody...I do have a dress form. In fact, I just used it to fix the fit on the jacket I've been working on today. Because of some fit issues, I will need to resume my work tomorrow. So not quite done yet.

 

I hope your DH's surgery is successful and without complications. I hope that he recovers quickly and is able to fully enjoy your up-and-coming vacation!

[awhfy]

Thanks Anita it will be a long week (at least weather looks like it'll cooperate). I should finish a baby blanket & several hats

[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , I hope your husband's surgery goes smoothly & he recovers fast .

[MJC]

Melody, wishing you and DH easy sailing tomorrow. We'll be thinking of you.

 

I've been thinking about Laurie's recent post and wondering how Barbara is, we haven't heard from her in a long time.

 

I went through my "travel drawer" today to see if we have what we need. Except for sunscreen, we're all set. I made my list of things we need from the lake house, which I'll pick up the next time I go check on it. And in the last few days I finalized our private excursions. At least that part of my life feels organized. :)

 

I have no idea what clothes I'm going to bring. I have a bad memory from season to season about what I have, so I'll have to get everything out from the back of the closet and see what's what. We're only five weeks away, which seems like plenty of time, but I know it will fly by. We leave the day after semester ends, and my last week is always crazy busy.

[laurspag]

I was telling my husband just a few days ago that someday when we have a spare bedroom, I want to set it up as a sewing room and I want to get a dress form. I would love to try making my own adjustments to clothes and to be able to know they will fit right.

 

Sally, I'm sorry you had to cancel your cruise. I think that, like I mentioned to Mousey, it can be hard to relax and enjoy yourself when you have things on your mind. You would have been distracted and worked about your mom. And as Anita said, you will be able to go on other cruises.

 

Melody, I hope everything goes well for your husband.

 

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[awhfy]

Thanks all for the well wishes. Melody

[awhfy]

DH came through surgery well, not as much pain (yet) as anticipated [emoji3]. 4-5 days I'll have him home. Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

DH came through surgery well, not as much pain (yet) as anticipated [emoji3]. 4-5 days I'll have him home. Melody

 

Great to hear !

[laurspag]

Melody, I'm glad everything is going good with your husband!

 

It's very cold here, and snowing. They didn't call for much snow in the forecast for today, but it's been snowing since last night. They've trying to plow and salt the roads, but that doesn't do much in this kind of cold. I guess that tomorrow will be much colder yet, and it was about -15 with windchill a little while ago.

 

The suitcase comes in today for packing! I have some packing cubes ordered, and they should be in on time for me to use. If they are not, I will simply use them next time. I've rolled my shirts, the two flood length bottoms and my pajamas. I rolled my coverups as well. In my test run of this, I found that my clothes had less wrinkles than any other way that I've tried to pack, so I think it is worth a try.

 

I am also thinking a lot about using some small ones in my tote bag. It may help me to keep the bag organized. I don't take a purse on a cruise, I use my tote bag instead and it doubles for carrying the things I use to keep myself occupied during flights. It typically will have my wallet, prescription sunglasses, camera, snacks, Nook, etc. We always seem to want gum to pop our ears, Kleenex and little things, so I think these could help.

 

In the event that I don't get the sizing I need prior to my cruise, I have these zip pouches that my travel agent has sent my paperwork in from time to time. I have one in use right now with my papers and passports, and I have another one. There is a plastic one with a flap, but I really don't see the benefit of using that at all.

 

As of right now, the high is 78 for the day I arrive in Tampa, and sunny. I will keep watching this so that I can make sure I have what I need. I'm also going to check on the weather for our ports.

 

Do any of you wear Alex and Ani bracelets? My daughter got me one for Valentine's Day, with the Tree of Life on it. I love the gold bracelets they have, they are very earthy looking with an antique finish.

[Anita Latte]

Melody, good news!!

 

Laurie, I just received an Alex and Ani bracelet as a gift. Very belated, but the Uniform Mom for Marching Band gave me as a thank you for all my efforts during Marching Band season. (I say belated because she just gave it to me last night at the Jazz Band concert.)

 

I had never heard of them before. I received the "Sweet Melody" one. It says Upbeat, Nostalgic, Soulful. The charm is a treble clef. It's silver.

 

Should be a very cold weekend/Monday for all of us on the Eastern side of the US. Our wind chill is significant...not as cold as you though. We are expecting a major ice storm Monday morning. Those are the worst. Snow is so much better...there is nothing redeeming about an ice storm.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Anita Latte

[MJC]

Melody, I hope all is going as expected and your DH is home soon.

 

It's official, I have a torn tendon in my forearm. Dr. says just rest it and a bit of heat, and it'll be better in 6 weeks. Just in time for our cruise. So, today I did a bit of armchair shopping for a lighter carry-on tote that will ride on my suitcase. I've been following the thread about carry-ons with a sleeve to fit over the handle of your luggage.

 

For years I've been using a Le Sport Sac because it can double as a beach bag. Also I can just rinse it in the sink if it gets sandy at the beach. Lately, though, I've been wishing for something a little more structured that will carry my laptop and look a little more professional. When I travel to MI I usually leave from work on a flight with lots of business travelers, so it would be nice to have a more elegant choice.

 

I think I need to take a look at my large suitcase. I seem to remember last year it was pretty beat up. At one point the ribbon I tie it shut with caught on the belt and ripped it open. I was lucky I didn't lose everything in it. DON'T put a large floppy ribbon on your bag!

 

Laurie, if you are into rolling (which I totally am) you will love having the packing cubes. It is the best way to use them IMO. I hate to iron so it is a perfect solution for me. I have also started using pouches in my carryon to corral things like my electronics cords and cosmetics. I think when you have a bag that is basically a giant empty space, it helps to have some organization. I find it makes packing and unpacking go a lot quicker.

 

We are supposed to go down to -5 tonight, which may be a record for us. Then snow tomorrow, and believe it or not 50 degrees on Tuesday. My poor joints don't know what to do, and my skin is soooo dry.

[laurspag]

I think we are at -11 right now without wind chill. Our poor puppies....I actually put towels in the dryer so that when they come in , I can help them warm up faster.

 

Rolling clothes is very new for me as well as packing cubes. I try to be open to new concepts. I love the idea of organizing my tote bag because I hate digging through it and not being able to find anything.

 

We ended up getting a lot of snow today even though they didn't call for it. We went out for one thing but had no interest in driving in that mess so we headed back home and watched a few movies. .

 

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[Sailor_Sally]

We have been having a cold spell in Florida so I have gotten to use all my sweaters .My favorite is the kimono sweater I bought from JJill . It looks great with jeans .Yesterday it warmed up but by the evening the temperature had dropped a lot .

Margaret , Sorry to hear about your arm .

Happy Valentine's Day ! I awoke to a huge bouquet of flowers & chocolates .

[laurspag]

That's a great sweater, Sally. I am thinking that if I get to Tampa and it's cooler than expected, I will probably continue to wear pants but depending on how cool it is, I may need to change my top. I guess one of the advantages of coming from where it is cold is that I will have some cooler weather things already on. The last I looked, the high was 78 but it was going to be in the 50s at night, which isn't a heat wave.

 

Margaret, get better soon! I hope it's not bothering you too much right now. how is your husband doing?

 

Tomorrow I'm taking my sister for a follow up appointment. She has been doing well with her hip replacement, but it's slow going. She gets around decent with a cane. She found out a few weeks ago that the reason she was still having so much swelling was that she actually had an infection. The antibiotics have helped greatly. She is doing everything she has been told to do. Most of the weather we've had has allowed her to get out for short trips. The past week though we've been going between snow and cold. We're supposed to get yet another storm tomorrow evening.

 

I realized earlier today that our flight arrives in Tampa during the Daytona 500. I think we will aim lunch where we can watch the race and just get started on vacation!

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , It may be just me . We went to a brewery today and all the tourists were wearing shorts & t shirts while I had on jeans , a t shirt , scarf & I had a sweater ready . Maybe Florida has made me a wimp ?