All things EARTH...

[laurspag]

I don't think I could pull this one off...

 

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1709693/simply-vera-vera-wang-twist-front-maxi-dress-womens.jsp

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...it does seem like a special occasion or a cruise prompts me to start taking care of my nails again too! I generally start with a very neutral color because they will be so short and beat up. With the polish and the care and attention, it feels like my nails grow fast and so about a week later, I can change the color and may or may not go more noticeable...

 

I never liked the off colors on me until I found the right ones. I wanted a blue so badly, but everyone I had tried looked horrible to me...and then I could understand why. Now that I have found good EARTH blues/teals, I love these colors, for summer especially.

 

I had lunch with lady friends Friday. I think I do pay more attention to my appearance on such days...and one of the ladies made a comment about my toes and fingers...and how many nail polishes did I own? Apparently, they thought of me as the nail queen, which I find very funny...but then, I also find to be in keeping with my SS and so maybe I do portray that more than I realize.

 

I love that first dress Laurie! I love red. That's a lovely darker red, but I can't tell the tone. It would be worth checking out though! That is a great style! I couldn't do the second one. All that extra fabric right where I don't need it...I need extra fabric/weighted look (think cargo pockets) on the thighs or hips to help me have some curves, since I am more straight with not much of a defined waist.

[laurspag]

Ugh. I just had this big post typed and hit something or another on my keyboard. Poof! It was gone.

 

I love having my nails polished, but I just don't take the time to do them the way I should. I love to have them all done up for a special event or cruise! Maybe I just need to make the time. It's been getting a bit strange at times lately, with the girls working a lot and my husband either working a special event or puttering in the garage. I'm having trouble finding more laundry. ;)

 

I am tempted to try both of those dresses, knowing that the brown one is beautiful, but the worst possible thing for my figure. when I wear something like that, well, I'm a bit short waisted and quite chesty. I can't think of another way to express it than to say it looks like my boobs are sitting near my waist. It is one of the reasons I don't tuck things in or wear belts. I need things to have a shape to them without being clingy, and I'm best not creating a definition of the waist where the top an bottoms meet, if that makes sense. I think that is why it is hard to find the right top for the maxi skirts. I have a few sweaters that will work great this fall with them and my boots. I just have to make sure the sweaters fit right.

 

I will likely look 4 foot tall and 5 feet wide in that dress!

 

But the red one...my weakness!

 

I am thinking your mom is a few hours into sailaway, Anita. That must be so neat! I am going to have to read up on why she was weighing her clothes. I forgot already, lol.

 

There was this dress today in Lord and Taylor that I saw while returning a few things. I don't really shop there, but every once in a blue moon, if something is on clearance and there is a coupon, I might get it. I got my gold Anne Klein sandals there two years ago. It was the last thing I bought, until the shark fin dress in the wrong purple that I was returning. Anyway, there was this ivory dress...it was so classy looking. I could never wear the style, but boy, was it pretty. My husband was looking at it and he said "gee, this is really heavy! Are your dresses heavy like this?" It got me thinking about luggage weight, and Pam weighing her clothes...the dress was 70% off, but I didn't look to see what the price was. I knew better. High neckline, ivory, and this twisted pearl built in necklace of all the wrong colors - gray! But still a classy dress, never the less.

[Anita Latte]

You are right about Mom Laurie! I got my Bon Voyage phone call earlier today. Mom and Dad were sounding astounded by the size of the Oasis of the Seas.

 

And just to refresh your memory...Mom was weighing her clothes because they are having to fly from Barcelona to Paris. The restrictions for European flights are much more detailed than domestic. I believe that you are limited in how much weight your total carry on items weigh as well as your checked luggage. They weren't originally planning on flying...they were going to take a train from Barcelona to Paris but Mom discovered that one of the planned strikes was occurring when they were needing to travel and so air travel became a necessity in leiu of the train.

 

You just never know about some clothing until you try it on...sometimes, it's a pleasant surprise!

[laurspag]

Anita, I do wish I had checked Kohl's sooner. Vera Wang has some nice dresses that were originally available in earth tones. Most are gone, at least the type that don't have the high neckline. You may wish to check the website out. You may be very close to your cruise date, but most things arrive in less than a week from the date you order, or maybe even the local store may have some things. You are so close now!!

 

I have done some checking, and while I knew that next year's cruise wasn't going to be tropical, I did find out that the weather can be rather cool. I am thinking about that a bit when looking at my closet. There is a long ways to go, but I may need something other than shorts. One thing that I do re-wear (I know we were talking about that quite a bit lately) is jeans. I always enjoy differentiating my vacation from other times of the year, partly through clothing. This may be a great time to bring along scarves and some of the longer sleeved items that are light weight. I will figure out more as we get closer, but mid May in Vancouver can get pretty cool, I understand.

 

Ah, yes. the international plane regulations! That is right. The train would have been a nice ride, but I would not want to have to worry about a strike going on.

[cruzisme]

I don't think I could pull this one off...

 

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1709693/simply-vera-vera-wang-twist-front-maxi-dress-womens.jsp

 

That is a really tough shape to pull off

IMO, not that flattering.

I look better with classic looks. This shape is 'shapeless' but maybe a really tall slim lady could pull it off.

[Anita Latte]

I'm not purchasing clothing at this time. Only the bare minimums for getting by. I have a lot of clothing that is just waiting for me...I just need to regain my shape! It's so hard to have gotten so many new clothes because of the great overtime weight loss (I had lost over 50 pounds...) and then to regain some of that with everything forward from the move from Texas...

 

But I have found some things at Kohl's in the past. I do like to look there...

 

To get by...I have been hitting my local Goodwill quite a bit. My latest find was a real gem. A label I haven't heard of...Eddie Bauer Sport...a nice pair of capris with lots of pockets and a kind of stretch lightweight nylon material. The color isn't ideal...it's that more mushroom kind of color? It's better for AIR...BUT...it works well enough. I like to try to find the color of the day at Goodwill and so I picked these up for less than $3.00. This feels right to me to do right now since I am so unhappy in my size...

 

Anyway...these capris will definitely be coming on my cruise. Less than 2 weeks! Yay!

 

I'm thinking about wearing Margaret's dress (I know you said I should stop calling it that...but I like that name!) for elegant night. I love the shoes I have to go with it! I'm debating whether or not I want to wear my other new shoes on this cruise...and if so...I'll be building my evening outfits around them...DH travels for work for a couple days so I'll probably play with wardrobe choices over the next couple of nights.

[Sailor_Sally]

Laura , I love the red dress . The tan dress is interesting but I also think it is best for someone tall , slim with no boobs. My cruise is in January so while I am not planning my wardrobe . I am making sure I will have a few things in good shape by then .My summer clothes get beat up since I am in them most of the year .

Anita , I used to buy Eddie Bauer sport . I do not usually go to Goodwill but after hearing about some of the great buys I may give it a try . I really envy your Mom on such a great trip .We may do a transatlantic next year or a cruise from Quebec to Boston . I love Europe and have been there a few times (non cruise ) but there is always so much to see .

[aoknkentucky]

Laurie, I'm sorry that I've forgotten, but is your Vancouver trip by land or are you cruising? Packing for cooler weather and for warmer weather are both fun, but each one is very different for me since we don't tend to dress up as much if it is a land trip. Is it the same for you, or do you take your gorgeous dresses for both?

 

My next trip is a land-based trip to the mountains in a few weeks, so I have been deciding on my five-day wardrobe. Weather runs the gamut of hot to very cool, so it's much like your Vancouver trip, I'm thinking. My February cruise will be warm to hot. I have so much fun planning both packing lists...and matching nail polishes.

 

Cruizisme, the "shapeless" dress linked earlier surely wouldn't work for me, even if I could find it in a flattering-for-me color. I seems I have much in common with some of my EARTH sisters. I don't have a defined waist either and am also top-heavy. I work really hard to lock and load all my top-heavy parts into the proper position. I definitely don't need a dress that gives the appearance that everything resides at my waist which looks much too wide already!!! I like classic styles also.

 

Anita, I thought of you over Labor Day. DH's family had a reunion and both family units from your area were here. I overheard a remark about how hot it felt. It's hard for some people to understand humidity makes our area feel hotter than several hundred miles to our south. Today is cloudy but the 77% humidity already has the heat index making it feel six degrees warmer than the actual temperature this morning. I sure am glad the weather was nice when everyone visited earlier this summer.

 

Sailor Sally, have you thought of trying a cheapo fun polish color? I like to dabble with NYC polishes (under $2.00) or Dollar Tree brand (what's not to like about a polish that cost $1.00?) I started with a flattering blue after reading here about my EARTH sisters finding their good colors. It took a little getting used to, but I figured, what the heck! It's just a dollar and if I don't like it, I can ditch it. While I was painting on my pretty blue, I remembered the soft light green polish and light golden yellow polish that I used in the 70's. This wasn't new for me. I had just forgotten!

 

Margaret, thanks for the Chadwicks link also. Somehow, I had either forgotten or missed Pam talking about it. I ordered a jacket last fall, but sent it back because I wasn't pleased with the quality of the garment. I really should probably give them a second chance...I really should.

 

Do you Ladies realize this thread has passed 100 pages? So glad new voices are being added. EARTH sisters make a gal feel welcome to chime in. Thanks --Debbie

[laurspag]

Anita,

 

My older daughter works at an Eddie Bauer Outlet store in the mall. I'm not a fan of their prices, but the quality is fantastic, and she gets a discount. I have some nice knit tops from there, and they don't stretch all out of shape on me. With the bottoms, I have both shorts and a skort from there in a sand color. (not earth, but it's away from the face and a good neutral) in their Travex line. I love them. They are light weight, and dry quickly if you are out in the heat.

 

We have a Goodwill store opening up here soon. Mostly, we have a Salvation Army store and a Rescue Mission store. I have not been able to find anything in them since my kids were little. Maybe I will have better luck with the Good Will store when it opens? You mentioned once that location matters. All of the stores we have are located around the city, but the seem to be very much the same. I'm going to keep trying!

 

That dress...I have contemplated ordering it, being 90% certain it would be returned. I just think that it could remotely be a decent color, so I was willing to take the risk. However, I'm not likely to end up with ordering it. If you look at the back of the dress, it is smooth, kind of A-line like. The front has those gathers...I originally thought I could order a size down, and maybe it wouldn't have a baggy look to it. However, that isn't likely, and I'm way too top heavy. I agree that it is made for those straight, slim tall gals with no real shape.

 

I may just order the red one though. There is also another dress that would be good for work. It's a bit of a question mark in that it is a blue, but not a teal. Those are so tough for me! There is little blue for us. Curt referred to a dusty aqua once at one of the awards shows. I sure wish I could find something like that. However, those lighter colors don't always get along with me.

 

Here is something funny. I mentioned ordering a total of three purple dresses. All were different shades, and they were all wrong! One dress was from JC Penney, and when I returned it and she took it out of the box to check the tag, I got to thinking that maybe it was an earth purple after all! I have one knit shirt that matched a color on my color cards. Otherwise, any purple that I identify as warm is darker, more saturated. I get confused when a color is lighter. I should have waited, maybe. It was a beautiful dress on, but I eliminated it based on color and I may have goofed.

 

Debbie, my cruise next May is a Pacific Coastal cruise. I will be leaving from San Diego, spend one day at Catalina Island, two days in San Francisco, one day in Victoria, and I come back to Vancouver. We are considering staying an extra day in Vancouver, since it is a six day cruise and we can do it without taking additional vacation time. I just love to dress up, so this cruise will be no different. I actually find it more exciting to plan attire on days that may be cooler, in that there are so many options.

 

We do date lunches on Saturdays. We run errands in the morning, and stop somewhere for lunch. This past Saturday, I planned out my outfit a bit. I had this really nice shirt on, and these cute sandals...even though it was completely casual, my husband changed his clothes from jeans to these nice cargo pants he has and a different shirt because he said I looked nice. It just makes me feel good, you know?

 

I took back that suit I needed for work. I just couldn't deal with the cooler tone, as I couldn't figure out what to put with it? So I ordered one through Chadwicks. I will be able to give you an update on what I think of the quality once it arrives. I used to have a few linen blend blazers from there that were excellent.

 

I'm sure it sounds like I buy a ton of clothes, but the majority of it goes back to the store. For the record, me and the DH share a closet, and it's not a walk in. Four seasons with different clothing needs too...I do use a few under the bed storage bags for off season items. Right now, I have some heavy sweaters and a few blazers under there. Soon, it will be time to get those out and put my shorts away!

 

Anita, can you take a picture of yourself wearing Margaret's dress? I would love to see it on you! I loved that dress! You should bring those new sandals along. I would love to see you wear those too.

 

I am thinking that I have 3 out of 4 days dinner attire picked. The purple dress and the new earthy green jersey dress for formal night will be paired with my bronze sandals. I am wearing my new maxi dress that has the ivory brown and green in it probably on the first or last night. I like maxis with flat sandals, and I have these gold ones. The have such a skinny little strap that goes between the toes, crosses over and then around the ankle. Once I figure out the last night, I may change my mind. I don't want to take a pile of shoes, you know? I will take some updated pictures so you can see the jewelry, shoes and dresses together. I love this planning way too much. :-)

[Anita Latte]

The thing about Goodwill is that the inventory is totally subject to whatever people donate, obviously, and this is why I say location makes a difference. Depending on what the surrounding demographic is like...what their lives are like to dictate the clothing they wear...and there is always the randomness that doesn't make sense anyway...

 

If the Goodwill stores in your area are similar to mine, they tag everything in a particular colored tag. They rotate colors so that they can keep track of an approximate time for how long merchandise may be in inventory...and so the oldest color on the floor becomes the half price color of the week...all tags of that color are 50% off. Otherwise, most clothing is a flat rate price...shirt, shorts, jackets, jeans, pants, skirts...whatever the item of clothing is dictates the price and this should be clearly displayed at the aisles for the racks. Clothing is divided by color within each type of clothing. You get to hunt within the type and color for your size.

 

This is why it helps to know your designer and store labels. I rarely will buy a Target label in Goodwill because it's possible that the sale price of that clothing is the for sale price at Goodwill...and I think that's ridiculous. So I look for designer and better labels. Usually, I see quite a selection of Chicos, Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Inc., Style, etc. But I also see a lot of Merona, Mossimo, George, Old Navy, and other discount store brands. You just have to weed through...so you have to be in the mood to hunt to go to Goodwill. Generally, I try to have something very specific in mind when I go so that I don't burn out in the search.

 

I'm in a debate over what to do with my cruise clothing. I've been dealing with stuff for a long time now...with all the moving and all...and a part of me just wants to be as minimalist as possible...so that I have the least amount of stuff to deal with. To be able to take a real break from STUFF in a sense. I kind of have to be in a mood to bother with myself and all the primping. Keep in mind too that I deal with both DH and DS trying to get ready too. There's turn taking going on in our cabin and unless I kick them out of the cabin or start getting ready ridiculously early...it's not really the kind of atmosphere that is conducive to a relaxing making myself pretty kind of time.

 

This might not be the cruise for that...

 

Then again...

 

So this is my debate...

 

I'm having a bit of issue with my left hip. I literally killed in when I was sitting in a rather awkward position dealing with Toby kitty over a month ago. When I tried to get up, my hip and leg were dead. I had to hop over and wait...even then, it was scary to put any weight on the one leg...I felt like it would give way on me. It restored itself to a sub par normal. Slightly painful and not really able to get into a comfortable position. Finally, last week I did a weird rotation with my leg that took my hip full circle and all the snapping and popping felt like my joint realigned itself. Just amazing. So I think I was slightly out of socket for over a month.

 

And I'm still snapping and popping. I think my tendons are tight...I know I need to stretch more...but my point is that I am slightly concerned over the idea of wearing any sort of heel...especially on a ship. So this is factoring into my wardrobe choices as well.

 

I need to call to hopefully get a hair appointment for next week. It's been several weeks now...my hair is driving me crazy but I wanted to give my lady as much hair to work with as possible for a new transition shape as I grow it out. I have learned that I do want to look more feminine and I don't have the body type or face shape to have feminine short hair. I'm very butch...very GI Jane...at least...on a regular basis...if I do all the makeup...that helps...but I'm not going to do that everyday...so I need a bit more hair...but I'm not sure how much or how exactly yet.

 

I love planning too. I appreciate having made decisions in advance so that I can focus and think about other things...or nothing. :rolleyes:

[Anita Latte]

Laurie, have you ordered the red dress yet? I didn't catch if it was clearanced or not. I just ordered some pajamas for DS, I searched online for a promo code and found CLEARANCE20 which will give you an additional 20% clearance items.

 

Edited to add: This is for Kohl's and it expires 9/4/14.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Anita Latte

[cruzisme]

Just read the reviews for the red dress at Kohls

Lots of good reviews

Sounds like it is quite long and fits well for 5'5" or taller without alterations

Doesn't come in petite I don't think but didn't check

Laurie, are you ordering?

[Sailor_Sally]

I have learned a lot about labels from the ebay sellers forum . These women know their labels .

Today I went to Home depot to see if patio furniture was on sale . I had no luck . We live in an elevated house on sarasota bay so my deck furniture really takes a beating . It is frequently thrown down steps or blown all over the deck . We finally had to bungee the grill to the rails to prevent it from also being thrown down the steps so needless to say my deck furniture has a shortened life span.So I will continue my quest for new deck furniture .

Laura , We spent two nights in Vancouver a few years ago . It is a beautiful city . Take a tour on the hop on hop off bus . We found discount coupons online for it . I love coastal California . What a great trip . We have so many memories from great trips and seeing something will bring them back . We were going out to eat on Monday and I put on beads that I had purchased in Vancouver & it just brought that trip back .

[mousey]

I did notice that we've gone over the 100 mark with our posts! Yea!

 

Anita, just wanted to mention again that if you want to go minimal with your clothing for your Carnival trip...that's the time to do it. Carnival is very, very, very casual. Yes, you will see some ladies and gents dressed up on "formal" nights...but not many. At least that's been my experience. Having said that, I've always dressed nicely for the "formal" nights though I've never worn a long gown nor has the DH ever worn a tux. He hasn't even worn a tie on "formal" nights in several years on Carnival. You'll see what I mean on your cruise. I felt the same way you do on my last 3-day to Mexico and packing light and going way casual worked for me.

 

Just so that I can keep things in order in my mind. Would everyone be amenable to stating which of the 50 states they live in? I live in Southern California up in the Santa Monica Mountains just 6 min. from the Pacific Ocean. I know Anita lives in GA and Sailor Sally lives near Sarasota, FL. Where do the rest of you gals hail from?

 

My next trip is in a week...4 days in Vegas. While the DH attends business meetings I'm going to be out by the pool or shopping at Caesars Palace Forum Shops. I'm looking for Earth-colored fall clothes. Oh, that begs the question...is pink an Earth color? I'm thinking bubble gum pink. I just have a hankering for a short coat in that color if I can find one. I've been told I look good in pink. I'm also looking for lightweight, cotton sweaters in eggplant, pumpkin, and especially my one of my favorite colors...olive green.

 

Laurie, lov'n that red dress!

Edited September 3, 2014 by mousey

[Anita Latte]

Hey mousey...you can check out where everyone is in their box with their name and avatar...but you can't see that on the reply screen.

 

EARTH

Anita...Georgia

laurspag (aka Laurie)...New York

MJC (aka Margaret)...New York

JaneStarr...Connecticut

mousey...Southern California

smitty...New York

Sally...Florida

cruzisme...Western Canada

ChollaChick...Arizona

 

Someone else was from Canada, but she hasn't posted in a while and I can't seem to find her posts...and many others have come and gone. And not to leave out our FIRE ladies:

 

FIRE

Member123 (aka Pam)...Arizona

aoknkentucky (aka Debbie)...Kentucky

Joby (aka Kim)...Indiana

snuggles (aka Linda)...Pennsylvania

 

There could be more but this is who has been a part of conversation recently. If anyone else wants to be acknowledged...they need to speak up!

[smitty34877]

Hello! I am procrastinating about taking a picture of my dress and shoes but I will do it. I will then have to figure out exactly how to post it. I am sure it is not as hard as I imagine! Anyway, I live just a little north of NYC and my real name is Terry.

[cruzisme]

I love reading this thread but I am Ice so I do wear lots of black!

Vancouver is wonderful and if you can stay for 2 or more days, there is lots to see. Whistler is well known for the skiing (Winter Olympics 2010 events) held there.

Stanley Park, Granville Island Market ( food,art etc), Steveston Cannery( Japanese were here but then they were interned into camps during the War), Grouse Mountain (see the bears here) and gondola ride up, unless you want to do the Grouse Grind ( need to be in shape for that!)

You can catch the bus that goes onto the ferry that transports you to Vancouver Island-- again lots to see and do.

And of course some high end shopping here too!

[Anita Latte]

I haven't kept up with the Vivienne Files blog lately. I was procrastinating yesterday and decided to do some back reading. I hit the posts she did about starting a wardrobe from scratch. That whole series is very, very interesting to me.

 

The main thing that hit me was really just the general idea of planning...purposeful decisions. Having a guiding light, so to speak, regarding a general functionality of clothing and how to add a bit of flair to basics. And with that in mind, I'm thinking about my cruise wardrobe.

 

I don't know if all vacations/travel are this way...but doesn't it feel like cruising is really clothes intensive? For other vacations...if you were having a casual kind of beach day...you would likely have a similar night...feeling a bit dazed from all that time in the sun...wouldn't it make sense to just chill out that night? I might go home...take a lovely shower...get all the grit off...and put on something lightweight and airy...I would likely be feeling somewhat overheated...and I would lounge around have a light dinner. The idea of getting all gussied up to hit a nicer restaurant wouldn't even be a thought in my head...

 

And yet...this is what we do on a cruise. Each night is an exercise in fancy dress. Sigh. Someone started a thread on the Carnival board saying that shorts were okay for elegant night now. It's not clear if this is really true...but shorts are fine in their dining room for all other nights. Nice shorts. Dress shorts, really...but still. Shorts.

 

And I'm okay with that.

 

So, with all this in mind. I'm trying to be very logical about my wardrobe. If I can get it in writing, then I should be able to find the items that work...I can tell you right now that I wish I had a maxi dress...but I don't, so I'm kind of bummed about that...

 

Anyway...I don't need to bore everyone with all my details...I'll be back to share later...I need to get myself sorted so that I can help DH and DS.

 

cruzisme...I forgot that you were ICE. I knew that! I remember now.

 

And Terry...nice to meet you!

[laurspag]

Hello all -

 

Just a quick post here. I will be back tomorrow to post more!

 

I ordered the dress. I got 20%, which makes it even more exciting. I should have it towards the end of next week so I can see what it is like. Even though I knew I could send the other dress back, I decided not to order it all. Sometimes, it's best to just leave something alone. If I saw it in the store, I would make the effort to try it, but I don't want to fuss with ordering it and then getting it back to the store.

 

It is so much fun to see where everyone is from. I love reading about our different lives, what we do and so forth.

[Sailor_Sally]

Anita , Yes , cruises are clothes intensive though for me less so than when I first started cruising .

Now when we cruise we sometimes skip the main dining room & just hit the buffet especially if it is a port intensive cruise . Maxi dresses and sundresses are the best because you can bling them up for dinner and then wear them casual for an excursion .

I guess I have to fess up my name is not Sally although I always wanted that name . My name is Maureen but everybody calls me Moe except for my SO who calls me sparky because I had adult braces when we met .

[Anita Latte]

Yay for the extra 20% off! I have learned...before I ever check out...I always do a search for promo codes for whatever store I am shopping. Sometimes...I find one that actually works, and that just makes my day! And my friend's day too! Woot woot!

 

So Sally...you've confessed...but the question remains...would you like us to still call you Sally? I mean...it's not like my name is Anita...;):rolleyes::cool:

 

I made some decisions today regarding my evening wear. SOME. I tried on a bunch of clothes today...and I have to share...I HATE some of my clothes! And now that I've figured out my SS...I'm like...what the? What was I thinking? I know that some of it is because the fit isn't the best...or all wrong now with the weight gain...but a part of me...I recognize that some of these clothes aren't me! They may have been somewhat flattering on my other figure...the smaller one...but the style isn't there for me...

 

Here's the difficulty...recognizing the purchase error...do I wait until I lose weight again to see if the fit is really the problem? Or do I simply give in and acknowledge that this whole color business, new wardrobe with weight loss was bound to have some misses? Especially pre-SS?

 

I have at least one sundress that I love. I put it on and it just makes me happy. I have two shirts that I feel good in and a pair of slimming capris that are also comfortable as well as attractive. I know some jewelry...and flat sandals are the shoes. Still debating heels. Casual pocket laden shorts and casual pocket laden capris in total neutrals. It's looking like I am wearing chocolate brown, pale tan, and blues so far.

 

So I'm trying one of the nail colors that I picked up from Kim at the meet. It's called Jet Lag...and Ulta color. I haven't had anything similar before on my fingers. They grew nicely over the past week...I'm feeling good about how they will be for the cruise.

 

I'll make some more decisions and take some pictures to share...

[mousey]

Anita,

 

Thanks for listing where everyone is from.

 

I've never had a major fluctuation in my weight. I've just gained weight gradually over the years. I sometimes lose up to 15 lbs. but I always end up gaining them back.

 

The DH and DS do wear nice shorts in the MDR and a pair of khakis or in the DS's case a pair of dark jeans on "formal" nights. They both wear collared golf-type shirts on formal nights and the DH wears them on casual nights as well. The DS wears his designer T-shirts on casual nights. I usually wear capris or long skirts on casual nights and on "formal" nights I'll wear a maxi dress or long skirt. I rarely wear heels on the ship and when I do...they are kitten-type heels. I do dress things up with my costume jewelry on most nights. During the day I live in Capri pants and tunic tops with sandals. Since we mostly have sailed on Carnival, NCL, and Costa...all the above is appropriate to wear.

 

The one upscale cruise we sailed on...years ago before the DH was born...was on Princess. It was a 10-day Mediterranean cruise. We dressed up every night for dinner. The DH wore his black suit for formal nights and a sports jacket with shirt and tie on other nights. I always wore cocktail dresses every single night.

 

We've never considered not dining in the MDR or skipping formal night on any of our cruises. We've only eaten in the buffet for dinner once and that was because we got back late from a very active excursion and didn't want to go back to the cabin to shower and change into nice clothes. So we just grabbed a quick bite in the buffet and called it a night as we were exhausted from, snorkeling, hiking, swimming, and horse-back riding.

 

We don't have a cruise planned right now and I can't wait until the time we do have one on the horizon. However, in the next few months we will be doing lots of land trips and two by air. The first one coming up is in a week and a half to Vegas and is for 4 days. I plan to wear two of my maxi skirts and mostly Capri pants with tunic tops. I'll wear sandals with all my outfits. I plan to start trying on things tomorrow. I'll come back from Vegas and in three days I'll leave again to visit my folks in FL. That's a piece of cake as I have clothes that I keep there and so I'll only need to bring a few tops which I'll keep there and bring back the ones that are there now. I can make that trip with just a tote and a carry-on. When I get back from FL, I'll have a week to plan for the next trip which is to AZ for "Family Weekend." Again, that's a piece of cake as all I'll need for that is a few Capri pants and tops. We're not doing anything that requires more than that.

 

Anita, don't overthink dressing for a Carnival cruise. I'm sure you have lots of nice things already that would be totally appropriate for where you are cruising to. Unless they want to bring them...your guys have no need for any thing other than shorts, t-shirts and golf-type shirts, and a pair of dress or khaki pants for formal nights. I'm very interested in hearing your review of Carnival since you've never sailed on that line. Whatever you and your family decide to wear...I hope you all have an amazingly wonderful time.

[Anita Latte]

mousey...thanks for more details re:Carnival clothing. I do think that I have clothing that will be appropriate...

 

It must be rather handy to not have had a major weight change in your life. Unfortunately...I've had several major weight changes. This latest was the biggest that I'd had and with the timing...discovering my EARTHy self...moving twice (one an interstate move)...and by necessity, needing to replace all my clothing...I have a drastically reduced wardrobe to begin with...and because I haven't purchased too many clothes in this bigger size...it can be an exercise in frustration to get dressed, let alone pack for several days of non-exercise clothing.

 

What I did when I started my weight loss journey was to commit to not buying ANY new clothing until I shrank out of all the clothing in my closet. I went through all my clothes, and rather ruthlessly donated everything that wasn't my color and/or didn't fit me well and/or I just didn't like any more because I was in full anticipation of great weight loss and the necessity of new clothes over time. I had about 3 sizes of clothing in my closet at the time...

 

And because I was not staying in a size for very long...I bought the absolute minimum when I did start to buy clothing. I'm very serious when I say that I moved to Georgia with only two pairs of pants. One was a pair of jeans and the other a fun pair of slim cargo pants. This was partly because I didn't really need pants in Houston and partly because I got rid of all the things that didn't fit me along the way...so I didn't have any back up clothing any more.

 

And I still don't.

 

I did go on a bit of a shopping spree when I first came to Georgia. My Curves ladies in Houston had gifted me with a very large gift Visa...and so to soothe myself, I did a bit of retail therapy...and then proceeded to gain and fatten myself up to the point that I can't wear much of the clothing that I moved to Georgia or purchased here.

 

And that's a hard pill to swallow.

 

And why, when I discovered that I needed some clothing to cover my naked overweight self...I would buy exercise clothes only.

 

Until I needed a few other things because I was not making enough progress in the weight loss department...

 

And here I am...with limited choices.

 

But I'm cool with that...because, like I said, I want to have a minimalist wardrobe. In this process, I discovered the joy of the small wardrobe and I have no desire to have the over abundance that I had before. And this also translates into my desire to pack the minimum necessary for the cruise...

 

I want to exactly what I need and not anything more...

 

I'm treating this cruise as a kind of dry run for the next cruise where I will have to deal with airline travel...so I want to make good choices...good from the stand point of quantity, but also quality in that I'm happy and feel good.

 

So that's where I'm coming from...and why I am putting such thought into this shorter cruise...I'm not stressing about it...it's just an exercise for me...this is the kind of thing that I really enjoy...this is how the "sophisticated" gets into my SS...because I love the thinking, researching, planning, learning, and applying of everything that is involved in the idea of planning a cruise wardrobe for our up and coming vacation...I have a specific goal in mind and I will work diligently to try to satisfy my self established guidelines for achieving this goal.

 

Yes...I may be a bit odd that way. :rolleyes:

 

We ate dinner from the buffet one night on our Spring Break cruise. I must admit that I enjoyed it a lot. I can get sick of having people serve me all the time. Sometimes, I just want time with my family without someone bothering me and interrupting our conversation. I'm not the kind of person that just ignores people serving me...so sometimes...wait staff makes me crazy and I just want them to go away and leave us alone. I find that this feeling with be aroused at some point during vacation...when you have to keep eating restaurant food. And I will prefer some sort of self service option just to feel more alone with my family.

 

We also ate outside when we had our buffet dinner. I love al fresco dining...and the evening was especially nice...being able to watch the sunset, feeling the breeze...we were pool side and everyone had pretty much deserted the pool area...few were there...so it was a wonderful meal for our family.

 

I keep these thoughts in mind as I make my wardrobe decisions. I find satisfaction in getting to know myself more and understand my family more and being able to make plans and decisions that ultimately sum up to happy times and good memories...

 

Not that I have to plan every second. Because I don't...but I will admit that I will have in mind several contingencies and I am thrilled when I am prepared.

 

You could say that I'm something of a control freak. Yep. And I work hard to find the times when I can let go a bit...

[laurspag]

Oh....so much to say here! I hope I get it all typed before I forget. It's hard getting older! :rolleyes:

 

First, I do the same thing, Anita - I look for promo codes before I order. If I have more than one that works, I choose the best one!

 

As to my weight gain, I always varied a little. But, I stayed with a range, and since they were what I considered "regular" sizes, I didn't panic over it. size 6 and 8. Okay! Then it became 10. I was still okay with that, because I admit I felt the healthiest then. I was active, and eating right. I always had to binge diet to stay in the 6 to 8 range.

 

Then, a few years back, I gained a significant amount of weight due to my thyroid. For the longest time, it seemed like it was a chore to keep from gaining and losing weight just wasn't a possibility.

 

I have managed to regulate all this, and I slowly lose weight. But, very, very slowly. I'm thrilled to have a few 10s now, and some of the 12s are loosening up. I lose nothing up above, it seems. But I think if that comes in time, I will be happy. If not, well, I admit, I won't be happy!!! I really hate looking at a picture and seeing my boobs first. :eek:

 

I am always excited to try new clothing, and figure out what works. I think that knowing your colors, and then going through the style statement process, really helps me with the choices. I find that I really like something elegant (there's the word!) and formal like, but I want it to not be stiff like. I also prefer a touch of detail, but not a pile of busyness. Did I just make up a word? I then search for the right necklace to make it all work.

 

Cruising is clothes intensive, to a degree. And I love that. I tend to approach any vacation the same way, and how much you bring relates to what you are doing, at least for me. When we used to go to Lake Placid for a long weekend, it was in the fall and cooler. There was nothing whatsoever dressy that we did. Our dinners were at super casual places, so dresses really didn't fit in. However, I loved wearing an outfit that was carefully planned, that I felt good about. So, there were booties and the dark wash bootcut jeans with a top and sweater and scarf, the whole thing.

 

Planning for a cruise is a complete hobby to me that love. I'm already thinking ahead to next May when I have two formal nights! The green dress with the train is going (I really think the train is going to be removed) and maybe the new one from Kohls, if it is right. What is really nice is that I had the green dress adjusted, so the shoulders fit right now.

 

I love the dining room experience. I know that not everyone does. RCI is starting the dynamic dining on Quantum and Anthem, but they've already announced that they are adding it to Freedom as well. I'm on the fence about it, but there is one restaurant that is always formal, so that option is still there for me. I don't know if I want to be bothered to have to make dinner reservations every night though.

 

You may laugh, but I really don't eat at all in the Windjammer. When we get on board, we usually get a bite to eat at a grab and go place such as in the Royal Promenade, like a slice of pizza or a sandwich. From there on in, it's the dining room for breakfast, and lunch on sea days. I love their salads!