All Things EARTH... part 2

[MJC]

These two tops I wore with my brown pants and sandals for dinner at night:

 

[MJC]

Shoes!!!!  I also packed my water shoes for GSK, flip flops, and workout shoes.

 

 

[laurspag]

Margaret, I'm glad you posted the link to the scarf.  I wear them a lot as they keep me feeling warm and add some detail to my outfits.  The think is, almost all my scarves have brown and orange in them.  I need some variety.

 

I had forgotten you had a cruise you were going on, so it is fun to see your clothing choices.  Tshirt dresses are great.  They are so versatile, aren't they?  The denim one looks fun.  

[MJC]

Aside from my embarkation sweater, I also brought this teal sweatshirt, blue and ivory sweater, and tan waterfall tshirt-weight sweater thing. I wore the blue and ivory sweater for our CC M&G and for dinner the night it was too cold for the short sleeve dress.

 

[MJC]

Laurie, that navy tshirt dress looks great with sneakers or dressed up with jewelry and sandals. It's partly the color and partly the style that make it flexible. It has slits on the side that end just below the knee and the neckline is pretty. It was a jjill find on sale and I'm glad I got it. Its also very comfy.

 

 

 

[MJC]

Here is the assorted casual day wear I brought. Sometimes I started in pants, switched to shorts, and went back to pants and the temperatures shifted throughout the day. The orange top on the right stayed home. The navy/turquoise sleeveless top I wore to dinner one night with my navy pants and pumps. The top below it I wore for our day in Bermuda along with the turquoise Bermuda shorts (natch).

 

NCL has this class called Fun Fitness. I tried to find out ahead of time what it was and didn't get any good answers, but I brought two sets of Zumba clothes anyway. It turned out to be a mixed bag depending on who was teaching. The first day was very Zumba-like although only about 40 minutes. The second time was an inexperienced person who did about 15 minutes of very repetitive arms and squats, so I left to do my own zumba class in a quiet area of one of the closed lounges. The third and fourth times were more like zumba again and lots of fun. It is led by one of the cruise director's staff so there was a very mixed bag of participants and it was very basic, but I had fun and it's always good to move around on a sea day.

 

[laurspag]

I think I need to upgrade my tshirt dresses, but the ones I own I've gotten so much out of.  Scoop neck, V neck, maxi, below the knee and above the knee.  They are mostly from Target and have been great for the price.  I'd love to find a few better quality/weight ones.

[awhfy]

Hi gals, I’m sitting here with my iceman chugging away on my surgically repaired foot. I have to leave it completely alone until 8 Feb. if it works it’ll be worth it. We moved upstairs to the guest bedroom so everything I need is on the same level. Boy, sounds are very different on a diffeeent level of a house!!  Melody

[57redbird]

On 1/16/2023 at 4:43 PM, laurspag said:

I really liked the dress quality, 57redbird.  It's an easy to wear dress, if you know what I mean.  Let me know what you think!

 

I love that I can dress it up or down.

Got the dress & kimono top.....not crazy about the top but it'll work.

[laurspag]

12 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

Got the dress & kimono top.....not crazy about the top but it'll work.

I'm trying to remember...we're you getting the same dress?  I'd love to see the links!

[laurspag]

Melody, you must be so tired of surgery on that foot!!  I hope it works for you.  Once you get to February 8th, are you still to remain off of it for a while?

 

You took some great clothing choices on your cruise, Margaret.  What did you think of the ship, itinerary, etc?  It sounds like it was rather cool overall.

 

I'm already thinking of outfits, lol.  Just mentally...I'm not getting anything out and comparing jewelry.

 

Yet.

 

I think both of the Chico's Off the Rack dresses are coming.  The purplish one will be likely accessorized as I described previously with gold sandals and that bracelet.  The orange dress I will wear on a casual night when my husband wears his SU shirt.  Probably tropical night, because it is his first tropical shirt. I got it for less than this thru Fanatics for Christmas.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wes-Willy-Hawaiian-XX-Large-Syracuse/dp/B08WRGM8T7/ref=asc_df_B08WRGM8T7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=508343016624&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3682512899609480813&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005074&hvtargid=pla-1344544905770&psc=1&region_id=674469

 

I've never taken classes on board.  How did the gym look compared to other cruise lines and ships you've been on, Margaret?

[57redbird]

13 minutes ago, laurspag said:

I'm trying to remember...we're you getting the same dress?  I'd love to see the links!

Yep - the grape Chico's twist neck dress & a Chico's dots kimono top....https://www.chicosofftherack.com/store/product/Rainbow-Dots-Easy-Kimono-Jacket/570336379?color=5965&size=9908&adlclid=ec6a14dfcda2175e523d770932d7b3cd&utm_content=pla-4577129472507465x1176478327498804x370338824&utm_term=sku26249545&msclkid=ec6a14dfcda2175e523d770932d7b3cd&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Chico's OTR_B_PLA_Smart Shopping_Other

[laurspag]

The cutout is cute.  I wasn't sure what to think at first, but it is a nice little update.  The color is really nice too, don't you think?

Edited January 29, 2023 by laurspag

[awhfy]

The dress is lovely, great color, I’m not crazy about that jacket tho, maybe a little white shrug instead if you need something

 

laurie, I love it when Fanatics has a sale. Just make sure you pack that shirt in a drycleaning bag (their silk shirts wrinkle easily).

I’ll have another. 8-10 weeks of nonweightbearing after my appt on the 8th. Where I’m allergic to titanium he’s hoping the foot will fuse itself without metal. I’m already pretty tired of doing nothing!!  Melody 

[laurspag]

Melody, I can imagine you must be feeling rather stir crazy!

 

I am home today as I took a personal day.  We are getting our boiler replaced.  Thank goodness we have a gas fireplace in the living room, because we had to turn off the furnace when we found the crack in the heat exchanger.  We cannot leave the fireplace on all the time, as you can imagine.  It has been a long week without heat or hot water!  The sad thing is that the boiler wasn't quite 14 years old.  The heat exchanger had a limited 15 year warranty, but it is prorated based on the age and it wasn't going to cover much.  As a mater of fact, the replacement of the part and all the labor wasn't much less than a new boiler, so we decided to bite the bullet now.

 

So I am in the den, which is near the living room.  It is still pretty cool in here though.

 

I decided to just look around a bit online, and came across this dress.  I have a long sleeved dolman shirt in this kind of fabric.  Whenever they put that darker gold on the black, it looks like brown!  Is that just my eyes?  What do you think?  

 

DKNY Women's V-Neck Metallic Ruched-Knit Sleeveless Gown & Reviews - Dresses - Women - Macy's (macys.com)

 

I'm not really looking at long dresses currently, even though I love them.  I feel that maybe I can rotate what I have (if I can fit into them!) and supplement with some cocktail length dresses.  I loved the ivory dress I wore on the last cruise, and I feel the dress I wore for my daughter's wedding would be perfect with blingy jewelry...which I have.  As a matter of fact, I went to Etsy and had the necklace made specifically with the dress in mind.  Once again, I would have to try on the dress.

 

But anyway, I'm enjoying some window shopping.  With a great sale, I'd consider that dress at $100.00 or less down the road.  It is sparkly, but I often find fabric like that does not appear quite as dressy.  I think it takes a bit of thought to figure out formal nights these days.  I dress for myself, but I also like to feel like I'm over the top.  

 

I'll keep you posted if I find anything fun!

[laurspag]

I think this dress here is beautiful.  I have no place to wear it, so I'm not going to buy it, but I love seeing beautiful dresses in a variety of styles and colors.  

 

Adrianna Papell Women's Beaded Off-The-Shoulder Gown & Reviews - Dresses - Women - Macy's (macys.com)

 

This is very pretty also.  In person, I think the metallic probably adds a really nice, elegant touch:

 

Lauren Ralph Lauren Women's Paisley Metallic Jacquard Gown & Reviews - Dresses - Women - Macy's (macys.com)

 

Isn't this pretty?

 

Eliza J Lace V-Neck Gown & Reviews - Dresses - Women - Macy's (macys.com)

 

This has a black background, but the print is really nice and warm:

 

Connected Petite Sleeveless Scoop-Neck Sheath Dress & Reviews - Dresses - Petites - Macy's (macys.com)

 

 

[awhfy]

Laurie I can definitely see you in the first (yes, brown) dress & the last one. I personally love the teal lace one.

 

ouch on the furnace!  Melody

[MJC]

3 hours ago, awhfy said:

Laurie I can definitely see you in the first (yes, brown) dress & the last one. I personally love the teal lace one.

 

ouch on the furnace!  Melody

Agree, Melody, on all counts. I do like that Ralph Lauren a lot too, but I don't think the colors work for me. Love the teal, so beautiful.

 

Laurie you are right about the first one. I have a similar sweater and it does look brown even from a short distance. Mine has brassy gold on it which helps, I think, rather than a bright gold.

 

Just took another look at the Pantone colors for spring since my new Vogue came and the stores here will start stocking for spring at any moment. Except for Gray Lilac the top row is nice, though the blue might be too cool IRL. I like Blue Perennial better and Peach Pink might be workable too. We'll have to see how they manifest in the stores. I think the FIRE ladies might have some options here too.

 

 

[laurspag]

Macchiato is a color I like a lot.  I believe I might have a few things in this color already.   The greed is really nice too.

 

I thought fiery red looked earthy at first, but seeing it on my computer screen enlarged, I wasn't so sure.  It's one of those reds where I wasn't really seeing an undertone to it.  I wasn't seeing orange or blue/purple.

 

But it's red, so I love it.  

 

While I saved the items I saw at Macy's so that I watch some of the pricing, I did continue to look around in other stores to see who had what.  I find it really hard to find much.  Macy's is a truly big department store so they tend to have quite a bit of variety and they have lots of sales.  I also love that i get free returns and free shipping.

 

I did see a few things in Nordstrom Rack and Belk too.

 

I have heat!  I worked from home today so that things could be finished up, but they did end up finishing around 10 last night.  The house feels great, but the radiators in the family room and mud room need to be bled.  We will either call them back or my husband will do it.  That is typical when the water is shut off.  You just have to let it run a bit to get the air out of the pipe.

 

At different times during the day, the water and gas were off so that was a little rough.  It meant we couldn't use the fireplace but the little space heater in the family room did an excellent job.  Those guys worked soooo hard!  They didn't want to leave until our heat was on.

[laurspag]

I keep going back to look at this dress.  I think it just has too much black for me.  I have not worn this much black since...I don't know, ten years?  This would have been so perfect if they had given it  a chocolate background instead.  It's a petite, but based on the length, I would have given it a try.  I might try it, since the gold is really the most outstanding color, and there is a bunch of brown.  Hm....

 

Net price after my coupons I have available is $31.50.

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by laurspag

[awhfy]

Laurie, I didn’t even notice black till you said it. That’d be a lovely dress on you

[laurspag]

I know it seems like I often look at what people would call body con styles.  I've never really worn anything like that though.  I had one full length formal dress that was somewhat fitted from the waist down, but not a lot.

 

I mention that because when I post items that seem really fitted, I know that I have to order up a few sizes so that they fit on top.  They often end up with a fit closer to what you see in that dress I just posted.  If it doesn't look right, I will adjust the side seems myself or go to my favorite tailor.  So I can buy a body con dress and end up with a different style.  Does that make sense?

 

Speaking of dresses...here is what I have done. I have ordered a few from three different stores: Nordstrom Rack, Belk and Macy's.  I tend to order a lot, and then send most back.  I have two things I am waiting for, including that dress I just posted a picture of.

 

With the rest, I can say most are going back.  Part of ordering clearance items is that they are on clearance for a reason.  I'm floored how bad sizing can be sometimes.

 

Anyway, I hope to get some pictures of the dresses hanging up this weekend, and then I will tell you what my plans are.  I always try things on a few times before I make a final decision, but out of 7 dresses, I think I will keep 2.  Another will go back for a much larger size than what I normally wear, because I really like the dress but it is much too body con for me.  I'll make a firm decision later though.  I factor in how much I am paying for the item, if I can do it myself, if I need to have it tailored, etc.  

 

I am also hopeful for items that are easy to adjust or are a little easy fitting, so that as I lose weight (I hope) they are easy to wear and can eventually just have a modest adjustment made that I can do myself.  

 

I hope everyone has kept warm.  I'm so glad we had the boiler replaced when we did, as yesterday would have been a serious issue.  We hit -25 degrees, but I am pretty sure it went down a little more after I had last checked.  The part that wasn't called for was the snow.  It isn't a lot of snow, but it led to white out conditions on my way home from work.  My 15 minute drive took 40, and I was so scared that my FitBit told me my pulse was 150, lol.  

 

Boy am I grateful though.  a warm house, everyone safe and sound.  I followed up and made sure all my employees in my department got home safe as well.  We are blessed.

[awhfy]

We were -21 on Monday & sat on our deck yesterday at 60. Insane weather. Melody

[laurspag]

Melody, we are at 44 degrees right now.  You are right, this is insane weather.

 

I wanted to walk you through some of the dresses I ordered.  Rather than post links, I"m going to try for pictures where I can.  I think it is easier.  I don't have everything yet, so I like to make final decisions once I have everything I've ordered first.  A few things though are definitely not being kept so I will point those out.

 

The first group here is from Macy's.

 

This one here I thought was a little different.  The color was very pretty, and I thought it would look really nice on a cruise or to a summer event.  It was a risk for me because things that tie at the waist are not a good look for me.  I was thinking that maybe I could remove the tie and wear it that way, possibly.

 

I have to be honest....I didn't like it in the least once I put it on.  I just felt it was completely wrong for my body shape.  My torso is too short for things that define the wait area, overall.  It didn't lay right without the tie though.

 

 

I"m in love with the color of this dress.  It is very body conscious, and that is throughout the entire dress.  That's a no for me.  I got to thinking I should try ordering a size up, and seeing if it falls looser in the thigh area?  If it does, I would definitely look at it.  I also could care less what size the tag says.  

 

 

It is a pretty stretchy dress, so I think it forms to where it needs to.  Once again, I'm going to try it on again to get a better idea.

 

Now the next one.  I'm just too weak to pass up a red dress, lol.  I really like this.  The tulip hem creates a really nice flow, and it would look great on dress your best night with some elegant jewelry.  It seems too big though, so I am going to order a size down.

 

This is why I say I don't care about what size is on a tag - I ordered a dress that is too big and one that is too small.

 

This is the dress that hasn't come in yet:

 

 

Next up is my order from Belk. I've never ordered from them before, but they had some fantastic deals.

 

I thought this might work, so I ordered it.  I'm on the fence.  It fits fine, maybe a little bit loose.  I'm not sure it does a lot for me, but it doesn't look bad either.  It is stretchy and sparkly.  I'm sure I'll figure it out once I try it on again.

 

 

The next dress is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.  It has a funny story to it.  I saw the dress on the Macy's site, but it was only available in plus size so I went looking to see if it was available in regular misses sizing.  That is how I ended up on the Belk website.  It was also cheap.  The dress above was $20.00 and this one here was $30.00.  I got a $10 off coupon for signing up for emails as well.

 

 

Like the one dress from Macy's it may end up having too much black in it.  We will see.

 

Next is Nordstrom Rack.  I think I have ordered from them before once or twice.  It is always very iffy.

 

I love this color.  It is more of a dress that I would wear to work, but I have to say, it is comfortable and has stretch.  I could see myself wearing it to dinner on a cruise.   I should add that I really don't wear dresses to work other than once in a while, but if I have a work function to go to, this will work for that as well.

 

 

 

Now for the last one.  I didn't like this at all.  I was hoping it would feel somewhat like Margaret's brown beaded dress.  It is just not me.  So it is going back.  The one pictured below is what I ordered, which is brown.  There are other colors as well.

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by laurspag

[laurspag]

Pricing is funny sometimes.  The red dress is currently not on sale, so I'm not sure if I would reorder now.  I'll see what I think when I try it on again, but it definitely had to taken in on the sides under the arms, and it felt like it hung down too far.  I would say it needed to be taken up at the shoulders, but this doesn't have shoulders.  I think it would take more work than what I would want to pay for, so I'll wait for another sale and order a smaller. size then. It's $119.00 right now.  When I ordered, it was on sale and I had a 25% off coupon that I was able to apply to it as well.

 

I worry too that it could sell out or something, but I think I will take the chance.