All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

Les & I cashed in some miles a couple of months ago & we each got a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. They really do make a true difference in glare & looking down into water. Never believed the hype before.

 

 

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[Anita Latte]

I think Maui Jim is even more of a splurge than my $50 sunglasses!! LOL!

 

Polarized really does make a difference. I've been wearing these new glasses today to be sure they don't fog up on me. I've had styles that wrap too closely to my face and when I get heated with activity...the lens fog up on me. It's very annoying! These did well today and I was impressed by how easy they were to wear in bright light, dimmer light, and even using my phone with them on.

[awhfy]

Anita, my Maui Jim’s only cost me points, so they were free! Only 15,000 miles per pair (that’s not even one hotel room for both pairs). We got the Mahalo sports & both of us love them, they’re absolutely great for driving

 

 

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[laurspag]

Sally, I'm probably too late for you to see this, but have a wonderful time on your cruise!

 

 

Melody, that weather you had was rougher than I thought!

 

 

My husband just asked me if the overnight bag I have chosen is big enough for both of to take to Boston, for two nights. I think we are actually going to have plenty of space! This is a pretty straightforward trip. We leave Friday morning, so we will get to Boston after lunch time. Once we are checked in, we'll hop on the train and probably wander in the Fenway area. There are great places to eat and shop there. Last year, we ended up eating at the best pizza place, so we are looking forward to going back there.

 

 

We will likely spend some time on the Freedom Trail, as it was so much fun last year. I wish we had more time there, but maybe that is something we can aim for next year.

 

 

But anyway, as far as clothing goes, the temp is supposed to be around 70. We are having weather in a similar temperature range here, and whether it is sunny or cloudy seem to make a big difference. So I decided to pack two pair of denim crops, and two pairs of denim shorts. This is mostly because I do not know what I will need, and I don't want to end up too cold or too warm. I have two Red Sox shirts and my Red Sox half zip going with me.

 

 

For the car ride down, and likely the car ride back I have my navy skort and red v-neck knit shirt. As you can tell, everything is completely mix and match, and will cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The funny thing is that my wardrobe is almost completely earth, but I have a few navy items to bridge wardrobe gaps, and I'm partial to red so I always have a few red knit tops from Eddie Bauer, as they are very well made. In our climate, jeans- regular, ankle, crops - seem to be a necessity. It's only by chance that I have denim shorts, because I usually find the fabric kind of heavy in warmer weather. But I get a lot of use out of them. They are sturdier and can take more of a beating if I am working outside or whatever.

 

 

I will only have one of my daughters home that weekend, so she is pretty devoted to taking care of the dogs while we are gone. I told her the night before, we'll go for pedicures. So, should I get a little baseball painted on a toe nail or something???

[laurspag]

Margaret, your hiking shoes remind me of mine. I never really thought of them as shoes - I tend to call something such as this sneakers. I got mine back when we were planning our Grand Canyon trip, and I still have them and wear them when appropriate. I find that they are an athletic shoe with features that make them good for hiking. I used them when we were checking out the gorges in Ithaca last year. I love that they are not overly hot and as you have indicated, fairly comfortable too.

 

 

I would have to take a picture of mine to show you, as I've had them a while so I'm sure I can't find a picture online. I used to have a picture on Photobucket, but we can't post from there anymore.

[awhfy]

Laurie, have you tried calling up your Photobucket pictures & duplicating & saving them? I never used Photobucket so don’t know if it’d work or not

 

Love the idea of a baseball tie if you’re wearing sandals

 

 

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[MJC]

Laurie, my cool weather hiking boots are Columbia too and I really like them. But they are too warm and bulky for Africa. They have a lot of ankle support and are good for the mountain hiking we like to do in the fall. (This is where Anita and Melody laugh about "mountain" hiking in NJ.)

 

I finally finished our photo album for our two Western Caribbean cruises from Houston. So, now I'm sorting through our Costa Rica and Panama Canal photos to pick ones for the book. Between the two of us we took 945 photos! I took waaaay too many animal pictures, which makes me realize I have to work on my technique for moving animals so that I don't have to take so many just to get one good one. DH just needs to take fewer pictures. :) How many pictures of container ships going through the canal does one actually need, anyway? Not so many after all.

 

Anita, I look forward to hear about your practice packing and your actual final pack. We are going to have to do similar trial runs. I know I will be too heavy the first time, and since we're doing carry-on only I'll have to refine our liquids plan.

 

Thinking about Sally enjoying a ride in a classic convertible through Havana. :)

[awhfy]

I broke up on mountain hiking in NJ[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]. We live at over 7000 feet. I don’t think anyplace in NJ is close to that. On hiking boots or shoes I swear by my Ahnus, they’re gortex lined & lightweight & come in pretty cool colors (mine, however, are boring brown).

 

I bet Sally is having a blast!

 

Our grandson, Nate, left for Air Force basic training this morning

 

50 years, to the day, that Les enlisted in the Air Force. Melody

 

 

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[laurspag]

Well, it's going to be a busy week! I worked late tonight so we just finished up with dinner. Tomorrow we go t the gym after work, Wednesday is Corporate Challenge after work, Thursday is the catch all night - grocery store, laundry, finish packing, etc. Then we are off and running on Friday morning.

 

 

I don't have the den completed, but I do have the main things done so I will post pictures. Throughout the house, we have been replacing our baseboard mouldings.

 

 

 

My husband and I attend something called Parade of Homes each year, where they feature standout builders in a new development. We routinely take a lot of pictures of things we like, and we try to incorporate them into our home. We have always loved the look of custom mouldings, and realized that they aren't as custom as they first seem. They are usually a combination of multiple big box store mouldings combined. We have crown moulding in the living room and dining room, and it is really three different pieces combined. The same goes for the baseboard moulding.

 

 

So getting back to the den, the window trim needs painting and finishing, we still have to finish the baseboard moulding, and we are replacing the light switches, outlets and their corresponding covers. There isn't a lot to finish, but we get busy so we know it will be a bit before it is all done. I decided I would go ahead and post pictures, even though it is clear we have a lot of things to finish up.

[laurspag]

New chair

 

 

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[awhfy]

Love the pillow on the chair. Like the chair too. I’d love to see a soft red cashmere or chenille throw on it

 

 

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[laurspag]

My mom made the afghan back in the late 70s, so even though something else would look better, the afghan stays. There are little things throughout the room like that.

 

I have that, a small table, a hope chest and milk glass candy dish from my mom, and we have all those things in the house. The hope chest fits in well where I use it. The table is so interesting...I need to see if it possible to have it refinished. When I get a chance to post a picture of it, you will see why.

 

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[awhfy]

Laurie, I’ve built an entire room scheme on small items that have been left to me too. Where did you get the chair? I’ve been looking for a modified wing back like that for quite awhile. Looks comfy

 

 

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[Anita Latte]

Nice room Laurie! Is that the den/office room?

 

A part of me wishes that I too had some home projects to work on...especially over time, the way that you are.

 

I haven't been to a Parade of Homes but Dad and I used to enjoy going to look at model homes all the time. Mom would get sick of it but Dad and I always enjoyed seeing not only the layouts but the decor. Especially at the time in Scottsdale...the area was booming with new construction...there was so much to see. We would walk through the office and if the agent on duty managed to corner us into a conversation, I would jokingly introduce myself as "Lookie" and my Dad "Lou"...explaining that we weren't serious buyers. In other words...Don't waste your sales skills on us!

 

Great photos Melody! I recently read Battle Ready: Memoir of a Navy Seal Warrior Medic. Very good read. I admire all who choose to serve!

 

Ah yes...the "mountains" of the East. SO FUNNY!!

 

I haven't finished watching this little show...I was interrupted last night and I haven't started it up again...we're watching the French Open now...I'm going to restart it because I've enjoyed what I've seen so much. It's an inspiring story of 6 fabulous women in the UK...I think it is BBC produced. Called "Fabulous Fashionistas". The average age of the 6 women is 80 years.

 

[Anita Latte]

My Mirabella Mulberry came today. Melody, did you receive your black ones?

 

At first I was surprised because my memory focused on the metallic color the model was wearing when you flip through the pictures of the Mulberry color...and I somehow got it into my head that this was a bronze kind of color. Mulberry is a good name...I would put the color in a burgundy/wine family...but very washed out and muted. It feels darker than the tan but the muted coloring is good. I like them a lot...the last time I had a similar color, they were Birks in a dusty purple almost mauve kind of color...also a bit washed out. The Mulberry color isn't the same but both seem to fall in the range of purple, I suppose...I think I'll get a lot of use out of them.

[awhfy]

I did get the black suede sandals but they’re going back as the color bled off on to my foot (only one shoe). My Jambu Mary Janes arrived tonight & they’re great, especially or $16.99. I’m keeping the denim blue but the red are garish & will go back. I hoped they’d be more of an earthy red but these are brighter than scarlet. Melody

 

 

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[MJC]

Melody, I think it's adorable that you, your son, and your grandson have the same smile. :D

 

 

My mom was an artist, and for a while she worked as an interior decorator. We all got to choose the decor for our rooms when we moved to a new house (I was in middle school). With a lot of coaching, of course. So, I've always been interested in making my space look nice. When she lived in FL I used to go with her to the decorator show homes. My favorite was the one at the Marie Selby home and gardens (which Sally will probably know).

 

 

The challenge with an apartment is that there is usually not a lot of choice as to where the major furniture goes, so if you want to change things it's usually confined to moving or changing the accessories.

 

 

Laurie your room looks cozy yet modern, and functional plus personal. I love blue and white so much. It can always be made fresh.

[awhfy]

Our Parade of Homes starts August 1. My girls & I traipse thru each one in our area (usually 20ish). Our middle daughter does staging for a couple of her real estate buddies & we get free tickets. Fun for 2 Saturday’s & a good lunch with my girls.

 

 

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[Sailor_Sally]

Well we finally made it to Cuba . We had perfect weather the whole trip . We went to key West first which is always fun and then we went to Havana . I had arranged for a private tour with fer tours . They picked us up in a two tone Ford from the 50's and took us everywhere while the guide pointed out several things and told us the history of Cuba . There are old restored cars everywhere . It is like a car show .Havana is a big city 2 million residents but there is no hustle like in other cities . Everything moved at a slow pace . The points of interest are scattered throughout the city so you really need to take a tour .You also need to exchange money as very few accept American dollars .The city was very clean and great Spanish architecture . Everybody was very nice and friendly .We bought cigars and Rum . Cuban Rum is $5.50 . The cigars are various prices .All are pretty reasonable . The guide asked us about lunch and we said we are light eaters and would prefer just a sandwich . They took us to a tiny local place where we had Cuban sandwiches and beer . The sandwiches were great and the total bill was $6.00 . This is where you have to be careful . Lots of guides and all of the RCL excursions took people to overpriced tourist traps with not so good food . They are probably getting kick backs from the restaurants . Fusterlandia is so much more than pictures show . It was impressive . We also stopped at a Forest in Havana ,revolution Square ,the revolution museum, Morro castle and at Sloppy Joe's bar . All the rum drinks in Sloppy Joe's were priced at $4.00 .There is nothing to buy even t shirts are poor quality ..All in all we loved Cuba and will return .

I also won $320 on a penny slot machine after playing .60cents .The Majesty was okay . Food was just okay . The rooms are tiny . The crew were all very nice .We are looking at The Empress which does three ports in Cuba out of Miami .I will try to post pictures especially of the cars .

[awhfy]

Let us know when you’re thinking about Empress, that’s the one I’m interested in

 

 

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[laurspag]

Majesty is one the smallest, oldest ships. We actually had a great cruise on her a while back, but right now, the ship is used for the shorter Cuba runs, so I would imagine they are catering a bit to...how should I put it? People who don't care about the ship, just the destination? But I could be wrong with that.

 

 

I'm so glad you had a good trip, and I hope you have pictures to share with us!

 

 

Melody, the chair is from Pier One. It was on sale, I had a shipping coupon, plus I got birthday Ebates that were really big. All in all, the price was excellent. I ordered that chair, plus a good sized upholstered dining room chair to use in our mudroom. There will be a little built in sewing area for me once we have that finished up, and we wanted a chair that was comfy and looked a little nicer.

 

 

I am happy with the den. I'm usually a bit matchy matchy, but this room is intended to be more functional than anything else, and this was a way to make it feel inviting and comfortable. The blue in the chair is a bit muted, and the overall style just makes it easy to use in other areas if we want to at some time.

 

 

 

I have noticed that since my husband has some older family items, we are sometimes drawn to older things. Myself, I don't really want old furniture, unless it is a smaller accent piece. We like to add little touches, such as my Charles Chips containers. I'm not sure if any of you may know what I mean by that, but when I was little, there was a company that went door to door, and you could purchase snacks. Their biggest seller was the potato chips that came in a can...

 

 

AT the same time, I very much like to have things put away. I'm selective, where my husband likes to keep it all and to display it all on shelves or walls, lol.

 

 

His mom was an artist, and we love her paintings.

 

 

I did well in the Corporate Challenge, and average a mile in 15 minutes. The whole course is 3 1/2 miles. I have a few blisters on the bottom of my feet again. They heal quickly and are doing better today already so they won't interfere with my trip. We're off to Boston tomorrow!

[awhfy]

Laurie have a blast in Boston. What hotel are you staying at?

 

 

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[laurspag]

We are the Holiday Inn in Brookline. We can walk to Fenway if we want or take the train. We love the train, actually.

 

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[laurspag]

My mom's hope chest:

 

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[Joby]

Sally,

 

Glad to hear your trip went well. I would love to see photos if you share them :) The old cars would be a huge draw for us!