All things EARTH...

[laurspag]

Margaret, I got a Fitbit too! I got my husband one for Father's Day, not really being sure if it was a good thing for him. It turns out, he loves it. He got me the Charge HR, and it is really nice. It's not showing much activity today, lol.

 

I was looking around at different things, and Target has a few cute coverups. IT seems everything is white, black and/or too sheer for me. They have a few that are in some cute colors. There is an ivory one with a red print that I am looking at, and another one that is teal with an olive like color. As a matter of fact, there is a group of them that seem really nice, and they are only $19.99 each.

 

I ordered a few things today so I have to hold off on a coverup, but I would really like to grab one or two of these.

 

It seems like most swimwear is black or black based, but there is a nice handful of fire colors out there. Then there are the ones I posted. I think two of the three colors are good choices. I forgot to post the link, but there is an olive one too. I didn't like the straps for myself, but it is pretty. I would say the color borders on cool, so it may be a good soft autumn color, possibly.

 

Anita may like this?

 

http://www.swimsuitsforall.com/Tropiculture-Olive-Mesh-Inset-Swimsuit

[awhfy]

Laurie, thanks on the girls. They had such a great day (as did I, but I was soooo tired). Love the first & third & olive suits. The skirted one looks way old. Have you ordered from them before? I'm pretty long waisted, so tend to look for tall suits if I'm doing a one piece. Main reason I tend to do a tankini. I'm not getting anything for our Hawaii cruise, but I'm tempted with that burgundy suit.

 

I got a Fitbit Charge HR & gave DH the Fitbit Surge. Our DD just did a weekend challenge with us. I cried uncle when she did 35000 steps yesterday, I only managed 10000 & I was beat! Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie & Melody

Lands End is having a bathing suit sale so maybe you can check there . They also have cover ups . I swim a few times a week and find there suits last & give decent coverage .

[awhfy]

Sally, I've tried Lands End suits & they just don't fit me that well. I do like the cover ups. Melody

[laurspag]

I've never tried them but I'm pretty excited that you can choose by cup size on some of these. There is a teal one that I really like and another one in a color that seems like it would work for me.

 

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[aoknkentucky]

I bought and am sending back a LandsEnd tankini: http://www.landsend.com/products/wom...24?sku_0=::PL4

 

Deep Sea Fiesta Floral has FIRE lime and aqua along with white, navy, and EARTH orange and EARTH gold/yellow. I so hoped it would look FIRE. It looks EARTH to me. Sort of. The navy and white make it look like one of those prints that isn't really flattering on anyone IMHO.

 

I also ordered this in Chesterfield: http://www.landsend.com/products/wom...61?sku_0=::VXL

 

If you haven't jumped on the puffy vest craze this year, this one is definitely EARTH. The larger picture of the vest looked FIRE, but this one is definitely the color of the tiny color box. Marigold, I'd say.

[Anita Latte]

I love the front of that swim suit Laurie! Great call...BUT...I don't love the back. I have a suit that is similar and it is really unflattering in the back. It's comfortable, but because I have that "high hip" where I put on some serious baggage there in the love handle department...my rear end looks gynormous in that coverall kind of back. I need some strategic cut outs and/or styling to avoid that look.

 

I feel like I successfully navigated Christmas this year. Without going into details that no one really wants to read regarding family drama...I'm beyond thrilled to report that there was no drama this year! Woo hoo!

 

My salmon came out fantastic. SO GOOD. I used the green harissa recipe found here (which I think I have raved about before...but not sure if I shared?):

 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/carrots-black-lentils-harissa

 

We rubbed that harissa all over the interior of the salmon and then layered slices of lemon, orange, and tangerine...tied it with kitchen twine to keep it all together. We prepped it the evening before we cooked it. DH grilled it whole. FANTASTIC.

 

DH felt very manly grilling and flipping and dealing with such a large fish whole on the grill...so good times for all.

 

I experimented with several sides...the biggest unexpected hit was the roasted "crispy" kale. I've been reading a lot about it...but just hadn't done it yet...all I can say is that it is tasty, so very tasty...everyone was asking me what I put on the kale and that's the best when you don't really do anything...olive oil, minced garlic and sea salt. Love when easy and successful go hand in hand.

 

I could probably teach and take Zumba with my knee. I have. There are precautions, of course, and I have to exercise wisdom and be extremely conscious of body positioning and movement...I can do my own class no problem and am capable of doing modifications on someone else's class (which I would usually do anyway).

 

I have decided though that the door has closed on my teaching days. I'm not motivated to do it any longer. I had decided shortly after my injury that continuing to pay my dues through the end of the tax year made sense and that I would give myself that time to come to a decision regarding whether or not I would try to continue teaching post injury by year's end. It was a sad, mournful kind of day but I canceled my Zumba instructor licensing this month...so beginning in January, I will no longer be a ZIN.

 

I've some thoughts about what I want to do on my own that is kind of inspired by Zumba. It's only for my own benefit. It's a part of my planning for next year.

[awhfy]

Anita, glad your salmon came out well. Our son & his housemate made a turkey & ham. We had so much food & an entire banquet table full of desserts.

[laurspag]

I will have to read up on harissa...I'm not familiar with it. I love to try new recipes so I will check that out!

 

I'm glad your holiday was drama free. I don't talk about it much, but we have plenty of it too. It's funny because I will look around and think that other people have these perfect lives, but the reality is, we have things going on. But as far as Christmas went, everyone seemed to be dealing well with things. It is wonderful when that happens, so I can totally relate!

 

Well, it's snowing. I knew it would sooner or later. It seems that the plows are on vacation or something, because we don't have much snow yet, but everyone is pulling into our driveway to turn around and go back down the hill. It's slick. It's very, very cold too.

 

My mind is so wrapped around my cruise already. I realized that I had to go with my time dining, which wasn't my first choice. I also realized that I could choose my times ahead of time and have it all set, so I did. I have Nachi Cocum reservations made, and we are still thinking about Grand Cayman. We did Captain Marvin's tour of Stingray City last time we were there, and absolutely loved it. I'm cautious about booking my own excursions and going outside the cruiseline, because there are benefits of using RCI. For one thing, they won't leave without you!

 

They have similar excursions, so I'm trying to decide which way to go. There is also this good restaurant just a block or two from Captain Marvin's location that is really good.

 

I think I may try those swimsuits I found. I love the two I found online in Lands End, but they are a bit pricey so I was hesitant. One is a color that is air, but it has some warmth to it. I'm thinking about the soft, dark, true descriptions and this is near the warm spectre a little.

[laurspag]

I checked out the vest and swimsuit. I couldn't get the links to work but that may just be my Nook. I was able to search based on the info provided.

 

With the swimsuit, I had trouble getting a good read on it. I think the navy or black in it is dominating the other colors. The vest on the other hand was easier. My first instinct was fire, but then I realized I have a sweater that color that I love. The fabric was throwing me off a bit I think. But there are some great colors over there so I want to check them outfurther.

 

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[awhfy]

I just got the new Athleta spring catalog. Gorgeous swimwear! I've ordered the swim skirt hoping it'll go with a bathing suit I bought last fall for our Hawaii cruise. Melody

[laurspag]

I haven't seen that yet, Melody. I will have to look online.

 

Anita, you may have given up your Zumba instructor license, but I am sure you will pick up on other things. I think I mentioned before that my younger sister is a Zumba instructor. I think she is more focused on Body Pump these days. She loves weights.

 

I think where we are in our lives plays a big role in what we do and when also. I remember being divorced with two little kids, working full time and having a home to take care of. I had this portable stepper that fit under my bed that I used before I went to bed. I also did step aerobics but I used this little rug under it so I wasn't making noise that would wake the kids up, lol. Then I moved on to a treadmill since I could use it while they were watching a movie or something. It's good to be able to focus on trying to be healthy again , although work/life balance is difficult. I remind myself often that it's okay to take it easy for these things.

 

I guess I think a lot more about things like this as I get older.

 

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[princesstiffany]

I have a super dumb question- but where do you find out what season you should be wearing?

[MJC]

Hi Tiffany!

 

Most of us here on the EARTH thread have studied this website:

 

https://fireiceearthandair.wordpress.com/

 

Curt's system corresponds with traditional seasons like so: FIRE/spring, ICE/winter, EARTH/autumn, AIR/summer.

 

There is also the classic CMB website but IMO their self-analysis is very cursory:

 

http://www.colormebeautiful.com/seasons/index.html

 

Our guru diva Anita will be able to help you with a fuller explanation and she is the best at analysis. To start, I found it most helpful to look at the pictures of the people on these websites and find celebrities whose coloring is most like mine, and see what season they are. That was a good start for me.

 

You can google fashion season color analysis and you will get lots of sites to look at.

 

If you look back on this thread and the FIRE thread, you will see that we post pictures of ourselves A LOT to get feedback. Anita has posted some very helpful picture-taking tips.

 

We have a lot of fun. We break the "color rules" sometimes and don't judge. If you don't want to post pictures, we don't mind. We're just trying to be our best and enjoy our clothes, whatever they may be. :)

[MJC]

Happy New Year!

 

[laurspag]

Happy New Year, everyone!!! I may be back on here tonight, since we keep things pretty quiet. Our tradition is to stay home, make homemade pizza, and watch a movie or football game.

 

Mousey, I wanted to let you know that In Style Magazine has Jennifer Lopez on the cover. She is wearing an earthy sweater too. You should check it out! I saw the cover and immediately thought of you.

 

Tiffany, everything that Margaret said. :D Have fun with the process. With some people, the coloring makes figuring all this out very easy. With others, it's a bit more difficult. Keep in mind that it doesn't matter if you tan or not, or what color you've dyed your hair...it's what is natural to you that matters. And be open too, as you may have it can be easy to have it in your mind what does or does not look good, without really comparing.

[awhfy]

Happy New Year all. I'm on the couch with an ice pack after having a tooth implant- didn't really expect to be put out for it, but now that the drugs are wearing off I'm pretty glad they did! Quiet night for us (& hopefully a couple of pounds off for me!)

[laurspag]

Melody, I hope you are feeling better! It's not the best way to spend NYE, but it can be nice to have a quiet evening sometimes. Of course, it's better without pain. I hope you were able to take something for the pain.

 

It's snowing here, but nothing major. Me, my husband, daughters and my daughters friend (she's not calling him her boyfriend, we are meeting him for the first time) are going to see Star Wars today. It should be a fun day! We always talk about going to see a movie, and then we seldom do. I keep telling my husband we should make a point of getting out more often. Besides our cruise vacations, we have date lunches on Saturday, but seldom go anywhere. I think it's fun to just break the cycle a bit here and there.

 

Between this evening when we are back and tomorrow, I'm going to clean up all the stuff in our room, because that is what happens on Christmas morning...we have people coming over at noon and I put everything in our bedroom. I need to take my new Winter Greetings items out of boxes and get them put away, and take care of boxes. After that, I'm going to pull some dresses and other things out of the closet to decide on my cruise wardrobe. I have about 7 weeks, but it's not too early! I have only a few pair of shorts, so I ordered a few pair from JC Penney that were on clearance. They are supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Since my summer items are packed away, I need to look at those and see what I plan to taking. For just a 5 day cruise, it won't be a big deal to put aside a few things in the closet rather than re-pack them and put them under the bed.

 

I was thinking that I have Nachi Cocum and perhaps something similar to a beach day (swimming with the stingrays) on the agenda. Those are bathing suit days, at least while in port. When I wear a coverup for a while, I think a lot about what I'm looking for. I mentioned those available at Target. I have some things right now at home.

 

One is a brown knit dress like coverup. It does the job very well, and I've had it for a long time. It doesn't thrill me, but it is wearable. You may remember a bathing suit I mentioned from Athleta. I like it, don't love it. I t has this little skirt coverup I got to go over it, and I also have a long sleeved coverup from there as well. I will try and get pictures. I am not really big on the skirt without some sort of top, unless that is my Nachi Cocum outfit...that would seem ideal at the beach, you know?

 

I guess what I've realized is that I'm picky about coverups, lol! I don't like to admit that. I guess it's because I try to put a lot of effort into picking clothes that feel good, and look good. I do the same with swimsuits, which is very, very challenging. It bothers me that it is hard to find nice coverups that work with the swimwear and that I like.

 

Do any of you have that same issue?

[laurspag]

This is the Athleta swimsuit:

 

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1025186&vid=1&pid=489359022

 

This is the coverup that matches. Sort of. The color is actually a little bit different. It is nice, but a bit heavier than what I'm used to wearing for a coverup.

 

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1048262&vid=1&pid=906170182

 

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1031358&vid=1&pid=964899002

 

What I am thinking is, I could use these pieces for Nachi Cocum. I could wear the little swim skirt over the suit and then use the long sleeved coverup if I need extra protection, and for the travel to and from. Does this make sense?

[laurspag]

Maybe I should order this? It's only available in XL, but I think a loose fit in this style will work fine. It will likely be a bit longer.

 

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1031361&vid=1&pid=489378002

[laurspag]

Sorry for the multiple posts.

 

I was looking at this at Target for an option. It will work nicely with the Athleta swimsuit overall, and it will look really great with the earthy red swimsuit I'm considering that I posted a picture of last week. The one with the attached necklace?

 

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-hara-beach-tunic-rock-flower-paper/-/A-18806357

 

If you go to Target, and look at the coverup section, you will find that there are a few prints that seem earthy.

[laurspag]

Here I go again with another link, lol. You can tell I'm killing some time before we leave for the movie. :D

 

Sally, I think you indicated you shop at JJill a lot. Have you seen these, and do you know what the quality appears to be like? I'm finding that many knits right now are super lightweight and get these little holes in them just from rubbing against a counter edge or whatever. When I find heavier quality, they tend to be a bit short, or they shrink up after washing in this boxy way...

 

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=W6026A&rPFID=196&sk=O&h=M

 

There are about 4 or 5 colors I'd love, that seem quite earthy. Isn't the red fabulous????

[awhfy]

Laurie, I have that Athleta coverup & it's my absolute favorite (I have it in the Caspian Blue). I like the SPF50 built into it.

 

Happy New Year to all, I'm hanging out on the couch (dentist told me no gym till Sunday, I'm getting antsy already) but feeling pretty good. Melody

[MJC]

Laurie, I love that red swimsuit. It's funny, I was just looking at this one yesterday:

 

https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/Swim_m/SolidTanks/PRDOVR~C4669/C4669.jsp?color_name=Belvedere-Red&srcCode=GGBS00006_99103863795_200317638_15965730078_18283950120_c_pla&sisearchengine=197&siproduct=C4669&noPopUp=true&source=googlePLA&gclid=CLLji5OgicoCFQEuHwod74AMMw&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

I think I prefer the straps and the pretty back on the Athleta one, though. I like the cute skirt option that goes with it.

 

I really like that Target cover-up with the medallion pattern. I've never had one like Melody's, so I can't comment. I tend to wear rash guards in the water and then a cotton cover-up for the boat or beach. But then I am always struggling with the heat and hot flashes, which is a challenge apart from sun protection. I like to wear clothes to the beach so at the end of the day I can change out of my sandy, wet stuff. I just throw some undies in a ziplock in my tote.

 

I tend to keep my swimsuits and cover-ups in a color family, mostly turquoise, so they generally mix and match but nothing really matches perfectly. I suppose I am more thinking about function and less about fashion. I am super picky about fit, though.

 

We will be in the water often on our next cruise, but I don't really need to do any swimsuit shopping beforehand. It is fun to look, though!

 

I am jealous that you get to go to Nachi Cocum. We had such a wonderful day there. I think it was the first time I had truly relaxed in a year and half. And to think I was disappointed that Cozumel was one of our ports!

 

Melody, I hope your poor tooth feels better soon. I can think of more pleasant ways to lose a few pounds!

 

We had such a fun evening with friends last night. It was DH's first night out and we managed the two taxi rides just fine, with him stretched out in the back seat and me up front with the driver. We've already done one of our walks today, and we'll do another after lunch. I'm so proud of him, he's doing so well and being so diligent about his therapy.

 

I'm doing Zumba at home today. I made a playlist from youtube videos. This is guy is my current obsession. I haven't made it through any of his choreo yet without screwing up:

 

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , I buy 90 % of my clothes from JJill so yes I have those tees . Their tees last forever but I found those tees to be really long so they were not my favorite . Plus I am not crazy about JJill Pima .It tends to stretch out and looks sloppy . I buy Tees that have some nylon in them so they retain their shape . I just bought this tunic from JJill and I love it .

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=W6018O&rPFID=3733&sk=O&h=M

 

Their puma knit is really nice . I also bought the black puma pants .

 

 

Melody , I hope your tooth heals quickly .

 

Margaret , I am so glad to hear how fast your husband is healing .