This & That / Sweater Weather

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you are enjoying your weekend.  The Mister and I had a great day yesterday.  We met Sista and her Mista in a charming Connecticut town named Stonington.  It was a perfect day for a scrumptious waterside lunch and shopping.

I took plenty of pics to share with you this week.

This was our view at lunch.

*****

Last week, my #1 and her buddies attended a Real Housewives of Dallas watch party.  She said that the ladies were lovely.

Their favorite was Mama D.

*****

A Place To Call Home is back with Season 6 and better than ever.  It begins on a sad note, though.

No spoilers here!

*****

Amazon

I am smack dab in the middle of this novel and enjoying it very much.  It was my Prime pick this month.

Amazon

One of my dear readers, Sharon, recommended this book to me and she did not steer me wrong.  The Mister and I listened to it on our trip to Connecticut and enjoyed it tremendously.

*****

I love sweaters!  While the Mister was watching some stupid war movie, I let my fingers do the walking in search some new Fall sweaters.  

Banana Republic

I have a lot of long sweaters.
The more the garment covers, the better.

Banana Republic

I thought my girls would like this one.
My chunky shoulders have seen better days.

Banana Republic

J Crew

My closet is a sea of black and grey.
I think it's time for me to get out of my comfort zone and put some color into my wardrobe!

Tuckernuck

Draper James

I love all of the clothes on Reece Witherspoon's site.

J Crew

They call this the Jackie sweater.

J Crew

The other day I wore a blouse and a cardigan.  It never looked right because the darn blouse kept bunching up.  I think that I may go this route - sweater and collar attached.

J Crew

J Crew

Talbots

Cute for an evening out.

Talbots

Talbots

Saks 5th Avenue

Anthropologie

Anthropologie

I love cashmere because it isn't bulky but it's nice and warm.

Chico's

Chico's

Chico's

Chico's

Chico's

J McLaughlin

I adore ponchos!
They hide a multitude of sins.

Kate Spade

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

I have three of these in a shorter version in my closet that I have never worn because I can never make them look quite right.  I think I'll have better luck with this one because it is longer.

Amazon

Amazon

Or maybe I'll just order the sweatshirt that the Mister gave me in different colors.

My man is always throwing compliments my way.



Until next time...

Mia Phoy/Upsplash 

Ciao Roma and Bon Voyage

Hello, dear friends.  If you are one of those people who hide from the neighbors for fear of being invited over to their home to show

you pics of their last vacation, this post is not for you.  I understand. I know that you are itching to move on to that decorating blog with all the pretty pics.  I get it.

For all you loyal readers who stuck around, you may or may not know that the Mister and I took a 7-day cruise this Summer.  We left from Rome and ended in Venice.  We both agree which is very rare that this was the best cruise we have ever taken.

First of all, I want to mention my friend, Sandy from You May Be Wandering who was our travel agent extraordinaire.  Because of her expert advice as well as her attention to detail, our vacation was as smooth as silk.  Sandy also planned all of our ground transportation.  We always had a professional, punctual driver and a pristine, comfortable car.  Sandy is with SG Travel advisors, an independent affiliate of Brownell Travel.  You can contact Sandy here.

We ran into a slight hiccup before we left for the airport. I asked the Mister to help me close my suitcase which he did with a smile.  It was when he picked up the suitcase that we hit a snag.   He told me that he wasn't sure he would be able to carry it down the stairs.  He suggested unpacking it and re-packing it downstairs.  

I thought what has he been smokin'?  

After a lot of whining, eye rolling, flattery, and pouting, the Mister finally gave up, shook his head, took a deep breath and carried the full suitcase downstairs. 

This is the receipt for my bag. 

The male ticket agent gave my man a sympathetic look.  

The grinning agent then stuck the badge of shame on my bulging bag.

What's next?  

A Chunky Lady name tag for moi?

The flight was 9:30PM, and it was about 30 hours long. 

Ok, it wasn't 30 hours - it just felt that way.

The Mister splurged for business class because he didn't want to spend the whole flight listening to me whine. 

Good call, Mister!

The Mister snapped this pic of me.

Don't I look like Sleeping Beauty?

Our driver picked us up at the airport and drove us to the Westin Excelsior.  We stayed there last time we were in Rome.

I left the Mister in charge of Miss Daisy while I powdered my nose.

Obviously, the Mister was not paying attention because when I got back, I found Miss Daisy flirting with the Concierge.  
He seems quite taken with her.

The Westin Excelsior is a beautiful hotel with a stellar staff.

And charming rooms!

We freshened up and headed down the street to Harry's Bar, one of our favorites.

It was very warm that day, so we decided to sit inside with the air conditioning.

Great bar snacks!

We munched on some hors-d'oeuvres and ice-cold chardonnay.

 The Mister's sweet tooth went into full gear.

That evening, we ate at the sidewalk cafe at the hotel.

More appetizers and vino.

The next morning we got up bright and early.  We inhaled more calories, and our driver picked us up to take us to the ship which was to be our home away from home for the next week.

We had a veranda suite which had a good size bathroom as well as a walk-in closet.

The most valued amenity was butler service.  A butler was assigned to each cabin to satisfy the guest's every need.  Our lucky guy, Rumberto, brought me my coffee every morning.

Gosh, I miss that guy.

Our previous cruises have been on the Celebrity line, which we enjoyed very much.  

This time we decided that we wanted to try a smaller ship.  We ended up on the Silversea Silver Muse and loved every minute of it for a few reasons.

Check in was a breeze.  It was very organized and no lines.

The guests were made up of an older group than Celebrity.  

I would say the median age was about 50.
I felt like a youngster.

There were very few children.  

Don't get me wrong - I love kids as much as the next guy.

Our activity director worked behind the scenes rather than with a mike in his hand trying to recruit people to play Limbo. 

It was so relaxing and quiet at the pool.  Nobody fought over a chaise lounge, and there was no constant motion of moving chairs.

We went on a few excursions.  At the most, the group was made up of only about a dozen people.

We found that it was a lot easier to meet people on a smaller boat.  We made lots of new friends.  As a matter of fact, we met the in-laws of a famous celebrity.

How's that for a teaser?  To find out who that celebrity is you have to read all of my boring stimulating vacation posts.

Until next time...

Upsplash

    

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