Wednesday!

It's packing day!

The weather for the cruise while in port at Cozumel is looking good!! So relieved. There is a storm system but it will have passed up by, supposedly, by the time we head for our cruise in Tampa. It's so nice to only have to drive an hour or so to get to the ship. I am used to having to drive 9 hours to visit my family or traveling over 24 hours to get to India lately, so driving only an hour to start a trip, is awesome!

I think this will be my last entry for a few days, will check in after the cruise! My sister and a good friend are going on the cruise too. They are driving down here today to join us! We are all so excited. Tomorrow is the day we sail.

Fashion Inspiration - and storm relief?

So Tropical Storm Matthew is no more, *whewww* that is a relief! I am still not completely at ease about storm situations yet since the news keeps mentioning a possible new formation around that same area again. But I do think everything will be fine! (thanks, Angela, for the tips in your last comment!)

This cruise has me excited. I hope I am not being annoying with cruise talk, but this is the week! It's coming! A few days away! My sister and our good friend are driving down from Alabama to go on the cruise with us. I know that will make it even more fun, for Kavi too! He will have his aunties along.



I have been wanting a black and white striped shirt since I wrote about it here: Fashion Inspiration: Stripey. I found one Saturday!! At Ross, for 8.99! I am ignoring the rules about horizontal stripes because I needed a striped shirt for my cruise! I just did. I wanted to have a stripey sailor shirt. I even have a ship necklace, how cliche huh? I also have a layered necklace that has ribbon in the back and ties on the side(shown to the left with my new shirt)



Here's more inspiration for my cruise...

A simple set I put together:

ready for cruise by ChristinaD featuring a print dress

A set I found on polyvore:

Ahoy there! by ❤seftalili❤ featuring a black shoulder bag

Watery Vacation Countdown

Next week at this time, I should hopefully be in Mexico and snorkeling at the location below! (after arriving there by cruise, sailing from Tampa!)

Chankanaab Park, Cozumel.

When we planned our cruise, I started looking for more affordable options of what to do when we arrived in Mexico. We didn't want to spend something like $50 or more each to do an excursion. I found lots of good reviews for this park and was happy to hear that my blog friend Angela had gone to the same location in Cozumel on a cruise she went on, and liked it! Compared to many other options, it seems the more affordable for what comes with it. With a coupon I printed out, it will be $17 each for me and my husband, and then I just realized children under 3 are free! Score!!! To snorkel it's free, but if you don't have snorkel equipment it can be rented there for I think $15. If I prepay for snorkel equipment online it would only be $13. I am hesitating pre-paying anything yet.

We will only be there during the day next Saturday...
as long as Tropical Storm Matthew doesn't interfere!!!!!!

I am a little worried about that. Right now tropical storm M is not hitting Mexico but south of there. It would appear that we wouldn't get any storm issues in the path of our cruise or Cozumel- except, I watched the Weather Channel and they are saying the storm could possibly turn and then it really would affect our cruise. It could mean we don't get to sail to Mexico. I have read that they sometimes can divert ships to a different port in tha Caribbean but if there isn't any space for ours, we could just end up sailing around the Gulf in safe areas. I just don't want this to be an issue, please please please!!
I put a red line from Tampa to Cozumel(our cruise route).

*sigh*

A glimpse of back yard fun

I am not a very good mom when it comes to going outside in the heat to play. And it's just been too hot anyway! But a few evenings ago, I went into the backyard with my husband and son. The weather was decent. It was still warm but not sweat-inducing. That was one of the rare, tolerable evenings these days! Very hard to come by.
I look forward to when the weather is less hot here and easier to be outside in. It might take awhile for that to happen in Florida. But when it finally does, it will be fun to spend a lot of time in the backyard again like we did until the summer heat had come along.

Vintage Thurs: Mid-Century Orange

I did a search on Etsy for "mid century orange" which came up with lots and lots of results. Here are the items I picked for putting on the blog today! A good color scheme for Fall! It's really Fall now, yay!

Etsy TheCozyNest

My first craft fair and DIY cards!

I signed up for my first craft fair yesterday! It's on October 16th. It's not a big one, and it's local in a community center. It was only $10 to get a table so I had to go for the opportunity. I am not sure what age group the crowd will be. It could possibly be a lot of retirees but maybe I am wrong. I will be prepared though! I had signed up for one for last year but then it didn't work out and I am not sure what even happened to the event. So this is really my first one!

Thinking of some ideas for the craft fair made me want to look up some DIY projects for making things like cards. Here are some ideas that I found around the web that I thought I would share and maybe make.

Caramel Apple Cards. Perfect for fall!

Teacup cards. Color combos are endless! A cute idea.

Pop-Up Pirate card. Cool!

Some really cute, free, vintage style clipart is available here:


If you are feeling more adventurous, look at this sweet fabric envelope project!

Decor Inspiration

I just really enjoy looking through decor inspiration. The problem is that I haven't accomplished any of the painting or decorating that I have wanted to do for months and months now! Maybe in October?

Our 6th Anniversary

Autumn harvest wedding cake topper

Today is our 6th anniversary! Six years ago, I was getting ready for the wedding. We were finishing up details and cooking food. Our wedding was all DIY so you know how that goes!

I am blessed to have a wonderful husband in my life! And now we have a very fun, cute son too.

Vintage Thursday: One Dress, Lots of Shoes

Autumn Plaid dress

top: boot 1; boot 2
middle: wedges; heels
bottom: woven flats; Mary Janes


I think you could wear any of the above shoes/boots with that cute plaid dress!

Potty training.

We have been on and off potty training for months. My son would usually sit on his cool "potty" but not go in it. We got serious about it on Monday evening. I had bought him some big boy underwear(the Diego character is all over them!) and we just put him in them. So now it's Wednesday and since Monday afternoon, every time he had to go #1, he went in the potty! (well except for sleeping time, wore a diaper overnight). Now going #2 in the actual toilet still needs to be conquered. I won't even tell you all those details! So I am kind of busy with that this week.

Black, Green, and Stripes

'Black, Green, and Stripes' by CoffeeAndCream

A darker color palette than most other treasuries I've made. I wanted to do something different!

fireflyhilldes... $16	matouenpeluche $6	hollystalder $145	FrozenEngel $15
Asiamade2order $22	elisasherejewe... $62	FatStudio $20.00	jacquelynlee $30
amaniworks $22	amoelbarroco $86	tippythai $35	retrothreadz $42
orchardandbrow... $2.4	shoofly $12	mummumscrafts $7	LaceyJean $18.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Link for the treasury on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c8ef771f5726d9136706665/black-green-and-stripes

(oh sorry about this Caps thing, I wrote normal but I guess the html I used made them caps!! Not trying to yell!)

Fashion Inspiration

1. remix004, 2. wardrobe remix march 19, 3. 25 August 2010, 4. 4th of June 2008

No theme really, just things I like!

But I am determined to do two fashion related things this fall/winter:

1. Actually buy a form of skinny jeans. Not the extra extra tight ones though! I tried some on recently at Target and while I didn't think they looked that great yet, I think if I keep working on losing weight, they might look better in a month or two! They didn't look as horrible as I thought they would! I wasn't horrified.

2. Wear tights with a dress at least once. I rarely wear dresses to begin with. But I have a pretty purple one I bought and still haven't worn out. I am bringing it on the cruise but I have to wear it other times too. (It's not very fancy. Not a formal gown or anything like that!)

A few more pictures

I just wanted to share some cute deer pictures and other pictures! We were only a few feet away from 3-4 deer for a little while. That was last Sunday while visiting Lake Guntersville State park in Alabama.

Below: eating sponge bob ice cream next to the river in my parents' town.

Playing with "nanny's"(my mom) things. :)

Vintage Thursday: around the house

Vintage items in bright colors, either painted fresh or originally bright like the chairs.

Green painted pine dropleaf table

Painted pair of vintage ornate frames

Painted turquoise letter holder

Yellow Eames 1960s chairs