Monday Musings- New Digs, New Color, and a High vs. Low Outfit

Happy Monday, ladies. I have tons on my mind this week, including what to pack for Portugal. The weather looks cooler there than I anticipated, and I don’t want to be caught short without comfy layers, so I’m heading out to do some shopping right after I dig deeply through the guest room closet. This week, I’m musing about new digs, new colors, and high vs. low outfits.

New Color

My husband never comments on my clothes, so it shocked me when he said how much he loved the color of this green vest. I wore it the other day for another photo shoot that you’ll see later in the week, along with this striped tee and my newest lipstick in Fashion. The lipstick is a deep berry on me and as close to red as I ever wear. I’m thrilled to find I really like it with my grayer hair. On that note, I can’t decide if the color of my hair is silver, white, blonde, or gray, but I think it’s a melange of them all, and I love it. Once this green crossed my radar, I began seeing it everywhere…sort of like after you buy a red car and then every other car you see on the road is red. This isn’t exactly the same green, but I’m obsessed with this jacket. I also just ordered this $50 cashmere sweater. Green represents growth and renewal so my next bit of news may be why I’m enchanted by it.

New Digs

I wanted to finish my tale about why I was so distracted that I left all my suitcases in a hotel. We were busy renting an apartment! We’d had such a great summer in Vancouver we decided to rent a small place so we could come and go more often…without having to lug a ton of suitcases with us. We really miss the home we sold on Vancouver Island…I miss visiting with my brothers…and most importantly, we miss spending time with our girl!

The apartment scene in Vancouver is insanely expensive with everything from a closet for $$ to a larger closet for $$$$$. Our criteria was:

• a view…of anything other than a brick wall, but hopefully mountains or water
• nice walkable location that I feel safe in
• affordable because we’re keeping our house in California
• a building that had a workout room for me and, hopefully, a pool for hubs
• it had to have a king-size bed! Mr. AWSL is 6’4″ and takes up 3/4 of a queen-sized bed, so I never got a full night’s sleep the entire summer in the temporary rental.

We began looking for furnished ones because I assumed it would be easier. But after weeks of looking, I realized I would prefer to have my own things. It will make it feel more like home when we walk through the door, plus I won’t have to freak out every time we put a water glass on a table. We looked for weeks and viewed more tacky apartments than I care to remember. Then Kevin found a perfect little gem, and it has a peek-a-boo view of water and boats.

It was sparsely furnished, and the owners agreed to remove 95% of what was there. But the very best part is it’s only a 12-minute walk from Vanessa! It’s in a quiet neighborhood with a friendly vibe filled with families, kids, and people of all ages. That’s what I’ve missed about living in an active retirement community…variety of ages. The residents all seem so friendly in the building, and we are excited! We had a new KS bed delivered, and I’m a happy camper. It’ll be fun to furnish and decorate the place, and I’ll share my journey with you.

Splurge or Save

I’ve been thinking about budgets lately and wondered if Splurge is the right name for these posts. They’re really more about high/low options and where you’d choose to spend your money. These posts are also for outfit inspiration so you can be inspired to shop your own closet, which is the most cost-effective of all.

This outfit starts with a classic deep camel, double-breasted coat. Many of you may have a favorite one in your closet that you’ve relied on for years. To this, we added pale camel pants, a blue twin set with brown loafers, and bag. Gold and pearl accessories finish the look.

I often prefer the lower-priced version of these outfits. Can you tell the price just by looking? The expensive outfit comes in around $1,054.00, and the lower-priced look runs around $246.00. What was your tip-off?

Book Suggestions

I need some reading material for my trip and wondered what books you’re looking forward to reading this fall. You ladies always have the best suggestions.

Thanks for reading, and remember to wear what makes you feel confident.