Great Glasses!

OK, let's have a vote!

I need a new pair of glasses (my old one has been repaired more times than I can count)
and...I have $300 of insurance left that are earmarked just for that. How lucky am I?!

More lucky than lucky, except that I find glasses shopping to be quite stressful.

First, I'm utterly blind as a bat without my current pair of glasses, so to try and get an impression how a new pair looks, I must place my face 6 inches from the mirror and squint my eyes fiercely.
Let's hope that distorts my usual affect just a little bit.

Second, I find it hard to be objective about my appearance, usually estimating glasses to be either much more or much less flattering than outside opinions corroborate.

And my family has limited patience for weighing in as I try on pairs in different poses. (My local wonderful glasses store allows clients to check out up to 4 pairs of glasses for up to 3 days before deciding). How about like this? From this angle? Pair A or Pair B? Mama, who cares?! (Husbands/sweeties know better than to express their opinions on such matters too forcefully, so Minou comments with caution).

Therefore I am relying on you, my readers! Because I know you will tell it like it is.
Right? Please leave me a comment and let me know which pair you prefer and why.
As a reward you will have my gratitude forever and one less nurse in unflattering glasses walking around.

Here are the choices.

Option A:

Option B:

Option C:

Option D:

I do realize that they are mostly similar. But slightly different--honest!
P'tit Minou Un took the pictures, and I was trying to look serious.

Please weigh in--I need some help!

minimal packing

It's so, so much easier to pack for a trip when your basic wardrobe is small.

I was recently talking about this with my mother, who enjoys the process of laying clothing out on a card table in her bedroom, looking at options, weighing her clothing choices. Although she likes the selecting and reviewing, it's also time-consuming and can be a little stressful (like when you're leaving for a five-week trip in five days).

My packing process for the Trip to France is made easier by three main factors (which is good, because I'm anxious enough about the flight and being separated from Minou and the p'tit minous for the first week without adding to the nerves!)

1) I have relatively few clothing items. (I've never counted them, but may someday).

2) I will be mainly in one area of southern France, where it is likely to be HOT. For the few days when I'm travelling further north, I will be with my mother and can glean from her wardrobe if something warmer is needed (hi Mom!).

3) I'm mostly taking clothes that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have gifted me with over the past years.

Here's what is planned so far:

dresses inherited from M1

interchangeable brown clothing makes four outfits

brown cardigan for airplane & evenings

black below-knee skirt, black t-shirt and two sheer tops for over (blue from M1)

two more summer tops from Mamie & M1

In addition, I will be taking:

• a bathing suit and pareo wrap
• a nightgown
• "intimate apparel"
• black sandals, brown sandals (both good for walking)
• light jogging sneakers & quick-dry tshirt, sports bra, shorts
• toiletries & medications
• a sketchbook/journal, small camera, and reading material
• sadly, my laptop. I would be happy to leave this behind (the boys are all amply electrified) but I will be continuing with an online class starting late June
• a small black bag/purse
• and of course gifts! I don't want to show those here just in case it would spoil a surprise, but Minou and I had a lot of fun selecting small, light ones that we hope will please.

The only "light" coat that I have is a fairly inappropriate waterproof purple windbreaker, hence the brown cardigan. My other concern is shoes--the black sandals are simple but a little dressy, but the brown ones are Keens--rather technical looking and definately not dressy--p'tit Minou un informed me they were "butt-ugly" (thank you, son--especially since he had to have them four years ago). They look like this:

source: Google images from ebay.com

I've never packed quite this lightly before and frankly, I'm a little nervous. What do you think--is it enough? Any suggestions from seasoned travellers?

frugal friday:wants and needs

I am working on a cognitive retraining project.

Tuesday, lying in the dentist's chair during a cleaning, I drifted off into mentally packing my luggage for the upcoming Trip To France. I'm hoping to take just one small carry-on, since I hate dealing with luggage on trains and such. Minou and the boys are leaving one week ahead and are planning to check a bag, so they are in charge of transporting gifts. If I can pack lightly, everything should fit into one shoulder bag and I'll be able to help my mom with her luggage during the few days we travel together to Brittany.

The last two times I went to France, my wardrobe shifted from my usual home "uniform" of jeans or workout clothing. First, it's hot where my mother-in-law and sister-in-law live. Second, people are much more fashion conscious and tend to dress up more than in my small city. I kind of enjoy this, especially when on vacation. I found myself wearing skirts and dresses a lot more than I do at home (also thanks to my sister-in-law M1, who has exquisite taste and enjoyed sorting her closet and generously passing on discarded items, though what is roomy on her is form-fitting on me) . However, I find pants more comfortable for airplane trips. I don't want to take jeans--too hot and bulky. I have two pairs of black pants for work, but both are long, plus if I'm not at work, I don't want to see them (you know how it is with uniforms).

For a minute, I thought "I need to get a new pair of black capri pants". The thought instantly evoked anxiety and a chain of associated nervous thoughts. Likely they would cost under $20, but...the dog just went to the vet for an eye infection, leading to an unexpected bill. Our clothing budget is $25 a month for the four of us (technically), so if I buy pants, it empties coffers needed for my rapidly growing sons (p'tit minou un grew almost two inches in the last few months). Plus I hate, hate, hate with a passion going to the mall or big box stores, but don't have much time to do the thrift store rounds in the next week and a half. And I am really trying to only use the car when I have to, so when and where could I bike to the store...

Mental noise. I stopped myself. What is the point of all this stress? It's silly.

I do not need a new pair of black capri pants (or any other item of clothing). I have enough clothing to cover myself, even if it is not just exactly what I am wishing for. I know that more fashionable minimalists might find this unacceptable, and as things wear out I will replace them with functionable, fitting, interchangable items, but might it not be a good reality check to practice making do with what I have? Yes, I think so too.

Source: google images retrieved from target.site.com

necessary? no.

winnowing wednesday: minimal closet

At the risk of incurring the wrath of petit minou un, I am showing you my closet. Which is also his closet. Yes, I know that it is messy. The hanging items on the right side, along with the items in the drawers, are almost the entire contents of my wardrobe (I do have a small carry-on bag of seasonal items stored in the attic).

Anyone who knows me personally knows that "fashionable" is not a word very likely to be used to describe me...but I  enjoy clothes! However, as I travel along my path of "less is more", I have become much more careful about a) how I spend money, even on thrift store items and b) what I bring into the house, realizing how much more I value the space and freedom it brings.

I have been thinking about how to create a very small wardrobe of comfortable, versatile, mix-and-matchable, and flattering items, a la Miss Minimalist's ten-item wardrobe. I was inspired yesterday by a post over at the minimalistmom.com about moving toward ethically made, multipurpose clothing items. I followed her link to (r)evolution apparel and was even more inspired by the story of two young travelers who decided to follow their dream and make a difference in the world...with fashion.

Check out the video of the Versalette and "how to rock it"! It's rather amazing, when you consider the design ingenuity involved in creating this multi-use garment (the model is great at showing the quick changes--she could duck into a phone booth and transform her look in a flash). I'm not sure how many of the options I would actually use... but the fact that this one item of clothing can transform from scarf to shawl to hood to top to tunic to skirt to dress is incredible!

I subjected both Minou and p'tit minou un to a complete viewing of the seven minute "How to Rock the Versalette" video, and they in turn subjected me to some teasing. However, Minou did promise (and petit minou un was my witness) that if I gave away fifteen items from my current wardrobe, he would purchase a Versalette for me (from outside our household budget). Game on, mister! (he didn't know that at all times I have a bag of waiting-to-move-out-of the-house items sitting in the closet).

Here is the Versalette in all its glory:

source: http://revolutionapparel.is/pages/sharing-stuff-we-love

And here is the bag of six items ready to go:

I have three more items already selected to be passed on as well, bringing me to nine. Just six more til I order that Versalette. Not a bad trade, fifteen items out for one in that can take the place of  all the others. What color, charcoal or sage? Opinions?