It's In the Bag - Finishing Up Mission Shopping

We had an unexpected trip out of town this weekend. It seems like my life has taken on an inner life of its own and I just have to go along for the ride. Planning anything is nearly out of the question as so many things keep coming up.


We did an overnight trip and fit many things into the short space of time but I was grateful that we were able to go to a bigger city and shop at a high end store as we needed some warm winter boots for Princess Four to wear in the snow in Japan. 


Since she is going for 18 months and I won't be able to send packages according to the literature we received, I want to make sure I send her with enough cold weather gear that she won't be cold and get sick and need to come home or be hospitalized etc. 

I remember my winter in New Zealand. I have never been on the coast in a humid place in the cold like that before in my life (I have since) but being cold to the bone like that was horrible and it didn't snow where I was but I was still freezing. 

That was where I learned about wool and the amazing ability it has to absorb many times its own weight in water and how it keeps you warm. 

I learned to sew in New Zealand and made my first dress out of wool fabric. I also learned to knit in New Zealand and they other kids joked me because I always had a pair of knitting needles in my hand as I was trying to make wool gifts for my family before I returned. 
 
I have also know about the benefits of down for many years as well. I have down feather beds, comforters and pillows on my bed. Even my throw pillows are down. My livingroom couch has a down filled top in the cushions under the leather. When I tell you I LOVE down, it is not an exaggeration. 
We looked in the coat closet to see if one of the girls ski jackets could work for her on her mission as I don't want to spend any more money than needed but still want her to be warm. Imagine my surprise when I found a bag hanging on a hanger with this Calvin Klein premium down coat in it from a second hand store for $8. I also found this cute rain jacket with a zip out hood and zip pockets that I bought for the same reason. It is light and functional and we will change it out for one we purchased that is a bit heavier we can take back.

I then remembered that I purchased it in case any of the girls went on a mission to a cold spot or I traveled to a cold area as the coat weighs only a pound or two and can pack down into a ball about the size of a large softball! I had princess clump it up for the picture but she didn't compress it and roll out the air she was just showing that it gets really small. 

I looked them up online and they are about $100 average so I was really happy with that find. It is large enough that she can wear her wool sweaters under it, her wool under-clothes under that, her long black rain jacket with the zip in liner over that and wool hat, scarf, gloves and on her feet, wool socks from Costco that are over 80% wool but still thin ($14 for four pair) and over that the thicker wool snow board socks and now...... UGG boots! 

In New Zealand, I got my first pair of Ugg boots. Here is a link about that and how to care for them. While we were at the larger store, I was SOOOO happy to see that Ugg has started to expand their line! 
 
I have thought for many years that would be a great idea and also, if they would put in a Birkenstock type removable in-sole with a fleece top so that there was support in the boot it would be great! I have joked that they should partner for years!  


UGG now sells waterproof boots! We are so happy as she can wear them in the snow all day and unlike the traditional boots that if they get wet, they take a few days to dry. These boots have great treads as you can see. My older boots from over 30 years ago and mine from 20 years ago have terrible treads and I have nearly fallen many times so it is good to see them improving on those as well.
 
They have some really cute dress type boots that are water proof and this style we purchased an one that Princess Two is looking into Appalachia 2 is the name of that boot but it is $260 a pair and we can't find any in any of the major stores in the state so she is going to do some research to see if she can find them and try them on before ordering. She is always cold and she can't wear traditional UGG styles at her work where she has to wear a skirt daily so she is really interested in a boot she can wear at work that is still cute and WARM!
 
Here is the post about the larger pair of wool over-socks we purchased for $14 a pair for her to wear over the smaller socks if the boots and one pair of socks aren't enough. Here is a link to the clothes and overcoat we bought her she can wear over all of the layers. The boots were just under $200 but the peace of mind knowing she will be warm is enough for me. Truly, I was so stressed thinking about her being cold.              
We found a really cute longer jacket with an Asian print on it we bought as well. You can see it in the picture with the shopping bag above. She really thought it was cute but won't be taking that with her on her mission. 
 
Just thought I would share that in the past two weeks, I have had 111 likes on my youtube channel. Today was one of those days! It must be a sign! Everything is going to be alright and we are almost ready to start packing now that all the major shopping is done!