Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Hi there! What have you been wearing? I thought today I would talk about packing in case anyone still has a trip coming up. It can even be an overnight or a long weekend getaway.
I left Thursday morning and returned home Sunday afternoon.
These are 7 of the 9 cousins on my mom’s side of the family. My mom was the oldest and had three girls (my sisters and I all are here), my mom’s brother came next and he had three boys and two of the three are here, and my mom’s sister had a girl (she is the other girl in the photo) and two boys. One boy was not able to come. Neal is on the right and he is the one who is the host with the most!
Amy, April, Molly, Kate, Matt, Bryan, and Neal:
I wore cut offs and a blouse in the car, put on my suit and jumped in the lake when we arrived, then showered and put casual shorts and tee on for dinner, ice cream at the market, and the walk to the beach.
My parents were the ones who traveled. We lived in southern Indiana and traveled to Chicago every Christmas and usually once in the summer, too.
For the dune ride, I wore my black skort and a plain white tee.
For clothing, I brought:
3 swimsuits (good call but I only wore two of them), 2 coverups, one pajama, one dress, one skort, one sweatshirt, one sweatshirt set of shorts and hoodie(I didn’t wear this), 4 t-shirts (I didn’t wear one), 3 shorts (wore them all), and 3 pairs of shoes – Keens that I have had for 20 years – one of them came unglued and I had to toss – oopsie!, tan flip flops, and my Crocs Miami – which also had an “incident” I will tell you about. So, I went with 3 shoes and came home with 1.
Everyone leaves their shoes outside on the big porch before going in the main lake house. I took my Crocs Miami off after the dune ride to go float in the lake. They were in the direct sunlight and this is what happened:
Only one of them curled up and shrunk.
Now, my nephew also brought traditionalish Crocs and they also shrunk in the sun. They literally developed a pointy heel and shrunk by a few sizes. He wasn’t able to even put them on. Has anyone else heard of this happening? I’m going to reach out to the company I think.
Back to packing, I used a duffel bag and included a kitchen trash bag for my dirties. I like keeping the dirty separate from the clean this way. I recommend bringing one more pair of undergarments than you think you need, socks in case your feet get cold at night, and one more shirt than you think you need.
What have you been wearing lately?
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
That is so weird with the crocs in the sun! I don’t think I have ever owned a pair of crocs so I hadn’t heard of that happening before.
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Oh my gosh, what a strange thing that happened to your Crocs! I have never heard of that happening before. I would definitely reach out the company. I just asked Google about Crocs shrinking in the sun and it said that this is widely known. Hahaha. I didn’t know it. You didn’t know it. Your nephew didn’t know it. And Joanne didn’t know it. So how known was it really? I love that first photo of you and your cousins. What a fun family get together!
Shelbee
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We have not owned crocs since the kids were little (my garden shoes are of a croc like material but I take them off inside the house after wearing them outside) and my kids must have always taken them off in the house. That is too bad about yours. Think if those were the only shoes you had! I hope your nephew had sneakers or another pair of shoes. Great photo of you and your cousins!! Thanks for the link up :).
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I’m wondering if they are using a new material and they aren’t made as well as they used to be? Isn’t that crazy?
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Love that the first thing you did was jump in the lake. So fun! Sorry that your crocs pooped out. Thanks for the link up!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
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Yes! I know, right? You’re welcome!
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I cannot believe how the crocs shrunk for both you and your nephew. That is scary, what the heck are they made of that does that?
What a great trip and you are so blessed to have all these cousins. My father was one of three boys and his brothers didn’t have children. My mother had two brothers, one had two kids and we saw them a bit when we were young but they had a crazy life that only got crazier. It’s so odd how we missed out on having cousins!
xo,
Kellyann
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I know! I feel like maybe they are made more cheaply now?
That is a small number of cousins to have. I have so many fond memories of cousins on both sides and I will credit my parents for all the travel they did with 3 kids to make sure we were close to them.
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i missed out on having cousins too ☹️ My dad was an only child and my aunt and uncle never had kids. I am close to some of my dad’s extended family though and especially my great aunt’s granddaughter who is about my age.
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Oh wow! Those black sandals look so durable and perfect for boating or the lake or the beach- great find!
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You did perfectly with the packing, especially since your shoes broke/shrunk! What in the world? I would definitely reach out to the company; the least that could happen is that maybe they give you a discount for your replacement pair. Tell them you’re a blogger who raves about the sandals you had! I’ve found that it just never hurts to try, you know? I love the combination of clothing you took and can’t wait to hear more about this. Happy Tuesday!
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It sounds like you had a great trip and how cool to have so much of your family there. You packed really well. Eek to what happened to your Crocs. I have never heard of that happening.
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Love hearing about people’s packing: I am packing for a 3 day to Greenville, then 4 days to Arizona. I learn from every time I travel. I like to have a little more than what I need but not much especially if I am flying. Wow, about the Crocs! Hopefully they will do something about that!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
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I’m laughing about your Crocs!! 🤣🤣🤣 My husband threw his in the back of a pickup truck to go on a mountain biking trip with his friends and they shrunk. I bought him new ones for Father’s Day. So yes heat will shrink them 🤣
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I’ve never heard of the shoe thing. It seems like they’re made for outdoor wear so a little bit surprising. Shoes are usually my downfall in packing, but al least summer shoes are on the small side. I bring more than one pair of pjs because I sleep hot and like fresh pjs every night, at least in the summer months. I have gotten better at not overpacking, but if it’s a road trip, why not? : )
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Good job packing! So many shoe casualties lol
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I would definitely let the company know about the shoes! Maybe they will replace them for you!! I always take at least one additional pair of undies – sometimes two haha!
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Oh, the gift of cousins! What a rich heritage. We try to get our grandkids all together as much as we can so they will know each other as they grow.
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We learned the hard way not to leave Crocs out in the direct sun. Heat plus direct sun made them shrink. They really should put a warning on the packaging.
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So glad you get together with your cousins. I bought the Miami with the back strap and mine are not good too. I am sending back. They flipped over in the from when I walked. Super annoying and almost fell! Oh, well. I have a pair of Keens from 2005! I just got a new to me pair as think they will give out eventually. Have a great Tuesday!!
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Oh no, your crocs! And my crocs! Thanks for the warning, I will NOT put them in the sun!
How great to have such a big bunch of relatives! My family is really tiny… but fantastic! 😀 Maybe you Americans are better at holding your family together?
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Wild about the Crocs! I love that you and your cousins have this reunion. It looks so fun and laid back. I love your packing theme post! I will begin packing this weekend for my trip. I have been working on my list and going to try this in stages I think!
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