The Emerald Princess, Aruba evening

Getting dressed up every night is always fun for me.




Lunchtime cakes, I had a chocolate cupcake and ate most of it.

Now we go to the show, the casino, and set sail all in a few minutes. Keep coming with me if you will!

bee

--- Posted using BlogPress with the help of Honey...

Location:Port of Aruba

The Emerald Princess, Aruba

It sure is a beautiful morning. We docked at 7:45 this morning. I have no earthly idea how the captain did it either. That was SOME steering I tell you. I never saw a pilot boat either although there may (should) have been one.




We decided to go swim this morning while (hopefully) the masses are gone. Since we are here until 6:30 this evening we can go ashore in the afternoon.




I did not go to the casino last night after all, saved my money that time!




The seas and the weather have been absolutely perfect. But (so far at least) Carnival is still my favorite. More on that later.

bee

--- Posted using BlogPress with the help of Honey...

Location:Aruba

The Emerald Princess, second sea day part deux...

This is the pool we have been using, not crowded at all and there is a lot of movement in it, I did water jogging for one HOUR this morning!




Notice anything missing in the theatre? There are NO posts and you can see the entire stage from any seat in the theatre. Each show is done three times in an evening so they never feel too crowded. There is more leg room too. The seats are staggered within the rows so if someone sits in front of you, well you can still see everything.




Love that balcony, just love it. I am still finding many differences between Princess and Carnival. There have been so many flying fish today too. I watched then for more than an hour.

There is no smoking on the balconies or of course in the staterooms. That means you can sit outside and not be bothered with it but if you ARE a smoker, well there are not many places you can go. Don't think you'd much like that. There is one spot on deck seven where you can stand and smoke. No smoking anywhere on the lido or any usual places. Yay me.




So far ALL of the food has been fantastic. I mean really really good. I tried the chicken salad in the International Cafe and that was really good, cake, fish, all of it. And now formal night...





And so another lovely day ends with a great show and some fun stuff in (possibly) the casino.

Thanks for coming along...
bee

--- Posted using BlogPress with the help of Honey...

The Emerald Princess, second sea day...

Ahhh, sea days! Nothing like them. There are so many activities and such a lovely slightly moving bed to nap in (y'all). Another morning of coffee and rolls on the balcony, in the warm sunshine today. Perfect start of a magnificent day.

Observation: No wonder we were the only ones dressed up so much last night, it is tonight that is Formal night. Buggers, missed by one day! Ha.

Comparisons: The iced tea is MUCH better on Princess, much much better. The pizza is the best I have ever had at sea and they deliver it if you want.

We have anytime dining and have requested to be seated at a large table so far and have met many lovely people. But they are all very old. Meaning even older than ME! (!)

Today I am going to go swim, walk a lot, see a movie or two, visit the casino to make a donation (they must need it really badly because it seems everyone is doing it, not just me), and relax in a deck chair. Oh, and read my book a bit. I am reading the Outlander series and like it very much (thanks Ayla).

Have a wonderful day, I know I will...
bee

--- Posted using BlogPress with the help of Honey...

Location:On the smooth waters of the turquoise Caribbean...

The Emerald Princess, a day at sea...

We awoke to calm seas and delicious sunshine to our room service breakfast order where we went to the balcony with same. How lovely is that? Then it was up to the pool and hot tub at Serenity for a (cold) swim and lucious hot tub soak and then sat in the sun to dry a bit before coming back to the cabin to change for lunch.

After a wonderful lunch it was time for a much needed nap(!) and then to get ready for formal night. A very nice dinner, a casino loss and a show rounded out the day.

Observations: Princess cruisers don't get as dressed up as Carnival cruisers. That surprised me a lot. Also the staff does not know your name like Carnival does. The ship is not glitzy like Carnival but very pretty. Only the same three children on board and they are rarely seen. You can get a much more diverse room service delivery including pizza, lasagna, stuff like that. We have only had breakfast but I saw the menu.

Some shots from today. Back tomorrow..,

bee

The Emerald Princess Embarkation Day...

Lunch on the lido was delicious but tons of people. The crowd is MUCH older than Carnival and we have only seen three (THREE) children on board. Yes, three. Amazing. Anyway it's almost time for Muster and then more walking. I am walking a LOT! Yay me! And I'm also taking advantage of the free internet while in port. Posts will me scarcer but daily I hope in the future.

xoxo
bee

Onboard!

Just in the cabin, it is small but very pretty. Going to go explore now and take some photos.

xoxo
bee

The Emerald Princess - Embarkation day!

Yes it is, today is the day.  My first Princess cruise.  I hope you will all come along with us and that I don't gain too much weight but there will be cake in my future.  

If I find anyone worth stalking cute I'll post some pics for you.  Have a lovely day, you sure know I will!

Monday stuff and other stuff...

Today my cruise mate arrives and I can't wait to see her.  I am so lucky to have someone that loves to cruise as much as I do but I wish the duck could go as well.  Next one he'll be there too though.

I am all packed.  I took a bit more than usual but it's a 10 day cruise and on Princess I don't have unlimited free laundry service like I do on Carnival.  I still don't think I overpacked though.  I am excited to be seeing all new shows and trying the different foods too.

Yesterday I hit a new zip code in my weight loss.  Meaning the second number dropped.  That is 312 sticks of butter gone from my butt.  Can you even imagine carrying that around with you all the time?  It was quite a thrill I have to honestly say.  Twenty two pounds to go.  Plus whatever I gain in the next ten days of course.  That's motivation not to gain too much isn't it?

My Bee Bandwagoners are coming along nicely as well.  Wouldn't Sarge be so proud of us all?

I had a really lazy day yesterday, all I did was walk some and cook some and play on the computer some and turn on the tv some.  The duck was busy with his duties so we didn't go shopping.  I didn't really need anything anyway, I had just gone to Publix and am leaving tomorrow but I would have liked to have seen him anyway.

Hope your Monday is totally tits, I know mine will be!

Toes? check.

Well my toes are ready to board the ship.  You do know they won't let you board if you don't have your toes done don't you?  Yup, there is this toe room that you have to go through where three people all look at them and decide if it's safe for you to board.  And don't try to bypass this room either because they seriously will take away your cake if you do.  Well okay, possibly I made this all up but get that pedicure anyway people!  Nobody wants to see your yucky feet.

I found out yesterday the furniture is going to be taken out while I am gone but the painting probably will not start before I get back.  Scheduling stuff.  Anyway they are going to try to move up the date if they can but I'm not too hopeful that it'll happen.

I have everything in the suitcase except for the hanging clothes which I'll add at the last minute.  Other than that I'm ready to sail.  Princess has an area called the Sanctuary that is adults only and you pay to use it, lounges, quiet, stuff like that.  We might go there, thinking about it.

I was out of chicken breasts so I stopped at Publix on my way home yesterday.  I bought the wrong ones.  I like plain ones the best and I got seasoned ones by mistake.  I washed them but they still had a bit of the flavor.  I guess I'm nuts because I don't like garlic and lots of seasonings.  Just a tiny bit of salt and some pepper and I'm good to go.

Today is a quiet day and those are so nice.  I just wish it was warm enough to swim.  Oh well, it's not too cold so I'll keep quiet.

Have a lovely Sunday y'all, I sure know I will.  

Sarge's toolbox... and other stuff!

I have told you many times how Sarge only had two tools.  A plastic butter knife and a chain saw.  Well yesterday I had the need to get out the tv remote (rather than the cable box one) and found the repairman had a third tool in his repertoire.  Band-aids!  Who knew?  Bless his heart, he'd fix things one way or the other.

Did I ever tell you how he fixed a running toilet with a fishing bobber?  Um hmm.  I laughed so hard when I found this clicker I had tears in my eyes.  It was just perfectly "Sarge".  Honey if you can see this I know you are fixing things in Heaven as we speak.

So today is small business Saturday.  I think that's a great idea and I will be doing some of it.  Oh, and the grandkids, well, yes they are getting a check.  I'm not at all thrilled with it but that's what they want.  I was going to go with an American Express gift card but no, they'd rather have the cash.  Okay, I give up.  They want it, they get it.

Oh, speaking of checks wait until you hear this one!  I am running rather low on actual paper checks so I tried to order some online through my bank.  For some reason it wouldn't let me.  I called the bank and they told me I could not order checks, that my account has a "death hold" on it.  What?  Sarge died last January and I went in and took the death certificate and had the account put in my name only.

It's my name, my address, my SS#, my phone number and no, I cannot order checks.  I was told I'd have to go into the bank to see if they could take the hold off it.  I have had this account since 1981, 31 years last month!  It keeps getting swallowed up by bigger and bigger banks.  I thought about taking my money elsewhere but in the end I'm too stubborn I guess.

So what did I do you ask?  Well I let my fingers do the walking and bought checks through WalMart online.  A bit over five bucks for a 5 or so year supply, depending on how often those grandchildren get into them! Ha.  There's more than one way to skin a cat.  Ew, why did that come to mind?  And where did that saying originate?  

Anyway I'm off to do some spending today, mostly hair, nails, stuff like that.  Oh, and the fruit stand too!

Black Friday at my house is pink!

First off let me say yesterday was not as bad as I thought it would be.  Dinner at the Fern House was wonderful and I did NOT overeat.  I started by fixing a small plate and thought I'd have a second one but found when I was finished the first one I was no longer hungry at all.  Chuck got me a 1/2 slice of pumpkin pie and I only ate two bites of it.  Win/win.  He also sent me home with some turkey so I could have a turkey sandwich in the evening.  We talked about Sarge for a bit and brought up some good memories and it was really nice.

Now on to the next thing...  I can't seem to decide what to do for the family for the holidays this year.  For years now we gave them all a cruise but I don't feel like I can do that now for 19 people since I am not getting Sarge's retirement that he set up for me to receive.  Being away and not really knowing what to get them I guess it will be cash.  I hate that though, so impersonal and then you never get to know what anyone does with it anyway.  Gift cards?  Blech.  Any great ideas out there? And Ayla don't read them so you can be surprised!  Ha.

We really liked the cruises because it was a time when we could all get together and just have fun as a family with no phones or business or interruptions, just fun.  

For those of you that know, the duck is doing better.  He had an issue with his thyroid and had to have some scans and tests and is now on a medication to control it.  He talked about it on facebook so I'm sure it's alright to put it here.  Dr. Wacks told him he has Graves Disease.  He said he'd be sure to look after him while I am gone next week too.  Chuck is one of his favorite patients, he told me that.

I finally decided that I like the new Blogger.  Finally.  You know, old dogs and new tricks and all that.  

Hope your Friday is lovely.  And that you don't have too much to do.  And that you have some fun today...  me too! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought rather than a photo of food I'd have a flower today.  Less calories!  Ha!  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your families and friends.  

Days like this we should come together and forget past transgressions.  Every family is dysfunctional to a degree and has it's own special people that get under our skin.  I have never met one yet that has perfect harmony.  Just relax and remember, nothing is perfect on this great earth.

If you are cooking and spending two days on a meal that will be over in twenty minutes, well, you are like all the rest of the families out there.  

Expectations of the perfect table and perfect manners and perfect table talk and perfect food will surely lead to feelings that you should not allow yourself.  Enjoy what you have when you have it and forget the rest.  

And smile!  Yes.  Relax and smile.  Take a deep breath.  If you allow your self to do this I promise you will have a much better day.

It's also the 49th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  In all the food and families and festivities please remember this day as well.  One of the tragedies of our lifetime. 

I am sorry if I am a bit "down" today.  I'll perk up again tomorrow, promise!  And I shall smile all day.  Yes, I will.  Hugs... 

Wednesday stuff and other stuff...

Gosh I started out bad at poker again but finally rebounded.  I ended up only losing fourteen bucks.  Believe me it was a whole lot worse earlier.  I just don't have my grove on I don't guess.  Maybe it'll change after the cruise.

Is everybody ready for turkey day tomorrow?  It's going to be a hard day for me, I am so thankful to have time with old chuckie duck to help me through the day.  They say the firsts of everything are the hardest.  I don't know.  I'll tell you next year when I see if it gets easier.

Dr. Wacks was so happy with me yesterday.  My blood pressure was 105/76.  On no meds.  Can you imagine?  

I talked to him about something else to.  I know how to overeat and I know how to diet.  What I don't know is how to eat normally and maintain a weight.  I know I'm not quite ready for that yet but will be sometime in the hopefully near future.  He told me to stay on my 1200 calories and when I go out somewhere eat pretty much what I want - within reason.  I know this must sound really dopey to most of you that have never fought weight but to me it is very real.  And very scary.  

I read that only about 5% of people that lose weight keep it off.  I want to be in that minority.  I want it really bad.  I have to think on this a spell and come up with a plan.  With me?

Have a wonderful Wednesday y'all.  I know I will too.  I'm going to start packing!

Some Bee Bandwagon stuff... and other stuff!

In case you are not checking the weight loss on my sidebar please note that I just hit 75 pounds yesterday!  Yes, that's right, 75!  Thirteen and a half months, that 5.5 pounds a month or 1.3 pounds a week.  But who's counting?

I know this is not a good photo of me but it's new so there you go.  And yes, I have makeup on my waddle.  Plenty of it actually but still...  It feels pretty awesome.  

I looked at the pills I took this morning and the only thing left in there are supplements.  You know, Osteo Bi-flex, calcium, B12, D (well that's in the calcium), fish oil, baby aspirin.  Oh, and one prescription, my Zoloft.  I can come off that any time I want but thought I'd stay on it for the first year after Sarge.  

How fabulous is that?  Gone are all the rest!  That's why I have to go back to see Dr. Wacks today, more blood work just to make sure I'm doing as great as I think I am without any meds.

This is the lowest weight I have been in 20 years.  I only wish I had done it sooner.  I know I aged myself carrying that weight around all those years.  But what's done is done and forward I go.  Are you with me?

Bandwagon Apple Crumble

*Makes two*

One apple - 65 calories

2 Tablespoons brown sugar - 65 calories

1/4 Cup oatmeal dry - 150 calories

1 1/2 Tablespoon flour - any kind - 55 calories

1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter/margerine - 75 calories

Cooking spray - 0 caloriesTotal calories = 410 for 2

205 calories each!

Spray 2 ramekins with cooking spray.

Cut apple into small pieces, 1/2 in each ramekin

Mix together sugar, flour, butter, and oats

Put on top of apples

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned

Eat warm!

*Top with fat free cool whip if you want.

A brand new week!

Well it's eight days until cruise time.  Shall I start packing or wait until the last possible moment?  My mother would have been packed two weeks ago.  Me?  Not so much!  It's so easy now though.  When Sarge was going he had to have so much medical stuff, nebulizer, oxygen, all kinds of stuff I was always afraid of forgetting something even with my list.  Now if I forget something for myself it's not a big deal.  

I have some anxiety about gaining weight on the cruise.  I know I won't be able to eat like I do at home but if I can just not gain too much I'll be happy.  But alas, there will be cake.  Cake of every size and color and shape and all I can promise is to do my best.  I will be doing a lot of walking though and that should help somewhat.

Tuesday I go back to Dr. Wacks.  It's only been a month since I went last but he wanted to see how I was doing on no blood pressure meds.

Is it just me or is it totally nuts that people have been in line for two days already to buy stuff Thursday night?  Really?  Is there nothing else they have to do for six days?  I realize there will be some great buys for the first few shoppers but really if they put that time to better use they may be able to earn more money than they would save camping out in front of stores in the freezing cold.  Think a bit about the logistics.  Bathroom breaks?  Baths?  Food?  Changes of clothing?  

Guess that's it from me today.  Hope your Monday and new week are totally tits.  Mine will be for sure!

Sunday in paradise...

Well the weekend is winding down quickly and there is only a few more days until Thanksgiving.  I have so many wonderful memories of Sarge cooking the turkey.  He loved to do it and watch some sports stuff in the kitchen.  I'm going to the Fern House, I think I already told you that.  Last year Sarge and I went there and it was so nice.  I remember the chef was hospitalized and the duck cooked the meal for 300+ people.  That apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Yesterday I lost five bucks at canasta.  It is a really nice game though and I had a good time.  We had a nice lunch first too.  

Don't think it's going to be warm enough to swim again.  This is starting to tick me off a tad.  I feel so much better when I can go in the pool.  Walking is fine but not nearly as good feeling on my legs and arms.  Maybe soon.  

Oh, and another thing, as my arms are getting smaller I getting some real bat wings.  Now that's attractive.  Buggers.  And I don't know of anything you can do for that either.  Well I do have one friend that had surgery on hers but I'm not going there.  There are some exercises I found online and I will try them but loose skin is just that, loose skin.  Well I'm not going to let it get me down.  I'm still losing and I plan on continuing my journey.  

Things like that are an annoyance but certainly not a reason to stop getting healthier and losing weight.  Onward we march!  Have a lovely Sunday.  I will too...                                                                                                            

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

It's just not quite warm enough to swim.  Mid 70's for a high today is way too cold for me.  There were a few showers in the morning too but they cleared out pretty fast.

I am subbing in a canasta game today.  Next week there won't be many games, lots of gals are going out of town or having company or getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Isn't it early this year?  The 22nd.  

Yesterday I went to Publix and ran into a gal I worked with 20 years ago.  She looked the same, cute, little, perfectly dressed, the whole package.  She just has never been able to find a guy that let her love him like she wanted to do.  I don't know why.  Well now she is with a 93 year old man and she seems happy.  Hell I'm just glad it's not me.  

Oh, and I didn't have any makeup on either.  Buggers to me.  I bet I don't do that again.  I just thought I'd run out and right back and no one would be the wiser.  Nope.  Well at least I had just washed my hair and was dressed okay.  Note to self:  wear makeup!

No news yet on when the condo re-do will start.  We are hoping they'll do the painting while I am gone.  That would be very nice actually.

So that's all that's in my brain today.  Hope your Saturday is tits.  Mine will be...

Friday finally!

I think I posted this photo before a long time ago.  These little rocks are outside my condo on the ground and I just love their message.  It pretty much sums up my way of life.  Funny thing, when you actually live this way you are happy.  Yup, you are.  Many things just don't matter when you can truly say you are happy.  I am happy.  I hope you are too.

I am up one pound from my low weight.  I have no idea why, I just am.  I am still only eating 1200 calories a day, still walking when I can't get in the pool, still eating very low sodium, same things.  The duck says he thinks I should be eating 1400-1500.  He may be right.  I'll tell you I have learned how to get a whole bunch of food into those 1200 calories though.  I can't just eat teeny tiny meals.  I get hungry!  

Like if I am having a small baked potato sometimes I'll put a whole steamer bag of broccoli on it!  Seriously I like it that way.  And for example I eat either a small chicken breast or half a large one, about 4-5 ounces.  I make that go a long way by cutting it in small pieces and putting lots of low cal stuff around the plate.  Yesterday that woman I call Kaye (because that is her name) was there moving dirt around and she brought me collards!!!  She is a really really good cook.  I had the greens and a baked potato and that was it for supper.  Since I had turkey at lunch on my salad I didn't worry about protein.

Well now I have to tell you what happened at the club yesterday.  Some of my Canadian friends came back for the season and when they saw me they went on and on about how good I looked.  I felt really funny because they didn't stop, on and on.  It did feel pretty good though if truth be known.  I mean I worked hard to lose this much weight and it's lovely to have someone notice it.  And they didn't call me flat chested either like that one woman did!  Ha ha.

So that was my day, it was pretty fun.  Oh, and I won at canasta too.  Hope your day was as great!

Gosh I had a busy day yesterday too.  Too many activities these days.  I am going to have to say no, well actually I did say no.  I was asked to join a Monday MahJong game and I just cannot do another day of games.  So I thanked them and told them no.  I did not even offer to let them use me as a sub when they were short handed.  

I do pretty good with one, maybe two things a day but I am getting so many things on my calendar I don't want to do stuff.  Buggers.  Maybe I am just over tired.  I have been staying up late and getting up early lately.  Anyway all I have today is lunch and canasta.  I can handle that.  

Another thing that is wrong is not being able to get in the pool.  That seems to work my arms and legs until I get so tired that I sleep like a rock that night.  

Last night I went out to dinner with my old boss and his wife.  It was really nice but I still feel like a third wheel when I go with a couple.  They could not have been nicer though and dinner was wonderful.  I was also able to stay in my caloric range for the day.

I think I just need a cruise.  Yeah, that's the ticket!

The design is in and all girled up!

This is the fabric for the drapes and the sofas.

The pink swatch is the stripe in the crown moulding.

The green in the lower left is the wall color but this photo

did not show the color well.  It's a very pretty celadon green.

The above are the two fabrics for the skirted table with the

gingham on the top part and the floral on the bottom.

The dining room chair fabric!!!

Yes!  Girly!

I love the chandelier they chose!  Love it!

This is the fabric for the bedroom chair, the dust ruffles, 

and the padded headboard.

The coverlet for the bed is a soft pink matelasse.

This is the shape of the headboard.

I happily wrote a check for 50% and can't wait to get started.  They were under budget, had lots of choices for me to look at and it's a fit this time.  Yay.

Today I have MahJong and I get to see my fun gals.  Yesterday I won at canasta but lost at poker.  I really haven't done well at poker for some time now.  But I only take my limit and can't lose more than that.  Last night I didn't lose it all but a pretty good chunk of it.

And that, my friends, is all I know for today.  I hope your Wednesday is lovely.  I know mine will be.