First full day at sea!

Well, today was my first full day at sea!  And, more importantly, first day of class!  Liz Turner-Diehl was teacher today.  She gave us all a remarkable kit called Flamingo Palms.  It includes all the beads, Madeira threads, metallics and fabric for a wonderful piece.  We went over several unusual stitches she put in it.  I have never done these stitches before!  Double back cross is one of them and I can't remember the other names.  We had so much fun!!  I did take some pix during the class and hopefully I can upload one or two of them tomorrow night (the internet is a.) so slow here and b.) way too much money for only 100 minutes!)

 

It started out cloudy with a little rain this morning, but since I was in class, I didn't really mind.  After class was over, I headed back for my stateroom and changed into "suitable" attire for basking in the sun on the Lido deck!  But of course, when I got there, all the deck chairs were taken (or actually being saved) except for the chairs up one deck, where the wind is really really bad!!  But finally, someone left and I could lie down and start some serious basking.  I did start on the PR logo there, but then decided to lie down and I fell asleep.  Was out there for about 3 hours or so.

 

Then I came back to get ready for dinner.  Tonight was formal night, so I decided to "dud" myself up real nice!  I curled my hair and fixed it so it just wasn't hanging like usual and went to eat in the DaVinci Dining Room!  Beautiful room!  I had to speak to the head waiter regarding my food allergy (milk products) and I decided to have the broiled chicken breast and it was so delicious!!  Of course, after dinner, they brought around the dessert menu and there in big bold letters were my downfall!!  Traditional New York Cheesecake with marinated strawberries.  Oh no!!  Not cheesecake! So I ordered it and enjoyed every bite of it, knowing full well what the consequences would be!

 

So, I'm looking forward to another wonderful class day!  I can't wait to get to the biggie project of the cruise!  I can't remember whose it is, whether it's Marilyn's' or Lorrie's, but it is so outstanding!  Plus, tomorrow will be gift day!  We all get a gift!  We already got a nice tote bag (with a flamingo on it and 2009 Stitching Cruise) with a copy of Stoney Creek, a bag full of fabric and some Kreinik filament.  We also were given Mardi Gras beads so we can ID each other!  Because not everyone finished a name tag!

 

So, until my next posting!  Ciao!

First Day of trip!

My first day of my trip was a success!  Even if they had me flying northeast before heading south!  Strange way they set up flights!!  First, they had me land in Washington DC, then on to Florida.  When we were landing in DC, when I looked out at the city, all I could see were cars' headlights or taillights all over the place!  There must have been hundreds of thousands people there today for the concert and whatever else was happening there today!  The flight attendant told me the airport had been very very busy yesterday and today and they were anticipating an even worse day tomorrow!  I can believe it!

Then, when I got to FL, it was so nice to get off the plane and go thru the jetway thingy, because I could feel the warmth!  It was 69F in Ft Lauderdale!!  I had left in 32F and snowy weather to come where it was  nice and warm!!  Yippee! 

I am staying in a little hostel I found last year.  Only 25.00 a night here and the owner is a very very nice man!  You meet all sorts of people here, because it is crew quarters for the cruise ships along with people who are just here for a while working or even backpackers traveling.  So after I got here, about 10:30pm or so, I sat outside in the courtyard for a while talking to the other people who were out there.  2 from England (one of them a girl who works for Royal Caribbean cruise line), 2 from "down under" and a young man from New Jersey.  They were very nice and quite friendly, although the 2 Aussies were pretty drunk and slightly funny with it!

I am in a 4 bed female dorm, but this one is separated into 2 bedrooms, much better than last year, where all 4 of us were in one room.  I really like it here.  It's a nice clean place and not very noisy after about 11:30 pm.  Jorge, the owner, keeps it pretty much under control.  Last year, I was here 3 days before the cruise and 1 day after, because of the flights I had.  So, I was able to enjoy it more.  I sort of wished I had come down a day earlier now, to really relax and have time before my cruise!

That's all for now!  Will post again tomorrow (today)!

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

'WINTER' a poem by
Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

DARN, it's cold!

The End

This is exactly how I feel today!! Woke up to 11F temps with wind chill of -1F!!! Bizarro land! Tonight, it is supposed to be down to -5F!!! Way too cold for me. But, on the other hand in Ft Lauderdale at this time it is 62F!!

3 Days to go! I can hardly wait! I think I have my stitching stuff ready to go. Will be taking TW's Wedding Sampler (starting on it during cruise) for my cousin's wedding this June, along with a few of the PR freebies, Be My Love, Winter 2008, and the PR logo. They are smaller designs and I figure I can work on one of them while I wait for my connection going down there. Threads all in my plastic bobbin box along with extra needles.

Of course, I also have to pack my light and magnifier, along with extension cord, but will do that last as I need them for the next few days to stitch here at home! LOL

Today or tomorrow, I will be climbing thru the cubby hole in my closet to get to my totes that have my summer clothes in them. I need to try some of them on, since I have lost some weight along with a couple of inches, so I certainly hope they fit! I don't think the stores have shorts/swim suits out yet! Plus, I need to find the clothes I can mix and match so I can have several different outfits without all the extra clothes! I am really going to go lightly this year. Learned my lesson last year.

Then, I have to type up my shopping list (souvenirs) and the household list, telling dh where everything is and what all I have stockpiled for him and the kids to have dinner while I'm gone. Plus, on that list, I need to leave explicit instructions, NOT TO WASTE THE MONEY!! Last year, he kept going to the game store and buying Playstation games!! This year I worry about car models! He has already built 5 of the 7 he got for Christmas!!

So, that is my plan for the next couple of days. Getting everything ready here at the house and packing to go cruising!

First finish of 2009!!

This is my first finish of 2009! Yippee!! It's Alla Turca part 1, by Pelin Tezer! It's a 9 part Mystery SAL she designed specifically for my Yahoo group, Stitchers Heaven. We have had about 30 people join just for this Mystery SAL. Pelin has been the greatest about linking the design to the group and she has been so fantastic to design this for us!!

We think we are going to have her do another for us when this is finished! She doesn't know that yet though! LOL

Well, 6 days to go! And boy, am I looking forward to it! I hope it warms down there before I get there though. This week, I saw Orlando's high was only going to be in the 50's!! What's up with that? There was only one teeny tiny part way down south around Miami that was going to be in the upper 60s/70s!! That is not normal! I want it to be super warm down there so I can brag about it to everyone back home!
It is going to be in the 20s rest of this week, too cold for me. Lows are going to be in the lower teens/single digits some nights. This is not good! That means I won't be getting much sleep because when it gets that cold, my bed is usurped by my furbabies. Do you know how hard it is to sleep with 4 cats and 1 Border Collie taking up most of the bed? I usually wake up stiff and sore because I can't turn over and heaven forbid if I should try to move on of them!! They get the "snooty" look on their faces and then move even closer to me! I know they do it on purpose.

I am trying to learn about dh's camera. It's his new 10 megapixel I got him for Christmas. It looks like the older 35 mm he always loved, that's why I got it for him. But, I need to learn how to work it! Basic instructions are in the booklet, but the more advanced stuff (like how to use macro, or video) are on the CD in .pdf format, so now I have to put it on my puter (that way I'll have the instructions with me on the cruise) It holds a 4gb SDHC card, so that means lots of pictures! Has a great digital zoom also!

Still trying to figure out what all I'm taking stitching wise and clothing wise. Hope I still fit in some of my shorts! I have lost a few pounds and a couple of inches, so I'm not sure! But, that is what belts are for! LOL I am definitely going to pack lightly!! Definitely!! Learned my lesson last year! When dh and I went on our 25th anniversary cruise, we drove to Miami, so we didn't have to worry about overweight charges and sizes or amount of baggage. But, with airlines charging per bag and being so picky about sizes and weight, I'm definitely going light!

7 days to go!!!

I saw this one somewhere, and I thought it was too cute!! It's titled "Cat Fight", but I see no hair flying!!

My cats, may not look like this, but I do have one cat that actually does attack sort of like that white and orange cat is doing! Just lays back and wallops the other!

Well, I'm happy to announce, I only have 7 more days to go!!! I am getting so excited!! Especially since this week, the weather is going to be very very bad!! Highs just in the 20's and the lows in the teens and single digits!! Too cold for me! I want to be where it is warm and dry and comfy!! I am praying there will be no rain the whole trip. I don't care if it rains at night, after we are all tucked in our beds, but not during my pool side time or during our stops!

Oh, the newest news!! I have been asked to donate 2 of my Passione Ricamo pieces to the European Cross Stitch Company's booth at the Nashville Market this year!! I am donating Queen of Fairies and Mediterraneo. I will be sending them out in the mail early this week. I am so excited! Apparently this is one of the bigger trade shows out there. Plus I get 50 bucks store credit. I did ask if I get double store credit since I have 2 pieces in the show, but haven't heard back yet. That would buy me some stash for sure!!

Not much going on at the home front lately. DH still is searching hard for a job, but still nothing! He did get his "Pre-exhaustion/Application for Emergency Unemployment Extension" on Tues, and he filled it out and I took it down there on Wed. Didn't trust the mail, plus I knew what would happen if I mailed it. I would have been driven crazy by my DH. "Do you think it made it there." "How will I know I am getting anything?" "How do I know they got it?" etc etc etc. So, to save what little sanity I have left, I drove it down there and handed it to the lady at the window. The next day, I told him to call there and check. He found out he will be getting the additional 13 weeks, plus an extra 7 weeks!! That should put us up through June or so.

DD still has not come down from cloud 9 over her engagement!! She has been showing me dress after dress after dress!!! Unfortunately for her, I'm not what you call a fashion diva! My idea of getting dressed is to throw on jeans, boots, and a sweatshirt or long sleeved Tee and flannel shirt and heading out the door!! I am not high maintenance!!

I just finished the Twilight series for about the 5 time now. I have no new JD Robb books, no new Twilight books and no new Sookie Stackhouse novels to read!! I don't even know what I'm taking on the cruise! Pitiful!!

I did watch this hysterically funny show earlier this evening. It's called "Over my Dead Body" and it was so funny!! there were some sad spots, but mostly funny! Enjoyed it immensely.

It has been raining here all day long. If it had been about 10 F lower, we would probably have about 6 inches of snow!! Which would totally close this town down!! I don't think our salt truck even works.!

Nothing much else to say, so good night! and Happy Stitching!

12 days to go!!!

I'm getting antsy now! 12 days to go until I leave this frozen tundra and head for the sunny (hopefully) and warm Eastern Caribbean!! I am already making lists, buying a few things I need to take with me.
I'm going to pack very very lightly this time!! Last year, when I flew home, I had to pay overweight charges and this year, I'm not doing that! So, just the bare necessities so I can have room for souvenirs for me and family.
I always get a shot glass wherever I go and I get my dh a coffee cup wherever I go. So, those are definites. But, I also get a few things for others in my family. 1 son wants a beaded necklace from one of the islands, my youngest son just wants anything. DD hasn't mentioned what she would like, but I'm sure she will.
My only fear is that most of my summer clothes won't fit me any more!! I have lost quite a few pounds and a couple of inches since summer!! I am going to pull out all summer stuff and start trying them on and seeing what will fit and what won't. I really hope my swim suits still fit, because I don't think any stores have those out yet!!

It's been a couple of lousy days here. Rainy, cloudy, dreary, blah and all the other "wintry" words you can think of. Cold and damp don't mix well with my body. Been hurting quite a bit lately.

Dh got his "pre-exhaustion" letter from unemployment office today. Along with it came the form to apply for the emergency unemployment extension. He filled it out and I'm taking it to the office tomorrow after I go to the gym. I figured if I took it there, he wouldn't worry about it so much. Our mail isn't the most reliable. This way, it also saves a little bit of my sanity (what I have left anyway) because he would drive me nuts going around the house muttering about--did it make it? how do I know it made it? how will I know if I get extension?--that kind of stuff.

Hello to all!

Just felt like a little blogging today! Didn't do much at all today. Hurting moderate to severe today. Something must be coming (weather wise) and I don't think it's going to be a nice type of something. Several days out though, will have to wait a couple of days and see how I feel then. I'm getting pretty good at pinning down these fronts when they are coming through. Maybe they need to hire me for weather reports! I can pinpoint almost to the hour when a front is going to hit here!

Stitched some more on Tut today and I must admit, I'm getting slightly tired of him. Dying to start on something else! Plus, I need to start the time consuming and stress provoking chore of deciding what to take on the cruise with me! I don't want to have to tote around scroll rods and teh lap stand, mostly because they are so heavy! I am going to try to pack lightly this time.

DD is going to help me go thru my summer clothes and find several pieces that can be mixed and matched for different outifits. That way I will have less clothes, but several outfits. I am beginning to wonder if I will be able to fit inot my chorts and swim suits! I have lost several pouns over the past few months, so I don't know what will fit me!

She has to go back to teaching next week and she is sort of upset about that, she has been enjoying her break, but life is going on!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! Well, I did manage to stay up and see the new year in! Usually, I go to sleep, wake up in time to see the ball drop and then go back to bed. This year, I decided to try to stay awake and now I can't get to sleep!! That's why I'm blogging at 2am!!

I wish everyone who reads this blog a happy and healthy New Year! For all of you who have aches, pains, disabilities, I wish you ease this year! For the rest of the healthy ones, I just wish you safety, happiness and continued good health!

I had a fairly peaceful New Year's Eve. The boys went to church (thank Heavens) so that enabled dh and me to have a couple of hours of peace and quiet in the house! Boy, were we thankful for that! We have 5 more days to go before school is back in session!! I don't know if we can keep our sanity that long! Any day now I really expect the men in white coats to come and put us in a padded room! :)

I am now in the trying to get everything in order stage for my cruise. I have to load up the house with food for dh and kids while I'm gone. That means frozen food, easy to make dinners, pizza, pot pies, and other assorted dinner type items. I am also making a list of things I need to get before I go. I am going to do my best to pack very lightly this time. Will have dd help me arrange my outfits, so I can mix and match as much as I can!
I did get my new suitcase. It's a Jeep brand, with 360 wheels, so it can roll in any direction it wants to! It's a 29" expandable, so it's just perfect! It was marked down at Wally world, so I went ahead and got it!

I have 17 days before I get on my flight! I cannot wait! I am so looking forward to being warm!

Blessings on all of you for this wonderful New Year!