Cruising, Falling & Thawing...

So, the cruise was wonderful. While the adults had a great time, with the exception of being bummed about the less than spectacular weather, the 3 year old soaked up every fantastic moment! It didn't matter how long the line was to see any character, she wanted to see them and was willing to stand in line to do it! There was plenty to do on the ship and lots to explore. Quinn spent a bit of time in the pool but only her Daddy was willing to go in with her. Our time in Nassau was brief. We took a van over to Atlantis, quickly toured through the hotel there and went to find a beach. The beach was quite disappointing for a few reasons. It was chilly. Q was afraid of the small waves. Vendors were constantly harassing you to buy this, have your hair braided, etc. The beach was small. We didn't stay long. We took a van back to the street where you get back to the boat and visited "The Straw Market" which we had been told had good shopping. Another fiasco! People pestering you left and right, wanting to put your name on something to hold it for you. Q got her Hello Kitty purse and I bought her a cute little Bahama doll. I did buy a pretty bracelet in the linen shop and a Bahamas coffee cup at Starbucks. That was it for souvenirs. The next day we docked at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, but because the weather was so chilly and windy, it was hard to have a good time. At one point Q was determined to get into the cold water, she threw off her coverup and headed toward the water. She didn't stay in long though and she was ready to put her coverup back on! It would have been a very different day if the sun had been out and it had been 20 degrees warmer. The water was beautiful but the weather just didn't do it justice. It was all we could do to stay and eat lunch (at 11:00) and walk around meeting more characters. The ship itself was beautiful! Very "turn of the century" with lots of art deco touches. The staff, of course, was wonderful and the service amazing. It was a bit crowded at times with many people doing the same things at the same time but the rooms, while small, were well laid out and comfortable. After all, we weren't really in there too long anyway. All too soon it was over and it was time to go home. If I ever go on a cruise again I would like to maybe to a 5 night and go further south, down to St. Thomas or St. Barts, something like that. We were all disappointed about the lack of beach time and warmth. It was so chilly that on Castaway Cay H had to invest in a sweatshirt since he hadn't brought anything but a suit coat! Quinn even tried karaoke with her Daddy. She looked adorable but he did most of the singing! It's been a chilly week all week. On Wednesday morning there was a light snow on the way to work and while walking up to the door my foot slipped out from under me and I landed on my knee! I felt like things were happening in slow motion. My legs kind of did a modified split and I landed on my right palm and right knee. My knee is a little swollen but I haven't had an extreme amount of pain. I took a couple days off walking but I was able to walk today and it was only a little swollen. I'm hoping it goes away very soon! Today we have had quite the warm up and I've spent a good deal of time in the back yard picking up lots and lots of doggy dodo. There is still a thin sheet of ice in some spots so I wasn't able to get it all but warmer weather is predicted for the rest of the week, including rain tonight, so maybe I'll be able to finish. While I was out doing that H took the pups up to the high school for me for a run. They hadn't been out in a couple weeks and they were sure ready! H said it was wet and a little muddy so he had to spend a good deal of time wiping them down when he got home. Tyler comes home in a couple weeks. He has one more week of work in Hawaii and then will spend a week selling his worldly possessions and maybe spending a day or two enjoying the beautiful Hawaii beaches. Amber and Andy had their ultrasound last Thursday. We are thrilled to find out we are having another granddaughter in July/August! Honestly, either boy or girl would have been wonderful. Quinn is excited to find out she's getting a sister. And a random: I bought this orchid a couple years ago. One of the first ones I ever bought. Last summer it spent a good deal of time outside on the table, growing a couple leaves. A couple months ago is started a new stem and now this! I amaze myself! That's all the news worth sharing! Have a good week!

Mid-Winter, Snow Days and other Cold Tales...

So it's officially mid-winter. Or so our school district says because last Monday and Tuesday we had no school due to "mid-winter break". The week before that I had another day off due to icy roads. The week before that I had another day off due to bad roads also. Let's just say I haven't worked a full week all month! And next week I won't be working a full week either, but more on that later. The main reason I haven't written is because there really isn't much news here that's of much interest to most people. The people that might be interested I've already talked to probably so this will all be old news to them. Oh well... Let's review, shall we? Bowling is going well but we still are fighting to keep first place. H and I have been going up to the bowling alley on Sundays because I decided I need to start throwing my curve ball again and I needed some practice. I can't really say I'm bowling all that much better but I seem to be able to pick up more spares this way. We actually pre-bowled this morning because we can't go to bowling this Friday night. I wasn't sure if I would even be able to bowl because on Thursday morning I was making a cup of tea for H (more on why later) and when I removed the cup from the micro the thing was scalding hot and I burned my ring finger on my right hand. Prime bowling finger! It's still blistered though the blister is peeling off in places and it's pretty raw. I wrapped a bandaid around it and pushed through. I'm not sure how many points we will take but our first two games were pretty good. I actually bowled a 201 the first game. I can't even remember when I have bowled that well. I had either strikes or spares until the 10th frame where I apparently choked and missed my spare! Grrrrrrrr. I'm hoping we can take at least two and maybe 3 since we had two 800+ series which is great! The pups are tired of all this cold and snow. They aren't getting out much. H and I did take them to the park last weekend but it was bitter cold and we couldn't stay out too long. The field was open and the wind was whipping and even under the snow there was ice so Zoe wasn't liking that too much. This past Monday when I had my break I took Charlie to the vet for his yearly checkup. He went crazy in the waiting room when he saw a cat! The vet said he looks good and see you next year! Then on Tuesday they both went to the groomers. They were pretty shaggy. She finished in record time too. Guess it was a slow day. She told me when I dropped them off at 8:30 that they should be ready by noon. I was about 3/4 finished grocery shopping when she called and said they were ready! That must be a record. Seriously! It was only 10:00 a.m.! When we got back from the park Sunday evening H started feeling poorly and couldn't shake the chills. By Monday morning he had the full blown flu. Not the stomach kind, thankfully, but the achy, coughing, fever, chills kind. On Wednesday he went to the Dr. and got Tamiflu which seemed to help him. By Thursday he was out of bed and working from home and on Friday he went back to the office. I AM NOT GETTING THE FLU! I refuse. Eventhough the news reports that the flu shot (which I got about a month ago) is only 9% effective in "older people" and the Dr. told H that there was a 60% chance I wouldn't come down with it, I'm saying, I AM NOT GETTING THE FLU! I AM NOT GETTING THE FLU because later this week we leave for our Disney Cruise with Amber, Andy & Quinn! Sunshine, ocean waves, Mickey Mouse!! We can't wait. Quinn is very excited especially since Mickey Mouse himself called her telling her that he can't wait for her to get on the boat! I just finished packing most of my clothes this afternoon. I had to go through 3 bins and two closet to find something that fit me! Luckily I have wardrobes in 4 different sizes so I eventually found enough capris and tops to fit me! Especially lucky because just a couple weeks ago I was at Kohls trying to find some new smaller capris and they had nothing in yet! I only need 4 days worth so I should be able to get by and if things go as they usually do, I will bring back several outfits that I never even wore. I've managed to walk most days. The weather hasn't really cooperated so I don't always get to go on the weekend, or at least not both days it seems, but I walk in the hallways at school after the kids go home and that seems to be working out so far. I've even picked up a couple walking buddies and when people see me in the hallway they cheer me on. I've lost 22 pounds so far but that seems to fluctuate a few pounds during the week. I go to the Dr. this week so it will be interesting to see what his scale says compared to mine. In other news, Tyler has decided that he's not going to stay in Hawaii after all. He's tried it for 6 months and just seems to be going deeper and deeper into debt and hasn't been able to find a job in marine biology there as he had hoped. He's given notice at his bank job, we've booked his ticket and he gave his roommates notice also. On March 25 he will leave Hawaii and come back to Michigan to regroup, find a temporary job and continue looking for a better job. One reason he left Michigan and went to Hawaii was to get away from our awful weather. The first thing he will have to do is invest in some winter clothes! It's been very cold here! We've had a little action around the pond lately. This deer and what looks like her older baby have been hanging around. H said last weekend when he took Charlie and Zoe out to potty that both deers were around my bird feeders and when Charlie saw them he went crazy! Doesn't take much, really. I did notice what looked like a bloody injury on the mother deer a few weeks ago. It was on her hind leg, up around the rump. It looked like a hole or something but it didn't seem to be causing her any problems. She wasn't limping or anything. This guy was snacking on the toast that I threw out there this morning. I should have thought to put some peanut butter on it for him! Bet that would have been tasty! That's all I've got! I have 3 days of work this week, finish up with packing, make sure dogs have what they need so their pup sitter is all set, then we're off! Pictures of our fabulous time will be coming soon. Oh, and I have to remember to buy the Dramamine! I don't really think I'll need it but I want to have it on hand anyway! Have a good week!

Back to the Deep Freeze...

Our little thaw was just that, little!! Since then we've had a snow/ice event. That started on a Sunday night and as I was getting ready for bed, listening to the sleet hit the window, I felt fairly certain there would be no school on Monday. At 5:40 the next morning I found out I was right, getting a robo-call to that effect. The surprising part was getting another one the next morning, back roads were impassable. It's funny, I rarely think of back roads around here since I don't travel on any but there are plenty of them that the busses go down and if the busses can't get to school we don't have to go either.

It was cold enough for the neighborhood kids (and some parents) to play hockey on the pond.

After that we had another thaw that brought lots of fog! That lasted another couple days.

Now we are back to freezing cold weather and snow flurries. We've only had a few inches here and there, hardly enough to even shovel.

I took this today when I took the pups to the park. It was really cold but not too much snow on the ground so they weren't complaining too much. Sometimes when the snow is deep and wet they get snow balls in their pads and have to keep stopping to bite them out.

I'm trying my best to keep walking most days. I walked in the hallways at school several days this week, even having company one day. I was already underway and the Principal wanted to talk to me so she tagged along. A teacher saw us walking and wanted to talk to both of us so she joined in too. It was a bit comical, me in my sweat pants and sneakers, the other two in their high heels! I appreciated the gesture though!

I saw this out the window yesterday afternoon. He had been sniffing around in the grass and then just jumped up and sat on this rock for the longest time. Funny.

I've been in a baking mood lately. Must be the cold. Last weekend I made this granola and some English muffins.

Today I made these chocolate chip cookies. It's my Granny's recipe. I have it on a recipe card, written in her hand (laminated for protection). It's a family treasure. I couldn't bring myself to use "oleo" though. It was all the rage back when she made these cookies. I substituted real butter and it was just as good and healthier than oleo, I hope!

Friday night was bowling so I didn't walk that night. We were bowling our good friends, Mark and Cheryl. One of their teammates wasn't there and poor Cheryl is trying to get used to her new ball so we had a slight advantage, though Mark can usually make up for it. We won the first game by a pretty good margin, lost the second game by 5 and won the last game so we were able to get totals too. We were tied for 1st place and I think we still are as the other team that was tied for 1st won 3 games also.

After I took the pups to the park I went for a walk myself. It was 19 degrees, lightly snowing with a light breeze. It was very cold! Thankfully there was a little snow on the ground so I wore my snow shoes/boots and it wasn't slippery. That's what I hate most about walking outside. Not the cold but the slippery factor. I don't want to break something. That would put an end to all walking possibly.

I've lost track of the number of times I've thought about how nice it would be to live in Florida right now. Maybe I should take that weather location off my phone. Every time I look at our weather here the weather in St. Pete Beach comes up and it always sounds like someplace I would rather be! I just hope when I'm old enough to retire I can still enjoy it! But for now I'll just have to look forward to and keep counting down to our cruise at the end of February. It can't get here soon enough! Have a good week!

January Thaw

Well, at least one day of thaw! Yesterday was beautiful! Warm, sunny, melting. When I went for my walk yesterday afternoon it was 60+ degrees!

It gave me enough time to get things picked up in the yard and take some Christmas decorations down. H finished up taking down the decorations (lights) today. Just in time too because the colder weather returned along with a little rain.

Last Friday night at bowling we took all 4 points so I believe we are in first place by one point. This week we bowl the second place team however one couple in the team won't be there! Yea! Also at the last bowling I won Ladies High Game! It was a whole $32. I had only bowled a 176 so I can't believe I even won.

Our little sweetheart celebrated her third birthday on Friday. It was relatively low key, just family and friends, no crazy kids party. She really enjoyed her Birthday cake and blowing out the candle.

My pups are bummed because there were no walks this weekend or trips to the park but Zoe did enjoy a little deck time yesterday.

That's about it. I spent lots of time this weekend decluttering and organizing. In the process of cleaning, I've found so many things in the cupboards that have expired! One of my resolutions this year is to save money by not buying things unless I know I'm going to use them fairly soon. I must have thrown out 8-12 cans of stuff. Mostly soups, but still!

Nothing much else going on here. We are in the midst of the Winter doldrums. This little thaw has confused the wildlife. Today there were 4 ducks at the bird feeder and a few more in the pond. Hopefully they will stay warm for the next few months until Spring arrives for real! Have a good week!