Cruising-along

Good morning all! Awake early (4 something) and got myself out of bed before 5...strange sleep patterns this week. Like most people I do like bacon. I just can't have it very often due to the high sodium. I can't remember ever making a resolution, and hopefully there are no enormous changes of the bad kind before we leave for the cruise. I would like the meal but as a side dish, pass on the drink, and although I haven't had this wine, I'm sure it's as good as all the other Marlborough SVs so I'd love to try it. Have not been to this port. Today is laundry day, take our mail key to the neighbor, etc. etc. I'm feeling good that the house (should be) clean when we return. Those wonderful HAL stewards do such a great job keeping everything spotless, it's hard to come home to a less than spotless house LOL! Debbie @dfish So glad to hear you slept well with little to no pain. Great news!

Good afternoon, I'm taking a lunch break from deep cleaning the kitchen. We got good news this morning. Previously we had asked our PCC and the upgrade department if we could upgrade from our BC cabin next week to a B or even BB. The cost was too high, so we let it go. Then this morning DH saw that our cabin has changed to a B! So we're happy campers today, and no extra $$. Debbie @dfish I'm very glad to hear that the surgery "couldn't have gone better", and that you plan to take advantage of the pain pills. The trick is always to not let the pain get away from you, always stay ahead of it. I learned that the hard way 😉

Good morning all! Our high today will be 62 -- unbelievable for late December! Then back down to the 50's then 40's and more rain. Interesting collection of days, I'll pass on the meal, drink and red wine. Tonight will be meatloaf, baked potatoes and carrots. Making my way through the freezer, it should be almost empty by Monday. Other than having to get more milk, we've done well on emptying the fridge and freezer! We haven't been to this port. Today is clean the kitchen day, the last room to clean and then the house will be as good as it will be until we return in April. Tomorrow is a last laundry and pack last minute items. Thinking of you, Debbie @dfish. Prayers for a successful surgery and swift recovery. @seagarsmoker So sorry to hear that you came home from your cruise with the flu! Lorraine @cruising sister Thank you for sharing the photo of Baby Murphy. She's truly a miracle baby. 🙂

Every PCC we've ever had has done this also.

We had a wonderful few hours with DD and the boys. It was bittersweet and I admit to getting teary-eyed. Going to miss them so much! I told the boys no more broken bones while we’re gone and to try not to grow TOO tall. 😉 The weather was ok although not as great as predicted. But they have a covered porch and we were comfortable.

Good morning all! I'm a little late this morning because I was awake from 3 until after 5 (seems to be happening often) and then got my best sleep after that and got up late. Our weather is a big question mark today -- literally. My weather app shows huge question marks for the whole afternoon -- no kidding! 🤣 Hopefully it's the same as what showed last night, sunny all afternoon because today we're taking cookies down to the DGSs to get some last hugs and time together outdoors before we leave on Monday. This morning I heard that a 3rd friend has come down with Covid. So that's 3 friends in the last week and they live in all parts of the country. 😞 We've been to Dubrovnik many times, here are some of my photos. View of Dubrovnik from hillside We were entertained that night by a talented group of Dalmatian singers and dancers. One of the wineries we visited Mosque in Mostar, Bosnia Mostar Mostar bazaar For our cat lovers in the group, one of the scenes in Dubrovnik that held me captive last time we were there. (there are many more cats lounging around nearby, but this group struck me funny, guarding the private area. I'm always drawn to the side streets I hope everyone has a great day!

Good morning all! We have showers and up to the mid 50's today. It looks good for flying south on Tuesday. I've never liked fruitcake, we visit the zoo in Seattle often with the grandsons especially in the summer. DD has a membership. DD makes cut out snowflakes with the boys every year. I'm not very good at it. 😅 I'll pass on the drink and wine, but the meal looks good. Have never been to Grenada. Today I'll be baking cookies to take to the grandsons tomorrow. Since we're being very careful not to catch anything before the cruise, we'll do an outdoor visit with cookies and get some hugs. I don't even want a cold much less anything else. It will be hard, but at least we'll get to see them. The house cleaning is almost done now, just the kitchen left. Hoping we can keep it this clean until we leave LOL! Happy Anniversary @SusieKIslandGirl! Thinking of you Debbie @dfish now before your surgery and especially on Friday

Looks very good to me too, on both my phone and desk top.

Hi Rich, do you know if the Lectures in the World Stage are being televised for in-cabin viewing? Thanks for letting us all know how your cruise is going and we'll see you on the 3rd!

Good morning all! I'll pass on all the food (dumplings) and drink today and haven't been to this port (only the one in Spain) 😉 A good collection of days. Like Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser we have been homeowners since 1970 when we bought our first home. And 4 more since then (Navy moves). I still can't believe we've been in one home for coming up on 30 years after moving every few years. Today will be more house cleaning, I now have just the kitchen and master bath to do. It's been so much easier doing one room at a time. DH will be calling ship's services to ask about getting appointments for hair cuts during our cruise. Par for the course, HAL's website is wonky for salon appointments. I had no problem making my appointments (we're doing it now because there's a good discount before the cruise). BUT for men's hair cuts, only the first day of the cruise shows (????) Not many will need a hair cut the first day. So he'll call and see if he can get it done that way and still get the discount. Roy @rafinmd I'm glad the doctor is keeping a close eye on you, and hope the radiation will take care of it. Tina @0106 Thank you for adding the first line of the quote, now it makes sense to me. I often dream of falling (probably due to my fear of heights and falling). @57redbird So glad to hear that you're doing better! Eva @superoma Now I need to go see if my Hellebores are poking up yet -- they always do in January, but maybe this year.... it would be nice to see them before we leave next week.

Good morning and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all who celebrate! I would love some pumpkin pie. I don't have a favorite dish on Christmas, we always have something different each year. Today I'll be making pork chops for DH and me. The drink sounds good, will pass on the red wine. Haven't been to this port. We celebrated our Christmas last week with the family at DD's house so DH and I could isolate before the cruise. We had a wonderful day! Today will be another quiet day of cruise prep. Getting so excited! DDIL, DS and me The whole family Sadly I just saw an aid truck take a neighbor away -- what a way to start Christmas. I think he's a cancer patient and may have other problems as well. I know the aid trucks come more and more often to that house. The family is dysfunctional with lots of other problems, none of us know them. 😞 Gerry @ger_77 Happy Birthday!! @Cruzin Terri I'm glad your tummy issues are over, and hope you feel much better soon. Vanessa @JazzyV Four hours is an improvement, prayers for much, much more improvement.

The Lumpia turned out good! I did a test first, 300 degrees 10 minutes -- they were crispy but not quite browned enough to my liking so I did more at 325 and they did brown up a little more. Not like the deep fryer, but as long as they're crispy and not lily white we're happy. I'd post photos but we ate them too fast!

It has been decades since I've made Lumpia from scratch, but I've found a frozen brand that tastes every bit as good and a fraction of the work! It worked, thank you! How wonderful!!! It reminds me of when DS and DDIL flew up from CA and surprised us for our 50th. I was talking to DS on the phone, thinking he was home, when he walked into the room.🤣 I know all of us will rest easier once we're on our way! The last couple weeks are always hard. Thank you Paul -- I did Google Lumpia in the air fryer and surprisingly it says 300 degrees for 10 minutes, spritz with a little oil. I'm still going to "test" it with one or two like Lenda suggested. Now my mouth is watering thinking of that Lumpia!

Thank you! This helps a lot. Good idea to test one or two first. 🙂

Good morning all and Happy Christmas Eve! I'm running late today, not the best sleep last night. Too much on my mind before we leave in 8 days. We've been saving some of the Alton Brown Egg Nog for today and tomorrow. DS makes it every year and gave us some. 🙂 I hope Libya is celebrating, and no to the quote. We shouldn't ever be detached from life. Thank you all who posted photos of Darwin and thank you Roy @rafinmd for posting the links. We will be there on the GANZ. Our plan for that day is the HOHO, which I see some of you have done before. I would love the meal, have no instant pot so would do it in the oven. The drink and wine sound good as well. Tonight will be steak, my quest to empty out the freezer is going well! 🙂 Since we had our Christmas celebration with the family already, it will be a quiet couple of days here for DH and me. Just continuing the house cleaning and cruise prep. I would like some air fryer advice, please. I think it was Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser who told me months ago that Lumpia would do well in the air fryer -- well I got one for Christmas (yay!) and plan to make Lumpia in it today or tomorrow. I do remember you said it would be best if it has a shelf (?) Mine does, did you have other advice that I've forgotten? I haven't even read all the instructions yet, but do know that Lumpia isn't in the instructions. Would I do it like frozen fish sticks (the closest thing I see in the manual)? For that it says 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Thanks for any input!! I could also Google it. Happy Birthday to Sarah @grapau27! Happy Birthday to your DGD @bennybear! What a beautiful baby. 🙂

All of our cruises lately have been on Pinnacle class...maybe they're the only ones without the taco bar (?)

Debbie maybe your Mom secretly hated mushrooms too? Smart of you to offer to make the chocolate milk! 😉

Good to hear! I've missed it on other ships.

Thank you Sandi -- I know, hard to believe how many stitches. That's why I can appreciate yours so much. I started over 40 years ago, never thought I'd still be doing it. The only thing I won't do anymore is the gold filament thread! Some of my Christmas projects used a lot of it -- and it is gorgeous, but a nightmare to work with. I do cut the carrots in big chunks so I think you'd be safe! (I do the same with mushrooms, eat around them if possible). Debbie we got a big laugh over that one too! Thank you Vanessa 🙂 You didn't say, I hope you slept a little better last night? I was happy to hear you got a little more the night before, I think 4 hours? Oh, I hope they throw the book at him! Let us know what happens please. LOL! That could be quite a sight! And I'm just glad I don't have to do any baking this year!

This makes sense, thank you.

Enjoy and thank you!

Great start to your cruise, thank you! Rich @richwmn did you see my question yesterday about the wine packages? It says "Save up to 25%". I hope that's a misprint (even though it states 25% in several places). Happy to see they have Pine Ridge and Wairau River wines. 🙂

Good morning all! First, Sandi @StLouisCruisers I'm SO sorry about your DGD -- how awful! I'm glad she wasn't hurt physically but the emotional shock has to be overwhelming. 😞 One Christmas movie I like to watch over and over is "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase. I've probably posted this before -- this shows up before Christmas every year and is a couple miles up the road from us. This year we didn't see it as early as usual, so got worried that the people who live there were ill or moved away -- and then it showed up last weekend 🙂 So here's Cousin Eddie. I'll pass on the drink, red wine and the meal. We just had beef stew this week, I never use a recipe. Debbie @dfish you wouldn't have liked it because it had a lot of carrots in it but we thought it was tasty. 😉 I was trying to make use of the carrots -- DH bought too many. Today is clean the family room day - in my quest to get the whole house deep cleaned one room at a time before we leave for the cruise. Happy Birthday @kochleffel and @Sir PMP! Sandi @StLouisCruisers as a fellow counted cross stitcher, you have my admiration for the work you do on the Christmas stockings. Beautiful! I'll be bringing a large project on our cruise, something I do on every long cruise. I'd post a photo, but it's already packed and gone to San Diego! But here's the last project I did (before framing). We've been to Santa Barbara once on a Celebrity Pacific Coastal cruise. We rented a car and drove to our DS and DDIL's house in Simi so I don't have many photos of Santa Barbara. They now live near us, so glad about that! We walked to the rental car agency and I loved this view of our ship. Santa Barbara shoreline

I have found my wine package for in-cabin -- but what am I missing here? -- "Save up to 25% (what about 4 & 5-star 50% off wine packages?

It was great talking to you today, Rich. Glad everything is going well and Bon Voyage!! Cannot wait for our turn in 11 days. 😉