A brief review for the nonagenarian demographic

[sunsetsoon]

Orange marmalade - I decided on orange marmalade for this batch of muffins. I was eating a warm one at 5:01 AM. Actually it was hot so I had to be careful.

 

I was so eager to bake muffins this morning I forgot to weigh. I always do that first thing each morning. I didn't think about it till I was all dressed for the day - debated with myself about how much weight would compression hose, a nobra bra and a muffin add. I finally talked myself into stepping on the scale - I would insert a thumbs up emoji here if I knew how so I will just say the words - thumbs up. I'm not bragging or anything but just 2 and a half more pounds and I will be back to my pre-cruise weight. Well maybe I'm bragging a little bit.

 

The muffin recipe is on the box of Original Fiber One cereal. But be advised - methods and ingredients change according to how I feel that day. I no longer even  look at the recipe. Same goes for any recipe I try. By contrast, my sister follows a recipe to a tee. If it calls for a half cup of chopped green onions she actually measures and levels it off so it's exactly a half cup of chopped green onions. Bless her heart. And that reminds me - I plan to do a post explaining how that phrase works - "bless her/his/your heart". I grew up hearing it and finally figured it out.

 

Glad to hear from some scrapbookers. emoji open palm slap to forehead - why didn't I know other folks would do digital albums. You can see why I don't since I've already told you I don't even know how to post pictures. But truth be known, I prefer my method. It's really not hard to paint a beach, some water, some sky and even a palm tree. Marty is the star of most of my favorite pages - because Aprille takes most of the pictures. I will try to briefly (I'm pretty sure some of you rolled your eyes when I said "briefly") describe a page or maybe two. I had a picture of Marty standing on the side of a hot tub holding a drink and leaning on the rail. I carefully cut him out of the picture and placed him on a sandy beach leaning against a palm tree still holding the drink of course. The title of that page was Beach Bum. I carefully cut him out of another picture where he was pedaling away on some pedaling apparatus. I sat him on top of a huge yellow fish I had painted and titled the page "Not my first rodeo" I do wish I could post some of my pages and maybe someday it will happen.

 

I completely understand how difficult it is to scrapbook when you don't have the required space. I'm lucky in that regard too. My home is a double wide but has a large living room with room for a 12 ft work table. I can work when I want to and just leave everything where it is and come back when I want to. I hate ending a sentence with a preposition but I just did it anyway. I'm going to walk away now but have plans to come back later. I'm looking through my Jade and Bliss albums and I'm sure I will find lots more to talk about.

 

 

-

[TPgal]

16 hours ago, sunsetsoon said:

I'm in my jammies and ready to read for a couple of hours. Must say I'm a little disappointed I haven't heard from any scrapbookers. I have lots more to tell you about scrapbooking and probably will anyway. I took classes 25 years ago and I have really improved the way it's done. I call it "freestyle scrapbooking". Maybe that's why I like cruising on NCL ships so much. Freestyle works really well for me.

Oh how I love my scrapbooks, but once the kid (now 9 ) came along all of our photos went digital.   I do make an annual Shutterfly book for the kid's grandparents, and I made a special one of our cruise to the Panama Canal.   I miss the hands on photos, cutting, and creating colorful backgrounds, but it seems that the online world has taken over that area of my crafty life.

 

It's charming that you do the hands-on books.  I bet they are really great!

[JamieLogical]

Mary, I too weigh myself every morning. I weigh myself the morning before my cruise and then when I come back, I know exactly how much weight I need to lose before my next cruise! Sometimes it's a real challenge when my cruises are close together. I am sailing again in 3 weeks and I still have a little weight to lose from my December cruise (Holidays right after that did NOT help!). Maybe I should try some Fiber One muffins....

[rmandmm]

On 2/24/2020 at 12:05 PM, texasgirl29 said:

Another Texan here... in San Antonio, I love the River Walk, but it's nice to escape to the King William District, look at the gorgeous old homes from the early (mostly) German settlers, and then walk back to the tourist area along a much quieter stretch of the San Antonio River. While you're there, check out Boozy's Creamery is you're so inclined at 711 S St Mary's St. 

 

Mi Tierra is great, especially for breakfast, although I love the lights at night, too. I also like to eat at Lone Star Cafe overlooking the River Walk. I always get their fried mushrooms with cream gravy. 

 

Thank you!! Sorry, @sunsetsoon for planning my vacation during your thread. I hope it doesn't ruin your vacation. 😉 

[Samstress]

Awww... I am so happy that you are using my blog name suggestion:-)  I have a Scrapbook story to share with you.  My daughter decided to do scrapbooks for my two grandsons for Christmas.  Both are in there mid to late 20's & were very involved in sports.  I was amazed at how much memorabilia she had amassed over the years.  She spent many hours planning, cutting and pasting (her dining table wasn't usable for months!).  The results were incredible.   So I have seen first hand what 'old school' scrap booking is about and  it is damned impressive.  I personally take the easy route & order photo books of all our travels and family memories.  At least they're off my computer & phone!  Cheers Mary...from Sandy.  

[sunsetsoon]

24 minutes ago, rmandmm said:

Thank you!! Sorry, @sunsetsoon for planning my vacation during your thread. I hope it doesn't ruin your vacation. 😉 

No problem at all rmandmm. I have yet to let anything ruin my vacation. I do hope you enjoy your first visit to Texas.

[#55worktoplay]

On 2/22/2020 at 12:48 AM, Aprille said:

 

I think I was born around 4:00 or 4:30am central time (Dallas). Maybe my mom remembers better than me. As she should! LOL! So we're still a few hours away but thank you for the birthday wishes.

 

I'm going to try to get her set up on a blog soon. Musings of a Nonagenarian. Or whatever she wants to call it.

 

I'm checking out cruises and leaning towards the Mexican Riveria cruises on the Bliss once the 2021 dates become available. 

Happy Belated Birthday Aprille 

[sunsetsoon]

19 minutes ago, Samstress said:

Awww... I am so happy that you are using my blog name suggestion:-)  I have a Scrapbook story to share with you.  My daughter decided to do scrapbooks for my two grandsons for Christmas.  Both are in there mid to late 20's & were very involved in sports.  I was amazed at how much memorabilia she had amassed over the years.  She spent many hours planning, cutting and pasting (her dining table wasn't usable for months!).  The results were incredible.   So I have seen first hand what 'old school' scrap booking is about and  it is damned impressive.  I personally take the easy route & order photo books of all our travels and family memories.  At least they're off my computer & phone!  Cheers Mary...from Sandy.  

And I am impressed that your daughter could take 20 years of amassed memorabilia and create incredible scrap books. I can only imagine how much time it took. But time isn't really important in the 'old school' scrapbooking world. It's all about love and creating lasting and beautiful memories.

[mimmy52]

Oh, Ms. Mary, I do hope you learn how to post pictures. I would love to see Marty pedaling on top of a fish.

 

I tried to scrapbook, but I have too many photos from each vacation. I have some huge albums, but now I’ve gone digital too.  A cousin I travel with sometimes said she doesn’t take pictures any more because when she dies her children will just throw them away. I take my pictures so I can relive a vacation whenever I feel like it, and I know my children will have to throw away my albums when I die.  They take up a lot of storage space.

[Samstress]

[Samstress]

2 minutes ago, Samstress said:

 

[Samstress]

Just now, Samstress said:

 

These happy faces made all of my daughters hours of scrap booking worthwhile!

 

[Samstress]

I apologize for the double ...possible triple post.  I have no idea how to delete the others.  I think Mary and I might be in the same boat as far as posting photos.  Although I think I may have surpassed her goal:-)

And now back to cruising....

Edited February 26, 2020 by Samstress

[worktocruise610]

I enjoy reading everything you write @sunsetsoon you make me smile

[sunsetsoon]

34 minutes ago, Samstress said:

I apologize for the double ...possible triple post.  I have no idea how to delete the others.  I think Mary and I might be in the same boat as far as posting photos.  Although I think I may have surpassed her goal:-)

And now back to cruising....

No apology needed. You only posted the picture twice and I loved it both times. The grandson on the right reminds me so much of my favorite nephew. He had that same expression on his face when he looked at the 3 albums I had made especially for him when he was 3, 4 and 5 years old. He got married 2 years ago and those 3 albums were my wedding gift to him.

[willowvacay]

@sunsetsoon this review is amazing. I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. Hope you are going to go on another trip soon so we can hear about it!

Btw my husband and I have always loved reading about what ruins people’s vacations...of course, not that we want their vacation ruined. Just that when something small really seems to ruin a trip we get a chuckle out of it ;). Any “bad” day on vacation beats a good “day” at work!


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[sunsetsoon]

2 hours ago, mimmy52 said:

Oh, Ms. Mary, I do hope you learn how to post pictures. I would love to see Marty pedaling on top of a fish.

 

I tried to scrapbook, but I have too many photos from each vacation. I have some huge albums, but now I’ve gone digital too.  A cousin I travel with sometimes said she doesn’t take pictures any more because when she dies her children will just throw them away. I take my pictures so I can relive a vacation whenever I feel like it, and I know my children will have to throw away my albums when I die.  They take up a lot of storage space.

Oh my goodness no! They surely won't throw them away. My albums are my legacy and I have them labeled as to who gets them. And I know they will be treasured.

I really do need to learn how to post pictures. I'm adding it to my list of things to do.

[sunsetsoon]

13 minutes ago, willowvacay said:

@sunsetsoon this review is amazing. I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. Hope you are going to go on another trip soon so we can hear about it!

Btw my husband and I have always loved reading about what ruins people’s vacations...of course, not that we want their vacation ruined. Just that when something small really seems to ruin a trip we get a chuckle out of it ;). Any “bad” day on vacation beats a good “day” at work!

Aprille and I are working on it. Usually it's just Aprille doing the planning but she has to do some income tax stuff and told me to work on it. We won't be cruising again this year but hopefully early next year. I may just try to keep this thread going until then. It's become my happy place.

[Chrislynn55]

What a treat it has been to find a thread like this! I love your perspective on life and your sense of humour (Canadian spelling....don’t know why we need to add an extra “u” to some words) and I hope you’ll be back often to share whatever you feel like talking about. I did visit Texas (San Antonio) years ago and loved it - and absolutely nothing spoiled my vacation!

[sunsetsoon]

Just checking in briefly - surely I can do "briefly" at least this one time. I have a routine doctor's appointment at 9 AM. Not even seeing the doctor but will visit with his PA, Melissa. Not sure what we will talk about - no chest pain, no heart palpitations, no shortness of breath, If the conversation gets too boring I will tell her my Dr. Handsome story. It' related to why I'm sitting there in the first place. After all, her boss discovered my condition and sent me to a heart doctor who set up that packed house heart echo which brought Dr. Handsome into the picture - so I'm going to tell her that story whether the conversation gets boring or not.

 

We got some snow late yesterday - very little so I don't think driving to Borger will be a problem.

 

Gotta tell you one more thing - I stepped on the scales first thing this morning and I'm back to my pre-cruise weight and it only took 10 days - emoji high five. Which means I will be opening my celebration box of peanut brittle some time today. It has been out of sight on a high shelf just waiting for this to happen.

 

I promise we will talk cruise talk when I get home. Still lots of stories to share with you from our Jade cruise. And then on to my cruise of a lifetime on the Bliss to Alaska. There's the one titled "Juneau and the Whale" and it's gonna surprise you.

 

Well I guess I've proven I can't do "brief". So I'm gonna quit even trying.

 

 

 

 

[GeorgiaGirl14]

I can't wait to hear about "Juneau and the Whale".  Your sense of humor is fabulous.  Thank you, Aprille, for sharing Ms. Mary with the rest of us!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Enjoy that peanut brittle! Looking forward to more stories...

[TNVolnteerCruiser]

15 hours ago, sunsetsoon said:

And I am impressed that your daughter could take 20 years of amassed memorabilia and create incredible scrap books. I can only imagine how much time it took. But time isn't really important in the 'old school' scrapbooking world. It's all about love and creating lasting and beautiful memories.

Another scrapbooker here, too.  I started years ago then life got busy with two daughters so I stopped.  They are grown now and I'm back at it, trying to use up stuff that has been in my stash for years.  Love getting memories put back on paper again.  I take tons of pictures, though, so I do a mix of Project Life style and old style paper pages.

[njkate]

On 2/23/2020 at 5:20 PM, sunsetsoon said:

It was even better than great. Sad to say the Sport Bar and Grill closed it's doors for good about a month after we got home.

Oh no!!! This was going on my list of things to do in Seattle pre cruise 😞

[sunsetsoon]

I'm back and had a good time at the doctor's office. I left them laughing and that made me happy. I didn't need to tell my Dr. Handsome story - we had lots to do. Mainly fill out 5 pages of questions that doctors are now required to ask their medicare patients. I think that's why the doctor assigned me to a PA this time. He is letting his 3 PA's do that kind of stuff. Melinda did a good job and we talked about my one concern - and that's falling. She suggested physical therapy might help - my choice - and I chose to give it a try.

 

I'm not going to try to tell a story so late in the day. I do my best work before noon.

 

I'm trying to program a new TV remote and it's not going well. emoji sad face.

 

Aprille has a plan for posting pictures of some of my album pages but it requires me being able to take a picture using my flip phone and sending it to her attached to a text message. I did a test and it worked. Now I will have to take a decent picture which will be a challenge for sure.

 

It's jammies, Kindle, recliner time for me.

 

Later