Author: Dackel Princess

Tis The Season Of Busy-ness!

I went to the dentist today. He thinks I have a sinus infect on top of an overly sensitive tooth, so I have prescription tooth paste (?) and an anti-biotic for the sinus problem. I think in the new year I am going to make an appointment to see the Ear, Nose & Throat Doctor about these recurrent infections.

Meanwhile, the last few days have been full ones. Wednesday was Weight Watchers, and then a Ladies Luncheon, Thursday was a lunch with my girl friend, Laurie and the visit with my dentist. I have an admission to make. While he was checking for the aching tooth, he hit the tooth and I snapped my jaw shut, and bit him!

I really felt bad and I started to apologize all over the place and he laughed and told me that the first thing they teach in dental school is not to leave your fingers in patients mouths for long!

Please pray for a healthy tooth that will not need to be root canaled!

Tomorrow Hubby and I finish our Christmas shopping. Not too much left to buy. Then Saturday I get my locks dipped into the fountain of youth, and come home to wrap gifts. (Note to self: must get out the wrapping video on You Tube and watch again.)

Yay For Me!

Today I went back to Weight Watchers, after a week of journaling and being super careful about what I ate. I was really worried that I would not have lost any weight, but I stepped on the scale and found that I had lost two pounds! Yay for me!

Last week in class they spoke about how losing weight is really hard. It sure is! And once you are over 50 I think it gets even harder! But I am not going to give up!

Our last two cruises Hubby has taken pictures of me, and between my weight, and my new face, I have been one, very unhappy girl!

I know the next couple of weeks will be tough, due to the holidays, but I am not giving up. I really want to look good, and feel good in my body.

You know, the last time I saw my Mom before she died, she said to me: “Don’t be like me, Maribeth. Don’t give up! You can do it!”

Mom was probably my biggest critic in life, so this unprecedented encouragement was a real shock.

I do miss Mom. She may not have been a “Fairy Tale” mother, but I think she did her best. At least, right now, I am hearing her kind words and that is such a gift.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Time magazine has selected The Ebola Fighters as their person of the year for 2014. Do you agree, and if so who would you say is a close second? If you disagree with their choice, who do you think should have been chosen?

That’s difficult. How does one determine who is the person of the year? I just think it is really presumptuous to say that one person is above all others.

2. This question comes to you courtesy of Susan who blogs over at Stew Mama Says. She knows we have a wedding happening any minute now, and she asks, ‘What’s your favorite-something old? something new? something borrowed? something blue in your home? Be sure you hop over and say hi to Susan today!

Something old, is the Noah’s Ark that was my grandfathers. He brought it over with himself, as a child from Germany. Something new, Sheesh, all my new refrigerators! Both our regular and drink fridges dies at the same time. Something borrowed? Mmmmm, not sure. I don’t think I have a something borrowed. Something blue? Lots of blue in my house, so people can take their pick!

3. Fudge-yay or nay? Your favorite flavor? Do you make it yourself? With nuts or without?

I love fudge chocolate with nuts. However, I stopped eating it for two reasons. First, it is bad for my teeth. Second, I am allergic…I break out in fat! lol!

4. December 17th is Wright Brothers Day, commemorating the first successful flights made by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. How old were you when you made your first flight? Do you like to fly? Have you ever been to Kitty Hawk or other parts of the North Carolina Outer Banks?

I have been to Kitty Hawk. I’m married to a pilot!  I think my first flight was  13 or 14 years old. My parents and I flew on a Pan Am jet to Bermuda. Loved it!

5. Do the people in your family tend to follow a particular career path, and if so what’s the path?

Not really, although we seem to have had our share of teachers.

6. What is one thing you absolutely, positively must accomplish today?

Pay the taxes, and pay for another year of having a mailbox!

7. This Christmas I hope:

That there will be peace, love and joy in the world.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We’ve been searching for baby sitters for the pups on Christmas and finally today I found them! Yay! Now we can go down and visit with Mandy and Savannah and Matt and enjoy the day!

Wonderful Christmas Time!

Last night I finished addressing, writing and stamping our Christmas cards. We’re late this year because of our vacation. What a good reason. After last years, rather disaster filled year, I told Hubby that this year we were going to keep it light.

Actually, we’ve had a good year. Mostly. I mean, there was some sadness, with the loss of dear Fritz, but also much happiness with wonderful trips and my daughter buying the home of her dreams.

And the continued wonder and happiness of sweet Savannah Rose! What a lucky Oma I am!

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My dearest friend Carol, here in New Hampshire, is out of the hospital. Thankfully, they were able to treat her quickly and saved her life. It’s been touch and go for a week.

My dear Uschi, in Germany will go home tomorrow. She has been in the hospital since I was on my trip in November, after falling and injuring her back. It was very serious, but she will come home on Tuesday.

So the people in my life that have been having trouble, will soon be better. That gives me what I wanted the very most for Christmas!

Cream Rum

When we were in Barbados, I sampled a Rum Liquor called Crisma.

Crisma

It is much the same as Bailey’s Irish Cream, only this is made from Rum and nice and smooth. The women who were doing the sampling said it is a ladies liquor, and I guess they must be right, because Hubby really didn’t care for it. I, however, loved it!

When we arrived home I started looking for Crisma. I found it is not sold in the northeast, but is sold in Arizona. They are not allowed to ship it to New Hampshire, so I was stuck.

I went to our New Hampshire State Liquor Store and checked out what they did carry. That’s when I found Rum Chata. I was reluctant to give it a try, but thought, what the heck. I almost didn’t try to Crisma, and look how that turned out!

Chatra

So I purchased a bottle and brought it home and at cocktail time I poured myself a small cordial glass of it. The Chata looked the same, smelled the same…and TASTED the same! Score one for the old girl!

I was so excited and told Hubby about it, and he said that he didn’t care for that. This is just fine with me. Because I just love it and it makes me think of my favorite island in the Caribbean, Barbados!

Back To Weight Watchers

I went back to Weight Watchers today. Needless to say, after a wonderful cruise with all sorts of delicious foods, and cocktails, I had gained a little weight. It was a good day to return because today’s talk was all about how really hard it is to lose weight. Even when you stick strictly to the plan, it still is hard.

Now, if I didn’t have to eat that would be one thing. But we all have to eat food to sustain life, and balancing it all out, makes it a real challenge.

I got out my laptop and started to journal my food once again. I am hoping that if I do that for one week, I can weigh in next Wednesday and have a loss of some sort.

I looked at my pictures from our trip of me. I did not like what I saw. I looked “matronly”! Ugh! So, since I am the only one who can do anything about this, I am going to. Weigh, measure and journal. That is the key. It isn’t easy, but I can do it!

When The Vacation Is Over!

We have been so busy since we got back. Needless to say, we had mounds of laundry, beds to change, (house sitters slept here), but then we had a refrigerator to buy and now a mini beverage fridge! The big fridge was pretty easy to find. Once we got all the specs down, we went out and bought a nice LG Fridge. It’s really nice. I especially love the clear cold-cut and cheese drawer. I decided that since it extends the entire fridge it was a good place to keep the eggs.

The door has huge shelves for soda, juice, etc. And the top shelf also has a lot of space. The vegetable and fruit bins are also wonderful.

So once the fridge came down to temperature, we headed out to Market Basket and bought food to fill the fridge up! We spent $225.00 and there still is plenty of room.

LG

LG 2

One of the things I love is that there are no handles. The opening handles are actually inside the edges. It makes it so nice. We actually got a slightly larger fridge because we didn’t have to deal with handles.

I told Hubby yesterday that I feel sort of confused each day. I wake up and come out, and no one serves me coffee and juice! In fact, no one is making my bed, changing my towels or cooking my meals!

Yup, my vacation is over!

Blah!

LOL!

Cool Enough?

You know what happens when you build a house and get all new appliances? 15 years later it’s like Domino’s! One after another they begin to die. First our gas stove died at the beginning of this year. Next it was the dishwasher. Then our fridge died while we were away. This morning, we noticed the under the counter beverage fridge was gone too! LOL! I told Hubby that you simply have to laugh!

Our new refrigerator arrived on Sunday! You know, I think many people take their fridge for granted. That is, until it stops working!

Lucky for us we have had cold weather and an extra small fridge in our basement, so we didn’t lose too much, but still some things, like milk and sour cream, I just didn’t want to take a chance with. So out they went.

The new fridge, an LG is so pretty and sleek. It also has a place for everything, and I am still trying to work out a system, so Hubby and I can instantly locate things.

We’ll keep looking for a small beverage fridge. There is no urgency there. Just sometime soon.

This certainly has been a heck of a homecoming!

December 4th

December 4th

Well, here we are on our Delta flight back to New England. What a wonderful time we had! I simply cannot believe that it is over.

We woke at 5:30 AM, and got ourselves ready for the day. We had to bring our luggage with us, when we left our cabin, and went over to the buffet. We left a little envelope and a bottle of wine for our Cabin Steward.

So breakfast was ok. It was sad thinking this was the last on the ship. They had a full menu available, and Jack and I ate quickly.

Our walk off the ship was to happen at 6:30 AM, and we finished and made it down to the gangway right on time. We breezed through Immigration, and then caught a cab for the airport. That’s where the problem began.

Today it was my suitcase they wanted to check. Now what is the last stuff you toss in when you are going home? Yeah, dirty laundry! So here is this TSA Agent going through my bag, pawing through my undies, for all the world to see! Call me simply mortified! However, we eventually made it and got to the gate.

We had purchased tickets for the 9:45 flight to Atlanta and then on to Boston. Jack asked if we could just switch (and those of you who buy tickets and fly will already know this), they refused to change our tickets, despite empty seats, despite that Jack is retired from the Airline. One of the Agents was so rude to Jack and it made me feel bad for him.

Another agent suggested we pass ride, and he changed everything for us and we left Fort Lauderdale two and a half hours earlier that our flight.

While we flew to Atlanta, I found a flight on the web, where we could list and we literally ran from one gate to the next to catch an earlier flight. (Which is where I am right now)

This vacation was the best one, in a very long time. It was truly relaxing, the weather was great, and best of all, I got to return to Barbados, which is my favorite Island in the Caribbean!

I forgot to mention that on our last sea day, we were invited to the Captains Cocktail Party. These are usually fun and it gives the frequent cruisers a chance to meet the Captain. Tony Draper was our Captain, and he was a pleasant, kind, man.

I also forgot to mention when we departed St. Thomas. I watched Captain Draper maneuvering the ship backing out of the channel, turning and then proceeding out to sea.

The usual hum from he engines, and music from the pool area filled the ship and then…it all stopped and everything went dead! The Captain came on quickly and said that one generator had kicked off (like a blown fuse) and the two back up generators didn’t much like that so they also kicked off too. It took only 5 or 6 minutes and the ships power was up and running. Many of us hoped that we would be tugged back to St. Thomas and extend our cruise, but that was not to be.