Dackel Princess

Cream Rum

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

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!

Happy 8th Birthday, Arnie and Anneliese!

It is our precious Arnie and Anneliese’s 8th Birthday! Wow! The time sure has gone by fast. 8 years old! Happy Birthday, babies!

Arnie and Anneliese Birthday from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

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.

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

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.

It’s Over

Dec. 3
After a sea day yesterday, we got to the Island of Eleuthera at 9 AM on Wednesday morning. We were not sure we would have good weather, but by ten o’clock the sun was out and it was pleasant.
We took the tender (used for shutting us back and forth to the island) and once we were there, we walked around for an hour or so. They were serving a free lunch there, but the last time we visited the island, we didn’t really like the food. So, we hopped back on the tender and went back to the ship.
It was wonderfully empty, and we sat up at the Horizon Court (24 hour buffet) and had a nice lunch.
Both Jack and I feel stuffed from all the food we have eaten, and I think we are ready to go home and get serious about our diets.
After lunch I printed out our boarding passes for our flights home, and once we get to bed tonight, we will need to be up early to catch our plane.
Princess has been great and we will be one of the first passengers off tomorrow. We’ll catch a cab and get to Fort Lauderdale Airport.
I simply cannot believe that our vacation is over. It has been so relaxing for the both of us. Jack’s blood pressure is down to normal. He is feeling good. And frankly, so am I.
Yesterday I went and put a deposit down for a future cruise. I did it so that Jack wouldn’t know and I could surprise him! Then today as we arrived back on the ship, he said “You think we should put a deposit down on a future cruise?” I then admitted I had already done that. We each got a good laugh about that.
Now we dream about our next vacation!

Food

Food

I am always thrilled with trying new things, when I am on vacation. Sometimes life is good and I find yet another new thing to enjoy, and set my Weight Watcher diet back.

I have enjoyed a few things, but I will start with breakfast. Since my doctor told me to eat more fiber to battle my high cholesterol, I have started each day with oatmeal. It’s good, and I sprinkle just a teaspoon of brown sugar on it, and I am good to go.

I’ve been enjoying one coffee, and then I switch over to English Breakfast Tea. I tend to drink that or ice tea all day.

Besides the oatmeal, I wanted to be good and just have some whole grain toast. Unfortunately, because they are serving a lot of people, by the time I reached the toast area the toast resemble “Cylon Death Toast. (re: Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon, who loves to make this.) The toast was cold, hard and dry. So, nope, wasn’t going to eat that, instead I have had Stollen. I know, not the best for WW, but certainly something I enjoyed!

Lunch can mean almost anything. Salads are abundant, grilled vegetables, as well as at least two types of grilled meat. They also served tacos, fish, Chinese foods and Indian foods. I’ve been trying to stay away from the fried foods, and eat more vegetables.

Dinners have been interesting. A few new items, like tians (a kind of pate), soups (I tried their wild mushroom soup last night, but didn’t like it. But mostly, I like the things I have eaten. The Prime Rib was the best we’ve ever had. We could literally cut it with a fork. And desserts are good. Each lunch and dinner has a sugar free item and Jack really has appreciated that.

Now, I have a confession to make. A week ago Sally (from the movie, When Harry Met Sally) invaded my body. I suddenly found myself taking a basic item, subtracting all the other components, and replacing them with what I wanted to eat.

Here is an example.

Lamb with mint jelly.
roasted potatoes.
mixed vegetables of the day.
gravy.

I went on the order.
Lamb with mint jelly.
mashed potatoes.
asparagus with butter and lemon
no gravy

It’s just a quick example. Trust me, our poor waitress knows I ‘like it my way’ and is ready with her pen and pad to take down my order. I sort of started to feel guilty and self conscious, but I like what I like and I don’t see why I must eat a meal that I don’t care for.

Just call me Sally!

Observations

November 30

I slept so soundly last night that I woke feeling very refreshed. So I got out of bed, dressed, and was very happy that I did not wake Jack. I slipped out of our cabin and walked over to the 24 hour buffet where I had a nice cup of coffee.

I lingered for a bit, then grabbed a coffee for Jack and breakfast tea for myself. I walked so carefully back from the buffet, so I didn’t spill the coffee and tea, thus giving me great appreciation to every flight attendant who serves drinks while an airplane is swaying.

I managed to get back to our cabin, opened the door, came inside and then…I stubbed my index toe on the sofa! I screamed inside, (silently) so as not to wake Jack. What a good wife I am!

The ship is due in to St. Kitts at 10 AM Island time (1 hour ahead of the east coast), and we shall hop the sugar train for a three hour tour of the inland.

A few things I have notices on this trip. Probably the first thing is that no one is using strong sunscreen, and very few are wearing a hat. So, dinner tends to be in a room filled with bright red lobster people! I so want to sit down and give a public service announcement about the dangers of ‘unprotected sun exposure’, but I know it would not be welcome.

Second, the theme from Gilligan’s Island keeps playing in my head! Not sure why, as this has been a wonderful and uneventful voyage. Still, the song is there!

In the early morning when I have my tea, it is the same people in the buffet sitting area. Some read, some are writing on their computers and some are having an early breakfast. I always wait for Jack.

I went to Lowes.com and checked out refrigerators yesterday. All I need are the dimensions of our current fridge and we can stop at Lowes, and order a new one. Thank goodness for our house/doggy sitter and his Dad, who got everything out of the upstairs fridge and into our small fridge in the basement.

Yesterday I forgot to mention the wonderful Orchid Gardens. It was spectacular. They were having a wedding there amongst the orchid gardens and that was beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the bride, but I spoke to the groom and he was a sweet, handsome, man!

On our cruise, I think the average median age is 65-70 years old. This means two things. I am often the youngest person in a group, and for me, who likes to zip around, I am often behind someone who is walking soooo slowly. I remind myself, that this is the way it is and I should relax, but I have now found ways to bee-bop around the ship with no one in front of me!

All for now!

And Away We Go!

We boarded Royal Princess about 12:45 Monday afternoon. It was absolutely mobbed going through security, but once inside, we checked our two bottles of wine (OK to bring two but no more), and then almost immediately we were in a short line to get our card keys and board the ship.
Our Cabin is beautiful! It is golden in color, with marble table tops. The balcony is a bit small, but really nice none the less.
We went over to Horizon Court, the 24 hour a day Buffet and had lunch. They had grilled eggplant, onions and peppers! Oh my goodness, it was delicious!
We watched as the ship set off, and it was so neat as Caribbean Princess left just before us, so we watched her rather closely ahead.
I was complete unpacked by 3 PM, and the room is all set up to be comfortable during our stay.
The ocean is calm, nary a rock or roll and I am feeling good. I did put on my seas sickness patch, just to be sure I would be well.

We went to the dining room for dinner. Our table mates never showed, which would have been okay except that we were in a far corner, where we literally froze! We finally asked if they has an extra cooks jacket to place over our shoulders, but honestly, we are both still a bit frozen.
However, the meal was fabulous! Prime Rib, rare, baked potatoes, and Caesar Salad. I had a small square of brie for dessert.
They have great bands that are playing up on deck, and I found myself dancing a bit when we got underway. As we left the harbor in Ft. Lauderdale, the Captain played a little tune on the ships horn. It was so cool!
Tonight both Jack and I feel tired. The last two days was exhausting as we raced from there to here, but now we are settled, time to kick back and relax!