Good morning all. Going to be a warm day again today.
I need to start on dusting the downstairs in a few. I am hoping the blanket is now dry so I can get it wrapped and shipped this week and be done with it.
The rainy weather is playing havoc with my arthritis. I am stiff and achy a variety of places. I have to choose where to put the heating pad by which places hurts the most! I usually have icy hot but I have run out of it so need to put it on the grocery list. I don't like taking meds unless I am practically dying because I worry what it does to your heart.
Jean: Well, you do have another option for the bags, but not pleasant. If you don't put the bags outside your door then you are responsible for lugging them off the ship. Usually you have a pretty late window to put them outside your cabin so maybe you could change into pjs and just lay out clothes for the next day going home. You would still need something to put your sleep clothes and hygiene in anyway. When you fly it is always a hassle with regards to bags I think. That's one reason we drive. Of course not everyone has the ability to do that. We are having Arbys tonight as I need to get some stuff done and don't have time to deal with cooking tonight. Jack likes Arbys so I said ok. I always love it when someone skirts their responsibilities, especially if they are getting paid to do so. That's one big reason I quit the last job I had after only one year. I got tired of doing my bosses daughter's work all the time so she could take long lunch hours and spend long amounts of time outside smoking. She would bring me a stack of stuff she said she couldn't get to and needed to be done right away then walk out the door and smoke for half an hour.
You gals have a good day today. I need to get going on some work or it won't get done.
Good Morning! The sun is shining, strong wind blowing, and 7 degrees early this morning! Last night Ian played part of the A team game and made 4 points. Jason took him to the Y and gave him some pointers and practice shooting baskets. He has come a long way since the first game, and this being his first year to play on the team. Funny story . . . . when they were getting dressed to go practice Jason put on a pair of shorts. Ian took one look at him and said, "Dad, your knees are showing!" Evidently it's not cool to have your knees show, so Jason went and found another pair of shorts which met with Ian's approval. We all got a laugh at that!
"Gma," hope your arthritis aches are feeling better today. With the fog yesterday we had that damp cold here, but ran into sunshine on the way to the game. I don't think I want to haul my own large bag; we need to be one of the first off to get to the airport. The trip rep assured me we could/should be off between 7 and 8. I hope so. Cutting it close makes me very nervous.
I have lunch bunch this noon and bell practice later this afternoon. I need to work on a paper pile in between as well as call the credit card company we will be gone and using the card. Hope you all enjoy a wonderful Wednesday!
Good morning to you all. It went from 74 degrees yesterday and it is in the low 30's this morning. Sheesh. One of the catholic schools here completely shut down until Monday because so many of the students and teachers were ill. That's kind of scary when you have that many kids and teachers sick you have to shut down school.
I want to go and get my nails done and so the WM shopping if I can today. I still need to clean the downstairs or at least the rest of it. I have some of it done already. I imagine Jack will bring down clothes this morning after his shower so will have that to get start too.
Jean: I hope you have no trouble getting off the ship. I know there are a lot of people that get off early to make flights. Since we are suite holders, we can leave anytime before 11 AM. We always go with the group that has wheelchairs. We get first in line privileges, etc to get off the ship, but we don't usually go until after 9 to let those that do have to make flights get out in time. They call you by groups, I think RCCL uses colors, I can't remember. You gather in a certain place and then when it comes time that group leaves. Otherwise it overloads the elevators and no one gets off. It is all about patience. Once we got off the ship then you stand in another line etc, etc. I am sure everything will go ok for you guys and I hope you enjoy it. If nothing else it is warm weather. I saw it was 84 in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. We always call the credit union too so there isn't any problems. We don't ever use our credit card at ports of call. We always take cash for souvenirs or whatever off the ship. Makes me too nervous for foreigners to get my credit card info. I figure too if you get robbed, better to get robbed of cash than your credit card.
Good Afternoon! The sun is shining but another cold day with 7 degrees this morning. We are supposed to hit 50 over the weekend. Crazy weather! This morning was my once a month coffee date which we missed last month because of the weather. This afternoon was crafty club and the hostess served a rich dessert that my stomach is thinking was too much sweet though it was very good. Tomorrow I have to do the end of the week paperwork for the gift shop and that doesn't take very long. Saturday night is the Letterman concert which I am really looking forward to seeing. Sunday is bells first service and then planning to go see my stepmom. In between I need to do laundry and pack!
"Gma," it sounds like you are having crazy weather too! There has been talk of closing our local school because so many kids and teachers have been sick. Subs are in short supply and some have been doing double classroom duty along with the teacher aides. I leave all of my extra credit and debit cards at home when we travel. We each carry a different card in case one of us loses our's or it gets stolen. Our travel friends also recommended using cash off the ship. I just hope I can find free wifi so I can check in with the kids.
I need to change clothes, I have been cold all day and I'm going to add another layer! Hope you have a nice evening and enjoy the weekend!
Good morning to you all. It is chilly this morning but tomorrow it is supposed to be around 70 again. Warm for the weekend then back to regular temps. This weather is screwy.
I had a near heart attack this morning. We have one gas card, a BP that we use when we travel and I pay it off as soon as we get back. I saw I had an email that said I had a balance so I went online to see why and the last charge showed multiple charges at the same place. I hurried up and called and I don't know why their online showed it as there was only the one charge and the balance was because the payment hadn't been credited when the statement was released. Whew! I was afraid we had bought gas at one of those places that had the fake ccard slot that takes your info, etc.
We are going out to eat tonight then we have commissary on Sunday. I probably shouldn't have, but went to WM yesterday and picked up some stuff before the nail salon opened and took it out to the car. This young, very nice kind of scruffy looking guy got out of his van and ask if he could help unload my groceries. He called his wife over and they were talking to me. I kept close eye out and my handbag was between my legs on the scooter. He finished and hemmed and hawed and asked me if I had a couple dollars as they were short to get something in the store. I figured I would have tipped someone to unload my groceries so gave them a few ones. I don't know if they were going around panhandling other people or what, but they were driving a pretty beat up van. I took the cart back in and went to the nail salon and when I came out, they were gone. If they had just walked up to me, I would have told them I had no cash, but since he did unload several bags and boxes of soda, I figured it was a tip. I didn't let him see how much cash I had in my wallet and to be sure they did't try something else, I put all my cash in my jeans pocket when I finished at the nail salon, just in case they were still out there and wanted more. They were very kind and helpful so what the heck.
Jean: I don't know how the Carnival like works, but with RCCL you pay a fee if you don't have a suite cabin if you need wifi. The only place you may be safe would be St Thomas if you are going there since it is US held country, but even then I don't think so. I would ask at guest services on the ship and they can definitely tell you or your friends might know. Let me know how you enjoyed the Letterman concert. I liked them back in the day when they were singing. They have a nice harmony sound.
You all have a nice weekend. I am hoping no rain for us. I see the Northeast got slammed pretty hard with snow, as did parts of Indiana.
Good Morning! The sun is shining and it is supposed to be warming up for the next few days. I have laundry going and have started crossing a few things off my "to do" list. I called the hairdresser for a ten minute trim, and told her she couldn't touch anything except the two pieces I would show her. She wanted to trim it all but it always gets droopy after she cuts it and I don't want to have to mess with it.
"Gma," I hate the credit card statements that just say the store name and/or "purchase" then the charge, not the items purchased. I try to save receipts but think Amazon is the worst because there isn't always an invoice included. I'm glad the parking lot couple wasn't waiting for you to come back to your car. It was nice of you to tip the guy for helping you with your WM bags. I've been told the wifi connection on the ship is very expensive and very slow. When I got my new phone I asked about the charges for using it at different ports and the clerk said to look for free wifi advertised. We aren't in any one place very long so I'm not sure what to expect. Going back to tipping, do you tip your cabin stewards and table servers assuming you get the same ones every day, each day or at the end ? The one couple we usually travel with are not big tippers so I know they won't go beyond the required gratuity charge but we will.
I need to see if there are any leftovers for lunch. I'm trying to use up anything that might spoil while we are gone. I do need to pick up some bread and milk this afternoon. Hope you enjoy a nice rest of the day!
Good morning to you all. Going to be a lovely warm day here today. It barely got below 60 last night so I had my little fan on all night. I need to finish up cleaning the downstairs today though not going out and goofing off.
We have commissary tomorrow so I have to get a menu fixed and a grocery list made today. I see the light on upstairs through the hallway so looks like hubby is in his office probably playing Stratego on his laptop.
We finally got word when they are having the HOA's annual meeting so Jack is going to go and see if he can get on the board. We got the statement of the budget and this place is barely making it and has cut back on everything. They have to have owners thousands of dollars in arrears here to have such a small budget. I think they should raise the fees and then get some of this stuff done. The problem is that the people that aren't paying still won't pay. I want Jack to go to the meeting and make it known we want those not paying to not receive maintenance and to charge them for it every time before they repair something. Alarmingly, out of the 75 condos, only 25 are outright owners, the rest are owned by investors. I don't think investors should have a vote, but that is my opinion. They did say on the sheet they sent us that only those who have their fees totally paid can vote. I doubt many will even come.
I got a call from my best friend yesterday and we talked for 3 hours! Bless her heart. She is going through the very things they say about grief. I told her she is going to get mad at Bob and at God and that that is perfectly alright. She should rant and rail and scream and holler if she wants. It is not a sin or a disservice to him but a natural process. I told her not to let anyone tell her to get over it and move on no matter how long it takes, but I told her not to stay away from her job too long. I told her a couple 3 weeks is ok, but she is going to want to make an excuse to not go back because she doesn't want to face the sympathy or the questions or whatever and that is natural, but she needs the routine. I said she has always worked her whole adult life and staying locked up in the house is going to cause depression. I told her if she decides to quit her job she should find some outlet like volunteering or a senior center to get involved with. I told her, I am used to being alone because I only worked on and off when we needed money so I am a real homebody, but if something happened to Jack, I would force myself to get out at least a couple times a week to be with other people. If I could afford it, I would travel to see her or out to see my sister or whatever. We talked about fun stuff too and I made her laugh a lot, which was good. I will check on her next week to see how she is doing as she canceled calling me twice before yesterday and I didn't talk to her in almost 3 weeks.
Jean: I don't know about your ship, but I imagine it is probably the same. RCCL gives you envelopes I think the day before the cruise ends and you can put money in them and they have a drop box at guest services to put them in. You can indicate who you want them to go to specificially on the envelope or that you want it to be divided among them all. We always just give them straight to our room steward and the waiters on the last night before we leave the ship. Like I said we tip the waiters $10 a day and give the room steward $60-100 depending on what cabin size we are in. These people get paid crappy, work very hard for you and most send their money back to family to poor countries. The room stewards on RCCL clean your rooms twice a day and they make it spic and span that's for sure. You could eat off the tile floors. I buy most of my Amazon stuff with my Amazon card and you get a cash back thing so I don't ever seem to have the balance right. I figure as long as it is close and in the black.... I have to say with Amazon, I never have a problem returning something and get my money back fast.
Good Afternoon! No sunshine today. I've been sorting through clothes, doing laundry, and ironing most of the day. I slept good last night but feel like a nap would be most welcome. Bob grilled steaks for lunch so I fixed baked potatoes and scalloped corn to go along with that. The kitchen is cleaned up and closed for the rest of the day. We are meeting another couple at the neighborhood diner before the Letterman show tonight.
"Gma," I hope Jack can get on the board. The sad part is that it will be hard for just one person to make any changes unless others are thinking along the same line. We are having an issue with city wide trash collecting. The council wants to add a charge on to the water bill and everyone using water pays. Currently we have a private family business that collects recyclables one day and garbage on another. There are some people who prefer to do their own hauling to the refuse center, but there are many that accumulate pickup loads from their neighborhood and dump them in business dumpsters, the park trash cans, country ditches, etc. They can be fined if caught but the police department said to enforce those fines would be too time consuming, and not cost effective. So now the problem remains at a stalemate. We usually have just one bag, half full, of each but pay the same as some families with children that put out several bags. There are senior citizen rates where they buy tags and put bags out when they are full. I just don't want the stuff taking up space in the garage so we get rid of it. I, too, think your friend should go back to work and resume her daily routine. I'm sure she appreciates you listening to her, and that is comforting to her. I have been waiting for Amazon to raise their Prime charge. I used it a lot for Christmas this year and appreciate the prompt delivery.
I need to get back to my clothes sorting. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Good afternoon! It is sunny and in mid 50's today even though it did get cold last night.
We got all the shopping done yesterday and put away and such then went out to get a bite to eat and came home and did nothing! I went ahead this morning and did laundry and daily chores but haven't been very enthused about doing anything else. Just one of those lazy days I guess.
Jean: I am sure you are busy collecting things and getting things ready to pack to go. Hope you enjoyed the Letterman show. You mentioned the Prime thing. Do you know where I can find the date of when they will charge me for the year? I know I have to be coming up on my yearly prime charge, but I just signed up for it sometime last year for the first time. Do they email you they are getting ready to charge it for the year?
Everyone have a great day. I need to mix up the meatloaf for dinner tonight.
Good Afternoon! The sun is shining and the snow piles continue to melt. The little bird bath has melted and the little birds have been flying to it rather than the big one. I keep thinking we should be seeing a robin; they usually manage to get here in time for at least one more snow storm. We balanced on the first try at church this morning. I dropped off the gift shop checkbook and deposit book as I just feel better knowing the volunteer director has it in case something would happen to me. I stopped for a pedicure and then made a quick trip to WM for orphan food.
"Gma," the wind is chilly today but the sun definitely has more heat to melt the snow. I know we will get at least one more snow before winter is officially over. The Lettermen were very good although only one guy is the original. He has lots of personality and energy for as old as he must be. Bob saw them when he was a freshman in college in 1963 so the guy has to be at least 70+. If you google Amazon Prime it should give you the charge. Mine automatically renewed and showed up on my credit card statement for $99.00. As for the date you signed up I don't know where to look. I don't think there was any warning of the charge beforehand.
I need to get back to my clothes sorting. Hope you enjoy the rest of the day!
Good morning everyone. I think we are going to have rain today the way it looks but am not sure. Our temps are going to start climbing though and will be in the 70's all next week. Maybe spring for us is going to start. I know when we went commissary shopping on Sunday that the Tulip trees were in full bloom and they are always so beautiful. The dogwoods have buds on them too. I need to see what the magnolias look like. They planted several here on the property and they are so beautiful when they are in bloom and they smell nice too when the wind blows.
I just checked and my yarn should be here tomorrow so I can make the hat for my friend. She asked if I would make her one to go with a maroon coat she has. I suggested gray and she liked that idea so I am making her an owl hat. It is pretty easy and will go fast I think. It is just going out to Joann's and get tiny buttons for the eyes. I have to get her pillow done too as her birthday is in May. At least I have the long part done, her blanket.
Jean: I am such a dope. I read your post about Amazon and started thinking could it be listed on my account. I went to Amazon, scrolled down my account that lists everything and there was Amazon Prime so I clicked on it and sure enough right there it tells you when your next charge will be! It also gives you an option where you can have them notify you three days in advance so I clicked on that, but I went into my budget and made a note that May 23rd I would be charged for Prime so it wouldn't surprise me. I knew about the movies, but didn't know about the free book each month, did you? I think most singing groups from our era have been replaced. I know the 4 Seasons, except for Frankie Valli are all younger members. I don't care as long as the sound is still the same. When we went on the Thanksgiving cruise year before last, they had a group called "Cats Pajamas" that performed. I actually had picked this group to go see the next time we were in Branson. They sing acapella and they use their voices and mouths to make the instruments. It is pretty darn cool. I talked to them after the concert and they were real nice guys. Most if not all were younger than Kelly.
I guess I better get my day started. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Good Evening! Just got home from Ian's game. He played well but both 7th and 8th grades lost all four games. They played a school not in their class, but a little larger. It's the first game Ian's team has lost but it was good experience for them. I had a dentist appointment first thing this morning; no cavities and $134 poorer in the checkbook. Today was Bob's birthday, #72! A gal at the office asked him how old he was and then said he sure didn't act like it.
"Gma," I've never heard of a tulip tree so I will google it when I have time. I have been waiting for a robin to show up. Amanda said she saw one today and they are way north of us. Spring is getting closer every day! There is a group that had their beginning here, Tonic Sol Fa, that attended the local college here. They create their own sounds like Cats Pajamas, and have made CDs, etc. I like the CP's name better.
I am heading to bed! Have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow!
Good morning to you all. Chilly here this morning and we had thunderstorms last night that sounded like 747's flying over the house all night with their lights shining into the house.
I talked to Jackson last night as he got his money and his Valentine's Day card. He said he was going to buy a video game with the money so I told him to have fun with it.
Jean: This is a tulip tree if you haven't googled it. They're really beautiful and the flowers close up look just like a tulip. They sure look like spring that's for sure. Sometimes it is good for kids to lose just so they learn how to handle it, I think. Obviously, the people in this country have trouble understanding it that or they wouldn't be turning to violence when they don't get what they want. There is a group of brothers that sing and do the same thing in Branson called, "SIX." Original as there are 6 of them. They are really terrific too. I believe they have their own theater in Branson now.
I bought a dozen new towels, hand towels and washcloths from Penneys as they were having a big sale and they were 50% off and have one load in the dryer and one in the washer. I now have to figure out where to store them as I don't need them right now. So, I guess I better get going on them. Have a good day everyone.
Good Evening! It's been a nice sunny day and 50 degrees this afternoon! I had my nails done first thing this morning, stopped by the bank, and then to the gift shop to check in a card order. I ordered 12 sets of sympathy cards and got four. The company is eliminating their 99 cent card and that is what we sell the most of, mainly birthday and sympathy cards. We will have to come up with another plan when I get back. I know $3.50 cards won't sell even though they are cheaper than Hallmark cards. I think I am done doing laundry and did some ironing this afternoon. Nothing is packed yet because things wrinkle so easily. Remind me next December to start getting my clothes together for Maui! I am way too good at putting things off.
"Gma," I think those of us married long enough to wear out bedding, towels, etc., should have a shower after so many years! I have a set of white towels we got for a wedding gift. They have lived on the top shelf in every bathroom we've ever had. Guess I should see if they are rotten after almost 50 years. From a distance the Tulip Tree reminds me of the Cherry Blossom tree. Pretty!
I need to go over my list again and see what I still have to do. I should put it on the computer; another thing I always say I am going to do. Hope you enjoy a terrific Thursday tomorrow!
Good Evening! It has been a very long day! First thing this morning my laptop wouldn't connect to the wifi upstairs where the printer is so I could print our plane ticket. So Bob brought the printer downstairs. I kept getting interrupted with phone calls and the cat sitter came thinking we would be gone today. She had to stay and visit a few minutes too long. I spent the majority of the day putting clothes together and packing. I've had a headache all day and hope it is stress rather than getting a cold. I don't have time to be sick!
Hope you have good days for the rest of February! I will be back in March!
I usually have icy hot but I have run out of it so need to put it on the grocery list. I don't like taking meds unless I am practically dying because I worry what it does to your heart.
I've been sorting through clothes, doing laundry, and ironing most of the day. I slept good last night but feel like a nap would be most welcome. 
Bob grilled steaks for lunch so I fixed baked potatoes and scalloped corn to go along with that. The kitchen is cleaned up and closed for the rest of the day. We are meeting another couple at the neighborhood diner before the Letterman show tonight.
The little bird bath has melted and the little birds have been flying to it rather than the big one. I keep thinking we should be seeing a robin; they usually manage to get here in time for at least one more snow storm. We balanced on the first try at church this morning. I dropped off the gift shop checkbook and deposit book as I just feel better knowing the volunteer director has it in case something would happen to me. I stopped for a pedicure and then made a quick trip to WM for orphan food. 
