2011 - Chapter 058

The day of the cruise is finally here!




The first port was supposed to be Nassau, Bahamas. Due to the fires in Nassau last week, Carnival has made a slight change in our itinerary. We shall now be going to Carnival's Private Island, Half Moon Cay!




I think a Private Island sounds far better than Nassau, don't you?




We should be in port sometime around Second Breakfast.

Linda is still sleeping. Once we're showered and dressed and have gone down to the lobby for coffee and continental breakfast, we'll be headed to the ship,

Thanks for all the Bon Voyages. I'm sure it will be very bon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad, iVana

Location:Claremore Dr,West Palm Beach,United States

2011 - Chapter 057

Carnival Glory and 2  other Carnival Fun Ships in St. Thomas

It's vacation time! For 8 spectacular and glorious days I will be having fun on the Fun Ship! I'll be spending time with some really neat friends, laughing, going to shows, enjoying the piano bar, ordering room service, having my bed turned down, looking to see what towel animals have been made just for me, partaking in some mighty fine dining, some sipping of wine, going on an excursion or two and taking lots of photos. What I will NOT be doing during the cruise is blogging. I have no posts scheduled. I am not bringing my laptop. I am bringing my iPad so I will probably do some status updates on Facebook while in port in St. Thomas and San Juan as the internet there is FREE!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I certainly will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 056

Y'all? I spelled y'all wrong in yesterday's post. I blame the cruise excitement. Many apologies. I usually ignore the red underline from spell-check on "y'all" because blogger doesn't know how to spell y'all, y'all.

Sorry. I felt like I had to write "I will not fill in the blank" a few times on the blogger blackboard for that. I feel better now. :D

A First!

It's been about 18 months since I moved Whitey from the office to the Yellow house to live with Gandalf and Grayson. As I've mentioned on numerous occasions, Grayson does enjoy whapping Whitey. A lot. And as is usually the case, Grayson often feels the need to pair the whapping with a snarl, a hiss and a growl, for good measure. Well, imagine my shock when I turned my chair around after hanging up the phone to rest my eyes on this scene! Whitey was grooming the snot out of Grayson's head and not only wasn't Grayson snarling, he was purring! I've been noticing them touching while they napped over the past few weeks and was thrilled with that tiny bit of progress... but grooming is HUGE!

Naturally, a few minutes after this sweet scene Grayson whapped Whitey. But still.

So. This is IT! One more sleep! Sandee and Zane are flying today and Linda is all aboard Amtrak today. Once I collect Linda at the train station we'll drive down to WPB to have lunch at John Gs with Bee and Charlie and Sandy and Dick! Then we'll all meet up on the ship for 8 glorious days of cruising! This is better than Christmas, y'all! Woohoo!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 055

Gandalf and sunrise at the Swamp. Three of my favorite things!

The only thing crossed off of my To-Do List yesterday was a manicure and a pedicure. And taking a few orders. :D Not a single thing was ironed. I may be the wrinkled cruiser. But I'll be cruising, so... ummm... whatever! hahahaha!

I really do need get to the store for some wine... and to the ATM machine or nobody will be getting any gratuities from me. Just saying. The ironing? Well, today's another day!

Ya'll? In 48 hours I'll be driving to pick Linda up as we make our way towards WPB, Bee & Charlie, Sandy & Dick and JohnG's... and then the cruise! It really is just around the corner now!

Excited? Who? Me?

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 054

Yesterday the ultrasoundographer declared the little bean in Danielle's baby bake oven a BOY! Aria will have a baby brother come sometime in late July-early August!

Let the Boy Shopping begin!

And that's all I have for ya right now. Yesterday was all web site work and no fun, other than da boyz being really good about sticking close to the house. In fact, they all came up to the patio door several times asking to be let in. I let them in and out 3 or 4 times. I don't have a cat door here at the Swamp. Something to think about if they continue to be good boys.

Just a few days until the cruise! I did get my laundry done yesterday so ironing today, packing tomorrow! And maybe my pedicure and manicure, depending on the work load and phones. Woohoo!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 053

Whitey on the front porch

I've been continuing to let da boyz out for a while each day, observing how they do as far as staying in my yard. Each day I've allowed them a bit longer. We started at 5 minutes and we're up to about an hour. There are no fences anywhere around here and all of the adjoining homes each have a couple of acres. So far they've been staying on my 2 acres, wandering just a smidge into my next door neighbor's yard.

I'd be totally happy with that except for one weird thing. When Whitey and Gandalf walk off the porch they act as though they've never seen each other before, that they hadn't just finished grooming each other and that they hadn't just gotten up from a snuggle pile. I didn't expect anything like that. It has me scratching my head for sure.

Gandalf is still marking every shrub and tree until he literally runs out of ammo, but he continues with the behavior anyway. Weird. I'm hoping in time, things will return to how it use to be and they'll just lay on the porch and nap and occasionally chase Evil Squirrel. And quit marking in the house! Or I don't know what I'm going to do. srsly.

Whitey is still hissing and growly when he's outside. Sweet as sugar once he's back inside. But can't wait to be outside.

Grayson? Well, he's still my mellow fellow. His behavior is always the same, mellow and sweet. Except when he's whapping Whitey. Which seems to be happening less often. They've been napping together lately... and actually touching! I didn't have my camera handy just the day before yesterday. Whitey was using Grayson's back for a pillow.

Gracie? She likes the view from the screened patio, thank you very much! She's a perfect angel, when she isn't opening my cabinets.

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 052

So. Yesterday was the Daytona 500! I went to Al and Barbara's to watch it. We had Tater Tots and Chicken Strips. And a couple of naps!

This young whipper snapper, Trevor Bayne, won the Daytona 500 in only his 2nd Cup race EVER! Winning the Daytona 500 on his first try! Seasoned professional drivers race their whole racing career dreaming of winning this race. This kid is going places. Did I mention he turned 20 years old the day before the race?

I use to love the Daytona 500, but it's boring now. I swear, they were running in packs of twos, one guy's bumper in the guy in front of him's rear bumper. They reminded me of Love Bugs.

Those of you who haven't been to the south in Love Bug season won't understand that reference. But still. Here's the Wiki article.

It was also 10 years since Dale Earnhardt was killed in this race. It's hard to believe it's already been 10 years. Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt were my favorite drivers to cheer on. After years of attending both Daytona races every year, that particular Daytona 500 race was the first Daytona 500 I didn't attend. I got offended by the outrageous prices they were charging and decided to just stay home and watch it with my niece Jennifer. I'm so glad I didn't attend. It was hard enough watching it on TV. And explaining to Jennifer, who was only about 12 at the time, that racing is a very dangerous sport and yes, drivers really DO get killed.




OMG! Is this a sports post? Sorry.

Here's a photo from my nephew Brian's 30 Birthday Party.

CAKE!!

Sorry. It does seem to be a racing cake, doesn't it?

OK. How about this? A flat Brian next to real Brian!

Sorry about that whole racing/sports thingy. Brian is much better than NASCAR. I feel better now.

So now I only have 5 days to get ready and packed for the cruise! Whoa! This is getting very exciting!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will!

2011 - Chapter 051

I just saw the cutest thing ever! I wish I could show it to you but you have to be my sister Lynda's Facebook friend to see it. She uploaded a video of Aria singing her ABC's, with her Daddy (my nephew Mike) accompanying her on piano. Here's a screenshot -

Update: Lynda changed the privacy setting on the video so you can watch it! She's just the most precious baby girl in the world! Click HERE!

And I couldn't show you this before because it is the wine label I made for a nice bottle of Chianti for my nephew Brian's 30th Birthday Surprise Birthday Party. They had the party for him last night so it's OK to show it to you now. :D

Remember that Custom Shape I posted of the Wine Glass? It was for this! The photo I used was taken when they were in Italy last fall.

Here's the photo my sister Lynda sent me.

I did several edit versions

I liked this one best

But Lynda wanted him to look white.

Do you have an opinion? I know you DO!

And since I already had Brian separated out I decided to put him in a few different places, like in Egypt!

In front of The Sphinx

And in Rome, in front of the Colloseum

And just for fun, I put him into one of the archways of the Colloseum! Can you see him?

All together I think I spent about 5 hours playing around with it. Learning through trial and error, but having tons of fun. Especially when the light finally goes on! Photoshopping may truly be one of the greatest Time-Sucks ever, but I just love doing it!

Put some YAY in your day! I'll be watching the Daytona 500 over at Al and Barbara's so I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 049-1/2

I just stopped my feed from redirecting to feedburner. I think 12 hours to show up in a reader is just a bit unsatisfactory.

If I stop showing up in your reader altogether, this is why. Oh, wait... if I stop showing up in your reader, you'll never know. ::sigh::

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 049

Barb's Wine-ism #1

I learned a new Photoshop trick! I made ^that the other day. I have been looking for a wine custom shape tool for Photoshop. Alas, I could not find one that I liked, but I did find this tutorial! Basically, I discovered that you can make a Custom Shape of any image. So I made my own Spiegelau Grande Bordeaux wine glass Custom Shape! Ta-Da! My very first Custom Shape! Way cool. And then I made the above Wine-ism graphic.

And the way my brain is wired I immediately thought of a zillion ways I could use this lesson learned for my business web site's graphics.

I just love all of the many things blogging has brought into my life. :D

And I hate to gloat (Odat!) but we're now into the single digits until the cruise!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 050

I have a serious case of Caribbean fever! I just changed my Facebook profile photo to this graphic. It looks like a little slice of Heaven, doesn't it?

Notice that cats are conspicuously absent from this photo. Yes, they are! Oh, I'll miss the little pests, but at this very moment I sure wish I could go into a room without 4 furballs following me or, more accurately, anticipating where I'm headed and heading me off!

I let da boyz outside again yesterday. Twice. Gandalf is absolutely giddy! He's enjoying peeing on every shrub and tree and will suddenly take to running at a full sprint. He even had quite the conversation with Evil Squirrel. Grayson was his usual mellow self. He just meanders around nibbling on grass, sniffing at the breeze. Whitey, who doesn't have perfect vision but manages just fine, is a bit slower in his wanderings. And once again he got all hissy and growly when I bent down to pick him up to bring him back inside. They had about a half hour all totaled and enjoyed every moment. Gracie? Why, she enjoyed watching them from the safety of her patio!

Yesterday my nephew Brian turned 30... and the Earth kept spinning! hahahaha! For years he's been telling me how OLD 30 was, so now he is OLD! :D

Nine more sleeps, y'all! That's a 9 with nothing after it! Single digits!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 048

Some serious BLING goin' on here!

The Big Bicture: The 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Nine week old Tallulah Blue, a blue Chihuahua, with her owner Cindy Peskoff, of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, left, as they attend the Pre-Westminster Fashion Show Friday Feb. 11. (Tina Fineberg/Associated Press) #

So what's new and exciting, you ask? Not a darned thing. Except maybe that I got my Tall jeans that I ordered online yesterday. I was very disappointed when I tried them on... too long and too big, so back they go. I guess it's my usual jeans that are just a bit too short for me for the cruise. Ah, well. You'll still love me, right? :D

I continue to work, work, work on my business web site overhaul. It is beginning to look more like I had envisioned, but yesterday about 4:00 I was going buggy and bleary-eyed from staring at the computer screen and the phone was mostly dead so I buttoned it up, forwarded my office phone to my cell and dashed out to the Vet for Rx food, then to Wally World for a few things. Would you believe it, I left without my list and went and forgot to get wine. Me? Forget wine? Unheard of, y'all! I might need Miss Bee's fish oil.

Of course right after I left the house I got a call for a Quote! Yay for my iPad! You didn't know I have an office in my car? Parked, of course. I wasn't driving. Done and Done-r.

Maybe today I'll get some nice orders! Mama wants to go on more cruises! :D

I think I want to try to find this exact spot overlooking the harbor while we're in port in St. Thomas. Hopefully the sky will be THAT blue. And I want to have a lovely umbrella drink in my hand while my eyes soak it all in.

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 047

My Vet has called me the last two days in a row. He's been having trouble finding a compounding pharmacy here in Hicksville. Gandalf and Whitey all of a sudden started up again with the inappropriate marking. He's calling me in a Rx for Buspar for Gandalf and Whitey. It's back to constant cleaning and enzyme treatments, calming collars, Feliway diffusers and a little tiny pill again. So sick of it. Truly. ::sigh:: I've had cats for 7 years and had dogs for 33 years... and let me tell ya, dogs are WAY easier than cats. srsly.

I let the cats out yesterday for the first time in a year and a half out of pure frustration. Gandalf pee'd on everything, Whitey smelled everything and hissed at me and then snuck out later, Gracie frantically wanted back in and Grayson didn't want to go out at all. Alrighty then.

But on the upside... it's only 11 days until the cruise. I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to the cruise and spending fun and relaxing times with friends.

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 046

My sister Janice has been choking on a surprise for me for over a month. She's been telling me every day that she ordered something for me and should be in soon and that she couldn't wait for it to come in. Every. Day. Well, when it finally came in and she could finally mail it to me - she totally couldn't keep in in anymore - she told me what the surprise was. She totally stinks at secrets. :D

They are Sterling Silver earrings with a red Cubic Zirconia to represent red wine in the glass. There is also a wine charm at the bottom of the glass with a regular CZ. Too cute, right?

She also had a turquoise-colored tropical tote bag set made for me by a friend of hers. You can see Gracie is examining it in the background. I'll be toting that tote along on my cruise as well! Thank you, SisterDear! I love them!

The cruise is getting so close now that I really need to drop a few things at the dry cleaners and think about what to pack!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 045

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

Yesterday morning I was outside waiting for Al to pick me up to go to Sam's. I saw my geese at the edge of the Swamp and decided to take some photos with my iPhone.

All of a sudden a Great White Heron flew in right in front of where I was standing and landed in the Swamp, but about 20 feet away. Or 100 feet. What do I know? I only had time for one shot because as soon as he saw me he took off again. You can just make him out just left of center. Just. In case you're wondering, that big container is a feeder for all the critters. It's not a still.:D

And of course it was BWTB day. I had 2 waits for the coverall jackpot, and they were both the same number, but neither one came out. Always the bridesmaid... But MotherDear won the mini-jackpot and she was thrilled, so that's good.

And looky what the weather dudes are forecasting for me this week!

Well, alrighty then! The severe alert is for Pine Pollen. It has begun.

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 044

Today's post is brought to you by the number 14!

As in "we set sail in 14 more sleeps"!






Yesterday was a fun day. We took a day trip down to central Florida, about a 4-hour drive...

Even though it was still a bit chilly, we did see a few wonderful sights - a lovely sunrise...

and SUNSHINE!

We also stopped for lunch at Macaroni Grill. Yummy! I brought home half of my meal which I'll enjoy again today, and I ordered a to-go order of Eggplant Parm for MotherDear. I also stopped and got my Dad some Dunkin Donuts. The closest DD to us is about a 2-hour drive. It totally made my Dad's day when he saw the box of DD on the counter!

And then I went to bed about 7pm because I was totally wiped out from the trip and from waking up at 12:30am! Ack! That's much too early - even for me and my wee-hour normal habits!

Today is a few errands and BWTB. I hope your day it grand! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 043

Good morning! Welcome to the weekend!

I'm taking an impromptu drive into central Florida with Al and Barbara today. We're leaving in the wee hours... Well, not for me or Al, but it's the wee hours for Barbara and for most of you.

I'm hoping to have lunch somewhere that has a Macaroni Grill. :] That's my sole purpose for the road trip... Civilization with a good Italian restaurant, and to do something other work.

I did not take this photo, but it is one of the many swans on Lake Morton, just one of the many lakes in my former hometown of Lakeland, FL.





Don't forget to put some YAY in your day. I sure will!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad, iVana

2011 - Chapter 042

Got Angry Birds?

An angry screenshot from my iVana iPad

Why, yes. Yes, I do. Because Miss Bee said she loved it... several times. And then Huffle and Teddy's Mom Tracey said it was the best app ever. So I downloaded the app to my iPad yesterday. It's $4.99. OMG! It's too funny.

Stupid pigs.





When you release the sling shot thingy each bird makes it's own noise... and if you screw up - and you will - they make a funnier noise. LOL. I screwed up a lot. I laughed a lot.

I like the Black Bomber Birds the best! So far. I'm still in level 2. I may be here a very, very long time.

And the other thing I spent money on yesterday? I bought an ad for my business on Facebook that will run either a month or until $100 is used up. We'll see if that results in any sales. I just checked... my ad has already had 5 clicks and cost me $4.81, according to their reporting tools. I may run another one and have a Code for just that ad that callers would have to mention so I might actually KNOW they called or clicked because of the ad. Doh. Why do I not think of these things in the first place?

So I spent $9.80 yesterday. I'm hoping the ad starts paying for itself pretty soon. Before those birds get even angrier.

Well, it's Friday and I'm looking forward to great things today! I'll try to keep away from those Angry Birds, though. I do have things that need doin' today.

And don't worry, Linda. If I play it in our cabin, I'll turn the volume way down and try not to LOL. :D

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 041

Got Goosies?

Why, yes. Yes, I do!

It was a raw, blustery day yesterday. It never got up over 55 degrees. Brrr...

But the goosies didn't seem to mind. My dormant lawn is just beginning to show some green! And the goosies are nomming it up.

They're making Gandalf a little bit crazy, though.

Or craziER, I should say. He keeps talking to them and whining at them. I keep expecting him to rush the screens and go after them.

It was a busy, busy day again for me at the office! Yay! So I have nothing exciting to report because all I did was take orders and do quotes.

Did I mention that it was a busy, busy day in the office?

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 040

I did this yesterday. It took longer than it should as I continue to struggle with trial and error, heavy on the error. However, it may be my most favorite thing I've done to date with Photoshop. srsly.

I've noticed that I'm really taking a lot more of photos Gracie lately and working with them a lot. She's just so animated and mischievous, while da boyz all seem to be sleeping. But if she doesn't quit opening my kitchen cabinets and drawers... well, I just don't know what, but she'd better quit! That's all I know.

I've been having some good orders at the office, always a welcome happening! And I'm starting to think about the actual things I need to pack. Now what did I do with those lists that Miss Bee and Miss Sandy sent me...

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 039

I made this yesterday. All by myself! From scratch. It's my very first background. It only took many hours. Gradients and layers and brushes and filters and blending options, oh my! Talk about a time-suck. But I learned stuff. I am well-pleased.

Miss Bee, remember our doodles a couple of years ago? That was the first time I ever used Paint. It took me forever to draw a line I didn't hate!

That's all I got right now. hahahaha!

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

2011 - Chapter 038

It's hard to feel lonely around here. I need a bigger desk. Or less cats. Just saying.

I made my chicken pie yesterday. I had my Dad pop it into the new toaster oven I got at Sam's. It was the first thing to be cooked in it. It normally takes my chicken pies 30-40 minutes in the regular oven. The toaster oven burned the crust in 25 minutes. And my Dad had everything set correctly when I came in from Bingo. But the pie was still OK on the inside. In fact, Gracie and Gandalf enjoyed polishing my plate clean as you please. Gandalf even ate a few kernels of corn. hehehe.

I'll try a few other things in the toaster oven to see how it does. It may be going back to Sam's.

What happened to the weekend? It was here just a minute ago.

Put some YAY in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo