Hang up laundry to dry. In my bathroom. Cha-ching!
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Saving Money on a Sunday
Every Sunday I get a bit giddy from my savings. What do I do every Sunday?
Hang up laundry to dry. In my bathroom. Cha-ching!
Hang up laundry to dry. In my bathroom. Cha-ching!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Is a Cruise Right for You?
"You can find tranquility, you can find party, you can find new friends. I'm a cruise convert." ~ Guy Fieri
Still working on the revisions for the new edition of Cruising with Confidence.
An excerpt from Chapter 1:
Several words may come to mind when thinking about a cruise:
Fun...Adventurous...Confining...Formal...Exhilarating...Scary...Complicated...Fancy... Relaxing...Busy...Confusing...Rich...Expensive...Crowded...Intimidating...Titanic
When discussing whether or not to take my first cruise the words with negative connotations dominated conversations. After years of cruising I now lean toward the positive sounding words. I can even say “Titanic” out loud, while on a ship, and not be afraid of jinxing things! I’ve moved from a nervous to an excited to a confident cruiser.
In deciding if a cruise is right for you, the elementary teacher in me would like to ask some questions:
• Does your dream day consist of hanging out by a pool and working on a tan?
• Are you a dancer, a reader, a trivia lover, or a movie buff?
• Do you enjoy trying new foods? Prefer eating the same thing every day?
• Do you like conversing with other folks from different places? Long for alone time?
• Are you the type who likes being on the go?
• Would never having to make a bed, cook a meal, or wash a dish work for you?
• Do you like dressing up in fancy clothes or rather wear shorts and t-shirts all day?
• Are you looking to reconnect with family or friends?
• Does the idea of traveling to a foreign country excite you?
• Do you like the idea of getting a good value for your money?
Answering yes to just one question could mean a cruise vacation is right for you.
Friday, January 12, 2018
The Friday Fives
I thought I was going to be able to report on five things that I did today having to do with the number five. Didn't happen.
1. It was 50 degrees today! It felt downright warm in the sun.
2. Thanks to a coupon hubby and I had a $5 lunch today.
1. It was 50 degrees today! It felt downright warm in the sun.
2. Thanks to a coupon hubby and I had a $5 lunch today.
3. I thought I was going to be able to report I revised five chapters in the Cruising with Confidence book. Nope, but after a full week I've finished revising the 12th chapter today. Woo hoo! I have a few more edits and one more chapter to write and maybe, just maybe, the new edition to be ready before the end of the month. Again, woo hoo!
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Throwback Thursday
"Take care of all your memories...For you cannot relive them." ~ Bob Dylan
The blog from five years ago today made me a bit sad. Kitty is no longer alive, the Disaster Auction quilt didn't garner as much money as I expected, and we no longer live in that house.
From January 11, 2013:
When I walked in the sewing room today my only thought was, "Seriously?"
Is it really necessary for you to be sleeping on top of the Disaster Auction quilt?!
The blog from five years ago today made me a bit sad. Kitty is no longer alive, the Disaster Auction quilt didn't garner as much money as I expected, and we no longer live in that house.
From January 11, 2013:
When I walked in the sewing room today my only thought was, "Seriously?"
Is it really necessary for you to be sleeping on top of the Disaster Auction quilt?!
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Cruise Ship Crew
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” ~ Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It
It occurred to me this week that the best connections hubby and I have are to people outside our everyday life. People who don't live in our city or state or country.
Hubby and I have spent more than half our lives in a small rural community in Idaho. Going from a town with a population of around 800 to a city with a population of over 200,000 would seem to be a huge adjustment. We've settled in nicely but have become hermit-ish. Hubby goes next door some mornings to have coffee with the neighbor and daughter calls me on her way home from work in the evenings. That's the extent of our conversations during the day/week/month.
But on a cruise ship we are different people. We talk all day long to the crew members. Cruise ship crew come from around the world. Working for very low wages by American standards, these kids (most are under 30) have become our connections. We have close relationships with people from Nicaragua, India, Mexico, Serbia, Honduras, and Peru. I've learned more from them about other countries and nationalities and politics and religions than from any history book or TV program. We truly care about their personal and work lives. They've also let us into a cruise ship world few people outside the company know about.
It's a symbiotic relationship for all of us. For hubby, it reminds him of teaching high school and the rapport with teenagers that kept him young. For me, I can be a mom. And for the crew members they get a little break from the monotony of long days spent dealing with demanding passengers. We bring them chocolates and take them to lunch in port and give out hugs. And they treat us very well in return.
We cherish every day spent with them so when we aren't traveling we keep in close contact. Just yesterday I was chatting with a crew member from Honduras. I could hear his Spanish TV in the background and we were exchanging pictures of snow (me) and no snow (him). Only a few hours later they had an earthquake hit. I heard from him today and he had no earthquake damage at his home.
The earthquake reminded me of one of the days we spent in port with this particular crew member in Mexico. A place in Mexico that is no longer accessible because of the Mexico City earthquake in September. Now the earthquake in Honduras.
I'll just focus on the good times we've had with our crew. It's what keeps us going when we're stuck at home. We can't get these kind of conversations in Boise.
It occurred to me this week that the best connections hubby and I have are to people outside our everyday life. People who don't live in our city or state or country.
Hubby and I have spent more than half our lives in a small rural community in Idaho. Going from a town with a population of around 800 to a city with a population of over 200,000 would seem to be a huge adjustment. We've settled in nicely but have become hermit-ish. Hubby goes next door some mornings to have coffee with the neighbor and daughter calls me on her way home from work in the evenings. That's the extent of our conversations during the day/week/month.
But on a cruise ship we are different people. We talk all day long to the crew members. Cruise ship crew come from around the world. Working for very low wages by American standards, these kids (most are under 30) have become our connections. We have close relationships with people from Nicaragua, India, Mexico, Serbia, Honduras, and Peru. I've learned more from them about other countries and nationalities and politics and religions than from any history book or TV program. We truly care about their personal and work lives. They've also let us into a cruise ship world few people outside the company know about.
It's a symbiotic relationship for all of us. For hubby, it reminds him of teaching high school and the rapport with teenagers that kept him young. For me, I can be a mom. And for the crew members they get a little break from the monotony of long days spent dealing with demanding passengers. We bring them chocolates and take them to lunch in port and give out hugs. And they treat us very well in return.
We cherish every day spent with them so when we aren't traveling we keep in close contact. Just yesterday I was chatting with a crew member from Honduras. I could hear his Spanish TV in the background and we were exchanging pictures of snow (me) and no snow (him). Only a few hours later they had an earthquake hit. I heard from him today and he had no earthquake damage at his home.
The earthquake reminded me of one of the days we spent in port with this particular crew member in Mexico. A place in Mexico that is no longer accessible because of the Mexico City earthquake in September. Now the earthquake in Honduras.
I'll just focus on the good times we've had with our crew. It's what keeps us going when we're stuck at home. We can't get these kind of conversations in Boise.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Sun Over Snow
"I'm definitely much more of a beach bunny. I prefer the sun over the snow." ~ Gillian Zinser
I'm with her. Last year at this time I took a picture of us being snowed in. It looked like this:
I'm with her. Last year at this time I took a picture of us being snowed in. It looked like this:
And today I took a picture out my sewing room window and it looked like this:
 |
| Better, but not good enough. |
Even better? If I could be on the beach like this:
But I'm not. So I'll have to take a little snow over a lot of snow. Dang.
Monday, January 8, 2018
3 - 1/8 = 2 7/8
"When I'm on a break from writing, I'll log on to Amazon and eBay. The doorbell is constantly being rung by deliverymen." ~ Sophie Kinsella
Not so much for me anymore. I did go through a spell where I was buying boxes of fabric off eBay like crazy. I used to have stacks of boxes coming in and then when I got motivated to make some money had stacks of boxes going out. Thanks to my woodworking skills, I finally made myself an eBay shelf in the closet to hold those listed items.
Although I might be exaggerating my woodworking capabilities just a bit. I took one of our remaining three bookshelves and cut a section off the bottom. Now it fits nicely in the closet. And I get to brag I am down from those large 15 bookshelves to 2 7/8 bookshelves.
Not so much for me anymore. I did go through a spell where I was buying boxes of fabric off eBay like crazy. I used to have stacks of boxes coming in and then when I got motivated to make some money had stacks of boxes going out. Thanks to my woodworking skills, I finally made myself an eBay shelf in the closet to hold those listed items.
Although I might be exaggerating my woodworking capabilities just a bit. I took one of our remaining three bookshelves and cut a section off the bottom. Now it fits nicely in the closet. And I get to brag I am down from those large 15 bookshelves to 2 7/8 bookshelves.
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