Modified Keto day 10 plus 3 packages in the mail!!!

I must honest, today started out real rough. I woke up with a migraine that did not go away until around 6 this evening. I managed to drag myself out of bed around 10 and decided to fix myself something to eat. Today’s breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs. And yes, I did have my normal coffee intake. But, once again, no Starbucks.

The cruise countdown cheered me up but didn’t make the headache go away. I wonder if the diet has anything to do with the headaches…

I did receive some packages in the mail today. One from Baublebar, one from Michaels, and UPS delivered 2 Shutterfly orange envelopes. Not only did I get the replacement photos that UPS conveniently misplaced last month, I also received the replacement photos that Shutterfly sent. But since I still had a headache, I did not open the packages.

In the late afternoon, I started getting a little hungry so I had the last of the left over chicken stuff I made yesterday and I also had one hotdog that was sliced and stuffed with cheese then wrapped in bacon. My beverage of choice after my morning coffee was unsweetened ice tea.

Once I started feeling better I started opening a couple of the boxes. Up first was Baublebar. Today’s package only contained one pair of earrings, the Fantasia Drop Earrings. I just love them and I cannot wait to wear them on our cruise. I also received the Lobe Wonder Ear Support patches I want to try and the Devonne Sunglasses in pink which was a gift with purchase. I truly love they way they package their products.

Then I opened the box from Michaels. I could not wait to see the different colors of vinyl I ordered. I’m even more excited to start playing with them on my Cricut Explore Air. I have plans for some tumblers and now that I have all of the different colors of Vinyl that I want, I’m going to really start on the tumblers this week. Maybe even tomorrow!!! These are the colors I ordered: light yellow, red, grape, azure, med blue, caribbean, and flamingo. I’m just so excited!!!

Now about the Shutterfly orange envelope thingy’s… It is obvious that the original one was damaged and so far, I have been afraid to open that envelope. But, I won’t know the extent of things until I do. It didn’t take much to open the original package and I was really afraid that the photos would be damaged but, to my surprise, there was nothing wrong with them!!! I guess now I can organize these photos as well as the photos from our Carnival Triumph cruise and a trip to Galveston. There are plenty of photos to do some large scrapbooks!!!

With the headache finally gone, I feel energized! I think I will use this time to do something productive. I just do not know which productive thing I want to do. I think I will start with the photos so they do not get messed up!

Getting Carnival Vista ready #4

Although I have been on 10 cruises (1 on Cunard, 1 on NCL, and 8 on Carnival), I am always looking for information. Not just for the ports we will be visiting but also for packing ideas, especially with things people usually do not think about. My information comes from blogs like Cruise Radio and some from YouTube videos like EECC travels, CruiseTipsTV and CruiseGear. They seem to have very concise information that really applies!!! (And I also follow them on Instagram!!!)

I recently made a shopping stop at our local Dollar Tree. When you see the pictures of what I purchased, please keep in mind, I’m shopping for 9 people!!!! My list started out looking like this…

This shopping spree is for items that can be used in all three stateroom. These are the items I was able to check off our list: Zip lock bags in various sizes (1 of each size for each room… it might be overkill but at least we will have enough to share with other cruisers), 6 mesh laundry bags, 3 night lights, clothespins, jumbo clips, and some generic type command strips with the hook, and 9 lint rollers because you can never have too many of those!!!

I also had to make a trip to Target and while I was in the check-out line, I noticed some travel size Advil so I picked up a couple of those! Just another thing to check off our long Dollar Tree shopping list!!!

At the end of the shopping spree, if you want to call it that, our list now looks like this:

I plan on going back to Dollar Tree on Friday to knock off some more things from the list.

Starting Keto slowly and shopping at Michaels!

Starting the diet is going to have some issues. Not only with the no sugar aspect, but I already have some dietary issues due to GI issues, namely nuts. I never know when I will have a flare, like today, but I usually know what triggers the GI flares and try to avoid those things.

I did have a good breakfast late this morning that was absolutely delicious. Not only did I have bacon and eggs but I managed to add some onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. And I added a small amount of salsa on top.

Today’s downfall happened while I was out running errands. Apparently my car new I was very thirsty and took my to Starbucks. I know that was bad but the double shot venti java chip frappuccino was delicious!

This evening I made me a salad with all kinds of goodies in it and I maybe had half of it.

While I was out running errands, I made a stop at Michaels to look at their vinyl selections. I must have timed it right as their vinyl was on sale!!! I purchased a few colors of the removable vinyl and the transfer tape plus a couple of often things. I can’t wait to experiment with an idea for our tumblers I plan on decorating for our cruise on the Carnival Vista.

So, even though I didn’t do great with the Keto diet today, I still had a great day!!! And my yorkie rescue, Dixie, went for her weight check and she has lost one pound since her check up last month! Her weight gain was 100% my fault. Now I have to be better for her!!!

Is the KETO diet for me?

With a cruise coming up, I think now would be a good time to shed a few pounds. Everyone that has been on a cruise knows that a person usually gains wait eating all the yummy food provided. My intent is to shed some of this excess weight so when I get on the ship and start eating like a pig, my clothes will not be too tight!!!

I have been reading about the KETO diet and watching videos about it as well. From what I understand, it is a HIGH FAT, moderate protein, low carb diet. That sounds ok to me. I understand some things that I love, like bread and potatoes, and rice are a not allowed. I can do that… maybe. Giving up tortillas will be hard. So. Hard.

But the problem I will have is the no sugar. But I have a reason. I have allergies to artificial sweeteners. It is not fun to have something someone has made that has artificial sweetener in it. Unfortunately, it makes me sick and brings on a massive migraine. When this happens, I’m out for a couple to days trying to get rid of the headache. The so called natural sweeteners, like Stevia, make me itch. I know… I’m weird. But I have no other options when it comes to sugar.

My only choice is to limit my sugar which really will not be that hard. I use sugar in my first cup of coffee but not in the refills. I do not use sugar in my tea which is hard sometimes. I do feel that I can limit and monitor my sugar intake so maybe I can figure out a modified Keto diet that will work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Getting Carnival Vista 2018 ready #2

Our adventure on the Carnival Vista is a 4-generation family cruise. There are a total of nine of us on this cruise… 8 relatives and 1 friend that we will refer to as my personal wine expert!!! There will be 3 people in 3 staterooms. All staterooms are on the Lido deck. One stateroom is an interior with walkway view!!! I was so lucky to be able to grab that one, LOL. The other two are adjoining balcony staterooms. This adventure is going to be so much fun.

In the first installment, I showed the fans that we have purchased so far. Today’s installments will be some items that are essential for us. Not everything will be useful for everyone but it is for us.

Since there are 9 of us and we will be bringing on our own cokes and sprites, it is necessary for us to have our own koozies!!!! The koozies that look like tropical shirts were purchased online thru Oriental Trading. The other five I purchased at Michael’s. Who knew koozies would be near the checkout line!!!!

With 3 staterooms, I will put together 3 binders with all the necessary and important paperwork. Inside the binder will be a pencil holder to keep passports, case for tipping, and other items.

Of course, each room will have a dry erase board for communication purposes!!!! Dollar tree to the rescue.

What are your necessary cruise items???

Carnival Magic 2011 – Installment #15. The scrapbook(s) are complete.

I started this series as a way to keep track of the scrapbook pages I made for this cruise. And now, 17 days later, the books are complete. The pages are in chronological order in 4 albums!!!! I made some extra pages to maintain a flow through each album. I have also completed all of the journaling as well!!!! All that is left for me to do now is to make sure all of the remaining pictures are in photo protectors and placed in a binder for safe keeping.

This has been a lot of fun and I cannot wait to start working on the next pictures! Up next will be pictures of my daughter’s wedding in March of 2012. I have asked her if it would be okay for me to share the pages on here and she graciously gave me permission! Since they were married at the sub-courthouse, these pages shouldn’t take long. But I still want to make sure I have some scrapbook pages for this special occasion.

More Carnival Magic 2011 scrapbook pages and making a change to our Carnival Vista cruise.

In my ongoing quest to finish my scrapbook albums for this cruise, today I worked on the first 2 days of the cruise adding some pages for each day. I know it is silly, but I like to make sure I have everything related to the trip in some kind of order that will flow. Since a majority of my pages are in a 2-page format, I sometimes find it challenging to create the flow I’m happy with. But, so far so good. I also completed the journaling for the first 2 days of the cruise. Hopefully, with any luck, I will have this cruise completed by the end of the week and can start on my daughter’s wedding. She’s only been married for 6 years so this is a little late as well, but at least I’m making an effort to get things caught up!!!

I have a TON of very old family photo’s that I also want to put in scrapbooks so I’m just going to be doing a little bit of everything as I can.

I’m enjoying using my Cricut Explore Air. I have had it for a few years but just started using it consistently this month. I’m kicking myself for not putting it to good use sooner.

I think I need a much bigger craffice!

As our Carnival Vista countdown continues and will continue for a while, we had to make a change. Our son Dawson has said he is not going to go on the cruise. A cruise that we booked at an early saver rate. A cruise that has been paid in full for a couple of months now. He does not enjoy cruises as much as his father and I do. So, instead of making him go, he will be staying home and taking care of our cat. Not sure about the dogs, but definitely the cat. So, I called our PVP and told him the situation and that we have a friend that we want to put on our booking in our son’s place. With early saver, you cannot just change a name. But our PVP took care of everything for me and the amount of cancel Dawson and add John was much less than I was expecting! Now the cruise will be #4GenerationsOfFamilyFun and our friend the wine expert. Our sail and sign card just might reach an all-time high!!!

I should probably make a list for things we need to buy for the cruise. At least one thing is checked off… getting my mother 2 swimsuits for her birthday! Now to start getting stuff from the Dollar Tree!!!

Shopping for scrapbook supplies and some more Carnival Magic scrapbook pages.

I knew I had to go to Hobby Lobby today to replace the scrapbook paper my glass of Cran-Grape juice fell on. I asked my hubby if he wanted to go with me and he said yes. Now, I know most women prefer to shop without their spouse. I’m typically that way with Jim, except when it comes to scrapbook supplies. Somehow he manages to find stuff that I would need, want, or could use. This trip was no exception.

Before we went to Hobby Lobby, we went to Michael’s as I had a 50% off coupon to use and I was wanting to get a refill cartridge for my Xyron Creative Station Lite. I prefer to use the repositionable cartridges because I often change my mind about placement of things. Unfortunately, Michael’s didn’t have what I wanted, but the did have the Tombow removable adhesive tape funner refill, so I got that instead!

Once we arrived at Hobby Lobby, my first stop in the scrapbook area was the adhesive section. I was looking for a glue runner eraser and I found one and only one there!!! I want to try it and see if it will really remove the excess adhesive from the pages. I then picked up the scrapbook paper I needed to replace (LOL) plus a few sheets of white textured cardstock. I told Jim we might as well look in the clearance section to see if there was anything of use and his watchful eye did not disappoint!

My middle granddaughter’s name is Victoria. I always have a hard time finding just the letter V. But today was my lucky day. My hubby found 3 so I bought them all!!! I also picked up some other goodies including a paper pack.

As we made our way to the check-out counter, I stopped back by the adhesive isle in search of something that would be a good adhesive for glitter. So far, I have not found anything that seems to work. If you are reading this and have any suggestions, please let me know.

The papers in the paper pack were actually pretty good!!

Once we returned home, I continued working on finishing up the Carnival Magic 2011 pre-cruise album, making and adding a few pages. All of the pages are now securely in the album. I do need to do some touch-up on the outside of the album cover but that shouldn’t take long to do in the morning!

Tomorrow I plan on starting the first Carnival Magic 2011 cruise album and continue working on the journaling. I know there will be more scrapbook pages made for these albums as I like to include the daily Fun Times in my albums. I have a feeling there will be at least 2 albums just for the cruise. And hopefully I can organize the contents of these boxes I received today!!!!

Family Lunch plus some Carnival Magic fun today!!!

Today would have been my dad’s birthday. Since we have lunch every Sunday with my mother, we decided that today we would have lunch for breakfast. Breakfast food was my dad’s favorite thing to eat with the exception of a very good steak and lobster. After he retired, he would make himself breakfast every morning. And not just a bowl of cereal or some toast. He made a full breakfast… eggs, potatoes, bacon, biscuits!!! The aroma of his cooking still lives in my brain. Definitely something I remember so fondly. The first picture if my dad with my son and daughter. They were so young then.

Before I went to my daughter’s house for lunch I was trying to regain my composure of a tragic scrapbook incident that happened the night before. I was desperately trying to work on my journaling for the Carnival Magic cruise and I was making some very slow progress. And then it happened. I was drinking a glass of Cran-Grape juice. I had the paper I was journaling on in front of my in a nice, neat stack. When all of a sudden, the glass decided to fall over!!! The contents of the fresh glass of juice went all over the paper I was using for my journaling. All. Of. It. Was. Ruined. I decided to quit for the night and went to bed.

This morning, I woke up full of hope that I could at least work on the additional pages I want to use in my scrapbook and also put finishing touches on the scrapbook album. I definitely had success in that area!!!!

Now, I will have to FORCE myself to go to Hobby Lobby in the morning to get some more of the paper I want to use for journaling. I noticed in their ad today that some of their paper is on sale and the one I need is included in the sale. I think I will make sure to stock up on this particular paper.

Here are some of the pages I did this morning along with the finished scrapbook album decorated and a picture of how I am doing the journaling.

My plan is to work on more additional pages for the scrapbook album which I will share with you when they are done.

Thanks for reading!

Carnival Magic 2011 – Installment #13 November 20th. The cruise is over.

I do not like it when my cruise has come to an end. It just so sad. But, with the amount of pictures we have taken, I will be busy making my scrapbook pages (eventually).

We arrive in Galveston to a bright sunny day. We were even greeted by some dolphins, which I always LOVE looking for and seeing.

Eventually our number was called and we were asked to leave the ship. That is so rude! Jim walked across the street to Galveston Park N Cruise to retrieve our vehicle and before long, we were south bound on I45.

Since the weather was nice, we decided to stop at the Sam Houston Statue on our way home. The area is beautiful and was a diversion to the sadness of leaving the ship.

We stayed there for about an hour or so before we continue our south bound drive on I45.

Once home, our cat Talladega (aka Dega) greeted us in a not so warm manner. And yes, all of my pets names since 2002 have been NASCAR related in one way or another.

In the next installment, it is back to reality.