CateW

I may be a light weight but can someone, anyone explain how a couple could drink $100.00 of liquior a day. Given time for sleep, morning hours and 6-8 hour excursions every day with no at sea days and maybe waiting until 10:00 in the moring to inbibe. If the drinks are expensive I guess possibly. How much does a wine or rail drink cost on Oceania? Please treat this as a serious question because I really want to know. Plus they seem to limit any better wines and more expensive drinks. Run the numbers for me. Thanks in advance???

It's not that hard; two martini's each and a bottle of wine and you're at or over $100 per couple for the day. We do it and do not drink during the day; this is just the cocktail hour and dinner.

My final purchase for our QM2 sailing in December:

 

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Well the dress arrived but it is too big. Nordstroms is great about returns and exchances (free shipping) and they had the smaller size. Can't wait to see how it fits.

Beautiful gown! I think you will be disembarking as we get on for our 120 days WC.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

M

Thanks Everyone! Yes, I think we will be leaving when you are embarking; I'm jealous but hope you have a great time!

My final purchase for our QM2 sailing in December:

:):)It's a beauty! Love the color!

 

Michelle:)

Thank you! The dress arrived yesterday and it is a keeper; it will be perfect for our QM2 holiday cruise, can't wait to wear it!

We leave in 6 days and then agin on 12/22, not sure how many days away that is.

I totally didn't need it but....got it anyway. Love it!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/lauren-ralph-lauren-ruffle-one-shoulder-jersey-gown/3327984?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=4596lly

QUESTION: If you work, do you plan outfits? Anything from a detailed spreadsheet to matching tops, bottoms & accessories.

I work and commute into NYC 4 days a week; I'm on the 6:00 train in the a.m. I do pick out what I am going to wear the night before but generally don't over accessorize for work. I have diamond studs that I wear every day along with a watch and gold bracelet, then whatever suit of dress/jacket I'm going to wear. I generally stick to either black, pewter or nude pumps for work.

P.S. I don't even make a packing list for cruises, LOL

Another reason to stay on track for me; we just booked a holiday cruise on the QM2 - 12/22 to 1/3. I couldn't be more excited.

Hello Ladies,

 

These gowns came yesterday. I am very please with them :).

 

Happy weekend :).

 

Marie

 

 

Stunning!

Sadly, your hubby is right!

 

The noodles: I like them alot! They were very cheap (like 1.45 bag) and I steamed some vegetables and added a little rice vinegar and splenda.

 

I think they would be great cooked in a broth with some vegetables for an asian type of noodle soup. They were were a little on the starchy side but well worth it.

 

I bought them at the Oriental market here..smaller towns of course might not have them, but if your in a major metro area they should be easy to find. They are in the refridgerator section as "yam noodles"..you rinse them then boil them for a few minutes..I was surprised!

I got mine online; they have a website and some excellent recipies as well. Lots of flavor and not high in calories!

I have heard about these and am headed out to buy them now. The reviews on them are positive..but you have to eat them, it seems, "not expecting" pasta flavor and let the sauce carry the taste. Hmm..worth a try! Plus, says they have a lot of fiber.

 

http://www.naturalnews.com/Review_400032_Miracle_Noodle_glucomannan_Konjac.html

Yes, I have eaten them and I have them here now as well. Kind of like pasta, it is really what you put on them, they don't have a lot of taste but at basically no calories they are good. I would buy them again.

We are currently planning our first cruise (debating between X and RCCL) and I am totally lost when it comes to "formal" wear. I am in my early 30s and a little fluffy (currently a UK size 16/18 on top and a UK 12 on the bottom - though I have gone down two to three sizes during the last year), I find it quite difficult to find plus size dresses over here.

 

While I assume this (a navy lace full skirt dress) would be suitable, would something like this be okay, maybe together with a plain black shrug/bolero? Or would the bright colors be too much? I love the dress and it fits wonderfully (best fitting dress I ever had) but maybe the red/turquoise is a little too gaudy for "formal"? Should I go for something more muted?

 

And dear UK: thank you for Pepperberry/Bravissimo. I love you.

I really like the navy lace dress, the other one is nice but not necessarily what I would consider formal but I could definitely see it on a non-formal night.

We saw the coverage of the storms on the news, feel your pain; we lost power for 10 days last summer due to the hurricaine (we were on a cruise for this one) that hit the north east and again for a week in October because of that freak snow/ice storm. Each time we lost everything in the fridge and freezer. Re: the ankel, you might want to have an x-ray just in case...

Here's a little trick that I do with zucchini, but you have to start with a screaming hot cast iron skillet and you need one of those crinkle cut slicers (they are like $3 in k-mart or walmart or they even have them in my supermarket - like the one you use to make crinkle cut fries).

Preheat cast iron on med high to high. Slice the zucchini (I do like 4-5 zucchini a week) put in bowl with like 2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil; pepper, and any type of seasoning (I use an italian mix) salt also if desired, but I omit. If the pan his hot enough you don't need any oil in the pan due to the high water content or you could pam it. "fry" in cast iron in single layer for like 2 minutes a side. They are fantastic, taste like the grill, which we have but I don't like to use it unless I'm grilling an entire meal. These are great, you can eat them like that, sprinkle some greated parmesan cheese or make a zucchini tomato caserole. I do these zucchini every Sunday and take them to work for lunch with a salad with onions, tomatoes and peppers. I don't eat any meant (chicken, pork, beef but I do eat all kinds of fish and shell fish) This could also be done with Chinese eggplant (the small ones).

I peel the eggplant put not the zucchini.

Another favorite, for crunch are kale chips - spray each with pam and put on whatever seasoning you want. Bake on a dry tray for like 30 minutes, you have to watch them, could be longer. A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez for you non-Yankee fans) makes these and he has like zero body fat. They are fantastic.

One final, although this is kind of high carb, grill corn on the cob, take corn off the cobb, defrost package of baby peas - puree in food processor with some salt, pepper and either basil or celantro. I love scallops over this but you could use shrimp or salmon as well or it would even be good with thinkly sliced flank steak.

Happy cooking!

Just bought two new cocktail dresses at Nordstroms, on sale!

Great review, we were on the sailing just prior to 2/22 and I pretty much agree with everything you said.

Congratulations on the weight loss. My DH decided to do the low carb diet with me since he has gained 10 lbs. in 4 months. So, we will be dieting together, which will be fun. I am reaping the benefits as I am back into clothes that I had previously not been able to wear. Took out a pair of shorts I had put away "until I lost weight" and they were so big, they would not stay up! A great feeling for sure! It's little things like that which are the motivation to stay on the diet and not give in to temptation!

 

Keep up the good work Brooke and good luck on the house hunting. I know how stressful that can be!!

Good for you, that is awesome, nothing is as good as a smaller size feels!

Not sure this is going to work, but here goes.

 

These are two dresses I'm planning to bring with me on our upcoming cruise. I'm most concerned about the teal one. It's nothing like anything I've ever worn in my life. It's much more form fitting than anything I'd normally choose. I love it, but I'm not sure it looks o.k. Neither dress is something I'd usually wear, actually, as I never wear sleeveless dresses for obvious reasons.

 

However, a lot of my current body problems come from having lost 143 lbs. I feel good, but am no longer sure what looks good or what is even appropriate any more. Right now, I'm feeling like nothing looks good. I thought shopping would be easier, but it's much more confusing now.

 

So, what do you think? Please be honest, I can take it. Should I forget these and look for something else, or are these be o.k? (Oh, yeah, I'm sure hair and makeup will help the overall look, so please try to ignore that!)

 

Thanks!

You look fantastic, congratulations on the weight loss. Honestly, I like the teal one much more than the other, it's younger and more sophisticated, imo.

The website I got them from is www.myrecipes.com

 

Thanks for sharing this!

Was it hard for you to "not" do it?

 

It wasn't too hard for me because I was raised for the most part on whole foods, etc. but for me the hard part was thinking I "had" to eat meat..what a pardigm shift.

 

Now if I do splurge for a piece of meat, I will buy only organic chicken or grass fed beef..what a difference when you cook it! My office mate has chickens and gave me some orangic eggs..one organic egg was like the size of two "non oganic" eggs..it was huge when I cooked it up!

 

Protein has it's benefits, but if you plan it right you can get the right amounts of proteins in for the day with plant based foods and leguemes, beans. What I like about beans is that you only need like a half a cup to get around 7-8 grams of protein and around 4 grams of fiber..for about 130 calories, thats a lot of nutrients!

It really wasn't hard at all. I really like grilled vegetables, salads, portabello's, some types of beans and I do eat fish and/or shell fish about twice a week; I also eat pasta and make sauce every other week. I like to experiment with different kinds of spices. For me it is about the taste and you can make any non-meat item taste very good with experimenting. For breakfast, generally I will have oatmeal and fruit or yogurt and fruit and granola and eggs once a week; a fiber one bar and fruit for snacks. Plus, I feel so much better and I seldom go to bead feeling full or wake up boated. It was a really good change for me, I'll never go back. Once a year, right around the 4th of July, I will treat myself to a baby back rib or two but never a burger or steak and I don't miss it.

It's not hard when we go out either, we're going to the Mohegan Sun Casino today with my sister and her husband; they have a great Mexican restaurant there with non-meat choices and the best guacamole ever.

My husband was a meat eater but since I changed he doesn't eat nearly as much meant because I don't cook it and he has dropped a few pounds, although I don't push him but he does eat more chicken and fish then before; I will make him meat 2-3 times a week. Even though it is more work is is better for both of us.

I shared this on another thread but I'll share it here seeing you introduced it. My new brother in law is a doctor of nautropath from Central America and of course my husband has been trained some in it to, though he is an engineer.

 

I am almost totally off meat and use only plant proteins now.beans, some grains, veggies/fruit...I learned that the animal protein and fat was causing a whole lot of inflammation..which equals a gain in the scale and my weight. Once I stopped the meat, my stomach basically shrunk and I am only 10 pounds away from my goal weight I've been working toward the last year. What a difference. The key is knowing how to use the plant proteins and it is NOT a license to go out an eat all kinds of carbs,etc.

 

People think they "have" to have meat to survive. They don't. A lot of poorer countries don't have the luxury of meat so they eat a lot of beans and legumes for protein.

 

Google Dr. Weil for information on how to eat in this manner. Other things you can eat that are good for you: black bean or burgers made with lentils, quinona (a half a cup has a ton of fiber and 5 g of protein), etc.

 

You mentioned kale..did you ever make Kale chips? WOW! You basiclly put them on a cookie sheet, spray a little olive oil spray and sprinkle with seasoning of choice..somehow the baking of the "chip" brings out the sweetness in the kale..they are amazing and so easy to make!

 

The other thing I learned from my new family is the importance of eating "real" things..not margerine, but a smaller amount of butter..not artificial sweetner, but a teaspoon of real sugar in my coffee. Anything that says "hydrogenated" in it is dangerous in terms of fat.

 

I dont miss the meat at all..I like it but havent had it in months..maybe 1-2x since November..we do eat fish maybe once a week and occasional eggs, but thats it.

 

We also found it was a whole lot cheaper to eat "fresh" if you planned it right. I know it's hard to give up fast food and I dont think on any diet if you like it you should forgoe it. Most information on the web discourages giving it up totally, they say eat it maybe 1x per week and not more than that.

I couldn't agree more; I haven't eaten meat in almost 3 years and I am 6 pounds from my goal; according to the charts I am at goal.

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Here is the dress I just bought for my May cruise on the Oasis. I took the brooch off of the shoulder. I'm planning to wear thin strappy gold sandals and a gold cuff with it. I'll definitely post pics.

Great dress, if it is Ralph Lauren, I have the same one (I didn't take the brooch off the shoulder).

I guess different people are motivated by different things; that's why we are all different. BL is a reality show, but it isn't reality. I do hope that the plan that you are following works out for you. Best of luck.

I've been lurking here and not posting for a while; The Biggest Loser starts tonight, I tape that and then watch it (and other shows too) when I hop on the treadmill at 3 a.m. (yes you read that right) every morning before I leave for work. I lost 100 pounds like 25 years ago and kept it off all of this time. When I remarried 15 years ago, I gained a little bit back like 10 pounds but lost it last year and now I'm just trying to lose the final 10. If I did it, you can too but you really have to commit. This is no lecture but you really should try to stay away from soda, drink more water and stay away from anything fried and processed. Eat slow, tiny bites and enjoy what you are eating. YOU can do this but you have to really be committed!