Sandra Cox's Blog, page 174

It's The Weekend

Wink and A Nod Thursday

Today's Wink and A Nod recipient is Jeanie at The Marmelade Gypsy .
 Jeanie has a fun, eclectic blog that touches on holidays, crafts, vacations and family. My favorite posts are on Southern Exposure, a beautiful spot where specialty dinners and workshops are hosted.  And best of all, Jeanie is a cat person:)
Wink, wink, Jeanie.

So many blogs, so little time.

[image error]  Happy Birthday to my Capricorn bud, Ralph Soney.  

lovethispic.com



 Robert and Norma:  Happy 66th, Lovebirds.

And to Carmen,  another Capricorn bud!

Wacky Wednesday

And......

Sue

Happy Birthday

And Belle Belle and I are celebrating our birthdays today. Belle turned twelve and I turned....well that's not important:)Since Belle and  I don't have party favors to give out, here's a freebie. If you want a copy help yourself.
Amazon


And on sale this week for .99¢ Amazon

Focaccia with Blackberries, Thyme, and Goat Cheese

Just let me say I stopped cooking and baking, with the exception of holidays, years ago.  And I avoid yeast products like the plague, but this recipe intrigued me so I gave it a whirl.  The only differential, I substituted feta for the goat cheese. 
Riddle me this:  Why does it take six hours of rising to end up with a product that has the consistency and texture of  pizza dough?

It's Friday

You enjoy it too:)

Wink and A Nod Thursday

Today's Wink goes to Margaret-whiteangel's Thoughts and Happenings Blog. Margaret has traveled around Australia and gives us in depth information on the country, the history and the environment.  The trivia on Margaret-whiteangel that I find the most fascinating...she's from Tasmania.  If you are in the vicinity drop by and say hey. Wink, wink, Margaret-whiteangel.

So many blogs, so little time.

Wacky Wednesday

To the cat folks and those that just love funnies, these are hilarious:
Thanks, Rye.

http://www.boredpanda.com/funniest-cat-tweets-2016/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BPFacebook

The Cruise

I'd hoped to have a lot of pictures to share, but unfortunately--true story--the HH fell in the river while hiking in the Dominican Republic.  Luckily, the camera was the only casualty:)
The ship sailed from Port Canaveral the 26th so we headed out Christmas Day.  And on the way, yup it happened again. Only this time it was just a tap.  But it was enough to mess with my head, I was ready to hang it up and go home, and from there hiding under the bed was  high on my priority list.   Luckily, the HH convinced me it was just what we needed and he was right.  It was five beautiful days of escapism.
I LOVED the Dominican Republic.  As you can see it's quite beautiful.  If you have never been, think Jurassic Park.  It's actually where JP was filmed.  The people there are very self-sufficient.  Much of the healing is holistic.  They have plants for just about everything, including cancer prevention. The average age is ninety to a hundred.  They build homes from trees that fall.  Using the tree itself for the house and the fronds/leaves for the roof.  If you are after particular leaves for healing and the plant doesn't grow in your back yard you just walk into the forest and pluck it.
We did a hike--where the HH fell--to a natural water fall in the rain forest and, for me, it was the high light of the trip.  We crossed several streams and low rivers, and on the hike our guide pointed out the different plants, which ones were medicinal and which ones could blind you.  It was fascinating.
On the tour, I got to chatting with another woman and found out she lives in Lake Norman which is about fifteen miles from us. Small world.  Trite but true:)
When we returned to the bus we were treated to rum punch and snacks.
Dominican RepublicWe also went to Grand Turk.  I was really excited about this port of call because Love, Lattes and Angel takes place in a small island in the Caicos. It was more desolate than I had anticipated.  A lot of folks opted for the beaches and I imagine if we'd done that instead of the tour we would have had a different perspective. As you can see the beach is quite beautiful.
Grand Turk The cruise itself was great.  We had a lovely suite and were wined and dined. They'd been told it was our 40th and almost every night something different was waiting when we got back to the cabin: champagne, gourmet fruit basket, chocolate covered strawberries, desserts, etc.

  And the food--OMG. There were a variety of places you could eat.  For the most part we hit the buffet. They always had delicious vegetarian fare so I was happy. There were windows all around the dining room so you could watch the sea while you ate. Ice cream, tea, coffee and pizza were available twenty-four/seven.
They had different shows you could attend in the evenings and a 'dive-in' movie that showed nightly on the upper deck, with free popcorn.
Also on one of the upper decks you could walk laps which we did most days. One day it was so windy the HH was afraid his hearing aids would get blown away, so that day we gave it up. But for the most part the weather was wondrous. 

If I got up in the middle of the night, the first couple of nights at home,  I'd think  I was still in the boat and would be swaying from side to side when I walked.  Guess I still had my sea legs:)

Christmas on Christmas Eve

Since we planned to take a cruise to celebrate our 40th, Christmas Day was held Christmas Eve at the Cox Household. The baby girl and her husband fixed a wonderful meal that included: Beef brisket (for the carnivores) Shepherd's Pie (for the vegetarians) mashed potatoes, grilled carrots, stuffing, pecan pie and a pumpkin tart.
After the meal the evening evolved into unbridled carnage under the tree.
 Below are pics of some of the fam. This bucket was for the kiddos' packages. I glued on the snowmen, strung lights then taped on individually wrapped candy canes. The tape doesn't doesn't add to the aesthetics but it makes it easy for little ones to remove(i.e. rip:) from the tub.

What about you?  Did you have a wondrous Christmas?