Bless Your Heart

Living out loud in the Carolinas

April 2026
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  • Sunday morning we woke up and got dressed for brunch at Palo. IMG_3280  CSP had a mimosa and I had a bellini.  Our table had an awesome view.  DSC_5629  Brunch at Palo is an amazing experience.  I couldn’t take pictures of the buffet because of all the people milling about loading their plates, so you’ll just have to take my word that it’s totally worth it!  An example of what you can choose from…CSP had shrimp, salmon, tuna & crab legs.  I had an almond croissant with marzipan.  OMG it was melt in your mouth good.  CSP had pasta with salmon and we shared a sun dried tomato and goat cheese pizza.  I had a cup of strawberry soup and eggs benedict. Well, egg benedict.  Just the one.  CSP had egg Julia (eggs benedict with salmon) and we shared some chicken parmesan.  I’m embarrassed at how much food we left on the plates but we just couldn’t eat it all, yet we wanted to try so much of it.  Oh, and then there was dessert- a mango panacotta for me with a chocolate covered strawberry.  It was all very tiny and cute.  CSP had chocolate mousse, a tiny tiramisu, and a wee peanut butter brownie.

    After brunch we waddled under this gorgeous chandelier in Palo on our way to MeridianDSC_5630  We stopped in Meridian to get CSP a cigar to smoke during the Super Bowl that night.  DSC_5631  Meridian is a little bar between Palo and Remy where you can enjoy a cocktail or cigar.  The views from the bar are breathtaking.

    Cigar in hand we headed back toward our stateroom.  We stopped for a moment at the Future Cruise Desk and booked next year’s cruise.  If you book while you’re onboard you get a 10% discount, the deposit is cut in half, and you get a stateroom credit.  We got $200 in credit.  Nice!

    We went back to the cabin and changed clothes then walked around the upper decks a bit, just to check out the ship.  Then we went shopping in the onboard shops for a magnet (we always buy a magnet for each cruise), and presents for CSP’s mom for taking care of our pugs and house while we were gone.   Then it was nap time.

    We woke up late and we had to rush to get to our Mixology class in time.  On the Navigator it said the class was just a half hour but it turned out to last from 3:30 to 5pm!  It was SO much fun!  It was in the Skyline Lounge.  Our bartender had us count off in 5s.  Then he called all the Ones up behind the bar.  One by one each group made a drink following our bartender’s instructions. He was from Northern England and had the best accent.  I think his name was Darin so let’s call him that.  The class was $15 each and we each got 5 drinks.  What a bargain!  Had we bought these drinks separately in a bar they would have been over $5 each!  I made a drink called High Tide- it’s a Disney drink.  Cranberry juice, pineapple juice, Malibu rum, and Amaretto.  SO yummy!  CSP made the very manly cosmo martini. IMG_3301 It was all so interesting too.  We learned all about the bartender tools and history of the drinks.  Sheila and Lamont from Match Your Mate were in there and we had a great time with them.  By the end I’d had 9 drinks (CSP doesn’t like liquor) and I was feeling good! IMG_3303

     

    When class was over we went up to Deck 11, the pool deck, to scope out seats for the Super Bowl.  IMG_3304 (1)  We scored awesome seats right by Donald’s pool in front of the big screen.  It was formal night that night so watching the Super Bowl meant we’d be missing our dress up dinner, but CSP was so excited about watching the game on the big screen that I couldn’t bear to make him miss it.  We sat down at 5 pm ish in what was apparently Ravens territory.  There were lots of Ravens fans around.  Some 49 fans but mostly Ravens fans.  It was fun to watch people on the AquaDuck DSC_5644while we waited for the game to start.  An hour later the sun had set and the lights came on on the AquaDuck.  IMG_3306  The cruise staff carved a very cool Super Bowl ice carving.  DSC_5650 It really was neat to watch the game on the giant FunnelVision screen. IMG_3305  and once it got dark and everything lit up it was even cooler! IMG_3307  The only thing was we couldn’t see the regular Super Bowl commercials.  Just the same 6-8 ESPN commercials out of Puerto Rico.  I swear, if I ever see another Cricket commercial again it will be too soon!   Once the game started this sweet older couple from Baltimore sat down next to us.  She was decked out in Ravens earrings, socks, and sweatshirt. She was so sweet and told me in detail everything she had eaten since she got on the ship.  At one point during the game CSP leaned over to me and said “This is AWESOME!!!”  He also told me I was the best wife ever for not making him miss the game and dress up in a suit that night. Love that!

    After the game we went back to our room.  Here are some pics of our stateroom.  DSC_5632  This picture of the 4 ships in the Disney Fleet hangs at the foot of the bed.  DSC_5635  This is the vanity/desk area.  There’s lots of storage.  The cabinet with shelves up top, and 3 drawers below.  Big drawers too. DSC_5634  This is the other side of the vanity mirror.  2 shelves and the tv.  DSC_5633  This set of shelves hangs over a set of 3 drawers.  In this picture you’ll notice at the top is the Organizing Pack from Thirty One.   I used it to carry my camera.  It’s a backpack and it was awesome.  Under that is the ice bucket.  On the top of the drawers you’ll notice a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser.  If you don’t want to spend a bunch of time ironing on your cruise I recommend this product highly.  Beside it is my big Starbucks tumbler.  The cups provided at the beverage station on deck 11 are like tiny shot glasses.  But if you bring your own cup you can fill it up and quit running back and forth for drinks.   You still have to use their cups to fill up your cup for sanitary reasons.  DSC_5599  This is the view of the bridge from our balcony.  You can see where normal verandahs stop on the level above ours and then how far out ours extends.  DSC_5598  We love this room so much we booked the exact same room for next year just because of the balcony and the location of the room!  But mostly the balcony!  IMG_3308  Our towel dinosaur.  So cute!

    Next up….Grand Cayman and Stingray City!

  • I forgot to mention something in the last post.  When you go to board the ship they ask for your family name.  Then you hear over the PA “The Disney Fantasy would like to welcome the Smith family!!!”  And everyone cheers.  I NEVER get tired of that.  Makes you feel like a supa star!

    Tonight’s dinner was at the Royal Court.  We met our waitstaff.  Our head server was Witt from Thailand.  Our server was Tumelo from South Africa and our assistant server was Bien from the Philippines.  They were all fantastic.  Tumelo remembered our names throughout the entire cruise.  We’d always hear “Shannon!  Mr. CSP!” and there would be Tumelo.

    CSPDSC_5610 was so excited when he looked at the menuDSC_5611 because he saw his favorite cruise appetizer on it- escargots!  DSC_5620  He also got the lobster and shrimp appetizer.  DSC_5618  Keep in mind with these pictures- I’m using the macro mode on my camera to get good close up shots.  These are NOT huge plates of food.  But you have a soup/salad course, appetizer, entree, and dessert.  And you can order as much as you’d like.  So sometimes CSP would have 2 soups or 2 apps.  It’s a great time to try something new!

    My appetizer was a sweet wee spinach and cheese soufflé. DSC_5617  It was so rich and creamy!  For my soup I had the French Onion DSC_5621.  I also had a small salad with peppered goat cheese but I forgot to take a pic of that.  Imagine if you will….a small salad with goat cheese squares with pepper all around the outside.  It was yummy.

    DSC_5612I love the Royal Court restaurant. DSC_5616  Isn’t it pretty? I think it’s my favorite of the main dining rooms DSC_5615on the Fantasy.  I love how the bread baskets are little Cinderella carriages.DSC_5614  I would have totally stolen one of those if it wasn’t a crime, a sin, and allthat.

    Entrees!  CSP got the salmon with swiss chard,leek puree, and truffles. DSC_5623  I chose the beef tenderloin with shrimp, snow peas and potato cake. DSC_5622  This was the only entree I was disappointed in.  The beef was dry.  CSP says it is because I asked them to cook it well done.  I don’t like bloody meat!

    For dessert CSP chose the peanut butter mousse.  DSC_5625  He loved it.  The dessert menu is so cute! IMG_3271 Like a fancy envelope!  I chose the vanilla creme brulee and a cup of hot jasmine tea.  DSC_5624  So yummy!

    After dinner we went to the nightclub IMG_3278called The Tube. IMG_3274  It’s themed after London’s subway. IMG_3277  It’s very funky and mod.  IMG_3279We were there for the game show called Match Your Mate.  CSP was NOT thrilled with having to go to this.  I promised him he’d love it and sure enough he laughed through the whole thing!   Match Your Mate is sort of like the newlywed game but with 3 couples who have varying lengths of marriages.  There’s the newlywed couple, the couple who’s been married like 50 years, and then in this case the couple chosen by the audience as the hottest couple-  Sheila and Lamont from Alabama.  They’ve been married 45+ years and were a riot!  We saw them all around the ship the rest of the week.   First they take the husbands off stage and ask the wives questions.  Then they bring the husbands back and see if the answers match.  Then they swap and take the wives off stage.  I’ve seen this show on many cruise ships and even though some of the questions are the same it is always hilarious!   While there we ran into Brad from Texas.  He’s part of the cruise fun staff (the people who run bingo and stuff like that).  He was on our cruise last year on the Magic!  We had a great time then headed back to our cabin.

    On the long walk back (the Fantasy is huge!) we came across cabin 5148 1/2, DSC_5626 the home of Pepe the King Prawn!  SO cute!  Look how tiny!! DSC_5627

    We arrived back in our stateroom to our first towel animal and the Navigator newsletter for the next day. DSC_5628  By this time it was well past midnight and we were exhausted!

    Next up…Super Bowl Sunday at Sea!

  • Woke up at the Hampton Inn in Cocoa Beach, FL and showered and got dressed for the day.  But I couldn’t find one of my shoes.  Did you put that shoe in the black & white bag, CSP?  Oh!  You wanted it IN the bag?  I just put it ON the bag.

    MEN!!!   Luckily I packed a back up pair of shoes so I put those on and we were on our way.  Tip:  I packed a separate bag for the night before and a separate bag for the night after the cruise.  No sense dragging all the luggage in to the hotel when we just needed one outfit each.

    We were just 10 minutes away from the port and all the sudden, there she was!  The Disney Fantasy!  IMG_3257The Fantasy is the newest, largest (by 6 whole inches) ship in the Disney fleet.   We parked and were on the ship in less than 30 minutes.  We went straight to the Royal Court restaurant to discuss our dining rotation.  We wanted to make sure that we were supposed to dine in Animator’s Palate on the night that we had Palo reservations.  We also got on the Palo waiting list for another dinner.  Palo is the adults only Italian fancy pants restaurant.  We love it.

    Then we stopped by Guest Services and signed up for the Galley Tour (which doesn’t appear on the Navigator so you kind of just have to know to sign up for it).  CSP was really excited about this.  We also signed up for a Mixology class and Beer tasting (for CSP, I don’t like beer).  Then it was time for lunch at the Enchanted Garden buffet.  You could also have lunch at Cabana’s buffet up on the pool deck, but we wanted a quieter atmosphere.  IMG_3258  The buffet was pretty nice.IMG_3260  Cocktail shrimp, roast beef, pasta, brie, and fruit found their way to my plate.  I was behind a potato farmer (people will tell me the weirdest things!) and he was pretty slow so it took a while to get through the line, but it was very organized.  Roque (pronounced Rocky) from India was our server and he was really nice.  We saw him multiple times throughout the cruise.

    After lunch it was time to go to our cabin! Unfortunately I was convinced that our room was Aft, not Forward.  So we had quite the tour of deck 5!  IMG_3263 We went in, checked it out and deposited our carryon luggage.  See the backpack on the bed there next to CSP?  That was the free gift from Disney for being a repeat cruiser.  In the bag was 2 bags of pretzels and a key chain.  We used that back pack all week!

    We were SO pleased with our room! DSC_5595  The balcony is much bigger than on regular balcony rooms and we just couldn’t believe how much room we had out there!  Lisa really set us up well!  Lisa is my friend first and also our travel agent.  She told us the stateroom she found for us had a great verandah and boy was she right!  Normal verandahs come with 2 straight back chairs and a small table. DSC_5594 Our verandah has the 2 straight back chairs, the table, and 2 lounge chairs with plenty of room to move about.  More about the stateroom later.

    All the sudden it was 3pm.  Time to go to the atrium to meet up with my cruise group.  This is a group of travelers who “met” on the DISboards (an online planning site for Disney fans).  Then I created a Facebook group for us.  It was great to meet in person and we ended up running into a lot of the group members throughout the cruise.  Funny how that happens with 4000 people on board you see the same people over and over.  This is the chandelier in the main atrium.  Amazing. IMG_3266  One of the ladies in our group made lime green Mickey heads for us all to wear in our lanyards.   When you check in when boarding the ship if you’ve cruised with Disney before you get a lanyard with pouch to hold your Key to the World Card.  This card is your room key, charge card for purchases, ID, etc.  The lanyard keeps the card handy because you use it all the time. $T2eC16JHJGoE9nuQeWejBQ8dYRivYg~~60_35  After the meet up I went back to pick up CSP from our room and we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre for our life boat drill.  Not too bad, sitting in a theatre for a life boat drill!  Not out in the sun!  We stopped back by our room after the drill and were pleased to see our luggage was already there.  Yay!

    CSP was itching to go buy his souvenir beer mug so we went to O’Gills Irish Pub on deck 4.  IMG_3269  For $15 you can buy a big glass beer mug.  Then when you fill it with beer (approx a pint and a half) you get it at a discount.  You turn in your mug at each bar if you don’t want to carry it around and they give you a token. At the end of the cruise you ask for a clean mug to take home.  By the time CSP retires he’ll have quite a collection!   Warning- they charge you for any non alcoholic drink in the bars even though you can get the same drink free outside of the bar.  O’Gills is a very cool Irish Pub.  We stopped in here a few times throughout the cruise.  Next thing we knew we were moving!  So we went back to our cabin.

    We unpacked and enjoyed a glass of wine (moscato for me) and a beer for CSP on the balcony. DSC_5607 By now the sun was setting.  There’s nothing more beautiful thanDSC_5596 watching the sun set from your balcony on a Disney cruise!   We thought we’d take a wee nap before dinner but I couldn’t sleep.  I was too excited!  So I got up and got ready for dinner then woke CSP when it was time for him to get ready.

    Next up….dinner at Royal Court and Match Your Mate!!!

     

  • IMG_2955We were supposed to leave for Florida on Friday February 1 at 7 am.  But by Wednesday night  I knew I was sick.  And Thursday it just got worse.  CSP came home from work Thursday night and just shut it all down.  No more packing, no more cleaning.  He made me go to bed because I was spiking a pretty nasty fever.  Luckily the fever broke overnight, but we were really behind and I was still feeling pretty terrible.  I was moving in slow motion and coughing and sneezing like it was my job.  Luckily we weren’t on any schedule but our own so it didn’t really matter when we left.

    We finally hit the road around 3 pm Friday!  IMG_3242The good thing about leaving so late is that we had no traffic and no construction.  We stopped at our favorite stops along the way (Starbucks on exit 36A in Georgia off I 95 South is one) and finally made it to Cape Canaveral around 1 am.  On A1A South on the way to the Hampton Inn this drunk dude stumbled out into the street and we almost hit him!  I was driving and it scared the beejeesus out of me!

    The room at the Hampton had 2 queen beds so we took advantage and spread out in our own beds!

    Up next….we board the Disney Fantasy!

  • January Birchbox!

    What’s included this month:
    -alessandro Cream Rich- anti aging hand cream. LOVE this stuff.
    -Harvey Prince Ageless- perfume sample. One with a pump which I like. Perfect for the cruise!
    -Kérastase Masque Chroma Riche. A hair mask I’ll be using just before the cruise to protect my highlights.
    -Now, the card says I got mascara but there was no mascara in my box :(
    -My Multi Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer. Love a good travel size moisturizer and mattifying is just a bonus!

  • I’m so excited to tell you that I’ve found 3 little girls that we’ve submitted our home study for! I combed the websites looking for a sibling group of 2 girls, or a boy and a girl but no such luck.  But I did find 3 single girls.  One is in the south. Not sure of exact age.  One is in Mid West, she’s 9.  She’s super cute.  Then the last one is 8 in the NorthEast.  As soon as I saw her and read her profile I felt an immediate connection.

    So I emailed our social worker and gave her the links to the girls and asked for her to submit our home study to those girls’ social workers.  Not sure how long it will take from here.  We have to be approved by the girls’ social worker, then we’d start the visits.  The number of visits to be determined by the girls’ soc worker.  CSP is ALL about having an only child.  So this could be one of those things like they say “You make plans and God laughs”.  We could end up with just one after all!  We can’t have more than 1 at the same time unless they are siblings.  So if one comes home then we’d have to wait a year and start the process over again.  That’s something I don’t think CSP would be too keen on doing.  I barely got him through the process this time around!

    So fingers crossed we will hear something soon from our social worker!!!  SO excited!  I’m obsessed!

  • January’s Scent of the Month is Happy Go Lucky!  images-2

    Happy Go Lucky captures the exhilaration of a new romance with luscious red berries, silky orchid, and Japanese plum floating on a cloud of amber vanilla.

    Meet the Warmer of the Month:  Be Mine  Be-Mine-Scentsy-Warmer-283x300 Be Mine is a radiant, patent red warmer featuring a sparkling stunner of a bejeweled heart.
    Click here to shop.

  • DSC_5581Last night my UPS man dropped off a present for me- my Spring Incentive!  I earned over $300 in Thirty One Spring products just for having a couple parties.  Awesome!   Look what all I earned!

    • Organizing Pack in Party Punch
    • Tote-a- Tablet in Party Punch
    • Thermal Mini Zipper Pouch in Take it Slow
    • Snail Icon Coin Purse
    • Elite Retro Metro Bag in Taupe Ripstop
    • Scarf in Turquoise Lotsa Dots
    • Coupon Clutch in Island Damask
    • Every Wear Wallet in Railroad Denim
    • Perfect Pet Leash in Lotsa Dots

    I can’t wait to show off all the new products at my parties starting in January!!!

  • DSC_5580Last Sunday I went to the Thirty One Spring Product Premiere at Concord Mills AMC movie theatre.  A few members of my team met up early to have lunch and catch up at Macado’s.  Then it was time for the show.  There were over 800 consultants there!   It was really fun to see sneak peeks of all the new products and prints.  SO cute!  And I left with freebies: 25 catalogs, a pack of mini catalogs, and a Your Way Rectangle (with a clear pvc window) from the new Your Way home organization collection!

April 2026
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