Montevideo, Uruguay

Monday, March 30, 2009 found us waking up in the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

Greg and Nancy, some fellow cruisers from the Cruise Critic forum, had arranged a walking history tour of Montevideo. We opted to join them. Our hostess was a British ex-pat. She was absolutely delightful. She kept us moving and gave us an historical perspective. She had old maps and showed us where the city used to be and where the remnants of the old city are located. I really hadn't known much about Uruguay before this visit, and I felt pretty happy walking away with the knowledge I had acquired. The picture you see is the arch that leads to the park in the center of the city. There was a gaucho pulling a horse drawn cart during our walk. While that was charming to see, we also saw our fair share of feces (both animal and human...enough said).

We walked back towards the cruise terminal to visit the markets just outside the Mercado del Puerto. We found some leather goods and tshirts for the kids. We had walked through the Mercado building in the morning when they were bringing in the wood for the grills.

It smelled wonderful then, but now with all the different food cooking...it was irresistible. We had read about the Estancia del

Puerto and were eager to give it a try.

It was fun to watch all the action at the counter. The different salsas were fun to try and I can honestly say I had the best chorizo I have ever tasted. If only I could have brought some home.

We had a nice walk back to the ship. The weather was fabulous and it was a great day! Next day was "at sea" and our next destination will be Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Penguins...here we come!

South America Cruise

Well,

It is time to begin the cruise review!  We started our cruise in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a long overnight flight.  This was the view of the ship..the Norwegian Sun in port.  Our cabin was at the very top of the ship, right in the middle.  

We had the best views!  We also had some big waves, but more on that later!

We shot this next picture as we were leaving the harbor in Buenos Aires.  Jack is hanging out on our balcony (Cabin #1001).  The view you see is the newest area being developed in BA.

You can also see the smog!  We were so tired, we forgot to snap pictures of the city of Buenos Aires.

We stopped in La Boca, but the only thing we could do was find a cup of Cafe con Leche!  Next stop...Montevideo, Uruguay.

New Catalog Bash

Just a reminder that my open house is this Friday!! You can leave me a post if you need directions.  I would be happy to have you come to see the new catalog.  I used the Bella papers for our theme.  You will be making your choice of the card or scrapbook layout.  If you bring a $25 order, you can make both!   The 12 x 12 layout you see here, uses  the brand new"Bella" paper pack.   My picture is from a trip to the US Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC.  (Gardening is my other passion).  I used Front and Center mosaic from the Reflections scrapbooking program.  If you have never used a CTMH scrapbook program, you are really missing something.  It is so nice to find a pattern that works with your pictures.  It takes the guesswork out of layouts.  I can get so much more done and coordinate my paper perfectly!!  Well, the weather is fantastic and my spirits are so much better to match.  If you have any questions about the layout or scrapbook program, you can email me:  shop@myctmh.com.

You can also visit my website to see examples of the scrapbook programs:  www.shop.myctmh.com

Oh and there is also a card program, too.  It takes the guesswork out of card layouts.  

Remember, your choice of the card or layout (or both with a $25 order).  Please RSVP your choice.

In the meantime, enjoy the Bella layout!

Happy Spring!

I'm back!

Well, it took me a while to get caught up from our trip to South America.  I think the 16 days we were gone were just too long.  The trip was fantastic and I will start sharing pictures soon.

I just wanted to share my NEW Catalog BAsh deTailS.  

The party is May 22 (Friday) from 7-9pm.

Here is a picture of the card we will be making (or you can also choose a 12x12 layout!)  The paper is from "Bella" and the stamp set is "Buttoned Together".

If you would like to come and didn't get my newsletter, just drop me an email:  shop@myctmh.com.  I would be happy to have a FREE card or layout ready for you.  If you want to be added to my email list, send me your name and email address to:  shop@myctmh.com.  In the subject line write:  email list.  It's that simple.  I will then add you to the email newsletter list.

Keep watching the blog for trip pictures, new projects and garden photos.  

Here comes the week!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long!  I have been busy making cruise trip arrangements. Life sure has a way if getting busy really fast.  

We will be doing our last club of the season in April.  It is pretty exciting to know the new Close to my Heart Idea Book will be here when I get back.  It is so fun to sit down with a cup of tea and just peruse the pages.  I let all the great inspiration just roll over my eyes.  Now if I only had the ambition to match!

Hopefully I will get my computer issue resolved.  I can start posting pictures again.

Have a great week!

It's snowing...again!

I am getting used to this "warmer" weather.  It's nice to be able to go outside and not have to have gloves on.  I was beginning to think it might stay nicer...and then it starts snowing!!!

Oh well, just another day in the North!

I am tickled to know my new Cricut Expression may be on it's way.  I got a great deal on this Cricut machine at the end of December.  I was all ready to move up to the "big machine" from my original bug.  Well, customcrops.com got great reviews on our CTMH bulletin board.  I decided to trust the great deal they were offering.  It turns out they charged my CC immediately, but have yet to ship me an Expression.  I saw they finally said they were in stock on their website, so I emailed them wanting to know when mine would be shipped.  They answered back later in the afternoon and said it is set to be shipped.  I hope it's true.  I think it is really a poor business practice to charge someone for something and then take almost 2 months to ship it (without telling you it will take that long when you order.  I guess it's a live and learn.  Kind of like wishing for spring too soon, and then it snows....again!

Welcome Weekend!!

What a busy week.  I went back to work after my neck surgery and it was ok, but I am a little tired and sore.  I am hoping to steal some scrapbook time this weekend.   I feel a burst of creativity coming on!  I have been spending a fair amount of time researching our cruise to South America. I still can't believe I am going.  The cruise deals out there are so amazing right now, you can't take a cheaper trip!

Have a great weekend and if you live in the "North", enjoy the winter thaw.