Carnival Cruise Line’s Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is the most famous culinary item that Carnival cruisers rave about. I cannot adequately describe the taste, other than if “death by chocolate” is the way you want to go, this is it. This dessert needs to be ordered before you finish your main dish because the preparation […]
Author: Sheila
How I Pack My VinGardeValise Wine Suitcase
I’ve had the VinGardeValise wine suitcases on my wishlist for a very long time. I regret not buying one before our trip to Tuscany. And I really regret not buying it before our trip to Cava country in Spain. So when we got home from Spain in April, I ordered the VinGardeValise Petite wine suitcase […]
A Cruise Must: Chef’s Table on Carnival Cruises
Cruising Carnival soon? During your planning and packing (read about my recommendations here), consider adding Chef’s Table to your planned events. IF you can get in. I’ve been trying to attend Chef’s Table for years and finally got the opportunity in February on Carnival Valor. So what’s the big deal, anyway? Chef’s Table […]
Alaskan Cruise: Victoria, British Columbia
Continued from Skagway Part 2 (City Highlights) The last stop on our Alaskan Cruise on Ruby Princess last summer was in Victoria, British Columbia, our only stop in Canada. We only had a half day (evening, actually) to enjoy Victoria before our short return to Seattle. Victoria is considered the “most British of all Canadian cities” […]
DragonCon 2017 Costumes: Preview & Works in Progress
For “normal” people, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and Labor Day marks the end of summer. For those of us costume hobbyists, Memorial Day means there are less than 100 days until Labor Day weekend when we bring our favorite costumes to DragonCon in Atlanta, one of the largest pop culture conventions in […]
Italian Wine Seminar at ICCC
My husband and I, both members of Houston’s Italian Cultural & Community Center (ICCC) and frequent guests at their wine tastings (read about past events here and here), were thrilled to attend their first ever Italian wine seminar in four two-hour classes over the course of four weeks, led by Master Sommelier Craig Collins (Meet the Sommelier at […]
Sewing 18th Century Pockets
When I made my Claire from Outlander (Season 1) costume last year, I didn’t include pockets in the skirt. Pockets make every outfit magical, from 18th century on. So rather than adding the pockets in the skirt I so desperately coveted, I decided to make a set of traditional 18th century pockets that could be […]
Alaskan Cruise: Skagway Part 2 (City Highlights)
Continued from Skagway Sled Dog Experience After our morning kissing puppies during our Musher’s Camp & Sled Dog Experience excursion up the road from Skagway in Dyea during our Alaskan cruise on Ruby Princess last summer, we returned to the ship to change, grab a city guide and drop off our coats (it was heating up). […]
Alaskan Cruise: Skagway Part 1 (Sled Dog Experience)
Continued from Ketchikan The last Alaskan stop on our Alaskan Cruise on Ruby Princess last summer was in Skagway, a beautiful gold rush mining town turned top summer destination that sits on the mouth of a river surrounded by mountains. The port is picturesque and dominated by cruise ships and trains. This post contains affiliate links. […]
Alaskan Cruise: Ketchikan
Continued from Juneau Part 2 (City Highlights) The first stop on our Alaskan Cruise on Ruby Princess last summer was in Ketchikan, a small seaside town in southeast Alaska surrounded by Tongass National Forest only accessible by boat or plane. As a first introduction to Alaska, this was rugged and beautiful, everything I had hoped Alaska […]