The Shape of Things to Come…

THIS IS A SHORT POST TODAY!  NEW POST IS COMING AFTER THIS ONE!

The way that this world today is mind-boggling.  Never would anyone imagine that a little thing like a virus would stop the world as we know it.   

Two weeks ago, I was contemplating this stuff I had to do for my business, my home (spring cleaning), and time. 

I am not here to talk about the world and what COVID-19 is doing to it.  Unless you decided along time ago (as in 5-20 years) to isolate yourself from the world, to which congratulations are in order and live in a cave somewhere off the coast of The Caribbean on an island, I am here to talk about a different shape of things to come.

(c) 2020 by Pixistock.com

I am talking about this blog.  I have hinted this on the My Ambiance Life blog, and it is finally getting ready to roost. First off, the current blog of At Home with Tricia's Baskets will change names once again (hopefully this will be a permanent name-next time will be in the art of deleting it).  The reason has to do with how this blog was set up, and how it functions as of now. 

First off, I did a major scramble when Longaberger first closed its doors for what I thought was a permanent thing.  Anyone who has been following this blog for quite a while knows that I used to be a home consultant for the company, and the first thing I did after naming this blog was to get rid of anything remoting related to any sales on this blog.  I only left a couple that highly mentions Longaberger and any of its past products. I was not ashamed of selling for the company, I did not want to keep explaining to potential clients that the company was no longer in business, and I could not take their order if that was the end goal for that person.

I would like to invite you to look at the New Longaberger website, and the company will be run by Rachel Longaberger Stukey, another daughter of Dave.  When Tami was running the company, Rachel was behind the scenes running the Longaberger Foundation and attending the convention for consultants.   The company has a new owner, and currently, there are no consultants, only the website and QVC, that are selling the products.  As I stated in the past post, when the company starts requesting for consultant again, I will not be part of the salesforce.  I had my run, and I am working on my own company, P. Lynne Designs.

Second, The name will not reflect my name at all.  I know, shocking.  It will not contain the word, “baskets” in it either.  The name of the new blog is called, “Home Prep”.  It will be on the WordPress platform and it will talk about the home and family. 

Finally, the travel portion of the blog will have a new blog.  It is tentatively named D’Princesses Travel Blog.  You know what that means, Disney Travel first, the rest of the world and cruises later.  It will all be there.

This time, I will not be removing posts from the blog.  I realized that it was a big mistake.  I will not be changing the blog name on the old blog.  I am keeping the name, At Home with Tricia's Baskets and there will be a link to the old blog as well on the new one.  I fact, I will have a link to all of my blogs and websites on all of my blogs when I change, as well as affiliates. 

Here are the topics I have on Home Prep:

1. Organization:  This has been a running theme since I was writing in Simply Organized Crafts.  In this category, you will find:
1. Home-closet, kitchen, bedroom, and craft room (which was previously covered in my craft blog, P. Lynne Designs) are the main subjects.
2. Work-time management, office organization (which may be different than The home office)
2. Time management- Believe it or not, time management is part of home organization, and once you divide your time into manageable pieces, your life will be easier to manage as well.
3. Decoration:  Once you have organized your home, it is time to decorate, and not just any decoration will do, it must be on a budget. I am not talking about only Dollar Tree, but there are some really good deals in Target, Ikea, and even Pottery Barn, if you know where to look. There are also projects to make ordinary-looking items look like you spent thousands of dollars, when you only spent a fraction on creating them.

There is so much more.  These are only the major parts of the new blog.

What should you never buy at Disney World?

I am answering another Quora question.  You may wonder why I answer this question and make them into whole posts for you to read?  It is simple, to answer your most burning questions.  You have the same questions as some of the people who are looking at planning for a vacation, and I may have the answer to that question.  To that end here is my answer and the in-depth look into why I said what I said. 

“I am really not sure. I say that to tell you that everyone is different with different tastes. To tell you what not to buy is like telling you not to breathe. I have some guidelines on your purchases that will help you with your purchases (you did not think I would leave you hanging with that answer, did you?). Keep in mind the following tips:

1. As much as the souvenirs are as a whole, never purchase anything that you think is not worth the money. This includes edible souvenirs. Not every cupcake is the same at WDW, nor worth the price you pay
2. Keep in mind your budget. Yes, it is your vacation, but you have to eat the rest of the time you are there, and you have to get home, and you need some money in case of emergencies (Hospital costs, rental car/own car needing immediate repairs, child drawing on the wall of the resort room, and bail money are examples that come to mind) So sorry, a Michael Kors bag from a Disney Springs boutique is a no go, unless you can get it with a credit or debit card, and you have plenty of money to get home.
3. Speaking of which, never buy anything that you cannot do a return on BEFORE you go home. There are many ways of returning something, and if shipping back something is a problem (such as you live outside of the United States, Japan, France, or Asian countries that have a Disney Park in them) do not purchase.
4. Do not purchase something just for the heck of it. I learned this the hard way. Back in 2004, I thought I might have a Disney pin collection. I do not like pins, but I bought a Mulan pin because I was advised to start off with one, and every time you come back to Disney World, I can trade for something better and build on my collection. I do not know where that pin is, and I feel like I wasted my money. For my next vacation there, I will not buy a pin, no matter how cute it is.”

Keep in mind I am using souvenirs in my example. think about this when you purchase a vacation package, using a travel agent, or a paid event at Disney. You know what your family likes, and you know what you like. This is also a perfect way to be budget-friendly even on vacation.

Souvenir Prices and your Budget

Souvenirs and Returns

Way back when Disney was an exclusive company, you could get away with purchasing anything at the park.  Some of the things I have purchased in the past were:

1)       Stickers (because I was a crafter)

2)      Autograph books

3)     Towel (for my sister who was a teen with no money-who goes to Disney with no money, LOL).  She loves Tigger, and I thought that she would love it, along with the

4)     Big Stuffed Tigger. Hey, that’s what big sisters are for.

5)     Pin (see above)

6)     Mug (the airline broke it on the flight home)

There is nothing wrong with these purchases, except the pin at the time of purchase, but since that time, Disney has loosened up a bit, and now you can go to Target, Walmart, and your local Dollar Tree to get some of this stuff.  Only save your money for the exclusives, and only if it is worth the money. 

Please, do not purchase something because someone has one.  It may not be in your best taste, style, or budget.  Please teach your little ones especially if they are using their own money. 

Discount tickets:  Now this one has an exception:  If it is bought through your travel agent, go ahead and buy them.  I do not go through these holes in the walls type of places in Orlando.  Here is the reason why you do not buy discount tickets.  If you buy them, you are running the risk of not getting into the parks.  Sometimes, these so-called ticket centers may have bought tickets from someone with a day left on the ticket itself.  They then sell to you what may be a ticket the center says is a ticket that is the length of your stay.  They also may be stolen. 

Buy from a reliable travel agent, who buys only from Disney.  This goes for package deals as well.

These are the items that you should never buy at Disney and any place.

How Cruising around the World is a Beautiful Reward

Don’t believe me?  According to a document I got from the cruising industry, 2017 was another record-breaking year, with 25.8 million global ocean cruise passengers. This was up from 2016 where the industry reported 24.7, a 4.5 % increase.  Now from what I understand, I have not been able to get the stats from 2018, which I was one of the passengers.

I sailed on the Carnival Dream from December 31, 2017, to January 7, 2018, on my first cruise. I have been on little boats before, including a gambling and dinner boat in Miami, Florida and a gambling boat in between the Indiana-Ohio border.  The latest was during a time when Ohio did not allow gambling, so folks either did it illegally or hopped across the border to Indiana.  Guess Ohio got sick of losing money, and the lottery was no good.

Anyway, I had a wonderful time on the Carnival Dream, and I recommend everyone to take a cruise at least once in their lifetime.  My next ship (never call it a boat, THERE is a difference), I hope, will be a ship called the Disney Dream.  Now, how Disney and Carnival can get away with naming their ships the same.  Both also have the names, Magic and Fantasy.  That is another story for another day.

Before you set sail on your next maiden voyage, beyond the land, I have some tips that may not only save you money but lots of headache in the long run.

1. Plan.  OK, that seems simple, but it is not.  I was lucky.  I went with a group of people and my trip was all set.  I knew the travel agent, the people in my party, and I researched online and even set up my Sail and Sign card.
2. Research the cruise line.  I knew about Carnival.  There is a good reason that it is called, “The Fun Ship”.  If the cruise line has several ships in its line, research several ships before choosing Your Ship.  In my case, the ship was already chosen for me, the Carnival Dream and the Carnival Conquest (more on the Conquest later). You may have another cruise line in mind, and it is good to have a second ship (and cruise line) in mind in case something happens.
3. You can go solo (But why would you?)  here is the thing… there are a lot of things that could happen when you are by yourself.  One thing that I did not know about myself is I had a small bout of motion sickness.  It was a silly little incident.  While in Grand Cayman, the ship did not have a place to dock, so when that is the case, a smaller boat (yes, you can say "boat" with this thing), comes to get the passengers and brings them ashore.  I was fine going to the port and I was fine coming back.  As I was getting off the tender (which is what they are called), I looked down into the water (where the plank hook up between the tender and the ship, and I got dizzy and felt sick.  Now, this is a rare thing because I never get sick in a car, a theme park ride that spins, or on a plane, so I was surprised.  I did bring something with me, in case I did get motion sickness, but I felt better as soon I got to my stateroom.  If it wasn’t for my friend who was traveling with me, it could have gotten worst. 
4. This also leads to a very important step:  know the ship’s schedule for debarking and embarking (leaving the ship and coming back on time to enter the ship). At the time of this writing, a ship will leave you, no questions asked if you are not back in time.  I have seen YouTube videos.  While it may make a good laugh in the long run, it is not a laughing matter at all.  In fact, being left behind could cost you thousands of dollars to play “catch up to the ship.”  It is even worse if you leave all your belongings on the ship, so therefore, bring your passport, money, credit card, and your children. 
1. My travel agent sponsored a trip in which a man traveled along within the group.  He got left at the port.  He had to pay close to $2,000 to get back on the ship.
2. I have also heard of a couple who left their children on board and was left behind at the port.  It is nice to do a getaway excursion without the kiddos, but keep in mind that you do have children on board.  Lucky for them, the kids also had their grandparents to take care of them while mommy and daddy were missing for a few hours.
5. Have a budget.  In addition to knowing how much you need to save and when it is good to have a budget so you will not run out of money.  The best way to budget is to check online to see how much food, drinks, souvenirs, and activities (excursions on and off the ship) will cost you. for example, I looked online at the excursions that I and my friend would be able to do while on the Carnival Conquest. I did not check beforehand for the Carnival Dream.  When we got into the stateroom, there was nothing appealing to us because there was a difference in pricing between booking online and booking on the ship, so we did not have enough money to do anything.  That does not mean we did no on the ship.  There is plenty to do that is included or free on the ship.  If there are any questions, you can always call or email before getting on the ship.
6. Know your food intake.  Did you know there are many different types of menus on board?  If you have diet restrictions, let them either when booking or when you get on board and check in.
7. If you have allergies, the last place you want to be is in the Casino.  I never had any breathing problems before, but once I walked through the casino, I was wondering if I needed an inhaler.  The smoke was so thick, you cut it with a knife.  For the most part, ships are a non-smoker’s paradise. 
8. Take in the shows.  Enough said.
9. Yes, almost every cruise ship has a kid space, but you are your kid’s best protection.  Please do not send your child into the kid space without checking on them, especially if they are teens.  The third night of our 7-day cruise, my friend and I decided to take in the fresh air on Deck 11.  Above us were some kids on deck 12.  One kid even decided to do chin-ups on the overhang. They were rowdy and disrespectful.  The 5^th day, I wanted some sushi, so I went to Bonsai, ordered my snack, and while eating, a kid walked over and stared at my plate of sushi.  Lucky for me, his grandmother was not far, came over, smacked him on the head, and said, “can’t you see she is eating”.  I wanted to kiss her. Not too many parents would reprimand their children/grandchildren in front of a stranger, but yes, I wanted some privacy.  Normally I would reply with “that’s Okay”, but it was not okay to me. So please, watch your children.  Not only that, but there are some strange passengers on the ship, and you do not want your child to go to anyone.
10. Decide if the ship amenities are for you.  Sailing on the ship can entice anyone to splurge and coming home with nothing to show for it. Again, this is where having a budget can save you. Tip: do not forget to let your bank and credit card companies know where you will be while spending your money. You can do it the Online banking section of your bank’s website.  Life changer!!!  On Carnival ships, if you decide to purchase the CHEERS or Bubbles package, everyone in your room has to, even if you have separate money.  I wanted to purchase the CHEERS package, but my friend did not.  I had to respect her wishes and not purchase one.  That was fine, it kept me from getting the fancy coffee beverages and milkshakes, which I should get because I did not want my stomach to tie up in knots.  Oops, I said too much already, LOL.

This pretty much covers it.  I gave you lots to think about when taking your first cruise with or without an agent booking it for you, and with or without kids.

Now for the story on what happened to the first cruise, I was supposed to take on the Carnival Conquest.

The Carnival Conquest is a much smaller ship than the Carnival Dream.  She (forgot that ships are female in nature, LOL) is a first of the Conquest-line.  Her maiden voyage was in 2002, so she is a fairly new ship, and she holds 2,980 with a crew complement of 1,150.  We were to sail from September 9, 2017, to September 15, 2017, on a 7-day cruise from the port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ports were San Juan, Porto Rico; Grand Turks and Cacaos, and the Dominican Republic.  I was looking forward to this trip.  This would have been my first trip out of the States without crossing the border in a car.  The only other countries I have visited were Tajuana, Mexico, and three territories of Canada, all as a child.

Three days before we were to leave, Ms. Hurricane Irma made her debut, and I was not happy about it.  I knew she was around, but at the time, she as an itty bitty storm, with no oomph to her.  Then all of sudden, she picked up speed, and before I knew it, Delta would not let anyone at John Glen International (formally know as Port Columbus International) Airport. The ship was delayed but made a decision to sail that Tuesday on an abbreviated cruise (Cozumel and Belize) for 4-days.  My travel agent said nope and asked for everyone’s refund.  I was climbing the walls because I had not been out of the country since my family’s trip to Niagara Falls in 2012, and I wanted to see the world, even if it was only two ports.  That was good enough for me, but I had to do what the rest in the group wanted to do.  In October of 2017, this was when my travel agent found a cruise for us for the Western Caribbean (Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico).

Next time:  I will talk about the Carnival Dream.  Until then If you have any questions about the ship. Let me know in the comments or email me at plogan721@att.net.  Until then, God bless you.

Changes are coming to this blog

So many Choices
Copyright @2018 The
Longaberger Company

Hello, and welcome to the new At Home with Tricia's Baskets.  It has been over a year since we talked, and I do apologize for being absent.  I decided to revamp this blog for several reasons, but first, I want to explain briefly why I have not blogged in that time span.

1)      I have been blogging.  Not here.  For those who follow me in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube), know that I have my rounds as a crafter, writer, graphic designer, influencer, and now YouTuber.  

2)      I have restarted my YouTube Channel (never really left) but finding content for all my blogs and a YouTube channel has been challenging that I am willing to take.

3)      My family and I have had some health challenges in 2017.

4)      Finally, as of May 4, 2018, I am faced with an uncertain future as an Independent Home Consultant with The Longaberger Company.  As of this writing, I still do not know what’s up, and the news that you are hearing is of a temporary closing.  I will not know until they (the owners) send me an official email of what is the current and future status of The Longaberger Company. I know that I am angry that we (the sales field) was not better prepared, but an email is better than finding out when you place an order that your website was closed.

The last statement is what got me to see if I closed this blog or not.  I know I had downloaded a copy of every post written by me, in the form of a single file, so that I could purge this blog.  I am so glad that I forgot to do it, as I discovered 3 days ago. 

So, what is next for Tricia’s Baskets?

The last statement also had me thinking, “what if Longaberger closed its doors for good?”  Surely, everyone will find out through the news media, rather you are an employee of the company or part of the sales force getting that official email or a customer who has ordered from their consultant in the past, or visited Longaberger’s headquarters (Big Basket, Homestead, or their new place in Dresden, Ohio).  I want more from this blog than showing you how to decorate with or to buy Longaberger products.  There is so much information on decorating for your home, and I showed that to anyone who read my now closed Simply Organized Crafts blog.  I also showed you lifestyles for family living, as well as travel tips.  I want to transfer that knowledge to this blog.

I want to Introduce you to At Home with Tricia’s Baskets

This is the last post under the name, Tricia’s Baskets.  I am not getting rid of talking about Longaberger either.  The blog is getting a new name and a niche upgrade.  It will also be a little less “sales”, meaning I will not be placing sales flyers in every corner.  I think that is what turned people off from engaging in the posts and not fully reading them.  If a product is on sale, I will only provide a link to the article, and maybe say something like “Featured in this post”.  Something like that.

In addition to the way I present Longaberger products (if and when the company is fully back in business), I will also feature their sister companies as well.  I am no longer “Just a Longaberger product” consultant.  There are Tomboy Tools (tools made specifically for women’s hands), and Paperly (paper products, such as notepads, clipboards, business cards, and more).  I will also talk about decorating on a budget, especially with products from Ikea, Dollar Tree, Target, At Home, The Container Store, and Walmart as examples.  I will also include Amazon when it applies to what I am talking about.  I will include online coupon codes, but only if it applies to the post I am writing.  I will not have it as a weekly feature.  Finally, I will talk about travel, but since I do not travel every month, it will feature some tips like, “what to pack for a cruise”, “How to plan for your family vacation”, or even some Disney Tips and tricks.  This is just a sampling of what is possible for this change.

I cannot do this alone…

This blog is for you the reader.  I gave you my ideas and I want to hear from you.  I want this to be a place where you can get some tips, some tricks, and trends.  I will do my best to give you information on what is trending, but on a budget-friendly scale.  Not everyone can afford to Rose Gold everything, but by just having 1-2 pieces to start with, and when you can afford to get more, get the pieces within your budget.  This is an example of the advice I would present to you each week and your tip for this week. I also do hauls and starting “Come with Me” videos on my YouTube Channel, but it is not enough.

I want you to make suggestions.  If there is something that you have seen or want me to do, tell me in the comments area below each post.  You can even make these suggestions on my YouTube channel.

So, it is nice o be back, I wish it was on happier terms with concerns with The Longaberger Company, but I have faith that whatever happens with the company, there would be a reason for the decisions made, and I trust God for it.  If this company does continue, I will be continuing to be a consultant until June 2019.  I will explain when the time comes. 

Until then, it is time to revamp a blog.   Talk to you later.