~~October 2016~~Sew, it was the greatest Stitch Experience ever!~~Final Update 3/19/2017!

[branmuffin]

I sure hope V is feeling better! It is nice to have a day in your pj's though. I hope Target went ok. I agree that this would be the best time of year to work there. I love all the holiday stuff around.

In the afternoon - V and I made cookies - which wasn't the wisest decision for me... I ate far too many of them

I think we are going to do the same this weekend! We will make cookies for us and some neighbors and probably a few for DH's office. Emma and I just signed up to help with the Single and Unaccompanied Marine Program Cookie drive. They are asking for 115 dozen cookies to give to the single Marines. We volunteered for 4 dozen. We have to take them in on the 23rd. Emma wants to help with delivering, too, so we may do that. I try to pick a project for us each year to give back or volunteer in some way so that we don't forget to appreciate how fortunate we are. This year, as homesick as we may be, at least we are here together as a family. We know a few Marines who have had to come over without their families. And we have spent Christmases and birthdays with out our Marine, so we are thankful. I know you know all too well this feeling!

Military spouses have it pretty tough sometimes - I am sending you giant hugs from around the world - praying that no one else gets sick and today goes so much better for you - I wish I could be there for you

It is hard sometimes. I know you have been there, and I appreciate the encouragement. I am in a better frame of mind today. Thanks for being here-it really does help!

I'm hoping your week ends on a happy note and you have a great weekend, D!

 

[DMGeurts]

Well, it's a very good thing I didn't change Andy's room into the office/lego room. We got word Monday night that he was sent to the hospital over the weekend with his back and they are discharging him medically because of his scoliosis. Before he signed up, his doctor did xrays and said the curvature of his spine was within the allowable limits so it shouldn't be a problem. I guess he was wrong.... Andy is very down on himself about not being able to man up and complete boot camp but we keep telling him that at least he tried....his back issues are out of his control, and his doctor here should have probably done more testing to make sure his back could withstand boot camp. We're hoping they clear him through legal/medical quickly so he can be home by Christmas, but from the way it's sounding, it may be closer to New Years before he gets back home.

....so the Lego castle will remain in the box for a while longer, which is just ok.

Awwwh - I feel so bad for him. I realize that this is such a huge disappointment, and sometimes re-routing your dreams can be such a difficult task. Sending big hugs to all of you! Praying that all goes well and he is able to get home to you in time for the holidays.

I totally understand... I look forward to seeing the day when it's finished - until then, enjoy your family!

Sorry about the borders. I downloaded my pictures last April after we got them done. But my daughter wanted to use one for a Christmas card and I was happy to go on and see there were new Christmas ones we like better this year. So I was able to edit a few more and download them. It makes me want to go back and see what else is new and maybe add a few more borders to my other pictures. It's not too bad to download just a few. Last year it took a long time to download but I have faster internet now. I'm not sure they will be able to do anything about the missing borders. At least the ones you already did are there right?

I've finally gotten all my decorating done, inside and out and am working on wrapping gifts I can put under the tree now. It's kind of funny now that I'm retired I don't feel like I need to rush. So I think I'm farther behind on my shopping than usual, lol. Most of my kids and grandkids make lists on Amazon that makes it really easy for me. I always like to find a few things they're not expecting though. The grandkids are all getting the iphone 6. My daughter really wanted to wait as the youngest is 12. She's mainly afraid they will be on it all the time, like her dh. But the oldest is 16 and really needs one, so they all get them and they got a good deal.

My husband and I are both trying to cut out snacks, good or bad. It's really become easier now and we got out of the habit of having anything to eat after dinner. It had just become a habit I think. And the usual snack was ice cream so I don't buy it. I know what you mean about eating the bad stuff if you don't have good snacks though. I should quit buying but my husband complains if there are no sweets at all. And it seems to be working for us so that's good. Trying to get in a little better shape for Disney. My sister sent me a video of making Disney cookies out of Oreos so I'm going to make them for Christmas. My mom makes a lot of cookies but these will be something different.

Hope you have a good day at Target!

I am glad you were able to add better borders this year... Personally - I liked the ones from last year better, however, I have not even looked at any of the Christmas ones. I am pretty sure they won't be able to do anything with the borders, though it didn't hurt to ask - I need to log into my other email address (not often used, and not sure I remember my password) to see if they responded back - if not I need to get the CDs ordered soon - as my pictures start to expire on Sunday.

The borders that disappeared are still showing up on the pictures that I edited - however - when I go in to make those pictures bigger - they don't show up on the picture, the picture is plain and not edited, even though the border shows in the smaller thumbnail type photo. Make sense? So, I have no idea if my CD order will have those borders on them or not - I sure hope so. Thankfully, I did edit a few of Allison's photos last spring, so a few of those have my favorite borders - hopefully they will still be there when the CD comes.

Yay for decorating to be finished! I've been finished for a while now - however - I do keep adding to it a little bit... I bought a few poinsettia plants the other day - I love having them during the holidays - as long as I can keep them alive that long...

Awesome about the grands getting such great gifts for Christmas - I prefer online shopping too, for the ease of it, but I also like to go out and pick things out... I am having the worst time with Allison this year... I still have nothing for her - and typically she is the easiest... Sigh. Like I said a few weeks ago - I may just wrap up $20 bills for her - she's a poor starving college student after all, and can always use cash. Not as fun for me, but oh well.

I totally agree - it's so much easier to eat in a healthy way if there are healthy things to eat... But man, I zone in on those M&Ms and I am a goner, along with the bag. LOL I never made it out shopping the other day - I am hoping to go today. Enjoy making your cookies - they sound delicious!

Thanks - it was an OK day - about as good as a day at Target can get. LOL

home made cookies are the best ones. I'm planning on baking chocolate chip cookies either this weekend or next weekend.

I hope your day at Target goes fast.


I didn't see much to the storm yesterday. Today the are warning that a new storm is coming on Friday and it's going to be much worse than the storms we normal get here.

They are!!! Sadly - the cookies we made were from a mix... LOL They were still decent though.

Thanks - it wasn't too bad.

Stay safe out there today and stay warm!

So glad you almost have the editing done. Hope V is feeling better. Cookies!! My mom made a half of patch of her butter cookies the other day for a birthday and they are already gone. Love a good butter cookie!!
Last night we got another coating of snow. It is melted by the afternoon, which is perfectly fine by me.
I know what you mean about Allison purchasing things with her own money. It's hard sometimes to step back and cringe. They have to learn and you just pray they make a good choice.
Have a wonderful day!!!

Yes - I am totally done now... Now I am going back through them and double checking... My pictures start to disappear on Sunday - so I am hoping to get the CD ordered by tomorrow, just to be safe.

YUM!!! Butter cookies are the best - I agree!

We don't have a lot of snow yet - everything we have gotten has melted... I sure enjoy the holiday season much better with a nice snow on the ground - oh well... Our day is coming - I have no doubts. LOL

Yes - it is very difficult... I hope she learns sooner rather than later.

Thanks - same to you! Have a great weekend!

I'm glad you were able to have a productive day yesterday, but sorry that V wasn't feeling well. I hope she's feeling better today. It's been ages since I made cookies....I fear I would eat them all. LOL But I know my girls will want to do some holiday baking while Alyssa is home...maybe I can convince them that most of the goodies should be given to friends and neighbors and not kept for us!

Have a great day!

V is back to her normal self... Sometimes she just needs a day to reset.

That was our problem - they are already gone... Grrr... I was good yesterday though. LOL I strongly suggest giving them away - that is a brilliant idea!

Thanks!! Same to you - have a great weekend!

I hope Target went well today! Hoping V feels better soon.

Target went well - thanks!!!

And V is better - she just needed a day off to reset, I think. I was being overly cautious, because her bff had the flu (which we later found out was a reaction to new meds). Both girls are better now.

I sure hope V is feeling better! It is nice to have a day in your pj's though. I hope Target went ok. I agree that this would be the best time of year to work there. I love all the holiday stuff around.


I think we are going to do the same this weekend! We will make cookies for us and some neighbors and probably a few for DH's office. Emma and I just signed up to help with the Single and Unaccompanied Marine Program Cookie drive. They are asking for 115 dozen cookies to give to the single Marines. We volunteered for 4 dozen. We have to take them in on the 23rd. Emma wants to help with delivering, too, so we may do that. I try to pick a project for us each year to give back or volunteer in some way so that we don't forget to appreciate how fortunate we are. This year, as homesick as we may be, at least we are here together as a family. We know a few Marines who have had to come over without their families. And we have spent Christmases and birthdays with out our Marine, so we are thankful. I know you know all too well this feeling!


It is hard sometimes. I know you have been there, and I appreciate the encouragement. I am in a better frame of mind today. Thanks for being here-it really does help!

I'm hoping your week ends on a happy note and you have a great weekend, D!

Yes - V is much better - I think she just needed a day off.

This is so awesome that you are doing this - what a wonderful thing to do!!! I don't believe we have anything like this around here... However, each year at church, V picks a child from the tree and we shop for him/her (it's almost always a her) - it's a lot of fun and we truly enjoy doing it! It reminds all of us how fortunate we are.

I completely understand your thankfulness... I am always more thankful at this time of year, than any other, that Josh made it back home to us alive and safely... I always reflect back on those days of terror for me, and remind myself how fortunate I am. Sending you lots of hugs - as I know this is a difficult time for you and for many.

Thank you - same to you!!!

***********************************************************************************************************

Victoria is doing much better, I think she just needed a day off to reset.

My day at Target went about as well as any day at Target can go. LOL

I've been busy over the last few days, editing Photopass pictures... I am completely finished - I am just going back through them now and double checking that I didn't miss anything good. : I have until Sunday to get the CD ordered.

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day for me - as I had an appointment in the morning... So I worked for a while before my appointment, then I worked again after - surprisingly, I was able to get everything done that I needed to.

Today - I will do my heavy lifting right away this morning...

Then I will work for a little while.

I think I am getting my nails done today... they are just getting too long again - and I almost ripped one off at Target the other day. I also think the dots are done for a while, I am planning to do something a bit more holiday like.

I won't get any updates done today - but I am planning for a few over the weekend... So keep your eyes open for those.

Have a great weekend everyone!!! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all!

D~

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

I'm glad V is feeling better and that your Target day went as well as could be expected for a Target day. ;-) Congratulations on finishing all of the work you needed to do yesterday!

I'm trying to introduce exercise...I joined a crunch challenge that my niece is running so we'll see how that goes. My eating has been out of whack this week so it's been a rough week -- I haven't felt this sick in a long time. Extreme stress isn't helping, either. *Sigh* I need to get back on the wagon.

I plan to get the ribbon up on my tree tonight so at least that is done...then we'll decorate it next weekend when Alyssa and Andrew get home. I really need to buckle down and get the house cleaned so it's ready when they arrive. Tomorrow is my volunteer day at our church's temple (two Saturdays per month) so that really cuts down on what I'll be able to accomplish at home tomorrow. But I love my volunteer days. We're working on sightseeing and fun plans for Andrew's visit since he's never been out here before.

Have a wonderful day!

 

[ljcrochet]

Glad v is feeling better and it wasn't the flu.

I know the dangers of cookies in the house. My daughter made us chocolate cookies Tuesday. I think she made 100 cookies and aside from the ones the girl set aside for lunch, we ate them all before bed Tuesday evening. But they were between 10-15 calories a so not as bad as some other cookies would have been.

 

[Terkina]

I'm glad Victoria is feeling better and that your Target day went well.

How great that you are done editing all your Photopass pictures.

How great that you got everything done that you needed to even if your day was kind a crazy


Today my mom was at my house to show me how to make salt caramel sauce. Ulf and I have tried to make it several times but we haven't managed to make it right. Hopefully we are able to make it our self now that we have seen how its supposed to be done.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Good to hear V is feeling better. Congrats on getting all your photos edited - Looking forward to more updates! Have a nice nail treatment!

 

[DMGeurts]

I'm glad V is feeling better and that your Target day went as well as could be expected for a Target day. ;-) Congratulations on finishing all of the work you needed to do yesterday!

I'm trying to introduce exercise...I joined a crunch challenge that my niece is running so we'll see how that goes. My eating has been out of whack this week so it's been a rough week -- I haven't felt this sick in a long time. Extreme stress isn't helping, either. *Sigh* I need to get back on the wagon.

I plan to get the ribbon up on my tree tonight so at least that is done...then we'll decorate it next weekend when Alyssa and Andrew get home. I really need to buckle down and get the house cleaned so it's ready when they arrive. Tomorrow is my volunteer day at our church's temple (two Saturdays per month) so that really cuts down on what I'll be able to accomplish at home tomorrow. But I love my volunteer days. We're working on sightseeing and fun plans for Andrew's visit since he's never been out here before.

Have a wonderful day!

Thanks... It seems like a I have a million things to do yet before the holidays. LOL

I find that challenges can be so helpful... Just one thing at a time too is a big motivator and also builds confidence... I am the queen of trying to do too much at once - I need to remember this myself.

It sounds like you have a lot to do this weekend - but it sounds like it's doing what you love to do, so you will have a great time. I love this season for that reason - warms my heart when we can give to others!

Thank you - same to you - and I hope you are able to get everything done that you need to this weekend.

Glad v is feeling better and it wasn't the flu.

I know the dangers of cookies in the house. My daughter made us chocolate cookies Tuesday. I think she made 100 cookies and aside from the ones the girl set aside for lunch, we ate them all before bed Tuesday evening. But they were between 10-15 calories a so not as bad as some other cookies would have been.

Yes - me to... Although it's going around Allison's school - so I fear it's going to hit her soon... I thought she learned when she got mono from sharing a drink with a friend - not to share food/drinks - I guess not... Sigh. I try not to share with her for this reason - LOL.

YES!!!! It's terrible isn't it??? Trying to get the junk out of our house... sadly - the only way it's going right now is by me eating it. LOL It's gotta go today!

I'm glad Victoria is feeling better and that your Target day went well.

How great that you are done editing all your Photopass pictures.

How great that you got everything done that you needed to even if your day was kind a crazy


Today my mom was at my house to show me how to make salt caramel sauce. Ulf and I have tried to make it several times but we haven't managed to make it right. Hopefully we are able to make it our self now that we have seen how its supposed to be done.

Thank you... It's been a crazy week - as usual.

Ooooh yes - that reminds me - I need to order the CD today... I never heard back from them about the borders, so I guess I'll order without. Bummer - but I'd rather have all 3 trips on one set of CDs, than to have to worry about the borders - if they find a way to add them, I can always download them individually later.

How awesome of your mom to take the time to show you - I hope you have mastered it so you can make it on your own now!

Good to hear V is feeling better Congrats on getting all your photos edited - Looking forward to more updates! Have a nice nail treatment!

Yes - she is much better.

I am looking forward to more updates... Trying to get my next update together now... Hoping to crank out a few this weekend.

***********************************************************************************************************

Yesterday was a busy day for me, as usual...

I lifted weights right away...

Then I worked upstairs for about an hour...

Allison texted me and invited me to meet her for lunch - so I had to rush to get ready and out of the house so I could get all of my errands done before I met up with her...

So I ran to a bigger Target store for a few gifts that we don't carry at our store...

I ran to the outlet mall...

Then I met Allison for lunch - it was so nice just to sit there and catch up with her - we don't get to spend much time together these days.

After - I ran to my own Target store to kill some time before I had to grab V from school... I found a few gifts - which was good.

I picked V up from school - took her to her appointment - which took much longer than expected.

After - we ran downtown so she could get some architecture pictures for her photography class... While we were there, I visited Allison.

We grabbed Papa Murphy's for dinner - it was good.

And we sat around all night.

Today - I am working on getting all of my pictures together for another TR update here...

I need to work on a couple of Christmas gifts in my sewing room... I also need to finish up last week's custom order.

We are supposed to get snow tonight - I have no idea how much... I should probably check.

And that's about all...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!! Sending prayers and pixie dust to all of you!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Day 5 Part 1 - Animal Kingdom

I was up and awake on my own at 4:15am.

I did my usual coffee/FB/Dis - I am a creature of habit, as you can probably guess.

I woke V at 5:45

We were out the door of our room at 6:45am - Starbucks in hand.

I am not sure where to put this - I've been asked by a few readers to post where I get my outfits... So, for this day - my orange top (which is actually an open back) is from Old Navy purchased the summer of 2016... My crop pants are from American Eagle... My flip flops are Vionic Tide II in black... My ears were made by my friend Jennifer (who no longer makes ears) and the bag is by me.

We took the Shady Shuttle to the Poly - the sun was just starting to brighten our day...

From the Poly, we took a bus to Animal Kingdom... For those of you that don't know - or haven't guessed - AK is my favorite park.

The reason we didn't take SoG transportation to AK, is that the SoG buses don't begin operating until 30 min before park opening - and since we had a PPO breakfast at Tusker House at 8:05 (park opened at 9 on this day), we had to rely on Disney transportation to get us there on time.

We arrived - just the way we like it - with very few people there with us.

We were let into the park a few minutes early - and no Photopass photographers there to greet us - which was different than other trips, and something we were a lot disappointed with.

Thankfully - we found another family to trade cameras with, and we each took each other's pictures.

We walked through an empty park, all the way back to Tusker House - this is just my favorite walk of the whole trip... IMO - there is nothing better than walking through an empty AK as the sun is coming up - except for maybe a walk up an empty Main Street - it's sort of a toss up for me. LOL

We checked in promptly at 8:05am, and we were seated very shortly afterwards.

Our waitress was Bonnie, she was very nice - although she was very busy and rarely stopped by our table - which was fine, we knew what we wanted... I asked her for our check immediately upon being seated and I settled our bill right away - so, as soon as we were done eating and seeing the characters, we could just get on with our day and not have to wait for that stuff later. An advantage to the buffets.

The food was good - I noted that I only ate one plate here - Mealie Pap and Ham... Oh and something new on the buffet that I'd never seen before - Chicken Curry - I LOOOOOVE curry! (ahhh - I think I lied, as I spy a plate of Mickey waffles there too... sometimes I put my waffles on a side plate though - as to not get syrup all over everything - and it appears there was no room for them there either - LOL...) I did go up for dessert however - I can't have a trip to Tusker House with out their banana bread pudding. YUM!

V's plate:

Victoria and I swapped phone for the meal - so she took pictures of me with the characters with my phone and I took pictures of her with her phone... The thing is - she just doesn't take pictures of me with the characters - she also takes pictures of me just sitting there looking dumb... Thanks V...

Ahhh - there's the character photos...

My favorite guy!

Goofy checking out my bag and gear - he was very impressed!

V with Daisy - not sure where my Daisy photo went?

We left Tusker House at 8:55am - bellies full and ready to have them shaken up on the Safari...​

Link to Day 5 Part 2

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 5 Part 2

Bellies full - we headed out of Tusker House for the short walk to Kilimanjaro Safari...

Our ride line was walk-on, as we were in the very first vehicle departing that day.

I am just going to post both mine and V's Safari photos - they may or may not be out of order... But we both took a ton of pictures and it's so hard sometimes to tell what we are taking pictures of.

As we were approaching the White Rhinos... They started to charge our vehicle - so our driver sped away quickly and from out of nowhere, an AK pick up truck came from behind us to distract them... Our driver was a bit shaken up - as his vehicle was actually charged once by a Rhino and it wasn't pleasant... We heard about that experience for quite some time after our own. Apparently - he has the original Rhino charge on youtube - he told us to search it, I did and I cannot find it... ???

As we climbed out of our ride vehicle - there was a Photopass photographer tucked away on the path... So V and I took the opportunity to have our first Photopass pictures of the day taken...

We made our way to Expedition Everest - for our endless morning rides - until our poor stomachs could no longer handle it... Always keeping our eyes open for Photopass photographers...

And taking my own pictures on the way...

As we were walking towards EE - I was noticing an extreme amount of people going the opposite direction... Red flags went up and I checked my app - sure enough - EE was down... ACK!!!! This was NOT part of the plan... Time to formulate "plan B" on the run...​

Link to Day 5 Part 3

D~

 

[Terkina]

Sounds like you got a lot done yesterday even if it was a busy day.


Looks like you had a great start to your day at Animal Kingdom.

You got a lot of great pictures on the Safari ride.

 

[andera42]

I love AK and I didn't get to that park on my last visit so I am way excited to get there on my October 2017 trip. I am also an early riser, so I love to see the empty park photos. It looks like the safari is best first thing in the morning

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 5 Part 3

When we discovered the EE was down - which was a bummer - we back tracked and headed towards the front of the park...

We decided that now was a good time to meet Russell and Dug... The line was a bit long and V wasn't too anxious to wait in it - but I figured it wouldn't get any shorter through out the day... So we hopped in line.

As usual - since we are adults - our character interaction is always very anti-climatic... We posed for our pictures and headed on our merry way...

Victoria decided she wanted to shop at the front of the park for a while - so we took this time to look around... Frequently checking the MDE app for EE to be back up and running...

While in the shops, I found 2 Alex and Ani bracelets I had to have... Of course - I needed to purchase the official Animal Kingdom bangle in AK, I also found a gold Mickey filigree wrap that I had not seen anywhere else and I just loved... My arm is filling quickly! Sorry - no pictures yet - but they are coming...

V found Mickey ears to wear to MNSSHP and a key chain just like the one she bought as a gift for my friend who made her MNSSHP shirt - as she loved it so much, she wanted one for herself. Sorry, no pictures of these items just yet either...

After - we headed out into the blazing sun to have our Photopass pictures taken in front of the Tree of Life - since they weren't out earlier... The line was incredibly long and annoying... The price we pay to have our pictures done, I guess. I feel badly for the photographers there! (Ooh - I just noticed, V is wearing her new ears!)

I checked my phone again and EE was back up and running... We quickly walked back there and got in line. The line was a bit long from the ride being down - but it still wasn't bad - I think it was a 20 minute wait posted and actual was about 10... We were in line in front of a mom/boy... The boy was TERRIFIED of riding and the mom was trying to console him - which I understand - buuuut, she was telling him that this ride "isn't so bad" and comparing it to BTMRR... Which is soooo not a good comparison - IMO... The poor boy screamed and cried for the entire ride, as they were seated right behind us. I felt badly for him. For that reason - I am not sharing this particular ride photo...

We rode EE again - several times, as single riders... As always - a great ride and honestly, my all time favorite coaster!

After - we were hot and tired, so we went in search of WATER!!! Grabbing our free glass from one of the huts... We headed towards FOLK... We were kind of "done" at this point - and getting crabby from the heat. Also - there was a bus at 12:50 directly to SoG - it was our goal to bee-line straight for the bus after our 12pm FOLK show - it was gonna be CLOSE and we were going to have to HURRY to make it!

As usual - the show did not disappoint... However - we were seated right in the middle of a section - so my back was really sore during/after - which did nothing for my mood.

Victoria and I formulated a plan before the show... We know what a madhouse the exit of FOLK can be... So, we decided to separate & escape as quickly as we could, make our way out of the crowd as fast as we could, and meet on the bridge as you exit the park...

The doors opened and we were outta there... For the most part, we were able to stay together... V is an EXPERT at dodging people and getting through crowds... I was able to catch up to her right outside of Harambe village because I pretty much took her same path - about 10 people behind her...

My only other mission for the day was a full-size AK Starbucks mug... As we were walking by Starbucks - I peeked in at the line, and there wasn't one... So, I ran in - super fast - grabbed the mug, paid for it and ran to catch up with V - who was walking slowly in front of me...

We made our way to the park exit...

And exited AK at 12:45pm... 5 minutes to spare for our SoG bus back to the resort... We were both hot - tired - and fully cooked... We needed a nap in a bad way!

We found the AK bus pick up area and just as we did - the bus pulled in... Like clockwork! We boarded the bus immediately...

We were back to SoG at exactly 1pm... A quick picture of my AK mug... And my growing stack of AnA bracelets...

We gathered our laundry and put it in the washer... while we were waiting for our load to finish washing, we went to Evergreens for lunch. We split a steak sandwich and an order of hot wings - our total for this meal was $20. Niiiice! (Sorry, no photos of this meal...)

We took the back way to our room, stopping at the laundry room to swap our load from the washer to the dryer... Timing was perfect on this. I wouldn't normally leave my loads in a public laundry room, but it's a military resort - with cameras in this area - I felt pretty safe.

I set my alarm on my fitbit to wake me in an hour to grab our laundry from the dryer... I did it this way - as my fitbit just vibrates on my wrist... I wanted V to sleep as long as she could this afternoon - so hopefully she could catch up on some of her missed sleep.

We both napped... HARD.

I was up to get laundry at 3:30...

I sat out on the balcony and updated my trip journal for another hour - so V could sleep more... It was so nice and shady out there, and breezy and just enjoyable - I was very content to sit out there and relax.

While I was sitting there - I realized that we didn't use 2 of our FPs from AK that morning... So, I hopped on to MDE and snagged FPs for PoTC and Splash Mountain tonight. I was pretty proud of my ingeniousness for this. LOL

I woke V at 4:30 - it was our plan to stay in MK until it's 1am close... Hahahaha! Did we make it?​

Link to Day 5 Part 4

D~

 

[FantasiaMagic]

It sounded like you and V had a great morning at Ak. All the character pictures from Tusker House were so cute, and that bread pudding sounds delicious! Glad to hear EE didn't take too long to be up and running and again.
Seems like a smart idea to take a nap in the middle of the day, especially if you are planning on staying at MK until 1am!

 

[branmuffin]

You've had a busy couple of days! I think it says a lot that A wanted to have lunch and catch up with you. That's so nice!

3 updates- hooray! It made my morning! I love the incognito snapshots that V took of you, LOL. I found myself trying to imagine what you were thinking. In the first one, I imagine you are looking at someone thinking, "Mmmhmm.... and where are your ears?" There's a lot of sass in that picture. I like it. And the second one, you look like you are formulating a plan. All the pics were so great! I love the empty park picks. I agree there is something magical and mysterious about an empty Disney park with out all the sweaty hoards. You can really take in the details and atmosphere. It does seem like it gets really hot at Animal Kingdom, so it is good that y'all were able to get done what you wanted and take a break. I remember when you went to MK late that day. I seem to remember there was more coffee involved. I can't wait to hear/see the full story! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

[DMGeurts]

Sounds like you got a lot done yesterday even if it was a busy day.


Looks like you had a great start to your day at Animal Kingdom.

You got a lot of great pictures on the Safari ride.

Yes - I did - and I am so relieved to finally have a few gifts for Allison! I am nowhere near done yet - but I am making good progress.

We always enjoy our AK mornings...

I love AK and I didn't get to that park on my last visit so I am way excited to get there on my October 2017 trip. I am also an early riser, so I love to see the empty park photos. It looks like the safari is best first thing in the morning

Oh no!!! That is the saddest thing ever! We always make time for AK - and a PPO for TH. I sure hope you get lots of time there in October! The girls and I are still talking about sneaking in another trip in October... We will reevaluate after the holidays and when we get the dates hammered out for V's trip to Europe.

It sounded like you and V had a great morning at Ak. All the character pictures from Tusker House were so cute, and that bread pudding sounds delicious! Glad to hear EE didn't take too long to be up and running and again.
Seems like a smart idea to take a nap in the middle of the day, especially if you are planning on staying at MK until 1am!

We did! We had fun... I just love that park! EE is always a good ride - when it's open... It's so disappointing when it isn't.

Oh yes - I had planned for this to be a long nap day... And it was very wonderful to have Evergreens open - so we could have a semi-decent lunch while waiting for laundry, then go directly to bed.

You've had a busy couple of days! I think it says a lot that A wanted to have lunch and catch up with you. That's so nice!

3 updates- hooray! It made my morning! I love the incognito snapshots that V took of you, LOL. I found myself trying to imagine what you were thinking. In the first one, I imagine you are looking at someone thinking, "Mmmhmm.... and where are your ears?" There's a lot of sass in that picture. I like it. And the second one, you look like you are formulating a plan. All the pics were so great! I love the empty park picks. I agree there is something magical and mysterious about an empty Disney park with out all the sweaty hoards. You can really take in the details and atmosphere. It does seem like it gets really hot at Animal Kingdom, so it is good that y'all were able to get done what you wanted and take a break. I remember when you went to MK late that day. I seem to remember there was more coffee involved. I can't wait to hear/see the full story! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Yes - it sure made me feel good that she wanted to spend her lunch hour with me. I miss seeing her so often.

LOL - I wish I could tell you what I was thinking... I went back to look and I thought I didn't very friendly faces in those... LOL There are about 10 more that I didn't post...

Yes - gotta love an empty Disney park!

Oh definitely a LOT of coffee involved that night - LOL!

Thanks - same to you!

***********************************************************************************************************

I had a pretty awesome day yesterday... Starting it off with 2 cups of coffee, it was marvelous!

I sat here until about 10 am doing TR updates...

Then I went up to my sewing room... I had every intention of finishing last week's custom order, and instead I started working on BMTL's Christmas gifts...

See.... Back in October, I found a pair of PJ pants for Brian - Star Wars PJ pants (Thomas is VERY much into SW right now)... At that time - I couldn't find SW PJs in T's size, so I purchased a 2nd pair of the same ones I got for B, so I could cut them down. I had just planned on doing the 2 of them...

Then last week - I found a super cute SW set for Myrthe at Target - so I grabbed them, the whole time thinking that little Miss Lara would be left out... So, I've been searching everywhere for baby girls SW PJs - there is nothing out there. As a last resort - I purchased a 2nd adult size with plans to cut them down and make Lara a pair to match her mom...

This is really an overwhelming job IMO... I rarely use knits in my sewing - so this is a total game changer to me - on top of that, I rarely use my serger... So, yes - I was VERY much out of my element. I had to draft a pattern for the leggings from a pair that I already had for her... Then I went online to find a pattern for the shirt... It was a definite overwhelming process - and when things like that get overwhelming, I tend to procrastinate... Considering that Christmas is coming very quickly - I had no time to waste, so I just did it.

Overall - I am super happy with how this little set turned out... I was even able to add "grow cuffs" to the arms and ankles - a feature that I used to LOVE with (what is now) vintage Gymboree... In the end though - I do think these will be quite big on her... I sure hope she is able to wear them for a picture or something for Christmas.

And then I had to work on Thomas' PJ pants to match his dad... Thomas is actually getting 2 pairs, because remember Josh went back to TDS at the MOA to get the Chewbacca PJs. I'd already had the pants for him since before we went to WDW - I was pretty sure I couldn't return them - and besides, I got them on clearance and they are cool. I did manage to finish Thomas' PJ pants - with exception to elastic in the waistband - I have to run to town to get that today. I'll have pictures of those when I am finished.

Once I was done with that - I remembered to come back and order my Archive CD of all of my Disney Photopass pictures (Final count is 2963 photos over the course of 3 trips)... While I was there - I decided I would play with making Allison a new phone case for her Iphone 7 plus... And then V got involved... And we sat here and laughed until we cried - as each one we created was funnier than the last. Allison would have been horrified had she received any one of these for Christmas - and had they not been $40 each - I would have loved to give one to her as a gag gift.

And that was the end of my day...

We are in the process of getting our first *real* snowfall of the year and it's FINALLY Christmassy looking out there - I love it this time of year!

I sat on my tablet all night, swooning over my decor groups on FB... It's so bad that I don't allow myself to go on there until after dinner - otherwise I wouldn't get anything done all day long!

V was super excited that she was able to do a few walking deliveries in the snow last night (no license yet) - so then she was cut into the massive delivery tips for the night.

Today - we are in a winter storm warning - I still have to venture to town though... It's always interesting when there's fresh snow involved.

I'd also like to finish up last week's custom order...

And do a few more updates here to finish up Day 5.

That's about all... I hope you all have a great remainder to your weekend... Prayers and pixie dust to all!

D~

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Those pajamas are absolutely adorable! SO cute. I used to love Gymboree for my girls -- the quality is great and I loved the grow cuffs. I was sad when my girls outgrew their clothes. There is a Gymboree outlet very close to my house and since I have nieces who wear Gymboree, I go in from time to time to pick up gifts for them or things my sister wants for them and I am taken right back to those days of taking my girls shopping and getting them matching outfits. Time needs to slow down....

I was driving home from my volunteer work yesterday and, because I was heading to a Christmas party, took a different freeway home than I would usually take. I passed an outlet mall I didn't even know existed and they have a Disney store! I got so excited! I think I'll take my girls there over the Christmas break....

I also procrastinate big, overwhelming projects, so we have that in common. But it's interesting because once I hit the point where I know I absolutely have to do the thing I've been putting off, I am able to buckle and down and get it done. It's just the starting part that gets to me... LOL

Snow...so pretty to look at...but I don't enjoy driving in it. Stay safe! They are saying we may get our first snowfall next weekend.

Your AK day looks so fun! I collected the four Starbucks parks mugs and we love them. I especially love how they're shaped to stack perfectly. Your Tusker House breakfast looks great. What is mealie pap?

Have a great day!

 

[rdkeim]

Loved the updates! Love your Goofy themed outfit at AK. Your PP pictures were great. Anxious to hear about your MK night - good job on the FP's!

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 5 Part 4

I woke V from her nap at 4:30... She was very tired and didn't want to get up... I bribed her with coffee - lots n' lots of coffee.

At 5:30 we were on the Shady Shuttle to the Poly, from there we took the monorail to MK.

I noted that I was the lucky recipient of an extra security scan at the entrance of MK.

The park doesn't look very busy in my photos - though I do believe it was actually quite busy. I didn't note and I can't remember.

Victoria and I worked on getting as many Photopass pictures as we could, the whole way up Main Street... At this point - we were on Day 5 of our 10 day trip, yet this was only our 2nd Disney park day... I felt like we were very much lacking in the Photopass photo opportunity department.

My outfit for this night... My shirt (which has slits up the sides - I sewed them so they didn't go up quite so high) was purchased from Target (I believe it's Mossimo black tag) in October 2016... My crop leggings are American Eagle... My shoes are Vans - purchased from the website right before our trip... My ears were made several years ago by my friend Jennifer... And my bag is by me.

We detoured for a moment to redeem part of our Starbucks Gift Card from Carol... It was WONDERFUL!

I really wanted these mugs in a bad way - and I never did get them... I was seriously worried about my luggage situation at this point, I decided to wait on these until our last MK day - I would know better then whether I had room for them or not... (as it turned out, I didn't)

And then we continued up Main Street... Caffeine in hand...

At 6:40 we walked on to Pirates of the Caribbean with our FPs.

We had time after our PotC ride, before our Splash FP - so we did some shopping... First, we found some cute items in the PotC dump shop... We just loved this outfit & we thought it would have been great for V - sadly, it was a wee bit too small... V was only acting cranky for the photo...

We found the most adorable outfit for Lara at the Briar Patch, a cute little Bambi outfit - it was horrendously expensive, even after my AP discount... but both V and I felt that we couldn't leave it behind. I thought I took a photo of it - but I guess not, sorry.

Then we stopped into the dump shop for Splash Mountain... They still have my SM sweatshirt and mug that I need to replace... Sigh - I restrained myself, as I already have 5(!) mugs going home with me on this trip...

After this - we still had 45 minutes to kill before our SM FP... We decided to hop the train and do the "grand tour"... (The train was super packed - we barely got a seat) It was so cute though - as it was dark outside, so the train experience is so different - I love to see the world all lit up. On top of that - they had 2 trains running this night, and they were "talking" to each other... It was so CUTE!! One train would "whistle a tune" and then the other train would finish it from the other side of the park... This was something I've never experienced before - and it gave the trains personality. This was a very enjoyable ride and a great way to kill some extra time without wearing on our feet.

We got to SM about 10 min early - the CM there was quite grouchy and told us to come back in 9 minutes - HUH? Really? I have to admit - this made V quite cranky - I think it was just the way that this CM said it to us? Not sure... So, we wandered again and came back in 9 minutes... A different CM was there- which was a good thing.

As usual - we very much enjoyed our first ride of the trip on Splash Mountain... It is our all time favorite ride - after all.

After we got off of the ride - I had a Dismeet to do... Sarah (Iowatater) and I were texting and trying to find a good spot to meet. She is so sweet and brought me a Starbucks "you are here" mug from St. Louis! Which is super cool, as you'd probably guess - the Arch is on it - this is a city I've actually been in once in my life - so I was very excited to have this mug to add to my collection. We chatted for a little while longer - her and her DH are very nice and it was so fun to be able to meet both of them. They were very tired from their first day of travel - so we parted ways... V made me do a really dumb laugh as she took the photo - so the expression on my face is probably one of the best ones of me EVER. LOL

After meeting Sarah and parting ways, we rode SM walk on... We didn't get too wet, we rode in back, as usual.

We decided we were hungry - nothing really seemed appealing to me at this point... We settled on Pecos Bills because it was nearby and we were feeling lazy.

D = Beef fajitas
V = Chicken fajitas

Both were very good. Annnd a LOT of food - I threw almost half of this away, it was just too much - we were both stuffed when we left.

Despite being stuffed, we made the executive decision (although, not a smart one) to have a Dole Whip for dessert... We had to wander for quite some time to find the new Dole Whip location, as they moved it since my last trip.. I was not amused by this. LOL

Although - we did get to stop for a Photopass Picture in front of PotC - so all was not lost. LOL

It was delicious - however it took us from being stuffed to very uncomfortable.

We sat on the rock wall in Liberty Square to people watch and eat our treats. We thought about watching Wishes from this location - but I wanted V to see the projection on the Castle - she's never seen it and I can never remember the name of it. LOL

We made our way towards Main Street - every path or spot with any half-way decent view of the Castle was totally filled, so we kept pressing on...

Finally we found a little spot next to some people sitting on a concrete block in front of the porch for Crystal Palace... We asked them nicely if we could join them, and they kindly let us... We all chatted for a little while - they were very nice. The best part was that V had a really good view of the Castle projection - which she just loved. Next time - I'd like to make a point of getting there earlier, so she can truly see it.

Just as the lights darkened for Wishes - a large family cut right in front of us and totally obstructed our view - like literally - stood right in front of us... V was so upset, because she could no longer see the Castle at all... I consoled her, by reminding her that the fireworks are higher in the sky and we should be able to see those just fine. (Jerk and family right in front of us - you can see how our view was drastically altered by them) I am just thankful that V was able to see the projection with out much of a problem.

We decided to wait out the mass exit on a bench on the porch of Crystal Palace... This was really nice. V was tired - very tired...

Once we sat here for a while - with the intention of heading back into Fantasty Land... V decided she was too tired and wanted to go back to SoG... So we waited a bit longer and decided to head out at the tail end of the crowds...

At this point - we were kind of in a hurry, as the Shady Shuttle stops running at 11pm... And we didn't want to be stuck walking that long path in the dark... So we hustled out of the park... After waiting for a long tine to board the monorail, we decided to try for the 11pm bus from the TTC to SoG instead - since we knew we'd already missed the Shady Shuttle. We made it off of the monorail with 1 minute to spare - with our last little bit of energy - we ran as fast as we could to catch that bus - we made it just on time!

We did not make it to the 1am close at MK - which was a little bit of a bummer for us - but we were tired. We were back to SoG by 11:10pm and we prepped for the next day. Thankfully - we did not have anywhere to be right away, so we didn't have too much to prep for and we could just save it for the morning... I am pretty sure that both of us were sound asleep by 11:15. LOL​

Link to Day 6 Part 1

D~

 

[disny_luvr]

The PJs are super cute!

Your AK day sounds a lot like ours. Our must-dos are always the Safari, EE and FOTLK. We can usually only make it to lunchtime at AK as that park gets too dang hot! We ate at Tusker House once and liked it. We should try it again on a future trip.

I love AnA bracelets. Right now I have four of them - Mickey Mouse, the castle and Disney Cruise Line. I also have a lighthouse; I know it doesn't fit in with the rest but I love lighthouses. I want more but don't know if it will look like too much. I guess I could switch them out. I don't know. I teach and I feel like they can be a distraction. I didn't get any on our Disney trip last summer but I'm dying to get a new one next trip.

We might get snow here today, too. Safe travels!

 

[ljcrochet]

The pj settle is amazing. I made my 4 nephews fleece pants. Just need to add the elastic to the waistband. I made one of my girls matching shorts. I'm making my other daughter matching pants but I had promised her pants made from a taco fleece. So I made a pattern from pj pants they had. I added what I thought was enough extra in the leg.

I gave the taco pants to sydney Friday, now I have to figure out how to hem them since there is no extra fabric. I might just overcast the edge to make sure it doesn't unravel. She wore them when she went to my bil house to help watch the 3 boys. Now I'm going to make the matching pants. I'm going to dani try them on before I put the elastic in to see how they fit since last night she told me she wants a pair of pants with soccer balls on one leg and neon yellow on the other.


I'm hoping they sleep in today since Friday we got home around 12:30, had to leave house at 6:30 am for soccer. Girls were so tired yesterday.