~ Sew Sweet 16 ~I’m packing your angry eyes just in case~Aug 2014~ BFF' bag 8/20!!!!

[csg]

Yay! So glad I found your new pre-trip report. You are a truly gifted writer.

Words, pictures, and purses..I'm in.

 

[Restrasz]

Weight loss is scary stuff! It is so much easier to gain than lose weight! You have worked so hard and are an inspiration for me to continue trying!

 

[colachdec]

My family will be going in August, as well. It will be my oldest son's GOLDEN birthday this year
We will be at Universal Studios for a weekend, too.
Followed your last trip report and I look forward to reading this pre-trip report!!
Love hearing about your muscle gain/weight loss and overall health progress, too. Awesome work
~mary

 

[LMN]

D!

I made it to your new PTR! So excited for you and the girls planning another trip to WDW! And so fun to get to have your BFF and her daughter join you! What fun to have all 3 girls turn 16 so close together! I do have to say I am sorry to hear that you had some kind of unfortunate incident that has caused you to have to be more cautious on the boards. I understand but it is sad to hear.

I have been out of pocket the last few weeks. When I last left your TR, if you remember I was looking at a 201 Singer. The owner couldn't get it to work and I ended up not being able to get out to look at it. Sigh. One of these days I will get one of these glorious machines!

I might be planning a 2014 trip of my own for my family! One of the reasons I have been out of pocket the last few weeks is that I have been busy finding a new job! My last day at my old job was Friday and I am happy to report that I have a new job making a lot more money on Monday. We are looking on planning a family trip to WDW for either June or December of next year. Unfortunately, not August One of these days I would love to say hi to you in person!

I will be having a longer commute to this new job, but will be able to ride the commuter bus, so will have more DIS time now, which I am looking forward to!

Loved, loved the Sebastian bag. I think it is my favorite of all of your gorgeous bags that I have seen. I might need one of those for my next trip! Do you ever do repeat bags?

Have a great week!

Liesel

 

[DMGeurts]

I had dance driving yesterday with all three kiddos so I feel your pain

Yah - it's no fun! I hope yesterday was better for you.

Thanks for the hints on machines to look for. I have another older machine that I am going to get out this afternoon to see how it works. It is the same type of machine that I originally learned to sew on with my grandmother. Her machine, unfortunately, was lost in a flood many years ago.

That is really cool! I hope that machine can do what you need it to do!

Also, I'm right there with you on your goal of getting your body back into shape. Charlie and I both started walking and going to the gym before our trip in September and honestly I could tell a difference from our trip 2 years ago. We were not nearly as tired and worn out at the end of the day this time around. I have slacked off since we've been home and I can definitely tell. Time to get moving on the treadmill once more. We did bring it out of the storage room so its easier to get to, just need to get on it and get moving.

Yah - it really hard to get back into it - especially when you have a big event like that to push you through it... I hope you are able to keep yourself motivated.

I also have to tell you, after looking at the pictures you posted from the first trip, without even looking at the newer ones, that you have made tremendous progress on reaching your goal. Keep up the good work - its showing!

Thank you very much! That means a lot!

I have a 3/4 size Kenmore that was given to me. It has a full size motor but it's small and I don't like sewing on it that much. I have taken it to my mom's for sewing projections because my other machine is very heavy. Most of the tie it lives in an old Vera Brradley weekender. I would love to get my mom's 1955 kenmore. It's a great machine but needs a tuneup. Right now, she doesn't want to part with it even though it haven,t been used in years.
Liz

Yah - the smaller machines are so much nicer to haul around like that.

I love this idea.

D~ Your weight loss post is very exciting. I don't usually notice weight loss on friends (I had a good friend thru all of my school years and she lost a ton of weight the summer of our junior year and I never even noticed. Plus we took dance class together so I saw her in a leotard 3 times a week). That being said the pictures you posted really show the transformation. AMAZING. I am impressed with your will power and your ability to stick with your life changes. The pictures from your trip until the recent bathroom shot show such a big change in your body.

I think it is good that you don't deny yourself treats. It is probably helping you stay on track over the long haul

Again, thanks for sharing and congratulations. You should be proud of all your hard work.

Thanks Liz! I know - it's hard to notice if people change - especially if you see them every day. I am happy to finally be able to start noticing some changes in myself.

Page 7. I didn't make it until Page 7?

But I think I had a good excuse. I've been at Disney all last week.

Had a great time. DGD loved having her 5th birthday in the parks. Dunno if I'm going to do a trip report. With my PTR, we left my DF and DSIL at the altar. By the way, yes they did say "I do."

I'm posting on my iPhone. DH is driving. We are making that slow journey back into reality. Our next trip is tentatively scheduled for our next grandchild's 5th birthday. Whenever that is.

Yay!!! I hope you had a great trip!!! Safe travels home! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Ugh I relate to the always starting over battle. An the I hate myself in pictures. Good for you for persevering. You look great!

Sorry to hear about the date sharing problem but thanks for saying something in here about it. I'm totally naive thinking privacy is not necessary in the Dis and now my mind is racing with all the potential dangers.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thank you! Yes, it's always best just to leave a little of info to yourself - you just never know.

Also, do you have an etsy shop or website? Thinking about our summer trip which is booked for DCL but may be changed for another WDW adventure instead- either way- would love some fun accessories for DD 2.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Can you send me a PM about it? I am not allowed to post that info on The Dis.

Yay! So glad I found your new pre-trip report. You are a truly gifted writer.

Words, pictures, and purses..I'm in.

Awww... Thanks! And welcome! I hope you enjoy following along!

Weight loss is scary stuff! It is so much easier to gain than lose weight! You have worked so hard and are an inspiration for me to continue trying!

It is so much easier to gain than it is to lose... And it's so hard to get over that mental challenge in the first place, I hope you continue on - you have been such a great success so far!

My family will be going in August, as well. It will be my oldest son's GOLDEN birthday this year
We will be at Universal Studios for a weekend, too.
Followed your last trip report and I look forward to reading this pre-trip report!!
Love hearing about your muscle gain/weight loss and overall health progress, too. Awesome work
~mary

Hi Mary! Thank you! It's nice to met you! You will have to PM me your dates for August to see if we overlap at all. How fun to go to Universal - the girls want to go, but we have yet to. It won't happen this trp - but maybe the following one?

D!

I made it to your new PTR! So excited for you and the girls planning another trip to WDW! And so fun to get to have your BFF and her daughter join you! What fun to have all 3 girls turn 16 so close together! I do have to say I am sorry to hear that you had some kind of unfortunate incident that has caused you to have to be more cautious on the boards. I understand but it is sad to hear.

Welcome Leisel! So happy to have you here and following along! This promises to be a fun trip, and a crazy planning experience. It's OK - it's always good to be cautious right?

I have been out of pocket the last few weeks. When I last left your TR, if you remember I was looking at a 201 Singer. The owner couldn't get it to work and I ended up not being able to get out to look at it. Sigh. One of these days I will get one of these glorious machines!

Bummer about not getting that machine - but there will be others. Just the right one will fall into your lap one day - I just know it!

I might be planning a 2014 trip of my own for my family! One of the reasons I have been out of pocket the last few weeks is that I have been busy finding a new job! My last day at my old job was Friday and I am happy to report that I have a new job making a lot more money on Monday. We are looking on planning a family trip to WDW for either June or December of next year. Unfortunately, not August One of these days I would love to say hi to you in person!

Congratulations on the new job!!! More money is always good... And how awesome that you get to plan another trip! Bummer that we won't over lap - but maybe next time?

I will be having a longer commute to this new job, but will be able to ride the commuter bus, so will have more DIS time now, which I am looking forward to!

LOL - it's always good to have more Dis time!

Loved, loved the Sebastian bag. I think it is my favorite of all of your gorgeous bags that I have seen. I might need one of those for my next trip! Do you ever do repeat bags?

Have a great week!

Liesel

Thank you! Unfortunately - I never do the same thing twice - I am happy to do repeat characters though.

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

This was just a crazy weekend... Unfortunately - I didn't step a foot in my sewing room all weekend, which is very painful for me to admit - because I have so much I need to get done and it needs to be done asap! I will be working extra hard in there this week to attempt to make a dent in all of my overdue projects.

I did check my count down to our trip the other day... And I have about 100 days to figure out our dining plans... I know - it sounds like a lot - but it's really not. Because to make dining plans, I need to know what our park schedule is - so at 180 days I need to have everything mapped out. I know it's not going to happen any time before Christmas. LOL But I will keep it nagging at the back of my mind to see if I can iron out anything.

I hope you all have a great Monday!

D~

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Good Morning D!

I was just thinking the same thing about our ADR's for next summer. I probably will not get much done between now and Christmas but I do plan to get as much done as we can (without the park hours), during Christmas break. I need to have another Disney meeting at my house with the other families that are traveling with us so we can at least pick a few TS meals together (we will NOT be attempting to tour together ALL the time).

Have a great Monday!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Good Monday morning, D~! So sorry your weekend was tough. Brian was sick, so he stayed in all weekend. But, while I babied him as much as I could....I had other things that HAD to be done!

 

[jedimeg16]

Fantastic progress in your fitness goals!

I've always been larger too, but I have been making too many excuses over the years. Namely having two little boys 20 months apart. But I've started exercising again because I know that if I don't I won't be able to keep up with those boys.

 

[Clio]

I have a little longer to fiigure out our adrs for our next trip. We usually go in mid September. With us it's not just when but how many My daughter will be married by then and her mother-in-law will be coming and maybe her daughter and family.
I got a pin code for a December stay in my e mail this morning. It's too bad I work in retail and could never get the time off.
Your last bag is so cute. i can totally understand not doing repeats. i've done a couple and have trouble keeping on task on the second one.
Sometime doing nothing on a Sunday is nice. We're still on a hunt for a new freezer. Who knew that it would be so hard to find a small one?
Liz

 

[xlsm]

Following along!

When we decided to go to Disney this August 2014, I searched the Trip Report board for August trips, and your 2013 TR made me realize our decision was going to be ok!

It's so much fun to read about your family


(I also totally fell in love with your bags! You've got serious talent!!)

 

[cogero]

you are an inspiration.

I hope you get some sewing done today.

 

[Pluto0809]

Good Morning! I can totally relate to not getting anything done over the weekends. I never seem to have enough time on Sat and Sun to get everything done. Of course if I didn't volunteer at the animal shelter every Saturday I'd probably get more done.

When it comes to snacking, I've found that if I allow myself a "taste" each day then it prevents me from binging. My weakness is Hershy Kisses so I try to limit myself to two or three after dinner so I get my chocolate fix. Of course that does take some discipline!

 

[babynala]

This was just a crazy weekend... Unfortunately - I didn't step a foot in my sewing room all weekend, which is very painful for me to admit - because I have so much I need to get done and it needs to be done asap! I will be working extra hard in there this week to attempt to make a dent in all of my overdue projects.

I did check my count down to our trip the other day... And I have about 100 days to figure out our dining plans... I know - it sounds like a lot - but it's really not. Because to make dining plans, I need to know what our park schedule is - so at 180 days I need to have everything mapped out. I know it's not going to happen any time before Christmas. LOL But I will keep it nagging at the back of my mind to see if I can iron out anything.

I hope you all have a great Monday!

D~

You are such a slacker! Just kidding, I hope you enjoyed your sew free weekend. It will probably make you more productive today.

That is the only problem with planning a trip so far out, you have to wait to schedule everything. I really don't relax until after the ADRs are made. So much pressure. I wish they would release the park hours a little farther in advance of the 180 day mark, this is especially problematic if your trip goes into two different months or is at the beginning of a month. Trying to figure out where you will be each day so you can figure out where you are going to eat and then figuring out what everyone is going to wear.....it is overwhelming. But of course we love it or we wouldn't do it.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry you didn't get to spend any time in your sewing room this weekend.

I told Mary the other day that we need to start thinking about our ADR's for our girls trip...our day is fast approaching.

 

[Pixiedust530]

Sorry to hear about all the driving you did this weekend and also to hear about your lack of time in your sewing room! It's a new week now though, and time to get back on track! Only 100 days to figure out dining plans? Oh no! You better get on that! Just one suggestion...I know that Ohana breakfast is one of your traditions....have you ever done Ohana for dinner? It is amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it!

 

[UConnFan]

This long time lurker is here! I've always loved your reports. My husband and I just won a trip to Disney World (eek!), and we're thinking we will probably go in August, so I'm eagerly reading about your plans.

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

Hi D! Hope you had a productive Monday! Mine sure was, I went to a clients house who wanted coastal themed valances for her entire house. I took measurements and pics and headed back to the store to pull things together and meet up with her. Managed to find coordinating fabrics, trims and styles she liked for all 8 rooms and closed the contract. I love people who can make decisions!
We have never been able to justify the meal plan and I can't get myself to spend a small fortune on disney food, so we do a lot of counter service meals and I only make a few reservations. For our trip in a couple of weeks we are doing O'Hana breakfast and Sci Fi Diner. Still trying to add Via Napoli but haven't found anything.
I want to post a pic of my bag, what size do you edit your pics to on photobucket?

 

[DMGeurts]

Good Morning D!

I was just thinking the same thing about our ADR's for next summer. I probably will not get much done between now and Christmas but I do plan to get as much done as we can (without the park hours), during Christmas break. I need to have another Disney meeting at my house with the other families that are traveling with us so we can at least pick a few TS meals together (we will NOT be attempting to tour together ALL the time).

Have a great Monday!

Hi Tasha!!! I love seeing your smiling face here!

I am hoping to put together a "must-do" adr list over the next few days. I did log into Touring Plans yesterday just to peek - and well - all of our dates the crowds went way UP. It's going to be another HOT and CROWDED trip... One of the things that keeps me going on my fitness quests though - I know the smaller I am - the less clothes I have to wear in FL! Hahahaha... OK - well maybe not quite that bad - but you know what I mean.

Good Monday morning, D~! So sorry your weekend was tough. Brian was sick, so he stayed in all weekend. But, while I babied him as much as I could....I had other things that HAD to be done!

Good morning Oopsi!!! I hope Brian is better soon... It's no fun being sick!

I loved your Dismeet on yours and Pixie's PTR/TRs!!! So fun!!!

Fantastic progress in your fitness goals!

I've always been larger too, but I have been making too many excuses over the years. Namely having two little boys 20 months apart. But I've started exercising again because I know that if I don't I won't be able to keep up with those boys.

Thank you - every day is a battle, but it seems to be getting a bit easier as time goes on. Definately a good choice for me to give my home made caramel corn to BFF -I would have licked the container clean otherwise. LOL

Excercising - I've found - really helps me stay focused through out the day. It's going to be a LONG winter doing videos in my house - but it's better than nothing - and thankfully I only have to do them 2 days a week.

I wish you the best of luck - hopefully we can cheer eachother on! Please stop in once in a while and let me know how you are doing.

I have a little longer to fiigure out our adrs for our next trip. We usually go in mid September. With us it's not just when but how many My daughter will be married by then and her mother-in-law will be coming and maybe her daughter and family.
I got a pin code for a December stay in my e mail this morning. It's too bad I work in retail and could never get the time off.
Your last bag is so cute. i can totally understand not doing repeats. i've done a couple and have trouble keeping on task on the second one.
Sometime doing nothing on a Sunday is nice. We're still on a hunt for a new freezer. Who knew that it would be so hard to find a small one?
Liz

Yah - that is difficult sometimes... I hope you will be able to get it all figured out in time.

I have never received a PIN code - I dream of it - but never have.

Thanks so much - yah - part of the reason I don't do repeats is that I can't stand doing the same thing twice. LOL

I can't believe you are still looking for a small freezer! That is crazy! Do they just not sell them anymore, or are you looking for one with good reviews? I know that BFF was looking for a bigger upright freezer and she is having the hardest time because the reviews on all of them are so horrible. I sure hope you find one soon!

Following along!

When we decided to go to Disney this August 2014, I searched the Trip Report board for August trips, and your 2013 TR made me realize our decision was going to be ok!

It's so much fun to read about your family


(I also totally fell in love with your bags! You've got serious talent!!)

Welcome! Super happy to have you here and following along!

Oooh - I wonder if our trips will overlap? Yes - it was definately hot... The HUGE benefit to this - I've found - is that the clothes you bring with are MUCH smaller to pack, so you can fit a lot more in the suitcase. Which - in my case - leaves more room for bags. LOL

You'll have to let me know if we can plan a Dismeet. Are you on the Aug 2014 Facebook planning group yet?

you are an inspiration.

I hope you get some sewing done today.

So are you!!! You inspire me every single day!

I did get LOTS done yesterday - I am so proud of myself!

Good Morning! I can totally relate to not getting anything done over the weekends. I never seem to have enough time on Sat and Sun to get everything done. Of course if I didn't volunteer at the animal shelter every Saturday I'd probably get more done.

When it comes to snacking, I've found that if I allow myself a "taste" each day then it prevents me from binging. My weakness is Hershy Kisses so I try to limit myself to two or three after dinner so I get my chocolate fix. Of course that does take some discipline!

Good morning to you Ariana! It's so hard for me to work on weekends, because I love spending time with the family.

Hmmm... I am not sure I could do 2 or 3 Hershey's kisses... I am not sure I have that kind of willpower yet. However, I do plan to make some protein balls today, and I LOVE those! They truly help with my chocolate fix - even though there is no chocolate in them - LOL - but they are super nutty and I think I love nuts more than I love chocolate.

You are such a slacker! Just kidding, I hope you enjoyed your sew free weekend. It will probably make you more productive today.

That is the only problem with planning a trip so far out, you have to wait to schedule everything. I really don't relax until after the ADRs are made. So much pressure. : I wish they would release the park hours a little farther in advance of the 180 day mark, this is especially problematic if your trip goes into two different months or is at the beginning of a month. Trying to figure out where you will be each day so you can figure out where you are going to eat and then figuring out what everyone is going to wear.....it is overwhelming. But of course we love it or we wouldn't do it.

Hahaha... I know - huge slacker here!

I know - but then people look at me like I am crazy when I am planning our trips in such detail so far out... Seriously? That would be the reason I am eating dinner at BoG and "you" are not... LOL OK - I am not that rude, but it was kind of funny - because as we were eating our meal at BoG - I knew that every single person there had this meal planned right at the 180 day mark - so they were all on top of their game. However, the baffling thing to me, is that there was one dining room that was almost completely empty - did that many people not show up? Or did they not release all of their dining reservations for that day?

I've started planning a few of our customs... It will be a fun trip - but to be honest - I think a lot of ours will be reused - I am not sure that we will have that many new ones? Speaking of which - I need to get my Toy Story bag washed, I keep meaning to do that and I forget.

Sorry you didn't get to spend any time in your sewing room this weekend.

I told Mary the other day that we need to start thinking about our ADR's for our girls trip...our day is fast approaching.

Yes you do! I am very excited to hear what you have planned for this trip!

Sorry to hear about all the driving you did this weekend and also to hear about your lack of time in your sewing room! It's a new week now though, and time to get back on track! Only 100 days to figure out dining plans? Oh no! You better get on that! Just one suggestion...I know that Ohana breakfast is one of your traditions....have you ever done Ohana for dinner? It is amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it!

LOL - I know - I need to start ironing out our ADRs... I'd love to do a trip where we do all new places - but seriously - we have some great Must-Dos that I don't think we could give up. LOL We need like a 20 day trip on DxDDP to eat everywhere we want to.

We did do 'Ohana for dinner on our March 2012 trip, and I hate to say it, but we were not impressed. The food was good enough, but there were only a few things we really liked. And I felt like they brought all of the food to our table in order of the cost - so they started with the least expensive item and worked their way up to the most expensive... So by the time they got to the shrip/chicken/steak we were soooo full that we couldn't eat it. I think we would still prefer breakfast there, as we like all the food - even if the servers we've had sucked. LOL Unfortunately - I am not sure if 'Ohana will make the list this time? We migth have to try something new.

This long time lurker is here! I've always loved your reports. My husband and I just won a trip to Disney World (eek!), and we're thinking we will probably go in August, so I'm eagerly reading about your plans.

Welcome! And congrats!!! You will have to let me know if we overlap - it would be fun to do a Dismeet!

Hi D! Hope you had a productive Monday! Mine sure was, I went to a clients house who wanted coastal themed valances for her entire house. I took measurements and pics and headed back to the store to pull things together and meet up with her. Managed to find coordinating fabrics, trims and styles she liked for all 8 rooms and closed the contract. I love people who can make decisions!
We have never been able to justify the meal plan and I can't get myself to spend a small fortune on disney food, so we do a lot of counter service meals and I only make a few reservations. For our trip in a couple of weeks we are doing O'Hana breakfast and Sci Fi Diner. Still trying to add Via Napoli but haven't found anything.
I want to post a pic of my bag, what size do you edit your pics to on photobucket?

Oooh - sounds like you did have a wonderful day! How fun!

I am always able to justify DDP, because when I work out the cost of our must-do meals and compare it to the cost of DDP - I usually come out to be about $50 less for OOP - but my OOP does not include desserts, and I like the ease of not having to worry about what we order and constantly budgeting while on vacation. It makes our trips so worry free for me.

Hmmm... Photobucket does it automatically for me - and I think they are 800x600? Not too sure on that.

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

I was able to get so much done yesterday, I am so proud of myself!

First of all - I did my heavy lifting work out in the morning - I am very proud of how I am progressing - but let me tell you, it is getting to be MUCH HARDER - which, I guess, is supposed to be the case? LOL It is also taking me much longer, when I first started heavy lifting 4 weeks ago - my lifting worko outs would take me about 20-25 minutes... Yesterday's work out was 45, so almost double. I can only forsee them getting longer as I progress.

Then I went up to my sewing room - I was able to get my next custom order quilted. I was very happy about that.

I even took the last hour or so and worked on one of my SSPs - very happy for good progress on that. I hope to work on it a bit more this afternoon, if time permits. I also need to get the stockings done. Both my SSP and my Stockings are on a deadline... If I dont have the Stockings done by the 15th of Nov - I have to pay to mail them myself = expensive! But if I have them done before then, I can ship them to my BIL's FIL who is here on business and he can take them back to The Netherlands in his luggage. But my SSP is also on a deadline... So, both of these need to be done ASAP! I sure hope I can do it!

I did peek at Touring Plans yesterday, and all of our park days went way UP on the crowd calendar - it's going to be another VERY HOT and CROWDED August trip for us... Not looking forward to that at all.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

ETA: I just received a PM from a good friend and a long time follower of my TRs/PTRs... I don't want to mention her name, but she asked for prayers for her daughter (Jennifer) - who is going through a very difficult time medically - if you are so inclined and could say a few prayers for strength for all of them - I know her and her family would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

D~

 

[cogero]

D the work outs will eventually even out when you are done toning and get to maintaining. I am just so very proud of you,.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Praying for Jennifer! So glad you had such a productive day yesterday. I don't know about you, but I can always sleep so well when I have accomplished much during the day.