~ Aug 2013~ Sew what... We've gotta find a way back! Part I!!

This is the smallest bag I sell (and for the record, the assembly of it makes me swear a lot... :rolleyes1)... It kind of makes me happy that it doesn't get ordered often.

Despite that - I am very happy with how this one turned out... As you all know, this is for a little girl who LOVES Disney. :wizard: Her favorite color is purple and she loves tie dye!

D~

What...I thought swearing was part of the sewing process. Or is that just me?:rolleyes1;) If I don't have a good bout of at least four swear words in a row, I don't feel like the product is complete.

I like the idea of a smaller bag, but in the park a bigger one is necessary for the H2O bottle. And the sunscreen. And the point and shoot camera. and the band aids - well, they'd fit in a smaller one. And anything that DH needs, but can't make fit in the JVC bag or the poncho bag. Must have magic ponchos...they keep the rain away.

Good Job Ali! High School can sometimes be a tough adjustment.
 
:wave2:

Just popping in to say hi!

Your friendship post (and then Ruthie's friendship post) was wonderful! :hug:

I LOVE the SSE and the PeaceMickey bags!!!! AW-SOME!!!!

And just WAIT til you go to that Walmart . . . I'm assuming, RuthIE, you're talking about the one near GKTW? If so, D~, get her to take you to the Target that's on the way back to the parks. . . Ginormous Disney section there too AND you can use your discount :)

Okay - back to lurkdom for me :)
 
oh! meant to add - RuthIE, did you ever hear the story of how D~ & I "met" ???

She had posted in the Disboutiquer's thread that she was looking for an Oliver + S pattern that was out of print and could people keep an eye out for her . . .

A couple of months go by and I was headed with my family to visit the IL's in Montana . . . and we were flying through the Minneapolis airport and suddenly found ourselves quite possibly delayed there for 24hrs. I posted on Facebook and got D's attention that we could possibly have a DISMeet opportunity on our hands. . .
Sadly, seats opened up and we had to continue on to Montana on our regularly scheduled flight . . .

But while I was in Missoula (having a fairly rotten time), I convinced MIL to take me to a fabric store I'd heard about . . .and guess what they had?!?!? Oliver + S patterns! A texting frenzy ensued and I picked up BOTH of the patterns D~ was looking for, with plans to mail them to her when I got back to Charlotte.

Flying back to Charlotte we flew via Minneapolis again and I jokingly said to DH, "If they ask for volunteers, we're jumping at the chance" . . . and guess what? THEY DID! And we ended up being the ONLY people to get to volunteer to give up our seats (they only needed 4 seats and I was first in line to volunteer). The boys & I were fine clothing wise because our stuff was in our two carry-on size suitcases, but DH had packed his stuff in with all the dirty clothes in our checked bag . . .

I texted D~ to see if she might want to get her patterns in person so she and her friend drove to our hotel to meet us :) They then volunteered to take me to Target to get DH a couple of things . . .

And the rest is history :)
 
I know - it's a bit late in the day for me to be trying to catch up... but if I don't do it now, it may not get done - and I would hate for that to happen.

Quick drive by...I love the organization of the addition of the dining info...but alas, that would not work for us...We only use 3 CS credits for lunch for the 4 of us... (at least 99% of the time)

The kids and I split 2 CS meals and are more than full at the end of the meal. So we use our 'extra' credits for breakfast a couple of days during the trip.

(please don't tell this part) Last trip, my daughter and her husband stayed off property and did not have the dining plan...we actually 'gave' them some of our unused credits on the last day of the trip! Not something I would normally do, but we usually would use the extras for our breakfast (and snacks) on our way home...but last trip we had a breakfast ADR at O'Hana's and knew we would not be using them... They went to a park the last day and we did not.... And I knew they would not be charging on my card...so I felt safe in that part....LOL

Nini

I would never tell - what ever works for you.

I think it's great that the kids help keep track though. My girls (and I - for that matter) don't give it a second thought. Since I have it all budgeted out, we don't have to worry about it.

I've been missing for a few days and right off the bat, you make me cry!! I seriously had to keep wiping my eyes in order to continue reading! What a beautiful sentiment about friendship. I find it amazing as well that I feel such a bond with people I've never met. The fact that when any of you hurt, I hurt and when any of you are celebrating joy, I feel that joy for you just blows me away. My DH even asks how so and so is doing since I read him some of the posts. Thank you for expressing so eloquently what (I think) we all feel. I have always thought friends are God's special blessings to us.

Awww... Lois... You are an amazing person! RuthIE was telling me, the other day, what a wonderful friend you have been to her - and it didn't surprise me at all. :grouphug:

It is amazing, how people who have never met, can form such good frienships. :flower3:

Congrats on the great news for Allie! Being eager to learn is priceless and I'm so glad she'll get the opportunity to advance her learning in a big way. You may not have been like that in high school yourself, but you and Josh have laid the foundation for hard work and integrity for her to follow. That's a true gift!

I am a bit nervous for her... but I know she can do it. She has that dedication in her - something I never had at her age.

Thank you for saying that - it means a lot - I am so very proud of my girls. I was probably the most proud the other night at conferences when each teacher (and the principal - the one who was helping out with Allison's missing jacket) told me how wonderful Allison is and how much they truly enjoy having her in their class. Now I don't mean to be bias - but WOW... I mean, I truly enjoy spending time with both of the girls - but to have other adults say that same thing - it really threw me right up to cloud 9! ::yes::

I do love your planning pages. I don't have photoshop or any of those programs. At least I don't think I do. I have a Mac and I'm sure it does a lot more than I know.

Thank you... I love doing them... It's all part of my "trip process" to get me in the mood. :) I've been fiddling with PHotoshop for years, and slowly picking up on little things... I know there is soooo much more than I can even begin to know how to do.

I'm glad you were able to get a lot done on your current bag. Hoping to see photos soon. Love that one of your bags was ordered by a dad for his DD! That is so special.

Thanks! I love that part too. :thumbsup2

I know there was more I wanted to comment on, but can't remember now. Oh, you asked what my diet restrictions are. I can't have anything dairy. I can't have eggs. I can't have anything with gluten; wheat, barley, smelt (?), pretty much any grain except oats. And I can't have pasta or white potatoes, bananas, pineapple or almonds. Yeah, pretty much everything. But I can have lots of veggies and lean meats, so that's good. I also got rid of all my teflon cookware (a really hard thing to do since I loved it!!) and am now cooking on ceramic coated or stainless steel. I also rarely use my microwave any more as that absolutely kills all the nutrients in the food. I'm not absorbing the protein properly and my dr said no microwave
Aren't you glad you asked??

I can't imagine how hard that must be to find something with out those items in... You must really have to eat clean. I try to - but I just can't imagine having to have those limits. :flower3:

OK - what you said about the microwave makes sense, and I've always wondered about that. I may have to rethink my attachment to it. :badpc:

i hope you get some good flight prices soon. That's always such a hit or miss proposition. I wish they would just pick a number and stick to it! Have a great day today and a fabulous weekend!

Me too... I've started to search every day... I know I need to get them soon for my peace of mind. I always feel so much better when A) I have my flights booked and B) When my trip is paid off. ::yes::

your post about friendship has been on my mind & on my heart
It was the catalyst for much reflection on my life and thoughts the past few days

I have heard this from a few people over the last few days. I have a lot of time to ponder my life when I am sewing - it's not often that I play music or anything, I just sit there and ponder my feelings... And friendship has been on my mind a lot lately.

Who really knows why we become the people we become ? Not the nature/
nuture discussion but why some people when hurt by others either strike out withdraw or keep their heart open I have a lot of love in me I have been hurt by people that take advantage of that but I keep trusting and praying

I am much the same way Ruthie - I am one of those that trusts, trusts, trusts... but the minute someone does something to violate that - I never trust them again. It's been proven time and time again.

I am just glad we are friends and it was so great talking to you the other day... I am doing better understanding your accent. :thumbsup2 That's good, right? Considering I am horrible with accents.

The people in my life are family that includes all of you
Oh some of us won't bond we'll be more like the 3rd cousins you sometimes see at
weddings and funerals make small talk promise to keep in touch &
never do

LOL This is so true...

You care about the person but don't have that connection
Then there are others its hard to explain it and maybe
shouldn't even be analyzed I believe we are put into
each others lives for a reason To teach each other to learn from
each other to help each other in this world

Yes! I am a firm believer in this too... I so believe that every person is put into our lives for a reason... It may not be the reason we first believe, but each relationship we have the opportunity to learn and grow. We can have a very bad relationship with someone, but if we learn something from it and use it to protect ourselves in the future - it's not totally in vain. Right?

Am I not a perfect example of that theory ? I was
initially led to D's ptr by doing a word search for Lady & the Tramp
I never searched for anything on Dis before & I've been here for
years Search on eBay yes but never here Why did I do that ?


There are NO coincidences in life..none I call it Gods
hand, others may call it fate or destiny

You are the perfect example of fate... There is no other way we could have found eachother... :grouphug:

The bonding over Disney is the initial common thread
but who we are, our true selves, is what makes us family

Have a blessed day

Ruthie

Yes - we all are family Ruthie... For sure. Thank you for such a wonderful and insightful post... Thank you for being such a great friend Ruthie - the girls and I are looking sooo forward to meeting you in August!

Your post really has me thinking again about some of the friendships in my life that were on the fringe of not being so great, and really has me reanalyzing them... If I learned something, then I am a better person for it...

I've been waiting for days to hear from you Lois &
beside myself with concern then we are posting pretty
much same time I saw your post after I hit submit reply

see D what the REAL purpose of your ptr is ?
:hug:

LOL Glad you got to see that Lois is still around... We'd hunt her down eventually. :moped:

I love the main calendar and the park days...awesome job, D.

Thanks Kathy! I love doing them. I feel like every one I do is the exact same though - because we always want to do the same things over + add new stuff... There's a reason why our trip duration always increases.

Hope you get all accomplished that you want to on this sunny Friday.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks - I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

I love all of the calendar pages you made! I wish I had the time to put stuff like that together. All of my planning is done in a boring spreadsheet.

Looking forward to seeing your latest bag and also whatever you create for the next auction.

Thanks Ariana! It's so nice to see you back and hopefully you'll be able to start your next PTR soon.

this is adorable but way to small for us :) I do love the colors though

Thanks! I agree - it's way too small for me too, LOL! But there are people that love it, and it's great for kids. :thumbsup2

Oh MY! I cannot let Miss B see this! I cannot let Miss B see this! I cannot let miss b see this! Oh my!

LOL

Such a cute little bag! Too small for me but it looks perfect for a little girl.

Thanks! YOu are right, it is perfect for a little girl.

I did a PowerPoint slideshow that was kinda planner-ish just to give to Dani last year. But I use my spreadsheets uploaded to my phone for all my conf #s and park hours, crowd levels, etc. I use a website and app called ThinkFree Office. I can upload an excel spreadsheet to the website and it appears on my phone app. I can see the whole thing, I can edit it and I can download it (so I am not using wifi in the parks because we all know how slow that can be).

That is an excellent idea... I am not sure that I am ready to go all digital with all my planning stuff yet though. Although - I do love that the new Rapunzel bathroom area has plug-ins for guests to use... That was an excellent and needed thing - however I am not sure that 4 plug-ins are going to be enough for thousands of guests every day... :scratchin

So....have you bought any fun summer essentials yet (ponchos, fans etc)

Well... I thought you were bringing me your fans - LOL - but now that you are going at the same time... I better head to Walmart to see if I can find some of my own. :thumbsup2 We plan to reuse our Mickey ponchos from the last trip.

What I really need to stock up on are tank tops for the girls and I... I got them a bunch at Hollister last month, but I will need some new ones. And unfortunately - I will need shorts this year too... :crazy2:

And I love the little bags. I would carry that if I didn't have Bradey. It is the perfect "everyday" size for me. When you posted this one to FB, I saw the Minnie one you did back in July. How did I miss that one?? So cute! I just love the interior fabric of that one with Mickey and Minnie kissing! This one is cute too, I guess I'm just not a peace sign kinda girl. But I just know the recipient will love it!

The Minnie one is actually Nini's... That's one of my favorites. So many people comment on that one.

Love the bag, D...and purple is my favorite color too (smart girl).

Thanks Kathy!

Love the latest bag/wallet!! I know it's going to make one little girl happy! That peace sign takes me right back to the late 60's/early 70's. I had peace signs everywhere and even wore a wooden necklace peace sign. Yep, I was a mild mannered hippie complete with long hair! Peace out!

Thanks Lois... LOL - now that creates an interesting visual. :scratchin

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

I don't have too much to update from yesterday...

I forgot to tell you all... When I went in to work on Thursday, I guess all of my co-workers had a "Welcome back" party for me on Wednesday. :confused3 Then I remembered, I was initally on the schedule for Wednesday, but I switched with someone for Thursday... So, they had a party for me - but I wasn't there. :rotfl2: The people that arranged it were a little annoyed that no one saved any cupcakes for me - LOL... But that's OK - it was still very nice of them, and it gave me nice warm fuzzies. :grouphug:

I stopped at Target yesterday morning too... I wanted to cash in one more time on that spend $40 get $10 off deal... I purchased a TON more cleaning supplies... My total upon check out was $88.81, and the total I paid was $37.62, a savings of 42%. I was happy with it.

Then I rushed home to finish my bag set... I was hoping to get it in the mail yesterday, but our mail person came early... So it went out in today's mail.

I'll save telling you all about today until tomorrow - otherwise I will have nothing to write about then. :rotfl2:

Have a great evening everyone!

D~
 


Well... I thought you were bringing me your fans - LOL - but now that you are going at the same time... I better head to Walmart to see if I can find some of my own. :thumbsup2 We plan to reuse our Mickey ponchos from the last trip.

What I really need to stock up on are tank tops for the girls and I... I got them a bunch at Hollister last month, but I will need some new ones. And unfortunately - I will need shorts this year too...

Oh, you can still have my fans...we didn't really use them last year. I might keep one for Bradey to entertain himself with while in line or waiting for buses. But I have 4. So I still plan to give you the other three :flower3:

Do you and your girls know about LLBean? It is a big thing here in Maine because they are based here. But I'm not sure how big it is across the country. Anyway...I bought a whole bunch of their "BeanSport Tees" for my July trip and they were a LIFESAVER! I now have 7 of them and plan to get a bunch more for this year's trip. I couldn't believe how much better they felt than regular cotton. They are performance wear....work out tops essentially, but they look nice. And I have a big belly...kinda apple shaped I guess....but I have never been able to wear the moisture-wicking stuff before because they always fit so tight. These are great.
Something to look into instead of tanks. You will sweat a lot more this trip...it is just plain hot. But these will make your life so much better! I'm sure I will have a couple with me in May so you can see them. I live in them all summer!
 
We got back in Michigan late Thursday night from a great trip to WDW! We had a couple of cold days (at least cold for Florida) when a heavy coat would have been great! However it was sunny every day and we had SO much fun! Meeting RuthIE was a highlight for me and I'm sure we will be forever friends! Our "D" bags were a huge hit and we had many people comment on them.it was fun to show them off! We loved the French Quarter (room 5144), perfect location and a resort we will return to. We had so much super food and found a couple new favorites including Teppen Edo and Liberty tree (for lunch). Be Our Guest was really neat to see and the castle is outstanding! We're thinking of planning our next trip for October 2014!
Your comments on friendship are so true ! It's amazing to me to feel so close to this group of women I've never met!
D we took your idea for a Mini-planner and Carrie made one for our trip. What a great idea! Thank you!

I'm so glad you are feeling better!! Ruth
 
:wave2:

Just popping in to say hi!

Your friendship post (and then Ruthie's friendship post) was wonderful! :hug:

I LOVE the SSE and the PeaceMickey bags!!!! AW-SOME!!!!

And just WAIT til you go to that Walmart . . . I'm assuming, RuthIE, you're talking about the one near GKTW? If so, D~, get her to take you to the Target that's on the way back to the parks. . . Ginormous Disney section there too AND you can use your discount :)

Okay - back to lurkdom for me :)

:goodvibes
great to 'see' you loved hearing how you & D met how everything
lined yp perfectly see no coincidences

before I forget new email addy for me real easy this user id @gmail.com
please keep contact

Now refresh my pain racked brain Walmart GKTW what the heck is that
? I go to one 535 & polynesian isle few miles from Crossroads

don't even know where Target is near WDW almost afraid
to say it here but not a fan of Target
:rolleyes1 and to D-I beg your pardon but it is YOU that has the
accent I speak the Queens English perfectly so
fugeddaboutit youse guyse she lies


:cool2:

RuthIE
 


First, I want to make sure everyone sees this:

I posted it yesterday - but it was quickly buried.

Before I go... I wanted to post this question...

If you are going to be in WDW with us in August... And you're planning to do a Dismeet with us, can you look at my main calendar page to see if anything works with your schedule and post it for me?

I know I've talked to a few of you already about doing a Dismeet - but I have not written any of them down... So, now I am faced with trying to remember. So - if I've talked to you about this already, can you please remind me what we decided, or what we are going to try for. :rolleyes1

I want to add these to my Mini-planner pages before I forget again.

:surfweb:

D~

For those of you that have replied already... Kathy, Suzi and Ruthie... I've added you all to my planner pages. Before we leave - Kathy - I will need to make sure I have your cell # so that I can reach you. :thumbsup2

D~ I enjoyed reading your friendship post the other day. Your friends dad had some great advice to share with two young girls. Ruthie's thoughts were very nicely put.

Thank you Liz... Yes, he did have some great advice for us, we were very fortunate to have him. I hope that I can have the same effect on my girls.

Congrats to Alli for being placed in the advanced classes next year. I'm sure it will be a great experience for her but I can bet there is a ton of work involved. She is obviously up for the challenge (and her teachers know she is).

I sure hope so... It's going to be quite hard for her - but I know she can do it.


My mom and I tend to share a few CS meals and snack credits over the course of a week and we end up using them for breakfast on the last day too.

You know, this is one thing the girls and I never did - and I wonder if it would be an option for us... especially when we get towards the end and you just can't choke down anymore fast food... It would be nice to just share a meal.

Didn't someone make a page that had an entire list of all of their dining credits for the entire family and then crossed it off as they went??? That sounds like something that might work good for you .... or just use the summary on the receipts.

I think you might be referring to the one I made last year? I printed it off, but I never once used it, once I had my cheat sheet notations at the bottom of my mini-planner, I didn't need that.

Here's what it looked like:

PhotobucketGeurtsdiningchecklist.jpg



LOVE it. This is a perfect bag for the parks. The applique is done beautifully.

Thank you! :flower3:

My mom and I spent the morning looking at the album on your facebook page. She is a quilter and has lots of friends that quilt. I think her neck is broken from shaking her head in awe of your beautiful bags. She said you were so creative, artistic and skilled. It was fun to see all of your bags and AG outfits together. Such amazing work.

Awww... Thank you so much for telling me this... And please tell your mom "thank you" from me for all of her nice comments - that really means a lot to me.

Liz,

We make a game of it... the kids have to keep up with how many extra credits we have...once we have 'saved' up enough credits, they try and talk us into breakfast! LOL...

And I do use the receipts to keep track of how many we have used. (I do NOT rely on the kids to keep track! LOL)

Nini

LOL - I was wondering about that.

Oooh oooh....pick me...pick me!

LOL No worries Suzi... I've got you down.

D, I checked your calendar and we are at the Magic Kingdom together on the 22nd. This is the day we leave to go to a hotel on International Drive to go to Discovery Cove the next day before going to Marco Island. But we plan on being at the MK from EMH's in the a.m. until around 4 p.m. so hopefully we can figure something out closer to the time.

We will be there at RD for EMH too - so maybe we can meet up right away? We can definately plan when it's a bit closer. :thumbsup2

You & the girls will be amazed Ruth (restrasz) had eyes big
as dinner plates..barely got her out of the Disney aisles

LOL I can see this happening to all of us - LOL I sure hope we can go!

of course we have Chef Mickeys 27th & if this Aug is as hot
as last, I will probably be at BB before you 3 even wake up !

Yes, this reservation is all ready to go... I am really looking forward to it!

Do you go to BB often?

depending on my work/physical condition by then any place
any time good for me !

I hope you are feeling much better by August!

and Congratulations Ali keep up good work :-)

Ruthie

Thank you Ruthie - I will be sure to pass your comment on to her... As usual - it's great to see you! :grouphug:

What...I thought swearing was part of the sewing process. Or is that just me? If I don't have a good bout of at least four swear words in a row, I don't feel like the product is complete.

ROFL - I hate to say it - but I think it's just you... I don't normally swear too much when I am sewing.

I like the idea of a smaller bag, but in the park a bigger one is necessary for the H2O bottle. And the sunscreen. And the point and shoot camera. and the band aids - well, they'd fit in a smaller one. And anything that DH needs, but can't make fit in the JVC bag or the poncho bag. Must have magic ponchos...they keep the rain away.

I agree... That particual bag would be too small for me - but for some people, it is just the right size. I would fit most of those items that you mentioned - but it would be a tight squeeze. That's the same size bag that I usually carry for a day at our local amusement park, and it does the trick for that.

Good Job Ali! High School can sometimes be a tough adjustment.

I agree - we are so proud of her!

Just popping in to say hi!

MARIANNE!!!! It's so great to see you here!!! I have missed you on The Dis!

Your friendship post (and then Ruthie's friendship post) was wonderful!

Thank you! That really means a lot to me!

I LOVE the SSE and the PeaceMickey bags!!!! AW-SOME!!!!

Thanks!

And just WAIT til you go to that Walmart . . . I'm assuming, RuthIE, you're talking about the one near GKTW? If so, D~, get her to take you to the Target that's on the way back to the parks. . . Ginormous Disney section there too AND you can use your discount

Okay - back to lurkdom for me

You are right - I do love my Target stores...

oh! meant to add - RuthIE, did you ever hear the story of how D~ & I "met" ???

She had posted in the Disboutiquer's thread that she was looking for an Oliver + S pattern that was out of print and could people keep an eye out for her . . .

A couple of months go by and I was headed with my family to visit the IL's in Montana . . . and we were flying through the Minneapolis airport and suddenly found ourselves quite possibly delayed there for 24hrs. I posted on Facebook and got D's attention that we could possibly have a DISMeet opportunity on our hands. . .
Sadly, seats opened up and we had to continue on to Montana on our regularly scheduled flight . . .

But while I was in Missoula (having a fairly rotten time), I convinced MIL to take me to a fabric store I'd heard about . . .and guess what they had?!?!? Oliver + S patterns! A texting frenzy ensued and I picked up BOTH of the patterns D~ was looking for, with plans to mail them to her when I got back to Charlotte.

Flying back to Charlotte we flew via Minneapolis again and I jokingly said to DH, "If they ask for volunteers, we're jumping at the chance" . . . and guess what? THEY DID! And we ended up being the ONLY people to get to volunteer to give up our seats (they only needed 4 seats and I was first in line to volunteer). The boys & I were fine clothing wise because our stuff was in our two carry-on size suitcases, but DH had packed his stuff in with all the dirty clothes in our checked bag . . .

I texted D~ to see if she might want to get her patterns in person so she and her friend drove to our hotel to meet us They then volunteered to take me to Target to get DH a couple of things . . .

And the rest is history

Yes - this is such an amazing story! Then, the following summer (2012), I flew out to Charlotte - my first ever solo flight - and stayed with Marianne and her family at their house for 4 days... I met sooo many of my Disboard sewing friends. It was a lot of fun! Maybe some day I will finish that part of my TR? Marianne's boys are just adorable. ::yes::

Oh, you can still have my fans...we didn't really use them last year. I might keep one for Bradey to entertain himself with while in line or waiting for buses. But I have 4. So I still plan to give you the other three

Awww... Thanks Suzi! Do you think we really need 3 of them? I don't like to pack too heavy - do you think that 1 or 2 would do the trick?

Do you and your girls know about LLBean? It is a big thing here in Maine because they are based here. But I'm not sure how big it is across the country. Anyway...I bought a whole bunch of their "BeanSport Tees" for my July trip and they were a LIFESAVER! I now have 7 of them and plan to get a bunch more for this year's trip. I couldn't believe how much better they felt than regular cotton. They are performance wear....work out tops essentially, but they look nice. And I have a big belly...kinda apple shaped I guess....but I have never been able to wear the moisture-wicking stuff before because they always fit so tight. These are great.
Something to look into instead of tanks. You will sweat a lot more this trip...it is just plain hot. But these will make your life so much better! I'm sure I will have a couple with me in May so you can see them. I live in them all summer!

Yes - we love LLBean... I don't shop there as often as I would like, but I have never had a purchase from them that I didn't love. I did look on their website last night, and I found them... I sure hope they come out with more colors... Right now they only have a light blue, light purple, white and black... Personally - I am hoping for more "Disney" colors... I'd love a royal blue and red for sure... I am going to continue to watch them. Do you happen to have an outlet near you? If so... I'd be happy to send you some $$ if you'd be willing to do some shopping for me. :scratchin

We got back in Michigan late Thursday night from a great trip to WDW!

Welcome home Ruth!!! Thanks for stopping by to check in.

We had a couple of cold days (at least cold for Florida) when a heavy coat would have been great! However it was sunny every day and we had SO much fun!

It sounds like you had a marvelous trip!

Meeting RuthIE was a highlight for me and I'm sure we will be forever friends!

Yay!!! I am so glad that you all got to meet... Did you take photos???? I'd love to see - if you did. :thumbsup2

Our "D" bags were a huge hit and we had many people comment on them.it was fun to show them off!

Awww... That is so cool! I actually had someone contact me on my facebook fan page, she said that she works for Disney and you gave her my contact info... That is so cool - thank you for doing that. :flower3:

We loved the French Quarter (room 5144), perfect location and a resort we will return to.

According to my map, you faced the same courtyard we did... Wasn't that just the most wonderful location ever? You practically fall out your front door and everything is right there. I love that resort and I hope to stay there again.

We had so much super food and found a couple new favorites including Teppen Edo and Liberty tree (for lunch). Be Our Guest was really neat to see and the castle is outstanding! We're thinking of planning our next trip for October 2014!

We have never eaten at Teppen Edo... But Liberty Tree for lunch is a must do for us... We just love their pasta! We are very much looking forward to eating at Be our Guest too.


Your comments on friendship are so true ! It's amazing to me to feel so close to this group of women I've never met!

Thank you Ruth - I completely agree... I am very fortunate to have so many great friends in my life - both here and IRL.


D we took your idea for a Mini-planner and Carrie made one for our trip. What a great idea! Thank you!

Yay!!! Isn't that just the perfect size? I love how it fits so perfectly in the UPB, and it's sort of water proof.

I'm so glad you are feeling better!! Ruth

Thank you! So am I! Now, if I could just get rid of this kink in my neck... :scratchin

great to 'see' you loved hearing how you & D met how everything
lined yp perfectly see no coincidences

I agree, there are no coincidences...

before I forget new email addy for me real easy this user id @gmail.com
please keep contact

Thanks for letting me know... that's rigth - I was supposd to send you mine... I'll try to remember to do that today - I don't have my phone right next to me at the moment.

Now refresh my pain racked brain Walmart GKTW what the heck is that
? I go to one 535 & polynesian isle few miles from Crossroads

GKTW is Give Kids The World - it's the resort that the Wish families get to stay at. I am not sure where it is located though.

don't even know where Target is near WDW almost afraid
to say it here but not a fan of Target

I have heard, that the further away you get from Target's headquarters (Ahem - Minneapolis) - the worse the Targets get. So, I would have to guess that the Targets in FL aren't as nice as the Targets in MN? I dunno, Marianne - you have been to both - what do you think?

and to D-I beg your pardon but it is YOU that has the
accent I speak the Queens English perfectly so
fugeddaboutit youse guyse she lies

ROFL! If you were to say that to me in real life - I probably wouldn't understand a word of it, and the polite Minnesotan I am - I'd just "smile & nod" :rotfl2:

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Yesterday - I ran to town, yet again. :crazy2: I splurged and purchased Wreck it Ralph... I'd heard such good things about that movie, so I thought we'd watch it last night.

Then, I came home and went to work on my auction bag. I was able to get it partially quilted. I hope to get the rest of it quilted today. This is a bag that I had a dream about almost a year ago... It's gone through many changes since then, because I just coulnd't decide how I wanted to do it. I'd almost forgotten about it completely, when Mo gave me a similar idea... So I brought it back and decided to do it for March's auction. I drew out the applique yesterday, and I hope it goes together like my mind wants it to. It's going to be a little intense - I am afraid... But hopefully it will turn out to be a fun bag. ::yes::

This weeks order also promises to be fun - it is one of my favorite themes to work on, so much so - that I really wanted a similar bag for myself on our last trip - but I ran out of time to make it... I hope to have the time to do one for our trip in August.

Last night, Josh made home made sloppy joes for dinner - they are so good... I told him that he has to make them for the girls' grad parties in a few years. :stir:

Then we watched Wreck it Ralph... I had to chuckle a little bit, because when we all sat down to watch it... All of us in our respective reliners, reclined and covered with our blankets... I really wanted to take a photo for you all, because it was kind of comical - but I didn't want to get up and wreck the moment for the camera.

It was a great movie - we all enjoyed it. Definately NOT the best Disney movie ever, but it was good.

Well, I better get moving on my day... It's Sunday, so I have coupons to clip. :thumbsup2

I hope you all have the most wonderful day ever... :grouphug:

D~
 
Several weeks ago, remember how I told you all that Allison was taking Victoria on a photo shoot to celebrate her beautiful non-braces smile... Then I had to tell you all that the photo shoot of Victoria turned into a photoshoot of Alli, because "she looked good that day". :rolleyes1 Then I had to tell you that I had no idea what happened to the photos they took...

Well, I found them yesterday, and I uploaded them to PHotobucket before I "lost" them again...

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D~
 
Along with finding the above photos... I also found some others... :surfweb:

Now, my girls would probably KILL me if they knew I posted these photos...

But this is what happens when you leave my girls in a room with a camera for any length of time. :laughing: They are such goof-balls!

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Victoria starting to get bored... LOL

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Now, I only posted a few of these... Literally - I have about 200 various photos from this "photo shoot" on my computer. LOL

D~
 
love all the pictures. Can't wait to see your latest bags.

I enjoyed Wreck It Ralph too. I still need to watch Brave but we did family movie night with it on Friday.
 
I'm so far behind on your PTR, but I wanted to say I love that peace Mickey bag and the pics of the girls are precious!
 
First I have to say what great photos of your girls!! You're right, they would kill you if they found out. haha But what a great representation of their spontaneity and joy for life. I hope they never loose that.:goodvibes

I think you would be fine with two fans. I took two for the three of us in Sept of 2011 and it was fine. When it's just Dan and I, I just take one. I'm so jealous you get to meet RuthIE and that Walmart sounds awesome! I'm not usually a Walmart gal, but I'd make an exception for that one. ::yes::

I am seriously getting excited for YOUR trip! When you talk about eating a BOG, I can picture the three times we ate there in December and it was just so fabulous! I want to be there right now. And one of these trips you should try Teppan Edo. We really like it. There are just so many great places to try. Next trip we are going to Chef Mickey for the first time. Someone on here, don't know who it could be,:rolleyes1 but someone was pretty persistent in wanting everyone to try CM. So, I can't think of a trip to Disney and NOT eat there.

Oh, I love sloppy joes!! I can have them, but no bun. Don't know if it would be the same. I know what you mean about the microwave. I used it for lots of things. It's hard not to use it now. I bought some gluten free cookies that were about $4 for the box. I opened them last night and it had exactly 10 very small cookies in it!:faint: Won't be buying those again!

I can't wait to see your auction item. You have me intrigued now. I don't remember if I said what my latest project was, but I made 2 dresses and hats of my MIL's goose. She didn't have a St. Patricks day outfit or an Easter outfit, so I copied the ones she had and made them for her. With a name like McGurk, she has to have a St. Pat's dress!! I'm also working on a Big Give item which won't take too long to finish. I'm loving my new machine!

I love to hear how you've met people. That story with Maryann could not be made up. Seems as though it was meant to be. And I enjoyed hearing about your Dis-meet in NC last year. You proved to yourself you could fly all by your onesie and live to tell about it. I love seeing people conquer their fears. :cheer2:

Hope you're having a great day today. We are watching church on our computer. It's our son's church which we love but live too far away to attend. They do a live feed so once in a while we "go" to that church. It's awesome! Then we are going to a movie and later tonight a concert at a church downtown with friends. I'm hoping to get down to the sewing room a bit in between.
 

Hi D, So here is our schedule. Our Epcot days match (we don't have any TS that day, we are eating around the world.) I honestly think it is just going to be a long day and we won't break since it is our only day at Epcot. So we are totally flex. Also we will be at the same resort so I've indicated possible days we might be able to meet up with you. And I'd LOVE to meet anyone else there at the same time if our schedules match! Especially if you are at the resort. Some days I plan to have V in bed earlier so you can always come later at night too after she's asleep. I have to stay nearby of course... If anyone else wants to meet up, PM me!

Tues Aug 20 - Ohana at 11 with V's parents, Check In, Typhoon Lagoon. I hope to be back at the resort by 6 and do dinner and then have V in bed by 8 at the latest. So we might be able to meet up after you guys get back from AK.

Wed Aug 21 - Magic Kingdom. I don't know if we are breaking this day. I doubt we will. we will be there early for BBB at 8:30 and CRT at 5:15 for dinner. We plan to stay and see Wishes.

Thurs Aug 22 - Animal Kingdom. I booked Tusker house for 8:15 am otherwise we are open. and we will be at the resort in the evening from probably 6:30 ish onwards.

Fri Aug 23 - Hollywood Studios. We have reservations for Hollywood & Vine at 8 am and 50's at 6:20. I'm not sure if we will see fantasmic or not or if we will break. We saw fantasmic last year and it wasn't a highlight for us. we did the package and by the time we got there our seats were bad and it was so full (it was july) V was scared, so I'm going to let her decide. I'd like to see it, since I have a hard time not seeing everything but it's not a huge deal if we don't. and we missed a fair bit last time. If we do break and you happen to be at the resort (that's doubtful tho) than possibly.

Saturday Aug 24. This is our off day (ha!) we will sleep in, to to POR pool in the AM for just a little while then head to DTD for a little bit and lunch. take the boat back to POFQ and V can go in the pool there for a couple hours. She is dying for this pool! The concession for booking POR over POFQ was then she'd get the pool for at least 2 hours lol. Then boat back to POR and get ready for dinner 445 at Park Fare. This will be an earlier night too. V must be in bed by 8 I am hoping for earlier we will be up super early the next day. (unlikely that we would see you this day)

Sunday Aug 25th - MK- At the parks super early. We are doing the family magic tour that morning. We have dinner at BOG for 455 and V wants to do the dessert party. Unlikely that we will see you this day as if we do break you'll be at the waterpark.

Monday Aug 26th Epcot. I am pretty sure we will stay for illuminations. We don't have any reservations booked for this day so we are pretty wide open.

Tues Aug 27th - our last day - Magic Kingdom we have 8:15 at Park Fare and then will be headed to the park to stalk Mary Poppins. and hopefully just spend the day getting in everything we weren't able to get in. We will end our day with a 5 pm dinner at Chef Mickeys. V's parents will be meeting us at the Contemporary. I'm going to say 7 pm (I hope! to allow for them being behind). They will drive to POR and get V's Suitcase and say good bye.

I'm not entirely sure what I am doing this night. I will be flying home the next day so we could maybe meet up that night since it is your off day, if you don't have other plans. I don't know what I am doing as far as where I will be spending the night. It's easier to just stay at POR BUT I can't really justify spending an extra $100 just for me, to sleep in a room. I will likely take a cab (if disney can't transfer my luggage for me) to POP or AOA for a 1 night room only. I will fly home on the 28th. the flight will be midday I think.

So that's our schedule in a nutshell! Epcot day will work for sure. but if something else works better that would be great too.
 
Love the pictures of the girls...they are both so beautiful, braces or not :flower3:

No, you definitely don't need three fans...I was just going to let you pick which ones you wanted. I have one that sprays water and two just regular....they all have little carabiner clips so they are easy to tote along.

Do I have a LLBean outlet near me??? Oh yes my dear. I have a couple outlets close by, but I would rather go to the flagship store in Freeport. I just love shopping in Freeport, so I will take any excuse to go there...lots of upscale outlets! But, I want to caution you, I was just reading the reviews on this years BeanSport tees and it seems that they have changed them a lot. Different neckline, looser fit...I will have to try them and let you know how bad they are. As for colors...I would just get them all...the light blue is good for Donald...the light purple would be a Daisy-ish look. And the black and white just go with anything. The black was not too hot at all. I am going to get at least one more black one for this year.
 
Aloha! I was finally able to get my ADRs made and got my first choices for each day, including BOG. We're going to do the dessert party one night but I can't make that reservation until August.

It's great news about Alli' s schedule for next year. My three older kids all took honors or AP classes in high school. My youngest did not do well her first two years, mainly because she didn't think she could measure up to her older brother. She finally decided that she should be allowed to take AP English in 11th grade, so I agreed to let her try. I think she even surprised herself by making the honor role that year. She was recommended by her English teacher for the yearbook class in 12th grade and also took AP English that year. All she needed was the knowledge that we believed in her.
 
We watched Wreck it Ralph yesterday and the kids really enjoyed it. I loved all the references to past games I used to play. :rotfl2: Did you happen to pause the movie at anytime? :rolleyes1

Great pictures of the girls. Both the good one's and the fun one's.
 
love all the pictures. Can't wait to see your latest bags.

I enjoyed Wreck It Ralph too. I still need to watch Brave but we did family movie night with it on Friday.

Thanks Chiara! How have you been feeling?

We didn't like Brave all that much. :confused3 I know that people just raved about it, but we like the "classic Disney princess" storylines - where they fall in love and live happily ever after... So, Brave just does not rank in our top anything.

We loved Wreck it Ralph though... V watched it again yesterday.

I'm so far behind on your PTR, but I wanted to say I love that peace Mickey bag and the pics of the girls are precious!

Hi Christine!!! No worries about being behind - it happens. Glad you stopped by though - it's great to see you.

First I have to say what great photos of your girls!! You're right, they would kill you if they found out. haha But what a great representation of their spontaneity and joy for life. I hope they never loose that.

LOL - I know... But those pictures just cracked me up - they totally show their personalities... All we were missing was a good sisterly fight. popcorn::

I think you would be fine with two fans. I took two for the three of us in Sept of 2011 and it was fine. When it's just Dan and I, I just take one. I'm so jealous you get to meet RuthIE and that Walmart sounds awesome! I'm not usually a Walmart gal, but I'd make an exception for that one.

I am thinking that 2 fans will be just fine too. I am very excited to meet everyone I am meeting so far... Suzi, Erin, Kathy, Ruthie... I hope I am not missing anyone...

I am seriously getting excited for YOUR trip! When you talk about eating a BOG, I can picture the three times we ate there in December and it was just so fabulous! I want to be there right now. And one of these trips you should try Teppan Edo. We really like it. There are just so many great places to try. Next trip we are going to Chef Mickey for the first time. Someone on here, don't know who it could be, but someone was pretty persistent in wanting everyone to try CM. So, I can't think of a trip to Disney and NOT eat there.

I can't believe you ate at BoG 3 times!!! WOW!!! That's awesome... I know we should try Teppan Edo - but I am not sure I can talk the girls into that one... Maybe once they are older.

LOL about Chef Mickey's... I can't imagine who you are talking about? :rolleyes1

Oh, I love sloppy joes!! I can have them, but no bun. Don't know if it would be the same. I know what you mean about the microwave. I used it for lots of things. It's hard not to use it now. I bought some gluten free cookies that were about $4 for the box. I opened them last night and it had exactly 10 very small cookies in it! Won't be buying those again!

Yikes about the cookies... I hate it when companies do that to you... and even worse when you don't have much of a choice.

I can't wait to see your auction item. You have me intrigued now. I don't remember if I said what my latest project was, but I made 2 dresses and hats of my MIL's goose. She didn't have a St. Patricks day outfit or an Easter outfit, so I copied the ones she had and made them for her. With a name like McGurk, she has to have a St. Pat's dress!! I'm also working on a Big Give item which won't take too long to finish. I'm loving my new machine!

Did you post the goose outfits? I have not been over to the Disbou thread in a few days... Glad you love your new machine. :lovestruc

I love to hear how you've met people. That story with Maryann could not be made up. Seems as though it was meant to be. And I enjoyed hearing about your Dis-meet in NC last year. You proved to yourself you could fly all by your onesie and live to tell about it. I love seeing people conquer their fears.

I know - Marianne was definately fate, with a bit of airline intervention - of course. I loved going out to NC to meet her and her family again... I hope to do it again some day. And now I feel like an "old pro"... I've flown over the ocean, flown with the girls and taken a vacation on our own, and I've flown all by myself - all in the span of a year... Considering that I didn't take my first flight until I was 23, that's pretty good.

Hope you're having a great day today. We are watching church on our computer. It's our son's church which we love but live too far away to attend. They do a live feed so once in a while we "go" to that church. It's awesome! Then we are going to a movie and later tonight a concert at a church downtown with friends. I'm hoping to get down to the sewing room a bit in between.

When I was little, we used to watch church on TV all the time... How cool that they do it by live feed. I hope you had a great night - it sounds like fun! And I hope you got down to your sewing room.

Hi D, So here is our schedule. Our Epcot days match (we don't have any TS that day, we are eating around the world.) I honestly think it is just going to be a long day and we won't break since it is our only day at Epcot. So we are totally flex. Also we will be at the same resort so I've indicated possible days we might be able to meet up with you. And I'd LOVE to meet anyone else there at the same time if our schedules match! Especially if you are at the resort. Some days I plan to have V in bed earlier so you can always come later at night too after she's asleep. I have to stay nearby of course... If anyone else wants to meet up, PM me!

Thanks Erin for taking the time to write this out for me! Our Epcot day is going to be a very long one as well - same for us - it's our only Epcot day. I was talking to Alli about it yesterday, and she was like... Pfft... I only want to ride a couple of rides... Soarin', Living with the Land, Turtle Talk with Crush, Mission Space, Test Track... LOL That's more than a "couple rides" and will likely take us a lot of the day. Thankfully - we probably won't be spending much time in WS - which kind of bums me out, but as much as we think it's cool, it's just not our thing.

Tues Aug 20 - Ohana at 11 with V's parents, Check In, Typhoon Lagoon. I hope to be back at the resort by 6 and do dinner and then have V in bed by 8 at the latest. So we might be able to meet up after you guys get back from AK.

Possibly... I am pretty sure there will be lots of nights of swimming for the girls - especially since we are pool view.

Wed Aug 21 - Magic Kingdom. I don't know if we are breaking this day. I doubt we will. we will be there early for BBB at 8:30 and CRT at 5:15 for dinner. We plan to stay and see Wishes.

Yah - this is going to be a full day for us too.

Thurs Aug 22 - Animal Kingdom. I booked Tusker house for 8:15 am otherwise we are open. and we will be at the resort in the evening from probably 6:30 ish onwards.

This is going to be an incredibly busy day for us... After dinner at CRT - we plan to stay at MK until close, this is our night to explore FLE.

Fri Aug 23 - Hollywood Studios. We have reservations for Hollywood & Vine at 8 am and 50's at 6:20. I'm not sure if we will see fantasmic or not or if we will break. We saw fantasmic last year and it wasn't a highlight for us. we did the package and by the time we got there our seats were bad and it was so full (it was july) V was scared, so I'm going to let her decide. I'd like to see it, since I have a hard time not seeing everything but it's not a huge deal if we don't. and we missed a fair bit last time. If we do break and you happen to be at the resort (that's doubtful tho) than possibly.

Will you have a cell phone when you come to the US? If so - we will exchange #s, and we can kind of text to keep eachother updated. This is our off day, and I am really trying to keep our days off as days off, with exception to skipping over to DTD.

Saturday Aug 24. This is our off day (ha!) we will sleep in, to to POR pool in the AM for just a little while then head to DTD for a little bit and lunch. take the boat back to POFQ and V can go in the pool there for a couple hours. She is dying for this pool! The concession for booking POR over POFQ was then she'd get the pool for at least 2 hours lol. Then boat back to POR and get ready for dinner 445 at Park Fare. This will be an earlier night too. V must be in bed by 8 I am hoping for earlier we will be up super early the next day. (unlikely that we would see you this day)

This will be a very full day for us too... Since it is our only DHS day... I am not sure if we will break. I am also not sure if we will see F!... We've only seen it once, and I am not sure if the girls remember that much about it? It's something I would enjoy seeing again, but since it's AM EMH this morning - I am not sure how late we will stay, unless we break in the afternoon.

Sunday Aug 25th - MK- At the parks super early. We are doing the family magic tour that morning. We have dinner at BOG for 455 and V wants to do the dessert party. Unlikely that we will see you this day as if we do break you'll be at the waterpark.

Yes, this is true... This will also be a full day for us...

Monday Aug 26th Epcot. I am pretty sure we will stay for illuminations. We don't have any reservations booked for this day so we are pretty wide open.

We will be at Epcot alllll day... We may break in the middle? But I am pretty sure we will be back for Illuminations, considering we have a day off the next day.

Tues Aug 27th - our last day - Magic Kingdom we have 8:15 at Park Fare and then will be headed to the park to stalk Mary Poppins. and hopefully just spend the day getting in everything we weren't able to get in. We will end our day with a 5 pm dinner at Chef Mickeys. V's parents will be meeting us at the Contemporary. I'm going to say 7 pm (I hope! to allow for them being behind). They will drive to POR and get V's Suitcase and say good bye.

I don't think we will see you this day either? Although we do have an ADR at CM... but it's much earlier.

I'm not entirely sure what I am doing this night. I will be flying home the next day so we could maybe meet up that night since it is your off day, if you don't have other plans. I don't know what I am doing as far as where I will be spending the night. It's easier to just stay at POR BUT I can't really justify spending an extra $100 just for me, to sleep in a room. I will likely take a cab (if disney can't transfer my luggage for me) to POP or AOA for a 1 night room only. I will fly home on the 28th. the flight will be midday I think.

I understand... I think we will be spending most of the day at the resort after we have brunch with Ruthie... I am going to have to insist that the girls have a "nap time" on our days off... I would never call it that to them - but they are going to have to take some time to rest, I don't want Alli getting sick again like last time - that was awful.

So that's our schedule in a nutshell! Epcot day will work for sure. but if something else works better that would be great too.

Cool - thanks for taking the time to write this out for me! :thumbsup2

Love the pictures of the girls...they are both so beautiful, braces or not

Awww... Thank you. I nearly cried when I found those pictures on the computer, because it's just such a wonderful representation of their relationship. Despite my best efforts (their entire lives) to make them the best of friends and not succeeding... They are slowly coming around. But let me tell you - when they fight... YIKES! I can't even get in the middle anymore to pull them apart, it's dangerous! :eek:

No, you definitely don't need three fans...I was just going to let you pick which ones you wanted. I have one that sprays water and two just regular....they all have little carabiner clips so they are easy to tote along.

Cool - these sound awesome!

Do I have a LLBean outlet near me??? Oh yes my dear. I have a couple outlets close by, but I would rather go to the flagship store in Freeport. I just love shopping in Freeport, so I will take any excuse to go there...lots of upscale outlets! But, I want to caution you, I was just reading the reviews on this years BeanSport tees and it seems that they have changed them a lot. Different neckline, looser fit...I will have to try them and let you know how bad they are. As for colors...I would just get them all...the light blue is good for Donald...the light purple would be a Daisy-ish look. And the black and white just go with anything. The black was not too hot at all. I am going to get at least one more black one for this year.

Yes, try them out and let me know... I would love to get a couple for our trip... I prefer V necks though - crew necks always feel like they are strangling me. Hopefully they are loose enough... I am hoping that Lands End comes out with modal tanks again... I LOVE my long sleeved modal tees I got this winter - that fabric is nice and light... And they do have some left over modal sleeveless tees from last year, but nothing yet for this year. I'd love to get a few if they ever bring them out.

Aloha! I was finally able to get my ADRs made and got my first choices for each day, including BOG. We're going to do the dessert party one night but I can't make that reservation until August.

Yay!!! So glad you got your ADRs!!!! How is Hawaii??? I am sure it's magnificant!

It's great news about Alli' s schedule for next year. My three older kids all took honors or AP classes in high school. My youngest did not do well her first two years, mainly because she didn't think she could measure up to her older brother. She finally decided that she should be allowed to take AP English in 11th grade, so I agreed to let her try. I think she even surprised herself by making the honor role that year. She was recommended by her English teacher for the yearbook class in 12th grade and also took AP English that year. All she needed was the knowledge that we believed in her.

Good for you... I agree - believing in someone really gives them the courage to succeed... It sounds like all of your children were lucky to have that from you and your DH.

We watched Wreck it Ralph yesterday and the kids really enjoyed it. I loved all the references to past games I used to play. Did you happen to pause the movie at anytime?

Great pictures of the girls. Both the good one's and the fun one's.

I loved the references too... It was such a fun movie! It didn't surprise me at all that it was directed by John Lasseter, he is just amazing! I did not pause the movie - but I did hear that if you did, there were Hidden Mickey's all over - which is cool.

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures. :lovestruc

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Yesterday did not turn out at all as I'd intended...

First of all... Josh wanted to go price dryers - ours is almost dead (we've limped it along for almost a year), and we were planning to purchase one with our tax refund. Josh wanted to buy a whole new washer/dryer set - but the frugal person I am, I can't justify purchasing a new washer just to purchase one - there is nothing wrong with ours - yet. Knock on wood. Josh also wanted to get something nicer than what we have... Well - I managed to talk him out of that too... Realistically - I want the same dryer that we have - the appliance place still carries the newer version of it - and we have had ours for almost 10 years, which is a pretty good run for a dryer... Considering I do several loads a day, and when the girls were younger, even more... We definately got our use out of it. And now that it's an "older model" - we can get it for a decent price. So, I think I've talked him into going that route.

When we came home, after much talk about what we'd like to do with our refund, we decided to sit down and rework our budget for the year. We stick to a pretty strict budget, but with Feb being such a nasty month for us - we need to get more $$ into savings...

So, when it comes right down to it - I am not going to have as much $$ out of our refund as I would have liked. The good thing, is now our trip is officially in the budget, but... It's still going to be tough to save up enough to pay it off on time. Because my hours at Target aren't what they used to be, and I've transferred a lot of my income to my bags, I need to contribute more to our budget from my bags. Which means - almost all of my custom orders will go straight to the budget - it's only fair... Honestly, I know how fortunate I am that I get to be here all day, every day and do what I love - the only way this is possible is because Josh goes to work every single day and works very hard. I am lucky and I know it. So, only my auctions will be going towards our trip... Which means, I really need to get my behind in gear and start working on my big auction for this spring/summer - our trip really hinges on it.

Which comes to... In all likelyhood, unless Disney comes to their senses... I may have to drop a couple days off of our trip... I don't want to do this - but it has always been part of the plan. Our trip HAS to stay under a certain amount - if that can't be done, then I need to make it happen - the only way to do that is to stay for less time. Yes, it sucks, but more importantly - we are very lucky that we get to go at all, and we should be happy about that. If we have to take off days, the first option to go will be the water parks... I know that this will not make the girls happy - but they are not willing to give up their park days either - and I feel in August it's important for them to have days off too... So that leaves the water parks. In the end - it will all come together, but we just have to wait to see what Disney does. We are still going - but they are only going to get so much $$ from us, so the release of their codes will depend on how long we get to stay. I went online last night and made the extra necessary ADRs we'd need if our trip changes, I was very happy to be able to snag the ones I wanted... Fortunately - our MK days would stay the same, so I did not have to change the hard ones (CP, CRT, LTT & BoG).

I plan to rework our trip schedule this morning, before I go up to my sewing room, to accomodate any of our changes. I will not post this new schedule until we know for sure what is going on - I don't want to confuse everyone.

Josh made an amazing dinner last night... NUM... Rib eyes, hashbrowns and corn... It was amazing!!! It's my favorite meal! OK, ok , one of my favorite meals - my problem is that I have too many favorites. :rolleyes1

Today - I will be starting my next custom order. On the side - I will be working on my auction bag as well... Custom orders always come first - but once I meet my daily benchmark, I can set it aside and work on the auction bag... Hopefully I will finish it by the end of the week, and I can move on to my big auciton bags this weekend.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today. :lovestruc

D~
 
I barely turned on my computer this weekend so I got behind again!

Great pictures of your girls!

I need to make a chart like yours for my Meal and Snack credits! I kept forgetting how many snacks I had left this last trip. I try to carry the latest receipt but I usually have a lot of receipts to dig through.

I wish Disney would let us know what is going on with the discounts for this summer/fall. For my Oct trip with DH, we want to stay at POR but that is relying on free dining. Now that it looks like they won't be offering free dining, I may need to switch us to a value. I really need to book soon and wish I had more information.
 
I have one more trip related dillema... If we have to take 2 days off of our trip, I am left with 2 extra TS meals that will be OOP...

I am thinking - it will be cheapest and easiest to do our CRT dinner OOP... Now the smart thing would be to swtich it to a breakfast meal, but that just won't work with our itinerary...

I've figured the price of this meal to be $71.83 per person (at the most expenive price point - even though we are going during value season on a week day - I'd rather this meal be cheaper than planned when we get there) - that price includes Tax and Gratuity, so the total for this meal would be $215.49. As most of you know - V is trying to earn $$ to pay for part of this meal, so that is not an issue...

I guess, my question is... I looked on Allears for the menu/price information - Does anyone know of anywhere that has more accurate price info, vs the vague Allears "the price varies by day of the week and season" - LOL I'd like to pinpoint this a little better.

D~
 

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