Sew much to do, sew little time - but it was worth it! New PTR link posted! ~~~~~~~~~

[churchpilot]

Thought I could just read along and not comment, but the more I read, the more I wanted to make a connection:

military husband: (mine is out of the Air Force) check
2 kids: check (mine are boys though)
love to sew: check
dog lover: check
recently lost best dog in the world: check
recently rescued two precious but over the top train wrecks: check
can't stay away from Disney: check

Dogs are for life for us, so we are taking the good with the bad. Ours are labradoodles with abandonment issues, but we are working through them. After losing our precious Casey I thought they would have to bury me with her, but life has gone on. I think of her every day though.

I am in for the ride on your trip report. You have a delightful writing style and a wonderful family. We were there in January and go back for 9 days starting May 18th and we can't wait. Thanks for sharing and spreading Pixie Dust. Oh---your bags are the bomb. I sew very well, but your work is an art....need one!!!!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Ok - so I took a picture of the girls' silhouettes from 2008 - which I consider to be an almost perfect shadow of them... Sorry they are in the frame - I didn't feel like taking them out (or off the wall) for the pic.

Victoria is on the left, Allison is on the right:

D~

Those are great! More realistic looking. Comparatively the recent ones necks look so thin. Looks like a personal style of the artist.

 

[mphalens]

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

I couldn't get over here to read all day . . . we just finally got home from soccer practice (and a pow wow with some parents/coaches about how to overturn the horrible commissioner who is running the program into the ground) and had dinner (crock pot chicken soft tacos - 3 frozen chicken breasts, 1 block of cream cheese, 1 can of black beans; drained, 1 can of rotel; drained - cook on high for 5 hrs, shred chicken with a fork, serve in soft taco shells = YUMMY) . . . .

But I'm loving your TR so much you've inspired me to skip the sewing for tonight, and take the laptop to bed with me and get another post up on my TR


The vet was so sweet to do the paw print of Ruf for you. And little MM is just cute, but you can tell he's "stinkin' cute", so no worries, I'll believe you when you say he's being rotten

SO cool you bumped into Liddy!!! And I can totally understand why V only gave you two bites of that Dole whip! I told you, orange & pineapple are my FAVORITE combo

ooh! AND, I totally had a great idea - you & i can do a moms/kids trip and then the girls can have built in cuteness kids on their trip

 

[mommy2mrb]

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

I couldn't get over here to read all day . . . we just finally got home from soccer practice (and a pow wow with some parents/coaches about how to overturn the horrible commissioner who is running the program into the ground) and had dinner (crock pot chicken soft tacos - 3 frozen chicken breasts, 1 block of cream cheese, 1 can of black beans; drained, 1 can of rotel; drained - cook on high for 5 hrs, shred chicken with a fork, serve in soft taco shells = YUMMY) . . . .

But I'm loving your TR so much you've inspired me to skip the sewing for tonight, and take the laptop to bed with me and get another post up on my TR


The vet was so sweet to do the paw print of Ruf for you. And little MM is just cute, but you can tell he's "stinkin' cute", so no worries, I'll believe you when you say he's being rotten

SO cool you bumped into Liddy!!! And I can totally understand why V only gave you two bites of that Dole whip! I told you, orange & pineapple are my FAVORITE combo

ooh! AND, I totally had a great idea - you & i can do a moms/kids trip and then the girls can have built in cuteness kids on their trip

good luck with the commisioner! I've had crock pot chicken tacos before they are yummy!

hey, Megan likes cuteness kids too...just saying


D~ the 2008 sillouettes do look more realistic...sure each of the artists have their own way about them...the one Megan and I did in DLR in 2010 is close but not perfect.

 

[cogero]

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

I couldn't get over here to read all day . . . we just finally got home from soccer practice (and a pow wow with some parents/coaches about how to overturn the horrible commissioner who is running the program into the ground) and had dinner (crock pot chicken soft tacos - 3 frozen chicken breasts, 1 block of cream cheese, 1 can of black beans; drained, 1 can of rotel; drained - cook on high for 5 hrs, shred chicken with a fork, serve in soft taco shells = YUMMY) . . . .

Ooh I need to try that.

I am spent. I didn't go to bed until late last night and I have been sewing my little heart out. I am almost done with Cs new Country skirt. I am not sure I like it though.

I need to finish it tomorrow. I am about 60% done. I am off to crash in a little bit.

 

[mphalens]

good luck with the commisioner! I've had crock pot chicken tacos before they are yummy!

hey, Megan likes cuteness kids too...just saying


D~ the 2008 sillouettes do look more realistic...sure each of the artists have their own way about them...the one Megan and I did in DLR in 2010 is close but not perfect.

OKAY Lisa - you and Megan want in on that trip too? Sounds good

Ooh I need to try that.

I am spent. I didn't go to bed until late last night and I have been sewing my little heart out. I am almost done with Cs new Country skirt. I am not sure I like it though.

I need to finish it tomorrow. I am about 60% done. I am off to crash in a little bit.

Chiara - they were super yummy! and all I did was dump them in the crock pot together. Mixing and shredding (with two forks) is done at the end when it's really easy.

 

[DMGeurts]

I"d be happy to try in May for you.

I might just take you up on that offer.

How sweet of your vet to do that for you guys! It is a great keepsake of your Rufus.

I agree.

Love the then and now pictures. We took your suggestion and got a couple of them too. Would have liked to have gotten more, but there is always the next trip. DH did duplicate 'start of the day' videos like our last trip.

That is awesome! I am glad you got some! I like that your dh did the 'start of the day' videos too. I should do more videos, my camera takes decent video, but I always forget.

I love the pictures at night, especially the castle with the different colours.

Great updates D~!

Thanks - I have a lot better night shots as our vacation goes on... I finally figured out which setting to use on my camera.

Thought I could just read along and not comment, but the more I read, the more I wanted to make a connection:

military husband: (mine is out of the Air Force) check
2 kids: check (mine are boys though)
love to sew: check
dog lover: check
recently lost best dog in the world: check
recently rescued two precious but over the top train wrecks: check
can't stay away from Disney: check

WELCOME!!! You're right - we do have a lot in common. I am so very sorry about the recent loss of your Casey. I wish that letting them go wasn't a part of owning a pet - because it's just awful.

Dogs are for life for us, so we are taking the good with the bad. Ours are labradoodles with abandonment issues, but we are working through them. After losing our precious Casey I thought they would have to bury me with her, but life has gone on. I think of her every day though.

I know what you mean, I think of Rufus all the time. That is so wonderful that you were able to adopt 2 dogs. I am sure with a loving family, they will be able to adjust and turn in to magnificant members of your family.

I am in for the ride on your trip report. You have a delightful writing style and a wonderful family. We were there in January and go back for 9 days starting May 18th and we can't wait. Thanks for sharing and spreading Pixie Dust. Oh---your bags are the bomb. I sew very well, but your work is an art....need one!!!!

Thank you, again. What do you have planned for your upcoming trip - I would love to hear about it.

Those are great! More realistic looking. Comparatively the recent ones necks look so thin. Looks like a personal style of the artist.

I totally agree. I don't think they are bad, by any means, and I agree that they are probably the style of the artist.

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

I couldn't get over here to read all day . . . we just finally got home from soccer practice (and a pow wow with some parents/coaches about how to overturn the horrible commissioner who is running the program into the ground) and had dinner (crock pot chicken soft tacos - 3 frozen chicken breasts, 1 block of cream cheese, 1 can of black beans; drained, 1 can of rotel; drained - cook on high for 5 hrs, shred chicken with a fork, serve in soft taco shells = YUMMY) . . . .

OMG!!! These sound heavenly! I am going to make these one day this week - I think I have everything to make them too, except the cream cheese. Do you wrap them in flour tortillas? They would be excellent with a side of rice and maybe some cheese on top - or don't you really need the cheese?

Seriously - I could put them in the crock pot all day, super easy!

But I'm loving your TR so much you've inspired me to skip the sewing for tonight, and take the laptop to bed with me and get another post up on my TR

Off to go in search of another update. Sorry I had to let you go abruptly last night... MM was sleeping soundly, but Alli came home from a prayer session with her youth group leader, and MM decided it was play time. Grrr... Wanted to get him into bed right away - it ended up being a sleepless night for all of us.

Note to self - put Max to bed sooner.

The vet was so sweet to do the paw print of Ruf for you. And little MM is just cute, but you can tell he's "stinkin' cute", so no worries, I'll believe you when you say he's being rotten

Yah, he's a turkey for sure.

And the paw print is amazing... I am so thrilled to have it.

SO cool you bumped into Liddy!!! And I can totally understand why V only gave you two bites of that Dole whip! I told you, orange & pineapple are my FAVORITE combo

It was awesome meeting Liddy and her family. The orange/pinapple combo was good - but I do like the vanilla/pinapple combo better.

ooh! AND, I totally had a great idea - you & i can do a moms/kids trip and then the girls can have built in cuteness kids on their trip

That sounds good - let's plan it! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in. I think we should plan it for fall 2013 (preferably for Halloween)... I am half heartedly trying to save for another trip at that time. The sad part, is I just want to do it, so I can do another PTR... That was so much fun!

good luck with the commisioner! I've had crock pot chicken tacos before they are yummy!

hey, Megan likes cuteness kids too...just saying

We should all go!

D~ the 2008 sillouettes do look more realistic...sure each of the artists have their own way about them...the one Megan and I did in DLR in 2010 is close but not perfect.

Oh, I agree totally. I wasn't trying to say they were bad - they just seem a bit off.

Ooh I need to try that.

I am spent. I didn't go to bed until late last night and I have been sewing my little heart out. I am almost done with Cs new Country skirt. I am not sure I like it though.

I need to finish it tomorrow. I am about 60% done. I am off to crash in a little bit.

Can't wait to see the new skirt!

OKAY Lisa - you and Megan want in on that trip too? Sounds good

I agree, I think they should come too!

Grrr... I just don't know what to do! MM - I let him outside for 20 minutes, he doesn't do a darn thing... I let him in and he pees all over the kitchen floor. It's like he thinks he is supposed to pee in the house! I got up with him at 3am - I noticed that he had #2 in his kennel (I think Josh has it too big), so I took him out and cleaned out the kennel. While I was cleaning the kennel he did #2 again on my kitchen floor. I am not mad about it - I am just super irritated. He is not training at all, and I seriously need to figure out what we are doing wrong!

I've been working on editing our photopass pictures, I have a bunch... Over 1200 right now. Josh thinks I am nuts for adding all those borders, but the tightwad in me wants as many pictures as I can get for the $.

I am hoping to do my day 2 update before I got to work today.

D~

 

[cajunfan]

Are you letting him outside by himself? He may not know what he is supposed to do. I would take mine out on a leash (with treats in my pocket...mine would do anything for a treat) and walk him around the yard saying it was "time to potty' (our phrase...use what ever you guys say)... as soon as he pottied (either one) he got a treat and praise. It was a lot of work...especially in the rain...this one loved the rain! (I did not) But he learned quickly what "potty" meant.

I know you are probably just tired and frustrated and not looking for advice...but know that you are not the first person nor will you be the last to have to deal with this issue...you are not alone! Hang in there!

Loving the trip report! Now that my child is almost out of high school and I will be working at Disney again (hopefully permanent part time soon) I am so looking forward to planning a trip. It has been 4 years! I need a trip...but right now I am enjoying living Disney through your report. Thanks for sharing...oh did I mention that I love the pictures. So I totally understand the photopass pictures!

Lynn

 

[DMGeurts]

Are you letting him outside by himself? He may not know what he is supposed to do. I would take mine out on a leash (with treats in my pocket...mine would do anything for a treat) and walk him around the yard saying it was "time to potty' (our phrase...use what ever you guys say)... as soon as he pottied (either one) he got a treat and praise. It was a lot of work...especially in the rain...this one loved the rain! (I did not) But he learned quickly what "potty" meant.

I know you are probably just tired and frustrated and not looking for advice...but know that you are not the first person nor will you be the last to have to deal with this issue...you are not alone! Hang in there!

Loving the trip report! Now that my child is almost out of high school and I will be working at Disney again (hopefully permanent part time soon) I am so looking forward to planning a trip. It has been 4 years! I need a trip...but right now I am enjoying living Disney through your report. Thanks for sharing...oh did I mention that I love the pictures. So I totally understand the photopass pictures!

Lynn

Usually, we just let him "free roam" outside - and we follow along a bit behind him. But the last couple of days, he's taken to exploring where he probably shouldn't - so I've been trying to leash him - which hasn't been going well either, he has no idea what the leash means, or how to use it. LOL This is so much harder to get used to, because Ruf hadn't been on a leash or tie out in over 6 years (since we moved into this house) - he rarely left the yard on his own - the only time he was leashed is if we actually took him for a walk.

I have to work today - but then I am off of work for 4 days, while Josh is working. So, I am going to devote a lot of time to trying to get him potty trained. I hope. Maybe learning his name too.

I have been carrying puppy treats in my pocket, and I do reward him when he goes potty outside, but that's only been in the last day or so??? He sure likes getting treats though - LOL.

Maybe I am just too impatient???

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Oh and Lynn - I forgot to say... Congratulations on going back to work at Disney!!! I am super excited for you! Will you be doing a PTR then? I'd love to follow along if you do! You totally deserve a trip!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Wednesday, 3-7-2012

I woke early today, 5am... I went online for a little while - so very happy that POFQ had free wi-fi! At about 6am, I ran down to Sassagoula to refill our mugs for breakfast and order our first ever beignets. I just ordered a small order, because we'd never had them before, and I wasn't sure we'd like them. It took the CM a very long time to make them - they weren't quite set up all the way yet - so she gave us an extra beignet to make up for the wait.

At 7:30 we boarded the bus to MK.

Today, we were wearing the shirts that Marianne made for us! They were sooo cute - we also got lots of compliments on them.

While we were waiting in line for the CMs to let us into MK - we were chatting with another family... A set of grandparents with their grandprincess - the grandprincess was 6, but I mistook her for about 4... She was so cute! We asked her where she was from, and she replied "America" - LOL Then Grandma elaborated that they were from Indiana and this was the Grandprincess' first trip to WDW. She was asking us about our pins, so Victoria took 2 traders off of her lanyard and gave them to the little girl. We never saw them again - but we hope she got to meet lots of fun CMs while she was trading her first two pins.

I love the Train Station in the morning - the rising sun hits is just perfectly and it sparkles.

The CMs let us into the park promptly at 8am. As soon as we walked in under the bridge, we went straight to Guest Services to get our "Celebrate" pin to honor Rufus. I desperately wanted to make actual pins for each of us with Rufus' picture, but I didn't think about it until it was too late - so these would have to do. Many people asked us about Rufus over the course of the trip, it saddened them, but once we explained that we were celebrating his life and what he meant to our family - they felt the love.

On the way to CP - we snapped a few pictures on empty Main Street:

We even browsed some of the windows... This was probably my favorite item of the whole trip... I didn't get it though - I forgot to look for it when the store was actually open. Maybe next time...

I also thought these were fun - but totally not something I would ever have in my house...

At about 8:15, we checked in at CP for our 8:35 ADR - they gave us a beeper. We continued to take a few pictures in the area.

Our beeper went off at 8:30 - Whoot! Five minutes ahead of schedule! Our server was Vinnie - he was super nice!

Link to Day 2 Part B

D~

 

[NiniMorris]

How old is Mr Max? It could be that he is too young to completely understand....

One thing that helped our Mr Max understand...after two weeks, I started scolding him... not too harsh...just enough to let him know it was not appropriate! He LOVED his treats...so he decided treats was better than scolding!

I also think the leash until he goes is a great training aid. In the mornings, I would leash him until he went, and then take the leash off so he could play...we have a fenced in yard so it is not like he could go any where ...


My gigantic German Shepherd responds very well to Night Night! He immediately goes to his kennel and climbs in... no matter what time of day! LOL...

Last night was his first time not being locked in the kennel. He had gone in voluntarily when he went to sleep and no one realized he wasn't locked! This morning he came strolling out when I got the kids up...I guess he is trained!


Nini

 

[DMGeurts]

Our beeper went off at 8:30 - Whoot! Five minutes ahead of schedule! Our server was Vinnie - he was super nice!

We tried a bit of everything on our first go-round... Full-plates, see?

Then the characters began to start their rounds...

We left breakfast entirely too full to walk - at least I did. You'll find that this happened to me a lot during the course of this trip. The problem is that I like to try a bite of everything, by the time I am done with my "bites" - I am almost full... so then I go back to get what I liked out of my bites... Have a few bites of that - no room for dessert, but I have to try anyways... ACK!!! I love the dining plan - but it's soooo much food!

Anyways, after we left, the Main Street singers were performing on the trolly - I just love watching them perform - it really does bring you back a century. It was the perfect start to our morning!

At 9:30, we were headed to Tomorrow Land, our first order of business was to grab FP for Space Mountain... Return time 10:05 am. Perfect!

Allison and Victoria rode standby... I followed them down the standby line for a little while - then decided to back track - I don't like dark roller coasters at all.

While waiting for them - I snapped a couple of pictures and shopped the carts.

While shopping the carts, I found the perfect hat to match V's shirt from Marianne! We didn't buy it though - but I snapped a pic.

Then we rode BLSRS...

The girls rode SM again with the FP.

Visited with C & D!

We tried to ride one of our all time favorite must do rides - CoP, but it was down. We were so disappointed!

Walked past The Launching Pad and my coveted Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzels - but alas, I was still too full from breakfast - I coudn't fit another thing in my stomach, no matter how badly I wanted to try. My pretzel would have to wait unti later in the day.

So, we decided to do Monster's Inc. LF...

Then on to Philharmagic... Another of my must do favorites - for no other reason than my favorite guy - D-O-N-A-L-D!

I just love this theatre!

Hidden Mickey... Really - I think they should be doing Hidden Donalds???

And then my all time fav! I can never have too many pics of this! LOL

Link to Day 2 Part C

D~

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Hi, I just found your trip report. I don't think I've missed too much since you are still on day two.

So sorry about Rufus. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. Congratulations on Max, he is a cutie.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Loving your TR. Your girls are so beautiful!!! NEXT TIME, we must hang out together more! Love the shirts, too. I did not try the sweet cream cheese pretzel at MK...but I did try the jalapeno pretzel at AK. DELICIOUS, NOM NOM NOM!
Your MK pics are so pretty. One of these years we will have a sunny and beautiful MK day. Our track record for two years running is a rainy MK day.

 

[mommy2mrb]

wow great photos of the empty park! always makes you feel special when there's no one around love the donald pieces!

that's a lot of food , no wonder you all were so full! you got in quite a few rides that morning!

 

[aboveH20]

What D~ says: Let's see, today

I have to take a shower,
finish unpacking,
run to town,
clean up after Max,
make dinner,
check on Patience and Mr. Rocketpants,
add borders to my photopass pix,
dis, dis and more dis,
and go to bed.

What Max hears: Let's pee today.

D~

Thank you for all the kind words about my TR. I'm embarassed about how you went on and on about how well written it was, how my photos captured the essence of Disney, and how I could make a living as a professional blogger.

Let me just say it was a labor of love.

Wednesday, 3-7-2012

I woke early today, 5am... I went online for a little while - so very happy that POFQ had free wi-fi! At about 6am, I ran down to Sassagoula to refill our mugs for breakfast and order our first ever beignets. I just ordered a small order, because we'd never had them before, and I wasn't sure we'd like them. It took the CM a very long time to make them - they weren't quite set up all the way yet - so she gave us an extra beignet to make up for the wait.

At about 8:15, we checked in at CP for our 8:35 ADR - they gave us a beeper. We continued to take a few pictures in the area.

Our beeper went off at 8:30 - Whoot! Five minutes ahead of schedule! Our server was Vinnie - he was super nice!

D~

Did I miss the verdict on the beignets? I had thought about going to POFQ one morning for them (as Andrea can tell you from her careful reading of my TR) but it's such a pain to go from resort to resort I didn't bother. Did I miss heaven on earth in a little sugary ball?

I love CP as well. Did you have Winnie the Pooh's puffy French toast (served on the kid's section)? I've made it at home a couple times. Not lo-cal, but yumilicious.

 

[Corrine 1973]

That's a bummer. Do you remember what you had?

I ordered the chicken quasadia. The chicken was gross. It tasted as if it had been cooked fresh days ago and they were just reheating it. If it wasn't for the fact that it was my last day there, it had been raining all day, and at this point I was in a less than magical mood I would have returned it and got something else.

That sucks too... I had waaay more than I needed - that's for sure. I could really go for a Dole Whip right about now though... I wonder if I went to DQ and brought my own pineapple juice if it would be the same?

I have one on each of my previous trips, but I still wish I had got one. I was planning on getting one, but my tummy was always so full. I ended up eating 3 full meals and well, I don't know how people can do DLXDP. I don't think I can eat that much food. I think I heard that some one has pinapple ice cream, I just don't remember where.

I thought you knew that we met up that night? I could have sworn I told you... It was a lot of fun to meet Liddy and her family that night.

You did mention meeting Lidian a couple of days before we meet. (I remember how jealous I was.) I still think it was cool that she was able to find you.

I am loving the update of your first full day at MK. How cute that V gave that little girl her first to pins. I hope to really get my DD into pin trading before our trip next year.

I am loving the pics of the empty MK, I also had a pre rope drop reservation and though I didn't take a lot of pic, it was nice to walk down mainstreet and just look at all the window. It suprised me how much I have missed in this area.

So what's your secret D? I started my TR before you and I am still on page 2 while you are on page 6 . How do I get people to read my TR??? Well I guess I could try this. .
Come read my TR!!!!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Did I miss the verdict on the beignets? I had thought about going to POFQ one morning for them (as Andrea can tell you from her careful reading of my TR) but it's such a pain to go from resort to resort I didn't bother. Did I miss heaven on earth in a little sugary ball?

Yeah, what she said! I was waiting to hear the verdict too. That was one of my must-do's that did not get done on this trip. I wanted to try the beignets at FQ. I WILL try them next time, because we LOVED Riverside and plan to stay there again in Oct 13!

 

[NiniMorris]

I think I am of the minority on the beignets. I found them to be too sweet and too much like a fried doughnut for my tastes...



Nini