~~ They're leaving the nest, sew it's time for a trip - or two - or three...~~ D~'s bag ~9/22 ~~

[Wood Nymph]

Interrupting your regularly scheduled PTR....





Folks... We have airfare for October! more details tomorrow!



Back to your regular programming.

D~

That's great news. I have been stalking the SWA website for October sales and finally got a good price this past weekend.

 

[WDisneyMom]

Welcome Joanne! I love to hear that you are enjoying my TRs... I truly enjoy writing them, and believe me - I love responding too, so don't let that stop you from speaking up. I've made so many wonderful friendships here, it's great to have you on board and reading along.

Thanks for all of the compliments too... I feel like I have my hands in everything lately. LOL Trying to find a balance, and prioritizing... It's a little crazy! But I love everything I do, and it's fun to see it come together.

I hope you'll continue to follow along - and continue to reply. Welcome again!



I am glad you saw that... It was a rough night for me, I just wanted her out of France... But realistically - it could have happened anywhere, and I have to remember that.

ACK!!! I soooo want to paint the chairs different colors, I think it would be so cute! I am just afraid, if I do that, it will really detract from the China cabinet when I (eventually) get it painted... I am so bad at decisions like this! I think I am painting all of the chairs/bench white, for now... I can always paint over them later... I really want to see how the white looks with the (hopefully) coral China cabinet...

I am working on it and slowly getting there. I keep seeing pictures of me, even from a few months ago, and it's really hard not to get discouraged... It's becoming more and more of a focus for me as the days go on. I just want to go to Disney in Oct, not looking like this. I plan to ramp up my eating and working out over the next several weeks - and inevitably, everything else will fall into place - I hope. LOL



True... Very, very, true... I sometimes think that even Josh didn't understand what I was going through. Either that, or he has the ability to be much more calm and rational in situations like that? It's probably the latter. Regardless- I don't wish those thoughts or feelings on anyone, it was terrible!



Yes, LOL, she always has a way of putting things into perspective for me... I am just thankful that she is OK!

I sure hope so... I still haven't talked Josh into it - but I did purchase the coral paint this weekend, so it's a "done deal" for me... LOL I am just waiting for the right moment.



Exactly - my family teases me about the same thing... I worry too much. Bah-humbug... One day, maybe, they will understand. Until then, I will worry for them. Thank you - I am so very thankful they are all OK.

Yes, it was a tough blow for her, but we are exploring other options - and hopefully better ones.

Thanks! I purchased the coral paint the other day when Sherwin Williams was having their sale... I still haven't talked Josh into it at all - or even brought it up... I hope to have him on board, as I've already purchased the paint... Can't back out now. LOL

I agree totally... This trip is going to be a tough one... Food prices have gone up, and as you said - Disney has started to price out the average family... Which, I am reading - their numbers are down... Hopefully they continue to go down and Disney re-evaluates their prices, I do really think it's out of hand... People that used to go yearly or more are having to go less or not go at all. I know, it's getting VERY difficult for me to make these trips work financially, and if it wasn't for our Shades of Green option - these graduation trips wouldn't have happened at all. It's very sad to me, we are lucky that we have that option as many don't.

Your outfits sound adorable!!! Especially the blue dotted skirt - I've been looking for one for years and I've yet to find one. For navy, this last trip, I did Chip n' Dale... I thought it was cute - sort of a cruise type theme. I was having the same issue with navy myself...

That is awesome! And too funny! My thought on the W30, is don't make it any more difficult than it needs to be. So, yes, try out a few new recipes (made in bulk) to keep it interesting and fun... but in all reality... grilled meat, a huge side of grilled/steamed veggies and a plop of ghee on top and your meal is done... The easier you make it on yourself, the easier it will be to stick to it. There are so many recipes and Pinterest ideas out there - but the reality is, there is a LOT of food prep involved as it is, don't make it too hard on yourself.

Good luck with the gum... I gave it up years ago - I couldn't figure out where my headaches were coming from - as it turned out, many of them were due to gum chewing. I am still not sure if it was the chewing motion that caused them or if it was the chemicals in the gum itself - but my headaches have dramatically decreased to almost never after giving up gum. I wish I had some sort of hints for you, but I don't... Maybe ask in the W30 first timers group on FB? They have lots of great ideas.

I do love infusing my water - I go in spurts with it though. My go-to drink of choice for years now is H2-Oh water... It's flavored naturally, and it gives me the carbonation that I like. LaCroix is mostly the same thing.

I just used Pinterest for recipes for the W30... But always double check them... Most all of them, even though they are tagged W30, need to be modified to be compliant... I am guilty of that too - pinning something that could easily be modified to be compliant, but the recipe as written is not. But again - don't rely on recipes too much, keep it simple as much as possible, it will be easier on you.



Welcome back... I feel badly for dropping off the face of the earth like that, I know it's unusual for me, but it seems to be happening more often lately - as I am trying to figure out how to get my schedule back to normal.

Yes - it was a terrible night for sure... I am just so thankful for modern technology, as I would still be a frantic mess with out it.

Thanks... I am working it back into my life - slowly and deliberately... I struggle a lot with perfection - I always have - so, it's always my goal to not be 100% perfect, yet to make progress - it's a tough balance. I am moving in the right direction, so that's what I am trying to concentrate on... Hopefully progress will happen naturally?

Me too... I worked on them yesterday morning for a while... V and I are really starting to get excited about it.



Hahaha... Me too! I think I am lost living my life sometimes... But I think we can all relate to that.

I hope you had a great weekend too! Miss you!



Isn't that the truth? I feel like, as a mom, I will always worry. I hate dreams like that- I have them occasionally too, and they just make a person feel so unsettled. I hope all went well.

Yes - you should check out your Joann's, it was a pretty good sale. Most people use chalk paint to paint furniture... So, if you have anything you want painted - this is a good time to do it.

You need to make a point to go to Aldis yet this summer - soon - because right now, they have such good deals on my favorite fruits and veggies... Well, fruits - LOL... Berries are so cheap and so delicious right now. I buy tons of them, bring them home, wash them up and throw them in a bowl... They make great snacking!

Yes - try again with flavored water... Even just squeezing a lemon slice or two into regular water is enough for me - I really can't do plain water unless it's while I am working out. I don't like the taste of LaCroix either, I prefer H2-Oh water, but I do think that's a regional brand, I've never seen it in other places. But I never go with out it at home, and I love that it's in 20oz bottles, because I can just put the cover back on and put it in the fridge if I don't want it all at once. Great job keeping up with yoga - that's one thing I've not tried yet.

Yikes - your week sounds a lot like mine! Phew! Good luck with your interviews today - I know you will rock them!



Welcome back Casey! It's great to see you here, I hope you are well? I'll try to locate your PTR - woohoo - however, I am running late today, so I will have to try for later or tomorrow. So, tell me, when are you going and where are you staying????



Thank you - I totally understand... It's so hard keeping up anywhere, especially when life needs us.

Thank you = I hope so... It was a rough blow for her, but she has talent and I am sure she will find something worthy of that.

Awesome! LOL - I always have a bug for another trip... It's just finding the $$ to do so. It's not looking promising for me over the next few years, however... We have V's trip here in Oct and that looks like it will be my last one for quite some time... I have her Europe airfare to pay for right after that... And then Josh and I are planning our turn for Europe- we are going to try for 5 weeks in 2018, if he can save up that much vacation time. So, we'll see...

Thank you for the update on your mom... My continued prayers go out to her and to all of you... I am happy to hear that there is progress, and I am also happy to heat that they are continuing to look for the root cause, I hope you have answers soon. It's so hard to change food intake and a way of life, but sometimes our health warrants it and makes it more of a priority. I hope this is an easy transition for you all, I am sure you will all feel better in no time! Please keep me updated!



Hahaha... I know the feeling - sometimes it's so much easier to keep up on FB... However, there is a lot I don't post there - or sometimes I don't post here... It totally depends on who I want to know things. LOL Or where I need to vent.

It definitely makes life easier being able to "see" her... I know she is feeling home sick too, and a little lonely - it's hard for her to be away from us, and not know many people. I worry about that a lot. Hopefully she will find her groove soon. Myrthe's brother and his girl friend are here in the States right now... When they get back, Kim is off of work for several weeks, so she has plans to spend some time with Allison - that will really help her a lot, I think... Just to have someone near her own age, who knows people and is familiar with the area, to hang out with. We had them over for dinner the other night and she is such a nice girl - I think Allison will really enjoy spending time with her.

Yes - it was so tough for her... I didn't announce it anywhere really, as we are still trying to work through it and come up with some options. Hopefully we are able to find something soon, as I don't want her to lose sight of her dream.

I am definitely trying to move forward with me eating well and working out... I have to admit, my working out has been pretty lazy lately... I am still doing it - but my heart isn't in it. I try to tell myself that 90% of my body comp is due to my diet, but I still feel better when I am getting a good work out.

Totally makes sense and very insightful. I could easily make up what I make at Target by working at home that 1 day per week... but I guess it's the whole "job safety" thing, and having something to fall back on if my business doesn't go well - I can always bump my hours at Target back up... But, it's been 6 years now... I am feeling pretty secure in my business... We'll see...

Yes - it's approaching so quickly now... I am really starting to get nervous that I don't have airfare yet. I am starting to stalk it several times per day now... As soon as it goes below my budgeted number, it's mine. LOL Just praying it does...

Yes - I totally understand... We are much the same Carol! It's tough, when what we love to do, isn't our spouses idea of fun... I hope you have a great time on your vacation... It's going to be so different for you, ith out the boys... We are approaching that time in our lives too, as next summer, our lake trip will be our first with out the girls in almost 20 years... Times are a-changin' and I don't think I am going to like it... But who knows? Maybe I will? Hopefully we can plan to meet up in Disney one day - that would be so fun!

Thank you Carol - sending out hugs and prayers to you too! Take care my friend!

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

I am trying to take time to get caught up here this morning too... I am trying to get back into my "normal" schedule, but I am having a hard time with that - it seems like it's been chaotic for too long and I am having a hard time finding my groove.... I am getting there though, but please bear with me.

We had a wonderful Sunday... Myrthe's parents are still here, also her brother and his girlfriend are here now too... So, we had them over for dinner on Sunday night. It was a lot of fun! We've spent a lot of time with Jerle (pronounced Year-la) over the years, so it was great catching up with him and meeting his new girlfriend. She is very nice, as well, and has the summer off at home - so when she returns, she has plans to spend some time with Allison, showing her around and just hanging out with her... So, I thought it was a good idea for her to meet us and see where Allison grew up. It was a great evening and just a delightful time! Sorry - no pictures.

I was able to get so much work done yesterday - it felt good, my work schedule seems to be right on time, and that's good. I have a big project I am working on, and I plan to be mostly finished with that over this coming weekend. Then things will settle down a little bit with work, but they will ramp up again very soon, as I prepare for our own trip and hopefully making a few new items for us.

I have yet to get out on the front porch to get my Americana stuff set up... I am still hoping to do that.

But... I did get 2 of the 4 chairs for the farmhouse table sanded... I still have not decided if I am going to sand/paint the other two... I ordered the bench the other day, so the other 2 chairs will only get used if we have company - otherwise, they are full-time residents in the girls' rooms under their desks. We'll see how ambitious I am... I really didn't enjoy sanding the chairs enough to subject myself to doing 2 more. But here's a look at the farmhouse table anyways... With 4 of our old dining chairs (which I am keeping here until the others are painted and ready) and 2 of the chairs I intend to paint. You can also see, in this picture, how the China cabinet looks with it - IMO - I definitely need one that's painted... This part of the room looks pretty dull right now.

Victoria went to Valleyfair this weekend with her BFF.... They had a great time! She is staying very busy this summer with her job and just spending time with friends.

Then, there's Allison... I didn't share this story here yet, and I am not sure I was going to... But the night she returned from France, she posted this photo on Snapchat... This photo just says so much with out saying much at all. The night before this, I had been up most of the night, terrified for her... Here she is, tucked safely into bed, with the stuffie we packed in her luggage...

And the story to go with the picture... When Josh left for Iraq, back in 2004, the girls and I found a small stuffie to send with him... We purchased a collar and we all made little notes to attach to the collar, I laminated them and we packed it into his luggage. The introduction note attached to "Rufus Jr.'s" collar read... "Hi! My name is Rufus jr. I am here to protect you and keep you company on your journey. When you are missing your family, know that they chose me to go in their place and to comfort you when they can't. Each one of them smothered me with hugs and kisses to pass along to you when you need them most. Please take good care of me, and know that your girls love you. Love, Rufus Jr." . Josh carried Rufus Jr. through out Iraq and he now resides on my nightstand.

Rufus Jr...

12 years later, as another member of my family leaves to go around the world on their own journey... We sent her off with her own "Rufus Jr." - this time, just named "Junior"...

So, the photo above, speaks volumes to me, and right to my heart... She was home, she was safe, and she was surrounded by those who love her most. I cried relief when I saw that picture. My baby girl was safe. There are no words.

Anyways... Time to dry my tears this morning, and get to work on living life...

I plan to work out in just a minute here - heavy lifting is back in my routine this morning.

Then I will be working upstairs all day.

I have a meeting tonight.

That's about all! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Sending Pixie Dust out to all of you!

D~

Could not read this without tears. Just beautiful.

 

[rdkeim]

Yay for airfare! For me, that makes the trip seem real. Hope you got a great deal! Love the stuffie idea - I'm sure it was comforting for your DH and now your daughter.

 

[DMGeurts]

We did paint the mirror on the wall. Figured since we were painting the wall anyway some extra gray wouldn't matter. Turns out it kind of did.


We went with a deeper purple than i thought we were going to use. We did the marquee. I like that we didn't have to prime and they guaranteed it would cover in one coat.
I'm not sure if I didn't use enough paint or what but we had to do a second coat

I could still see the outline of the mirror from the gray we did. We had enough paint left over to do a second coat so we did that last night. I think it covered everything.

Great that you are letting her take the time to figure out what she wants to do with her life instead of forcing her to go right to college.

I was wondering if it affected your paint at all... But it sounds like you were able to make it work. It all turned out cute!I really love the color you chose! I hope you'll show the whole room when you are done.

I know that many paints say that you don't have to prime, but we always prime, just because the paint color a person chooses is based on having white under it, once the other color is under it, it can change the look of the final color... So, we always prime regardless of paint - and then we rarely have to do a 2nd coat, usually.

Yes - but I do hope she figures it out, or at least goes and does generals to get those out of the way.

Hey D! I am going September 10-16 and staying at All Star Sports. It's just me and Sken this time!

I am so glad to see that Allison is safe and sound. What a sweet gesture with the bear and notes. I just LOVE that. I will be thinking of you all I have been trying to keep up on FB, but have been off the boards for a while because it was making me sad not having a trip planned. I hope to stay for a while and can't wait to hear more about your trips!

Awesome!!! That is coming so quickly! I went to sign in to your PTR yesterday... Then I had a whim to go check airfare... And I didn't make it back to your PTR - I"ll try again today. Looking forward to reading!

Thank you! I wasn't going to do it - but then I did it - and I am glad I did, because at least it brings ME comfort to know that she has something comforting with her.

I totally understand, it happens.... I always have a hard time being here if I don't have a trip on the horizon somewhere. As of now, I have no trip plans after October, so I am not sure what I will do after I finish that TR? It may very well be the first time in 5 years that I don't have a TR or PTR to write in every morning...

Glad to have you back!

How great that you got to spend some more time with Myrthe's parents and borther.

Your dining place looks great

What I a great idea to send Rufus Jr. with Josh to Iraq and now Junior with Allison with all the notes.

Yes - it was fun... I may be meeting them for lunch again before they leave? Not sure yet.

Thanks! It's a little empty and "hollow", but there's potential there - so that's good.

Yes - at least if it doesn't bring any of them comfort - it brings ME comfort knowing they have something comforting with them - if that makes sense? LOL

Sorry I've been absent so long. I've been on FB more than the DIS lately I have to say though, I'm glad Allison is have such a great time overseas & that V is having a great summer. Can you believe our trips are only 3 months away???

Those notes for A's stuffie crack me up...lol

I know the feeling... I've been on FB a lot lately too - it's just easier sometimes.

Yes - they are both having a great summer... I miss Allison like crazy, but V and I are enjoying our time together too... So it's all good.

I know!!! V and I are starting to get super excited now, this is when the count down gets real!

Those are so SWEET!!!

I love the purple.

Yah - they are kind of touching aren't they? It brings me a lot of comfort knowing they have something with them that signifies their family when they miss us... Even if they never need it. But it looks like she needed it that night - and that eases my mind.

That's great news. I have been stalking the SWA website for October sales and finally got a good price this past weekend.

Yes - I've been stalking it for months - but I didn't get really into it until about a month ago... This isn't quite the cheapest I've seen it, but I figure that SWA adjusts your fare prices if you find a cheaper fare listed, so I am really out nothing. Now I just need to keep checking.

Could not read this without tears. Just beautiful.

Thank you... It was so hard to send her around the world, so it brought me a lot of comfort to be able to send something with her that would bring her comfort if she needed it. And it eased my mind a lot to see her using it.

Yay for airfare! For me, that makes the trip seem real. Hope you got a great deal! Love the stuffie idea - I'm sure it was comforting for your DH and now your daughter.

Yes - we are so excited to have airfare! At least we know we are GOING now... And we are coming home... LOL All of the middle stuff is just details - right? Hahahha... No the middle is the best part - as with many things in life.

Thank you - it brings me a lot of comfort to know that they have something comforting with them.

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

So, I had a decent day yesterday...

I resumed my heavy lifting and I even journaled a full day in MFP - which is a HUGE success for me lately. Hopefully I can continue journaling for a while - even though I detest/hate/dread doing it... I feel like my success is greatly determined by me being faithful there. We'll see... I've always been huge about this being an enjoyable experience - and journaling doesn't make it enjoyable for me - but it makes me successful... So there's a balance there that I need to do, and it's really hard.

I worked all morning...

Then V and I went out for lunch at Chipotle... Mmmmm....

Disney trip news!!!!​

If you didn't see my announcement yesterday, we purchased airfare yesterday!

On our way to run other errands, I happened to check airfare and it had gone down considerably... I decided to book it, as it was the times I wanted and the layover I wanted. With in 30 minutes of me booking, it had already gone back up $100... So, I feel like I am lucky that I saw that little window. I love having airfare - because that means we are definitely GOING... LOL And the trip is definitely real now. Very excited! The price was not under my original budget, but it was under my adjusted budget and the first time I'd seen it that low since I started looking back in March... I'd be happier if I would have found it even cheaper, but I'll keep watching to get an adjustment later, if necessary. And we are flying SWA - so no baggage fees! That's the best part... I kind of work that into my budget too - and if I consider that, I did come in under my original budget.

Also, 3 of our resort nights went on sale last week - I forgot to update here, but I was able to get a price adjustment for those nights applied to our stay. So, now with all of the discounts I've been able to find by stalking our resort specials page - we are only paying full price for 2 nights out of our stay! Awesome! Hopefully I will find a deal on those last 2 nights too. There's still time.

So, that was the most exciting thing for yesterday.

Today is a Target day - so I must run! I hope you all have a great day - Prayers and Pixie Dust to all!

D~

 

[ljcrochet]

Air fare makes the trip a full go! Very exciting news.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Also, 3 of our resort nights went on sale last week - I forgot to update here, but I was able to get a price adjustment for those nights applied to our stay. So, now with all of the discounts I've been able to find by stalking our resort specials page - we are only paying full price for 2 nights out of our stay! Awesome! Hopefully I will find a deal on those last 2 nights too. There's still time.

That always feels good to get a sale price. I never think of Shades of Green having sales. but I'm glad it does. Once the girls are out of school you'll be able to go to Disney in the off season, which is always cheaper than school holidays.

I've had sales on SWA that disappeared after I bought the ticket or sales on only one ticket.

 

[kittylady1972]

Disney trip news!!!!
If you didn't see my announcement yesterday, we purchased airfare yesterday!

On our way to run other errands, I happened to check airfare and it had gone down considerably... I decided to book it, as it was the times I wanted and the layover I wanted. With in 30 minutes of me booking, it had already gone back up $100... So, I feel like I am lucky that I saw that little window. I love having airfare - because that means we are definitely GOING... LOL And the trip is definitely real now. Very excited! The price was not under my original budget, but it was under my adjusted budget and the first time I'd seen it that low since I started looking back in March... I'd be happier if I would have found it even cheaper, but I'll keep watching to get an adjustment later, if necessary. And we are flying SWA - so no baggage fees! That's the best part... I kind of work that into my budget too - and if I consider that, I did come in under my original budget.

Also, 3 of our resort nights went on sale last week - I forgot to update here, but I was able to get a price adjustment for those nights applied to our stay. So, now with all of the discounts I've been able to find by stalking our resort specials page - we are only paying full price for 2 nights out of our stay! Awesome! Hopefully I will find a deal on those last 2 nights too. There's still time.

YAY for having the airfare booked! I keep stalking airline sites myself wondering if I can somehow sneak in a quick October trip but I know with our budget right now it's really not a good idea. I even looked into it further when I saw some of the October Shades of Green discount times but again...really can't right now. I have to keep reminding myself that November won't be TOO far away. After all, I'll have to purchase our park tickets in just two more months and that won't be cheap!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

I'm so excited that you were able to find a good deal on airfare! Woohoo!!! Yea!!!!

I'm with you on MFP -- I detest it, but the accountability is good for me.

Thanks for your input on W30....you're suggestion to not complicate things is good...it will be complicated enough already! I need to go through the recipes that we tend to use a lot and see which ones I can easily modify. The gum is going to be an issue for me.......I'm not sure how I'll deal with that.

My royal blue knit skirt with the white polka dots is from LuLaRoe -- have you looked into them? It's not a store (online or physical), but it's sold through independent consultants. Their patterns and prints are always changing and so if you see something you want you have to grab it quickly. I order from several different consultants through Facebook, but many of them do "pop up shops" as parties or in their homes. If you're interested, let me know and I'll add you to one or two of the Facebook pages that I buy from the most. They have several styles of dresses, skirts, shirts, etc., and their leggings are to die for -- SO soft and comfy. I've gotten rid of all of my other leggings (except the fleece lined ones that I wear in the winter) and I only wear LuLaRoe leggings now.

I love "Junior" -- what a sweet, precious tradition, and obviously one that means a lot to Allison as well.

 

[Pluto0809]

I worked all morning...

we purchased airfare yesterday!

Booking airfare always seems to make the trip feel more real to me.

With in 30 minutes of me booking, it had already gone back up $100...

Wow that is crazy! I guess I should be checking more than once a day for our Nov/Dec trip.

Also, 3 of our resort nights went on sale last week - I forgot to update here, but I was able to get a price adjustment for those nights applied to our stay.

Even more great news!

 

[Clio]

That's great news! I'm glad you finally got the airfare booked. that's kind of important if you want to go to Disney unless you drive like we do.
Somehow I missed the post about Victoria's school and the way they treated her. Hopefully she can find somewhere else and may she's like it better than this one.
It sounds like Allison's still enjoying her trip. Kids just don't understand why moms worry about them so much. Junior is so cute.
Nothing too interesting is going on around here. I was off work on Monday cause I had a doctor's appointment, just a checkup. Yesterday all hear at work was that this or that didn't get done because I wasn't there. I have no idea what these people will do when both my son-in-law and I are at Disney for a week.
My daughter has had fun, not, getting to work this week. The GOP convention is downtown and she has to drive through there everyday. There are secret service and police all over even though she works miles away.
I'm sure you'll get back into your routine again. It just takes time.
Have a great day.
Liz

 

[Terkina]

YAY for purchasing airfare and for getting a discount on some of the nights at the resort.
Sounds like you had a great day yesterday

 

[Sweetly]

Yay, Airfare!! And the discount on the hotel. Hope things continue to come down in price so you are able to stay in your budget. Its hard to stay in the budget when the prices keep going up. Fingers crossed that they re-evaluate the pricing.

Love Junior! That is a great idea.

Have a wonderful day!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Wow! Great news about the airfare and the resort discounts. That would make me pretty excited too.

I was sorry to read about V's Art school. Hopefully, she finds an even more amazing opportunity for the future.

I, too, was so nervous when I heard about the Nice attacks. I figured she wasn't anywhere near, but there is no telling if they decided to take an impromptu side trip. Until they are safely accounted for, it does make mom extremely anxious. Marissa was selected as an alternate for one of her study abroad scholarships. I told her she might still have a good chance of getting it, because there might be some students (or parents) that decide studying abroad in some of these "critical language" countries is just too dangerous. I am not all that settled about her going to Japan. It is a mom's duty to worry. There has been 3 study abroad student deaths in the last couple of months. Maybe there have always been reports and I just never paid much attention, but now that she is going, I do pay lots of attention.

October will be here before you know it. Well, I have work to do. Talk to you later.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Hooray for booking airfare!

I am having a good week, myself. Both of my interviews yesterday went well and this afternoon I went for a second interview with one of the companies. The owner and I talked for almost 2 hours and it seems very promising. Fingers crossed.

There is almost nothing that I enjoy more than planning vacations - mostly to Disney or Vegas because those are the places that I've been to the most. In trip planning news - we've made some decisions about 2017 vacations. My 2 best friends and our families like to travel together for Spring Break and 4th of July. Next year we are going to do a cruise for Spring Break (not a Disney cruise, it's just not in the budget) and for the 4th of July we are looking for a beach house to rent. One of my friends also introduced me to a friend of hers who needs help planning a family trip to Disney. I'm as happy as can be with 3 new trips to start planning for.

I need to get some work done for the rest of the afternoon - I hadn't anticipated my interview taking quite so long!

 

[carejo]

Your table looks fantastic! I loved seeing the notes to your daughter, you three really didn't need to sign them, I think she would have figured out who wrote each!lol

 

[Iamthequeen]

I love the idea of "Junior" - its a wonderful way to keep home close. Glad you managed to get airfare finally - it always make the trip seem real. There is a lot going on here over the next month - Kate's wedding is one month from tomorrow! She asked me to make some tote bags for her bridesmaid gifts. I had some fake leather fabric, so I thought I'd use that. I have to say that the ones I have finished so far have turned out awesome! 2 more to go. Charlie had to get a new suit for the wedding since he has lost weight and the suits he already has are way too big. We picked up the 2 suits he bought today - it was a buy one get one free deal. I have my dress and shoes, so now we are set.

I managed to book a quilt retreat the week before the wedding . As I was talking to the woman at the retreat place about the booking, the wedding completely slipped my mind - and it was the only week they had available. Luckily its close to home - especially since I'm probably going to have to go to the County Planning Commission meeting that week - - and the retreat ends on Friday. The rehearsal dinner is on Saturday and the wedding on Sunday. Kate and Chris are going to WDW for their "Disneymoon" on Monday - and they are staying at the Grand Floridian. I'm jealous. They come back on Saturday and we leave on Tuesday.

 

[Chicago Mo]

YAHOOOOOOO!!! Congrats on FLIGHTS!!! It's right around the corner now!

 

[DMGeurts]

Air fare makes the trip a full go! Very exciting news.

I know - I am super excited! I am not sure what it is about airfare, but exactly - there's no turning back after that. Not only that, but with having airfare, I can legitimately plan our incoming and outgoing days - so that's exciting too! More about that below!

That always feels good to get a sale price. I never think of Shades of Green having sales. but I'm glad it does. Once the girls are out of school you'll be able to go to Disney in the off season, which is always cheaper than school holidays.

I've had sales on SWA that disappeared after I bought the ticket or sales on only one ticket.

I know - it isn't exactly as much of a sale price as I wanted - but I am still faithfully watching fares and if it drops, I'll be right on top of it.

I never knew that Shades of Green had sales either... I happened upon them when I was booking for Allison's trip, and it made that trip beyond affordable for me... A deluxe resort at $69/night - I couldn't pass that up. They usually come and go very quickly - so it's something a person has to check on frequently... There are a few dates I've booked that are no longer on sale, so I am lucky that I grabbed them when I did.

That will be nice... I have a feeling there will be a few trips that I will have to take "alone" - as in, not with the girls, over the next few years, because their lives will be too busy to go with me. But in my heart - our memories will always be so cherished. It looks like I will be working on a large family trip - um - in about 4-6 years with BMTL - and I told Josh last night, no choice, Uncle Josh will be on that trip - with a smile on his face. That will be a HUGE and complicated trip with a lot of dynamics... But so fun!

WOW!!! I truly love flying SW, even though there are NO direct flights for me to Disney or anywhere else- except for Chicago... I've flown with them several times now and I have always had enjoyable flights (except for that flight from Maine to Chicago last year... but that wasn't the airlines fault...) - I am very much looking forward to this trip with V... I'll talk more about our flights and times below.

YAY for having the airfare booked! I keep stalking airline sites myself wondering if I can somehow sneak in a quick October trip but I know with our budget right now it's really not a good idea. I even looked into it further when I saw some of the October Shades of Green discount times but again...really can't right now. I have to keep reminding myself that November won't be TOO far away. After all, I'll have to purchase our park tickets in just two more months and that won't be cheap!

I know - having airfare is always just the icing on the cake - that's when there is no turning back. I love that part! Then you know you are going, you know you are staying... You may not eat or do anything else, but at least you are there. LOL

You can make it to November - it's coming quickly! Sigh - park tickets are soooo expensive! But it's always exciting to have those in hand. Since I still have my AP, all I have to buy are V's tickets - so that's a nice relief now, I am glad I splurged on that - it really makes these trips easier for me - however, I do wish I had gotten more use out of it.

I'm so excited that you were able to find a good deal on airfare! Woohoo!!! Yea!!!!

I'm with you on MFP -- I detest it, but the accountability is good for me.

Thanks for your input on W30....you're suggestion to not complicate things is good...it will be complicated enough already! I need to go through the recipes that we tend to use a lot and see which ones I can easily modify. The gum is going to be an issue for me.......I'm not sure how I'll deal with that.

My royal blue knit skirt with the white polka dots is from LuLaRoe -- have you looked into them? It's not a store (online or physical), but it's sold through independent consultants. Their patterns and prints are always changing and so if you see something you want you have to grab it quickly. I order from several different consultants through Facebook, but many of them do "pop up shops" as parties or in their homes. If you're interested, let me know and I'll add you to one or two of the Facebook pages that I buy from the most. They have several styles of dresses, skirts, shirts, etc., and their leggings are to die for -- SO soft and comfy. I've gotten rid of all of my other leggings (except the fleece lined ones that I wear in the winter) and I only wear LuLaRoe leggings now.

I love "Junior" -- what a sweet, precious tradition, and obviously one that means a lot to Allison as well.

I know - it's always a relief to have that in hand... And then finally, I can plan those last 2 days - our arrival day and our departure day... I'll talk more about that below.

Yes - I truly HATE logging in MFP... But I find, no matter what program I am doing - it's helpful if I want to truly be on track. It's definitely not something I want to do forever, but it's OK once in a while.

Yes- try to make your W30 as easy as possible... I see a lot of people go crazy with all of the recipes and trying to create elaborate meals - but then - on top of all of the food prep you are already doing, people burn out quickly, because it's just so time consuming and the amount of dishes involved is a lot - so this just adds to the work load... By all means - try out a few new and fun recipes, but try to keep simple stuff on hand too.

I have heard of LuLaRoe - but I have not looked or tried it. I'd be interested in taking a peek. I am a sucker for anything with dots or bold patterns. LOL So please send me a link so I can check it out.

Thank you - I sometimes think that Junior is more for me than for any of them... To know that they have something comforting from home - filled with love and to remind them of us - well, it just makes me feel better... V will also have her own Junior next year when she goes.

Booking airfare always seems to make the trip feel more real to me.

Wow that is crazy! I guess I should be checking more than once a day for our Nov/Dec trip.

Even more great news!

I Know - it's the no turning back point.

Yes - do check it more than once per day... It does change frequently at different times... I found ours at about 4pm - which was funny, because I've always heard to check during the night - I haven't had much luck with that lately. I definitely wasn't prepared to buy tickets at that point, so I had to get financially inventive. But it worked out in the end.

That's great news! I'm glad you finally got the airfare booked. that's kind of important if you want to go to Disney unless you drive like we do.
Somehow I missed the post about Victoria's school and the way they treated her. Hopefully she can find somewhere else and may she's like it better than this one.
It sounds like Allison's still enjoying her trip. Kids just don't understand why moms worry about them so much. Junior is so cute.
Nothing too interesting is going on around here. I was off work on Monday cause I had a doctor's appointment, just a checkup. Yesterday all hear at work was that this or that didn't get done because I wasn't there. I have no idea what these people will do when both my son-in-law and I are at Disney for a week.
My daughter has had fun, not, getting to work this week. The GOP convention is downtown and she has to drive through there everyday. There are secret service and police all over even though she works miles away.
I'm sure you'll get back into your routine again. It just takes time.
Have a great day.
Liz

Hahaha... Yes - no driving to Disney for me - that's just too far.... I cannot imagine how many days that would take me? I know I could stop at Mo's on the way there and back... And probably at Oopsi's in TN too... But I know, when the trip is over - I am READY to get home, and I don't think I could do a drive like that on top of it - I would just be too tired.

She is... I think she is starting to get a bit lonely/home sick... It's hard for a young person to be in a country where she doesn't speak their native language... But it sounds like she is still enjoying herself and exploring a bit - so that is good. There are really only 3 days per week that she is truly on her own.

Sounds like you had a good week... And it sounds like your co-workers are really going to miss you when your gone... but you'll have a great time, so it will be totally worth it!

I totally understand... Josh had to set up the entire network and run it for the RNC when they were in Mpls a few years ago - it was a CRAZY time for him and we didn't see him for months prior. Just glad it isn't here this year. LOL

I am getting there... Slowly but surely - adding something new every few days. So far, so good.

Thanks for stopping by Liz - it's always great to see you and to catch up.

YAY for purchasing airfare and for getting a discount on some of the nights at the resort.
Sounds like you had a great day yesterday

Yay!!! I know - I love having airfare! There's no turning back now - we are definitely going... Well, there never was a question of backing out on this trip... I just needed to get there within my budget.

I did - it's feeling good to start getting back to semi-normal again. LOL I don't know what I am going to do with myself once all of my big projects are done? It's been so long since I've truly had a day off with nothing on my plate - I have no idea what I will do? LOL

Yay, Airfare!! And the discount on the hotel. Hope things continue to come down in price so you are able to stay in your budget. Its hard to stay in the budget when the prices keep going up. Fingers crossed that they re-evaluate the pricing.

Love Junior! That is a great idea.

Have a wonderful day!

I know - it's so exciting to have that part of the trip done... At least I can breathe now. I always feel so much pressure until I have airfare. Thank you - I hope so too... I've heard that Disney raised food prices, so I feel like i need to go through my food budget again to make sure I am on point for that part... Food is a big reason we go.

Thanks - I sometimes think that Junior is more for me than for them... Just to know that they have something with to comfort them while I am not there, ya know?

Thanks - you too!

Wow! Great news about the airfare and the resort discounts. That would make me pretty excited too.

I was sorry to read about V's Art school. Hopefully, she finds an even more amazing opportunity for the future.

I, too, was so nervous when I heard about the Nice attacks. I figured she wasn't anywhere near, but there is no telling if they decided to take an impromptu side trip. Until they are safely accounted for, it does make mom extremely anxious. Marissa was selected as an alternate for one of her study abroad scholarships. I told her she might still have a good chance of getting it, because there might be some students (or parents) that decide studying abroad in some of these "critical language" countries is just too dangerous. I am not all that settled about her going to Japan. It is a mom's duty to worry. There has been 3 study abroad student deaths in the last couple of months. Maybe there have always been reports and I just never paid much attention, but now that she is going, I do pay lots of attention.

October will be here before you know it. Well, I have work to do. Talk to you later.

Yes - I am so relieved and excited to finally have airfare!

I know - it's a bummer about her art school, but there really is nothing that can be done about it - just to move forward and come up with a different and hopefully better plan.

I know - that was exactly my thought too... You just never know. BUt in the end - I really had to turn my mind and be realistic... The odds of her actually being at that exact point were almost nothing - so I had to really pull from that and stay focused on that part. It's crushing, as a mom, to even have to think about things like that. My prayers and pixie dust are with you too during this time... It's so hard to let them go and to let them be so far away.

It was great seeing you and to catch up!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hooray for booking airfare!

I am having a good week, myself. Both of my interviews yesterday went well and this afternoon I went for a second interview with one of the companies. The owner and I talked for almost 2 hours and it seems very promising. Fingers crossed.

There is almost nothing that I enjoy more than planning vacations - mostly to Disney or Vegas because those are the places that I've been to the most. In trip planning news - we've made some decisions about 2017 vacations. My 2 best friends and our families like to travel together for Spring Break and 4th of July. Next year we are going to do a cruise for Spring Break (not a Disney cruise, it's just not in the budget) and for the 4th of July we are looking for a beach house to rent. One of my friends also introduced me to a friend of hers who needs help planning a family trip to Disney. I'm as happy as can be with 3 new trips to start planning for.

I need to get some work done for the rest of the afternoon - I hadn't anticipated my interview taking quite so long!

I Love having airfare - there is no turning back after that. And to be honest - I do love flying.

Eeeep!!!! I am so excited for you! Fingers crossed that you hear something back soon! I am pulling for you!

I know - me too - I love planning Disney vacations especially. Sounds like you have some great vacations coming up - that is awesome! And how awesome that you are helping someone plan a Disney trip - that's fun too!!! Spending someone else's $$ - LOL. Lots of great things happening for you!

Good luck!!!! I know everything will fall into place for you!

Your table looks fantastic! I loved seeing the notes to your daughter, you three really didn't need to sign them, I think she would have figured out who wrote each!lol

Thanks! It's getting there... I still have a lot of work to do. I am hoping to get the chairs painted this weekend - if not this weekend, next... As this is the last weekend I can work on my big project - so that needs to be done first. Sometimes it's hard to prioritize. LOL

Hehehe... That's probably true. LOL Good observation.

I love the idea of "Junior" - its a wonderful way to keep home close. Glad you managed to get airfare finally - it always make the trip seem real. There is a lot going on here over the next month - Kate's wedding is one month from tomorrow! She asked me to make some tote bags for her bridesmaid gifts. I had some fake leather fabric, so I thought I'd use that. I have to say that the ones I have finished so far have turned out awesome! 2 more to go. Charlie had to get a new suit for the wedding since he has lost weight and the suits he already has are way too big. We picked up the 2 suits he bought today - it was a buy one get one free deal. I have my dress and shoes, so now we are set.

I managed to book a quilt retreat the week before the wedding . As I was talking to the woman at the retreat place about the booking, the wedding completely slipped my mind - and it was the only week they had available. Luckily its close to home - especially since I'm probably going to have to go to the County Planning Commission meeting that week - - and the retreat ends on Friday. The rehearsal dinner is on Saturday and the wedding on Sunday. Kate and Chris are going to WDW for their "Disneymoon" on Monday - and they are staying at the Grand Floridian. I'm jealous. They come back on Saturday and we leave on Tuesday.

Thank you! I do love the idea of Junior - but it sometimes makes me cry, especially when I am planning him out... Knowing I am going to have to send someone away... Like I said - sometimes I think that Junior is more for my peace of mind than for anyone else's.

I love having airfare!!! No turning back now! The hard part, is that I can't start packing until Allison gets home... She has my luggage. LOL

WOW!!! I can't believe Kate's wedding is coming so quickly!!! And I would love to see the bags you are making... Have you posted them anywhere yet?

Yay for new suits - I always think it's important for a guy to have a nice suit.

What a crazy week for you!!! But it will be so fun! At least you get to do something enjoyable for yourself in the midst of all the craziness that is the wedding. I bet it will be a gorgeous wedding! I hope you'll share pictures with us. And their Disneymoon... Swoon... I wish we would have had our honeymoon there... Sigh. One day - we will get a honeymoon.

Thanks for stopping by Tess - it's always good to see you!

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

OK - so I am going to start off with a bit of Disney planning stuff...

Airfare... So, as you all know - I purchased Airfare the other day. With that in place, I now know my arrival and departure times - so I can better plan those days.

I was able to get our arrival times really awesome - we arrive before 1pm on our arrival day - which is great! We have no parks planned for this day, hopefully it will be warm enough to swim - but I can guarantee our first order of business will be food... by the time we get to our resort and checked in - it will likely be after 2pm - so we will be hungry. It is my hope that we will walk to the Poly and have lunch/dinner at Cpt Cooks - that was a great first meal for Allison and I... And I can probably bribe V with a Dole Whip for dessert. I am hoping to go back to SoG after and sneak in a swim - usually Oct is good swimming weather.

Then - our departure day... Our flight doesn't leave until late in the afternoon... Which is good/bad. The good is that we almost have a full Disney day that day... The bad is - well, we won't get home until late and V has school the next morning - and we all know how she gets when she is tired. On top of that, usually, by that point in our trip - we are TIRED and ready to get home... So that last day is just us trudging through the motions. So, for this departure day - I don't have a lot of plans... We won't have to waste any time the day before packing - we can do it all that morning, as we don't have to be checked out of our resort until 11... I did make a late breakfast ADR at Kona - even though Kona isn't my favorite, I think V might like it? And it's perfect for our departure day. Then we can wander around the monorail resort hotels for a while, until it's time to go. It should be a nice day.

Which leaves the rest of our trip... LOL I haven't changed plans at all for this trip - it's stayed much the same the whole way through. Overall, we have 8 full days in Fl - plus our 2 travel days.

4 full Disney park days
1 half park day for MNSSHP
1 Universal/Harry Potter day
2 days off

Which makes for a pretty relaxing trip, if you ask me. Knowing how V likes to sleep in - I've tried to plan any of our breakfasts to be late breakfasts. With the exception of 2 of them... Both of which need to be PPO breakfasts - Crystal Palace and Tusker House. Hopefully she can pull through on those days - if not, we will break for naps - as you all know - we love our Disney naps, and I think she will be very impressed at how easy it is to get to SoG quickly.

So, I think that's all for my Disney update today...

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

In other news... Yesterday was a Target day - so I did nothing. I should have worked when I got home, but I didn't.

I cleaned the house... Where I discovered that sometime with in the last day - MM ate 3 more holes in my carpet!!!! :angry: He has been grounded from the living room for weeks - but while we were at the lake, he somehow got a scratch on the side of his face - well, SC keeps licking it - so it's not healing. We had to seperate them, so we put MM in the living room - thinking that the previous carpet eating incident was a one time thing. Nope, he ate 3 more holes... 2 of which are small and I didn't immediately notice them... The 3rd one is quite large and noticable. And I am beyond angry! MM is now coned - so he can't eat or touch anything and SC can't lick MM's face. Hopefully he will only have to be coned for a few days to a week... But he is never going in the living room again. I am fairly certain that Josh threw out all of our carpet scraps - So, I will have to go and buy a sample piece of carpet - I hope I can do this - to cut from to repair this large hole. It makes me so angry that we spent so much $$ on this carpet, only 3 months ago and it's totally wrecked now. I love my dogs, I truly do - but it's insane that we can't keep anything nice.

Today... I will be heavy lifting shortly. I've successfully completed logging 2 days on MFP - which is a record for me lately.... It feels good to be back on track there. I went back and started reading my TR from 2014 last night - and I was looking at pictures of myself - I looked pretty good... I am hoping to look that good when I go in Oct. Wish me luck. Nothing like a Disney trip to re-motivate someone, right?

Then I will be working upstairs all day... I just need to push through this weekend - then I can take a tiny break from working so hard. It won't be long before I have to ramp it up again - but I will get a small break - which I am looking forward to. During that break time- I am hoping to get the chairs and the (yet to be delivered) bench painted for the farmhouse table.

I also hope to chat with V about what she wants to do on our Disney days off... So we have some sort of plan. If she wants to resort hop? Or DTD? Not sure - so I want to chat with her about that.

I hope you all have an amazing day!!! Sending Pixie Dust out to all of you!

D~

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Oh no -- the carpet!!! I would be angry, too. :-( I wonder why he's suddenly developed an appetite for carpet? Strange! Hopefully you can buy a sample piece so you can patch it. Were you able to patch the first hole he made?

Your trip plans sound great. We're doing DTD on our arrival day since we arrive late morning, and then again on our departure day, since we don't leave until late afternoon. We're also doing breakfast at Kona for the first time. Alyssa and I aren't big breakfast people, but my sister is and it's for her birthday so I decided to book a breakfast ADR for us...and I've been wanting to try a bite of the Tonga Toast... I'm excited to try it. I love breaking up our longer trips with non-park days. This trip will be so short that we won't have time for that, but it's all good.

LuLaRoe doesn't have any links you can shop from -- it's all direct from the independent consultants, but I'll add to two of my favorite consultants' facebook pages. The way you shop is by looking at their photo albums on Facebook, then comment "Sold" and your e-mail address on the picture of the item you want. Then they'll e-mail you an invoice which you pay online and then your item ships. The A-line skirts are called "Azure" and the leggings come in two sizes -- one size fits all (and they really do fit most, surprisingly -- I'm a size 0 and my sister is a size 12 and we both wear the one size leggings), or "tall and curvy" -- you won't need those -- you'll need the one size fits all. I also love their Irma t-shirts and their Perfect Fit t-shirts. So watch for those groups to show up in your group listing on Facebook. I'm absolutely obsessed with the Julia dresses and the Ana maxidresses. SO comfy!

 

[Terkina]

Sounds like nice plans for your Disney trip. Letting V sleep in most days sounds like a good plan.
I can't wait to hear more about your Disney plans.

What a bummer that MM ate 3 holes in your carpet I know what you mean when you say you love your dogs but get really angry and insane that you can't keep the house nice.


My cat Esmeralda was at the vet on Tuesday to have her teeth checked. I didn't get good news from the vet First of all they think she haves diabetes. Second bad news was that there are a lot of teeth that must be pulled out.

I had to try and get a urine sample of her and get that back to the vet. The way you do a sample is to use a special cat litter sand so you can collect the urine. I set up the new cat litter with the special sand in it yesterday and started waiting for her to use it. The poor cat didn't like the new cat litter at all. So she tried for as long as she could not to go on the cat litter. This morning she couldn't hold her self anymore so she went on the cat litter and I got the sample I needed. I went to the vet with it and then I just had to wait.

Finally the vet called this evening. The good news is that it's not diabetes so nothing has to do about that. She still has kidney problems but the good news is that it hasn't changed since the last time we checked that. So she will continue with the special food for kidneys. And she still has the problem that her poo is too hard. So I give her Omega 3 for that. The vet dentist hadn't had time to look at the X-rays of her teeth so I don't know yet how many teeth has to be pulled out. I know for sure at least one tooth has to come out because it's damaged. It's so hard to know when enough is enough and when it's time to let the cat go over the Rainbow Bridge.