We Went to See Mic-key M-o-u-s-e ... Again! - Sept '12 TR [COMPLETE]

[BearcatsFan]

This may be a post that changes frequently over the coming months. I just can't seem to decide where will be the best places to eat! Soooo many choices ... and honestly, who doesn't get hungry looking at those menus ... or heaven forbid, the food porn threads!

As I said in a previous post, finding different ADRs has become almost like a game to me. I'll get online and punch in where we might like to go ... <squeal!> there's availability! DH will come home, I'll casually change the subject over to WDW like I always do ... then again, casually, I'll mention that I changed this ADR for this one. He looks at me like this: Whatever! He just doesn't get how important these particular decisions are! Only you, my dear DISfriends, only you understand.

ANYHOO ...

I have laid out our plans to include three meals a day. Yes, I know WDW portions are huge, but as mentioned earlier, I am diabetic. I am used to eating three meals a day and a couple of snacks at home. I need to keep that schedule no matter where I am because it's what works best for my needs. This presented quite the challenge ... just exactly how do I turn 20 credits into 28 meals? I knew some would have to be out-of-pocket (OOP), but which ones? How do I make this all work?

I have been tinkering with the dining since we first planned out the trip in February, even before free dining was announced. I knew we would have at least QSDP, because that's what we booked with our original package. It was trying to figure out which meals would be cheapest, knowing how we eat. That set in stone which meals would be paid for using a dining plan credit and which ones we would pay for ourselves. I truly was a bear to deal with while doing all the calculating, asking my poor DH a hundred (or more) times, "WHAT DO you think you'll want to eat if we go here?" My good and patient DH truly has been a saint at times while I was in the midst of planning out our food.

And so ... without further ado ... you know you've been waiting for them ... here they are in all their glory ... our dining plans!

Dining Plan: Disney Dining Plan
Cost: Free with Fall Promo (more on this in another post)
Credits Available: 10 CS, 10 TS, 10 Snacks


Monday, September 17th
Breakfast: Off-site (OOP)
Lunch: Off-site OR Sassagoula's large pizza to share (OOP)
Dinner: T-Rex @ 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 18th
Brunch: Sassagoula's or Riverside Mill
Dinner: Liberty Tree Tavern @ 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 19th
Breakfast: Sassagoula's
Lunch: Sassagoulas, Riverside Mill, OR Sunshine Seasons (if no mid-day break)
Dinner: Biergarten @ 6:45 p.m.

Thursday, September 20th
Breakfast: Sassagoula's
Lunch: Columbia Harbor House (included with KTTK tour)
Dinner: The Plaza @ 6:25 p.m.

Friday, September 21st
Breakfast: Sassagoula's OR Riverside Mill (OOP)
Lunch: Wolfgang Puck Express, Earl of Sandwich, Starring Rolls OR Offsite (if offsite, OOP)
Dinner: Sci-Fi @ 4:20 p.m. OR ... who knows where since this day is still up in the air

So ... there you have it! We didn't plan our snacks because there are too many variables and possibilities. There are a few that made the short list, but I'll not bore you with those details.

If on Friday, we find that we're going offsite and won't need the credits for lunch, we'll use them for breakfast instead, so it will work out one way or the other. I wish we could just pin ourselves down to a plan for that day, but I guess for now this is as "finalized" as it's going to get.

And so my friends, THAT'S how I turned 20 credits into 28 meals. A few OOP here, a re-work there ... I hope it all works out!

 

[reyasmommy]

Everything looks wonderful. I can just feel your excitment.

Thanks for the info on the AAA fireworks thingy. I to was wondering about that. I booked our trip through AAA but have yet to receive anything from them. Probably cuz it's not paid in full yet. You actually get some pretty great bonuses going through them. I had to renew my membership so we'd be good for the road trip. We get some good discounts on hotels along the way too. SOOOO EXCITED!!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Everything looks wonderful. I can just feel your excitment.

Thanks for the info on the AAA fireworks thingy. I to was wondering about that. I booked our trip through AAA but have yet to receive anything from them. Probably cuz it's not paid in full yet. You actually get some pretty great bonuses going through them. I had to renew my membership so we'd be good for the road trip. We get some good discounts on hotels along the way too. SOOOO EXCITED!!

You're welcome!

With AAA, we didn't get our travel documents until about 2 weeks before our actual leave date, so it will probably be the same for you. I would check with your agent just to be sure - they can also give you your confirmation number, which you'll need to book the fireworks viewing. Call as soon as you are able because like I said earlier, it books up fast!

 

[BearcatsFan]

The simple answer is ... it's complicated.

For convenience, any of the dining plans make good sense. You pay your money up front, you order anything you want, you swipe your card. No money out-of-pocket, you don’t have to think about what you’re spending because it's all paid for in advance. Easy-peasy, right?

I think there are a lot of things to consider besides convenience, though. How much would we potentially be overpaying for that convenience? How cheaply could we eat without the dining plan versus how cheaply would we eat if we had free reign to order whatever we wanted? Knowing our eating habits was important. That’s where I started.

My DH is a big eater. He has a very large appetite, and portion size is important to him (as in, the bigger the better). He’s a tall, thin guy who has always been able to put away amazing amounts of food without gaining weight. And yes, he does usually eat dessert with lunch AND dinner.

I, on the other hand, am diabetic and constantly struggling to lose weight … and keep off what I’ve already lost. I need a mostly structured eating plan with healthier foods in small portions (which can be challenging to find at WDW, let’s face it).

To eat out-of-pocket, all at CS locations, the absolute bottom dollar we would have to budget: $400 MINIMUM

Quick-Serve Dining Plan: $34.99 x 2 adults x 5 days = $349.90

So to us, it just makes sense to use the QSDP, because it gives us a savings of $50 over eating OOP.

When the talk of a Free Dining promo came out, I knew we could eat better, have more choices, use TS restaurants, and potentially still save money. We wouldn’t have the QSDP anymore – we would get the Basic DDP because we were staying at a moderate. I did some more figuring.

The cheapest meals we would consider ordering if eating as on the DDP, but paying OOP, looked like this: $527.17 MINIMUM

Dining Plan (Basic, not Deluxe) $51.54 x 2 adults x 5 days = $515.40

It looks like a savings of only $12, right? So technically, if we paid for the DDP, we would still save money... not much, but still, we would save. But remember, we're using the FD promo, so we're not actually paying for the plan ... it's free, right? Well, this is where the water gets a little muddy.

You have to do the math to figure out if you're saving more by using a room-only discount as opposed to the FD promo. You can't just take it at face value and say yeah, it's free. You have to understand how much you could save on your room with whatever percent off you could get versus the potential savings of free dining, then compare the two.

For me, I couldn't compare my old booking package with the new one I got under free dining because they weren't the same room type or the same dining plan. It was like trying to compare apples to oranges. On paper, it looked like we saved very, very little. I spent hours doing tons of math, only to look like this ------> Suffice it to say, once I consulted the TA and went over numbers with her, we did indeed save money doing the FD promo, and got a better room category and dining plan than what we started out with. Our original room was 2 queen beds, the new room is a king, which is what we truly wanted anyway.

In summary, is paying for the dining plan worth it? For us, knowing how we eat and taking all factors into account, the answer is simple. Yes. Is Free Dining really free? That one is more complicated, and took a lot of math that I'll spare you from here. Was it the best choice for us to pay full rack rate and give up our room-only discount and use the FD promo instead? IMHO, based on the figuring I've done and what we were able to get for the price we paid, yes. I might be off some in my calculations +/- here and there, but in the end, I think I figured close enough that I'm comfortable with our decision. YMMV.

 

[BearcatsFan]

89 days to vacation today, 91 days to WDW!

I have to share my most excellent news! I lucked into an incredible bargain at Walmart the other day. I was in the accessories section trying to find myself a hat to wear to the parks, when I spotted it. A small black and white polka-dot zippered bag that says "I (heart)" with a Mickey head! There it was, hanging on the shelf all by it's lonesome, right in front ... almost as if it was calling to me. I looked through *all* the purses and bags ... yes indeedy, it was the only one they had. No price tag in sight, just the barcode. ***ETA: There's now a pic of the bag in THIS POST! I finally figured out how!***

I grabbed it and threw it into the cart before someone else came along. DH, once again, looked like this: I told him as long as it was under $10 that it was mine. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

We continued to shop, and every price check thingy we passed, I tried to scan it. It kept saying, "Item Not Found." I was starting to lose hope that I would even be able to buy it. We finished up the rest of our shopping and headed to the check-out. I told the cashier that I had been trying to get a price for it and that it wouldn't scan. She scanned the barcode and at first, it didn't want to come up for her, either. So she grabbed the handheld scanner and ... BEEP ... it rang up for ...

$1!​

I could barely contain myself! Even the cashier was surprised it rang up for so little, and asked if I had see any others hanging back there. I told her nope, this was the only one. Then of course, we spent the rest of the time talking about all things Disney.

I know I wouldn't find anything that cheap anywhere in the 'World or the Disney store. Now I have a cute little bag to carry around, and Walmart practically gave it away.

 

[mxkris]

What an awesome price on the bag!!! I just bought a bag from WalMart for our trip! It was a little side messenger bag with Lady and Tramp on it! It was however, $10, not $1!! They also had Minnie, Tink, and a few others but the Lady and the Tramp was really cute! 89 Days here too!

 

[reyasmommy]

AWESOME!!! Guess a little pixie dust moment without even being at Disney!

 

[BearcatsFan]

What an awesome price on the bag!!! I just bought a bag from WalMart for our trip! It was a little side messenger bag with Lady and Tramp on it! It was however, $10, not $1!! They also had Minnie, Tink, and a few others but the Lady and the Tramp was really cute! 89 Days here too!

Awww! I didn't see anything like that at our Wally. Sounds so cute, too. Knowing me, I would have bought both.

AWESOME!!! Guess a little pixie dust moment without even being at Disney!

I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, you're right!

 

[BearcatsFan]

I have wanted to stay at POFQ for a long time, but the truth is, we weren't supposed to stay there this year. We were "saving" this resort for our 15th anniversary trip in 2014. We were going to wait, stay at values, and continue socking away money for a few more years before we bumped ourselves up to a moderate.

Upon checking the pricing schedule, however, we decided that perhaps waiting wouldn't be wise. We talked it over and finally came to the conclusion that if we could swing it, we should go ahead and and think about staying here this year. Why? Because we weren't sure if we continued waiting that we would be able to afford to stay there in 2014. We were afraid we would be priced right out of a moderate by that time.

To be honest, we struggled with our decision of whether to go ahead and go for FQ or just to go back to POP ... we liked it that much. We went back and forth for quite some time before we made up our minds.

So what drew us to POFQ? We made our final decision based on the following:

1. Romantic Atmosphere. Just take a look at those pastel buildings, the wrought iron railings, the street lights, the landscaping ... and that's just the outside. Everything about this place just screamed romance to us (except maybe the giant heads hanging in the restaurant, but we're willing to ignore those ).

2. Small Size. After staying at POP last year, this place looks practically tiny in comparison. I'm hoping it will be easier to navigate after a long day at the parks.

3. Having a "Sister Resort" in POR. Being able to use the amenities, including the swimming pools, was a *huge* factor. We get to stay at the smaller resort, but get to go next door and use the facilities at the bigger resort. It's a win-win.

4. Boat to DTD. Not having to use the bus transportation for absolutely everything really appealed to us. It will be nice to have an alternate mode of transport over the "bus only" at POP.

5. Double Vanity. 'Nuff said.

6. Jacuzzi

7. Ceiling Fans. Might sound like a small thing, but we're definitely ceiling fan people. A lot of nights, we use the fan at home and turn the AC off, so I found this feature to be a big plus.

Being that this is probably our only foray into a moderate, I'm hoping we made the right choice. We know after this year, we probably will be going back to values for the foreseeable future, which is fine by us. We definitely want to go back to POP again, DH is interested in checking out AoA, and the AS resorts aren't out of the realm of possibility, either. But when we go this September, we're going to enjoy our "upgrade" to a moderate and make the most of every single second of it.

 

[BearcatsFan]

We did get some more vacation related stuff done this weekend. DH got some new swim trunks, but still didn't pick out any shorts. Just can't find any he likes. I guess we'll try Kohl's this coming weekend and see what we can come up with there.

Think we've come to the conclusion not to get a rental car. We'll be going immediately to stay with family when we get to Orlando, then finishing up our final day in town with family ... hoping we can just borrow a car like we did last year. It would save us over $200, so I'm not above begging if necessary.

I talked to my sister this weekend about getting us all the accessories for our MNSSHP costumes. She's going to get DH the surgical cap, face mask, booties ... the whole bit! I think I'm going to look rather plain in comparison, but it's all good.

We're hoping by the end of this month to have all the money saved we'll need for the entire trip. The plane tix are purchased, the hotel and stuff are paid for, so we're just talking about tips and spending money at this point. And since we've nixed the rental car, we're pretty close to having what we think we'll need.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Here it is, the first day of Summer ... and here I sit, wishing it were over already so we would be closer to going on vacation! That sounds horrible, doesn't it?

Seriously though, I feel like I've made my plans, all the ADRs are finished, we have most everything we need ... and now I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, trying to pass the time. The DIS helps, of course, but I need something to DO.

I do need to start putting a packing list together, so I guess that's something. The guest bed isn't going to hold much more, so I'm going to have to find someplace else to go with all the stuff I've been buying. And speaking of buying things, DH definitely wants to go shopping this weekend to try and find some clothes. And trust me, getting DH to go clothes-shopping is a major accomplishment in itself.

I've been getting my Disney fix by going to Youtube and looking at videos of rides. That and listening to One Republic as often as humanly possible!

89 days to WDW, 87 days until vacation!

 

[BearcatsFan]

When we realized we would have enough money to actually do another Disney trip this year, the first thing we did was call our AAA travel agent. I've read a lot of threads here on the DIS regarding why people don't use AAA - agents that don't know enough about WDW, having to give up control of their vacation, etc. We have found, however, that there are many reasons why we like using them, a few of which I've listed below:

1. Our agent. The number one reason we will continue to use AAA is because we absolutely love our AAA travel agent. She is fantastic! Great personality, friendly, fun, willing to help in any way possible, and she knows a lot about Disney. She also knows I am a complete control freak and that I prefer to book our own ADRs, etc., though she always offers to take care of that kind of stuff for us. We laugh and joke about my gigantic Disney binder and how she "wants to borrow it", though that's just all in good fun because she doesn't need it. I have recommended her to many of our friends and family, and plan to see her for our future travel needs (WDW related or not).

2. The discounts. I'm not talking about room discounts, though they do give those. What I'm referring to are the discounts you get with the AAA Diamond Savings card on food, shopping, and activities. The discount may not be much (10-15% off in most cases, 20% off on a few things), but every little bit extra we can save helps.

3. The Wishes fireworks viewing area. I mentioned this in above posts. We'll be taking advantage of this special perk for the first time this year. Not having to fight the masses to get a good spot for the fireworks is a huge plus in our book.

I'm sure there are many advantages to booking directly through Disney, and if we get a good bounceback offer this year, I may be going that route this time around by necessity. I would hate to give up working with our TA, though, and would hate to give up all the extras as well.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I dug out our luggage last night, prepared to just dust it off and wipe down the inside so I could start getting some of the crap off the guest bed. We must have had our blinders on when we put it away last year because we clearly cannot use our luggage again. BOTH SETS had the bars inside bent all out of shape, and there's a big tear in the large bag of my set.

GRRR! One more thing I have to budget for and purchase. When does it end? Seriously!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Wow ... that last post was kind of a downer, huh?

Anyhoo! Much better mood today. DH and I spent most of last evening going over places we might like to go or things we would like to do if we have a free day. Some of them we've done before, others are places we've always talked about seeing but have never gotten to. I'm compiling my list, and I'll post more about that once I get it finished. From the looks of it, we would need about 4 free days to get it all done, so we'll need to choose wisely. It's quite a list! No chance of being bored or having nothing to do on the free day, that's for sure.

This weekend is full of vacation related plans. Have to go shopping for clothes ... and luggage. Probably will stop by Costco and pick up our sunscreen. Need to get to the post office and grab a stop-mail form since that has been on my to-do list for a couple of weeks now. I'd also like to get back to Walmart and pick up a mister bottle for us to share.

Hard to believe we're at under 90 days to go now. DH was commenting last night how fast this time is going to go by - I hope he's right!

 

[BearcatsFan]

When we first started planning this trip, we knew it was likely we would have an entire day free. We also knew there was a good possibility we wouldn't want to do another park day - not sure if we would have enough money, not sure we would be up to it, etc. And thus began the making of the list of things to do if this wonderful Free Day actually came to be. Actually there are two lists - one of things to do onsite, and one of things to do offsite.

Being that DH and I have been to Orlando many, many times in the past to visit family, we know there is a WORLD of things to do outside of the 'World. Orlando and the surrounding area have many things to do that don't involve spending tons of money and/or exhausting yourself with yet another park day. Not that there's anything wrong with checking out Universal or SeaWorld if that's your thing, mind you. But if you're looking for things that are a bit more local, a bit cheaper ... maybe you'd be interested in seeing what we've put together.

The Onsite List:
If we're too tired to leave WDW property or don't feel like driving, we can ...

• Have A Resort Day - sleeping in, swimming, relaxing, recovering. This is the cheapest option … FREE! That will certainly appeal to DH after all the money we will have spent already by Friday! Seriously though, I do want to explore all that French Quarter has to offer, and with Riverside as our Sister-Resort, I'd love to wander the grounds and check out the pools over there as well.
  
  
• Explore Other Resorts - to see where we want to stay next time. I'm not one of those people who wants to stay at every single resort at least once ... nah, that ain't my thing. I only want to stay at places that really appeal to me and will suit our needs ... not stay somewhere just so I can say we did. Our short list includes Art of Animation (v), Coronado Springs Resort (m), Wilderness Lodge (d), and Animal Kingdom Lodge (d). Fortunately for us, this is also FREE ... unless we decide to eat there ... or shop in the store ...
  
  
• Play a Round or Two of Mini-Golf. If we choose to do mini-golf, it will be Winter Summerland rather than Fantasia Gardens. Winter Summerland just interests us more, plus it seems easier to get there – we just take the bus to Blizzard Beach rather than having to take the bus/boat to DTD, taking another bus to the Swan/Dolphin, then walking to get to Fantasia Gardens. At $12/pp for 18 holes, this seems like a cheap way to spend a couple of hours, and we really dig mini-golf.
  
  
• Spend the Day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. At $52/pp, this isn’t exactly cheap, but it is cheaper than going to a park for a third day. Either one looks equally inviting, so I would leave it up to a coin toss and let fate decide.

The Offsite List:
If we're up to doing some driving and really want to leave the 'World for a while, we can ...

• Tour Harry P. Leu Gardens. The Harry P. Leu Gardens is a 50 acre botanical garden with hundreds of native plants on display, as well as a veggie garden and a few sculptures. At $7 + tax/pp, this is a cost effective way to spend some free time. (Located in Orlando, approximately 30 minute drive from WDW.)
  
  
• Visit Winter Park. There are so many things to do and see in Winter Park. To be honest, I could spend an entire day just walking around and exploring the shops on Park Avenue. One of my most favorite places to visit when we're in town is the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. At $5/pp admission, this museum is worth it’s weight in gold. I love going to see the display of Louis Comfort Tiffany glass, along with the pottery and other art displays.
  
  One thing in Winter Park we’ve been meaning to see is the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Garden. For $5/pp, you can see the current exhibits and stroll around the gardens and see the sculptures on display there.
  
  Winter Park is truly a beautiful community with much to offer to visitors, including a farmer's market and a scenic boat tour. I hope we get the chance to go this year. (Winter Park is approximately 30 minutes drive from WDW.)
  
  
• Re-Visit Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards. DH and I did their FREE winery tour and FREE wine tasting a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. My favorites from the tasting were the cream sherry and port, and I’d like to get back there again to get another bottle of each. (Located in Clermont, approximately 40 minutes drive from WDW.)
  
  
• Take a Walking Tour of Mount Dora. We went here last year with our niece who showed us around. Lots of quaint little shops, galleries, and restaurants, block after walkable block … then you can have lunch. We eventually want to try dinner at Pisces Rising and watch the sunset over Lake Dora. Sounds like a great way to end the day to me. (Located approximately 45 minutes from WDW.)
  
  
• Go Tubing at Kelly Park / Rock Springs. This place really is something to see. You can go tubing here in a natural spring lazy river. It's about a half hour trip from the beginning down to the lagoon, and it is well worth it! We went several years ago – it made for a nice, relaxing day in a natural setting away from all the WDW hub-bub. If we do this, we’ll get an early start because it can get busy. We’ll take a picnic lunch and we’ll be set for the day. Cost is roughly $3/carload for admission, and about $5 per inner tube rental if I remember right. (Not to be confused with Rock Springs Run State Reserve, where there is no swimming. Located in Apopka, approximately 45 minutes drive from WDW.)
  
  
• Have Another Beach Day! As I said before, DH would really like to get back to Daytona Beach and take the tour at the Speedway. There’s also something that appeals to him about being able to drive right onto the beach and park (don’t ask me why LOL). New Smyrna is also a possibility, and I know this is where our local relatives go when they do a beach day. To be honest, either one is fine with me. (Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach are located approximately 1 hour drive from WDW.)
  
  
• Check Out Kennedy Space Center. DH has always wanted to see this … me, not so much. I'm listing this last for a reason ... at $45/pp, I’m not even sure this should be on our short list. It’s something to consider, though, and definitely something out of the realm of the Mouse. Who knows … maybe we might even learn something! (Kennedy Space Center is located on Merritt Island in Brevard County, approximately 1 hour drive from WDW.)

I figure if we can't find something to do to occupy our time out of these lists, then there's a problem! These are things we know for sure we'd like to check out ... I have other things written down as well, they just didn't make the short lists. Have to save something for the next trip, right?

 

[BearcatsFan]

Okay ... I'm hoping I figured this out correctly. The learning curve with the new camera has not been kind, and I have been online for hours trying to get these two photos to upload. Yeah, I'm not very computer savvy with all this stuff, so bear with me. (Hope these aren't huuuuuuge!)

HYG ... the $1 Mickey Bag:

And one of the Daisy scrub top that will make up my nurse MNSSHP costume:

 

[BearcatsFan]

Go Me! Now to get a pic of DH and I to not turn out blurry and I can post that too! Our old camera bit the dust - it was soooo simple, a P&S Kodak. This new camera is a P&S also, but the settings on it are completely different, and things always look a little out of focus for me.

This weekend was fairly productive as far as vacation goes. Went shopping and picked up DH some shorts. Looked at luggage but didn't find anything we liked. We did find a couple of shirts with Grumpy on them - just have to decide which day we're going to wear them.

DH still needs shoes and I need a hat ... didn't get to Costco to pick up the sunscreen, either. Still plenty of time, though.

I'm going to start working on our Mousekeeping envelopes soon. A creative DISigner made us a few window signs, so I need to get busy matting those. I'm also going to make a few strings of garland as well. I need to get to Hobby Lobby or Michael's to get what I'll need.

Trying to keep busy to make the time pass! 82 days until vacation, 84 days until WDW!

 

[reyasmommy]

For an offsite day I have a suggestion if you decide to do a beach day... Caladessi Island!!! L.O.V.E.D it !!! Not sure if I spelled it right but I'm sure you could google it. If we weren't going on a cruise we would stop there for a day. They have the most beautiful shells there. One of my favorite ones is sitting up on my bookcase, I love looking at it and thinking about florida.

 

[BearcatsFan]

For an offsite day I have a suggestion if you decide to do a beach day... Caladessi Island!!! L.O.V.E.D it !!! Not sure if I spelled it right but I'm sure you could google it. If we weren't going on a cruise we would stop there for a day. They have the most beautiful shells there. One of my favorite ones is sitting up on my bookcase, I love looking at it and thinking about florida.

Great idea! DH and I have never been but we have heard it is beautiful.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Went to Kohls today and did some shopping. Bought myself some (more) shoes , along with some clothes for DH. Then we went over to Costco and bought the sunscreen ... I finally remembered!

I've been working on our Mousekeeping tip envelopes. They're finished and printed but I don't have them cut out or folded yet. I'll post a pic once they're complete (now that I know how to do that!). I also have my LGMH made up - just need to cut it out and get it laminated and I'm set to go.

I'll be hitting Hobby Lobby or Michael's this weekend to get the stuff I need to make the window garland. I'm anxious to get working on that, too.

We're getting everything together little by little. Tomorrow the countdown drops into the 70's ... I can't wait!