~A XMAS STORY~decorations, crowds, pixies..AND A BLOODY NOSE~ACTUAL UPDATE 11/9 p190

[MagicShell]

Great update. You met some really cool characters. My daughter really wanted to meet Alice (she had just read the book), but we never saw her out. I really wanted to meet Scrooge, but the only time we made it by there they were taking Scrooge away and replacing him with Donald. Oh well, next time.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Thanks for the recipe, my kids love mexican food so I'll for sure give it a try.

It's my DS's bday is on Thursday and I'm doing a Fiesta theme...I bought the same cactus glasses as you have. Only we will be having virgin Margaritas.

I'm taking him out to dinner but I'll make him the lasagna on the weekend.

 

[Philadisney]

So after weeks of being MIA due to work ( ) and being in WDW ( : ) I am back and caught up on your TR! Hooray!!!

I think it's hysterical that Ray was so competitive on TSM. Jack always beats me at those things. You did really well though!

I had no clue that the Christmas Story leg lamp was in the Osbourne lights display! That is awesome. You got some great photopass pictures there - I love the black and white one. And I can't believe that in the one of Anna and Chris there is NOBODY in the background. That's a rare sight!

Ewoks talking! Awwwww! Another thing I have never noticed.

Dave Cook cracks me up - the time he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel as Tom Cruise was amazing. That was the first time I had ever seen Dane and I thought he was dead on with his impersonation!

OWWW about your toe. I broke mine the same way last summer when I slammed it into a vacuum cleaner. Not fun! I hope it's feeling better. I can't believe it was broken in half

This line cracked me up:

i wonder what it feels like to be 40 years old and reprimanded by a cast member in toontown at disney world???

Tinker Bell is so cute - this makes me want to brave rope drop next time so i can visit Pixie Hollow (last time I checked it out there was an 80 minute wait - no thanks!). I am very impressed that you recognized her as your Alice from September! I think she definitely makes a better Tink. Also, I want all their shoes

Yay you met the Mad Hatter and Alice! I love them. Meeting Alice last fall in Epcot UK was probably my favorite character interaction ever. I have yet to meet the Hatter though, I hear he's hilarious.

 

[punkin413]

talked to jordan this morning and her contractions are getting more intense. she said she only got 3 hours of sleep last night because they kept waking her up. i guess that means it's getting closer! i hope so - later this week would be perfect for me! i just hope margot can wait until like thursday or friday. my brother CANNOT have a baby that was born on april fool's day - the irony would be overwhelming.

I just cut mt ds hair as well..he had it pretty long and I was styling it for a while but it needed to be really evened out...ugh the clippers were out and it is short..he is adorable of course but its so hard to cut their hair when they are young! I feel annas pain lol..Luke is still adorable as ever and has our hearts

awwww.....i will tell her that. he could be super cute bald!

Okay first, the mexican food looks yummy!!!! I love Mexican!! I might have to beg you to email me your mexican lasagna recipe!

I love the pics with Alice and Scrooge!! Too funny he wanted Ray out of the picture. Donald did the same thing to Chad only because he had a Mickey shirt on!

i hope you saw the mexican lasagna recipe. if not it's on the previous page.

those darn ducks.....what's with the anti-hubby attitude?

That Mexi Lasagna looks AMAZING!!!! You need to share the recipe with us!

Ray sounds like my hubby...Dave would live at Casey's if he could!!

hope you saw the recipe - it's on the previous page. ray LOVES casey's. i like it but not like him.

MMMMM............ mexican lasagna is soooo good! That looked fabulous!

Love the next installment - too funny about Scrooge - you were popular with the characters that day for sure! When we went in '07 DD was 4 and she was terrified of the Mad Hadder - so Luke is not alone!

thanks! what it is about the mad hatter that freaks kids out? he does have a very odd, big nose!

Great updates....I wish I was closer so I could have Mexicana night w/ ya'll! I LOVE the pic of you and Scrooge. It's one of my faves so far in this TR! We never stopped to meet him. He always had a huge line. He's a popular fella around Christmas isn't he?

he was so cute! and i forgave him for being mean to ray. how can you resist his little feathery face?

Joining the pleas for the Mexican Lasagna recipe -- I wanted to try something new this week and that would be just the ticket! We are huge fans of Mexican food at our house. Please, please, please share the recipe, Dawn!

I read all the Twilight books and loved the first three (hated the fourth -- it was so weird), but I have not seen the movie -- I think part of it is that I just didn't picture Bella and Edward looking like that. I would have loved to hear the comments you all made while you watched it!

What a great day at MK -- it must have been cold because all the girl characters have their cloaks and gloves on. Too neat seeing Alice and the Mad Hatter -- I love the goofy expressions he is wearing in all the photos.

my favorite twilight book was "eclipse." if they end up ruining that movie, i'm going to be MAD. it has such great potential. i didn't hate the fourth one but it was rather odd. a lot of it just seemed very far-fetched to me. and i couldn't keep track of all the vampires at the end!

it was chilly at MK that day but nothing like the day before at DHS!

I concur with the Twilight movie not being like the book. I understand that you can't put everything in the movie, but they could at least make it right. The Cullens' house in the book is a three story "old" house, in the movie it's all modern! In the book he shows Bella himself in the sunlight when they are in the clearing. in the movie it's on some rock in the woods. I hope they do better with the next movie. I'm rereading the books, and it's nice to have a face with the names.
I would love to have been at your party! I think I probably would've peed my pants laughing!
I'm going to a directors cut party on Fri. It'll be interesting.
Your update was great. It sounds like you had a successful shopping trip too!

i TOTALLY agree about the house. i mean, why couldn't they at least get that right? there lots of little things that they just didn't get right. another example - victoria's hair. it was red but not red enough. in "new moon" bella talks about her red hair and how RED it is when she refers to victoria. i mean, all that takes is buying a box of nice 'n easy, for crying out loud! let us know about the director's cut party.

Dawn what is in a Mexican lasagna?! Holy mother it looks so good!

Thats too funny with what happened to Ray and Mr. Scrooge! Seriously, I think the CMs who play the characters do such a good job of entertaining the guests and staying true to their character. for them. I really want to see your castle throw too, it sounds appealing to me. Can't wait to see pictures from the Twas the Night Before Christmas show, I've heard so many good things about it!

hope you saw the recipe - it's on the previous page.

yes, they definitely do. that's what i love about disney. the character interaction is EXCELLENT (in most cases). i will take a picture of the throw and post it in the next update.

The Mexican Lasagna looks AWESOME!! MUST know how to make

I love the pics with the mean duck!

Looking at these REALLY makes me want to go this December. But I just don't know how we would work it in I REALLY need Nov 1st to fall on a Thursday again....but that won't happen for what.....7 years

i'm sure you saw the recipe - on the previous page.

good thing that wasn't a real mean duck! i wouldn't have been anywhere near him.

you guys will be back - i can feel it!

Great updates! Looks like you girls had a great time. I'm getting ready to start reading Twilight.

You saw a lot of character's that morning! I'm hoping we see Alice and the Mad Hatter when we ride the tea cups. I thought what Ray said to Scrooge was funny!

thanks! oh, hope you enjoy twilight. i loved it! couldn't put it down.

i've seen alice and the mad hatter twice now in the morning riding the teacups. ray and i saw them last year and actually rode with them (not in the same teacup, but at the same time) that time. i think it was around 9:30 or so. so go there in the morning and you'll probably see them!

 

[VandyFan10]

Woot!

you guys will be back - i can feel it!

Really....so when will that be since you seem to have espn

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

It's so funny you mentioned, not wanting your niece to be born on April Fool's Day.

I went into labor on April Fool's Day and I said " I can't have this baby on April Fool's Day...I hope this boy can wait until after midnight".

Well, once I was in hard labor, I didn't care what day it was. I wanted him out!

Unfortuneately, I got my wish and it wasn't until the next morning when they decided to do a c-section....after 24 hrs.

So the joke was on me!

Aaron will be 15yrs old this Thursday April 2 and I can't believe the years have flown by.

I wish her a fast and safe delivery. It should be soon now!

 

[punkin413]

Tink then Alice---- it was your lucky day! I love the scrooge pics too! So much fun and festive!

yeah, we had great character luck that morning!

Thank you Thank you Thank you! for sharing that recipe! Talk about food porn at its best! I don't cook, but I'm gonna make my hubby make this for me soon! Yummmm!

Love your latest installment! Sooo funny about Scrooge!

As for Twilight...I totally agree with you that they could've done a much better job with the movie. The movie was ok-ish to me, but only b/c I went in with very low expectations. I like Robert Pattinson, but Kristen Stewart is an awful actress and is not at all what I pictured Bella as!

you're welcome! i don't generally cook either because ray is better at it than i am. but i can do a few things and that's one of my specialties.

kristen stewart blinks and swallows a lot and it GETS ON MY NERVES!!!!! i like rob pattinson as edward most of the time. sometimes i'm like......HUH???? like the whole, "you better hold on tight, spider monkey," thing. WHAT WAS THAT? but i know that's not his fault but the screenwriter's. the one thing that bugs me about him as edward though is we all know what we've built edward up to look like our minds, right? well, rob pattinson (not as edward but when he's all scruffy-looking) reminds me of my brother so that's just a little twisted!!!!

YUMMMMMMM!!!!

I will be trying that!!

I've been making my own tortilla chips lately.....LOVE IT!! I bake them so much less fat and I can keep up with my calories much better
**UPDATE** My computer is back and up and running!!!
Just posted a new update to the Vandy Girls thread

yep, you saw it! homemade tortilla chips sound good - might have to try that!

Thank you for the recipe! I will be trying it Wednesday -- I hope it comes out looking as yummy as yours!

you're welcome! let me know how it turns out.

Your Twilight night sounds like lots of fun! The kids at the school I teach at are all obseeeeessed with Twilight. And Robert Pattinson too! The thing that annoyed me most about the "Say it out loud" scene is that it was totally different from the trailer! In the trailer, when she says, "Vampire", you only see her mouth, really really closely. But the movie didn't have the close-up scene. Weird!!

Your Mexican food spread looks awesome! I have a question for you though! I went out for dinner with friends tonight, and "pico de gallo" was in a salad on the menu, and we were all trying to work out what it actually was! And now, there it is in your Mexican food! So Dawn, what is pico de gallo!?! We're a bit slow over here in Australia!!

I like this photo....

.... because look, there's a bubble in the air!! Is that what it is!? How cute!!

I'm with Luke - the Mad Hatter freaks me out too!!

So many pretty Christmas decorations!!

ewwww.....robert pattinson reminds me of my brother. i didn't mind him as edward really but i have my own idea in my little head of what edward REALLY looks like. the entire "say it - out loud" scene annoyed me to no end because it didn't exist in the book. okay. well, that's not really what annoyed me. moreso it was that they ADVERTISED the movie with that scene and the fact that they picked a scene that didn't exist in the book that started it all just irks me.

pico de gallo is sort a condiment for mexican food. everyone makes it differently but it usually contains tomatoes and onions. i will post my recipe for it below.

and yes, that is a bubble!

Looks like a fun night with the girls! I'll be trying the recipe out soon, too.

All kids like the Tomorrowland Speedway, it seems, since it's like 'real' driving.

I've always thought the Christmas Tree Lot was cool, too. You don't get to see Scrooge much, and Donald is cute in his red and black plaid when he is there.

What a great job the piano guy has! It would be nice to go to Magic Kingdom, do something you enjoy, entertain people, and get paid for it!

it was! let me know how it turns out if you try it. i think it's really good!

i loved the christmas tree lot idea. unfortunately we never caught donald there but we did get some AWESOME video of him singing there the next night at MVMCP. you will see that soon!

that's the same piano guy that's at casey's every time we're there. i wonder how long he's been there?

Thanks for the Mexican lasagna recipe. I may try that this weekend. It looks SO yummy!

I am relieved to hear that I am not the only one who wasn't thrilled w/ the Twilight movie! I just saw it on Saturday and was so disappointed. I generally find books better b/c I like the pictures in my head but in this case I thought lots of it was just "wrong." And I know it is blasphemy but I just don't think that Robert Pattinson is that cute. Nor do I really like the actor who plays Jacob.

How's your toe?

Any baby news?

Love that you got to meet Tinkerbell. Very cute. Iridessa does look like she liked you quite a bit! Scrooge was funny with Ray!

you're welcome! hope it turns out good.

i usually like books better too just because there's so much more detail and i get to use my imagination. but i agree that twilight was just WRONG. i don't mind rob pattinson but what bugs me is that when he's all scruffy looking he reminds me of my brother. so that's not a good thing! i like the dude that plays jacob except his nose bugs me. i think he's got a great smile though and he's playful like jacob. it will be interesting to see him be sort of a jerk in the next couple of movies and also to see how they make him GROW like jacob does.

my toe is still very sore. the area between my big toe and the next one over is still very purple - it's so weird!

see above for baby news.

I must have missed where you gave the baby's due date, I hope for a safe and fast delivery and that your brother and Jordan can work out things enough to be good parents for the baby.

Thanks for the picture of Fairy Treasurers...I will have to look for that shop when we go back...all that tinkerbell stuff!! Colby loves the speedway as well, typically he and James go and ride while I am on Space Mountain. We missed Scrooge when we were down over Thanksgiving...looks like he is a lot of fun.

me too!!!! i know it can be done and i'm just hoping they can grow up and do their best.

that shop is located JUST behind the castle, across from sir mickey's.

Any baby news yet Dawn?

see the top of the last post!

 

[punkin413]

I agree with everyone on twilight. I know that the movies will never do the books justice but they really just tore that book apart. I just wish they would have shown more of Bella and Edwards relationship and the meadow.

i agree! THE MEADOW!!!!!! they had sort of a semi-meadow scene. and i hated how he showed her himself in the sunlight. he PLANNED the day in the meadow in the book - it wasn't like the movie where he angrily picks her up and carries up "above the cloud bank" so she could see him in the sunlight. grrrrrrrr.

Thanks for the recipe. It looks really good. I'm totally gonna make it.

This is what it looks like Chris is saying.


Woot!

hope it turns out good - let me know!

that is so funny!!!! i sent that anna!

Great update. You met some really cool characters. My daughter really wanted to meet Alice (she had just read the book), but we never saw her out. I really wanted to meet Scrooge, but the only time we made it by there they were taking Scrooge away and replacing him with Donald. Oh well, next time.

next trip be sure to go over to the teacups early in the morning around 9:30. that's usually when i see her over there.

Thanks for the recipe, my kids love mexican food so I'll for sure give it a try.

It's my DS's bday is on Thursday and I'm doing a Fiesta theme...I bought the same cactus glasses as you have. Only we will be having virgin Margaritas.

I'm taking him out to dinner but I'll make him the lasagna on the weekend.

you're welcome! hope it turns out well. we got those cactus glasses as a wedding gift and i love them! have a fun fiesta!!!!!!

So after weeks of being MIA due to work ( ) and being in WDW ( : ) I am back and caught up on your TR! Hooray!!!

I think it's hysterical that Ray was so competitive on TSM. Jack always beats me at those things. You did really well though!

I had no clue that the Christmas Story leg lamp was in the Osbourne lights display! That is awesome. You got some great photopass pictures there - I love the black and white one. And I can't believe that in the one of Anna and Chris there is NOBODY in the background. That's a rare sight!

Ewoks talking! Awwwww! Another thing I have never noticed.

Dave Cook cracks me up - the time he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel as Tom Cruise was amazing. That was the first time I had ever seen Dane and I thought he was dead on with his impersonation!

OWWW about your toe. I broke mine the same way last summer when I slammed it into a vacuum cleaner. Not fun! I hope it's feeling better. I can't believe it was broken in half

This line cracked me up:


Tinker Bell is so cute - this makes me want to brave rope drop next time so i can visit Pixie Hollow (last time I checked it out there was an 80 minute wait - no thanks!). I am very impressed that you recognized her as your Alice from September! I think she definitely makes a better Tink. Also, I want all their shoes

Yay you met the Mad Hatter and Alice! I love them. Meeting Alice last fall in Epcot UK was probably my favorite character interaction ever. I have yet to meet the Hatter though, I hear he's hilarious.

i REALLY need to get over to your TR and get reading! i've been so busy lately too.

waiting until almost closing time at the osborne lights was great because the crowds were so thin. it was awesome!

dane cook as tom cruise on jimmy kimmel was HILARIOUS!!!!!! i think it was nelly sitting next to him and he was like....WHO IS THIS IDIOT???

my toe is still very sore. i've broken many toes in the past and this has been the worst one. maybe i'm just getting old.

i love alice and the fairies' shoes, too! so cute.

 

[punkin413]

my recipe for pico de gallo (for julie!):

6 roma tomatoes
1 red onion
cilantro
2 lemons
paula deen's house seasoning (i keep this in my pantry in a tupperware container. it's 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper and 1/4 cup garlic powder)

chop up tomatoes, onion and cilantro and mix it all together. then juice the two lemons and add the juice. then add house seasoning to taste. very easy and yummy!

 

[punkin413]

Really....so when will that be since you seem to have espn

It's so funny you mentioned, not wanting your niece to be born on April Fool's Day.

I went into labor on April Fool's Day and I said " I can't have this baby on April Fool's Day...I hope this boy can wait until after midnight".

Well, once I was in hard labor, I didn't care what day it was. I wanted him out!

Unfortuneately, I got my wish and it wasn't until the next morning when they decided to do a c-section....after 24 hrs.

So the joke was on me!

Aaron will be 15yrs old this Thursday April 2 and I can't believe the years have flown by.

I wish her a fast and safe delivery. It should be soon now!

my stepmom was in labor with my sister for almost 48 hours before they did a c-section. of course that was 1983 - i don't think they would let you go that long these days.

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO AARON!!!!

 

[MRNsMommy]

kristen stewart blinks and swallows a lot and it GETS ON MY NERVES!!!!! i like rob pattinson as edward most of the time. sometimes i'm like......HUH???? like the whole, "you better hold on tight, spider monkey," thing. WHAT WAS THAT? but i know that's not his fault but the screenwriter's. the one thing that bugs me about him as edward though is we all know what we've built edward up to look like our minds, right? well, rob pattinson (not as edward but when he's all scruffy-looking) reminds me of my brother so that's just a little twisted!!!!

Eww...yeah, if he reminded me of a brother, that might be a little weird.
And, I agree...the whole spider monkey thing and the meadow scene especially were so wrong! I'm hoping the next one will be better!

I'm sending good baby vibes for your soon-to-be niece to arrive soon!

 

[rentayenta]

That hot dog looks soooo good! Fun update! I refuse to even see Twilight. Why ruin a perfectly good book? I also don't find the actor who plays Edward remotely hot. I don't do super pale.

 

[AussieAngel]

my recipe for pico de gallo (for julie!):

6 roma tomatoes
1 red onion
cilantro
2 lemons
paula deen's house seasoning (i keep this in my pantry in a tupperware container. it's 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper and 1/4 cup garlic powder)

chop up tomatoes, onion and cilantro and mix it all together. then juice the two lemons and add the juice. then add house seasoning to taste. very easy and yummy!

Yay!! Thank you Dawn!!!!

That sounds fabulous!! I'm totally going to make some Pico de Gallo on my school holidays!! Yum!!

My guess was totally wrong - I thought it must have been a type of cheese!!

 

[MeMom]

it was! let me know how it turns out if you try it. i think it's really good!

i loved the christmas tree lot idea. unfortunately we never caught donald there but we did get some AWESOME video of him singing there the next night at MVMCP. you will see that soon!

that's the same piano guy that's at casey's every time we're there. i wonder how long he's been there?

I will. My crew likes different levels of spicy stuff in their Mexican food, so I could make this mild and put salsa on the side. Drew is the one that likes the most heat in his foods, and the rest of us are mild to moderate.

I have only ever seen one other piano guy there, and it seemed weird to see someone else in this guy's place. Some day I need to stop and talk to him and find out his story, since I've seen him and listened to him play so many times. Maybe this summer I'll get a chance to 'interview' him for the trip report!

 

[End_User-X]

Some day I need to stop and talk to him and find out his story, since I've seen him and listened to him play so many times. Maybe this summer I'll get a chance to 'interview' him for the trip report!

Getting a chance to talk to CMs that you can never talk to would be fascinating I think. You know they have a story!

 

[punkin413]

i'm so mad at my dad right now!!!!!!

i slept in this morning since i was exhausted from a long deposition i had yesterday. around 7:45 my phone rings and it's my dad. he says, "how fast can you get in your car and get up here?" i said, "why?" (still half asleep, mind you.) he says, "because brett just called me and jordan's in the delivery room right now!" i was like, "how come nobody called me when she left to go to the hospital????? oh, my gosh. i'm in bed but i will get up and get on the road right now!!!!!" (all this time getting up and running towards the bathroom to start getting ready.) then he says, "APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!"



i was so mad at him. i told him he woke me up and got me all excited and i hated him.



i guess it's payback for the time i got him good when i was like 12 years old. he had been out playing golf that april fool's day. he had this lamp in his rec room that we all hated but he loved. it was this ginormous lamp in the shape of a chinese man with a drape around him - something from the '70's for sure. anyway, we also had a huge doberman pinchser named dobey. well, dad comes walking in the door and i'm sitting there with this horrible look on my face. he goes, "WHAT?" i said, "your'e gonna be so mad but dobey knocked over your lamp and it's in about a hundred pieces on the floor." dad just dropped everything and ran towards his rec room with me running behind him saying, "dad, calm down. don't hurt her - she didn't mean to." then he walks into the rec room and his lamp is perfectly fine and i yell, "APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!" payback's a you-know-what.

 

[kschafer]

Ooohhhh, not nice!! (either of you)

 

[k_reile]

oh dawn....i am soo sorry but...

I tried to get my mom this morning and told her that caleb crawled a little bit yesterday but she goes "April fools right??" That one didn't go very well. Normally I can get her but not today.

 

[burly]

My two teenagers have late start every wednesday.
today i woke them both and told them get up it's tuesday, your late!!
they both jumped up and when i said April fool's, i got the dirtiest looks.
I'm sure they are planning while in school.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Oh man...you don't joke about that! Shame on him. I got the kids good today. They sat down and had all their stuff ready to go and I said, "I don't think we should have school today, go ahead back to bed." DS got up and started to leave the table and I started laughing and said, "April Fool's!"