Back to Wonderland with a side of French Fries-New 3/15Mix up culture w/fun

[nodnol]

I'm going to respond to everyone individually but right now I'm in the middle of watching the Disney version of The Three Musketeers with the kids...w/Mickey, Donald and Goofy...its pretty funny...

Hi PPP, I'm sorry I'm so late with commenting - but big question: did you like the movie???

You may remember that flossbolna put this list of Disney movies together for us to watch before our trip - well we managed to watch 2 or 3 One reason for this is that we thought we could watch many of the movies with Remy as well. But after seeing the list he said that he has either seen the movies already and doesn't want to watch them again, or that he doesn't like them. Then he suggested The Three Musketeers, but Flossbolna and I were a little bit reluctant, because we had never heard of it...

But since YOU've watched it, I thought it might be a nice movie for one last movie night before we leave...

And I wanted to tell you that I admire you for how much energy you put into organizing Em's birthday!!! A like all the gift ideas and that you might take some of her friends. I think one of the reasons why I always had a good relationship with my parents, was that I knew they would always welcome my friends and my friends also liked them. I never felt I had to "choose" between them...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Aw, love the pics of little Em at Disney World! Very sweet.

Me too......it's probably hard for you to picture your little ginger headed toddler boy becoming 16...but enjoy every age...they all bring something precious and fleeting with them...


The gift ideas are great! I too really like the bracelet idea, that is something that I'm sure she would wear (and add to) for years to come. I just might steal this idea for myself as well. What a great souvenir/memory item!

I love mine...I always feel good and remember all those great trips/memories when I wear it...I highly recommend one...


I also like Jordan's idea of the picture book with her story of growing up. When I graduated from college my Mom put together a scrapbook of sorts with pictures of me from when I was a baby to current, she even had certificates that I got in elementary school for things like a perfect spelling test! It was really sweet and I still enjoy looking at it!

I know and she'll probably ask me what the tear stains are...


When we were just there I saw advertised several times a website where you could purchase items from the parks....I think this is it: http://www.disneystore.com/disney-parks/adult-apparel-accessories/c/71000/

Thanks for that...


Not sure if they have what you are looking for though...otherwise the method that Floss mentioned would work. Or, go there the first day of the trip and surprise her with them!

I did! They were hilarious! The HS pins are pretty cute!

I proudly wear the name "enabler"! I couldn't resist and bought it today. I read the first couple of pages while I was in the store and liked what I read.

at the end of the day there are plenty of worse things to be called than a book enabler...in fact one might say that that's compliment...

I agree with so many of the ideas that have been thrown out there...the photobook...I made one from this past Disney trip and it was just as fun to make as it is to look at now....I used pictures from the recent trip as well as the past three. Even a photobook after the trip to document her time with her friends (maybe ) and family.
Love the charm bracelet idea too...I have one from when I was younger and it even has a charm of Cinderella's Castle! A charm bracelet is a wonderful keepsake.

Tracy

Thanks Tracy.......I like gifts that have some specific meaning attached to them...

I'll be seeing the Cindy' Castle charm brings back all kinds of good memories for you...

Oh I love the bracelet idea!!!!!

The books too.

And that book link looks really good! Book enablers!

Yes I think that we all are enablers of one sort or another......it seems to come with the Dis territory...

Forgot to add that I bought one of the D&B bags at TrenD....love it....they also have a cute make up bag by Harvey's for Disney Couture that I may have bought too...made out of seatbelts and very cute
You can't go wrong with anything from that store!

Tracy

Hmmm...did the Harvey's makeup bag come from TrenD? (I wish they had a website but they probably think it's more special to keep it exclusive to the park...

Hi PPP, I'm sorry I'm so late with commenting - but big question: did you like the movie???

Yes it was quite cute...but didn't have a lot to do with the original Three Musketeers Story by the French author Alexander Dumas...it was very, very loosely inspired by it...great fun if you love cartoons with Mickey, Donald and Pluto though...


You may remember that flossbolna put this list of Disney movies together for us to watch before our trip - well we managed to watch 2 or 3 One reason for this is that we thought we could watch many of the movies with Remy as well. But after seeing the list he said that he has either seen the movies already and doesn't want to watch them again, or that he doesn't like them. Then he suggested The Three Musketeers, but Flossbolna and I were a little bit reluctant, because we had never heard of it...

But since YOU've watched it, I thought it might be a nice movie for one last movie night before we leave...

Hmmm...it is really cute...there aren't a lot of new films with Mickey, Donald and Pluto out there...and I happen to like seeing them...(I'm a big fan of the early Disney cartoons...from the '30s-I especially love Mickey and Donald...I think they put a lot of energy into the stories and the animation...the backdrops/color are very beautiful......At the risk of getting flamed...I don't think every single Disney movie is great...I think there are many that are very good, some that are really brillant and some that are ehhh...ok...( I think the animation in the early films like Snow White, Bambi and Pinocchio are truly lovely...)

I think that Pixar breathed a breath of fresh and modern perspective into the films...

And I wanted to tell you that I admire you for how much energy you put into organizing Em's birthday!!! A like all the gift ideas and that you might take some of her friends. I think one of the reasons why I always had a good relationship with my parents, was that I knew they would always welcome my friends and my friends also liked them. I never felt I had to "choose" between them...

Thank you...I don't ever want there to be antagonism between Emily's friends and family...I happen to really like her friends...(I think I'm also lucky...I have a pleasant and intelligent daughter and she has friends who are also like that...)I think that teenagers sometimes get a bad rap...many of them are really lovely and I think people sometimes judge them unfairly based on their age...(People can be pleasant -or annoying whether they are small children, teenagers, adults or elderly...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Before I go down to begin to make dinner...today is Friday so I'm doing something "French",

I'm doing a Barefoot Contessa easy recipe menu...(I love her stuff...it always comes out for me...

This is what I'll be attempting...


-Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

-Easy Sole Meuniere

-French Apple Tart...ok I bought this at Whole Foods...

(HappyDog kindly gave me a recipe for sugar cookies which I think we'll make this weekend...)

We have a lot of children's books to choose from and I think we'll be watching either Aristocats or Sleeping Beauty...hmmm what are we in the mood for tonight???

Additionally---I am feeling pleased/relieved...I finally went to get my new passport photos-which is a good thing since we are going to Paris in slightly over 2 months...and now I will be able to leave and return to the country with my family...

I also mentioned that I'd list some of what I'm reading (in addition to tons of travel books/articles...


If I've missed something I have to read...let me know...

Murder in the Marais (Aimee Leduc Investigations, No. 1) Cara Black

Marie Antoinette-The Journey-Antonia Fraser

Paris to the Moon-Adam Gopnik (memoir of an American Father raising his son (with his wife) for his first five years in Paris)

A Moveable Feast-Hemingway (I don't usually like him-but I like this book)

Le Divorce-Diane Johnson-they made this into a movie but the book is better imho-a sister goes to help her pregnant sister in Paris, her sister winds up getting a divorce...DLP plays a part in the book...


The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing City-David Lebovitz

Secrets of Paris-Luanne Rice-a young (fictional) American couple spends a year in Paris...he to work on a new addition to the Louvre...due to his infidelity she comes to rediscover herself...

French Toast: An American in Paris Celebrates the Maddening Mysteries of the French -Harriet Welty Rochefort

& I'd actually like to get around to finally finishing The Three Musketeers-which I always seem to start but not finish...

But as you know...I'm always open to book enabling...

 

[MEK]

I just stopped by to see what was up for French Friday tonight! Sounds lovely. I can't wait to hear all about it. I am home alone right now - both boys are at friend's houses and Denny is not home yet. Your family French Friday sounds so nice. I wish we were doing something like that tonight.

Any updates on the October trip? You know - I was just thinking how we live fairly close. We really should arrange a Philly Dis meet. It would be so fun! I haven't been downtown in ages and would really love to go. I am going to see Wicked in a couple weeks at the Academy of Music and I can't wait. It will be my first trip there in ages!

Looking forward to reading about tonight's fun!

 

[eandesmom]

barefoot contessa! I've not made that one but I might have to go take a peek at it, Jeff has requested "more fish" on the menu.

Squash salad....I need to check on that one too. I love squash. I love salad. I've never had them combined....

I look forward to hearing how they turn out!

Fun fun list of books and movies.....I vote for the Aristocats though One of Kendall's favorites!

Congrats on getting the passport photo taken care of, those things always hang over me and are distracting.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I like your list of French books! There are a couple I may have to read myself! Right now I am reading the fourth Peter and the Starcatchers book -- Peter and the Sword of Mercy -- I will be ready for something a bit more grown-up afterwards, I am sure.

Dinner sounds lovely. I have never tried anything by the Barefoot Contessa, but if her stuff is easy, I can probably manage it.

 

[Happydog]

Barefoot Contessa = Baked Goods = Heavenly...

Your dinner sounds wonderful!!! And I love all your French themed reading!

 

[Flossbolna]

I love your reading list, it sounds really interesting! (Also thanks for your PM, will answer it soon!)

The next French Friday sounds great, I think a lot of French food is just that: just very good ingredients put together to a simple meal. The salad sounds especially interesting! And I think in France it is very common to buy desserts.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Patricia, I'm terribly behind...
Oh my on this drama...
I'll read on before commenting.
Just had to say that I've never prepared Shepherd's Pie but if you have time I would love the recipe!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Last night sounds quite interesting! How did it all turn out?

Here's my 2 cents on the Em dilemma.
If you are comfortable, and it seems that you are then by all means take her friends!
It sounds like fun to me!
DVC?
By all means get on The Timeshare Store's mailing list you might find a resale that just fits your needs and your money goes so much further...
You will pay over $100 per point from Disney and under $90 resale.
Besides, if you want Wilderness Lodge, Disney won't offer incentives and you will be put on a wait list anyway.

 

[dismagiclover]

Patricia I think you are going to be the most well read tourist in all of Paris DH's favorite book is Les Miserables. Beware though I think Victor Hugo is one of those guys that got paid by the word. It is super long and contains chapters of details about things like the Paris Sewer System (I kid you not.) How did French Friday turn out?

 

[mousescrapper]

Possible Gift Ideas for the b-day girl...



The trip itself is obviously the big gift...( not to mention getting to go to Paris earlier in the year...

Regardless of how this trip finally looks...we will be having a bday dinner and cake at the California Grill, tea at the GF and going to the Halloween party...

But 16 is a big deal and I'm thinking it would be fun to give her something each morning of the trip (6) -not like a car... or anything nearly that extravagent... They don't all have to be big $ gifts, some can cost less and some more...but I'd like them all to be special and have a meaningful tie in in some way...

ie. I have a charm bracelet that I've collected charms on vacations that we've all gone as a family...so I have a Tower of London charm on it, a Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, a Mickey, etc.

-I could start her out with a bracelet like that with a Mickey charm and maybe an Eiffel tower since we'll have been there in March...(my bracelet is gold...I might get her silver)

-I was thinking about putting together a collection of 16 books that have special meaning to our family or just ones that I think represent her or ones that are classics I think she should have...

-A gift certificate to TrenD... (since it is her favorite store on Disney property)

-Alice in W pjs/robe to wear while there...if I could fine them...*they had cute ones last August in TrendD...I wish I had nabbed them...

(Since the Tim Burton Alice is coming out in March...I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of Alice merchandise...)

-Dooney and Bourke makes a Disney bag...it isn't inexpensive and I'd want to make sure it would be something she'd carry for a while...or an alternative...

-something from each Disney Resort she'll have been to at that point...WDW, DL and DLP...tshirt, pin, etc...

-Flowers


-Hmmm any ideas...​

​

​

this is so sweet...

I agree w/ another poster maybe a Mommy and Me spa date either before the trip or while your there...

maybe some favorite sweets...

there is also a lady Besty she has a site Memoriesbybesty and she puts together gift baskets for a fee of disney purchasd items from the Marketplace and delievers it too your resort...

I'm thinking about doing something like this for my little girls b-days for our trip in NOV.

Thanks Julie...hmmm since your parents all see more in the spirit of the thing...maybe you can send some of that goodwill this way...I'd appreciate it...

hope this helps...

J~

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I just stopped by to see what was up for French Friday tonight! Sounds lovely. I can't wait to hear all about it. I am home alone right now - both boys are at friend's houses and Denny is not home yet. Your family French Friday sounds so nice. I wish we were doing something like that tonight.

Any updates on the October trip? You know - I was just thinking how we live fairly close. We really should arrange a Philly Dis meet. It would be so fun! I haven't been downtown in ages and would really love to go. I am going to see Wicked in a couple weeks at the Academy of Music and I can't wait. It will be my first trip there in ages!

Looking forward to reading about tonight's fun!

Hey glad you popped by...I wish I could offer you a nice glass of wine...

Yes as they get older its harder to have everyone home...having Em home is a bit of a challenge...she certainly has a far more interesting social life than I do...

I am trying to take it easy so I don't implode about October...I really want my inlaws there for at least a couple of nights and I'm going to let Em have three friends...so including her that will b 4 teens...I think I can handle that...

I would love to have a Phil or De dismeet...I'll pm you...-if you haven't seen Wicked---it is awesome!

barefoot contessa! I've not made that one but I might have to go take a peek at it, Jeff has requested "more fish" on the menu.

Squash salad....I need to check on that one too. I love squash. I love salad. I've never had them combined....

I look forward to hearing how they turn out!

Fun fun list of books and movies.....I vote for the Aristocats though One of Kendall's favorites!

Congrats on getting the passport photo taken care of, those things always hang over me and are distracting.

I love the Barefoot Contessa...and I love that all of her recipes are relatively simple and they all turn out...sometimes you can get a cookbook and the recipes don't work out-all of hers do...

Hmmm...having said that the fish was delicious but trying to cut corners...I squished all four fillets in the pan at once and I should have listened to her...she said to do two at a time...well they were yummy...they just didn't look at pretty since they all broke apart...

the salad was fab...

We did watch the Aristocats...

I like your list of French books! There are a couple I may have to read myself! Right now I am reading the fourth Peter and the Starcatchers book -- Peter and the Sword of Mercy -- I will be ready for something a bit more grown-up afterwards, I am sure.

Dinner sounds lovely. I have never tried anything by the Barefoot Contessa, but if her stuff is easy, I can probably manage it.

Ooo...you have to try the Barefoor Contessa...most of her stuff is fairly simple and her recipes all turn out...

I'm going to be really good and not run out and buy the Starcatcher books until I catch up on my current reading...

Barefoot Contessa = Baked Goods = Heavenly...

Your dinner sounds wonderful!!! And I love all your French themed reading!

Yeah...another BC fan...isn't she great?

I love your reading list, it sounds really interesting! (Also thanks for your PM, will answer it soon!)

The next French Friday sounds great, I think a lot of French food is just that: just very good ingredients put together to a simple meal. The salad sounds especially interesting! And I think in France it is very common to buy desserts.

Yes getting good ingredients even if simple really makes a meal great...

Food in San Francisco is very much like that too...and a lot of American chefs are starting to really try to use local ingredients in their cooking too...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Patricia, I'm terribly behind...
Oh my on this drama...
I'll read on before commenting.
Just had to say that I've never prepared Shepherd's Pie but if you have time I would love the recipe!

Last night sounds quite interesting! How did it all turn out?

Here's my 2 cents on the Em dilemma.
If you are comfortable, and it seems that you are then by all means take her friends!
It sounds like fun to me!
DVC?
By all means get on The Timeshare Store's mailing list you might find a resale that just fits your needs and your money goes so much further...
You will pay over $100 per point from Disney and under $90 resale.
Besides, if you want Wilderness Lodge, Disney won't offer incentives and you will be put on a wait list anyway.

Hey Anita...there is always lots of drama here...just your typical crazy American Family...

I will post that recipe just as soon as I track down that particular book......which should be soon...

Em's getting 3 friends...now she had to figure out who...wahahaha...

We've been checking out some resales...and there are a couple of nice deals on the Boardwalk...I just don't know if I can handle the pool there...Clowns are creepy...

but I think that the resale is the way to go for us...

Patricia I think you are going to be the most well read tourist in all of Paris DH's favorite book is Les Miserables. Beware though I think Victor Hugo is one of those guys that got paid by the word. It is super long and contains chapters of details about things like the Paris Sewer System (I kid you not.) How did French Friday turn out?

Hmmm....I think I tried to read Les Miserables before but I don't recall getting through it......maybe now with new appreciation of the sewers after Ratatouille...I might make it through...

I'm going to update FF next...

this is so sweet...

I agree w/ another poster maybe a Mommy and Me spa date either before the trip or while your there...

maybe some favorite sweets...

there is also a lady Besty she has a site Memoriesbybesty and she puts together gift baskets for a fee of disney purchasd items from the Marketplace and delievers it too your resort...

I'm thinking about doing something like this for my little girls b-days for our trip in NOV.




hope this helps...

J~

Hey J...I hadn't thought of the sweets and I will definitely check out Memories by betsy...

Hmmm...I heard there's this really awesome, clever, creative scrapper named Julie who is making great stuff...WAIT that's you... I'll have to be talking to you about a scrapbook for her birthday...It's a good thing you have your website listed in your signature...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

COUNTING DOWN BACKWARDS to Paris & DLP...FRENCH FRIDAY NUMBER 10

​

Well despite the continuing lunacy...We had our Third French Family Friday...we are now at the 10 week countdown...


We had our film...

Why is it on its side you ask?...too much French wine...



Yes...The Aristocats...I think the kitten Marie has a lot of spirit-I love all the cats in this film-Duchess, Berlioz, Toulouse...and I think that it's pretty cool that she (Marie) is now a character you can meet in the park...I love the O'Malley character and the couple of Jazz numbers with Scat Cat...the few background scenes of 1910 Paris are lovely(but although I think this is a cute film imho is is not as good a 101 Dalmations)...


Then we had a French Food...(this time I actually made it and photographed it...I used Barefoot Contessa-easy French recipes...)

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette-this was yummy -it had roasted butternut squash and walnuts and parmesan in it...
So first the salad (with bread of course)

Second the Sole Meuniere...
Hmm...I have to say that even though the sole looks a bit messy...it was really good...I just should have done the fillets in two batches so they didn't fall apart...but what can be bad done with lemon, butter and parsley...?

"Sole is so tasty that the ancient Romans called the fish solea jovis of Jupiter's sandal in honor of one of their gods. Chefs have found many ways of serving it in French cuisine. This recipe is called "sole meuniere" or miller's sole and is dipped in flour and sauteed in butter to make a tasty sauce."

YOU just have to imagine it in one nice fillet instead of having fallen apart...


We finished up with a lovely apple tart and some coffee and tea...

Finally our book(s)...(and yes I'm feeling lazy...I can copy those Amazon reviews with the best of them...)

Everybody Bonjours...This delightful tour of Paris begins, “When in Paris, everybody bonjours.” The refrain is repeated as a little girl and her family hear that welcome, “From shores. In stores. On guided tours.” The cheery ink-and-watercolor artwork is stylishly rendered. McMenemy sometimes places her characters in spaces of white that highlight them against quintessentially French backgrounds. (An architectural key on the endpapers identifies sites from the Eiffel Tower to the Paris Zoo.) Throughout, the brief rhymes are tightly rendered but cleverly worded, and they work perfectly in tandem with the art, giving youngsters a solid idea of what treats await them in Paris, should they be lucky enough to visit. A clever ending shows what happens when the little girl and her teddy bear fly back to the States. Those who have been paying close attention will be delighted by the presence on the plane of the small mouse, who has followed the family in and around Paris, and has now managed to find its way to the U.S.

I, Crocodile...
Ah, the contented life of a Nile crocodile, direct descendant of the ancient Pharaoh-worshiped Egyptian crocs. Delectable fish for dinner, exquisite pink flamingo for dessert. Life is good... until Napoleon shows up, that is. This greedy emperor wants one of everything in sight--mummies, obelisks, and yes, a crocodile for a Parisian fountain display. The nerve. But, well, life isn't all bad in Paris. Soon our hero is the "Toast of the Tuileries! The Darling of the Empire!" Life is good again... until that fickle emperor gets a hankering for Crocodile pie with Egyptian onions. It's time for this rascally reptile to make a quick getaway


I'm hoping to do a little bit of an update on my DLP planning in the next day or two-my guidebook came along with a wonderful and wonderfully long guide written by Flossbolna that I've had sitting in my pms for a while...she really wrote extensively and was amazing helpful about her opinions on DLP so I'm going to share some of that also...


and of course there is the actual city of Paris to plan for too...

 

[jordanyosh]

Another great night from your creative mind!

Can't wait to hear more about your plans for France...

 

[Charleston Princess]

Do you know I have NEVER seen The Aristocats? I should maybe take care of that.

Dinner looks delicious, and the apple tart looks so good!!! Yummy!!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Your dinner looks wonderful! The Menuiere style is the way we eat a lot of fish here in Germany as well. It is called Müllerin art, which translates into the style of the miller's wife. I love it because it enhances the fish without overpowering it. It's the best way for trout as well.

And that salad looks delicious. I wouldn't mind a recipe for that... If you have the time!

It's interesting what you said about food in San Francisco being very simple. I was in California in 2005 and while we never made it into any special restaurants in San Francisco, we had two excellent meals in Santa Barbara and Big Sur. These made me understand why you would have a restaurant in WDW themed to Californian cuisine...

And thanks for the nice comment about my PM! It will be fun reading about it, and finding out what works for you!

 

[dismagiclover]

My goodness, I'm quite impressed with your culinary skills. If you ever want any taste testing just send it down I-95!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Another great French Friday!

Sorry I haven't given my two cents about gift ideas... I really don't have anything new to offer... I love the idea of the charm bracelet! And I don't think you could go wrong with the spa!