DDA Chapter 8

[PNO4TE]

I got up and got the lawn mowed before we have any thunderstorms this afternoon. Now I need to spend some time at the studio to finish getting ready for summer session which starts on Monday. Where, oh where, did my 2 week break go?!?!?

Let's see what I can remember... If I missed anyone I am sure I will figure it out over the next few hours.

Deb - the house looks amazing!

Robyn - I am telling you, woman... you need to do cakes for a living!

Lindsay - I am glad you had good luck with your ADRs. I have not given one minute of time planning our December trip. I think it has not sunk in yet that we will go! I am also uninspired by the CP narrator schedule. I guess we will probably miss it again this year.

Jen - for you... seeing students grow up and leave the nest when they are that young is tough. I have my fingers crossed that one of your teaching prospects for next year comes through very soon!

Debbie - I am sorry that you won't get to see the Osborne Lights. It is one of my favorite holiday experiences at WDW too. Staring at the beautiful castle is something I am looking forward to also. I was sorry to have missed it last year.

Anne Marie - Yay for Daniel and his new-found love of school. All your hard work and sacrifices were well worth it, weren't they?

Elizabeth - It sounds as if Princess is well on her way to being potty trained. I am sure her parents are much appreciative!

Amy - Your BIL is to be commended! Enjoy the celebration.

 

[PNO4TE]

Elizabeth - I like your new signature quote!

 

[PNO4TE]

I had lunch on Thursday with another DISer (BoosGram). I admit it... I strayed from the DDA...

Joanne lives here in Fredericksburg and we have been trying to get together with Tammi and another person none of us knows for a few months. We finally decided to just go by ourselves and get to know one another. I am lucky enough to have found another friend! She is a couple of years older than I am, but her life experiences very much parallel my own. We had a lot to talk about, and most of it was not Disney!

Tammi - you will like her a lot. We need to find a time to get together.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Good morning everyone!

 

[tmfranlk]

Deb, I'm glad that the bugs are identified and, more importantly, dying as we type. about the cat food. We usually buy such a big bag that I don't know how we could get it all in the freezer, but I think we're going to start trying. I do transfer it to an airtight plastic container.

Chanon, I hope that the mold isn't too expensive.

Tammi, YAY! for last day of school and soon-to-be time off.

Anne Marie, YAY for Daniel's last day of school and finding a place that he loves so much. I hope he has a great time at the birthday party.

Deb, CONGRATS to Nick!

to everyone! I need to go get dinner going.

(I actually sat down and watched a movie today...I feel a little guilty. It was Juno, and it was wonderful.)

I'll start with a big itto" to Beth's post.

Beth - Sounds like your trip is pretty good to go.

Deb - Your house looks beautiful! You have done an amazing job!

Elizabeth - Yeah for Princess and the potty!!! That is great. Chase tried a few times while they were in CA and has tried a few since then (she's only 19 months, but it was a novelty and seemed to work a little so we'll see). Kristi actually called me at one point during the trying because she couldn't get Chase off of the potty. She'd been sitting there singing and talking for over 20 minutes and didn't want to get down.

Robyn - That soccer cake is amazing!!

To everyone else I have missed as my "spot" in catching up keeps getting lost...lots of and

 

[Tinkaroo]

Lindsay - Yay for ADRs!
Holiday pricing started on Dec. 16 last year, too. How strange that it would start this year on a Tuesday! Maybe the screen was wrong? I could see the price changing on Dec. 14, but not the 16th. Very odd.

The AP site continues to function just fine, so I doubt we'll see AP rates on Monday.

Apparently there are new post cards out for Aug. 3 - Sept. 20-something. Values for $59, DVC studios for $165 at SSR & OKW. We are paying $214 for the one cash night at SSR on 8/9. IF I had a postcard maybe I could call and change it, but we don't have a post card! And then we have 7 more nights booked at rack rate because there are NO discounts for those. Grrr! Makes me want to stay home.

I must have missed a moment of mad Elizabeth planning - when did you add night at WL to the mix? for a code or AP rate!

Robyn, I would think you're on the verge of running on empty, too!

I hope you find a little downtime this weekend. Your cake looks awesome!!!

Ditto! Robyn, that cake is amazing! I hope you find some time to enjoy yourself today.

We're going to Dave and Busters for lunch to celebrate my BIL's graduation. After dropping out of college 12 years ago, he went back and got his teaching degree. Now he needs some for finding a job!

WTG, BIL! Lots of for his job search.

Lindsay - I am glad you had good luck with your ADRs. I have not given one minute of time planning our December trip. I think it has not sunk in yet that we will go! I am also uninspired by the CP narrator schedule. I guess we will probably miss it again this year.

Dare I admit that I almost didn't figure out our plan last night? I was so tired, but thankfully I got a second wind around midnight, and got it all figured out. I forgot that our trip last year was the exact combination of days-of-the-week, so I was able to utilize my stuff from last year to figure out what parks to do each day, since TGM is falling down on the job.

I was really impressed with last year's narrator list, but this one just has me going "eh." We saw Monique Coleman last year (was supposed to have been Phylicia Rashad!), and she actually did a much better job than I was expecting, and my young nieces got a kick out of seeing her. Our options this year were her, "TBD", or Chita Rivera. We're going to roll the dice and hope "TBD" is someone outstanding! I love the CP so much, though, so as I told Jonathan, there's no way we're not going to do it one night!

I hope your class prep goes well today. Glad you had fun at your lunch, and found a new friend!

 

[tmfranlk]

Hello all! Internet is coming to work today so maybe I'll be able to keep up a little more! YEAH!!!!

We are doing pretty well. I got to spend a nice evening catching up with a couple of girlfriends last night. Now Terra is waiting for a friend to get here for a playdate. They have been wanting to do it since Terra's birthday party in Feb but I just hadn't been able to squeeze it in yet. Now she's on her way and I think they're both really excited. After that we're hitting the mall for Art in the Park[ing lot]. Some Art event in the the adjoining parking lot with kid activities that Terra is anxious to check out. And then, we're off to a symphony concert in the park. We're meeting a friend of Phil's for a picnic and the concert which should be nice.

Oh yeah, and my official notice that we are leaving for a week in Branson next Saturday. It will be nice to have a week of nothing much planned. We'll hit Silver Dollar City a few times, maybe a show, but otherwise just hang at the resort swimming, playing and just a bunch of relaxing nothing.

Today I booked our Family Magic Tour. Terra is going to love it! I also taught the CM something as they tried to tell me I couldn't pay with a Gift Card. After the first guy was pretty adamant I called back and got a second guy. He gave me the same "no" answer when I asked up front and when I wondered aloud why he's says "well let's try and see". Lo and behold it worked so we are set. Now to just buy our MNSSHP and get the pay off money ready. Oh yeah, and plane tickets. Our stimulus check is supposed to be here any time so that should be our final push. Can't wait!!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Elizabeth - I like your new signature quote!

Thank you!

I had lunch on Thursday with another DISer (BoosGram). I admit it... I strayed from the DDA...

Joanne lives here in Fredericksburg and we have been trying to get together with Tammi and another person none of us knows for a few months. We finally decided to just go by ourselves and get to know one another. I am lucky enough to have found another friend! She is a couple of years older than I am, but her life experiences very much parallel my own. We had a lot to talk about, and most of it was not Disney!

Tammi - you will like her a lot. We need to find a time to get together.

Yay for a new friend!

Lindsay - Yes, it went like this:
We had 4 nights of pool view at AKL at rack rate between the DVC ressies. I called to see if WL had a AAA rate because DS & DH want to do the fishing excursion and WL has a marina. WL was rack rate, too, but I switched it. So now it goes AKL CL - SSR - WL - AKV. DH and I discussed the merits of adding 4 more nights (borrowing points from our next UY) at SSR and renting a car, but the freaking car is almost as much as the rack rate room at WL! Yes, I know SSR has a marina, but the fish bite better in the water between WL and CR.

Tia - Sounds like you have some fun things planned!! I think Terra will love the Family Magic tour. DS was just too old for it when we went. Princess is funny - she likes to use the potty but she doesn't want me to tell her when to go sit on it. Which resulted in multiple half-wet diapers yesterday. We'll be refining our technique before we make the move to panties. She'll definitely stay in diapers until after I get back from Mom's surgery.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I swear I am being shot out of the saddle at every turn today! I decided to see if MAYBE we could get a 1 bedroom villa for those 4 nights. Nope. Unless I want to stay at SSR!

For the price of a rental car we could BUY a car, take the depreciation hit, and sell it back at the end of our stay and still come out ahead.

 

[tmfranlk]

Tia - Sounds like you have some fun things planned!! I think Terra will love the Family Magic tour. DS was just too old for it when we went. Princess is funny - she likes to use the potty but she doesn't want me to tell her when to go sit on it. Which resulted in multiple half-wet diapers yesterday. We'll be refining our technique before we make the move to panties. She'll definitely stay in diapers until after I get back from Mom's surgery.

I think it will be good. I did it with Rachel for the first time on her 2nd trip when she had just turned 6yo so almost the same age. She was the perfect age for it on that trip and I think Terra will be too. We're doing it after Phil is gone so it will be just the two of us which I think will be good too.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Oh, my. I just talked to my mom. Today was the first time she mentioned that although her surgery is June 17 she doesn't go back to the oncologist until JULY 18. Which is pretty standard from what I gather on the breast cancer thread, but it means the EARLIEST she would begin follow-up treatment is July 21. 2 weeks before we leave for WDW. If they start her on chemo and she has a bad reaction to it then I will either not go to WDW with DH & DS or I will end up flying to KC from Orlando.

One of the other ladies on the breast cancer thread lost her mom because of a bad reaction to chemo, and I can't seem to get that out of my head.

 

[my3princes]

Oh, my. I just talked to my mom. Today was the first time she mentioned that although her surgery is June 17 she doesn't go back to the oncologist until JULY 18. Which is pretty standard from what I gather on the breast cancer thread, but it means the EARLIEST she would begin follow-up treatment is July 21. 2 weeks before we leave for WDW. If they start her on chemo and she has a bad reaction to it then I will either not go to WDW with DH & DS or I will end up flying to KC from Orlando.

One of the other ladies on the breast cancer thread lost her mom because of a bad reaction to chemo, and I can't seem to get that out of my head.

Isn't there a possiblility that she won't need chemo. I thought you mentioned that it was very small and they thought they would only need to remove it

 

[my3princes]

Well my mom and I are all "dolled" up for our trip. My cousin came over and gave us both perms and cuts. She waxed my brows too. Then I gave my Mom a mini makeover as she claims that she would like to wear make up and she even bought some, but she never tries to put it on. I used my new bare minerals stuff on her and she really liked it After DC left I gave Chris another buzz cut so I think we are all set for haircuts. My house now reaks of perm, but I guess it's worth it

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Isn't there a possiblility that she won't need chemo. I thought you mentioned that it was very small and they thought they would only need to remove it

The tumor is down to 2 cm, so they *think* they can just remove the tumor and leave most of the breast. But it really depends on the lymph nodes, and whatever else they find in the OR. If those are positive then it depends on how many are positive, and if they are the primary ones or the secondary ones. She may not need chemo. She might be able to just do radiation, or if the lymph nodes are clear she may just need to continue on with the Arimidex. DH asked me if we should just cancel our trip now and bank the points, but I don't think I am ready to do that. I want to see how the surgery goes before we scrap the whole trip. We aren't locked in to anything for another couple of weeks, and beyond that if our points end up in Holding then we'll deal with it. The room only portions can be cancelled the week before, so I am not concerned about that.

Marci - Thank you for the card!

Beth - Got your check today! And DH didn't drop it in the pool! Thank you!!!

 

[lovesdumbo]

its going to be weird as i have been there for 6 years!

We've been at our preschool for 6 years-2 years for each child. It will be wierd for us not going there anymore. When do you find out about that position? Next Wednesday? Good luck!

When I changed our August ressies to room only I asked about AP rates, she came back and gave me the figure, which was the same as the the regular price. My paperwork says Passholder Room Only, and has the code FIZ on it?

I guess no Osborne lights means we will definitely be attending one of the Christmas parties again, gotta get some Christmas feeling in before going back to retail and having it ruined for me. I'll just find a spot and stare at the castle like I did last year.

That is strange about the AP code with no discount. Maybe in case you wanted DDP?

Wasn't the castle awesome!!!!

I was able to get everything I wanted.

Hi all....I've been reading along but have been up to my elbows in kids, cake and icing for the past few days.

I never did get my nap in on Thursday (I only had 7 1/2 kids, the cousin didn't come and Allyson didn't get here until 2:30) and ended up staying up until midnight. My girlfriend dropped off 5 huge bags full of clothes for Lucy that I had to go through. I refused to let them sit here any longer than this weekend. I ended up with a laundry basket full of clothes. I think my girlfriend and Elizabeth would get along fabulously- there is no way I have room for all those clothes nor do I think that Lucy could possibly wear them all!

Yesterday I washed all the clothes and baked the cakes that I needed for today. I also managed to almost completely decorate the cake yesterday, even with 5 kids here. Thank goodness for naps!! We left for my girlfriend's house. We drove an hour to her house for her DD's birthday, stayed an hour and half and then drove an hour home. We got home around 9:30ish and the put the girls to bed. I then made picture frames for favors for Mo's soccer team. They didn't take long and then I headed to bed.

I got up this morning and put some more laundry in and finished the cake. I was afraid that if I put it together last night it would collapse before the party today.

Here is the finished cake

The soccer party is at 11 this morning. After that I have to race home and change and head to a retirement party for my high school band director. Thankfully it's just me going so I get to spend some alone time with old friends and such. My mom, sister, and sister's friend and her mom are also coming along so it should be a fun afternoon.

And did I mention that my perfectly happy baby has turned into a screaming monster the minute I leave her eyesight! The other 2 never ever went through this stage so it is new territory for me. And Mo I swear runs on empty all the time. She is beyond exhausted but has only been sleeping from 10pm til 6am, with no nap. It has made for some wonderful meltdowns!

I am sending out a ton of 's, and for everyone. I will check back in tonight.

Have a great Saturday everyone!!

WOW! That cake is incredible!!! Sounds like you need to slow down a bit! Hope you get some answers from Molly's sleep test!

We're going to Dave and Busters for lunch to celebrate my BIL's graduation. After dropping out of college 12 years ago, he went back and got his teaching degree. Now he needs some for finding a job!

Congrats to your BIL! and

Elizabeth - I like your new signature quote!

I had lunch on Thursday with another DISer (BoosGram). I admit it... I strayed from the DDA...

Joanne lives here in Fredericksburg and we have been trying to get together with Tammi and another person none of us knows for a few months. We finally decided to just go by ourselves and get to know one another. I am lucky enough to have found another friend! She is a couple of years older than I am, but her life experiences very much parallel my own. We had a lot to talk about, and most of it was not Disney!

Tammi - you will like her a lot. We need to find a time to get together.

How nice!

Hello all! Internet is coming to work today so maybe I'll be able to keep up a little more! YEAH!!!!

We are doing pretty well. I got to spend a nice evening catching up with a couple of girlfriends last night. Now Terra is waiting for a friend to get here for a playdate. They have been wanting to do it since Terra's birthday party in Feb but I just hadn't been able to squeeze it in yet. Now she's on her way and I think they're both really excited. After that we're hitting the mall for Art in the Park[ing lot]. Some Art event in the the adjoining parking lot with kid activities that Terra is anxious to check out. And then, we're off to a symphony concert in the park. We're meeting a friend of Phil's for a picnic and the concert which should be nice.

Oh yeah, and my official notice that we are leaving for a week in Branson next Saturday. It will be nice to have a week of nothing much planned. We'll hit Silver Dollar City a few times, maybe a show, but otherwise just hang at the resort swimming, playing and just a bunch of relaxing nothing.

Today I booked our Family Magic Tour. Terra is going to love it! I also taught the CM something as they tried to tell me I couldn't pay with a Gift Card. After the first guy was pretty adamant I called back and got a second guy. He gave me the same "no" answer when I asked up front and when I wondered aloud why he's says "well let's try and see". Lo and behold it worked so we are set. Now to just buy our MNSSHP and get the pay off money ready. Oh yeah, and plane tickets. Our stimulus check is supposed to be here any time so that should be our final push. Can't wait!!

Tonight sounds fun as does Branson. Congrats on booking Family Magic Tour!

Oh, my. I just talked to my mom. Today was the first time she mentioned that although her surgery is June 17 she doesn't go back to the oncologist until JULY 18. Which is pretty standard from what I gather on the breast cancer thread, but it means the EARLIEST she would begin follow-up treatment is July 21. 2 weeks before we leave for WDW. If they start her on chemo and she has a bad reaction to it then I will either not go to WDW with DH & DS or I will end up flying to KC from Orlando.

One of the other ladies on the breast cancer thread lost her mom because of a bad reaction to chemo, and I can't seem to get that out of my head.

That sounds like a lot of "ifs". I guess you like being prepared for the worse but I certainly wish the best for your Mom!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks, Bernadette!
The thing is, I have to consider every possible outcome so I am never blindsided. I have to cover every angle so no matter what happens, I have already thought of it. Control freak, at your service. I guess that's what it is. I can't control WHAT the outcome is, but I can think of every possible outcome and be ready for ANY of them, so it doesn't matter which one actually happens. Obviously some are much more preferable than others!

 

[lovesdumbo]

My friend Mary K that went to Disney with me last May stopped by today-she lives about 50 miles from me so she doesn't come to my house often-we see each other at work everyday. She went kyaking with other coworkers in the town next to me so she stopped by after that. She, Emma, Joe & I went to an arts festival in town. I don't get why everyone complains about the high food prices at WDW. Mary K & I each had a lobster roll-they were great and were for a church charity but they were $13 each. I bought Joe & Emma french fries to share at $3 and each a hot dog at $5 each-not a charity. Emma didn't eat her hot dog because it was split and she didn't like the "line". I've got to say it didn't look too good.

We did have a great time and there was great band singing while we had lunch. I kept thinking "I could make that" with all the cute kids clothes(didn't even look at prices), hats($25), headbands ($12), and bags($25+).

Speaking of making things.....I need to go finish Joe's shirt!

 

[PNO4TE]

For the price of a rental car we could BUY a car, take the depreciation hit, and sell it back at the end of our stay and still come out ahead.

 

[lovespoohbear]

Hmm... here, I'll use this account. Why would Sam's let me "Share Photos" via email and then not let people see them? Actually, I have my own opinions about Sam's Club, so I'll let that go...

1: http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f210/tink2020designs/pinkandwhiterectangleannouncementco.jpg (has a small white border around the whole edge which might be hard to see on some monitors)

2:http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f210/tink2020designs/pinkandblackannouncementcopy.jpg

3: http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f210/tink2020designs/3pictureannouncementcopy.jpg

If your still deciding i LOVE the pink and black one.

 

[Tammi67]

Hi everyone. We've had a busy and fun few days. Last night we went to our local dinner theater and saw Grease. This was Bob's fday present and the tickets were at will call, so I couldn't really wrap anything up for him. The name of the place is Riverside Dinner Theater, so I google image searched and printed out a picture of a river, a slide -L, a set dinner table and a theater. The last picture was the cast picture of Grease with Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. I put these in individual envelops and he opened them one at a time. Sorta like a Rebus puzzle. He finally got it and appreciated the time and thought I put into it. We had a really fun time, the show was great, and the kids LOVED it. The girls were in love with the guy who played Danny. Today we got up and went downtown to watch the Soap Box Derby. I believe it is billed as the largest derby in the world. We stayed and watched awhile and then headed to the center of town to participate in our Itty Bitty City Scavenger Hunt. There are 20 pictures posted in the paper and you have to go around town locating the objects. They might be a signpost, a unique door knocker, a rooftop, etc. Nicholas did pretty good spotting some things. We got not quite half today so we will go back later this week and try to finish up. After that we were all quite warm so we went swimming for a couple hours. Now the kids just left to go with their father, and the storm has moved in. Guess I'll have a nice quiet evening to myself.