December 2009 - A Celebration of many things

I think you should definitely use a few of the santa heads in a scrapbook! I don't know about all of them, but you can definitely find use for some!
 
Thanks for sharing the pictures! I love a fellow OCD'r! I also love that Greg is into it! Asking Shamus for opinions is like pulling teeth!

Love the Mickey Santa candy box!

Greg started my Disney obsession. He has been to Disney so much times, and it was his idea to go the last time we went. So while he's not into planning like I am, he does enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor. Sometimes (on Disney and other things) he's so agreeable is almost annoying. LOL He'll say "I don't care whatever you want." So I'll have to be like, listen I asked for a reason so give me your opinion.

LOL I'm in my glory looking at all the organization of paperwork. Then I walk into our den and see the mass of Disney stuff, Thanksgiving stuff, craft stuff, and even some Christmas stuff all over the place and I go :scared1: That's this weekends project, the last room to get ready before Thanksgiving.

Okay, can I just say I'm a bit jealous--all of your tickers say weeks while mine still says month. Darned school/work for getting in the way of Disney vacationing!

Aww you'll be there before you know it!!! Once we hit the month mark it started to fly by!! Plus when you have things to do and a bunch of stuff going on it makes things go even faster!!!

I think you should definitely use a few of the santa heads in a scrapbook! I don't know about all of them, but you can definitely find use for some!

I think I am definitely going to use some in the scrap book, maybe use a few to hang on the tree. The rest will sadly find their way into the trash. However that just means that next time I can start a new countdown from fresh!! :)
 
No, I'm not talking about Christmas, I'm talking about Disney time!!!!! I think because we're going to Disney for the Holiday Season, it makes me even more excited about Christmas. It's my favorite holiday. I know everyone says that, but I REALLY AND TRULY LOVE Christmas. So much so that my birthday is 12/22 and I don't even care about not celebrating it. Christmas is the celebration and holiday I really care about. My birthday is just sort of another day. And I'm not one of those to get upset that I'm getting older, because I don't feel my age and you're only as old as you feel. I'll be 28 this year and I don't feel a day over 20, seriously!! Even though I have more responsibility than I did when I was 20, I don't feel as old as I am. And 28 isn't old but any means, but heck there are times I still feel like a teenagers!!

Anyway, this is a great day friends!! For a few different reasons. I know that it is Friday the 13th, but the 13th is a lucky day. On January 13, 2005 Greg and I went on our first date. It wasn't a Friday, but 13 is a lucky number. And today we made our last transfer into savings and we now have ALL OUR DISNEY SPENDING MONEY!!! :yay::yay::yay::yay: We actually have more than we need. My plan was to over save that way we have a little extra to transfer into checking, for just in case purposes. So, we have all our money for tips (separate from our spending), and we're going down with $1000. No credit cards, just cash. In a few weeks we'll go to the bank to get our travelers checks. We've never used them before but felt safer with them rather than carrying all that cash. Anyway I hope we have enough, and I only say that because we'll be Christmas shopping in Disney too. I think we'll be okay, but I get myself a little crazy. Plus that $1000 is pure spending, we have the dining plan, and I also have my Disney rewards dollars. I think around $250. LOL I forgot about those until just now!!!

Okay, second part to a great day: I only have 11 more work days!!!! After I return from Disney I will no longer be at this job. By that point (or by Jan 1) I'll have the green light to start my new job. My new real job, LOL I call this my fake job because it was only temporary and didn't really require much of me.

Third: we are going to see A Christmas Carol tonight!!!

Fourth: Only 14 days until I can decorate for Christmas!!! :woohoo:

Well, that's about it. Today is a good day!!

Cheap Chic tip: Don't buy prepackaged. This makes a difference on some things, mainly jello and pudding. I love both, but a 6 pack is so expensive, like $4!! So I started to buy the mix, jello for $0.10 and the pudding for $1. I make it and put them into those small glad containers. They're 4 oz and a perfect pudding/jello portion size!!
And now a Disney cheap chic tip: Bring stuff to have breakfast in your room and bring snacks too. Even on the dining plan you only have a limited amount. Some oatmeal and trail mix will get you far. Plus it's quick and easy!! We'll be eating breakfast in our room almost everyday and I don't go anywhere without some soy joy bars and fruit leather!! Saves time and money!!
 
Doesn't it feel so good to look into the savings and see you have $1000+ in there! It makes me proud! I never thought we'd get there, but BAM! we've done it!

Glad the fake job is just about over!

Enjoy your movie, it is getting quite the mixed reviews around these boards! Madi & I enjoyed it!

14 days? Day after T-giving? I think I am going to bring some out this weekend. At least go through the box, see what we've got tucked away! I feel that since we'll be gone for an entire week, then the decorations should come out a week early to compensate!

Love the idea about the Jello & Pudding single serve!

We've got a character breakfast every day we are in Disney, so we won't be needing breakfast, but will probably bring along some snacks.


Have a great weekend! :goodvibes
 

Guess what I got? A whole box full of Disney treats. Thank you so much, this was so unexpected. I love all of it. And I was just telling my Mom the night before that I was looking for a Disney pocket size notebook so I could take notes while at the park for my TR, I want to include all the details, I can't forget anything, and then, Voila! like you had been ion my head you sent me one, and pens and stickers. thankyou, Thank you Thank you.:hug: And I have already attached my luggage tags to my carry ons, they look great, you did a great job, I held them laughing and crying and telling Kent, Nic made these for me, she tied the ribbon on and made them pretty for me. Thank you so much.

I love the dining plan cards you created, I want to do that too, if I have time I will.

Gosh, I haven't been ice skating since 8th grade, we spent the winter at my Grandmas house on Cooley Lake in Michigan, ice skating was a way of life for us, then when we came in Mom would have a pile of buttered toast and a kettle of hot chocolate waiting for us. I used to dip my toast in my cocoa, I miss those days.

I'm loving all the trivia. And the cheap chic tips are so helpful, I especially like the pudding idea, Jim loves pudding and I spend a bundle keeping his addiction going, I am goin gto switch over to your cheap chic idea.

19 days. Can you believe it? We are in the teens now. :woohoo::yay:
 
I'm glad you have all your money set aside!! Good job!!!!

I can't wait to hear what you thought about the movie!!

We are all so close!!!!

You know what??!! 17 days from now we will be meeting in person!!! That is exciting!!! I can't wait!
 
Doesn't it feel so good to look into the savings and see you have $1000+ in there! It makes me proud! I never thought we'd get there, but BAM! we've done it!

Enjoy your movie, it is getting quite the mixed reviews around these boards! Madi & I enjoyed it!

14 days? Day after T-giving? I think I am going to bring some out this weekend. At least go through the box, see what we've got tucked away! I feel that since we'll be gone for an entire week, then the decorations should come out a week early to compensate!

Have a great weekend! :goodvibes

I was so proud of us!!! We really buckled down to save that money, but it also felt good because we didn't have to deny ourselves. We just got smarted with our money and our spending. It also feels good to know that Christmas and our Christmas shopping will be covered. And we've vowed to stick to our Christmas budget. There is no need to get crazy, we have a pretty big family and there is always tons of gifts. Which is nice but we really decided this year that stick to what we agreed to spend on everyone.

We did enjoy the movie and I will update on the entire weekend after this.

Yes I will decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I will be missing out on them a bit, but as soon as we get home our tree is going up and I'll be able to put all my new ornaments on. :)

Guess what I got? A whole box full of Disney treats. Thank you so much, this was so unexpected. I love all of it. And I was just telling my Mom the night before that I was looking for a Disney pocket size notebook so I could take notes while at the park for my TR, I want to include all the details, I can't forget anything, and then, Voila! like you had been ion my head you sent me one, and pens and stickers. thankyou, Thank you Thank you.:hug: And I have already attached my luggage tags to my carry ons, they look great, you did a great job, I held them laughing and crying and telling Kent, Nic made these for me, she tied the ribbon on and made them pretty for me. Thank you so much.

I'm loving all the trivia. And the cheap chic tips are so helpful, I especially like the pudding idea, Jim loves pudding and I spend a bundle keeping his addiction going, I am goin gto switch over to your cheap chic idea.

19 days. Can you believe it? We are in the teens now. :woohoo::yay:

YAY!!! I'm so glad you liked it. I wish I had some more time to make something really great, but alas time is running out on me. I wanted to make sure you got your goodies before it was too late. LOL I didn't realize how close it was getting!! I thought you would like the luggage tags. I couldn't find any good Kermit clipart. I was really disappointed, but I liked the Mickey balloons!!

I love pudding too!! But at $4 a pack it was killing me. This way is so much cheaper, and I have to say, even though it's still instant, it just tastes better!!

Today we took of number 17 Santa Mickey head!!!! So freakin' excited, and a little bit anxious. Okay, a lot bit!!

I'm glad you have all your money set aside!! Good job!!!!

I can't wait to hear what you thought about the movie!!

We are all so close!!!!

You know what??!! 17 days from now we will be meeting in person!!! That is exciting!!! I can't wait!

I really felt a great amount of accomplishment with that money. We saved a total of $2000!!! And that was all from just being smarter with our money and our spending. I wish I was always this good with saving!! Anyway $1000 is coming with us and then that other is for emergencies when we're gone, just in case a bill is scheduled to come out that we forgot about (probably next to impossible because I have double checked the due dates on EVERYTHING) Also that will be our money for Christmas Eve dinner and what ever left over present we need to get. Anyway, it did feel good and I like the idea of being able to track what we're spending in Disney. And we have $300 in gift cards!! I think we'll be fine with the spending money.

YAY!!!! I am so excited to meet all my DIS friends!!! I know Greg is very appreciative to all of you. If I hadn't found you then I would have had to inundate him with all this!! :lmao: LOL he does love Disney, but he's much more reserved with his excitement. Plus I'm the visionary, he's more of an "in the moment" excitement. Oh and now that the Yankees won the World Series he's super excited to talk Free Agent trades with your husband. LOL he has his own excitement!!
 
So the weekend sort of flew in a flash without much productivity. Saturday we had a Christening to go to, so the day was pretty much shot. Sunday was sort of a little bit of a lazy day, but not really. So this week I have to be on my A game and get things done after work. Okay, on to the show:

Friday night we went to see A Christmas Carol 3D. So good!! We both really enjoyed it and the 3D made it a little more special. We went to an 8:00pm show, so it was fairly empty, LOL just they way I like a movie theater! I will say there were a few scenes that I thought were a little scary, I mean for little kids, not for me, ;) But overall I think that the story was done very well and that it was a very enjoyable movie experience. I do like that you got a little more into the background of Ebenezer and his childhood and why he is the way he is. I will say it was a little upset that the 3D cost us a little extra. It was $30 for the two of us to go to the movies!! I was shocked!!

Okay so Saturday was the Christening, which took up the entire day! So Sunday we got a slow start. I like to have at least one day during the weekend when we can just hang out. Of course that’s hard if you have something to do one of those days. So we went food shopping and did a few light household chores. I made us a headboard for our bedroom so we hung that, the paint on the bathroom doors started to bubble a little so we touched up those and the baseboard heat. For whatever reason they did not put new baseboard in this apartment before we moved in and they covered the rust with a fresh coat of paint. Well, if you don’t know, rust is one of those things that will ultimately show through paint after enough exposure to a damp climate, like a bathroom. It’s not my house so I don’t care, I just like for it to look neat. So we just run a quick coat of paint over it to make it look not yucky.

So this week I really got to get myself together. No more plopping down on the couch after dinner. I need to get my curtains in our den finished and hung, hang our various pictures and wall art in our bedroom and den, figure out some sort of window treatment for our bedroom, clean (or course) and put the final finishing touches on our Thanksgiving shopping list. It’s really not that bad if I tackle one thing a night. I have been picking up one or two things a week for the Holiday (and Disney) so I’m not even breaking the bank with one big shopping trip. Plus I won’t have to be at the market right before the Holiday. I’ll make a trip to the farm stand (super budget friendly produce) before work next Tuesday, have my father-in-law pick up my turkey Wednesday morning and I’ll be all set!! I’m actually more concerned with getting our apartment in order than the cooking. Cooking is the easy part for me, it’s the cleaning and getting everything together that’s putting a bit of stress on me. But I can only do whatever I have time to get done and then the rest will have to wait until after Disney!!!

Okay, so this morning I realized this is my last full week of work before Disney. Next week is Thanksgiving and then the week after that we leave Thursday morning for DISNEY!!! So this Friday is the LAST FRIDAY I HAVE TO WORK!!!! So the official countdown is as follows:
2 weeks, 3 days!!!
17 DAYS!!!!
11 Workdays!! (counting today)
1 more working Friday
ONLY 2 MORE SATURDAYS!!!!
1 Thanksgiving dinner
and a partridge in a pear tree!!!

LOL I’ve been going a little hard on the Christmas music. There is no such thing as Thanksgiving music so it is only natural to start the Christmas music right away!!! Plus I put the Christmas tree plug-in in the office and it’s almost like the real thing!!

Cheaop Chic tip: For kids that have too many toys (and adults that have too many toys). Get together some things that you are interested in getting rid of a take them to the thrift store. Apparently they will give you money for the things you bring in. (compliments of mommysavers.com)
Okay, this one is sort of cheap chic. So my friend travels a lot for work and swears by Emergen-C. So I was in Target the other day and saw that they have their own brand (Up & up) for $5 you get 30 packets. I’m a little paranoid because I feel like everyone around us is sick, so starting on day 15 I’m going to have us taking a daily dose of Target brand Emergen-C. I want to say the name brand was almost double what the generic was.

I forgot my trivia this morning, but I will give you guys a list in a day or two!!

Thanks for reading and have a magical day!!!
 
I can't wait for Thanksgiving!! I don't have to cook anything except the pies, but it's my favorite! I am sure you will get everything done in time! I think you seem extremely organized! Justin will enjoy talking Yankees and their future prospects!!!
 
Yep - no cooking for me either, well nothing extensive. I will make a dessert and a side to take along to my dad's (who is America's Next Top Chef! - or should be...) - so we will have a good time there, and all the while I will be freaking out inside thinking "in just 10 days!!!!"

Here's hoping you get everything done and ready in time! We'll all be together soon!!!
 
Holy cow Nic- can you believe how close you are? so exciting!

that is awesome on saving all the trip money up- you are so set! talk about some good shopping! i know i plan to splurge a bit too. We have over $700 in disney dollars (gifts from family throughout the year) and i will have close to $200 on my rewards card, plus like $300 cash. like you, on dining plan, so that is all almost purely spending money! woo hoo for us! of course we will spend a lot on our little guy probably and DH doesn't want a thing.

and yeah for feeling younger than we are. heck, i am 36 and don't feel it- it is all about attitude baby! :woohoo::dance3:

you reminded me, i need to get started on my thanksgiving shopping list- i am hosting too.

so what else do you have left to do for the trip?
 
I can't wait for Thanksgiving!! I don't have to cook anything except the pies, but it's my favorite! I am sure you will get everything done in time! I think you seem extremely organized! Justin will enjoy talking Yankees and their future prospects!!!

Hmmmmm I love pie!! I think pumpkin pie is my favorite. I like apple, but I don't like how all the apple falls out of the crust. Anyway, my dad makes a mean apple pie, and I'm going to make a pecan pie. It's so easy to make and I love pecans. But I'm going to cheap and but a store bought crust. I get the one that's a flat circle that you put in your own dish. LOL that way everyone thinks I made the crust but I really didn't. I'm more of a cook than a baker, not really into the baking thing. But I do like to make and eat Christmas cookies!!!

Yep - no cooking for me either, well nothing extensive. I will make a dessert and a side to take along to my dad's (who is America's Next Top Chef! - or should be...) - so we will have a good time there, and all the while I will be freaking out inside thinking "in just 10 days!!!!"

Here's hoping you get everything done and ready in time! We'll all be together soon!!!

I have everyone bring a desert, some beer and wine, and a my MIL and SIL will bring a side dish. But it's not going to be that bad. I have a list of things that can be made the day before and reheated and then the rest is stove top stuff like the mashed potatoes and broccoli. I'll be fine, I'm actually more excited about getting my Christmas stuff up and packing for Disney!!

Holy cow Nic- can you believe how close you are? so exciting!

that is awesome on saving all the trip money up- you are so set! talk about some good shopping! i know i plan to splurge a bit too. We have over $700 in disney dollars (gifts from family throughout the year) and i will have close to $200 on my rewards card, plus like $300 cash. like you, on dining plan, so that is all almost purely spending money! woo hoo for us! of course we will spend a lot on our little guy probably and DH doesn't want a thing.

and yeah for feeling younger than we are. heck, i am 36 and don't feel it- it is all about attitude baby! :woohoo::dance3:

you reminded me, i need to get started on my thanksgiving shopping list- i am hosting too.

so what else do you have left to do for the trip?

We did work really hard to save this money, and it felt good because we didn't have to live "poverty stricken" to save it. It gives us a little hope for saving for a house. A bigger undertaking, but now I know saving's not that hard, you just have to be smart with your spending.

Anyway, we saved so much so that we would be able to splurge and it's nice knowing, even now, that if I see something I want I can just buy it (within reason, I don't think I'll get away with that giant Swarovski castle in the Main St shop) We'll do our Christmas shopping (or most) down there. I'll get my fill of buying kiddie gifts!!

Thanksgiving shopping is pretty much done. Turkey get picked up next Tuesday, goes into the brine bath on Wednesday night and in the oven Thursday morning. LOL I got this holiday business down to a science. Probably because I'm OCD and have planned and listed myself ad nauseam.

I am excited to be breaking out my wedding china for the first holiday!! Such a random thought, but I can't wait to just have my table set!! :)
 
So yesterday afternoon I was sitting at my desk and I started to feel a cold come on. I started to get that sick feeling: cloudy head, achy/watery eyes, running nose. Instantly I thought to myself, “Okay, lets kick some cold bootay!!” I have my Emergen-C that I planned on started on day 115 (today) but is wasn’t going to do me any good if I was already sick. So I took some Tylenol cold at 12 and then again at 5. Before I went to bed I took some Nyquil and Alka-Seltzer cold. Now it probably sounds like I OD’ed on the cold medicine a bit, and I probably did. But this is not the time for technicalities, kids. This is game time and I had to fight it with everything I had!!

Woke up this morning completely fine! So I took my normal daily vitamins and my Emergen-C (which is pretty tasty, I have tangerine). Now, I’m not normally a germ-a-phobe, but I wash my hands frequently and use hand sanitizer and the such. I also use wipes on common areas like the phone and my keyboard. Well, I’ve stepped it up a bit because I refuse to be sick for my trip. Like I said, I’m not usually an extremist, but this is Disney we’re talking about people!!!

Okay, on to some trivia:

Day 21 – What is Ursula’s name when she transforms herself into a woman?
Day 20 – True or False: in SpectroMagic Goofy plays the xylophone.
Day 19 – What was the first Disney movie to show a pregnant woman?
Day 18 – Where in WDW would you fine Ezra, Phineas, and Gus?
Day 17 – What was the last film personally overseen by Walt Disney?
Day 16 – How many on board computers are there in each Test Track vehicle?
Day 15 – How old did Crush say he was in Finding Nemo?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
answers below
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Day 21 – Vanessa
Day 20 – True
Day 19 – The Emperors New Groove
Day 18 – The Haunted Mansion
Day 17 – The Jungle Book
Day 16 – 3
Day 15 – 150
 
I believe the right answer to "How old did Crush say he was in the movie Finding Nemo" is: A hundred and 50 dude, and still young! :goodvibes
 
I believe the right answer to "How old did Crush say he was in the movie Finding Nemo" is: A hundred and 50 dude, and still young! :goodvibes

I stand corrected, Jen you are right. The correct answer would be "A hundred and 50 dude, and still young!" Silly me, what was a thinking!?!?! :confused3

Okay, lets take a second to celebrate my LAST THURSDAY OF WORK!!!!!:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

AND.......

Two weeks from this very moment, I will be 30 MINUTES AWAY FROM LANDING IN ORLANDO!!!!!! :yay::yay::yay::yay::yay::yay:
:dance3::dance3::dance3::dance3:

Okay, so here is how the official count down goes:
14 days (or 14 vitamin C immune booster packets)
13 more sleeps
8 work days!!!!!!

Oh sweet glory!!!
 
:dancer::dancer::dancer::dancer::dancer:


Yay for two weeks!!!!!!


I have another thing for your countdown....in two weeks and 10 hours you and I will look like this: :drinking1 !!!!!!!!!!

WooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 
We have gone to Disney 30 or so times the last 10 years but this is our first trip to include Christmas and New Years Day. I said I would never go over the holidays until my 13 year old daughter became very ill this past March. She was in the SICU at Children's hospital in Boston for 6 weeks most of it fighting for her life from a virus which went out of control. When Katie awoke and was finally taken off life supports she asked everyone to go to Disney for Christmas, so 25 of us all family and friends are traveling to Disney on Christmas Eve to celebrate her miraculous recovery.
So all of you who believe in Disney magic also know there are truly miracles in this world, my family knows first hand ,Miracles do happen!:love:
Everyone have a wonderful holiday season no matter where you celebrate!
 
2 weeks!!!!!!

and yeah for breaking out your wedding china for hte holidays, that is always so fun!

glad you kicked the cold before it started too. woo, that was close. :thumbsup2;)
 












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