It's Better Than Stuffed Mezzaluna with Sausage! [Update 4/11: Link to TR!]

[irky416]

Weird: Yes, that book would have definitely creeped me out! I would have thrown it in the trash!

Ninja: I love your Nemo page. I am so impressed you did all that with Paint and Power Point. Paint makes absolutely no sense to me. I can't do anything with it except scribble on the already sized white spot. On the other hand, I can do a ton of stuff in the more complicated Paint Shop Pro (sort of like Photo Shop).

And I totally know how you feel about being exhausted at 8:35! On Friday nights, I usually take a 3 hour nap when I come home and still end up going to sleep by about 10!

 

[RachelNinja]

Yes, please go away depression. I miss my Ninja. I'm sending you some mental heat as best as I can!

I can't wait until Saturday! I need a day to myself. Even if I have to do a little work in the morning, I need time to step away from anything that requires too much thinking! Yummy dinner plans!

Ninja: I love your Nemo page. I am so impressed you did all that with Paint and Power Point. Paint makes absolutely no sense to me. I can't do anything with it except scribble on the already sized white spot. On the other hand, I can do a ton of stuff in the more complicated Paint Shop Pro (sort of like Photo Shop).

And I totally know how you feel about being exhausted at 8:35! On Friday nights, I usually take a 3 hour nap when I come home and still end up going to sleep by about 10!

I wish I had something a little bit more complicated. I don't know how or why, but a LONG time ago on the older computer, we used to have Photo Shop. Maybe it was a trial or something? Or maybe my bro added it. But I had so much fun with that! I designed a magazine cover for a college project using it. I miss that! PPT and Paint are limited (esp since I now have the newer Microsoft Office and the button's are in a different spot), but I like being able to do a few things on it as long as I have the patience!

Friday = nap time. My family goes out to eat on Fridays, and I stay home to sleep. Then they get home at night and ask if I've eaten yet and usually it's no, haha. On the rare occasions that I actually go out (haha, like the night we found out we're going to Disney), I can get really grouchy. I konk out in the car so during dinner, I'm in a daze.

This Friday will probably be a longer nap ... afternoon parent teacher conferences! Already exhausted from yesterday's night conferences!

 

[RachelNinja]

Flashback 2008 - Just a Sandwich?

My entire family is looking forward to eating here again in April! I'm so exhausted for Weird to try it!

 

[wdwgirl03]

That Nemo page is really cool! Every once in a while I'll go onto the scrapbooking forum to see some of the stuff they've been making...very inspiring but somehow my stuff never turns out that good.

Which reminds me I still have to finish my Disney scrapbook from last December...

 

[irky416]

That's the same sandwich I got at Earl of Sandwich! (Minus the cranberries..)

I wanted to tell you I thought of you today because I was talking about being drafted into the military and I was like, "Remember the movie Mulan? It's kind of like when they came for her father and handed him the paper and said he had to go..."

And soon I'll be talking about being ostracized and how it was like being banished, kind of like Mike and Sully were in Monsters, Inc!

(Oh, and I did talk about Jigglypuff when we were reviewing the Sirens and the kids were like, "Oh, yeah!")

 

[RachelNinja]

That Nemo page is really cool! Every once in a while I'll go onto the scrapbooking forum to see some of the stuff they've been making...very inspiring but somehow my stuff never turns out that good.

Which reminds me I still have to finish my Disney scrapbook from last December...

Thanks! I love looking at the scrapbooking forum. I get all excited to do my own! Then I realize all the work involved, so I return to reading TRs. Haha, I'm just not as creative or as patient to do that. I am, however, looking into digital scrapbooking just because it's so much easier!

That's the same sandwich I got at Earl of Sandwich! (Minus the cranberries..)

I wanted to tell you I thought of you today because I was talking about being drafted into the military and I was like, "Remember the movie Mulan? It's kind of like when they came for her father and handed him the paper and said he had to go..."

And soon I'll be talking about being ostracized and how it was like being banished, kind of like Mike and Sully were in Monsters, Inc!

(Oh, and I did talk about Jigglypuff when we were reviewing the Sirens and the kids were like, "Oh, yeah!")

Love the Disney moments! Two days ago I was teaching stem-and-leaf plots to the 6th graders. The data was basically a bunch of ages, so to make it more interesting, I told them to pretend that they were going to WDW for a Grand Gathering. Because they were missing a few days of school, they had to do a stem-and-leaf plot to show all the ages of the people attending the reunion at Disney. Haha, it's the SAME exact problem, but once I start telling a story using Disney, they're so attentive! I love it!

 

[RachelNinja]

Digi Scrapbook Practice - Bike Ride

Since I took the time to make those other 2 pages using PowerPoint and Paint, I started looking more into digital scrapbooking. I know that the DIS thread sticky mentions certain software. I know that I won't buy software because this may just be a "fling" with this current interest. I ended up Googling "free digital scrapbooking software" and came across Scrapbook Flair! Woohoo! Now I have free software!

The designs, templates, and embellishments on the program aren't that interesting, in my opinion, but free downloaded material can be used within that program (I tried using them in PPT, but it didn't work). I'm so excited! I didn't realize the fact that I could add downloaded things so right now, other than the Mickey heads on the bottom, everything was from the program.

Yes, it's very plain, but I've only started exploring it! I've mainly been bookmarking things I want to use, even a few Disney things! So this might be my next distraction from lesson planning ... you know, on top of the TRs and PTRs I read, the shows I watch on Hulu (Glee anyone?), and my wonderful time spent with Weird!

But I think it's for a good cause! If I practice now, maybe I'll digitally scrapbook the pictures from April's trip! Hope you don't mind my sharing the pictures!

 

[Brave teacher]

All the pages look great. I am not a crafty person at all. I look at a scrapbook page and just don't know what to do at all.

My boys love the Nemo ride at Epcot. However, on our first ride ever, it broke down at the end. We go to listen to "In the big blue world" on a loop for 10-15 minutes straight. When we got off, I wanted to avoind the Finding Nemo Musical at all cost.

I introduced Bryan and some of my friends to Earl a few years ago. It is now a must go place for us for every trip.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Oooh, a free digital scrapbooking program? Is it just a trial or can you keep using it? A while ago I downloaded one of the Photoshop programs and it was only good for 30 days or something. I might have to look into that!

PS, I love Glee!

 

[RNBelle]

Here's the thing: We have a timeshare in Kissimmee in April, but the week does not always line up with our vacation times for school. In 2010, it lined up with mine, but unfortunately, it didn't match my brother's. We tried switching the week to the February break, but the search yielded no results! We then thought that I could use the week with my friends, but my cousin's boyfriend's spring break is the week before mine. It was a grim situation! Until ...

Me: We should just go in April then since we have the week, and it'll be cheaper (no exchange rate with RCI).

Momsicles: (to my dad in Chinese so that my younger brother wouldn't understand) Do you think we should just go that week and have him miss 3 days of school?

Popsicles: Yeah, do you think he'll mind missing 3 days of school?

Momsicles: (to ... uhh, brothersicles in English) Would you mind missing 3 days of school in April?

Bro: What days?

Momsicles: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Bro: Of course I don't mind; I hate Wednesdays to Fridays.

And thus, my brother's hatred of those 3 days of the school week secured our trip to FLORIDA! WOOHOO! I was so ecstatic that I literally threw both arms into the arm and started bouncing in my seat as I laughed. It was impossible for me to eat after that. Momsicles jokingly said, "Dear daughter, calm down and eat your dinner" (haha, she doesn't actually speak like that so it was funny).

As excited as I was to inhale that yummy four cheese goodness with sausage, my mind immediately jumped to planning our trip to WDW! Thankfully, there's such a thing as take home containers because I can now enjoy my leftovers today while I read about Disney Disney Disney! Oh, and grade papers and plan lessons for next week ...

Ahhh, the life of a teacher ... WHO IS GOING TO DISNEY IN APRIL 2010!

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Rachel, that is wonderful! Congrats on going. A) Are you still with Weird? Judging by the siggy-- i'm assuming yes (how cute) and B) Are you on facebook?

I am so happy for you-- that's awesome. It's been quite some time. I'll have to see-- have you updated your VMK flat adventures?

 

[RachelNinja]

All the pages look great. I am not a crafty person at all. I look at a scrapbook page and just don't know what to do at all.

My boys love the Nemo ride at Epcot. However, on our first ride ever, it broke down at the end. We go to listen to "In the big blue world" on a loop for 10-15 minutes straight. When we got off, I wanted to avoind the Finding Nemo Musical at all cost.

I introduced Bryan and some of my friends to Earl a few years ago. It is now a must go place for us for every trip.

I've spending some time looking at scrapbook pages that other people do. It's interesting because some people have the really plain and simples ones that are probably aesthetically pleasing, but I just don't see the point. They'll have a few pictures that are very similar (just differences in the pose) and they're clustered in the middle. Haha, that's not me. I can't do it like that. If you give me a page, I'm going to fill that page up! Mainly with words as you can tell, haha.

I know everyone says they love that song from Nemo, but I guess I don't know it enough to comment. I'll have to pay special attention come April!

I just found out from another TR that with a AAA, there's a 20% discount at Earl! I'm so excited for that considering there will be 5 of us ... the discount means that we can get soup for "free"! I'm already drooling over that All-American sandwich!

Oooh, a free digital scrapbooking program? Is it just a trial or can you keep using it? A while ago I downloaded one of the Photoshop programs and it was only good for 30 days or something. I might have to look into that!

PS, I love Glee!

I downloaded Scrapbook Flair, and it's just a free program! I have it for good! I know it's not as fancy as Photoshop or Elements or whatever else other people are using, but I need something simple and that works. I don't like the things it comes with, but there are so many sites with free digital scrapbooking papers and embellishments (even free kits that make it easy to match, haha) that it doesn't matter what Flair offers. The only thing I don't like about it is that there isn't a rotating option to turn pictures or embellishments. Haha, unless there is, and I can't find it, but I skimmed through the Help section too. But I guess in the long run, it doesn't really matter because I like things at 90 degrees anyway!

Glee is so great! I mean, I know it plays into a lot of the stereotypes, but at the same time, there are new, edgy and outrageous jokes! I watched the sectionals episode yesterday. I got Weird into watching it too, haha.

Rachel, that is wonderful! Congrats on going. A) Are you still with Weird? Judging by the siggy-- i'm assuming yes (how cute) and B) Are you on facebook?

I am so happy for you-- that's awesome. It's been quite some time. I'll have to see-- have you updated your VMK flat adventures?

Hi RNBelle! Yup, Weird and I are still together. It's been a year and 5 months this time around (so it's not including the time we were together in college). And yup, I'm on Facebook too! I actually spend more time on DIS though! I remember the days when FB was my life ... before I discovered DIS

Neither of us have updated the flat adventures thread in a while. I guess we don't take pictures as much as we used to. We really should though ... it's fun to have the memories, especially since it's all just digital anyway!

 

[RachelNinja]

Digi Scrapbook Practice - Fancy Party

Haha, as you can see, I changed the format of my practice for digital scrapbooking! I tried using a 12x12 since there are more options in free paper and backgrounds in this size. Everything on this page was free (Sweet_Sprinkles by ShabbyPrincess). I love that I don't have to pay for these things. I'd rather pay for the page printouts when the time comes! That's what I was doing yesterday - researching sites like Shutterfly since they can print out digital scrapping pages in photobooks.

Wondering what I should do next! I wish I had some Disney pictures!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Aww, that is adorable! Great job!

 

[irky416]

I'm pretty sure I already told you that I love the dress you are wearing! I also agree with everything you said in your caption! I hate big get togethers!

 

[RachelNinja]

Aww, that is adorable! Great job!

Thank you! I can't believe how many free things are available online! LOVE IT! Of course, it requires time, and I can't really be doing it at the same time that I'm doing lesson plans! Too much computer memory usage at once!

I'm pretty sure I already told you that I love the dress you are wearing! I also agree with everything you said in your caption! I hate big get togethers!

Yup, you told me already, but thanks! I used to want a huge wedding, but after going to a few weddings and parties ... oh dear no. Besides, if I use the small wedding or destination wedding thing, my father doesn't have to invite all of HIS friends (it's a Chinese thing to do ... the parents invite their friends and it's more a party for them!). I never understood City Hall weddings when I was younger, but seriously, they make more and more sense nowadays!

 

[RachelNinja]

Take a Look, It's in a Book!

With a snowstorm on its way and only 2.5 days of school next week (unless we get a snow day?!?), what better way to spend my Saturday than update my PTR! Weird and I can't hang out today because I don't want him to drive through the snow at night to get home. Plus, I'm feeling uncomfortable and slightly grungy because I couldn't shower last night due to the fact that I have a Holter monitor on (24-hour heart monitor). Disney really is a good pick me up! Hehe, that and watching segments of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on YouTube.

Anyway, I love reading when I actually have the time for it. My mom read to me a lot when I was little, and I wanted to live in the library. She limited me to 21 books at a time. It only makes sense that I ended up getting my BA in English and one of the subjects I teach is English Language Arts! That best scene from a Disney movie would have to be when the Beast gives that huge library to Belle as a gift!

So on that note, here's an update about BOOKS!

1. Last Saturday, Weird and I headed to B&N to check out some books. Some of the greatest gifts that I get from students for Christmas and the end of the year are gift cards! I got a few B&N ones ready for some Disney books! I knew what I wanted to get - The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom and The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot for $10 each (thanks to those gift cards, they were free)!

I'm almost done reading the MK one. I absolutely LOVE it! There are only so many books you can read that have suggestions for actually planning the trip. I don't need to know that over and over again. I love learning about the background things. The imagineers wrote the book so it's awesome to see the work that went into building my favorite parks! I'll definitely be incorporating some of the things I've learned in my TR.

For example, a "wienie" is Walt's term for a visual element that draws people in. They can be seen from a distance and they make you want to move in closer. So for MK, Cinderella Castle is a wienie and for Epcot, Spaceship Earth is a wienie! I think that's hilarious ... or maybe I've been around too many middle school kids ...

2. I thankfully have people who can partake in anticipatory Disney conversation at work! The administrative assistant, S, LOVES Disney and will actually be going on Christmas Day! I've been looking forward to her trip since it's before mine ... love living vicariously! There's also a mother of former students, K, who works at the school too who absolutely loves Disney! I taught her younger son for 2 years, and he and I loved bringing everything back to Disney.

Well, I was chatting with K after school one day, and she said that she hopes that I make it to all 4 parks this time. I said that it probably wouldn't happen since we typically only do MK and Epcot. However, she convinced me that I really should go to DHS! She was listing all of the rides and shows, which I knew about, but hearing about it from someone's mouth really makes it that much more enticing!

So now the plan is for Weird and I to go to DHS on our own! That'll be fun since we'll have some time to explore and figuring out our touring style. But that also means a lot more research! I know MK and Epcot fairly well. I know which direction to walk, and I don't need a map when it comes to MK (hehe, Epcot, I still do ... I admit it even though I know DISers aren't that into the maps!). However, the last time I went to DHS, it was MGM! It was all about Star Tours and the Muppets show and the Great Movie Ride. The newest ride was Tower of Terror. It's been a WHILE!

That means I have to go back and reread the section on DHS in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World! I have an older edition that actually doesn't have the year on the cover. The reason I got it is because I saw it at one of my favorite stores called Five Below. I bought it for $3! I love the descriptions and the pictures plus the added fun facts and things to look for! I'll have to really do some serious planning for DHS!

And as a sidenote ... I <3 S and K! I see S many times a day. I love how I had to go up to my room for parent teacher conferences, but she told me to stop by her desk first. She showed me her computer desktop of the beautiful Thomas Kinkade painting! And I love K since she went with me to the ER when I fell directly on my tailbone during last year's field trip at Roller Jam (haha, long story).

3. I recently reread one of my favorite fictional books ... The Kingdom Keepers! K's son, J, lent it to me at the beginning of the last school year, but I never had a chance to read it. Well, not until I hurt my tailbone and was home from work for a few days! K and J actually went to school to get my stuff and the book to deliver to my house once I got back from the ER. I had to lie in bed since I couldn't move, but I had a great book to read!

A few months later when we had one of our school book fairs at B&N, they bought me both books! So now I have my own copies of 1 and 2. I recently lent the first one to Weird so he could read it and know what I'm talking about when I mention Wayne and Finn Whitman and the Overtakers! I don't think he started reading it yet, have you Weird? Hehe, he's not a reader like I am. He promised to read them by April though.

I will definitely be mentioning things from Kingdom Keepers in my TR. For example, if we go on the train ride around MK, I'll have to point out the teepees that the DHI's hid in since their holograms weren't projected in there. Then of course, the scene with Maleficient walking around and saying in a whispery voice, "I know you're in there ..." Hehe, creepy! Oh yeah, and of course there's that "it's a small world" scene ... read it if you haven't! I'm definitely going to be mentioning spoilers!

And woohoo! The 3rd one is FINALLY coming out when we're away in Disney! It'll be good to have and read AFTER our trip so it won't be so terrible coming home. I had that book as a pre-order when it was supposed to come out on my birthday, Sept 15, but then they had to cancel it since it wasn't ready. SOOO excited for that as well!

4. The other book that I think Weird needs to read before we go is The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World. When my brother asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said that book and Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul. It has definitely been such a fun read! I know that there were a few negative reviews on Amazon, but I was very entertained by it, and I didn't think I could find all that info online. I'm going to have to reread it to jot down the things I want to see!

I love how a lot of it reminded me of what I do at school! Recently, the students had to enter an essay contest for the Daughters of the American Revolution about the Transcontinental Railroad. It was such a cool surprise to find that it was mentioned in Hidden Magic!

5. Okay, so this one isn't quite a book, but it does have to do with reading! The other day, Weird asked me if we were getting anything for each other for Christmas. See, we're not that into buying each other things just because a holiday or even an anniversary tells us that we should. We prefer eating anyway, haha. But we absolutely love giving each other gifts that are random just because we see it and know that the other person would love it!

Well, when he asked me what I wanted, I replied that I wanted a salmon sashimi rose with seaweed salad (an appetizer we just tried last Saturday at one of our favorite sushi places). He said he wanted wasabi tobiko. Hehe, can you tell we like sushi?

Later on, I was going through my AllEars newsletters and I clicked on the link for Celebrations magazine once again. Then I told him that I knew what I wanted for Christmas! We decided to split the cost of a year subscription and 5 back issues for Christmas! So yay!

And what better way to end this installment than to say, I'm off to look for more books to buy since I just received a Christmas present in the mail - a $25 gift card to Borders!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for all the books! I just got a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card from my Secret Santa...I won't be using it on Disney books but on more children's books for my classroom library. Ahh such a great gift.

I love love LOVE those field guides. I have all of them including the Disneyland one. So interesting! The DHS one was supposed to be released this year but got pushed back until next July I think. GRRRRRR. Can't wait for it though. And Celebrations magazine is awesome too!

 

[Brave teacher]

YAY for all the books! I have some of those as well. I keep the Imagineer's Guideds at school. My students read them when they need something to do as a filler. They actually really like them. I always have a students come to me and say "Did you know that....?"

 

[HowWeird]

You know what the best part of all of those books are? They're gonna be in OUR house one day! Haha and I'll be able to read them whenever! Of course that's if I actually read them ...

I'll get through them one day. I promise

Can't wait to read Celebrations with you though!

 

[RachelNinja]

Yay for all the books! I just got a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card from my Secret Santa...I won't be using it on Disney books but on more children's books for my classroom library. Ahh such a great gift.

I love love LOVE those field guides. I have all of them including the Disneyland one. So interesting! The DHS one was supposed to be released this year but got pushed back until next July I think. GRRRRRR. Can't wait for it though. And Celebrations magazine is awesome too!

So generous! I don't know that I'd get books for my classroom library if I even had one! I have no space in my room; it wasn't even supposed to be a classroom! I finally got a bookshelf in my room so that I could put my teacher's editions on it. Last year, I had them stacked up on a box in the corner!

I finished reading the MK field guide, but I haven't started Epcot. I kind of wanted to wait a little to spread it out more. We recently had the Scholastic book fair at school, so I got books from students/parents off my wish list that all the teachers write up. I've been reading those instead to see if any of them are good to do in class.

I definitely would have loved the DHS field guide! I'm pretty sure Weird and I will be going on our own, but I guess it'll give me something to look forward to when we get back.

We got our back orders of Celebrations! We're trying to spread that one out too because otherwise I would have had all 5 read by this point! I love that it's much better quality than a typical magazine because it's meant to be saved!

YAY for all the books! I have some of those as well. I keep the Imagineer's Guides at school. My students read them when they need something to do as a filler. They actually really like them. I always have a students come to me and say "Did you know that....?"

I LOVE when students share Disney things with me! I remember the day before Thanksgiving break, I was just hanging out with my students in class. They got rowdy during the math game we were playing, so I had the majority of them get a textbook and do practice problems, haha. The rest of us just hung out. I ended up flipping through a Disney book with 2 of my students; it was so much fun! It makes going to work that much easier - knowing that students love Disney too!

You know what the best part of all of those books are? They're gonna be in OUR house one day! Haha and I'll be able to read them whenever! Of course that's if I actually read them ...

I'll get through them one day. I promise

Can't wait to read Celebrations with you though!

Hehe, you have to get through Kingdom Keepers before April! Have you read more since the last time we talked about it?