Oh, Snap!A Recession!Going anyway...May 09! **5/19-TR LINK!!!

[autumnpalm]

Great updates!!! How did I miss them?!

You and your daughter look so much alike! And you remind me of my mom and I... you look like you are so close and have so much fun. I love the tattoos, I am definitely going to get one on this trip!

I just LOVE the t shirt designs... I hope they treat you with a little extra magic for the cancer survival one. You sure deserve it!!!

Rufus is such a cutie!! It looks like he's "smiling" in that picture!

Your new swimsuit is great. I can just picture it in the volcano pool at the Poly!

 

[scooby9932]

Time for some nostalgia. One of the reasons I've been looking at old pictures is because I'm building a "Disney Through the Years" scrapbook. I found a few old pictures from previous trips & scanned them. Sorry if the quality is poor, but the pics are old & so is my scanner!

Enjoy!

SP on her 1st trip to WDW. She was 3 months old & we were on a trip in our camper & got close to WDW when I begged to go. We spent one day at Epcot. I love this pic, cause if you look closely you can see her reflection in the back window of our RV.

Here's me & my dad with SP in the stroller on that trip. Notice my 1989 Big Hair! And, yes, I was young - just turned 20 the week of this trip. SP turns 20 next Tuesday, so this is really surreal!

Here's SP on the 1st trip she remembers! It was the year 1998 and she was 8, almost 9 years old. She loved Minnie's House in Toon Town. You can see my dad in the background looking at the snowglobes.

And, here is SP & my Dad on our 2000 "Happiest Place on Earth" celebration trip. She turned 11 on this trip.

I haven't scanned any pictures from our 2002 trip, yet. I'll have to try to dig those pictures up so I can put them in my scrapbook. I'm not in many of the pictures as I'm always the picture taker. We'll have to utilize photopass better this year!

For comparison's sake, here's a pic of me at 20 (with my DGM who took me to Disneyland SO many times. I really miss her. She died when SP was 8 months old. Oh, and my rescued Pekignese, Gizmo. She looks really rough in this picture - we'd just had to cut out all the mats in her fur.

A more "stylized" photo that same year.

And here's SP at almost 20:
Portrait:

Out with Friends:

And the 2 of us together - she was 9 months old. Couldn't stand to be held for long - had to be on the move as she was just learning to walk.

Wow! It seems like just yesterday, I tell ya. Time really does fly. It's hard to believe my DD is the same age I was when I had her. I really miss those days. Of course, I miss being so skinny, too!

 

[scooby9932]

Great updates!!! How did I miss them?!

Thanks! I don't know - but I don't always get the email updates on some threads either. Really bums me out when I find I've missed out!

You and your daughter look so much alike! And you remind me of my mom and I... you look like you are so close and have so much fun. I love the tattoos, I am definitely going to get one on this trip!

We really do have the best time together. She's my best friend. She loved the tattoos. The first one came off after 1 day, because she accidentally put sunscreen over it. But last year's lasted our whole trip & people thought it was real!

I just LOVE the t shirt designs... I hope they treat you with a little extra magic for the cancer survival one. You sure deserve it!!!

Aww, thanks! I've made 2 shirts so far. The cancer survival one turned out really nice.

Rufus is such a cutie!! It looks like he's "smiling" in that picture!

He's the boy child I never had! Really, he doesn't know he's a dog. He thinks he's my kid, just hairy & walking on 4 legs! He's so smart, too. He WAS smiling. When I take his picture, I say "smile, Rufie" and he does!

Your new swimsuit is great. I can just picture it in the volcano pool at the Poly!

Thanks! It's really a great suit. I can't wait to try out the Volcano pool!

I've finally figured out a way to circumvent the restrictions on my work computer - at least until they figure out it can be done & fix it! At least for now, I should be able to get some more "current" photos going.

 

[scooby9932]

So, I have been busy printing out all our information for the trip so we can put our binder together. I have all our maps & driving directions, hotel reservation confirmations, ADR confirmations, scooter rental confirmation, itineraries (both trip & daily), menus, pressed penny descriptions/locations checklist, photopass information so we can ask for certain pics, etc.

Now all I have to do is put it all together!

I also bought some croc sandals for me & SP.

SP's:

Mine:

That's the quick update. I have some more pics I might post later on.

 

[autumnpalm]

I have very similar Croc sandals and they're really comfy! Mine aren't as nice as yours though.

I love, love, love all your old pictures. I don't have any Disney pictures from my childhood (I only went twice, once when I was 4 and once when I was 13) but so wish I did. Both you and your daughter are so pretty and I know I said this before but you look so much alike too! I love the Epcot picture with your dad and DD in Minnie's chair.

 

[scooby9932]

I have very similar Croc sandals and they're really comfy! Mine aren't as nice as yours though.

I have regular crocs & love them - even if I don't love the clown shoe-ishness (a new word!) of them. When I got an email with a free shipping code today, I thought I'd check out their outlet & see if there were any we'd like to try. BTW - the crocs.com coupon code for Free Shipping on any order is "green09" - just in case you want to use it!

I hope the sandals are as comfy as the regular beach crocs!

I love, love, love all your old pictures. I don't have any Disney pictures from my childhood (I only went twice, once when I was 4 and once when I was 13) but so wish I did. Both you and your daughter are so pretty and I know I said this before but you look so much alike too! I love the Epcot picture with your dad and DD in Minnie's chair.

Aw, thanks for the compliment! SP & I are told how much we look alike all the time. I love it! I'm adopted, so I've never looked like anyone in my life until SP came along.

I don't have any of the pictures from my childhood - my mom keeps them all under lock & key - no joke! My sister took some photos out of the album once years ago & she's never trusted anyone with them again. I know, kooky, huh?

But I'm sure there are some of me & my family at Disney - both WDW & DL, but mostly DL since I was born in Los Angeles & spent every summer & winter break out there after moving to Louisiana. I must have visited DL about 25 times in all.

I love looking at the pics of SP as she's grown. It's amazing how fast kids grow up. Just yesterday a co-worker & I were at Piccadilly for lunch & I saw a little girl around 18 mo. old & it struck me that it really wasn't that long ago that SP was her age. Made me kind of .

Can you believe how close our trips are? It won't be long now at all!

 

[scooby9932]

So, it's been a tradition that I take SP to the zoo for her birthday every year. We walk around & enjoy the spring weather, baby animals, and SP always gets a strawberry snocone & a memento from the gift shop.

So, since her birthday falls on a Tuesday (tomorrow), we went on Saturday.

We got a late start, so a lot of the animals were sleeping! Like this swan:

We got the traditional "How tall are you this year" picture by the RR sign:

Hard to believe I have pics with her head barely reaching the bottom of the light box!

They had a new water feature, but unfortunately it wasn't working. Some ladies told us that usually there is water running over the globe while it spins creating the illusion that it's floating. Sounds neat!
SP pointing to her home state:

Here we both are in one of those awkward reach your arm out & scrunch together photos!

We then went to the indoor otter & fish aquarium.

Along the way we came across this cute sign:

Nemo's Friends?

Zazu!

The coveted red snocone!

Feeding our giraffe friends:

Giving some luvs to the friendly goats:

Saying goodbye to the zoo til next year!

 

[scooby9932]

So, while we were out & about this weekend, SP & I picked up some stuff to get our craft on!

We bring our own pillowcase & pillow with us on each trip. For me, it's because I have to be super careful about germs - especially right next to my face! For SP, it's cause she loves to have a pillowcase to remember each trip by.

We'll be spending the next couple of weekends crafting the pillows, some buttons, a few more t-shirts, etc.

Here are the pillowcases from last year. We used fabric markers this time around since we had waited until the night before to do our pillows.

SP getting her hair straightened (by her "then" fiancee) for the trip while she works.

Hard at work:

My finished pillow:

SP's:
Front -

And back - she let him (then fiancee) write her special messages on the back of the pillowcase:

I'll try to post pics of the crafts as we go along. Happy Monday, everybody!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I think you and your DD look very similar in those pictures of you at her age. People say the same thing about my mom and I.

I Crocs. I don't have that kind but have heard good things about them. I love the Mary Jane Crocs.

Looks like you had a good trip to the Zoo!

The pillowcases are such a cute idea! I might have to steal that one from you.

 

[scooby9932]

I think you and your DD look very similar in those pictures of you at her age. People say the same thing about my mom and I.

I Crocs. I don't have that kind but have heard good things about them. I love the Mary Jane Crocs.

Looks like you had a good trip to the Zoo!

The pillowcases are such a cute idea! I might have to steal that one from you.

I Crocs, too! I've not bought any but the Beach & Cayman types so far. I did try on the Mary Janes, but unfortunately, they just didn't fit my feet very well. I love Mary Jane shoes and the Croc ones are so cute!

We had a great time at the zoo. I love spring in Louisiana (except for maybe the sneezing from allergies!). Too soon the melting heat & humidity will come & stick around for months.

Feel free to steal! We've also made pillowcases using iron-ons we made on the computer, tie-dyed Mickey Heads, and fabric paint (not the pen type). I think out of all the methods we've used I liked the fabric markers best! They're easy, super fast to set, and come in lots of great colors & tip sizes. Have fun crafting!

 

[TxRabbit]

I haven't posted in a long time...but keep reading along. I LOVE your pillowcase! I'm on the look out for fun ideas for our trip. We are driving and I've been thinking about making some car pillows to make it all more comfortable. I think I'm going to use your pillowcase idea for my car pillows! It'll be a great craft project for DS to make his own!

So about those fabric markers...I think I've seen them at Hobby Lobby. Any tips for a first time user? Especially for an 8 year old?

 

[scooby9932]

I haven't posted in a long time...but keep reading along. I LOVE your pillowcase! I'm on the look out for fun ideas for our trip. We are driving and I've been thinking about making some car pillows to make it all more comfortable. I think I'm going to use your pillowcase idea for my car pillows! It'll be a great craft project for DS to make his own!

So about those fabric markers...I think I've seen them at Hobby Lobby. Any tips for a first time user? Especially for an 8 year old?

You & your DS will have SO much fun making pillowcases!

If you want one to color like a coloring book, the Michael's here has some with Disney characters. I think for boys I saw Cars, Monsters, Inc., and maybe Toy Story? For girls, they had the princesses (2 designs) & Tink & Pixie Hollow fairies. Anyway, they were cute & I think came with the markers - I want to say they were $14.95 for each set.

I did buy my fabric markers at Hobby Lobby. Let me just say - I LOVE Hobby Lobby!!! I'm addicted - seriously. I have to ration how often I go there as I always buy way more than is on my list of things to get.

Anyhoo, back to your question. Here are some tips I have:

• Use a piece of cardboard (I use cut up cereal boxes) & place between the layers of your pillowcase - this will stop leak-through
• Have DS wear an old t-shirt or apron just in case he gets marker on his clothes - it will NOT come out, ya know, since it's fabric marker!
• Use white or light colored pillowcases - the darker ones are much harder to draw on
• Buy the set of fabric markers that has chisel tip on one side & fine tip on the other - makes it much easier to create designs this way
• If you are nervous using the pens without guidance, just buy a disappearing ink pen (in the fabric section) to draw outlines or guiding lines & then trace over with your markers
• Most important - Have lots of fun!

My DD & I have been making pillowcases together since she was about 7 years old. We did this craft for her 8th birthday sleepover party as the take-home for her guests. It was such a hit! We've also done the same with t-shirts & bandanas for Girl Scouts. Once you buy those markers, don't worry - you'll get plenty of use out of them! I have several sets now (brights, neutrals, glow in the dark ,etc.). You might want to steer clear of the glow in the dark ones on pillowcases for obvious reasons.

Have lots of fun! And be sure to post your final products!

 

[autumnpalm]

It looks like you had so much fun at the zoo. I LOVE the zoo. We have a great one in Toronto and it's awesome there. I think it's so cool you were able to feed the giraffes! I can't get nearly that close to them here. It looks wonderful there.

I think I just might borrow your pillowcase idea, that looks like SO much fun! I'll see if I can get my mom to do it with me... she is so not an arts and crafts person.

 

[scooby9932]

It looks like you had so much fun at the zoo. I LOVE the zoo. We have a great one in Toronto and it's awesome there. I think it's so cool you were able to feed the giraffes! I can't get nearly that close to them here. It looks wonderful there.

I think I just might borrow your pillowcase idea, that looks like SO much fun! I'll see if I can get my mom to do it with me... she is so not an arts and crafts person.

We had a great time at the zoo! We're big animal lovers. If you like giraffes & want to feed them, I hear you can do that at the zoo near the Kennedy Space Center. It's about an hour or so away from Disney World in Melbourne, FL. You can even kayak through an African animal exhibit as well! I was researching things to do around Disney & came upon this. It looked neat. If you want to schedule a day away from Disney, it looks like a great place! Here's a link to the zoo website: Brevard Zoo

The pillowcase is a great craft - especially for non-crafty people. All you need is some fabric markers, a pillowcase, and your imagination. No special talent needed. We are VERY craft/artsy people, but still like to do them. They make great souvenirs - that actually serve a purpose. I have mine from last year on my pillow right now. Helps me dream of Disney.

 

[scooby9932]

I've been away from the Disboards lately. Sorry for no updates the last week. I was so busy with lots of overtime at work plus SP's birthday, etc., that my Lupus flared up last Wednesday. When I don't take care to slow down, my body always reminds me...in the worst way. My joints were so swollen & sore I couldn't walk. I've spent 5 days in bed recuperating, and was at the doctor's this morning. He told me the usual - "be kind to yourself and don't overdo it." *sigh* So, now I've got some physical therapy to work on before our trip, plus a new leg brace to buy. Oh, well. Our trip gives me the incentive to get better fast.

And speaking of Disney...

Wow! Wow! Wow! We're at 43 days away! I paid the remainder of our package on Saturday. After waiting forever for our slow dial up to connect, I filled out the information & hit send. Then the site comes back with an error message that the site was down & having trouble so my payment didn't go through. Just to see, I checked my account & the money was taken out! So, I called Disney & they said the payment did go through, but a lot of people have been getting error messages when paying online. If I'd paid again (believing their web error message) it would have taken them 5-10 business days to refund my money! Thank goodness I called! Just a word of caution. Always check first before trying again if this happens to you.

Now it seems like there's hardly any time left before our vacation! I'm getting SO excited. And a bit nervous. I always start to get nervous this close to the trip that there is something I'm supposed to do, but have forgotten. It's just nerves. In all our trips, the most I've ever forgotten was my flip flops one time.

That's all I have for an update now. I'll try to be better about posting more this week!

I'll end with a pic from last year's trip. Here's SP in her "happy place". The princess section of World of Disney!

 

[autumnpalm]

Oh, I'm so sorry your lupus has been flaring up. My goodness you've had a lot to deal with over the past few months. I'll be praying for you that you're in mint condition by May. Disney is the best incentive there is! I hope your physiotherapy goes well.

What an awesome feeling it is to have the trip paid off. An 43 more days!! Ahhh it's getting SO close. I know what you mean about getting nervous the closer it gets. Of course, I've never forgotten anything super important either but I just tend to be a worrier.

Just think, it approximately 6 weeks you'll be right here:

 

[Misslandsquirrel]

What a GREAT PTR!!!

 

[scooby9932]

So, with the trip fast approaching, I thought I'd go over my check list:

• Pay off package - Done - 3/14
• Make t-shirts - 2 made, 3 to go - bought the t-shirts, designed on computer - just need to buy transfers, print out, and iron on
• Make visors - plan to make this weekend. We bought lime green foam visors & some cute embellishments to make our own. I'll post pics when we get them done.
• Make buttons/keychains - I'm behind on this - I have the supplies, just need to get crackin' doing them. Maybe this weekend
• Complete Trip Binder - I have all the sections printed out & hole punched - just need to put in binder!
• Review clothes & see if I need to get any shorts, etc. for this year's trip - SP is already in the midst of this. She has the opposite problem as me - TOO many clothes!
• Go to optometrist & get new contact prescription
• Take car for maintenance
• Buy last minute items for trip
• Pack

There! See? Not too much left to do, right? Right??

Here's a pic of the postcard we sent to my folks last year from Epcot:

Here's a pic of SP - playing around with layering in Photoshop. The color wasn't manipulated - she just made the rest of the photo b&w so the colors really Pop! I think it's a really neat pic & shows off her beautiful blue eyes...but I'm just a bit partial *hee*:

Happy St. Patricks' Day!

 

[scooby9932]

Spring has officially sprung here!

We have such a short time before our trip! Woo Hoo! The only updates I have is that our flip flops came in. They are super cute & comfy! Hopefully I'll have more to report after this weekend's crafting activities.

Just for fun, though, I'll share some pictures:

For those of you in the colder climes, here's some pictures of the pretty spring greening in our area. SP & I walked around getting some pics over the last few days. The rains from last week have caused an explosion!

Out by the old barn:

Tulip Fever:

Blossoming Fruit Trees:

Not a scenic shot, but shows the blooming azaleas in the background. SP's MawMaw & PawPaw (my parents) on the way to their 52nd anniversary dinner Monday:

Here's a picture of a one of the buzzing bumblebees that are everywhere! I caught one as it was still for a change. Seriously, they dive bomb you when you walk out the door!

As long as I'm showing some wildlife, here's a picture of our widdle bunny fwend from POR last year. We saw this little guy every day just outside the door to our room in the little courtyard area. He was so cute!

Happy Spring, Everybody!

 

[scooby9932]

So, I decided to get crafty this weekend. I finished up all the crafts for our upcoming trip. Let me interrupt my post to say this....

ONLY 35 DAYS til our trip!!!!


On Saturday, I was on my own as SP had a wedding to shoot. I spent the day grooming Rufus. It took 2.5 hours just to trim him down. He freaks out with clippers, so I have to scissor cut him all over. He looks so skinny & funny now! But I know it'll make it easier on him in the heat. It's already been in the low 80's most days. Luckily, since he has hair instead of fur, it always grows back!

Then I watched "The Changeling" with my folks. This movie is good, but SO SO Sad.

I then spent some time on our keychains. I had to piece them together because I had run out of pre-made chain, so it took a fair amount of time just building the chain pieces. Crafting the bead dangles & the mickey heads took much less time. I used craft foam this time around & just added metal eyelets so they wouldn't tear. We'll hang these from our backpacks so people can recognize us from the Disboards. Maybe we'll get to meet some people this time around!

Mine:

SP's:

Then on Sunday, SP & I worked on our visors & pillowcases. The pictures don't do them justice. They're really bright & pretty. The pics also suggest bleed through, but there wasn't any - we just haven't bought new pillows to go in them yet so you can see the other side through the fabric.

Our theme this year was our favorite things in Disney World. As you can see, I didn't put any DHS stuff on mine. I just don't like that park at all. Most of mine is MK stuff. Notice SP's includes a couple of references to pastries! If you read our last trip report, you'll understand that she is Pastry Crazy at Disney World!

My Pillow:
Front:

Back:

SP's Pillow:
Front:

Back:

My visor:

SP's visor:

Then last night when I couldn't sleep I decided to play around with Fimo dough & made some Lime Green Mickey Head beads for earrings. Here's a pic of one pair before baking. They're not perfectly round, but I thought they were still pretty cute.

Here are the earrings:

Mine (a bit smaller since I have short hair):

SP's (with crystals added since they sparkle!):

That's it for updates right now. I am super swamped with work - we have an audit coming up & wouldn't you know I got put on the prep team, so I have that plus my regular crazy work! With 10-12 hour work days, I am SO ready for our Disney trip!

Til next time... Have a Magical Day!