Taking time to Smell the Roses- A June 2012 PTR

[BridgetR3]

Yes, I disappear off the face of the Earth every now and then. Testing is done!! (Thank GOD!!!) We ran away this past weekend to Houston, TX to go to a Disney Outlet store (my only reason for the trip) and to the Houston Zoo (for the kiddos). That is one HUGE zoo!!! We were there for about 6 hours and didn't finish seeing it all!! Well back to Disney planning.....


So my Epcot day is pretty much planned out but only because Epcot KILLS my knees so if I want to see and do as much as possible AND still be able to walk for the rest of the week, I need the path with the LEAST amount of walking. Also, because it kills my knees we will only do it once and we will do it as our first full day so that I am as fresh as possible.....no not that kind of fresh......

We hope to arrive in time for rope drop and send someone over to the Land pavilion to grab fastpasses for Soarin'. (Another ride I've never ridden Lidian.....this might be another friendship breaker.....)

While our fast pass runner gets our FP, the rest of us will head to the Imagination Pavilion and wait for them there. We want to see our friend Figment. Hopefully we will have a "blast" on the ride. (My son hates that part!!) After I pry my children away from the interactive things after the ride we will head to the land pavilion to either ride Soarin or Living with the Land depending on the time of the FPs. We will continue our clockwise journey around FW with Nemo, Spaceship Earth, and Mission:Space. (I just heard that Mission: SPace area has a playground and multiplayer game somewhere around it. I don't ride this ride so I would love to know more about these things.) We also want to hear the Jammitors in Future World East. Not sure about Innoventions at this time because we did every exhibit last time. Although we really enjoyed some of them, they take a very long time. We will need to stop in and get Kimpossible (Perry) FPs.

I'm thinking of lunch at Electric Umbrella and then visiting Club Cool on the way to World Showcase.

Another ride we have never ridden is the Norway ride. Nannia and Poppa have never ridden the Mexico ride. So those two will be new for some of us.

I had all of the shows planned out with the times and locations based on a website's show schedule except that I didn't read the fine print that they change EVERY week and it's all null and void now!!! DOH!!! Well at least the schedules come out on Sunday nights and we will be there the Saturday so I have a week to prepare!

We will try to see many of the shows in World Showcase while letting the kids do missions and of course eating around the world. None of us are really big on Illuminations so I'm not sure at this point if we will watch it or go to the character spot and Land pavilion to try and beat the crowds! Wondering if EVERYONE will know about the "secret" by then......

Well I hope you all have a great evening and a good rest of the week!!!

 

[Deesknee]

yes, you have got to do Soarin!!! I love it, even with my vertigo.

I hope your knees hold up for you. (no pun intended), and don't give you much trouble. Have you ever thought about using a wheelchair if even for just a 1/2 day? I obviously don't know Nannia & Poppa's situation health wise, but perhaps you could all use a little break once in a while. I use a manual wheelchair.

You sound very well organized. And with time running out.... (YAY!) it's a good thing.

i love Figment, but oddly enough DD8 doesn't. Just now she is saying she will go on it again. But she hates the skunk.

 

[BridgetR3]

yes, you have got to do Soarin!!! I love it, even with my vertigo.

I hope your knees hold up for you. (no pun intended), and don't give you much trouble. Have you ever thought about using a wheelchair if even for just a 1/2 day? I obviously don't know Nannia & Poppa's situation health wise, but perhaps you could all use a little break once in a while. I use a manual wheelchair.

You sound very well organized. And with time running out.... (YAY!) it's a good thing.

i love Figment, but oddly enough DD8 doesn't. Just now she is saying she will go on it again. But she hates the skunk.

Honestly Dee, I do not have trouble outside of Disney with my knees so I'm hoping that it was just because last trip my oldest DS stepped on the back of my flip flop on day one and I tweaked my knee a little. I really really hope that I won't have any trouble this time but I am bringing the super sized bottle of advil JUST in case. Nannia and Poppa are in great health but I would not want anyone pushing me just for sore knees. I can easily manage the pain with advil and I hope that I won't have any pain this time!! I have been walking a lot more lately than I did before the last trip in hopes that I prepare my knees/feet for the walking!

I realized today that I have really let time get away from us because we are now 39 days out and I still need quite a bit of clothes for me and the littlest DS. I suppose I need to take care of that!!

Well this week starts May so we leave in a little over a month! I am so ready!!!

 

[Deesknee]

Oh, good that your feet don't usually bother you. Because honestly being a wheelchair is not very pleasant. I would much rather walk. I enjoy walking anyway.
Hope you can find the clothes you need for your family and at great prices!

Yahoo HOO! you can almost say, next month I'm going to Disney World!!!

I don't like drama. I always tell my older kids - life has enough real drama you don't have to make your own.

 

[BridgetR3]

Oh, good that your feet don't usually bother you. Because honestly being a wheelchair is not very pleasant. I would much rather walk. I enjoy walking anyway.
Hope you can find the clothes you need for your family and at great prices!

Yahoo HOO! you can almost say, next month I'm going to Disney World!!!

I don't like drama. I always tell my older kids - life has enough real drama you don't have to make your own.

We did find a few things for me and DS5 so we are getting closer!! We both just need so much!

Last night we watched the Disney planning DVD and my DH who is very Disney resistant said that we needed to go to Disney one Christmas to see the parties, parades, and lights. I reminded him that those are usually all 10's and he answered that it was o.k. because we would be there for the lights and other stuff not necessarily to ride a million rides. I'm not sure which alien snatched my husband but I like it!

Well this is going to be a super crazy week so although I hope to pop in here a time or two I don't promise anything. This is my last crazy week of school though and only 20 days left!!! I can make it!

 

[Deesknee]

We did find a few things for me and DS5 so we are getting closer!! We both just need so much!

Last night we watched the Disney planning DVD and my DH who is very Disney resistant said that we needed to go to Disney one Christmas to see the parties, parades, and lights. I reminded him that those are usually all 10's and he answered that it was o.k. because we would be there for the lights and other stuff not necessarily to ride a million rides. I'm not sure which alien snatched my husband but I like it!

Well this is going to be a super crazy week so although I hope to pop in here a time or two I don't promise anything. This is my last crazy week of school though and only 20 days left!!! I can make it!

Yay! I love husband snatchers, when they work to our advantage.
Glad you and your little one are finding what you need.
When you say "usually all 10's" are you referring to the crowd levels? Because when we go early-mid November a lot of the lights and Christmas decor are up. Even the Mickeys Christmas party and we don't have crazy crowds for much of the trip. We have even been known for walking up & getting right on the rides. If you plan it right... it can be really magical!
Good luck at school this week. YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[Deesknee]

Just checking in to make sure you made it through that crazy week of school.

You are getting soooo close!! you all must be so excited! How does the count down calendar look??

 

[BridgetR3]

O.k. try #3!!!! Well I had updated this whole PTR and then I pressed Preview post to make sure my pic showed but must have forgotten to press submit reply. Thank you DeesKnees30 for letting me know that I had no post here. And here I was thinking you all didn't like me!!!


Well then on my second try I did all of the post and added a tab to grab my photobucket pic really quick BUT......DISboards erased all of my text while I was gone. (Mean people!!)

So here we go with try #3!!! Let me post the countdown pic first!

This picture is from earlier in the week. Today we only have the number 2 and one other Mickey head from the 1 left. I'm excited!!!

Today was my last day of school for this school year and the last day of my contract. I had a one year position at a local school that I have chosen not to renew into a three year contract. It was a rough school, which made for a very very stressful year for me. I was even slammed in a door last week at school by a child (taller than me close to 5'9", about 180 pounds) and nothing was done to the child. He was never sent home. It hurt but it was just a bruise and I was able to finish the year. However, that's all I can make myself finish. SO.....I've only been to Disneyworld twice and now both times I've been without a job so I'm trying to "keep it cheap".

I'm working on a purse for me and TRYING to make t-shirts for the boys and me. I'll post pics as I finish these. I really need to research how to make the tiedye Mickey heads.

More updates to come now that I'm out of school.....

 

[Deesknee]

LOVE the count down...oh it's so tiny now!
So sorry you are technically out of work. I know that feeling, can be stressful. But, you take a few weeks without thinking of it if you can. Enjoy the last bit of planning & .... OH ENJOY THE TRIP! Smell all those roses!

I can't wait to see the pictures of your DIY shirts & purse. Is DH & nonnia & poppa going to wear shirts too? How about you? I love to match (although, I was very reluctant at first). But it makes it so easy to spot your group when you come out of a shop, or bathroom, or even off a ride others didn't want to join you on. Plus, the extra character attention can be fun.

Have a nice weekend!

and...take care of that bruise. Mustn't be bruised for the stroll in WDW.

and... in finding a new position when you are ready.

 

[BridgetR3]

SUMMER TIME!!!

Yep I will probably match with the boys but I'm not sure anyone else is "game for it". They will just wear whatever they have. And I'm only wearing the shirts if they come out good!

Oh yes our countdown is REALLY small. Tonight we are down to just the 2 because we took off the number 13 before the kids went to bed.

I'm not stressing about the job situation. It was the same thing last summer in that I had to look for a new job (we had moved) and I did not get one until two days before school started again. Honestly I'll have something but I just don't know what yet. It just keeps me from spending too much at Disney!

OH I just remembered!!!! In my first attempt at the last post, I had typed about our friends' daughter but I forgot to put it in attempt #2 and #3. We have some friends whose daughter just started the CP this week at Disney. She will be working at the Liberty Inn in Epcot so we are planning on eating there to meet up with her (if she's working) OR having her join us one day while she is off on our trip.

O.k. that's all for now....

 

[Deesknee]

How exciting for your friends daughter. I hope she enjoys it. I hear the hours can be grueling. Hope you have a nice visit with her. I would love to see someone I know working at Disney. Like knowing a celebrity. I'm sure the shirts will come out fine. I always love to put the kids name on them, then tuck them away in a memory box. But, I'm just mean that way.

 

[BridgetR3]

Whew!!! I have spent two days sewing and it has finally paid off!!! I am finished with my Disney bag!!! I don't care for it as much as my "everyday" bag because it is more "floppy" and has a couple of small mistakes that irk me but overall it's great for a second bag (even though my first was better!).

So without further ado, here is my Disney bag for vacation!!!!

I'm hoping to try some hand applique this week to see if I can get a Mickey head on a shirt. I've tried once before with not wearable results!!

On a good note, tonight I'm going to look at character times to begin to plan the rest of our days!! More posts to come!

 

[Lidian]

Great job! I especially love the fabric! (I may, or may not, have made some bags with that fabric. ) It's really a beautiful fabric! G'luck with the applique! Let us know how fabulous it turns out!!

 

[Deesknee]

Awesome! I love it. I am very envious of those of you who have sewing talent. The only thing that ever came out truly wearable were halloween costumes. And that was ONLY because they were halloween costumes. I did make DD a dress one time, but I skipped steps like linings.... lesson learned.

keep the updates coming. I'm enjoying them very much. Haven't heard much from ...Nonnia (is that correct?). Too excited to type I imagine.

 

[teekathepony]

Great job with the bag! It looks great!

 

[BridgetR3]

Great job! I especially love the fabric! (I may, or may not, have made some bags with that fabric. ) It's really a beautiful fabric! G'luck with the applique! Let us know how fabulous it turns out!!

I love the fabric as well!!! I was going to try to do one of D~'s awesome hand appliques on the front of a solid colored bag UNTIL I spotted this fabric. It's so much easier NOT to have to do the applique since I'm so new at all of this. (I have only ever made three bags and hemmed some curtains.)

Awesome! I love it. I am very envious of those of you who have sewing talent. The only thing that ever came out truly wearable were halloween costumes. And that was ONLY because they were halloween costumes. I did make DD a dress one time, but I skipped steps like linings.... lesson learned.

keep the updates coming. I'm enjoying them very much. Haven't heard much from ...Nonnia (is that correct?). Too excited to type I imagine.

I don't know if we call it sewing talent or luck on my part because I'm not really crafty!! I'm sure your costumes were adorable!! I've tried (long long ago) to make a clown suit for DS10 for halloween and thankfully my mother came to my rescue because it was HORRIBLE. She started over and he was able to wear it when she was done. I like to skip important steps too which is why I can see the seam of the flap when you open my bag (but who is going to see it open??)

Nannia may join in later or even after the trip. She does not get on the DISboards much and usually just reads what I write instead of commenting. She is VERY VERY excited about our trip though! We are going get Disney pedicures together Saturday in preparation for our trip!!!

Great job with the bag! It looks great!

Thank you!!! Thank you for reading along with us and hanging in there!



Small update to come and then I'm off to sew!

 

[BridgetR3]

Yesterday was our check in online day so I checked in EARLY in the morning and everything looked fine to me. Maybe I was too excited to really read the fine print but I did make sure that we had the request of connecting rooms. Complete! Ready for our trip!! .....or are we?

Later in the evening I call Nannia who is now off of work for her to check in as well. We get sidetracked and talk about pedicures, who's coming over when, who will watch the kids, etc. and finally end our phone call so she can check in.

About 10:20 p.m. I get this panicked voicemail - "I was just online doing my check-in and they say that our flight is coming in at 12 a.m. and leaving at 12 a.m. I am not leaving at 12 a.m. What does your's say? Call me back."

Thankfully I was still up sewing and working on stuff so I jump online to check......Magical Express....blah, blah, blah....what?!?!?! NO FLIGHT INFO GIVEN!?!?!? I've called twice to give it. What in the world?!?!?!

I immediately call her back and we panic together.

Of course they were closed last night so I called this morning and the CM I received who was really nice by the way rattled off all of my flight info without me saying a word. He claims that they have many different reservation systems and that it is in the Magical Express one EVEN though it doesn't show up on anything. He also said that they put midnight as all of the times because flight times change and they get tired of changing them. Geez I hope he's right and that there is a bus waiting for us when we get there.

Well I am going to go back to trying to make some shirts. I have 12 shirts to make in 8 days. Not sure how that's going to work!!!

 

[Deesknee]

YIKES! That would panic me too! We have only done ME twice. Honestly, I sit in the wc and DH checks in, so I don't know if they have our names. BUT, the first time we did it, one of the ME tags came with the wrong name, and it didn't make a bit of a difference. I almost think they just get the luggage, and the people just show up & give them their ME tags. Do you have ME tags?

That's funny about the inside mickey not lining up. I didn't even notice. yeah, I've decided I sew better without a pattern. Or I should say I used to. Straight lines tend to be difficult with vertigo. hahaha

I am looking forward to seeing your shirts.

 

[BridgetR3]

Well, I finished two shirts today and I decided that I'm only making the kids shirts. We adults will just look different. I think it would look silly if the kids and I matched while the other three adults did not. So that takes out four shirts which means instead of 12 shirts, I now need 8 and with the two I finished today I only need 6 more!!!

So here are the shirts without the stitching.....(if only I could leave them like this!!)......

Here is the stitching afterwards.....definitely not perfect but close enough that I think these are wearable!!!

Up next are my very cute but VERY expensive models posing with the shirts on.....

DS5 with his shirt

DS10 trying not to smile in his picture

Now to get the fabric for my next project......I'm thinking animal print ears with a safari hat. I saw this on someone's shirt from their TR and I would love to copy it. Let's see how this goes!!!

Thanks for looking!!

 

[Deesknee]

very cute!! and the shirts aren't bad either. Seriously though. the shirts came out wonderful and your boys are absolutely handsome!! Looking forward to the next set of shirts!