The "How Will I Survive Winter Without It" Trip That Might Be

[PoppyGirl]

Thirty Five Days. 35. Thirty. Five.

How can this be possible????

OK, I'm totally strange, but I actually felt depressed this morning I was thinking about our trip being over and I got all depressed. I'm so ridiculous.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Otherwise known as the spreadsheet with vacation plans. What do you think?

I can't see anywhere to add in Sanaa for lunch. Suggestions?

Oh, and the DHS parade is listed but since I scheduled the safari, we will probably have to leave early to get back to AKL in time for the safari.

 

[PoppyGirl]

I hope all of my loyal readers had a lovely, blessed Christmas this week. Ours was quiet as our big boys had been here for Thanksgiving and had to work on Christmas, and.....it SNOWED! LOVED that! We were just getting ready to read the Christmas story and looked out the window to find it had started to snow. DH did have to milk the cows on Christmas Day, but we enjoyed some nice quiet time with the kids playing with their games.

DD's favorite gift was her DVDs of Doctor Who Season 7. We've spent the last few days watching the episodes.

DH gave me a nice letter and some CASH for our trip! WOOT!

I think my favorite gift was a beautiful bright red shiny Disney bag with a sparkly Mickey head in the corner. DSS gave it to me. HE did his shopping at Disneyland. (I'm so proud!)

So, my next few weeks will be about detailed plans for our days. I'm also trying to figure out what to request at AKL....not sure what to request for our room. We want a quiet room with a view of the pool. (a GOOD view)

 

[Chocolab23]

Good to hear you had a wonderful Christmas!

 

[PoppyGirl]

Today I re-organized all the little gifts that I got for DD for our trip. I may have overdone it just a tidge. I went to Target yesterday because I didn't have anything for our DHS day. When I looked at everything today....well, let's just say she'll have a good day on DHS day.

MK Day 1

MK Day 2

Here's DHS Day

Matchy-matchy shirts #1

Matchy-matchy shirts #2

AK Day

Close-up of Tree of LIfe necklace:

Pearl Cages for Epcot Day--the second one is 2 dolphins although it's hard to tell from this photo

Epcot Rose & Crown Day

Epcot Les Chefs de France Day

Close-up of the jewelry:

I love giving DD little gifts that go along with each day of our trip--it's so much fun to plan!

 

[PoppyGirl]

I'm out of control today. About Disney I mean. I cannot stop thinking about it. I need something to plan!!!!!!!!!

BFF is at work today so I can't talk to her. DH is taking his Sunday afternoon nap...not that he's all that much fun to talk about Disney plans with anyway. He's sort of...calm....about everything. I have compared our relationship to that of a tether ball and the pole. With me being the tether ball and DH being the pole. You get the picture.

I'm getting super excited about Be Our Guest and Wanyama Safari and eating at Jiko and Boma, swimming at AKL and the Dessert Party and the new Fantasy land. I think I've convinced DD that we need to get our photo with as many characters as possible this time. She's sort of cranky about that at times so I may have to bribe her. Isn't it sad that I'm more of a kid than she is???

Over the past few months (since last April) I've lost about 36 lbs. I had my goal to lose 43 and I was so hoping that I could do it by the time of our trip. Then I'll go and eat myself silly. What sort of diet plan is THIS? Anyway, the stress of being so excited is making me want to eat. I have been fighting off the urge to eat a whole pan of brownies all afternoon.

DS and I are supposed to go see the Hobbit this evening. I hope it distracts me or I'll never be able to go to sleep.

 

[Chocolab23]

Pearl Cages for Epcot Day--the second one is 2 dolphins although it's hard to tell from this photo

Where did you get the top pearl cage? I've been looking for one I like and haven't been able to find one.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Where did you get the top pearl cage? I've been looking for one I like and haven't been able to find one.

I found both of them on Etsy.com. I shop there ALL the time! LOVE the whole site. Just search "pearl cage" and a bunch will come up. Last year I got some from ebay too. They are not that expensive. Just be sure to check the size--some of them will only hold really large beads so you want to make sure you get one that will keep the pearl inside. Found that out by experience!

That pearl cage is a long story....last year I had purchased one just like it for DD. We went to Japan and she did the pick-a-pearl and then put it in her cage and was wearing it. As we were leaving the park to take the boat over to Fantasmic, she realized she had lost the necklace. She was heartbroken. And we didn't really have time to go back and search everywhere we had been since Japan. So I was determined to find her one like it for this trip. She loves her pearls--she actually NAMES them. Yep.

 

[PoppyGirl]

I ordered this for myself from etsy with my kids' birthstones--Nov and Dec--inside. I LOVE it!

 

[PoppyGirl]

I can't remember if I posted this story here already or not. I'm old (tomorrow! 49!!!) and my memory is bad--"swiss cheese brain" so if you've already read this, just move on.

A conversation between me and DD a few months ago:

DD: Mommy, I want you to call me Abigail.
Me: Your name is Anna and I will be calling you Anna.
DD: Fine. I will call you "Ma" then.
Me: MARVIN?!?! (Did I mention that I'm old? And apparently also hard of hearing)
DD: NO! "MA" THEN.

So....ever since this conversation, it's been a joke between us that I call her Abigail and she calls me Marvin.

Last night DD decides that she's going to make a power point of our upcoming trip. She's going through our photos on the computer, looking up information about Epcot in Wikipedia and putting together a finely tuned power point presentation about our trip called "Marvin and Abigail Go To Disney."

I love it!

 

[Alysa]

Love all the pretty new purchases!
Marvin and Abigail!

 

[PoppyGirl]

Well, actually a SORT of different note.

For the last few years DD has wanted nothing to do with anything princess-related, princessy, looking like princesses, sort of like a princess, called princess (you get the picture) because she had apparently matured beyond the princess stage in her life. (If only there was an emoticon of a girl tossing her hair).

So yesterday morning I told her that I was going to make our countdown calendar for our trip. Something like this one from our 2010 trip:

And then I make little Mickey heads to put on each day until our trip like this:

Until it's all covered up.

DD: "Mommy, are you going to make the Mickey heads yellow, red and black like always?"
Me: I can make them any color you want.
DD: Can we have pink and purple and blue?
Me: banana sure!

So, I made them out of glitter paper. WOOT! And they are SO pretty! When I get time I'll post a photo although it won't do it justice without the sunlight reflecting off the glitter.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Love all the pretty new purchases!
Marvin and Abigail!

Thank you!

Today I bought a Tide to Go pen. Why? Because yesterday I got bacon grease all over my best work pants. *sigh* and I just knew I needed a tide pen for Disney.

 

[Chocolab23]

I can't remember if I posted this story here already or not. I'm old (tomorrow! 49!!!) and my memory is bad--"swiss cheese brain" so if you've already read this, just move on.

A conversation between me and DD a few months ago:

DD: Mommy, I want you to call me Abigail.
Me: Your name is Anna and I will be calling you Anna.
DD: Fine. I will call you "Ma" then.
Me: MARVIN?!?! (Did I mention that I'm old? And apparently also hard of hearing)
DD: NO! "MA" THEN.

So....ever since this conversation, it's been a joke between us that I call her Abigail and she calls me Marvin.

Last night DD decides that she's going to make a power point of our upcoming trip. She's going through our photos on the computer, looking up information about Epcot in Wikipedia and putting together a finely tuned power point presentation about our trip called "Marvin and Abigail Go To Disney."

I love it!

Love it!

 

[Alysa]

Today I bought a Tide to Go pen. Why? Because yesterday I got bacon grease all over my best work pants. *sigh* and I just knew I needed a tide pen for Disney.

Every mom needs a Tide to go pen. It's in the rule books.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Every mom needs a Tide to go pen. It's in the rule books.

There are RULE BOOKS for moms?!?!?!

 

[PoppyGirl]

I had a good birthday today. Had breakfast with BFF at I-hop...for like 4 hours or something crazy! We were talking Disney. I love having a BFF who loves Disney too! Then a little retail therapy for me and a couple of little fun finds for our trip. DD gave me Disney pins for my b-day for us to trade while we are on our trip. How fun is that?!?! DH has ordered a ring for me with a Mozambiquan ruby. It has not arrived yet but I'm so excited! It will remind me of my trip to Africa last summer.

Then out to dinner with my family and another family at a Hibachi grill. Dinner AND a show!

Then I came home and started working on the autograph book that I'm making for our trip. I love making things for our trip! I'm also planning to make tip envelopes (DD likes to help do that with my cricut machine). Pictures to come later!

 

[Alysa]

What a beautiful ring! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

 

[PoppyGirl]

I just finished making our new autograph book (Thanks to Alysa for the download of the coloring pages!)

It's 4x6 with pictures of the characters for us to color in. I'm excited to use it.

Here are some photos of the finished product:

Front:

Inside front cover:

Random inside page:

And back cover:

 

[skater]

I love it!! You're amazing.