There's a First Time for Everything! A Christmas In November TR

[momof2cutegirls]

Great TR and love your photos! I was thinking you had one of those really fancy, shmancy cameras that costs a million bucks...but it's so similar to mine...I need to read up on mine and learn more settings to get great pics like yours! You've inspired me!

A couple of random questions for you...The Barbershop in MK...do you have to get your hair cut or can we stop in just to get it styled with the gel and glitter?

I had no idea that you could bring your own jewelry to Japan and get pearls placed in the settings. You don't have to buy it from Epcot?

Where did you find that passport that your DD carried around WS?

Which touring plans do you use? I use TGM but am curious to see if I should subscribe to something additional.

Sorry for all the questions...TIA!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Love all the WS pictures -- especially the Morocco ones! It's always so pretty there!

Your Mardi Gras dinner looks like so much fun! I wish I had thought of doing something like that!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hi!
I really enjoyed your TR and the flashback trip looks like it was also an amazing vacation!

I love the Princess Tiana Mardi Gras themed dinner! What a great idea!

 

[lexmas]

Yum...that looks delicious! I've been dying to make jambalaya but I didn't know what recipe to try. Care to share yours with me? Help a mama out?

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

MMMMM, your Fat Tuesday meal looks yummy! Great idea and your princess is adorable as usual!

Thank you! It was very yummy! We love doing Disney nights. It really helps give us a "taste" of Disney when we can't be there!

Great pictures of countries in EPCOT. Your Jambalaya looked yummy.

Thanks! It was very good! I'll be posting the gourmet recipe soon!

Stunning WS pics. The one of the lagon in Canada looked like a postcard. WOW.

Are you talking about the picture of the ball? The water was soooooo blue that day! It was gorgeous!

Great TR and love your photos! I was thinking you had one of those really fancy, shmancy cameras that costs a million bucks...but it's so similar to mine...I need to read up on mine and learn more settings to get great pics like yours! You've inspired me!

Thank you so much! You are too kind! No, I don't have the fancy camera with all the different lenses. That's not in the budget! But the more I use my camera, the less I want one of those anyway. Mine is compact, lightweight, and takes good pictures for what it is. I just don't think I would want to lug around that huge camera system in the parks all day. I want good pictures, but I want to have a good time too. You've got to find a balance there. If I took pictures for a living, it would be different.

You should just go out one day and practice with your camera. That's the great thing about digital photography. You can take tons of pictures for practice but you don't have to pay to have them developed like you did with film. So go out there and get snappin'!

A couple of random questions for you...The Barbershop in MK...do you have to get your hair cut or can we stop in just to get it styled with the gel and glitter?

They will do whatever you want. You don't have to get a cut if you don't want to. You don't have to get the gel or glitter either. They will do whatever you ask. One little girl got pig tails while we were there. Very cute! They also do boys. They have a stencil that they use to "spray paint" a mickey head on the back of their head. That's cute too! I think you will really enjoy the barber shop. It is such a cute place too..... very old fashioned looking!

I had no idea that you could bring your own jewelry to Japan and get pearls placed in the settings. You don't have to buy it from Epcot?

Yes, you can bring your own setting. The settings in Japan are EXPENSIVE! Now my pendant was just a floating setting so it was no problem. But I'm not sure that they would set it in a permanent setting like a ring or something. There is a great thread about the pick-a-pearl on the DIS that may answer that one for you if that's what you are hoping for. I can't get the search feature to work right now or I'd post a link for you. But if you type "pick a pearl" into the search box, you should find tons of info. You can also pick a pearl in DTD and at the Beach Club I believe. They don't do the little "ceremony" though like Japan does.

Where did you find that passport that your DD carried around WS?

We bought it at one of the gift shops in Epcot, Mousegears, I believe, but most of them have it. It is usually up by the register. I think it was about $10. It comes with stickers that look like passport stamps for each country. You stick those on and a CM in each country will sign it for you. They write some really neat things and some write in their native language. It's a great thing to do with your kids.

Which touring plans do you use? I use TGM but am curious to see if I should subscribe to something additional.

I used touringplans.com on both trips. I can't say it worked, but we did have low crowds both time. And TP is cheap compared to TGM. I think it is only $8.95!

Sorry for all the questions...TIA!

No problem. I'm happy to help if I can. I've learned so much from the DIS that has made our trips so magical that I am glad to be able to help someone else in return!

relpies in red

 

[praisehisname]

Your Mardi Gras meal turned out great! Love the pictures!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I'm really thinking about doing the pick a pearl with my girls this summer. How long did it take you to get your necklace that you ordered? Their birthdays are coming up and I'm debating giving it to them or keeping it a surprise. I'm leaning toward the surprise. DD8 keeps telling me she wants a surprise trip! (I can't do it!)
TIA

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Love all the WS pictures -- especially the Morocco ones! It's always so pretty there!

Your Mardi Gras dinner looks like so much fun! I wish I had thought of doing something like that!

Morocco is gorgeous isn't it? I think Disney did an awesome job with those countries. Each one of them is really spectacular!

The Mardi Gras thing just hit me out of nowhere! I'll admit that I really have no idea what Mardi Gras is about (I've lived a very sheltered life ), but I'll use anything for an excuse for a Disney night!

Hi!
I really enjoyed your TR and the flashback trip looks like it was also an amazing vacation!

I love the Princess Tiana Mardi Gras themed dinner! What a great idea!

Our '08 trip was just as magical as '09! I had really high hopes for that trip and Disney really impressed me. That's why I was on fire to get back in '09! And now I'm on fire to go back in 2010!!! It never ends!

Yum...that looks delicious! I've been dying to make jambalaya but I didn't know what recipe to try. Care to share yours with me? Help a mama out?

OK, mama always told me to share with my friends, so I will. But I don't know if you can handle it. It's a complicated recipe that only experienced, gourmet chefs should attempt to make. Are you ready????????

First, open this box......................

Then boil for 25 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told you that you couldn't handle it!

Ok, seriously though......... it really is good even though it comes from a box. I didn't go exactly by the directions though. I sliced and then sauteed the smoked turkey sausage in a tiny bit of oil. (turkey sausage is Johnsonville, they look like big hot dogs, 6 in a pack in the hot dog section of the gorcery store) Then I sat them aside and cooked the rice for 25 minutes. When it was done, I added the sausage to the rice. The directions tell you to boil the sausage in with the rice, but I think that makes the sausage taste rubbery. It is quite spicy though, but we like it a lot. I'm sure homemade would be soooooo much better, but I am a real woman, with a real life, and real responsibilites, and sometimes dinner needs to come from a box! Know what I mean?!?! I hope I didn't dissapoint you too much with with my fancy recipe!

Your Mardi Gras meal turned out great! Love the pictures!

It was really good. The very complicated recipe is in the post above if you're interested!

I'm really thinking about doing the pick a pearl with my girls this summer. How long did it take you to get your necklace that you ordered? Their birthdays are coming up and I'm debating giving it to them or keeping it a surprise. I'm leaning toward the surprise. DD8 keeps telling me she wants a surprise trip! (I can't do it!)
TIA

Yay! I think they will love the pick a pearl!!! The folks I ordered from on ebay were great. I got the pendants in about a week I think. I can't guarantee that for you, but if they don't arrive in time, you can always save them and surprise them during your trip. Also, they may offer priority shipping which is a 2-3 day service. Let me know if you order them and what you think!!!

Oh, and I want a surprise trip for my birthday too!! Can I have one?

 

[praisehisname]

It was really good. The very complicated recipe is in the post above if you're interested!

Hmmm...I'm thinking that might be something my 15yos could handle cooking for dinner if I go back to work.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Yay! I think they will love the pick a pearl!!! The folks I ordered from on ebay were great. I got the pendants in about a week I think. I can't guarantee that for you, but if they don't arrive in time, you can always save them and surprise them during your trip. Also, they may offer priority shipping which is a 2-3 day service. Let me know if you order them and what you think!!!

Oh, and I want a surprise trip for my birthday too!! Can I have one?

Yeah, I want to do something special especially in Epcot b/c I want to spend more time there.

When's your b-day? I'll see what I can do.

 

[lexmas]

You should just paste a picture of that into your cookbook! I love a good box meal as much as anyone else...but DD is allergic to preservatives in such box meals. Breaks out in these big pink splotches all over her face. And that just makes me look like a bad mama, toting around the baby that looks like we beat her up. So, cooking from scratch it is. All day, every day. Good thing my family likes plain, boring food, because I am not an excellent chef! (Yesterday DS told me, "You like pasta. I like...french fries...and pizza!" I don't LIKE pasta, per se, but I do like how fast and easy it is! )

But I am intrigued by turkey sausage, and I will sautee up my sausage separately from my rice when I find a recipe! So you helped me out anyway! Thanks for sharing!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Hmmm...I'm thinking that might be something my 15yos could handle cooking for dinner if I go back to work.

Oh a 15 year old could do it for sure! And if they don't like it too spicy, you can add a tiny bit of sugar to it while it's cooking and that cuts the spiciness some.

I'm seriously thinking about going back to work myself! It really stinks! I feel for you!

Yeah, I want to do something special especially in Epcot b/c I want to spend more time there.

When's your b-day? I'll see what I can do.

I don't blame you. In '08 I missed a lot of the action in the countries and I wanted to see it so bad! So I had the arsenal ready in '09! I had the passport, masks, jewelry, and we hit every store that DD was remotely interested in b/c she loves to shop. It helped so much to keep her interested so I didn't have to hear the whinning. You really could spend a whole day back there. I hope you get the time you want to explore everything. Make sure you get a times guide so you'll know when all the entertainment is out. That's one of the best parts of World Showcase!!!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

First off, I am sad that your TR is over. I'm not sure if it's been asked but do you have another scheduled? I don't anytime soon and it's killing me!

Great pictures of your 2008 trip. I'm really enjoying those!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You should just paste a picture of that into your cookbook! I love a good box meal as much as anyone else...but DD is allergic to preservatives in such box meals. Breaks out in these big pink splotches all over her face. And that just makes me look like a bad mama, toting around the baby that looks like we beat her up. So, cooking from scratch it is. All day, every day. Good thing my family likes plain, boring food, because I am not an excellent chef! (Yesterday DS told me, "You like pasta. I like...french fries...and pizza!" I don't LIKE pasta, per se, but I do like how fast and easy it is! )

But I am intrigued by turkey sausage, and I will sautee up my sausage separately from my rice when I find a recipe! So you helped me out anyway! Thanks for sharing!

Oh dear! I can't believe you have to cook a real meal every night! That must be a lot of work. I cook real meals MOST of the time, but if it's been a long day, I love a boxed or frozen meal. I probably cook real food, six days a week, but that 7th day, I need a quickie! That must be frustrating when eating out too. It must be difficult to know what you can order and what you can't. DD breaks out in whelps like that REALLY bad about twice a year but we have yet to figure out the cause. So I feel for you b/c that can be really scarry as a parent.

First off, I am sad that your TR is over. I'm not sure if it's been asked but do you have another scheduled? I don't anytime soon and it's killing me!

Great pictures of your 2008 trip. I'm really enjoying those!

I am so with you! I DON'T have another trip planned and it is killing me too. I have no idea when we will be able to go back. We are sort of at a transition point in life financially so I really can't plan anything right now. I am probably going back to work in August when DD starts first grade (since she will be in school all day), so that may change things for us. But until I know for sure about that, I just don't know when we can afford to go back. But I REALLY miss my ticker!

I'm so glad you are sticking around for the flashbacks!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I'm really thinking about doing the pick a pearl with my girls this summer. How long did it take you to get your necklace that you ordered? Their birthdays are coming up and I'm debating giving it to them or keeping it a surprise. I'm leaning toward the surprise. DD8 keeps telling me she wants a surprise trip! (I can't do it!)
TIA

I ordered five of the pendants from Rinky's ebay seller and got them in just a few days, it was incredible service!
It's pick a pearl for me next month!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I ordered five of the pendants from Rinky's ebay seller and got them in just a few days, it was incredible service!
It's pick a pearl for me next month!

I have GOT to remember to do that! Somebody remind me to order those carriages!!!

 

[lmillercrew]

Lexmas, Turkey sausage is fantastic sliced up in a skillet with red and yellow peppers, and onions served over warm, buttered egg noodles!

 

[brookelizabeth]

What a fun night!!! And YUMMY that looks delicious! I love that you weren't allowed to cover Princess Tiana's face. So cute!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hey Jackie! Don't forget to order the carraige necklaces!!




I have to remember to do that too.

 

[ladybugmom]

Hey girl!! Sorry I haven't checked in this week but now I'm all caught up!! I'm so sad your trip is over but I'm loving the mini updates and flashbacks!! You might as well extend the magic for as long as possible, right?!