They were more like guidelines, anyway...

[indimom]

Guess what came in the mail today????


Luggage Tags.
Package Discounts.
Travel Info.
Whatever you call that package!

Suddenly, it feels so real. And so close!!!

Of course, there was one drawback. I was showered and in my pajamas getting ready to go to bed (midafternoon) when I saw the neighbor across the road coming to the door. I told Emily to answer it, obviously. And I heard the neighbor say that the mailman delivered our mail to their house. Oh, okay, fine.
And right on top of the stack was the Disney Destinations envelope. Yeah, now I'm convinced Emily knows. No doubt about it. But, she didn't say a word. It's actually becoming kind of funny at this point. I bet she's dying to no details of what's happening...
I wonder if she thinks I don't know that she knows? (Ha ha , that sounds like a plot to a made-for-tv movie.)

Garren and I finished loading all the construction garbage into the HUGE dumpster this morning. Thank goodness that's done. Worst job ever. But, it's D-O-N-E. And my husband called up a friend this afternoon and paid him to use a front end loader to clear the pea gravel from the old play area in our side yard. And, he caved, and cut down some of the low-hanging branches on the three trees back there (which he has been arguing against all summer.) So, once we get some top soil in there and seed it, I'll have my yard back! I can't wait.

Of course, I couldn't convince Matt to tear down the ugly metal shed that's back there. It looks like this one, minus the landscaping, and twice as dirty from living under three trees for quite a few years:

Stock Photo

When I mentioned tossing it in the dumpster too, this is what I got:
Matt: "Where will I put all my stuff that's in there?"
Me: "How about the 2.5 car garage?"
Matt: "But I work in there..."
He looked like someone kicked his dog.
So, I caved. And let him keep his ugly, old shed.

But, boy, do I hate that thing. Maybe I can plant some flowers around it or something like the picture. It might help. A little.
I've got it! Ornamental Grass. That stuff's tall, it could hide anything. lol.

 

[indimom]

Well, Matt and I went around and around trying to decide on the shutter color for the house. I was thinking black, with a bright red front door. Which would mean a dark gray or black roof.
But, Matt really wants a metal roof. And not a black one, one with a lot of color. There is a gorgeous two-story cabin near my parents house and we've always loved the green metal roof on that house. It's perfect. lol. But, green was not an option... lol.
We settled on blue...


Stock Photo

This is a more traditional metal roof, but they also have options that mimic asphalt shingles or slate roof styles, among others. I'm not sure which we will go with since we're waiting on the roof, but it will be a deep blue color.

Stock Photo

I actually like the straight vertical panels, but the slate looks nice also, and would be more appropriate/traditional for a house of this age/style. (We actually found a few pieces of the old slate tiles under the porch roof when we were gutting the siding. lol.)
Whatever we do, we need to love it, because they are lifetime warrantied. So, whatever we get, we'll be sticking with for the long haul.

Anyway, what this all means is... we'll go with calvary blue for the shutters and front door....


Stock Photo

Normally, I would worry that blue shutters, door and roof would be took much, but since our dormers are so small, only two upper windows can even have shutters. So, I think it will look okay. One thing is for sure, we'll stand out from the other two gray houses on our block. One has no shutters and only white trim. The other has black shutters and white trim.

And it needs some variety. Since the current roof is gray, it blends way too much.


But, I'm very happy with the gray siding. We've gotten a lot of compliments from people passing by. Actually, only one person said they preferred the white. I have a hard time imaging that since it was ALL white. Siding, trim, doors, windows. Even the roof was a pale gray. No variation at all. Boring! But, hey, you can't please everyone, right?

 

[coastgirl]

I am eager to hear, once you get going, what Emily knows! Kinda like the whole Santa thing with kids on "the brink"--they WANT to know what's going on, but they kinda don't.

Great progress on your house. I generally hate putting money into stuff we can't wear, eat, or play with (last year we had to replace our oil tank because the insurance co won't insure if they are 10+ years), but you will see this everytime you come home. I am with you on the interesting colours. Our current house is *grey* . I hate the colour, but the house isn't that old, and there's no good reason to replace the siding. I grew up in a house that was barn-red and I still miss it!

 

[indimom]

I am eager to hear, once you get going, what Emily knows! Kinda like the whole Santa thing with kids on "the brink"--they WANT to know what's going on, but they kinda don't.

I know what you mean. It's driving me nuts wondering how much she knows or suspects. But, I'm trying very hard to hold my tongue because I don't want to give anything away that she doesn't already know (like maybe the Universal part? Or where we are staying? whatever...)The suspense is killing me. lol.

Great progress on your house. I generally hate putting money into stuff we can't wear, eat, or play with (last year we had to replace our oil tank because the insurance co won't insure if they are 10+ years), but you will see this everytime you come home. I am with you on the interesting colours. Our current house is *grey* . I hate the colour, but the house isn't that old, and there's no good reason to replace the siding. I grew up in a house that was barn-red and I still miss it!

We have a barn red house just up the street and it' gorgeous. I love it. But, I never would have talked Matt into that. I think he wanted to go the beige and green route when we realized we were going to have to do the siding this year. BUT, we built the detach garage a few years back and had settled on gray at that time, and I want my house to match, doggonit. So, I stuck to my guns. But, I figure since I got to win that battle, I can give him the roof/shutter color. Besides, I do typically like color (you should see the inside ). So, I'm sure I'll like it when it's done.

 

[indimom]

A few more pictures from this week. We've slowed down a bit. Just tired, mainly. I'm sure we'll pick up again next week and crank out that last side.
Here's where we stand right now:



I was heading back into the house after taking that photo, and stopped to pick up the coffee mug I had set down. This is proof positive that I need a Disney trip this year. Look at my poor mug from 2010:


Cleaning up the construction debris was a dirty job:







See, ugly shed.

I guess I'm not too disappointed in what we accomplished this week. Just picking up all that lumber (the dumpster is now FULL) was a lot of work. We hired a friend to dig up the pea gravel and dump that. No way was I doing that job! EEK!

Now, Matt can focus on finishing the siding with my dad. And, I'll focus on getting some soil in there and reseeding the yard. Oh, and some extra landscaping around the house. Em and I hit up the farm and tractor store today and bought 13 shrubs and hostas to plant around the house and yard (40% off since it's getting late for planting. I hope they survive the winter and recover next spring).

Maybe once we get that done, and some mulch put down, I won't feel like such a lousy neighbor. If you didn't notice, both of my nearest neighbors have neat-as-a-pin yards. I always feel messy next to them.

 

[indimom]

Best $30 we ever spent. We knew it wouldn't last long, but the kids LOVED getting their faces painted. And it was super cute.


The kids and Matt were playing some sort of stepping stone game, jumping to certain numbers or letters (or something). See, even the sidewalks are fun at Disney World!
The second photo was in the Boneyard at AK. It was raining that day, so I'm not sure if the water on the rocks was theming or accidental, but I've always liked this picture.


Not the best picture, but the kids loved riding in the front of the monorail.
Does anyone remember the name of this animatronic dino that used to roam Dinoland? I've forgotten, but it was pretty cool.


Every time Goofy walked by the table, he'd grab Matt's hat and put it on his head backwards. lol. The kids thought it was hilarious!
The other photo was the kids' dessert at Yachtsman Steakhouse (I think). The kid's thought the paint-your-own chocolates were really neat. It made for a very relaxing ending to our meal since they were in no hurry to leave! Bonus!


I think he liked this ride. (And please forgive the flash photo faux pas, I was an uneducated heathen on our first trip. I promise I learned the error of my ways...)

 

[indimom]

Star Wars Weekend.
And Tom Sawyer Island. We tried to find a paint brush, but even as the first family off the second raft we were too late. It was still a fun break.


Pin Trading after the HoopDeeDoo Review. (The CMs are smart, check out the bug spray.) I'll have to remember to bring the trading bag on this trip in case the kids' want to do some more swapping. Pin Trading was a big hit on our last trip.
We had a great spot for the show, down front, in the right hand corner by the piano player. We got a lot of interaction with the "characters" in the show.


Recognize this ride?? Well, Matt was completely enthralled with it. I'm sure we'll have to hit this one on our Epcot day this year. Who knew a simple boat ride through a garden could be so exciting. lol.


Ignoring my stupid expression, a word of warning: Never do this. ONE of these treats would have been enough for our entire family of four. They were so rich. We each wanted something different (rice krispie, candy apple, pretzel sticks) but we threw away the bulk of it because we just couldn't eat it all.
We decided to play a round while exploring Pop Century one evening, then had to take a posed shot of our game.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

The Dino that used to roam around Animal Kingdom is called Lucky he apparently can be seen at imagineering.

 

[indimom]

The Dino that used to roam around Animal Kingdom is called Lucky he apparently can be seen at imagineering.

Ah, I remember now! It had been so long, I forgot. It was raining the day we were there and they only had "him" out for a short time (complete with about six CM's ready to cover him umbrellas at a moments notice. lol).

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Your house is really coming together. It must be so nice to be at the point where you can see an end in sight.

I can't believe how soon it is until your trip! That last month is really going to fly by. So are you going to admit to Emily that you knew that she knew or will you let her think she fooled you ?

I like your packing list. I should probably start on my soon. This time around I would like to be a little more organized with my trip.

I am so jealous that you are getting summer weather already. We still have pretty cool temperatures. Sometimes during the day it will get warm (never 80 though) and the nights are still pretty cold. Oh well...hopefully we will get warm weather soon.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

First, I love the color choice for the roof and the shutters. Very pretty!

Great pictures! Pin trading, Living with the Land, Tom Sawyer Island, and sweet treats...a few of my family's favorite things as well!

Your camping list is fantastic! I am a List Girl through and through, and yours is awesome!

 

[golf4miami]

Great pictures of your past trips. I'm going to have to do that in my PTR once I run out of "This is the plan" posts to do.

Pin trading is definitely something that I got hooked on a few trips ago and now whenever I visit I always have a few trade able pins in my pockets just in case I see a castmember with one I want.

I'm glad to see things on the house are moving along. You're getting really close now!

 

[lsenquiz]

Great progress on the house. It will be done before you know it and then off to Disney.

I cracked up when I saw your Disney mug as it looks just like ours from 2010. It can really take a beating if you continue to use it and put it through the dishwasher.

Love the flashback pictures. We did Tom Sawyer Island for the first time this trip and were sad to find out they do not hide the paint brushes anymore. I guess people were putting their lives in danger looking for them (like climbing on top of buildings ) . The CM said they are trying to put together some kind of scavanger hunt now but it has to go through all the approvals.

Gabriel loved the first time he rode in the front of the monorail also. He did it the year before they stopped letting people do it.

We have never done Hoop Dee Doo review. It looks like fun. I need to look at that for our September trip .

 

[indimom]

Your house is really coming together. It must be so nice to be at the point where you can see an end in sight.

Absolutely. I can't wait to relax.

I can't believe how soon it is until your trip! That last month is really going to fly by. So are you going to admit to Emily that you knew that she knew or will you let her think she fooled you ?

Oh yeah, I've got to find out what first tipped her off because she gave up that "water parks" clue a l-o-n-g time ago and I don't know how she figured that one out....

I like your packing list. I should probably start on my soon. This time around I would like to be a little more organized with my trip.

I'm an organizational junkie. But, it really is necessary this time. I don't want to spend my trip running to Walmart, thank you very much.

I am so jealous that you are getting summer weather already. We still have pretty cool temperatures. Sometimes during the day it will get warm (never 80 though) and the nights are still pretty cold. Oh well...hopefully we will get warm weather soon.

I'll try to send some warm summer vibes your way...

First, I love the color choice for the roof and the shutters. Very pretty!

Yeah!! I hope it's not too overpowering. I can be a little color crazy so sometimes I worry that I'm going too far.

Great pictures! Pin trading, Living with the Land, Tom Sawyer Island, and sweet treats...a few of my family's favorite things as well!

Yeah, they are some good memories. Sometimes the simplest things end up being the most fun. I can't wait to make a few more good Disney memories!

Your camping list is fantastic! I am a List Girl through and through, and yours is awesome!

Thanks! Glad I'm not the only one. I actually have it in a table format that includes where I can find these things (because it's stored all over the house/garage, and I had to hide a couple items like the lanyards) so it's in a two-page table on my computer. If you saw that full list, you'd probably be rolling on the floor laughing at how crazy I am.

Great pictures of your past trips. I'm going to have to do that in my PTR once I run out of "This is the plan" posts to do.

Please do! I LOVE pictures!!

Pin trading is definitely something that I got hooked on a few trips ago and now whenever I visit I always have a few trade able pins in my pockets just in case I see a castmember with one I want.

I almost forgot about our pins until I was reading someone else's trip report the other day... And, I just realized I need to add that to my list so I don't forget.

I'm glad to see things on the house are moving along. You're getting really close now!

Yep! Can Not Wait!

Great progress on the house. It will be done before you know it and then off to Disney.

We made it! I really wasn't sure when we started. I was afraid we'd have to leave and it wouldn't be finished.

I cracked up when I saw your Disney mug as it looks just like ours from 2010. It can really take a beating if you continue to use it and put it through the dishwasher.

Yeah, we actually have four from that trip, and they all look the same. We use them all the time and they still work perfectly with no leaks. They just aren't as pretty anymore.

Love the flashback pictures. We did Tom Sawyer Island for the first time this trip and were sad to find out they do not hide the paint brushes anymore. I guess people were putting their lives in danger looking for them (like climbing on top of buildings ) . The CM said they are trying to put together some kind of scavanger hunt now but it has to go through all the approvals.

No more paintbrushes??? Sheesh. People ruin everything.

Gabriel loved the first time he rode in the front of the monorail also. He did it the year before they stopped letting people do it.

I'm glad we got to do it just that once. It was fun!

We have never done Hoop Dee Doo review. It looks like fun. I need to look at that for our September trip .

It's a lot of fun. Make sure you try it some day.

 

[indimom]

No big updates today. Sorry. We are almost done with the house. In fact, we may get it finished tomorrow. Matt is taking a half day, and with dad, me, and the kids helping, we may be able to crank out the last of it. I hope so. I'm starting to wear out. lol.

Can't believe it, but in exactly one month from today, we'll be pulling into Ft. Wilderness. I can NOT wait! Matt is the same way. He's so ready to pull out of town, with nothing on the agenda for an entire week but fun and relaxation. Poor guy.

We got the hitch for the car and week or two ago, and the cargo carrier arrived today. (It took us a week to settle on which one would work best. ) It looks like it's going to work out well. At least everything fits they way we thought it would. It will be nice if we don't have to put anything in the front of the car but passengers and entertainment. Trying to sit comfortably surrounded by camping gear is not fun. And, doing that for 16 hours?

Matt may have undermined some of Emily's suspicions this week. I told him about the mail fiasco and he waited a couple days for the camping vacation to come up in conversation, then springs his trap. Garren asked what all we are going to do on our camping trip (as far as tours/extras) and we were throwing out ideas (beach day, zip line or air boat tour, etc). And Matt says something about how he wishes we could take a day and go to Disney, that we got a big package in the mail offering discounts on packages, but we just couldn't manage it, what a bummer, etc., etc.

I don't know if it worked (I guess it depends on what exactly she has seen or figured out, if it was a receipt or confirmation e-mail, we're screwed), but it was a pretty smooth play, much better than my description here, so he may have convinced her. He's a much better liar than I am. lol.

We'll see in a month, I guess.

On a side note, as Matt was playing this game with Emily, Garren says "I would rather go to Universal. I still haven't gotten to ride the coasters there."
He is going to be so excited when we spring that part of the trip on him. I know he'll enjoy Disney and the water parks, but THIS is going to go over big with Boy! Add in the new Simpsons area, Transformers ride, and Transformers Meet and Greet and this is all sooo Garren!

Can you tell I'm getting ??? Not long now!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

That is so exciting to be down to a month!! It sounds like Matt was pretty smooth. He will at least get Emily doubting herself and what she saw!

 

[golf4miami]

No big updates today. Sorry. We are almost done with the house. In fact, we may get it finished tomorrow. Matt is taking a half day, and with dad, me, and the kids helping, we may be able to crank out the last of it. I hope so. I'm starting to wear out. lol.

Can't believe it, but in exactly one month from today, we'll be pulling into Ft. Wilderness. I can NOT wait! Matt is the same way. He's so ready to pull out of town, with nothing on the agenda for an entire week but fun and relaxation. Poor guy.

We got the hitch for the car and week or two ago, and the cargo carrier arrived today. (It took us a week to settle on which one would work best. ) It looks like it's going to work out well. At least everything fits they way we thought it would. It will be nice if we don't have to put anything in the front of the car but passengers and entertainment. Trying to sit comfortably surrounded by camping gear is not fun. And, doing that for 16 hours?

Matt may have undermined some of Emily's suspicions this week. I told him about the mail fiasco and he waited a couple days for the camping vacation to come up in conversation, then springs his trap. Garren asked what all we are going to do on our camping trip (as far as tours/extras) and we were throwing out ideas (beach day, zip line or air boat tour, etc). And Matt says something about how he wishes we could take a day and go to Disney, that we got a big package in the mail offering discounts on packages, but we just couldn't manage it, what a bummer, etc., etc.

I don't know if it worked (I guess it depends on what exactly she has seen or figured out, if it was a receipt or confirmation e-mail, we're screwed), but it was a pretty smooth play, much better than my description here, so he may have convinced her. He's a much better liar than I am. lol.

We'll see in a month, I guess.

On a side note, as Matt was playing this game with Emily, Garren says "I would rather go to Universal. I still haven't gotten to ride the coasters there."
He is going to be so excited when we spring that part of the trip on him. I know he'll enjoy Disney and the water parks, but THIS is going to go over big with Boy! Add in the new Simpsons area, Transformers ride, and Transformers Meet and Greet and this is all sooo Garren!

Can you tell I'm getting ??? Not long now!

1) VERY smooth play by Matt there to try and even the playing field. I don't know if I would have come up with that little plan there. If nothing else it has to have planted a seed of doubt unless she's seen hard evidence like you've said.

2) Don't you just love it when things like that come together!? "Oh hey I'd really like it if we could do X some time." While the whole time you're sitting there thinking. "Yes! We've already got it planned."

Great stuff! You're only a month away! That's about the point where I start to really go crazy leading up to my trips.

 

[indimom]

That is so exciting to be down to a month!! It sounds like Matt was pretty smooth. He will at least get Emily doubting herself and what she saw!

That's what I'm thinking. He was very smooth. A mom can hope he got her doubts going....

1) VERY smooth play by Matt there to try and even the playing field. I don't know if I would have come up with that little plan there. If nothing else it has to have planted a seed of doubt unless she's seen hard evidence like you've said.

2) Don't you just love it when things like that come together!? "Oh hey I'd really like it if we could do X some time." While the whole time you're sitting there thinking. "Yes! We've already got it planned."

Great stuff! You're only a month away! That's about the point where I start to really go crazy leading up to my trips.

I am about to go nuts here, I am so ready to go. Matt's starting to hit that point also. Maybe it's a good thing that the house is keeping us so busy. Less time to dwell on vacation dreamin'.

The house is this (-) close to being done. Seriously. If I could have kept my eyes open for a couple more hours today, it would be finished. But, I had to sleep. All that's left is a little tiny section, plus some clean up and fixing an exhaust vent. That's it. Hallelujah!

This weekend should be interesting. Emily, my sister and my nephew are doing "Run For Your Lives" on Saturday morning in Knightstown. It's a 5K where you are chased by zombies.

http://www.runforyourlives.com/files/6613/5964/8819/RFYL_Official_Final.m4v

You start out with three or four flags (like flag football) around your waist. If you keep one of your flags to the end, you are a zombie apocalypse survivor. Lose them and you've joined the zombie horde. Emily's starting to get a little nervous. She checked out some of the obstacles and I think she's getting creeped out by the smoke house and the maze. lol. You would think it was a haunted house on Halloween night, not a daytime run.

I'm tagging along as a spectator and hope I can manage to get a picture or two somewhere along the route. Maybe I'll get a couple I can post on here. It sounds like a fun day. We're hoping to make her a t-shirt tomorrow that says "All you need is love." Maybe with a bloody handprint or two. That's a play on the newish zombie movie "Warm Bodies." She loved that flick, it's a zombie Romeo and Juliet story where the love of a zombie and a human becomes the cure for the zombie infection. lol....

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

That race sounds awesome. Riley has expressed interest in training for a 5k this fall. I know if he had a race like that to be in he would be all over that (who am I kidding...so would I ). I will have to check out online to see if they had anything like that around here.

 

[golf4miami]

The Run for you Lives 5ks are awesome from what I've seen in video. I've considered doing one a couple times. They are definitely more of a challenge than a regular 5k since you have the obstacles and the zombies to worry about. I would consider it a step between a normal 5k and a Warrior Dash. Should be lots of fun, get pictures!