The towels looks great. V is so talented.
I can't wait to see how your bar will look when its all finished.
My sister and her little family are visiting Tromsø for a week. So today I'm invited for dinner at my parents house so I can see my two aunt children again. I haven't seen them since Christmas.
Thanks! She often surprises me, but I didn't even have a clue that she was doing anything like this.
I hope you enjoyed their visit!
I love seeing people that I don't often get to see.
V. did a beautiful job embroidering those towels. i didn't know people still did embroidery. My mom and grandmodungthers did and they taught me but i haven't done it in years. I think i have some table clothes around here that my mom did.
It must have been nice to just walk up and be able to get a good spot for the parade. I can't imagine ever doing that at Disney World now.
The dragon in the lower part of the castle loos really neat and then being able to go upstairs and see the story of Sleeping Beauty. I've always thought that there should be something like that at Disney World.
Your deck looks really nice ad I like the bar Josh is building. My daughter has a covered deck she uses all the time.
We drove up to Erie PA yesterday for the day. It's about an hour from here. We had planned on going to the zoo, which we did do, and then going out to Presque Isle in the afternoon. For some reason, it always rains when we get there and it did. We did get to see Perry's Monument and stop at the nature center. Oh, we went to Walmart because the batteries in my camera died.
Enjoy your Sunday
Liz
I have always loved hand embroidery... It's something I tried to do once or twice - but I just can't sit there for long, as much as I'd like to.
I admire those who can do it!
It was nice - and it was a cute parade.
Yes - I loved the castle very much! I wish they would refurb the WDW castle like that - it would be nice.
Sounds like you had an enjoyable trip!
I'm so excited to see your new trip report! I've been checking in every now and then and I don't know how I missed the start but glad to be here! DLP looks amazing and am looking forward to seeing what makes it different than WDW. Love the sewing room! And your daughter's hand embroidery is gorgeous!
Welcome! Happy to have you here... I am going slow this time. I have so much on my plate these days!
It was a fun trip, for sure! I am so happy that I had the opportunity to go!
Thanks! I am loving my sewing room so much - it makes my life so much easier having it so organized. Best decision I've made in a long time!
Thanks - I am pretty proud of her!
I am enjoying your report! I just pulled out some embroidered pillow cases I had started years ago, and my daughter expressed an interest in finishing them. Hopefully she does - growing up, I did a ton of embroidery. And I have things my mother made for me that I want her to have someday. I'm thrilled she has is sentimental!
THanks! I hope your daughter finishes them! I used to do a bit of counted cross stitch in high school - I enjoyed it immensely, but I think I got into some really hard pieces, and I gave up - because once your counts are off, the whole thing is off... and at that point in life - well - I was too young to understand that I should have just ripped it out and reworked it. LOL Maybe I should pick it up again? Nah - LOL - I already have too many hobbies.
Yes - I have many things of my Mom's to pass along to my girls... Some day... They never knew her - so even though they love her, it's not the same... So I will hold on to them for a bit longer.
I knew about the dragon in the castle, but had no idea of the other parts! The sleeping beauty second floor looks amazing. And to be able to step out on the balcony and see all of Fantaslyland...I would be in heaven! I love to just observe in spots like that!
V's hand embroidery is AMAZING! My mom used to do it too. I never had the patience for learning all the different stitches. And V certainly showcased a lot of different styles. And a hidden mickey to boot! I know you are a very proud momma!
Can't wait to hear more!
Same! I didn't know about all of it either. It was super cool! And the balcony - it was seriously the best! I stood out there for much longer than I probably should have - it was so neat!
Thanks! I couldn't believe she just picked it up and did it! She is one determined kid (adult now... LOL).
I am trying to do some updates this weekend.
Oh, you should have seen the pirate portion! And it isn't even really a parade. There is the pirate unit and princess unit - one starts at each end of the parade route and then halfway to the castle they stop (either halfway down Main Street or at the castle stage) and do a mini show. The pirate floats connect together and they do lots of acrobatics with a trampoline and props. It's awesome! The princesses have their lovely dance too. Then, each unit continues on to the main center hub (though I don't think they call it the Hub at DLP), and the princesses go to the two stages on the frontier/adventureland side, while the pirates divide into the two stages on the discoveryland side. And they all do a dance to the music that alternates between Princesses (Heigh Ho) and Pirates (Yo Ho). There is a main representative from each group who has a microphone headset (Betty Rose and Jimmy Ocean) and they trash talk each other, but it was all in French, so I couldn't understand it. I know Betty Rose says Jimmy's costume looks like a box of crayons exploded on him...
Anyways, at the end they call a truce, bow to each other, and then the units head the opposite way from the place they entered.
I ended up seeing it on the final day (only had time for one showing), and what made it even more special was all the DLP fans who learned the choreography and basically had a huge dance party in the center of the Hub! It was such a highlight and so fun and gorgeous!
I'd love to see the Aristocats topiaries at Flower & Garden festival!
Yeah, it was a crystal shop that was themed like Merlin's workshop. They had a cool thing where you made your own wand - basically a hollow glass tube, but you picked the colors of crystals to go inside (each representated something different) and the apothecary combined them all in a little show (with spiral tubes and beakers and all that). And they also had wands that were pre-made and specially themed (like Stitch).
Thanks for explaining that to me.
We did end up seeing the dance party the next day... which was super cool. And at some point - we saw the pole from the pirate ship float on Main Street - which is how we discovered that there was a Pirate portion - LOL, but that was literally as we were walking out of the park for the day.
I am almost positive that I purchased a Christmas ornament in the shop in the Castle... Are there 2 shops?
I am glad you remember it all... Have you been there often? I didn't take notes or anything on this trip, because it was such a short trip - maybe I should have? LOL
I am in love with that castle...it's beautiful! I would love to spend time exploring it. And a balcony overlooking Fantasyland -- so picturesque!
Victoria's embroidery is gorgeous -- she definitely has a talent for it. You have very sweet daughters. The deck and bar are looking great!
We're back from
Disneyland...we had a good time but all four of us agreed that we really prefer WDW over Disneyland. Is that blasphemous? LOL!!! We did have a good time...but Disneyland seemed so much more crowded than Magic Kingdom. The walkways are (I think) much narrower and so the park just doesn't handle the crowds as well. Getting out after Fantasmic and the fireworks was downright scary and dangerous. California Adventure is much roomier and we all loved Cars Land -- it's amazing. The theming is incredible. We tried churros...just don't understand all the hype. They're just like Costco churros. But the mint juleps and beignets were just as good as I remembered from my teen years. Even though the temperatures were "only" in the high 80s and the humidity was low, the lack of shade and air conditioning/fans in the lines made it seem blazing hot. The Paint the Night parade is fabulous and we really loved their version of Fantasmic -- the pirate sequence was fabulous. Their Indiana Jones attraction is a new favorite of ours... And MaxPass if wonderful -- I definitely prefer it over the way WDW is doing FP. All in all, though, by afternoon on the third day we were pretty much done with everything we wanted to do, and had done most favorites at least twice (single rider line came in very handy) and were struggling to come up with things to do. Unfortunately the cast members seemed rude and disinterested. I've also never seem so many "plaids" (personally guided tours) before - I've seen two in all the times we've gone to WDW -- at Disneyland we counted at least 20! Being able to walk down the block to the parks from the hotel was nice -- it was actually faster than waiting for the hotel shuttle. But I missed the WDW "bubble" and we just didn't get the same magical feeling. Downtown Disney is definitely much smaller but it had a nice ambience. Overall, though, I don't think we'll go back anytime soon. We aren't planning any WDW trips for a few years....oh well....
While we were there Brie opened her mission call and will be going to Rome, Italy for 18 months...she is SO excited. I loved that I was able to find a Mickey flag pin for the Italian flag for her.
Alyssa left for Texas yesterday...Andrew will follow in a few weeks. She got a job there and needed to be there before he needs to be there. *Sigh* I miss her terribly already. And Brie left this afternoon to go back to Virginia for several more weeks...I really miss her, too. I do not like being an empty nester!
It was so awesome, and such a nice surprise!
Thanks! I am pretty proud of her! And thanks! We are loving our deck and bar - it is coming together so nicely!
It sounds like you had a very enjoyable trip... I hope to make it to DLP some day - if only to walk where Walt did once in my life.
But even more-so, I am so happy to hear that you had this time with your girls, I know how much it means to you!
Sooooo, so, so excited for Brie!!!! Eeeep!!!! Will you be able to visit her?
I am sure you miss Alyssa - I cannot imagine how hard it must be for you, yet knowing that she is following her dream - it must make you so proud!
I am not looking forward to having an empty nest either... Allison is packing and moving out in a few weeks. I am thankful - as of now - she isn't going far. I am not looking forward to the day when both of my girls are on their own. Sending you big hugs momma!
Hey D I think of you often so I was so happy to find your trip report.
Love your sewing room!
So happy to hear how great the girls are doing! WOW Victoria's embroidery is amazing!
Loving your report on DLP. What a cool castle! Can't wait to hear more!
Bernadette!!!!!! Where have you been my friend???? And why oh why did you post and not give me an update on the family???? I'd love to know what everyone is doing and how things are going.
Thanks - I am spending a lot of time up there, and it's so NICE to have it organized... I've managed to keep it that way since we've redone it - and it makes my life so much easier. Although, it's easy to stay organized when everything has a place. LOL
They are doing very well!
Thanks! I am hoping to do an update again here this weekend. Life is just crazy!
Thanks for stopping by - I think of you often and wonder how you are.
I am SO GLAD this TR is going slow...the pace works out great for me.
Thanks so much for your thoughts. She is doing great physically. She is very motivated to get back on her feet, so she is pushing herself and it is paying off. She will be weight bearing again on Aug. 31, so the countdown has begun.
YOUR DECK!!!!
: Nuff said!
A yummy Casey's Hotdog on a Baguette??? drooooooooolllll!
I love that Sleeping Beauty's Castle is an attraction! That really is every little princess's dream when she thinks of visiting Disney, right?
Right? LOL I don't know how I did daily updates for so many years????
There's no way I could keep up with myself of then, now. LOL
I have to admit, I've been stalking your FB for weeks... You guys are on my mind a lot and prayers are always coming. Love you, my friend, and your family.
And I am SO thankful for your miracles recently.
It is a Casey's hotdog - but I think it was just on a regular bun??? Not sure??? I scarfed it down so fast - it could have been on a baguette and I'd have never known. LOL
The deck is coming together nicely... I need to stay off of Pinterest.
I am not sure that there is anything left to buy for out there - as I think I've purchased everything. Now, I just need people to come visit me. LOL
Thanks for stopping by - it's always nice to see you here!
Just catching up on some Dis threads. You're trip to the lake looked like fun. The dogs really seemed to enjoy it! So cute!!!
Wow the deck looks amazing after the power washing!!!
That's her first time hand embroidering? She must be a natural. Very pretty!
The castle in DLP is so cool. Being able to explore like that looks so fun. Can't wait to see more!
Thanks! Yes - the dogs love the lake so much... I sometimes think that they'd rather we leave them there? LOL But after 10 days, they are always so tired... They sleep the entire trip home + for the next 5 days just recovering. LOL
Thanks! We are working on putting the "restore" stuff on it (not the Behr, it's the Rustoleum) now... We have half of the deck done - we are just waiting for the weather to cooperate on the other half.
Yes - she said she did it once before when she was younger, but I don't remember that.
It was so neat - and such an unexpected surprise!
**************************************************************************************************************
OK all - a short "life" update from me this morning... I hope to do a TR update tomorrow. I just had to get caught up on replies first.
We have been very busy with the deck... We are coming in to the home stretch on that project, and we are loving it! We've managed to get the weather to cooperate enough that we could put the primer and the Restore product on half of it last weekend. I do wish we could have just stained it - as I don't really like the color or the look of the Restore (It's the Rustoleum, not the Behr) - it's too "paint-like" for me. Ahhh - but Josh said our deck was still too far gone to just be able to stain it. Such a bummer. It's not terrible now - I dunno - I just don't love the color... I would have rather had it more "blond" looking, I think?
Regardless - it still looks nice and everything is coming together so much better than I had hoped!
Josh was able to get the primer on the other half this week - so all of our furniture is currently residing on the finished side - we hope to have the Restore on the other half tomorrow.
The bar is also coming along... Josh has managed to finish most of the outside... He has a few more small panels of corrugated tin to put above the bar opening... He's finished the bar inside - but he still needs to weather proof it (he is doing epoxy)... and he still has his shelves to put up inside... but all of this interior work is less dependent on the weather. The finishing of the deck is the first priority.
Oh and we still have to put the railing back up on the back side there.
So, here are our updated deck pictures... I took a few different angles...
From the patio door in the kitchen looking out on to the deck:
And just a smidge more to the right, to get all of the lounge seating in.
The bar from the front... (you can see the side better from the pics above). Josh also installed lighting in here - and it's super cool at night. I'll get pictures of that another time.
And then from the gate on the side of the deck... In this picture - it's a great overview... You can kind of see how large of a space it is. You can also see our giant 150 gallon deck box (where I store all of the couch cushions) and our weather proof speakers. You can also see the lights I have strung - but I think we are going to put up different ones - as these aren't bright at all... Not that I want them to be, but these are really useless. LOL
Oh, and I didn't like the cushions that came with our bar stools, so I made new cushions, matching coasters and a couple of pillows for the couch... That was an intense project last weekend - because of course, I can't do anything the "easy" way... and the cushions HAD to have piping on them. LOL (yes, I was also enjoying a drink at the bar)
MM enjoying the deck with me...
Let's see... What else???
Allison bought a new car! She wasn't planning on it... Well, she kind of was. She has been saving for a long time (just in general) and was thinking of maybe buying a newer car before winter. One of the nurses at work bought a new car, and was going to keep her old one - but then decided she wanted to sell it. She gave Allison first dibs... we took it to our mechanic and he gave his blessing... So she bought it. It was SUPER COOL to watch this process... It was very laid back. Allison didn't have to scramble to find $$ or scramble to find a car because there was something wrong with her's... I don't think I have ever purchased a car without it being a necessity of some sort? It was just fun to watch, and very neat to see her just go into the bank - take out the $$ - no loans or anything. Super cool! And a very proud moment for us as parents.
So, now she is working on selling her old car to refund some of her savings account.
So, now both girls have super nice and reliable cars (knock on wood) - that they paid cash for! It's a great thing!
Otherwise, I have been very busy with work... Josh and I booked airfare for our final planned trip this year (technically - it's in 2019)... I wasn't sure we were even going to be able to go - but as it turned out, airfare dropped this week... So, we are going to Aruba for a week in January.
We are pretty excited. We had SO MUCH FUN in Europe together... I cannot wait to take a beach vacation with him.
And, of course, we are paying cash for it.
Now, the biggest obstacle... Getting this body to be swimsuit ready.
Otherwise - not much else is exciting... I was able to spend the entire day with Allison yesterday - a rare treat these days, as she is such a busy girl. She took me out shopping around the metro in her new car... She is moving out into her own apartment in a few weeks - and we were out looking for a few furnishings for it... It was so nice to spend the day with her!
I hope all of you are doing well... I miss checking in here daily - I just don't know how I found the time to do it for so many years??? I can't seem to carve the time out of my mornings anymore.
Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all of you...
And look for some TR updates tomorrow.
D~