Yes, it was a busy day out in the world for little Julia and I. After dropping big sister at kindergarten, we made several shop stops, gathering little things to make our upcoming Disney vacation a dream come true. For packing ideas - read on to the end.
After shopping, Julia went to tumbling/trampoline class. That really tired her out and by the time we went back to pick up sister at school, she was off to dreamland, sleeping soundly in her car seat.
This is one reason I like to get to school early. Julia gets to nap. I get to sit in total quiet and regroup before the second half of my day. Since finishing my
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, I've been jonesing for a new book. I almost got
Mouse Junkies. I almost got
Hidden Mickeys. I almost got the
Luxury Version of how to tour Disney. They all looked great but the problem was, they were concise enough that I practically finished them in the store while Julia played with the toy train there.
So instead I got a
Disney biography. Nice and fat at 850 pages, this book will likely last me all the way to the trip, weeks away. Just like Belle, one of Disney's princesses, I'd like to daydream the days away with my head in a book.
It's always a good sign when the intro is interesting enough to read.
Later I did some work on the quilt. The sewing room was under siege by BlackJack the Cat. He knocked over my sewing machine. He stepped on my glasses. He managed to get up on the high mantle and knock over my entire bulletin board and glass jar of buttons! Huge mess. I'll have to sort and wash the buttons from the shards of glass. I wish I could dump them out but there are valuable buttons in there and I want them all. Crazy attention grabbing cat!
I don't know why I imagined a cat to be a natural part of sewing in a country home. He is more like a gorilla sometimes, wreaking havoc with my neat and clean treasures. I worry that even with the company of pet sitter, he will go on a rampage while we are out of town.
Packing Ideas for Disney World: Here are some little extras we're bringing:
1. Light sticks. These little light sticks are exciting and fun for the kids to wear as necklaces when we are out in the evening. Kids don't normally have any nightlife. So it will be fun to live it up during the night time activities such as fireworks and parades at WDW. I noticed in photos that they sell them there but I betcha I got a good deal picking some up for 3 bucks at the party store.
2. Autograph Books and pens. I think it will make it easier for the kids to interact with the characters at WDW if they have a little autograph book to hand over. It takes the nerves of not knowing what to say down to a more simple conversation, or lack thereof. We did a role play game where we take turns being the child or the character, and asking and granting of an autograph. We were going to buy an autograph book there but I found some perfectly sized little books with colorful covers and a gem on top, for only 3 bucks each at TJMaxx. They look plenty fancy and this way the kids will still have some fun spending allowance for something else. I also got an Ariel pen and a Hannah Montana pen for a dollar each at the party store.
3. Birthday decorations. I wish I had gobs of money to special order the Disney florist to decorate our hotel room for Julia's birthday. Instead we got some things she'll enjoy just as much for under ten dollars: streamers, balloons, ariel tablecloth and plates. We're going to put up some simple decorations in the hotel room so Julia is sure to know it's her birthday celebration and feel special about it. She said she'd rather have the cake in the room instead of at a character meal. I think that's a good idea so it doesn't feel overwhelming to her. We will save some money one place and have more to spend it where it counts, in this case, on a better cake than we probably would have selected. I am going to call the Grand Floridian Bakery, which apparently makes some amazing cakes, even in small sizes. You can research and see photos of
Disney cakes on the Disboards.
4.
A small Ariel snow globe. I got it at the Disney store for 8 bucks. It's what Julia really wants. In the past, I've bought too many presents, trying to please her and impress her. This year I'm not going to have a lot of gifts to hand over on the trip. Instead I am focusing on the overall experience, going for magic and love. She has been wanting a snow globe forever. I'm going to carefully set it on top of her cake (fondant icing don't worry) and she'll be very happy indeed. Just like a dream for her, since she's imagined her own cake out of thin air and described it to me. The cake toppers they offer there are quite costly and made of a chocolate I might not need to eat anyhow. So this 8 dollar keepsake is going to be the best thing ever AND save me a wallet of money. That's my theme here, more magic from dollars spread out. It would be great to spend a "value" amount of cash for a "luxury" level experience.
5. A few little toys. I read that some moms bring along small toys for the plane ride or hotel stay. I wasn't really planning to do it but having that thought in the back of my mind led me to notice dollar priced items that called out to me. I got a couple mini flashlights with switchable plates that cast shadows of princesses on the wall. I got two inexpensive viewfinders and some cards of disney scenes. The girls don't know about these things so I'll be able to pull them out when needed, or save them for the return flight perhaps. Just the little extras to make the trip smooth. These are things moms do sometimes.
6. Snack packs. Again in the dollar section, I found a couple mini snack pack plastic boxes. The idea here is to bring a few snacks in our stroller for times when we might be in line or at a play area. Moms suggested bringing a box of ziplock bags for every other need. I've got that too. Seems like a good idea for snacks on the go or sealing up restaurant leftovers, or who knows what.
7. Earplugs. I have memories of holding my ears through Winnie the Pooh and the parade, etc. Sometimes the volume is ridiculously loud.
And of course we're still packing the regular stuff for vacation like shorts, tees, swim suits, croc sandals, sweatshirt, one pair of pants in case there's a cool day or night, tooth brushes, etc.... I wonder if we need a beach towel for the beach there or if they have some on hand at the hotel?
Planning is fun! Peter Pan probably didn't plan much, which is perhaps why he is wearing that outfit. Even Wendy, who strikes me as more of a planner, just soars off into the night sky in her pajamas. Ahh, the carefree life...
I look about 55 years old but here I am, laboring.
The cat doesn't care. Quilt, schmilt, he says.
I had to use the kitchen island.
After hand basting, I used my machine to stitch.
Hours and hours later, the quilt monster has moved back to the sewing room. Now I will spend a week or more adding beautiful stitching.
Lots of work.
The school quilt is coming along. I finished the blocks and stitched them into strips. Then I stitched the strips into this big square. If you don't quilt, hopefully it looks pretty good already.
This is one reason I like to get to school early. Julia gets to nap. I get to sit in total quiet and regroup before the second half of my day. Since finishing my Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, I've been jonesing for a new book. I almost got Mouse Junkies. I almost got Hidden Mickeys. I almost got the Luxury Version of how to tour Disney. They all looked great but the problem was, they were concise enough that I practically finished them in the store while Julia played with the toy train there. 
It's always a good sign when the intro is interesting enough to read.
Later I did some work on the quilt. The sewing room was under siege by BlackJack the Cat. He knocked over my sewing machine. He stepped on my glasses. He managed to get up on the high mantle and knock over my entire bulletin board and glass jar of buttons! Huge mess. I'll have to sort and wash the buttons from the shards of glass. I wish I could dump them out but there are valuable buttons in there and I want them all. Crazy attention grabbing cat!
I don't know why I imagined a cat to be a natural part of sewing in a country home. He is more like a gorilla sometimes, wreaking havoc with my neat and clean treasures. I worry that even with the company of pet sitter, he will go on a rampage while we are out of town. 
Today we drove out of our way to play at the sunny mall. It was worth the drive; however I do believe we now have our fill of the place for a while. Every mall needs to have a nice, sunny (yet indoor) play area for young kids. 
Little Miss Vocabulary gave me this funny face when I asked for her to say cheese. She was in good spirits today, a model child. 
A relatively relaxing day with not much going on besides kid duty. I finished my Disney guide book. I find I need a new book now.
Also I got to check off my first quilt milestone as I completed 15 of the 36 blocks. Actually I've done more than that after today's work. My big fat goal chart really keeps me focused on what I am working for these weeks. Number one priority is to finish this school quilt. Going on Spring Break vacation to Disney World will be even more of a thrill if I have finished this huge project. Number two is to continue my focus at Weight Watchers. I've lost 14 pounds so far and I'd love to drop 5 more in the coming weeks. I've already lost 2 since setting that goal so hopefully I'll beat it, which will give me good momentum as I head toward a week of indulgent eating. Number three is just a fun goal, to sew some Disney things and continue working on my detailed plan of personalizing our trip. More blogging on that another day. Last goal is an extra one that the tax preparer suggested, getting my paperwork in order for my hobby business. Not a fun one obviously. It's last on my list but hopefully I'll get to it.
I cut a Disney shirt today and sewed it onto my old shirt. It isn't the fanciest shirt now, sort of torn looking; however, it means more to me that the oversized t shirt because I haven't been able to fit into it since before having Julia (who will be turning 3 on our vacation). Losing the pounds I was never able to shed after pregnancy is very meaningful to me and somehow, has merged into my reasons for celebrating at Disney World.
My new favorite shirt got a stain on it so I sewed some little buttons over it to make a Mickey. I'm intrigued with the concept of "hidden Mickeys," how the designers of attractions and restaurants, etc. at Disney World have incorporated hidden Mickeys all over the place, some more hidden than others. I look forward to noticing some while we walk around the parks. I also think it's a nice way to put the symbol around with enough vagueness to merge your own meaning onto it. For example the shirt above is meaningful to me because I have been too chubby to wear it for years. But it's got a huge Minnie on it so the image is so bold that my feelings for the shirt take a back seat. The shirt below is more subtle even though the buttons are front and center. I like the understated look and the shirt will still wear how it's supposed to, very thin and draping. The hidden Mickey means everything that our trip means so I like the shirt even more now, however goofy it might be to the average person.
In my case there were 33 student drawings to work from, a bit of an odd number for making a symmetrical quilt. I added three extra squares with just fabric, to bring the number to 36. That will be six by six in the blocks department. As for the exact measurements, that is somewhat in flux right now. I am working my blocks to be approximately 14 by 16. Later I will be adding borders around the whole quilt, and probably trimming my blocks for a perfect fit. Although I planned for a queen size, I am considering a full size or something in between if it works out that way during the phase of setting all these blocks side by side. I was thinking a queen was nice but now I wonder if most kids have full size beds. 
The quilt will be donated to the school, then auctioned off at the fundraiser auction in the spring.
I am enjoying pulling each piece of artwork out of the folder as I go along. I've not peeked at them, so each one is a surprise. Then the subject matter helps me select the colors. I strive for contrast but there is no strict rule for picking colors.
This is a forgiving quilt form because the strips don't have to be measured. The sewing doesn't have to be straight. It actually seems to look better with some wiggles to it.
