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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Not abandoned just reorganizing and Winnie the Pooh queue

I haven't posted recently as I am deciding what the format of this blog will be going forward. I hope to have my new format in place in August and regular posting will resume. In the meantime enjoy these photos of the queue at the Winnie the Pooh ride at Magic Kingdom.

The queue opened a few years ago but since my children aren't big Winnie the Pooh fans, we hadn't been to the ride in quite awhile. We still didn't ride, but I had a hard time convincing them to leave the queue (play area).

The main theme of the queue is Rabbit's garden. Pesky gophers are trying to take over.





Kids can play games to make the gophers appear. This one is pulled out using a rope.


Others appear by jumping on spots or spinning wheels.


But gophers are not the only activity, there are plenty of other garden adventures.


Overall a fun way to spend some time for younger children.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Dove Promise Thought of the Day

I've been trying to be a healthier eater lately but I am a dessert fiend. To offset the needs for cakes, cookies and various delicious pastries and ice cream, I've take to eating dark chocolate Dove Promises. There are other mini dark chocolates, but Dove is by far my favorite. Not only do I get a rich dark chocolate experiences, I get a little life advice on each wrapper.

Sometimes there seems to be a theme in certain bags. Maybe the universe knows the best way to give me a hint is through sweets! Some may think the sayings are trite, but I think they are a great jumping off point to get me thinking about my life and goals.

So with that I give you this week's Dove Promise Thought of the Day.




I like this one a lot. It doesn't tell you to find your dreams,or dream your dreams or chase your dreams. It tells you to live your dreams. When you live your dreams, you are moving forward with positive thought and those "dreams" become your reality. We should all "live" or take action to make our dreams come true rather than just dreaming or wishing.

Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? Have you taken steps to live your dreams? What was the result?

Monday, May 28, 2012

A Thank You on Memorial Day


"I have one sentiment for soldiers living and dead: cheers for the living; tears for the dead." 

Robert G. Ingersoll.



To all those who have lost their lives, to all those who lost someone who served, to all those who still serve and to all those who wait at home, I stand in awe of your strength and bravery and am humbled by your sacrifice. Thank you does not seem enough for all you have done and endured, but you will forever have my thanks and respect.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Pixie Hollow at Epcot- Pixies & Fairy Houses & Flowers, Oh My.

 The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is always one of my favorite Walt Disney World events. Last year I have skipped the Pixie Hollow display. The area was being used as a meet and greet for Tinker Bell and the fairies resulting in a very crowded area. This year Tinker Bell was at her dedicated site at Magic Kingdom, so I decided to check out Pixie Hollow.

The level of detail was incredible. Every display had hidden elements just waiting to be found. There was a section for each fairy plus the new Winter Woods area home to Periwinkle, a new fairy. Each section was themed around its pixie and each section had a fairy house.



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

To everyone who is a mother, has been a mother, or has acted as a mother, have a wonderful day. Take a moment for yourself today and appreciate the important things in life.


Friday, May 11, 2012

Sick Days & Kids


We just got over an episode of the plague in my house. Okay, not literally the plague. It was one of those dreaded illness that starts with one family member, spreads to another until it hits everyone and then somehow mutates until starts all over.  Good times.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Fairy House at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

I will be putting up more pictures later this week of the Pixie Hollow section at the Flower & Garden show at Epcot. This is one of my favorite fairy houses.


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

So Long Mickey Mouse Clubhouse


Mickey Switch


Recently I had one of those "my baby is growing up too fast" moments. It wasn't the first and I am sure it won't be the last.

The last year has been a big year. My son entered kindergarten and turned 6. I've moved  from baby clothes and sippy cups to Sketchers and sport bottles with only a few pangs of sadness. Well,maybe more than a few. A few months ago he even lost his first tooth, followed quickly by two more. I should be an old pro by now. Yet, this time was particularly poignant. This time, my son told me he was too old.

I suppose I should have seen the signs. When his 6th birthday approached, we discussed themes for his birthday. We were going to Disney World to celebrate. ( I'm sure that is a big surprise to those who have read my blog before.) When I asked him what he wanted on his cake, he immediately said Mickey Mouse and the Clubhouse gang. Not a surprise since after more trips than he can count to Disney World, he still wants to meet Mickey each trip. Next, we turned to his school celebration. Cupcakes and goody bags were planned. When my husband suggested Mickey Mouse goody bags, the response was withering.

 "Mickey Mouse is not cool enough for school."  So Sponge Bob it was for school.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I Ain't Afraid of No Monsters!











I must confess, I worry a bit about  monsters. Probably not unexpected from a girl who is wishing for fairies to come clean her house and blaming gremlins for that empty orange juice jug.

 My monster issues run deep. When I was a child, we lived in an old (some might say creepy) house. To get to the front door, you had to climb up stone steps, and then travel down a long dark path surrounded by bushes on one side and the house on the other. But this was not an average house which would have a normal wall.. Instead it was set high and built into a granite rock. The basement was partially above ground and exited into the latticed covered underside of the porch. The bushes and the lattice created a dark tunnel like feeling. I often ran up the path afraid of what might be lurking behind either side. In fact, one night there was an eerie hissing sound as a I returned home, but that is a story for another day.

The huge porch wrapped around three sides of the house.  If my bedroom window was open, you could step out on the roof , then walk along the roof to the back of the house and climb down into the yard. Our house did not have central air and in the summer my mother would open all the windows wide in an attempt to keep us cool. No matter how hot it was I would take all my stuffed animals and pile them around my neck, then carefully hide under a sheet. If a vampire came through that window, he would get a mouth full of stuffing instead of my nice young neck. I was a monster avoidance expert at 7.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

My Favorite Disney World Extras- Towel Animals

Whenever we stay at a Walt Disney World resort, one of the first things I do is check to see if there are any towel animals in the room. On most visits, you will get a Mickey head on the bed, but sometimes there is something special.

These towels animals are not guaranteed. On some trips we haven't received any, but when we do it always adds a bit of special magic to the trip. Here are a few favorites:

Port Orleans French Quarter
No animals but a cute toothbrush and toy holder


Monday, March 12, 2012

Sometimes Something Has Got To Give

Someone came to my house last week unexpectedly. As she stood in the hall, I cringed. She had a clear view of the overflowing boxes that are part of a playroom reorganization project I never finished, the toys spread across both the living room floor and the havoc in my home office. I said what I always do when faced with messy home guilt.

"Sorry, it is so messy. I've been very busy this week and am in the middle of reorganizing."  

Friday, March 2, 2012

Up All Night For Real - One More Disney Day

In January when One More Disney Day was announced, I thought it was kind of silly.  Why would I want to go to the Magic Kingdom just because it was going to be open for 24 hours straight. There were sure to be hordes of people. But as the date approached, I started to really, really get the urge to go. I hadn't gone to the 40th anniversary at MK and this was an opportunity to go to something that might never happen again. After everyone in my family turned me down, I found a like minded Disney friend. We weren't crazy enough to stay the whole 24 hours, but we were going to after work and stay as long as we could.

When we arrived at around 8 pm, it was much more crowded than we expected, but before long we were welcomed to the special occasion. After a bit of a line we got our pin and schedule.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

We interrupt this blog . . .

You do remember I live my life according to advice from Dove dark chocolate wrappers.For some reason, the standard dark chocolate packages have the best advice and I always get a bag with a theme. So, today, no excuses. I don't have a new blog entry with lovely Disney photos or any great writing advice or life advice or even stories of how to deal with fairies and other mythical beings. Today, I just need a moment.


I'll be enjoying my moment at One More Disney Day tonight at the Magic Kingdom. I'll be back later this week and into next week with new Disney photos, a post on how old is too old and a post on what I learned about POV by watching Tangled.  In the meantime, have a great night and I'll take a turn on the Haunted Mansion for you.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

My Favorite Disney World Events

I have two favorite Disney events and strangely enough they both occur at Epcot. One is in spring and one is in fall  which gives me two excuses to go to Walt Disney World. Spring brings the  Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival It starts in two weeks and I can't wait to go. Here are a few highlights from last year


Friday, February 17, 2012

The Gremlin did it!

In Thoughts

Image by cwateteson
A few weeks ago I discussed the fairies I need in my life. Fairies meaning helpful magical being who would make my life easier. Chef, nanny, cleaning and stylist fairies were at the top of my list. So far no fairies have turned up at my house and applied for the positions. Maybe I would have had better luck if I asked for gnome. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

My Favorite Disney Resort -Moderate Level- Port Orleans French Quarter


POR-French Quarter is a smaller resort with seven buildings with a New Orleans French Quarter theme. The grounds are peaceful with beautiful gardens and courtyards. There are lots of great areas to explore and beautiful river views.


Friday, February 3, 2012

I need a fairy






I hadn't truly thought about fairies in many years until in the last month I had discussions with two different people about the fairies we wanted in our life and the fairies( or gremlins) messing things up behind our backs. It got me thinking about fairies again.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Promises, Promises



As January comes to end, I started thinking I should really finish planning my goals or resolutions for the year. Somehow the idea of a resolution seems so daunting and I think almost a joke-everyone seems to be more interested in how long it will take a resolution to fail.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

My Favorite Disney World Resort- Deluxe - Yacht Club

This is one of my favorite Disney World Resorts. Do you know which it is?  It has great views of Crescent Lake and the Boardwalk Resort. This nautically themed hotel shares Stormalong Bay with it's sister resort.



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Trust the process

Every single Pixar film, at one time or another, has been the worst movie ever out on film. But we know. We trust our process. We don't get scared and say,'Oh,no, this film isn't working.' John Lasseter

I came across this great quote from John Lasseter. He was talking about animation, but it really applies to all artists. As a writer, it can be very tempting to give into doubt and worry that you are writing the the worst garbage ever. It is reassuring to know that even the folks at Pixar with its string of hits have doubts while they are still in the process of creating. Just think what would have happened if they had given into their fears and just stopped moving forward-  would Toy Story 3, Up, or  Monsters, Inc have gotten made? And if you haven't seen these film or some of the other Pixar classics, get to it. Beyond gorgeous animation, there is great story telling in these films.

So, it got me thinking, how do we learn the "trust our process" ?  I think, first, we need to understand our process, then embrace that it is uniquely ours. I have seen many writers get so wrapped in what is right or wrong with the way they do something and try to find the the "right" way that it becomes an insurmountable mountain. They become so stuck trying to build the perfect process that they never move forward.

Think of your process as a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. You might start with something out of Betty Crocker but over time you tweak here and add ingredient there until you have your own special cookie. Don't be afraid to play with the recipe.

Once we embrace our process, we then need to understand our process. Do you always end up throwing out the first three chapters because it is full of back story? Do you always need to go back and flesh out the descriptions after finishing? Does the middle always make your stomach knot?

One way to discover your what makes up your process is to make notes about how you feel during your current  manuscript. Note what was a particular problem and what came easy. After time you will know what your pattern is and feel secure. Even though it may seem to be the worst book ever, you will trust your process.

So do you have a unique process? Do you trust it? How does it help you get through those worse book ever feelings?