~~~~ Sew, help me... A bittersweet "Epic Girls Trip"... January 2018! ~~~~ UPDATE 1/7!!~~

omg the Carl and Ellie set are awesome. Totally in love with it.

You are such an inspiration to me. Today is packing day here for our Thanksgiving trip
 
I love the Carl & Ellie bag. Especially the fabrics you chose. Seeing the two comparison photo shoots reminded me of how much I LOVED the dress you made for the first shoot. When you mentioned you did not know what to coordinate that dress with these fabrics came to mind. Only problem is that it will be colder when you go this time. Patch pocket on a plain shirt?

When I first heard about the store I thought - Well you won't have to agonize about when to leave. So sorry that it hit you out of nowhere and has you all twisted up emotionally.

Glad Dad is doing so well and that you get to see him so much more often. Hope you and your family have a happy and healthy Holiday Season! It will make the time till your next trip FLY by.

Jane

Too funny that you should mention that dress... Actually - the fabrics that I used to make the UP bag and the dress are from the same artist - and if I am not mistaken - also from the same fabric printing. LOL I've thought about making myself something to match, but I am just not sure I am up for that? LOL I truly do prefer to wear knit tops in Disney - it's just so much more comfortable... Though adding a pocket to a tee is an option, and something I will definitely consider. Great idea! :woohoo:

It's so true... The decision was kind of made for me - which is good/bad... I certainly wasn't ready at the time - and I don't think I am ready 2 weeks later either... but I am getting used to the idea. However - I did post on FB last night - our city is trying hard to save our store... Though I am NOT very optimistic - I do think that Target's decision is final and they won't reverse it. I would be beyond shocked if they did... ::yes::

Thank you - he is doing much better... I took him to our family Thanksgiving yesterday and it went very well... He enjoyed himself immensely, and so did I. And I did find out from my aunt that Dad is very much like his father... Apparently, my Grandfather was "never happy" either... :scratchin So, maybe it's genetic? LOL And I guess I am much more like my mother than I thought - as I am a very happy person. LOL At least I know that it's nothing I did, and maybe I am fighting a losing battle? I just need to go with it from now on and just know that no matter what I do - it may never be enough... I will just do my best and KNOW that I did my best. :lovestruc

It's always wonderful seeing you here Jane! :) I hope you are well? Any trips coming up?

The ears and bag are unbelievably amazing! You are off the charts talented. My oldest daughter loves Up, and wears a necklace that was engraved with "Adventure is Out There" (also her seniro quote in her yearbok). I'm not sure she has taken it off since she got it as a gift for graduation, and now she is about to graduate from college. Anyways, Up has a special place in our house, and your bag and ears super special!!

Thank you - this theme has been processing in my mind for way too many years, LOL... For that reason alone, it's incredible that I didn't mess it up too badly - LOL.

How awesome is that??? I agree - UP also has a special place in our home as well... Along with Tangled... And Moana... Even though my girls were so much older when these movies came out - they have loved them so much! :lovestruc And connected with all of them in some way.

They look perfect for the cooler January weather.

I love that you used the adventure book for your theme. When we saw the Pixar Live concert in Hollywood Studios this summer they had the movie Up as one of their featured movies. The orchestra played music from the movie, mostly the background music that you hear but never really notice, and they played movie clips to go with it. They chose the clips with the adventure book and the whole Up presentation made me cry. It was both beautiful to see Carl and Ellie's love and sad to see Carl's loss. Anyway, I love your unique ears and bag. :)

You could go with jeans and your denim jacket to match Ellie's overalls.

Thank you - I hope so... At some point here, I am going to have to reassess my packing... Right now - as usual - everything that is "potentially" coming with is just thrown in my suitcase... I will need to weed it out before I actually pack. ::yes::

What a wonderful thing to see!!! I think I would cray too... I always cry at the beginning of the movie - where they go through the back-story of Carl and Ellie's life... And that's exactly what I wanted to capture in my bag. :lovestruc

That is what I am thinking too... I can do jeans... I just need to find a shirt - it doesn't necessarily have to match - I just don't want it to clash, and the bag/ears are such an odd color - it will be impossible to match perfectly. ::yes:: Part of the fun of planning a trip. :lovestruc

Sounds like you and V had a great day shopping. How great that V is finished with her Christmas shopping. I have started on my Christmas shopping but I'm no where near done even if I've wrapped the presents I have bought so they are in a bag ready to be taken to my parents house.

Your UP bag looks amazing. There are so many details on it that I didn't notice on the pictures on facebook. But when I got to see the large photos of the bag here on the DIS it was easy to see all the details. You have done an incredible job on this bag and ears. Sorry but I don't get what makes UP a theme for Animal Kingdom. Can you please enlighten me? :)


I have known for some time that my computer need to be replaced by a new one, but now so close to Black Friday I haven't wanted to buy a new computer until I see if there will be any sale for Black Friday.
Well on Wednesday this week my computer tried to install the last updates for Windows 7 and then it crashed.
I tried to get it up and running for several hours without any luck. Luckily it would let me take a backup of everything on the hard drive. So I did that, then I got the computer to set everything back to how it was when it came fresh from the factory. Then I managed to get the computer to take the files I had done a backup of and put them back on to the computer. I then had to install some programs I use almost every day and now 3 days later my computer is almost back to as it was before the crash. Now I'm crossing my fingers that it will keep running until I get a new computer in a few weeks. I refuse to buy a new computer now a week before a possible sale. If the computer I want don't come on sale on Black Friday I will buy it anyway because I don't think I can wait for a new computer much longer.

My tablet also crashed about a week ago. So I will be looking out for good deals on that as well. So for the first time I have a list of things I want to check out on Black Friday.

It sounds like you are making great progress on your Christmas shopping as well? :) Great job!

Thank you - I truly loved designing this bag and ears... Even if the one ear gave me so many design problems. ::yes:: I'll be wearing this set in AK, just because this is the only place where you can meet Dug and Russel from Up - so it seems fitting to me that AK is the perfect park for this set. :)

Yikes!!! I am so glad that you were able to get your files back up, and you were able to reboot your computer - hopefully it holds out for another week! Fingers crossed and pixie dust for you! :) And hopefully you are able to get one for a good deal next week too!

Your Up book and ears are amazing. They would look good with denim as someone else said. You did a really good job with the embroidery.
I did get a new jacket last Sunday. It's a black Columbia one. I don't usually wear much black except for work. Now my winter boots don't match. They're brown bearpaws which went with my old jacket.
I bought a laptop at work last week it was a display that had been up for a very short time. I got it for half off since it was also on clearance. My daughter and son inlaw reset it and installed chrome for me. Now I just finish moving book marks and programs over to it.
It sounds like you had a great time Christmas shopping at the MOA. Hopefully Victoria can finish her shopping later on this week.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Liz

Thank you - Yes, I am pretty sure I am doing denim as one component... I was thinking either a denim shirt with black leggings and Vans... Or denim jeans with a tee shirt and my Vans... We'll see what I can come up with over the coming weeks. ::yes::

Yay for a new jacket... I love new jackets - only because I love being warm. LOL Bummer that it doesn't match your boots though - are you going to look for new ones? Or just use the ones you have? If you are anything like me - I only wear them on days where there is fresh snow or really cold - I think I have had my current boots for upwards of 10 years... I typically buy Sorels - and I expect them to last me forever. ::yes::

Congrats on the great laptop deal! :woohoo: I hate getting new electronics - I am very much a creature of habit and it drives me nuts to have to learn new stuff. LOL Every time I get a new phone - it's a HUGE process and one I don't look forward to. Hopefully you are able to get everything set up and transferred easily. ::yes::

We did - it was so fun! We are looking forward to our annual Black Friday trip... We need to sit down this week and figure out when we are going to go and exactly where we are planning to go - it looks like many of the stores we are wanting to go to don't open until 6am or later... and the last few years, we have been going out at 2 am - which is half of the fun of it... So, we will likely have to edit our day a little bit - as there is no way we are going out to the stores on Thanksgiving day. ::yes::

Thank you - same to you! :)

Love, love, love your Up theme bag and ears. So amazing!

PSA: If anyone is looking for a place to donate money, please look at Fisher House and the Semper Fi Fund. Both use the donations to support soldiers and families who have been injured or are in the hospital. Both have helped out my friend's family. They should be back in the states tomorrow night. He's in bad shape, so continued prayers are needed. I'm planning to head to the hospital on Monday to see how everyone is doing. We've made plans to take turns visiting and keeping everyone's spirits up through the holidays as they work through this difficult time.

Thank you - I am still so excited about it! :woohoo:

With Josh working at the VA - he does a LOT of work at the Fisher House - I agree, and excellent and WORTHY place to donate and support.

Sending lots of prayers, hugs and pixie dust - hopefully once he gets back state-side, more questions will be answered and hopefully he can move forward and recover.... I cannot imagine what the family is going through right now, I just hope that once they are able to see him, it will ease their minds a little bit - sometimes just the "unknown" is enough to make things so much harder. Please keep me updated Cathy. ***hugs***

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Well, I didn't set a foot into my sewing room yesterday - I think that was the first day in about 3 months, or longer, where I haven't worked even a little bit. It was kind of nice... Yet I tend to get a little restless, as I *know* there is work to be done. ::yes::

(A whole long paragraph about trifle)... Allison and I spent the morning making my first trifle of the season... And at my cousin's request - she didn't want any sugar or grains at her gathering... I am all for this - typically - but when it comes to the holidays, I am more of a "do the best I can within reason and enjoy the day"... "My" trifle recipe (taken verbatim from The Joy of Cooking cookbook) is a very labor intensive recipe - that usually takes me 2 hours to make (mostly because of the home-made custard) and assemble... Usually - I just bake a good 'ol Betty Crocker cake mix cake, for the cake portion of the recipe, a few days prior (it's better if the cake is a bit dried out)... but because my cousin requested "no grains"... Well - I had to bake a cake from scratch - and "Paleo-fy" it... Let's just say, it took hours and it was one giant science experiment. :lmao: In the end - it turned out OK... cakes made from coconut flour don't necessarily have the same texture as the ones made from regular flour - and surprisingly, they don't taste too coconutty either - especially with all the other stuff that goes into the trifle with it. Over all - it turned out beautiful... And it did taste pretty darn good too. ::yes:: (Bonus, none of it came home with me) And it only took us about 4 hours this time... In the future - I will be making this how I normally make it, but I've added my Paleo edits to my cook book - so I can make it this way again (easily) if necessary. ::yes:: (and *technically* - this trifle is Primal - as there is a lot of dairy in it)...

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(Oxygen stuff...) Anyways... I went to pick Dad up - and the nurses didn't have anything ready for him... Sigh... So I had to wait for them to get his meds ready... We were late. Just as we were leaving - I swapped out his oxygen tank for a fresh one, and it started leaking... So we had to hunt down new O rings for his portable condenser... For some reason - these O rings are always lost, and we can never find them when we need them... After about 20 minutes, we found them, and they were in his locked cabinet (where they should be) - the RA just had no idea what she was looking for when she looked. Finally - we were out the door and on our way... 45 minutes later than I wanted to be. Just as we had left, his tank started leaking again - so I pulled over and *thought* I had fixed it... Nope... It began leaking again. Frustrated - because I couldn't have a leaking oxygen tank, or Dad would run out of oxygen before we even got there - I was going through it in my head, trying to eliminate all of the possible culprits - and finally, I figured out that it had to be the tank itself, because I had done everything else already... I pulled over on the side of the highway, in the middle of nowhere and I swapped Dad's tank again (thankfully I brought 2 extras with me)... And woohoo - that's what it was. Later than we already were, but Dad had oxygen. :woohoo:

We arrived late - Allison met us there... She helped me get Dad into the house - honestly - she did most of the work... Dad had to go up 8 steps... by the last two - Allison and I were boosting him by his belt. But he made it in and did wonderful all day. I could tell that he was SO HAPPY to be there, and really enjoyed this time with his family. There were several family members there that I think maybe he thought he'd never see them again. It was really a wonderful gathering. :lovestruc

I had Dad back home just in time for dinner, and I came home and vegged on the couch for the remainder of the night. :)

It was a great day and I was so happy that my Dad was able to be a part of it... It meant a lot to me to have him there and I think it meant a lot to him too. ::yes::

Today... I have nothing on my schedule... Which means - I will likely get started on my next (and final) set of Ears for myself... I am excited about these - yet not excited.... They have been done and redone 1000x over by thousands of people, and no matter how I try to be unique, it's all been done before - so they will likely look like someone's somewhere. However, I will do my best to put my own twist on them, and hopefully they will look a little original. ::yes::

I will try not to spend too much time in my sewing room today - as I know I need to take a break every now n' then. ::yes::

That's about it... Nothing else exciting to talk about. :)

I hope you all have a marvelous day! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all of you! :lovestruc

D~
 
:love:I love your Carl and Ellie set!! That’s one of my favorite Disney movies. I’ve never heard of Boxlunch, they have a website that I’ve been on all morning after reading your post :tongue:
 
Your trifle looks good. I've never made one as it takes so long. Yesterday I made a cheese cake to take to my son in law's sister's house. We're having Thanksgiving today since 3 of us have to work on Thanksgiving day. I used the crust from one recipe and the filling from another.
I can understand about the oxygen. My dad was on oxygen and it seemed like it was always something. It sounds like he was happy to see your family again.
I'll probably just wear the boots I have. Other than the color, there's nothing wrong with them and like you I don't wear them unless it's really cold or snowy. I wear my black boots everyday even to work.
I 'm not a big fan of change which is probably why I've been dragging my feet with my new computer. My old laptop is 6 years old and I'm used to it. It's kind of strange because I work in electronics and get to play with the new stuff all the time.
Enjoy your day
Liz
 


I can't wait to hear about your trip!!! we are going the first week of Feb and I cannot wait.
 
omg the Carl and Ellie set are awesome. Totally in love with it.

You are such an inspiration to me. Today is packing day here for our Thanksgiving trip

Thank you - I am so excited about it! I can't wait to wear it!

Thanks - and you inspire me every single day, my friend! I am so lucky to have you in my life!!!

:woohoo: for packing!!! :woohoo:

love your Carl and Ellie set!! That’s one of my favorite Disney movies. I’ve never heard of Boxlunch, they have a website that I’ve been on all morning after reading your post

Thank you - I so love it too and I can't wait to wear it. :lovestruc

Hahahaha.... I know, right. You should have seen me in that store - it was so overwhelming, I wanted 2 of everything. :lmao: In the end, I purchased nothing, as I couldn't decide.... And I didn't have any extra cash for buying fun stuff for myself. ::yes:: Did you get anything?

Your trifle looks good. I've never made one as it takes so long. Yesterday I made a cheese cake to take to my son in law's sister's house. We're having Thanksgiving today since 3 of us have to work on Thanksgiving day. I used the crust from one recipe and the filling from another.
I can understand about the oxygen. My dad was on oxygen and it seemed like it was always something. It sounds like he was happy to see your family again.
I'll probably just wear the boots I have. Other than the color, there's nothing wrong with them and like you I don't wear them unless it's really cold or snowy. I wear my black boots everyday even to work.
I 'm not a big fan of change which is probably why I've been dragging my feet with my new computer. My old laptop is 6 years old and I'm used to it. It's kind of strange because I work in electronics and get to play with the new stuff all the time.
Enjoy your day
Liz

They do take a long time... However - one could easily make one with regular whipped cream instead of the home made custard that I make - and it would be a super quick thing to make... Like maybe 30 minutes?

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your family. :lovestruc

I would too... Not sure about your area - but around here, heavy winter boots aren't usually a fashion statement... LOL They are a thing of necessity, and as long as your feet are warm and dry - no one really cares. :)

Hahaha - same. Good luck with getting everything transferred and situated.

You too! :lovestruc

I can't wait to hear about your trip!!! we are going the first week of Feb and I cannot wait.

Thanks! I love sharing my trips here! It's so fun to be able to go back and read... If you're bored, please feel free to go and read some of my past TRs - especially now that Photobucket is pulling the ability to link - once my pictures are gone, the TRs won't be the same and I won't be redoing them. ::yes::

How exciting!!! That will be a good time to go! :lovestruc

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I had a very nice day yesterday...

I worked on my new Ears for a little while... I am still undecided about them. :scratchin

Then Josh and I decided to go out and do some shopping... I've been avoiding buying new bedding for quite some time... He was washing the sheets on our bed yesterday and I noticed that our mattress pad was beyond dead...

We decided to spend the day together, bedding shopping and going out for lunch.

We had Chipotle... Surprised? LOL

Then we decided to go to Kohl's, Bed Bath and Beyond and then Burlington Coat Factory... On our way - we decided to hit BCF first, and we found great deals on everything we needed... We got a new mattress pad cover - a memory foam one, 2 sets of sheets and a new comforter for $100. :eek: Not bad at all, IMO... We didn't even end up going to Kohl's or BB&B.

However, we did drive past an Original Mattress Factory store, and Josh wanted to stop... Sigh. I am trying to avoid buying a new bed... Ours is 10 years old and perfectly fine to me. However - Josh has a bad back, as you all know too well - so it's important that he is comfortable and still able to move throughout the day. :scratchin Yah - so I tried out a few new beds, and wow... They were nice. ::yes:: It made me think that maybe we were due/overdue? :scratchin We left with a price quote for our 2 favorite beds, but didn't buy anything. Surprisingly - the price tag wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

We came home, and washed all of our new bedding... Later in the evening, when we were making our bed... Josh showed me our actual mattress - and how it's caving in on the sides. :eek: I didn't realize this. Soooo - it's looking like saving for a new mattress is going to be our after-Christmas gift to ourselves. ::yes::

We had a nice dinner - It was nice outside, so I talked Josh into grilling burgers on the grill - it was yummy and I have leftovers for 2 lunches for myself this week. :woohoo:

We watched a movie last night, with Jim Carey in it - normally I dislike him a lot - but he wasn't too crazy in this movie... Can't remember the name of it though. :scratchin

That's about all...

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So, now I have a Disney trip dillema... :scratchin

I know what I *should* do... and I know what I *want* to do... And I know that these are 2 different things... ::yes::

Last week, when I was at the MOA with my cousin and her family... My cousin informed me that her dd is taking a band trip to WDW this coming spring. My cousin badly wants to chaperone the trip for her dd, but due to her bad back, she can't be on the bus for 22 hours. :eek: If she can't be on the bus, she can't chaperone.

Buuuut... She wants to fly down to, at least, see her dd play... And she wants me to go with her. ::yes:: If she doesn't chaperone, she is free to do her own trip and own touring...

You see where this is going right??? Oh yes - you all are smart Disney planning people... I am sure you realized where this story was going back when I mentioned the band trip above. :lmao:

And I am SURE - your wheels are spinning just like mine are...

Of course, I've offered the option - if I go - to stay at SoG... I've priced out a 4 and 5 night trip (so just a little shorty)... The price difference between a 4 and 5 night trip is literally the cost of 1 night's resort room (split in half) and 1 day's worth of food. Approx $110 for an extra night. :scratchin Everything else is the same... We'd still get the same military 4 day PH pass... We'd still have to pay the same airfare... The same town car... The same Memory Maker... I have this trip as cheap as we can get it - and as we all know, it's still not very cheap... Though it's not terrible.

My issue is... And I am sure your minds are going like mine are...

The cost for 2 sets of tickets for myself + MM for 2 trips = $670

The cost of an AP (Military rates) = $804.50

The difference = $134.50 :eek:

I have already paid for my ticket... I haven't used it yet - so I could "theoretically" switch it into my cousin's name and put that $$ towards my AP... Or I could use a day of it and then upgrade myself...

Is it worth it?

This would mean TWO Disney trips before we go to Europe. Can we afford it? Yes... Is it the responsible thing to do? No...

And having an AP - well, I'd be justified in wanting a 3rd trip to "get my $$s worth" out of it... (Which, BTW, wouldn't happen until AFTER Europe) I do have other friends going throughout the year - I have been offered to be allowed to tag along... I'd likely get my $$s worth out of it during the first two trips, with just the AP discounts on everything... They are still doing that right? Or does that end soon?

Which means... I would have to come up with an additional $460, above and beyond what I have to come up with now - to cover the cost of the AP on this trip... With Christmas coming, and people watching their spending... It's unlikely I could make this extra... It would have to be borrowed out of our budget until spring...

This doesn't EVEN put Josh's opinion on the map yet... He knows nothing of this... :cry: My imminent death is also something to be considered. ::yes::

In the end - I would LOVE to see Katie play... And I would LOVE to spend time in Disney with my cousin - who is like a sister to me. :lovestruc

HELP!!!!!! What would you do?????

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OK - phew!!! Yup - I was definitely up for 2 hours last night doing the math in my head and trying to make it work... :scratchin

Today... I have a FREE week!!! :woohoo: Can you believe it??? I have nothing on my schedule in my sewing room and I don't work at Target! :eek:

Ahhh... But, no rest for the weary... I have a laundry list a mile long of things I need to get done... Namely, my own trip stuff... And then V's... I'd like to get my sewing room a little more organized this week... It's not as if I have a full week though - I purposely take this week off up there... I really only have 2 days... Today and tomorrow... Wednesday is always food prep day for Thanksgiving... Thursday is Thanksgiving... Friday is Black Friday shopping with the girls... Saturday is holiday decorating the house... Sunday will be doing holiday decorating at Dad's, and relaxing. :eek:

So, today - I'll work out shortly...

Then I will work upstairs until late morning...

I will get ready and go to town to have lunch with dad...

I have a couple of errands to run while I am there...

Then I will come home and work a little more...

Make dinner...

Maybe work more...

Then bed....

::yes::

I hope you all have a marvelous day!!! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to each of you! :grouphug:

D~
 
I would figure a 10% discount on dining discounts. The current ap discounts expire 12/23. So of course the AP makes sense. I love Disney math.

My husband threw a wrinkle in our trip. He is doing intermittent fasting so only eats between 12 or 1 I forget and is done eating for the day by 8pm. Now do the girls and I go to character breakfast without him? Or do we all skip it? I’m worried if we cancel, he will stop before or during our trip. I’m also think me might need to drive to Tampa one day and check in on our house. They will have started building it I think.
 


I am so thankful that these girls will give me their honest opinions and let me bounce my ideas off of them - they have all saved me from many disasters over the years.

Awww! I just feel privileged to get to see your works in progress. :lovestruc:hug:

I am going to have a dickens of a time trying to coordinate my outfit though

I absolutely love this set! I still think brown would go well and it would make the bag stand out against the darker color.

HELP!!!!!! What would you do?????

Do you really need to ask. LOL. They did extend the AP discounts but I'm not sure for how long. Plus don't forget that you get Memory Maker with the AP which will save you $170 each trip.
 
I'm sure an extra trip would be fun, but you are doing so well with paying off your debt and this might be a step back. I think I would concentrate on your Jan. trip. How close would this be to your Europe trip? It might be a little too much. I know how tempting it is though. The annual pass pays for itself when we do 2 trips, but we get free parking with it too so it makes sense for us. I don't think Josh would be too happy if he doesn't get his mattress.

I love your Up outfit. I especially love the leather cap. Up is not one of my favorites, but I have watched it with the grandkids. I never would have guessed with that fabric. I originally thought Pooh, but then thought you don't need another bag for MK.

We are putting up our outside decorations today since it is supposed to be 50°. I wanted to do it this weekend but my husband heard it was going to be warm today, so we waited. I kept telling him it could change, but it's still supposed to be nice. We won't turn them on until after Thanksgiving though. I think I told you we are going out to eat at Golden Corral this year. I'm a little worried how busy it might be. We went Monday for the free Veteran's meal and there was no place to park and the line to get in was so long that we went to Applebee's. My son told me to get some Papa Murphy's and we could always come home and eat. Neither of my boys are really turkey fans so I thought this was a good idea to go where there are plenty of other things.

Have a nice Thanksgiving Dorine.
 
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Hahahha! I posted it on FB last night, and I think everyone was totally shocked by it - no one expected those fabrics to be the theme I chose!

Totally shocked, and in awe of your work, as always!

I love his Halloween costume... I have about 8 billion name tags around here, and I am lucky to find ONE on the days I work. :lmao:

He used to have the same problem!! He always kept his last resort nametag on the bulletin board--Robert. He hated wearing that one :)

We found this awesome store (Boxlunch) - which, apparently, everyone knew about except for me??? :scratchin It's where, when Disney remodeled and changed their awesome merchandise in their Disney Stores like a decade + ago, they sent all of their awesome merchandise. :lmao:

I've never heard of it either!! Looks amazing though!!

I seriously want this red jacket (I'd want it more if it was a vest though)...

....if only you knew someone who could sew and make that jacket into a vest....WAIT!! I know someone :) LOL

And I do have to add that "Carl & Ellie" was 100% stitched by me, NOT and embroidery machine... It took hours! So, while it may look simple - it was anything but. ::yes::

Seriously. IN AWE. You are so very talented!!!!

Also, if you are looking for some realists to talk you out of that Spring WDW trip, you've come to the wrong place, my friend!! :) I totally vote you go!!!!
 
OH MY Dorine, you really outdid yourself with the Up! theme bag and ears. No words. :worship::worship::worship::worship::worship::worship::worship::worship::worship:
 
Wow! You have a lot to think about! How exciting your trip is coming so quickly! I think if you use "Disney math" the AP sounds like a great idea! I love all your new "ears" and especially your wonderful new bags!
Our favorite target and also the closest to us is also closing! Even though I don't work there, it was still quite an unwelcome surprise! The next closest isn't nearly as nice.
 
Dorine! Oh my goodness your Up bag and ears; they are the best. You just continue to amaze me (all of us actually) with your talent. I am so enjoying seeing your bags and ears come to life. Absolutely wonderful.

As always, you look amazing. I need to get back on the exercise path and eating better. Between our road trip, and both my sons' birthdays this month, eating has gone out the window. I have to remind myself we all have times where we slip up. I just need to a major kick in the rear and get back to healthy living. Yes, the road trip was amazing, but I ate terrible. This past weekend we went to Houston and more eating out and cake with Tyler. Whew.

So enjoy reading about your Dad's adventures. He will have his moments for sure, but I think that you have to keep in mind that is a mixture of things, like age/personality/resistance to change. You are doing wonderful with both your Dad and brother.

I had to laugh when I read about your cousin's trip. Here is my story. In his Senior HS year, Shane's marching band got the opportunity to march at Disneyland. I begged, and begged, and begged dear hubby for a short trip to DL to see him march. We flew in on a Sat. morning, and were going to fly out Sunday afternoon. He was to march Sunday morning. And guess what happened. On Sunday, DL moved his marching time to late that evening. Yep, we had to fly home, we could not find a later flight, and I missed the opportunity. I actually cried in the airport. I am such a mess. I think if you can swing it financially you should go Dorine. A Disney visit with your dear cousin, and to see her daughter march, would be so incredible.

I can't stand mattress shopping. I had to actually buy 2 last year. One for the guest bedroom after Tyler moved out, and Shane had needed a new one forever. Hope you find one you both like.

I can't wait to see your Christmas decorations for your house!! You and your daughters do a beautiful job.

Continuing to follow along and enjoying everything!! Sending a huge hug.
 
Absolutely love the UP ears and bag! The leather really adds another dimension to it. I think you need that UP shirt you saw in the BoxLunch store! You put so much thought and effort into your Disney outfits. I feel like a real dud. I just put on a different Disney tshirt every day and decide if I'm wearing jeans or shorts :rotfl2: I did buy a very nice Christmas themed red jacket for our last Dec. trip in 2013. I was excited to wear it to MVMCP but it was so warm that night it didn't work out. So, this year I'm hoping it's at least a little bit cool that night (Dec. 5). Squeezing in another trip sounds great especially if you can get your DH's blessing and feel OK about it. I'm already thinking about my next trip even before our Dec. trip is over. Our family one and done trip was back in 1988 - who knew!
 
How great that the family gathering with your dad went well even if you had trouble with the oxygen supply for your dad.
The cakes looks delicious.

Sounds like it's time to get you and Josh a new bad. I know how important it is to have a really good bed. Maybe they'll have it on sale on Black Friday?

Sorry I can't help you with your Disney dilemma, but I'm sure there are others in here that can :hug:

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving with family.
 
Oh goodness, that is a dilemma!!! But such a fun opportunity to watch her play and spend time with your cousin. Decisions, decisions, decisions.... Sounds like you had fun Christmas shopping, too. I really enjoy doing that. It's part of the reason I have such a hard time with money -- my "love language" is giving gifts and I tend to WAY overspend. *Sigh* The longer we live with my MIL, the more my stress behaviors kick in and, unfortunately, one of my stress behaviors is shopping. I've noticed it getting out of hand in the last few weeks (doesn't help that Christmas is coming up and so that's how I justify it). It's pretty bad when your own children talk to you about budgeting and money... *sigh*

Sorry I've been MIA -- it was a crazy week last week -- I was in a leadership class for two and a half days and wiped out by the time I got home at night. I spent Saturday afternoon with the girls doing some Christmas shopping then celebrated Andrew's birthday that evening. Unfortunately my health problems flared up and I had to leave early because I was really sick. Good news, though -- instead of my normal three day flare-up this one only lasted about two days, so I was much better yesterday. I've been feeling a bit off today but not too bad.

Still trying to figure out what to do about our house...not sure if I told you the quote from the builder came in $40K higher than we expected. That's just a non-starter. So I'm not sure what we're going to do. We really can't downsize the house -- as it is, I'm concerned there isn't enough square footage on the main floor (since it will have an unfinished basement) so I was already starting to re-think that particular house plan. Now we're wondering if we'll need to switch to a different builder, too.....which would be a shame because we really like the builder, we like his business model, he does high quality work, and we really like the lot and the neighborhood. So I'm just not sure right now what we're going to do. I'm planning to pay off two to three significant debts before the house would be done, and that would free up more than enough money for the monthly payments, but it would be higher monthly mortgage payments than we really want and would impact our ability to pay off the rest of our debt. So right now I'm not sure what we're going to do and it's giving me crazy tension headaches and anxiety. It's not fun.

I'm so glad you were able to enjoy a nice celebration with your Dad. :-)

And your Carl and Ellie ears and bag are absolutely gorgeous. I *love* the fabrics you used -- they're beautiful. I know you'll love using that bag and those ears at AK.

:-)
 
They are still doing that right? Or does that end soon?
Someone already answered that it ends Dec 23rd for the additional discounts, but the extended it once, maybe they will again???

The cost of an AP (Military rates) = $804.50
We already discussed--you save some $$ using Target Redcard and buying Disney giftcards!

My imminent death is also something to be considered. ::yes::
Lol, of course not! I know the feeling though! Luckily my DH likes Disney.

I bet you could work next spring on an auction (if not already planned) to pay for the AP! Honestly between it and the food discounts, I was really happy with the savings I had this past trip.

Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
 
I think I have read most of them :) You have almost inspired me to bust out my sewing machine and try my hand a making a purse.
 
the difference between the AP with the discounts you get with it, and your ticket price without. I would think that it would be worth it to get the AP.
 


Sorry - I don't have time for replies this morning... And sadly - I likely won't until the weekend. :lovestruc

I did want to do a small trip update though...

I've found a way to fund an AP for myself and the March trip without dipping into our budget at all, and paying cash, of course. ::yes::

I plan to talk to Josh about it tonight... I know he will understand my desire to see Katie play - so as long as I can fund this trip without affecting our debt pay off, our Europe trip and even our mattress purchase - I am pretty sure my life is in no danger and I will get his blessing. :lovestruc I'll take a little bit of extra pixie dust though, if you all have any to spare. ::yes::


Have a great day everyone!!! Prayers and pixie dust to all! :grouphug:

D~
 

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