Disney on a Dime #3

#3: Autograph Books

I knew I wanted to have autograph books for the kids to use at Disney, but I wanted them to be special. Certainly not the mass produced ones they sell at the parks for an arm and a leg. So I stalked Etsy and found this lovely little shop.

Jodi takes old Little Golden Books and rebinds them along with either blank or lined pages. They were prefect autograph books for the trip, and at only $12.00 each they were a bargain. Plus, we had stories to read when the lines in the parks were long, and pages to color when we were waiting for our meals. (Luckily, our longest wait for a ride was about 15 minutes.) We chose Disney books, but she has lots of other options. I bet she'd even be willing to use a book that you sent to her.


If you are planning to collect autographs while visiting Disney I highly recommend these books! Prince Naveen even commented on them. "These are really cool," he said in that delicious accent, "Did you make them? I've never seen anything like this before." It made my day people. Made my day...

I was not compensated for this post in any way.
I really do loves these books.

Disney on a Dime #2

#2: New Hats

Everyone who knows us, knows we are a hat wearing family. My children and I are all quite fair so we wear hats outside 99% of the time. I thought new hats for Disney would be appropriate.

As it turned out, I got one too. Accidentally I made the first hat way too big. I mean huge - much too large for one of the kids. So it ended up being for me - and it's still on the big side. I was really bummed because I measured the kids' heads and made the appropriate size as dictated by the pattern. (The directions on a pattern I've made many times before - grumble grumble.) But somewhere I made a mistake because hats number two and three were also big. Not gigantically big, but big enough where the kids chose not to wear them. (Hat pattern is Simplicity 5581. I altered the original pattern and made the brim one inch wider to give the kids more coverage.)

I was glad I threw other hats into my backpack as we walked out the door - just to be safe. These will undoubtedly fit next summer, so I've packed them away in a safe place so they'll be clean and ready to go next year.

Now I'll just have to make sure I remember where I put them!

Disney on a Dime #1

OK, I'll admit it, I'm cheap. Well, maybe not cheap - frugal would be a better word. Yes, that's it, I'm frugal. I hate spending money on crap, I mean stuff, that won't really get used. And I was pretty certain a whole lot of that was going to happen during our recent trip to Disney.

I wanted to have something new for the kids each day, but I didn't want to go broke doing it. Of course, we bought things there too, but I wanted to be able to say something like, "You already got a new ______ today," when the kids were pestering for expensive junk. So I got busy sewing before we left home:

# 1: Homemade Pajamas

They were quick and easy! I used my raw-edge applique technique for the shirts - using a Mickey instead of the number, and Butterick 5565 for the shorts. Those shorts are just two pieces, so I think I whipped out both pair in abut an hour and a half. The kids loved them, so I see more jammies like this in our future...

Today

Today I: cleaned the hallway carpet, washed the rug that stained the hallway carpet, scoured two bathrooms, cleaned out and organized four closets, one cedar chest and three toy boxes, tried on virtually every article of clothing I own - culling the collection as I went, and managed to get all this stuff ready to take to Goodwill. Thank goodness my husband decided to cook dinner - I'm pooped!

BFF

The hatch has begun.
My son is thrilled.
He's been patiently waiting
for their arrival.
What's not to love?
Their mouths don't work so they can't bite
and they only live for a day.

Fish flies are the perfect insect
for a play date.

The only problem is,
some years
we get something like this:

photo via

A little boy's dream,
not so much for adults.

I remember as a kid, growing up three blocks from Lake St. Clair, there were years that the fish flies were so thick that my dad would have to hose off the car in the morning. And then, as you were driving down the street, you'd hear this crunching noise as hundreds of them were getting squished. Luckily we've never had that many of them on the island - at least not in the years I've been here.

Independance Day

This year, for Fourth of July weekend, we camped with friends here. Well, technically since we were in a camper it was camping, but Sandy Pines really isn't camping in the true sense of the word. For me, it isn't about the camping part of the weekend - it's about seeing some really good friends.

The kids had a great time, too.
They loved sleeping in Grandma and Grandpa's A-Liner,
(it's like a sleepover for the whole family)

spending time with friends,

fishing,

toodling around in our super-cool ride,

catching fireflies,

blowing lots of bubbles,

and spending time at the beach and the pool.

There were some sad moments when the kids realized they were two inches
too short to try the the ropes course,

but fireworks made everything better.

Is it possible to be grouchy while watching fireworks?
I don't think so.
However, my daughter did fall asleep.
I guess all that fun caught up with her...