The Magic Kingdom: Day 2

 On the second day of our Disney adventure we went back to the Magic Kingdom. You can't do it all in one day. Grand wanted to ride the carousel so Son took him for a spin.

 Next we were off to Frontierland. We spotted this beauty on the way.

 While waiting in line to get our pictures taken, Grand #1 made friends with a native. You could tell he/she was used to having children gawking. It seemed to have enjoyed the attention.

 We stood in line for Chip and Dale. They were one of my favorites when I was little. I try to watch their Christmas cartoons every year on You Tube. They bring back such memories.

 Lunch was at the Tall Tale Inn. It was decent for fast food. In fact all the food has been surprisingly good considering how much they have to make each day and how fast they have to serve it. The inn's capacity was over 1000. Can you imagine.

 Next it was Adventureland. Grand rode the Aladdin's magic carpet ride and Dad got some of Dole's famous pineapple whip. It was worth waiting in line for. It's good-and surprisingly dairy free.

 I didn't get to see Capt. Jack Sparrow and more's the pity. I was expecting a Johnny Depp look alike to jump out of the bushes but no such luck. I would have probably knocked him over anyway.

 We had our pictures taken again. This time with Rafiki. I wasn't sure who that was and I had to Google him. All I knew at the time was that he was a big weird monkey with a blue butt. My Disney stops at Beauty and the Beast. I picked it up at Frozen but all those movies in between are a mystery to me. Once the kids outgrow it, you don't know it.

 We left the park early to go to other places and the Monorail was empty.

I'm not a fan of being stuck in a moving vehicle with a lot of strangers so I really enjoyed this ride.

 We had an early dinner at T-Rex in Disney Springs.

Three year old Grand was not too sure at first. He loves dinosaurs but these were very big and very loud.

 After he realized they weren't going to eat him he was fine. The place was awesome. We were seated in the ice age section. Every twenty minutes the place explodes with a meteor shower. It was crazy.

 After a fabulous dinner, we had a Chocolate Extinction for dessert that smoked like a volcano.

On the way home Son had to stop into the Star Wars shop for a light saber-as one does. Epcot tomorrow!

A Magic Kingdom: Day 1

 We left for Disney Sunday morning. Grand #1 didn't move a muscle or make a peep for the 14 hour long haul we made to Jacksonville that day. I had to keep checking to see if he was actually breathing. What kid does that? What a trooper. His new "deeby dee" (DVD player) was a big hit for him and me.

 It tickled me that Son packed Twizzlers for the road trip. We always brought Twizzlers along on road trips when he was a kid. I couldn't believe he remembered.

 I did some knitting and even a bit of spinning on my spindle during the long ride but mostly I just looked out the window or at the Grands who were very entertaining.

 After spending the night in an hotel in Jacksonville, we made the two hour drive to Orlando.

 We have a villa at The Paddocks. It's very spacious. We could have brought the whole family. I wish my rooms were as big at home. Grand #1 was ready for a nap but his daddy was anxious to get to the park. I couldn't believe that this was the same kid that never wanted to go anywhere when I was dragging him around 30 some years ago.

 After getting on a tram, then a monorail, we found ourselves on Main Street. As soon as I saw the castle I wanted to cry. It is an incredible sight.

 The first stop was the tea cups.

 The Fast Pass bands are wonderful. No waiting. You get to cut right in line.

 I don't do rides. I hate them but I did go into the Small World exhibit. I was completely gobsmacked. I loved it. I could have rode around in it all day.

 Of course we had to get a Micky Mouse in a Glass House. We killed the poor thing later that day trying to get it out of the car. I had one once when I was little and I loved it so much that I still remember being traumatized when it popped.

 I did some knitting while I was waiting for everyone to get off the rides. I had a nice long chat with a park employee about the weather. It was cold and no one was liking it but me.

 There are two things that you have to know about Disney. First, it is a sea of strollers. I have never seen so many in one place in my life. It is crazy. It also has fabulous music playing everywhere you go. It's hard not to break into a dance. I did from time to time when no one was looking.

 My terrible photos do not do the place justice. It is jaw droppingly beautiful after the sun goes down.

We ended our day with dinner where Winnie the Pooh and his friends come to call. I knocked poor Tigger over-twice. They do tend to sneak up on you. He had a good sense of humour about it so I'm sure it wasn't his first time getting clobbered by some frazzled grandma.

Look who followed me home. She matched my new Minnie Mouse pjs so I had to have her to snuggle with since I am missing Pup. We are going back to The Magic Kingdom tomorrow then it will be on to other parks for the rest of the week. Whew......

Surprise Package

 While I am rolling down Interstate 95 towards Orlando on the second day of our road trip, let me show you what showed up in the mail on Saturday.

 The lovely lady who sold me her Wolf Pup loom sent me a surprise. Lots and lots of reading material full of inspiration and ideas on projects galore. I can't thank her enough.

It've actually been doing a lot of thinking about my little loom lately. It and the warping board haven't seen any action since early fall.

 The weaving stash, although small, holds enough material for at least eight more towels. I've got three unused kits from Cotton Clouds.

 But the kits can wait. I think I'll design something of my own for Easter when I get back. Even though this winter has been a bust so far, it's not too early to think about spring.

Join the Club

Hey, Mickey you're so fine.

I'm old enough to remember when he looked like this.

I really wanted to be a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. I never missed a show. I had a girl crush on Annette. Didn't everyone? I can't remember much anymore but I can still sing the theme song. Hey there! Hi there! Ho there.....

I bet you're wondering why I am going on and on about a cartoon mouse. It's because I'M GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!!! By the time some of you read this, I'll be on the road with #1 Son, Daughter in Law and the Baby Grands. I've got a suitcase full of goofy Disney wear and a hot rod stroller ready to roll. It's my first time ever and I can't wait. You're never too old to be a Mouseketeer! M-I-C-K-E-Y  M-O-U-S-E !!!!

Saturday Soap

A friend of The Mister just gave this to him for Christmas. He's always giving my soap away to his friends so if I'm the soap queen he must be the soap king. Ha. You know I'm taking this shirt away from him, right?

 Since the soap shelves are empty I went ahead and made some pretty pink soap for Valentine's Day. It takes 6 weeks to cure so I had to get moving on it so it would be ready in time.

 I made two separate batches of a simple spoon swirl that smells like delicious Pink Berry Mimosas. Of course with all that white I ended up with clumps of the colorant you use to make white. I even mixed it into the hot oils like I did for the Christmas soaps that worked so well. Sigh. I'm getting used to the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect batch so as long as it's safe and does its job I'm okay with it.

 Speaking of imperfect soap, yesterday I used up all my leftover lye, oils and butters while I am waiting for fresh supplies on a big loaf of my favorite coffee soap. It's full of coffee butter, coffee essential oil and soy milk. It even got a splash of caramel latte fragrance oil that I got as a sample.

Everything was going along just fine until I realized I left out the white swirl that makes it so pretty. Grrr.....and THEN I remembered I was supposed to have used coffee grounds instead of the fresh stuff to avoid it bleeding into the batter. Oh, well. Nothing's perfect around here. All that plastic you see around it are books I am using to hold the mold up as it wants to bow under the weight of the the batter. I solved that problem for good by ordering my first 2 pound wooden mold and liner from Brambleberry using my birthday gift certificate from the Grands. Thanks kids!

Knitting Year in Review

I don't have much to show for 2015. The only fancy thing I did was my MDSW shawl and that was way back in May. In my defense I did a lot of weaving, made a lot of soap and built a lot of scenery. You can't do it all.

 I did finish several pairs of socks-Opal Little Prince socks.

Undines in Barn Cat.

 Halloween socks in Wild Hare.

 Blue Ragg in Paton's.

I had forgotten all about the Biscuit cowl. I'm not sure I even blocked it and I don't know where it is to tell the truth. It's been too hot here to think about covering up in wooly things so it's just as well. I'll look for it when I need it and looking at the weather, that may be awhile.
Happy New Year!