Epcot

Our first stop in Disney was Epcot -- I couldn't believe I was actually standing right in front of the gargantuan golf ball. It was amazing! (** side note -- if you are my Facebook friend you have probably seen most of these pictures already :) **)

Here are my husband, father-in-law & 2 boys -- AKA "the boys". THE BOYS -- including my FIL who has a heart condition & a defibrillator -- & my 9 yr old, who to me is still just a baby -- rode just about every single ride. This was the first one, a simulator-type ride that really threw them all over the place:

I really hard a hard time getting a good pic because it moved so fast -- but here are my FIL's & Michael's legs :)

Ummmm ... really?

It was HOT & very HUMID the whole time we were there -- thank goodness there were lots of these:

They have a ginormous aquarium -- 2 levels of fishy fun:

See the cute eely faces? The one on the left looks like he's smiling for the camera:

The Finding Nemo fish (well, the place WAS called "The Seas with Nemo & Friends")

Epcot had tons of fun technological things to do. Here's Michael with his "Figment":

They had these large circles, where water would jump around -- out of one, into the other, back & forth -- only at Epcot!

So of course Michael had to climb up & wait for the hit: 

It sure was fun touring all the countries - here we are with the Eiffel Tower off in the distance:

And enjoying the best part of France - the pastry!

See that metal ball behind the boys? That is used in one of the most spectacular light shows I've ever seen:

Phineas & Ferb!

I did my best, but I can just never get quite the right angle:

Tomorrow -- Magic Kingdom.

And here's some good news -- I'm actually almost wanting to get back to my craft table! It's been 2 months & I haven't really missed it, but I haven't really had time to miss it. Between work, vacation, & baseball it's been a hectic summer. But baseball is over, work is all caught up from vacation & while we still have some fun activities & day trips planned, I think I might be able to squeeze in a little inky fun soon :)


Thanks for visiting!

Wonderful World of Disney

Hello everyone, happy halfway-through-summer! I'm flying by to say HI & to tell you we had such a GRANDASTIC time at Disney World! Every minute was a blast & I have the pictures to prove it! Don't worry, I won't share all 800 with you LOL -- but I thought I'd share a few pix every few days or so. There's no stamping or baking happening these days -- so I may as well share vacation photos, right? 


Today I'll share our arrival -


(here's a little bit of trivia for you -- can't remember if I mentioned it before or not -- but I was born in Orlando! In 196.....um never mind. But I had never ever visited Orlando until this trip!)


We had to get up REALLY early for our flight:

I didn't puke or cry on the flight. I hate to fly. Actually, I don't mind flying -- it's the takeoff I hate. Once I'm up I'm fine. I even like the landing. I was taking pix like crazy from the plane:

We were waiting for our transportation to the resort - I was liking that they even had Disney stuff at the airport :)

I never really got a good shot of the resort we stayed in -- but it was a resort for active/retired military families only. They had a beautiful pond with lots of wildlife -- we fed the fish, heron, ducks & turkey every day. If you look closely, you can see my peeps on their way to our first meal. Buffet. Breakfast & dinner. EVERY DAY!

Matthew was enjoying our poolside room:

And the pool :)
(there's my MIL going to check it out!)

These critters were ALL OVER THE PLACE! Good thing they are FAST or we would have had squished ones everywhere! Isn't it cute? For some reason I kept thinking about Geico :)

LOL we do NOT have these running around in Wisconsin! I laughed when Michael said "Mom! There's an armadillo under the bushes!" I said "There is not, you must be confused" -- I had no idea there were armadillo running around Florida! Sure enough, this guy was milling around the resort. I couldn't get a shot of his head & I really didn't want to get too close. He sure did make a mess!

First stop -- Epcot. Stay tuned :)

Pudding Cookies

Hello all, happy Heat Wave!! Seriously, if I wanted triple digits I'd move to Arizona!

So we did nothing for the 4th yesterday. It was TOO. HOT. We sat inside & played games, I did a bit of laundry, & I made a batch of cookies with Michael. What? You don't like baking when it's 105 degrees outside? Yeah, well -- as I may have mentioned Michael is entering "baked goods" into the County Fair for 4H, & since we get back late the night before he is judged, we are baking ahead of time & freezing. 

I also know me, & I know I will never remember to post this recipe unless I do it now. Yes, I should probably be packing & getting ready for our trip. But -- cookies are a priority :)


Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 small pkg chocolate instant pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 pkg (6 squares) white chocolate (I didn't have squares so I used     white chocolate chips)


Heat over to 350 degrees. Beat butter & sugar in large bowl until light & fluffy. Add dry pudding mix; beat until well blended. Add eggs & baking soda; mix well. Gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 min on baking sheets; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

                                                                 *****************

So super easy it's a great cookie for the kids to make. My son LOVED the smell while making them .... SO chocolatey. They are really yummy & I'm optimistic that he will receive a blue ribbon for them :)


So Sunday is D-Day (Disney Day!) -- I'm super excited, yet a bit anxious. I have a ton to do, plus I'm not looking forward to the flying part. I keep telling myself 3 hours in the air is way better than 20 hours in the car -- but I really don't like flying. I will be brave, since my kids will be with me & it probably wouldn't be good if I started to cry like I did the *first* time I flew!

Summer Frenzy!

Greetings, peeps!! Hope you are enjoying your summer! We are having extremely HOT & DRY weather here in WI -- our grass is brown & crunchy & it's been a struggle to keep our gardens watered. 

So where have I been? Well -- I warned you my summer was going to be BUSY :)  My boys each play baseball 2 nights a week, so with their practices we are at a ball park 5 nights a week, plus some weekends. We are gearing up for our trip to Disney World -- this time next Sunday we will just be arriving! I've been wanting a new camera for a while, & after much research & online discussions, I finally decided which one I wanted. And -- I really wanted it for our trip so.....I took the plunge & now this pretty thing is in my possession :)

 My first Canon & I'm loving it. It's a bridge camera -- so no changing out lenses but that is a good thing for me, since I don't have the time nor the patience to learn all the intricacies of all the different lenses. This is quite a step up from my Point & Shoot, though, & it's going to take some time to learn all that it can do. For now I'm just taking test shots on Auto & they are turning out a whole lot better than the photos with my other camera (does this mean I will no longer complain about the color red? Time will tell!)

Moss roses (Portulaca grandiflora)

Hummingbird on top of our very dead tree. I was actually just showing my husband the zoom on the camera & said "look, I'll take a shot of that bird up there" & it turned out it was a hummingbird :)

My mom's cat -- possibly a Maine Coon? (has never really been determined)

Visitor in the fountain 

Petunias -- was testing the "foliage" setting

So that's my summer in a nutshell --- baseball, Disney, & my new camera :)  I may not be posting very often & when I do it will probably just be photos. I might even post one or two while we're in Disney :)

I haven't been at my craft table in quite a while. The mess is still there from the last card I made over a month ago. Coincidentally, Crissy decided to end her Sundays with Crissy blog. While I loved the blog & LOVED everyone associated with it, the timing couldn't be better for me. Stamping has taken a back seat for now. As has reading all the fabulous blogs that I've come to love. Just for now. I'll be back :)

I hope you all have a fabulous summer!!