Happy Blankey

One day when Laci was still a tiny baby long long ago we were out shopping with my sisters. We walked by a stuffed animal display and she pointed to a small brown dog with a red collar and said "doggy woof". It was the first time she pointed at something and labelled it so of course she came home with the dog.

She still has it and still loves It- although I must admit she is a stuffed animal hoarder. As long as it doesn't transition to real animals when she moves out winding her up on animal planets uber creepy Animal Hoarders , I'm ok with it.

Two weeks ago I was shopping with one of my sisters, passing time waiting to pick Ella up from her friends and we strolled through the blanket aisle. Layla saw a Minnie one and squealed. It was vintage 1930's Minnie so I was surprised she recognized her, but when I handed it to her she bounced and made her crazy noises she does when she sees Mickey and Minnie in any form - too much excitement for her tiny body to contain . She started cuddling it and I thought well its making her happy so I'll get it.

The thing with Layla is she hates blankets. Always has . She will thrash and kick and yell until a blanket is removed from her . She would rather be cold than feel constrained by a piece of fabric on her.

She played with the blanket for most of our shopping time but when we got to the register she had forgotten about it. I decided she wouldn't use it and Tony is always yelling about the massive amount of blankets in the house so I picked it up and said to Leigh Anne that I wasn't going to get it after all.

Just then Layla ripped it from my hands snuggled it to her face and said
"happy, mommy, happy"

Yes I bought the blanket. How could I not? This little baby who barely talks except in some sort of infant French clearly told me this blanket made her happy. Heart - melt.

It immediately reminded me of Laci and her doggy. I can't believe that little baby is already 8!

I'm glad I bought it. That night while trying to enjoy buffalo chicken dip and watching the Help screams came from upstairs. Layla had thrown up . She then did so twice more while Leigh Anne was there and once in the middle of the night . She was sick for 6 days and the only thing - besides mommy- that soothed her was "happy " .

It's so sweet and such a cute baby thing to do but at the same time, I realized yesterday that she's growing up because she is old enough to pick out things she likes and to know those specific items from say any of the other 20 plush blankets we have around here. She now is a blankey baby- but only with the one she picked.






















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I've Been going through clothes because well that's all I seem to do. I had weeded out a bunch that had a stain or were never getting worn and too small, but not liked well enough to save for the next kid. Its allotted me quite a bit of fabric to choose from to make clothes for the American girl dolls- on the cheap!

I have so much, in fact, I felt I better have this Make Something Monday be American Girl clothes to get rid of some it. So I got to cutting and sewing and ended up with these:





Fancy dress from a Liz Claiborne top of mine.




Complete with leg slit lol




Nightgown from remnant bin fabric at JoAnns. Layla loves expensive dollies!




This is from a Carters Romper that was outgrown.




A toddler shirt turned into a fun summer dress. The girls like them strapless but I thought straps would have made it cuter. I love the color and it would go well with their Hawaiian Kanani dolls!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another Disney Day- things to buy pre-trip

I wanted to post part of my trip report for today's Another Disney Day post but alas I'd have to go search for wifi so I could upload it from the laptop. We had a play date at the house today so I didn't go anywhere.

Instead I'll share a favorite tip of mine.

Meeting characters are the highlight of a Disney vacation for most little ones- (and some adults) . The big thing while at Disney is getting autographs.

Disney of course sells autograph books and pens especially for this purpose so the treasured signatures have a nice place to be displayed. They're fine, there is nothing wrong with those and actually the deluxe ones have a slot for you to insert the picture of you and the character next to the autograph.

Fun while on the trip, but my kids never bothered with them again.

This year I got this book. For those who dont feel like clicking the link it's the Disney Animation junior book of animation.

It's a beautiful book filled with all your favorite characters- pre Princess and the Frog. It hasn't been updated in the last couple years.

What we do is have the character sign on their page in the book. The book is interesting so the kids would look at it anyway and they get excited over seeing the signatures pop up.


It's paper back and what I mean to do but didn't was take it to Staples or another office supply store and get the covers laminated. It's also a good idea to get it spiral bound there. You can then add pages in whatever colors you like to use as spare pages for the few characters who don't appear in the book.

It's fun because the characters really act excited seeing a book different from the normal WDW autograph books. Just make sure when you see Snow White she doesn't have to look for her own page...


Story to follow.
But not in this post.

The best writing utensils to use are at least marker sized. I like the sharpies with the click tops because there is no cap to mess with and even the characters can click it on. Remember fuzzy characters have huge hands and little dexterity so you have to take that into consideration. And always have your books ready to go. Even for Stealth Snow Whites...

Thinking about a Disney trip? Hit my travel agent button in the side bar for my travel page. My services are free to you paid by Mickey! and for more Disney posts check out my blog dedicated to Disney travel http://magicaladventuresbymandy.blogspot.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Here's What Wednesday &

Here's What:

The word is AND people. What is with everyone on my facebook wall writing (for example)

" the other day I ate pizza an cheesesticks an pepsi."

Now I'm not a grammar Nazi and everyone has a misspell from time to time. If you're on a smart phone like I have to be , you probably have quite a few thanks to the combo of touch screens and auto correct.

What is irritating about the" an" incorrect usage is threefold.

1. It's intentional. You know how to spell the word right? Ella knows how to spell it so I'm sure people using facebook do as well. It just makes you sound lazy and uneducated people. Really uneducated. I say this from a place of love. I'm trying to help, I really am. It looks bad.



2. There are accepted abbreviations of the word and. And really people, is a three letter word that long that you can't spell the whole thing? Is it too hard to stretch your thumb on a phone or middle finger on a regular keyboard to hit the d? Your finger rests on the d in home position! It's right there tap it.
There is a whole symbol all it's own for the long word and . It looks like this & . If you've ever watched Wheel of Fortune with your grandma you know it is called the ampersand. There is no reason to be typing an for and! If it was long like aanndferand instead of and you know what the abbreviation would still be and not an because...

3. An is it's own word entirely! It's a whole other word that you are using in the place if the correct word. You are changing the meaning of your sentence because in no way shape or form ever does an mean the same thing as and.

It wouldn't bother me so much if it were the teenagers doing it they spell everything in a stupid form Thanks to text messaging. I have lost hope for the English language because it will all be consonants in a few years because no one under 16 today will remember how to not text spell.

No it's grown people my age and even older much older doing this. You know Better and you're too darn old to be typing dumb stuff like an. Do you do it to look cool like i don't know- snooki? Because really this is the demographic you're appealing to and looking like when you speak that way. Stop please, you're embarrassing yourself and I hear all kinds of people talking about the "aners" you're being judged. And not for your coolness.




Look at this crazy little person. Even she knows how to spell and.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Make something Monday mattress edition

I've actually made quite a bit the last couple weeks but keep forgetting to photograph and blog it. Mostly I've made tons of doll clothes for the girls American Girl dolls. I love repurposing old clothes - it's so easy because I make sure I can use some of the original seams saving me much work.

Today I mass produced doll matresses.

American Girl dolls cannot be slept with. I mean you can, if you like $100 dolls with loose limbs and heads and matted hair. I prefer them not to look that way or to have to brush doll hair all day to remedy bed head so my girls are not allowed to sleep with their dolls.

That leaves a predicament- since they are such valued members of my girls lives they feel they need beds. Now at $100+ each I don't have too much sense to buy beds for all the dolls. Laci has two and some fold out futon you can't buy anymore. Kaya leads a simple life and has a native American bed roll (that goes in her huge expensive tee pee so really she lives more lavishly than our other dolls). Ella has the bitty baby trundle bed but sadly no bed for her big girl dolls.

Enter crafty mommy with her hand quilted cape.

I found a great tutorial on Ana white for this gorgeous farm house style bed. I love it more than the American girl beds. Except for Ceciles.

Sadly I do not own wood working tools. I think I'm going to talk Tony into them though because they are cheaper than buying a bunch of doll beds. ( shut up I know they don't all need beds but my girls love it. )

So I opted on just the mattresses for now. In a mood to do it now I searched for something to give me enough fabric. Then I spotted it - long unused shoved in my walk in closet taking up storage space - a bright pink snuggie.

I know, I know. I didn't want a snuggie for any infomercial hype or insomnia related purchase. I was going on a road trip with the bestie and for some reason she decided snuggies were needed for our concert trip. As she ran threw Target excitedly toting her sleeved blanket treasures her husband sucked her joy away with the negative shaking of his head. He's rational. we were making a free concert festival very pricey.

Luckily when she called to tell me her story I happened to be in walmart and made my way from the Mexican foods to homewares and grabbed two pink snuggies. I had long mocked sleeved blankets but now a sudden sense of purpose had set upon me. Our trip would not be complete without these. Besides how could we craft gift bags for the performers in warmth in the car without the aid of these remarkable creations.

The snuggie does not meet my blanket standards and as such was soon retired after our lovely Indiana road trip. Instead of throwing away this item that was part of a lovely memory it was going to be repurposed! Trust me it is much more useful as doll mattresses and pillows than it ever was as a blanket. The rational husband was right - don't buy one.

Anyway here they are! A fleet of pink beds. Well three if the eight.






And the good news is they will fit all those fab Ana White beds I will make ....




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another Disney Day

It's that time of year again- I'm fully engaged in planning our next Disney trip!

Normal people just go on a Disney vacation like they would any other- book it and go- but there is a sub set of the population who will not set foot on sacred Disney soil without reading at least three guides,spending countless hours on Disney world message boards, and making spreadsheets,grids plotting each scheduled event from EMH (extra magic hours) to parade and show times thereby ensuring each park day is spent in the best choice for maximizing magical opportunities. This all before making ADRs (advanced dining reservations).

It's advanced vacation recon and not for the faint of heart.

Don't let it stress you, you can jump into a Disney vacation with no reading or planning and have a beautiful time.

Ignorance is bliss afterall and you will be clueless to all your missing out on, while uber planners like myself utilize our knowledge to maximize our time and take advantage of the little known perks of Disney.

We only go once a year so I feel it's my duty to pack all this in for my kids. My friend goes several times a year and is in fact on her way now (jealous) and though she does read up some, and was the one who first told me about the crazy Disney forums I frequent she probably has done less planning/ research than I and this is only my third trip total! Frequency of visits means she can gather this info naturally, though she has read enough to know of many perks beforehand - like the Wishes desert buffet and preferred viewing area.

I don't have the luxury of frequent visits so I go into crazy planning/research mode for about 8 months of the year. And I love it! The only thing better than being on a Disney vacation is planning one.

So since this is occupying about 85% of my brain at this time and i have several friends planning their first Disney trips with their kids I am going to start another new weekly segment-

Another Disney Day.

Playing on their current promotion One More Disney Day, I feel it's an appropriate title.

In this segment I plan on interspersing little vacation tips and tricks I've learned, planning info, any little interesting tid bits about Disney that strike me , Walt Disney World news, and my own trip report I'm writing from our last trip. I wrote it up for our own memories but since I use this blog for that purpose anyway I'm posting it on here. Yes, I'm still writing it!

So Disney fans you'll enjoy this, others maybe don't read on Thursdays...

I'm not pretending all this info is original to me in any sense. I'm merely packaging what I find helpful and interesting for my readers so they don't have to search on their own. I have what's called a marathon nurser in Layla which has left me sitting for many hours over the past 17 months and much of that time is spent researching Walt Disney World, not many have that much time where they are forced to sit and entertain themselves so I will help by wrangling all the massive info from the interwebs in one convenient place- muh blog. You're welcome :) Feel free to pin Anything you find helpful ;)

I was going to leave this as just an intro/ announcement but I'll start with a personal tip that I came up with on my very own.

Disney trips are chock full of memorable moments each day. But as sensory overload and fatigue set in those memories fade away.

What I found to be endlessly useful this trip was to jot everything down in my iPhone . Waiting in line is a great time to do this. Unfortunately I waited often to do it in bed and probably forgot little things but still so much was retained that I would never have remembered. Now months later I can read my notes and the memories come rushing back and I can capture them forever as I write out my trip report. It's worth it! So when your child eats her first Mickey head ice cream- take a picture and write it down in your notes for the day, a cast member gives you some kind of pixie dust- write it down! All the little magical moments are still magical and you'll thank yourself later!




(staring endlessly at Cinderella's castle while waiting for Daddy to pay our Crystal Palace bill...magical)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Valentine's Wish

What do I want for Valentine's Day?

To get a full nights sleep like a normal human- preferable without child feet up my nose.

To not have to clean up vomit three times during a movie

To not have to stop that same movie 20 times making "The Help" a 4 hour cinematic feature.

To pee without an audience

To take a hot bath without hearing what sounds like the aftermath of the apocalypse coming from the playroom.

No boogers wiped on my shirt

No one eating boogers

Just no boogers

For a room to stay clean longer than 2 hours after I clean it.

A nap. Because even if I got that full nights sleep- I have a lot of catching up to do.

To be able to paint my nails- both hands and for them to dry before I have to pick up a screaming kid so I for once don't have fabric imprints in them.

Just really would be nice to have a nice meal alone with my wonderful hubby! That's all! We've really had no time lately and it's sad. We were going to be able to do a lunch today alone but poor Layla started throwing up all night :( so the kids ended up staying home. Magically she was fine all day...

Since I didn't get any of that, I guess I'll settle for the two lovely vases of flowers Tony got me and our new tv we picked up in lieu of our romantic lunch date.

...Because I totes deserve to watch some Real Housewives in their big screen hd glory tonight!

After I wrote this I popped in The Muppets season 1 for the kids to enjoy - and they did enough so that I fell asleep on the couch . So i got my nap But I awoke to this....

Those are pretzels...


Totally cancels out the short nap.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mouse In the House?

Living on a farm surrounded by fields you get all kinds of unwelcome guests creeping in your drawers and closets under cloak of darkness.

We now have a creature in our house who is rummaging in our cabinets; chomping through packages and ruining food leaving messes all over.







All of these are ruined.


Here is the creature responsible for all the messes and loss of food.



It's quite a cute creature. Look at the big teeth with which it chomps through plastic.

Unlike most scavengers it has pretty cute feet:





I have no idea what her problem is! She is like a house raccoon scavenging about the house digging in the trash if escapes me for one minute! I keep her well stocked in bananas and cookies and she eats very well at meals- yet still she feels the need to search for food. Sometimes she will even walk away when I'm feeding her to go find a random bit.

Now that she has these teeth she chomps through all kinds of packaging, even Capri sun pouches.

Not sure why I can't have a calm kid. I call her beaver due to her chomping. She is in the juice boxes now...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone