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

[Mrs. Bradbury]

LOVE the ears! I completely understand your anguish; I'm a perfectionist myself. Fabulous work!

I also wanted to say that I recently got the UD Naked Basics 2 palette for our upcoming trip to VA and am totally digging it. All of the colors are very wearable, and I can also use them to line my eyes as well as color in my brows, so that's a whole bunch of little containers I don't have to pack for a trip. I've been a Bare Escentuals/Mineral girl for wow, over 20 years now, and I love their products but for a trip this is going to be so much easier.

 

[dnllmz]

I just love Christmas and I love seeing what is new for the year. So, it's the one day per year that I love working at Target.

That sounds like fun. I love all things Christmas too. I was surprised yesterday when I went out to buy Halloween plates/napkins that so many stores had Christmas items out already.

I also weighed in yesterday - I am 3.5 lbs from my lowest weight ever recorded in January 2015.

Congrats on the weight loss!

I love the ears and the bag! I really like the colors. I'm partial to blues.

I already have Ears going for 6 more ideas (2-3 of which need bags to match)...

Let's just say - I won't be sleeping between now and when we leave..

Who needs sleep?! It's overrated! Can't wait to see more ears from you.

Enjoy your Halloween!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

SOOOOO cute! I love the ears and the bag -- and I can definitely see you imagining up all of the wonderful combinations you can do. You have to do a set for your Steamboat Willie bag!

I love Christmas décor, so I bet you had fun seeing all the new stuff at Target yesterday. I doubt I will be buying any Christmas decor this year (other than the collectible dated silver bell I buy every year, and I already ordered that for this year) since we won't be in our own home, but I did find a nativity set over the weekend that I absolutely love and told Mark I wanted for Christmas...we'll see...it's goes perfectly with how I decorate for Christmas and if he doesn't get it for me I might just get it for myself after Christmas and put it in storage with the rest of our Christmas decorations so I have it for next year. I can already picture exactly where I want to display it in the new house...

I looked at Disneyland pricing again last night and I'm really surprised at the pricing -- seriously, for three park days for the four of us (and four hotel nights) it's going to be as much as some of our four day WDW trips with the whole family, including food. I'm shocked -- not in a good way...I did not expect DL to be as expensive as WDW. Even so, I'm excited to get going for real on the planning!

 

[cogero]

The ears and bag are so adorable. You my friend are my idol. I miss our ear person too. I am holding on to some ears just because I love them so.

I should be doing homework but am playing on the computer instead. Life has been crazy and I have been letting outside forces get me down.

Let me go do my homework and finish 2 pillowcases I have started for a Big give.

 

[DMGeurts]

How great that you had a good day at work.

Congratulations on your weight You have done a great job.

Your bag and ears looks great. I think it will be easier for you to make the next ears and even easier the next one after that. Practice makes perfect

Sounds like you have the budget for your trip under control,

I hope you have fun giving out candy tonight. I will make my door bell out of order and just have a normal night here


Today it's not snowing, but it has snowed so much the last 2 days so now we have 14.2 inch of snow outside.
If the weather forecast is right it's going to rain from Thursday and the whole weekend. Then it's going to be cold again on Monday. I hope all the snow on the roads goes away before for Monday. Otherwise it will be ice everywhere on Monday. The snow on the rest of the ground can stay. I don't mind that as long as the roads are ice free.

Thank you - for something that is coming so easily to me now - I don't understand why it was so hard for so long? I think, 90% of being healthy is all in my head.

Thank you - though last night's ears weren't that easy. LOL It seems that each set has a mind and personality of their own.

Yup - the trip budget is perfect! I've never budgeted a trip this way before - and it's sure so much nicer!

WOW!!! You sure got a lot of snow very quickly... All of our meager dusting is long gone - though we are supposed to get more today. Be careful!

awww they are so cute!!!!! but I can't imagine just how frustrating they could be. Did you have to customize all the structure yourself or is their a way to purchase it? I am meaning the headband and whatever is making the shape of the ear? I "made" a poodle skirt for dd at the last minute last year and the gluing was the worst part for adding sequins to be the dog collar.
Personally, headbands like that drive me nuts, I must have a square head under my fluffy hair. but a cute scarf band in a material that matches a bag... hmmmmm. I will have to see if my sister has a pattern for the cloth scarf-like headbands with the elastic at the bottom... oh wait, you need a trip to wear these on

I have the Encore that I bought new in Feb (I keep my cars a long time), one of my coworkers has the Envision, and her sister has an Enclave. I was a little nervous giving up my previous car that I had 5 years and put over 100,000 miles on since I bought it used (Taurus X wagon awd). But the Buick is easy to park, I can still get a big shopping order inside, and I get 10-12 miles more per gallon then the old card. For us it is usually just me and DD anyway so we don't need the extra room. Sadly I live in a climate that requires AWD. When I retire to FL I am getting a cute little convertible to drive.

Since you are not technically looking (yet), I would consider the Envision as being close in size to the Edge (5 passenger vs 7 in the Enclave). They only came out a year or so ago, so they really aren't in the used market yet, but will be in the next few years. Enclave is due for an update in another year, so that usually makes the previous body style more affordable.

I know what you mean about the Edge, they have always been that way. The giant A pillar in the front drove me nuts from the beginning and then they changed Explorer to something similar in 2012. (full disclosure I work in the automotive industry). I always thought the need for the blind spot sensors in new vehicles was a gimick, until I had them in my new car. It is so nice to check my mirrors on the freeway and check to see if one of the blind spot lights is on too (they are in the side view mirrors). I don't rely on them, but they really do work well when people up on your side and sit there.

Congrats on your new design!!! and happy trip planning.

Thank you! k Without going into too much detail... The headband I purchased and wrapped myself... The ears - I had to create on my own... And it's been one giant trial and error mess. See, and I can't wear the fabric ones easily (unless I have a low pony in my hair), as my head is flat in the back and they just ride up and fling off.

THank you so much for all of the car info... I agree - I think the Envision would be great for Allison... I dunno about the Encore though - they are pretty small, and we have to deal with some pretty tough driving situations in the winter - which is the main reason she is terrified to drive her current car - it's so low to the ground, that she may not be able to get home some nights (or to work some mornings) as the snow drifts badly here. I feel like the Enclave is more the size I need - though, it may be too big for me too - especially considering that I really don't have anyone to drive around anymore. I think we both may be looking at an Envision - it looks like the perfect mid-size crossover... It will be a while before I get a new vehicle... We will be saving up to buy Josh a new truck first. Maybe by then, there will be some nice used Envisions on the used market?

Yes - I love everything about my Edge, except for those blind spots... And I got a little spoiled last year - when I was driving Josh's Dad's Lexus Rx400h for almost the entire winter... I wouldn't mind heated seats in my next vehicle. But size wise - the Edge has been perfect for us - there have been very few times where we've needed a bit of extra room in it and we didn't have it. - but not enough to warrant a whole vehicle size upgrade. Thanks for talking cars with me - I really appreciate your knowledge.

LOVE the ears! I completely understand your anguish; I'm a perfectionist myself. Fabulous work!

I also wanted to say that I recently got the UD Naked Basics 2 palette for our upcoming trip to VA and am totally digging it. All of the colors are very wearable, and I can also use them to line my eyes as well as color in my brows, so that's a whole bunch of little containers I don't have to pack for a trip. I've been a Bare Escentuals/Mineral girl for wow, over 20 years now, and I love their products but for a trip this is going to be so much easier.

Thank you!!! For years now, I've been relegated to bows and headbands on my trips - as I only ever purchased 2 sets of ears from my Ear Person... I've always been stopped by guests and CMs alike in the parks when I have her ears on... They are just much more noticeable, I guess? So, I am very excited to have Ears to go with all of my custom bags now. Like, beyond excited!

I absolutely love our UD Naked Palettes! We have 1, 2 & 3, and use all of them... Though when we travel, we only take #1 (or is it #3?)... The one that has "sin" in it... Our Sin has been long gone for a long time - as it's the main color we use - so I splurged about a year ago (before Dave Ramsey) and spent the $17 on the one little pot of it... So we bring the palette it comes in + the pot. LOL I also line my eyes with the darker colors - it works great! Enjoy your UD Naked stuff! I admit - I don't wear much of a "full face" anymore - but I do when I am in Disney... We just have so many pictures taken there & I wanna look good. LOL But on normal days, I just wear foundation, powder, contouring face colors, I darken my eye brows and then mascara.

That sounds like fun. I love all things Christmas too. I was surprised yesterday when I went out to buy Halloween plates/napkins that so many stores had Christmas items out already.

ongrats on the weight loss!

I love the ears and the bag! I really like the colors. I'm partial to blues.

Who needs sleep?! It's overrated! Can't wait to see more ears from you.

Enjoy your Halloween!

I do know that most Targets are working overnights tonight and tomorrow - by tomorrow morning's open (and even in some places, today) - they will be totally transformed into Christmas. I can't wait to see it!

Thank you - it has been such a long road, and no end in sight.

Thank you - I am so excited about them! I cannot wait to have ears in the parks again. Now I just have to figure out how I am going to pack them safely.

Hahahaha - right?

Thank you - same to you!

SOOOOO cute! I love the ears and the bag -- and I can definitely see you imagining up all of the wonderful combinations you can do. You have to do a set for your Steamboat Willie bag!

I love Christmas décor, so I bet you had fun seeing all the new stuff at Target yesterday. I doubt I will be buying any Christmas decor this year (other than the collectible dated silver bell I buy every year, and I already ordered that for this year) since we won't be in our own home, but I did find a nativity set over the weekend that I absolutely love and told Mark I wanted for Christmas...we'll see...it's goes perfectly with how I decorate for Christmas and if he doesn't get it for me I might just get it for myself after Christmas and put it in storage with the rest of our Christmas decorations so I have it for next year. I can already picture exactly where I want to display it in the new house...

I looked at Disneyland pricing again last night and I'm really surprised at the pricing -- seriously, for three park days for the four of us (and four hotel nights) it's going to be as much as some of our four day WDW trips with the whole family, including food. I'm shocked -- not in a good way...I did not expect DL to be as expensive as WDW. Even so, I'm excited to get going for real on the planning!

Ha!!! SBW ears are done already - just waiting on the bow to arrive. I will be showing them just as soon as it comes!

No new Christmas gear for me here this year either... Last year - I was out of control - BADLY - it was right before we found Dave Ramsey - and I spent a LOT of $$ on Christmas stuff... An embarrassing and obscene amount. So, we need nothing at all. But I am looking forward to putting up what we do have.

I sure hope you get your Nativity... I have my Grandmother's and I love it so much! I can't wait to set up my displays too. And if you don't get it - I would definitely go out and get it later.

I have heard from MANY people that DL is WAY more expensive than WDW... For me, I just cannot justify DL when WDW has an entire city bubble to be in for cheaper - vs. 2 parks. One day - I am sure I will go there, but not anytime soon, my heart is in WDW.

The ears and bag are so adorable. You my friend are my idol. I miss our ear person too. I am holding on to some ears just because I love them so.

I should be doing homework but am playing on the computer instead. Life has been crazy and I have been letting outside forces get me down.

Let me go do my homework and finish 2 pillowcases I have started for a Big give.

LOL... Thank you! You know - I've sold some of my personal bags that coordinated with the Ears/hair acessories from her - but I will never get rid of any of the accessories she made.... I figure - I can always remake the bags, or bags to coordinate with the accessories, but I can never remake the things she made.

I know the feeling - I am always so easily distracted. I am having a hard time even concentrating on work lately, because all I want to do is make Ears. LOL I need to get them out of my brain (which tends to be my only solution to this problem) so I can do what I need to get done. LOL

I hope you were able to get everything done yesterday.

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

Just a super quick update this morning - as I am on a time crunch today.

I had a nice day yesterday - I did my heavy lifting in the morning... Then I worked upstairs for a few hours. I took a nice lunch break and went to have lunch with Dad, then I stopped at Target and grabbed a couple of items I needed, came home and worked for a few hours again, made dinner, sat on the couch with Josh and waited for the Trick-or-Treaters (we got ONE - sad)... Finally, I went upstairs and worked on another set of Ears, then bed. Phew!

Maybe tomorrow I will have another set of Ears to show you all?

Today - I need to be working out, NOW... I have to be in the shower in an hour and out the door... The girls and I are meeting Machteld for coffee this morning, and then everyone needs to be at different places by noon... So, I won't work today until after lunch time - but I will put in a good half-day.

That's about all! I hope you all have a great day! Prayers and pixie dust to all!

D~

 

[Wood Nymph]

I wonder if your Ear person had received a message from Disney about copyright infringement. I know that some of the Magic Band cover sellers have been contacted by Disney.

I decided - I needed to stick to what I knew and quit trying to do what everyone else is doing. So, I made them my way... And I LOVE them!!!! I love everything about them! The size, the shape, the space between the ears, the edges, how puffy they are... and most of all - they MATCH!!! Not only match, but match perfectly - like so perfectly - there is just no way I could ask someone else to match my stuff as perfectly as I can match it.

Good for you. I can see a lot of fun times sewing bags and matching ears for your trip. Everyone is wearing the ears now.

I have my ticket order form all filled out and ready to go... I just have to get that mailed in... Plenty of time before my 60 day window (just in case).

We have annual passes that expire Dec 30th and we can't renew them earlier than 30 days out. So we won't be able to book our fp's at 60 days out for our Jan 20th trip. But it will be close.

No new Christmas gear for me here this year either... Last year - I was out of control - BADLY - it was right before we found Dave Ramsey - and I spent a LOT of $$ on Christmas stuff... An embarrassing and obscene amount. So, we need nothing at all. But I am looking forward to putting up what we do have.

I was thinking about your gorgeous Christmas decorations and how you can relax about it and just work on Disney bags.

 

[cogero]

Have a fabulous day D. I am actually enjoying coming back to the Dis for this PTR. Definitely playing with the idea of a PTR for G and I's trip.

I get to sew today and make a list of a couple of projects before our Thanksgiving trip.

Off to work out and polish my class assignment.

 

[kittylady1972]

Oh my I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ears! They look FABUMOUSE!

Can't wait to see more. Glad you have so much of the trip planning and paying done. We are still struggling with booking our December dates, and that's only 4 nights. I may switch to SOG, but right now that would be tough as they don't have all 4 nights we need available, at least in the same room, and not sure we want to switch.

Congrats on the weight loss too!

 

[Clio]

I love your ears. I just don't have the patience to do anything like that. They'll look really cute with your bag.
Congrats on your weight loss.
It looks like you had a great time at dinner with your family. It's good that you can take your dad and brother to V.'s work and get a special pizza. V. loos so much like you in that picture.
My daughter's mother in law has an older encore that she's had for years. She's never had a major problem with it and loves it. My journey is a nice car but it's so long that I feel like I'm driving a bus. Both cars are good on our winter roads.
It's gotten colder here. We actually had a little snow yesterday but it didn't stick to the ground. I have another 5k on Sunday and it's supposed to be in the 60's. This race is right here in my town which is why we're doing it.
I have to get a new Christmas tree this year. My cats finished killed the old one. I love looked at the trees at Target and Walmart but can't make up my mind.
Have a good day
Liz

 

[Terkina]

What a bummer that you only got one Trick-or-Treaters.

I can't wait to see the next set of ears.


Today it's icy outside
I had my therapy riding class so I had to go out the door. If I didn't needed to be anywhere today I think I just had stayed inside. They say it's going to start raining tomorrow and rain until Sunday. On Monday they now say it's not going to rain and the temperature is going to be above freezing point. But from Tuesday next week they say it's getting below freezing point again. Well we just have to wait and see what happens. They really can't predict the weather that far ahead even if they try. So the weather forecast can change many times before Monday

I can't believe it's 1st November today. I really need to find out what a want for Christmas. The time from now until Christmas is going to go by so fast. On the 24th November I'm going to Oslo for the weekend to meet some geocaching friends. After that I don't have any traveling plans until May 2018. Then I'm going somewhere in Norway to meet geocaching friends again and before I know it it's time to go to Germany. The plan for Germany now is to be in Gotha not far from Erfurt on 9th June. I'm not sure which city we are flying into and rent a car. But the plan is to rent a car for a couple of weeks to tour around Germany. All this traveling just because of geocaching. Geocaching has made Ulf and I travel to so many place we never would have gone to if it wasn't for geocaching.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

I love the ears. We didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as usual. Maybe 30-40 kids. When we first moved into the house, we had lines of kids down the driveway. I did find out that Halloween is a great time to go to the gym. It was so empty.

Our company moved down the street, so during the remodel of the building we were given option to work remotely. Since my work is 60 miles away, I opted to work from home. So, now I only have to go up there once per week during November and December. When I was hired, it was supposed to be 2 days up there and 2 days remote, but that never materialized. So, they have told me that once January comes around, I can do the 2 days a week remote. I am excited. However, since I am usually out the door at 5:30 am to get to work, I didn't want to get out of practice of getting up so early and leaving, so that is why I have been at the gym during me usual morning commute. I never thought I would ever exercise at 5:30 in the morning, but I am.

Congrats to being so close to your lowest. I am still about 20 pounds from my lowest "Dis" weight. I am hoping that by the end of the year I will be down 45 pounds for the year. Right now I am at 35 pounds.

I am so wanting to be planning another trip to Disney. I can't right now, because I am doing the debt snowball step, so trying to be responsible adult. That really is not a fun place to be. I have even considered going alone, because it would be cheaper than taking my kids. That is bad, right?

Have a great Wednesday!

 

[Chrystmasangel]

I'm so very sad.... the big reveal and the image is not working for me.

Strike that, don't know if it was because of the internet I was working on, but I can see it now that I am home just fine and I am so happy too! Those are AMAZING. I think those are about the cutest things I have seen for ears! Being a quilter, I can see all the pictures and planning going on in that head of yours. You are right, many a sleepless nights in your future, but they are so darn cute!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Incredible as always You, my friend, are terrific-ly talented!!! I made up my own word for you, apparently...spell check does not like it!!

I look forward to your Christmas set-up this year. I remember your posts as you were painstakingly getting things into their right spots last year, and I just love the coziness of it all.

We had a wild Halloween in Kindergarten, a lot of trick or treaters surprisingly considering how cold it was out, and yesterday on November 1st I switched to Xmas music in my classroom and put away all the pumpkins and spiders. I really want to put up my tree because it makes my classroom so warm and comfy feeling, but it might be JUST a few days too early....LOL

 

[cajunfan]

So when will you be taking orders for ears...

 

[DMGeurts]

I wonder if your Ear person had received a message from Disney about copyright infringement. I know that some of the Magic Band cover sellers have been contacted by Disney.

Good for you. I can see a lot of fun times sewing bags and matching ears for your trip. Everyone is wearing the ears now.

We have annual passes that expire Dec 30th and we can't renew them earlier than 30 days out. So we won't be able to book our fp's at 60 days out for our Jan 20th trip. But it will be close.

I was thinking about your gorgeous Christmas decorations and how you can relax about it and just work on Disney bags.

No, she went out of business due to personal/family reasons... It was a very difficult time for her, I am sure - I do know what happened, and often wonder about her and her well-being - always wishing her well. And as for the copyright infringement - hand-made items that are not mass produced do not fall into that category. The Magic Band Cover sellers were actually using copyrighted Disney images to mass produce and sell their items.

Thanks!!! I've been working hard on more of them... It's not easy coming up with unique ideas in a market that is already super-saturated. But I am having fun just the same.

Ahhh - I miss my AP so much - one day I will have another one. I hope you are able to get all of the FPs you want.

Hah! Yah - I went to Target yesterday specifically to "look" at the Holiday displays - and to see if anything at all interested me... Nope, LOL, my basement is FULL of the same stuff. I need nothing. Though - it will take me all of Thanksgiving weekend to decorate - minus the time we spend Black Friday shopping... but I will have the girls to help me. We threatened to Josh that we want to put up the tree this weekend... He was not thrilled with that idea at all - I sometimes thinks he tolerates Christmas (and Disney) just to make me happy. Though - he "knew" before he married me that Christmas was my absolute favorite holiday - as it was my idea to have a "Christmas wedding".

Have a fabulous day D. I am actually enjoying coming back to the Dis for this PTR. Definitely playing with the idea of a PTR for G and I's trip.

I get to sew today and make a list of a couple of projects before our Thanksgiving trip.

Off to work out and polish my class assignment.

Thank you - same to you! It's wonderful seeing you back here! Let me know if you end up doing a PTR - I will try to follow along!

I saw your list... You make my head spin girl!

Have a great weekend!

Oh my I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ears! They look FABUMOUSE!

Can't wait to see more. Glad you have so much of the trip planning and paying done. We are still struggling with booking our December dates, and that's only 4 nights. I may switch to SOG, but right now that would be tough as they don't have all 4 nights we need available, at least in the same room, and not sure we want to switch.

Congrats on the weight loss too!

Thank you - I am so excited about them!

I hope you are able to get your December trip booked soon... I've heard that their waiting list at SoG is sometimes very promising... Are you on that list?

Thanks!!! I've been working very hard at it.

I love your ears. I just don't have the patience to do anything like that. They'll look really cute with your bag.
Congrats on your weight loss.
It looks like you had a great time at dinner with your family. It's good that you can take your dad and brother to V.'s work and get a special pizza. V. loos so much like you in that picture.
My daughter's mother in law has an older encore that she's had for years. She's never had a major problem with it and loves it. My journey is a nice car but it's so long that I feel like I'm driving a bus. Both cars are good on our winter roads.
It's gotten colder here. We actually had a little snow yesterday but it didn't stick to the ground. I have another 5k on Sunday and it's supposed to be in the 60's. This race is right here in my town which is why we're doing it.
I have to get a new Christmas tree this year. My cats finished killed the old one. I love looked at the trees at Target and Walmart but can't make up my mind.
Have a good day
Liz

Thank you - making Ears is really NOT a space I wanted to get in to - it's over saturated as it is... but I've had so much fun making them to coordinate with my bags!

Thanks! I've been working so hard at it.

It's so nice having Dad nearby... Things like this have been impossible for years. I am very excited to have him in our home for the Holidays!

That is good to know - thank you. She is still saving and "shopping" - sending me every interesting car she finds. LOL

Enjoy your race tomorrow!

It's hard to find trees... All through the girls' childhood - we always did real trees... Which is why Josh is so spoiled now - I think - we never *could* put up our tree before Thanksgiving, or it would be dead before Christmas... So, that kept my "Christmas Spirit" reigned in. Now we do a fake tree and I can set that puppy up at any moment... Poor Josh is terrified. LOL I really like the trees that look real - as i am sure most people do, and those are the most expensive... I am thankful I got ours at 90% off a few years ago - even then, I was having a fit about paying $20 for it. LOL I hope you are able to make a decision soon. Good luck!

Have a great weekend Liz!

What a bummer that you only got one Trick-or-Treaters.

I can't wait to see the next set of ears.


Today it's icy outside
I had my therapy riding class so I had to go out the door. If I didn't needed to be anywhere today I think I just had stayed inside. They say it's going to start raining tomorrow and rain until Sunday. On Monday they now say it's not going to rain and the temperature is going to be above freezing point. But from Tuesday next week they say it's getting below freezing point again. Well we just have to wait and see what happens. They really can't predict the weather that far ahead even if they try. So the weather forecast can change many times before Monday

I can't believe it's 1st November today. I really need to find out what a want for Christmas. The time from now until Christmas is going to go by so fast. On the 24th November I'm going to Oslo for the weekend to meet some geocaching friends. After that I don't have any traveling plans until May 2018. Then I'm going somewhere in Norway to meet geocaching friends again and before I know it it's time to go to Germany. The plan for Germany now is to be in Gotha not far from Erfurt on 9th June. I'm not sure which city we are flying into and rent a car. But the plan is to rent a car for a couple of weeks to tour around Germany. All this traveling just because of geocaching. Geocaching has made Ulf and I travel to so many place we never would have gone to if it wasn't for geocaching.

Yes - it was a bummer to only have one Trick-or-Treater... ahh - but then I didn't waste a lot of $$ on candy either.

Thanks - I love making them and I am having a lot of fun with it.

Yes - I just don't love winter all that much... I love living here - I just hate the cold. LOL The snow, I can deal with that - until Christmas anyways... Then I am done with snow too. LOL

So exciting!!! I love hearing about your plans! Hopefully we can figure out a way to coordinate a meet-up while we are there... I am not very optimistic though, as that is mine and Thomas' birthday weekend - and I will be set to whatever plans the family has that weekend - it might be tough, but I will do my best.

I love the ears. We didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as usual. Maybe 30-40 kids. When we first moved into the house, we had lines of kids down the driveway. I did find out that Halloween is a great time to go to the gym. It was so empty.

Our company moved down the street, so during the remodel of the building we were given option to work remotely. Since my work is 60 miles away, I opted to work from home. So, now I only have to go up there once per week during November and December. When I was hired, it was supposed to be 2 days up there and 2 days remote, but that never materialized. So, they have told me that once January comes around, I can do the 2 days a week remote. I am excited. However, since I am usually out the door at 5:30 am to get to work, I didn't want to get out of practice of getting up so early and leaving, so that is why I have been at the gym during me usual morning commute. I never thought I would ever exercise at 5:30 in the morning, but I am.

Congrats to being so close to your lowest. I am still about 20 pounds from my lowest "Dis" weight. I am hoping that by the end of the year I will be down 45 pounds for the year. Right now I am at 35 pounds.

I am so wanting to be planning another trip to Disney. I can't right now, because I am doing the debt snowball step, so trying to be responsible adult. That really is not a fun place to be. I have even considered going alone, because it would be cheaper than taking my kids. That is bad, right?

Have a great Wednesday!

Thank you!

Yes - we definitely had more Trick-or-Treaters years ago, it's dwindled over the years as the neighborhood kids have grown up or moved... Oh well - there will be grands one day.

Nice!!! Excellent way to WIN!!! Great job Shannon! That's kinda what I did - traded my commute for working out... I find if I get my workouts done right away in the morning - I never have to think about it for the remainder of the day... Otherwise I am such a procrastinator.

Congratulations on your success!!!

I totally agree - we are still paying off debt too... So we are definitely taking this trip against all of Dave Ramsey's rules and advice... I console myself by saying "we will have paid off almost everything" by the time we go... Which is true... The amount of $$ we have freed up in our budget monthly is insane. But still - it's not easy to take this trip knowing that I probably shouldn't... Ahhh - but I don't know when I will get another chance with the girls??? Which is why we are each paying our own way... I can't afford to pay for another trip exclusively... and neither can they... So, we all compromised and split it - it makes it manageable for all of us.

Thanks - have a nice weekend!

I'm so very sad.... the big reveal and the image is not working for me.

Strike that, don't know if it was because of the internet I was working on, but I can see it now that I am home just fine and I am so happy too! Those are AMAZING. I think those are about the cutest things I have seen for ears! Being a quilter, I can see all the pictures and planning going on in that head of yours. You are right, many a sleepless nights in your future, but they are so darn cute!

Yay!!! Glad you can see them! I am having so much fun making them! I am not much of a quilter, or I don't consider myself one anyways... but I am loving making these ears and adding my own individual "style" to them.

Incredible as always You, my friend, are terrific-ly talented!!! I made up my own word for you, apparently...spell check does not like it!!

I look forward to your Christmas set-up this year. I remember your posts as you were painstakingly getting things into their right spots last year, and I just love the coziness of it all.

We had a wild Halloween in Kindergarten, a lot of trick or treaters surprisingly considering how cold it was out, and yesterday on November 1st I switched to Xmas music in my classroom and put away all the pumpkins and spiders. I really want to put up my tree because it makes my classroom so warm and comfy feeling, but it might be JUST a few days too early....LOL

Hahahaha!!! I am sure that there are a lot of "words" for me which spell-check doesn't like. Thank you though - I like that one.

Thanks!!! I love decorating for Christmas - and I HATE taking it down and putting it away... if it wasn't for Allison last year, I fear it would still be up. LOL Debating if I want to set up my Village this year? It's been 2 years since I've had it up... and since I put it in the bay window - you don't really see it from the inside with the couch in the position it's in...

I enjoyed seeing your Halloween on FB - it looks like you had so much fun!!! Yup - I am so ready for Christmas too... So are the girls. We threatened to Josh that we want to put up the tree this weekend... He was not thrilled with that idea at all. LOL Poor guy!

So when will you be taking orders for ears...

Hahahahahah!

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

I've had a busy few days here... Working hard and staying busy!

I will have to go through all of the bags I've planned to bring with on this upcoming trip... I think I've managed to finish ears for all of my existing bags? I haven't finished a set of Donald Ears yet though - I've partially finished a set... One ear done, one ear not done... the one Ear is soooooo fantastic - I can't think of anything "as fantastic" to go on the other side... I may have to come up with something else? LOL I am a hot wreck!

Don't laugh too hard, just as I finished the aqua/yellow Pluto/Mickey bag - I realized that I already had that same bag for myself in a different color.

I also finished my Steamboat Willie Ears to go with that bag... I really love these a lot too!

I am trying to figure out what other existing bags I have that I want to make Ears for, besides Donald? I might do Goofy??? We will see? I need to save something exciting for our next trips too.... And I already have a long list of 3 more bags for myself (not revealing themes for these yet) with matching Ears. PLUS... V has 2 bags "on order" with me... I've told her - if she wants Ears for those, she has to make them herself... So, she is already hard at work on those - which are TOTALLY different than mine are. So, stay tuned for more fun stuff... Though these will take MUCH longer, as not only do I have to make the Ears, but I also have to make the bags.

V sent me this picture from the mall the other day - cracked me up like you wouldn't believe... As I told you all - her car has a "bit" of front end damage... She lined this photo op up perfectly, as the front end damage is "just" out of the frame of the picture... Which is why she is laughing too. It IS a cute car though, I will give her that. Her car has been running perfectly (knock on wood) since she has had it back from the shop too - which is very good.

Um... Let's see - what else have I been up to????

Oh - yes... We met Machteld for coffee the other morning - that was a lot of fun, as usual.

When getting dressed for that - I realized that my Spanx are now obsolete... Yes, I DO wear Spanx - I have to (not all the time, it depends on what I am wearing)... I have so MUCH extra skin from the weight I've lost - I have to *hold it in* some how, as I am old and I have very little elasticity left Sad but true. Anyways... happy to see that it no longer fits. LOL

In other exciting Disney planning news... We received our park tickets yesterday!

We decided to do the 5 day Park Hopper Military Salute tickets... This was the best value for us... They did go up a bit in price for the 2018 year, but still a great deal.

If you are keeping track... Airfare is paid for... Park tickets are paid for... Deposit is paid on our resort (7 nights left to pay on that)... Food still has to be paid for - which is a huge expense for us... And little odd things still need to be paid for - baggage, town car, tips & Memory Maker... All of which is in the budget and isn't due to be paid until arrival, or very shortly before. So, we are good and right on track.

I do hope to start cranking out more Park Day plans this coming week - I was a little distracted by Ears.

Ummm... This weekend is a "working weekend" for me... I have a lot to do, so I can go back to working on our own trip stuff. I plan to head upstairs just as soon as I finish typing... My girls will love that.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all!

D~

 

[Terkina]

Your two Mickey and Pluto bags looks different even if Pluto and Mickey almost look the same on both bags. I had to study the bags a second time to notice that they are so similar. I think both bags looks great.

V's car looks great. The best thing with a smaller car is that it is easy to park it. I miss my little car when it comes to parking the car. My new huge car is a challenge to park some times.

I think V will manage to make her own ears just fine. She is so creative and I'm sure she will figure out how to do it.

How great that you received your park tickets and that you are right on track when it comes to paying for your trip.


The weather forecast said rain yesterday and today and rain we got. Luckily we got so much rain the last 24 hours that today almost all the ice is gone outside. So now it's safe to walk outside again. Almost all the snow is gone as well so it looks very dark and dirty outside now.

I've started to practice getting the car out of my garage myself now. Up until this week Ulf has been driving the car out of the garage for me. I have been practicing driving the car into the garage for 2 weeks now and that is not a problem for me anymore. But as long as I can't drive the car out of the garage myself yet, I can't park the car inside when Ulf isn't around. It's really difficult getting the car out of the garage so it will take much longer to learned that than it did to learn to drive the car into the garage.

I hope you have a great weekend

 

[Iamthequeen]

Your ears look great! There is a shop on Etsy that has designs for the ears and center pieces (if you don't want bows). You might check it out for inspiration. I can send you the link if you want.

 

[cogero]

I love both of your Mickey and Pluto Bags and you know I love the grey scale bag. Heck you know I love each and every bag you make. It must be why I have such a collection of ears.

I do our Ears on the Embroidery machine. I buy the designs and then coordinate the colors to outfits. It is all I have time for and C will usually make them for me.

I am itching to decorate for Christmas but I need to tame Sami's pile of toys in my living room. She has all of her toys and the ones she inherited from Jimmy. So it is over the top. She is truly spoiled. The curse of being the youngest and so much space between kids.

You are not old so please stop.

 

[DMGeurts]

Your two Mickey and Pluto bags looks different even if Pluto and Mickey almost look the same on both bags. I had to study the bags a second time to notice that they are so similar. I think both bags looks great.

V's car looks great. The best thing with a smaller car is that it is easy to park it. I miss my little car when it comes to parking the car. My new huge car is a challenge to park some times.

I think V will manage to make her own ears just fine. She is so creative and I'm sure she will figure out how to do it.

How great that you received your park tickets and that you are right on track when it comes to paying for your trip.


The weather forecast said rain yesterday and today and rain we got. Luckily we got so much rain the last 24 hours that today almost all the ice is gone outside. So now it's safe to walk outside again. Almost all the snow is gone as well so it looks very dark and dirty outside now.

I've started to practice getting the car out of my garage myself now. Up until this week Ulf has been driving the car out of the garage for me. I have been practicing driving the car into the garage for 2 weeks now and that is not a problem for me anymore. But as long as I can't drive the car out of the garage myself yet, I can't park the car inside when Ulf isn't around. It's really difficult getting the car out of the garage so it will take much longer to learned that than it did to learn to drive the car into the garage.

I hope you have a great weekend

Oh good - I am glad that it's not very noticeable that the bags are so similar... I guess it doesn't really matter that much anyways.

I think V is very much enjoying having her own car. She really wants to spend the extra $$ to have her car detailed (cleaned by a professional) - as the interior is very dirty... I think she is planning to do that soon.

Yup - this trip is becoming REAL very quickly! I have never planned a trip so close to the date we are leaving like this, and it's been a lot of fun.

We got rain/mist/fog yesterday and last night - as far as I know, it didn't freeze... I"ll have to ask V when she gets up, as she got home from work very late, and it may have froze by then?

Good luck!!! You will be a master at parking your new car in no time! I know it!

Thanks - same to you!

Your ears look great! There is a shop on Etsy that has designs for the ears and center pieces (if you don't want bows). You might check it out for inspiration. I can send you the link if you want.

Thank you - I am having so much fun making them! So far, I am really liking the look of the bows - it's such a classic look... Though I may branch out some day? Feel free to send me the link.

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

I worked upstairs right away yesterday morning... I finished another set of ears that I've been working on intermittently for the last few weeks - this is for a bag theme that doesn't exist yet, so it will be while before I can share them. I will say that these are my "most epic" ears thus far - and they are for a theme that I've wanted for quite some time. I sure hope it won't take me too long to make this bag, but sadly my schedule is pretty packed over the next several weeks - so it may be a while... We'll see? You all know me well enough to know, when I have an idea in my brain - it's difficult for me to to do anything else.

After I finished those ears, I worked on last week's custom order - this one was a very difficult one... I hope to finish it up today.

Then Allison reminded me that we were supposed to go do "girls pictures"... We've rescheduled this SO MANY times due to scheduling conflicts... These pictures are supposed to be part of Josh's Christmas gift - if we can EVER get them done. Yesterday, Allison and I were ready, but we couldn't get V out of bed. Sigh. So, Allison just decided to take me out on my own then - as I've been begging her for YEARS to take me out... The last time we did a girls photo shoot was in 2013 - and I think you'd all agree that we have changed so much since then? LOL My hair!!!! Worst hair decision ever!

And the last time Allison took me out individually was right around that same time... And I look NOTHING like this anymore...

I think we'd also all agree that the 3 of us are OVERDUE for pictures. LOL

I am not sure when/if Allison will EVER get my pictures from yesterday edited??? She does that to me every time, she takes me out - then takes weeks to edit them... I try to wait patiently - as I know my pictures are a low priority to her... but it's so hard to wait.

Anyways... While we were getting ready for pictures, Allison was trying to help me figure out what to wear, it was then that we discovered that everything in my closet is too big for me. Sigh. It seems that I've had a "whoosh" of inches lost recently (I am NOT complaining) - and suddenly all of my clothes look ridiculously huge on me. Due to our strict budget - I have not purchased any new clothes for myself - I was just wearing what I had... but you all may remember that I went out shopping at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago, and with my Old Navy Cash, I did a major splurge & purchased 3 new flannel shirts... All size Large... All now too big. All worn and can't be returned. Really bummed about that - I'll wear them anyways and just deal with it - but it does suck. I don't think I have ever been a medium in anything in all of my adult life? Trying not to complain - as this is what I want... I just wish I would have purchased those shirts in a smaller size, that's all.

After we froze our tushies off on the photo shoot, we came home and I worked for a few more hours before I had to make dinner. I made my favorite fall meal of stuffed squash... I really LOVE this meal! It's so hearty and comforting!

And then, for the fun of it - we decided to go to town after dinner (which NEVER happens)... We even took Cooper with us! Allison had to grab a couple of items at the hardware store (Pinterest project), we took Cooper to visit Grandpa, and then we stopped at the grocery store for Egg Nog - as we both wanted some.

We came home and watched Christmas with the Kranks... Notice a theme here? LOL Egg Nog... Christmas movies... It was a nice and relaxing night... Just missing the tree... Cooper attempted to cuddle... It didn't go well - for me anyways. LOL

I woke with a massive headache this morning... Pretty sure it was the Egg Nog... If it wasn't - I am telling myself that it was - then I'll stay out of it. LOL

Today - I will be working all day again. If I have time, I may start on my next trip bag - if I do, I won't be able to touch it again for a few weeks, as I don't have extra time in my schedule to do so. We'll see - sometimes I am just better off leaving it alone.

I hope you all have a marvelous remainder to your weekend! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all!

D~

 

[cogero]

I hope it wasn't my bag giving you fits. I try to come up with themes I haven't seen done and speak to me and leave the ultimate decision to you. I am waiting for my teen to wake up so I can head to the basement and do some work.

I am getting ready for a bit of working out, I took the day off yesterday and I am working out solo today since G had overtime.