The Mouse Returns

The Frozen Mouse is coming out of hibernation!  Unlike Pennsylvania's groundhog, it takes me a little longer to emerge from my "winter sleep".  I can't believe that my last post was in September, 2015.

I've gotten a lot of new Disney fabrics.  I haven't used most of them, so I'm getting into gear.  I'm cutting back on game playing big time (it's such an addiction), and spending more time at the sewing machine.

I've starting making some cross body bags.  These are two that are currently in stock.

I have also obtained some Haunted Mansion fabric, and need to decide what to make with it.  Stop by to see the new items that are now in the store.

The Frozen Mouse Has Returned

Yes, the Frozen Mouse (FM) has returned from a 7 day vacation to Walt Disney World.  Let me say, first off, that I will NEVER make another trip to Florida in September again!!!  The heat and humidity were almost unbearable for this FM, who doesn't handle the heat well to begin with.

Our first day began with a 7:00 am flight, which arrived in Orlando at 9:00 am.  Our twin daughters took Magical Express with all our bags, and my Mr. Mouse and I headed to pick up our rental car.  It was a Ford Taurus, a hybrid.  Our personal car is a Ford C-Max which is also a hybrid.  We had not been notified that our room was ready, so we headed to Magic Kingdom to meet up with another of our daughters and her family.  FM has really bad knees, and uses her own personal scooter, also known as an ECV.  It was the first problem of the day.  Although we knew that the scooter was fully charged, it had no power.  As my granny would say, it's "get up and go had got up and went".  I've never liked the TTC; but when Mr. Mouse has to push the scooter to get it up the ramps, it makes me irritable.  We had a pleasant day with the three girls, the two grandkids, and Jimmy (the son-in-law who is a natural born comedian.  No matter what the problem, Jimmy finds a way to brighten the day. We all had lunch together at Columbia Harbour House, one of my favorite places to eat in Magic Kingdom.  We visited the Hall of Presidents, air conditioned and as the girls say, a great day to take a a nap.  And then we walked across the street to the handicapped viewing area to watch the 3:00 parade.  We met Gaston, posed for photos and got autographs. We went to see Philharmagic, one of my favorite shows.  As I'm writing this, I just realized that I didn't get to the Big Top Souvenir store, another of my favorites. Not only do they have great souvenirs, but they sell incredible caramel apples and fudge.

Mr. Mouse, the twins and I had reservations for dinner at Be Our Guest.  Usually when we eat there, we are seated in the West Wing, but this year we ate for the first time in the grand ballroom.

We were seated down near the windows at the end of the room, and you could sit and watch it snowing in the windows.  It was very beautiful, but also very noisy.  We didn't eat too much because we were scheduled for the Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party.  We arrived around 8 p.m. and were welcomed with a champagne flute of apple cider.  So far, so good.  The tables were beautiful -

but they were soo close together.  Once I was at the table, Mr. Mouse had to move my scooter out of the way, and my chair was tight against the rope that separated the dining area from the food restocking area.  In order for the people at the table next to us to get up to go to the buffet, Mr. Mouse had to stand up and slide his chair in to give them room to pass.  The desserts were mediocre at best.  The cannoli were soggy on the bottom, the chocolate covered strawberries were mushy in the middle, and the canteloupe was hard. Without the scooter, I had to depend on the rest of my party to get my desserts.  The selection of beverages were also limited.  I chose milk, because I couldn't see having hot chocolate in 90 degree weather.  And for this we paid $50/person!  The view of the fireworks was amazing, but I don't think it was worth the $200 for the four of us.  The dessert party was probably the biggest disappointment of our trip.  

We had reserved a room with a roll in shower.  We got back to our room after the dessert party to find that our room did not have a roll in shower. We had been up since 3:15 that morning, and I didn't feel like fighting for a shower, so I adapted the Scarlett O'Hara attitude. I'll think about it tomorrow.

Tomorrow - Day 2

Getting Closer

As of today, we are 29 days out from our next trip to Walt Disney World.  I'm getting more excited by the day, but I have so much to get done in the next month.

I've been working on designing tip envelopes for Mousekeeping. and am pleased with what I have so far.  I think I've done a total of 10 envelopes, although I only need six.  I also decided to do some cast member thank you cards.  These are examples of two that I've done.

I've also been sewing, and have finished two new wristlets - One themed Beauty and the Beast, and the other is a Bright Pink Floral with Minnie Mouse.  After a quick clean up of my sewing area, I've going to start a couple of cross-body bags with a Disney theme.  Check out the shop.

What a Mom Won't Do For Her Kids

Daughter Mary and her family are huge fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Jimmy jokes that he's caught more baseballs at games than he has caught fish in his lifetime.  We're talking serious fans here!

When Mary discovered that MLB had released approved fabrics for the teams she asked if I would make her a wristlet (she would order the fabric).  I said sure, I've made dozens of the wristlets that you see in my Etsy shop and figured it wouldn't take much time at all.  The fabric is really impressive. And before I had a chance to start on the wristlet, Mary looked at me with her big brown eyes and in her sweetest voice said, "What I'd really like to have is a cross body hipster similar to my Vera Bradley one."  How does a mom say no?   I've yet to figure that out.  I had a pattern for a cross body hipster that I bought from Dog Under My Desk, but always figured it was to difficult.  But for my daughter . . . .  So I printed out the pattern, and started working on the bag.  I spent one day just cutting out the pattern, the main fabric, the lining, and the interfacing.  Tuesday, I fused all the interfacings onto the fabric, and double checked that I had all the pieces.  I also hunted out the zippers and prepared them for the bag.  Today I started to sew the bag.  I have the outside done and it's ready to attach the straps.  Tomorrow, I will make the lining and hopefully finished the bag.

I don't think it looks too bad for my first try.  The second bag will most likely be less difficult and go faster.  It's been interesting, and I have to admit, it's been fun.  But don't tell Mary, I want her to think it was a difficult task of love!

Some of My Favorite Disney Food . . . Ooh It's So Good!

Since I'm not a roller coaster fan, I spend most of my time at the shows around the park and thinking about the food.  One of our must-do places to eat on every trip is the Kona Cafe located in the Polynesian Resort.  Most of the people in our party love the steaks there, but I'm more of a chicken person.

On the one occasion that we had lunch there, I got the Polynesian Plate lunch.  It was coconut chicken with sticky rice and macaroni salad.  I loved the macaroni salad and the chicken, but didn't eat the rice.  When we go for dinner, I have to order the pork pot stickers, and I do get the steak for dinner. The pot stickers are served with a ginger sauce, and although I'm not a big fan of ginger, I like this sauce.  And the banana-chocolate creme brulee is to die for.  

Another of our favorite places to eat is the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club Resort.  On our last visit, I ordered their gnocchi appetizer. They are house made potato-cheese gnocchi served with toasted walnuts, julienne pears and truffle butter.  I thought it was food for the gods!

For my entree, I chose the snow crab legs served with new potatoes and corn on the cob.  The crab legs nearly covered the plate, and that was OK by me.  

So there you have my selections from two of our favorite dining places.  More picks in another post.

Beating the Heat

We are preparing for our next Disney vacation, which will be in September.  September is certainly NOT my favorite month to travel to Florida, but we got preferred rooms at Riverside with free dining. So it was a no-brainer that we would go then.  We plan to leave the day before Labor Day, so Rod will only have to use 4 days vacation as we return home Saturday evening.  Now I just have to figure out some ways to beat the heat.

Let me just say that I have never been in a pool at Walt Disney World.  Because of my weight, I am embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit.  I do have one, I just never pack it.  The twins have tried to convince me that this year, since I will probably never see the people who see me at the pool, I need to pack that suit.  I'm thinking on that.  I do have to admit though, that it would be nice to relax in some clear, cool water in the afternoon heat.  So, maybe,

I've made some neck coolers, which I may put on my Etsy site.  They are made of cotton and are filled with polymer crystals.  You soak them in water overnight, and the polymer crystals swell and when you put them around your neck, they really do help to keep you cool.

 I also want to purchase a cooling mist fan - it's a spray bottle with a fan attached.  This one is available at Walmart.  I'm thinking that I might need to figure out a pattern for a holder that I can hang on the handles of my scooter.

My favorite way to keep cool in the parks is to visit the indoor shows that are air conditioned.  In Magic Kingdom, it's that Hall of Presidents; in EPCOT, it's the American Adventure. Both of these are great places to sit and cool off, and Rod and the twins can attest that they are both great places to catch a short nap.  I know that a lot of people don't care for the Living with the Land ride in EPCOT, but I love it.  Not only is it a nice cool boat ride, but you get a chance to see some really innovative ways that Disney is growing vegetables.

Have a great weekend, and keep cool.

Sometimes Revisions Must Be Made

I was so proud of the Busy Buddies that I had made and listed on my Etsy shop.  But after my grandkids played with them, I felt that they just weren't what I wanted. The pencils kept falling out, and my grandson had trouble with the loop and button.  So I searched for other ideas and modified them to fit what I wanted.  Now, the new ones, which I call Crayon Wallets are in the shop.  They are more compact, and there is room for a 6" ruler in addition to the crayons, notepad and pencil that were in the former ones.

I'm more pleased with them, and they are "grand kid approved".

I want to make 4 quilt blocks for the quilt along that I joined, and then I'll get on to my next project.