31 Days:: All About Epcot

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Epcot! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. This is day two where I've been sharing about each of the Disney parks and other areas like Downtown Disney. So I'll just be sharing my thoughts about the parks :)

View from the Italy pavilion

Epcot is really the best park for adults. It's great for kids too, but this is one of DH's favorite parks because there's tons to take in as adults. The park is split into two main sections- Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is all sorts of fun technology-related and earth-related exhibits, rides, etc and the World Showcase is made up of 11 mini countries. Each country was largely created by craftsmen from that country, for example, in Morocco, tile layers came in from that country to lay thousands of little mosaic tiles by hand. Each country is pretty incredible, and includes exhibits about the country, restaurants, shopping, and some have rides, music, and other entertainment too!


Our Top Ride Picks

• Maelstrom- (in the World Showcase) a fun little boat ride through Norway folk lure, one small dip, good for pretty much any child. Get a FastPass (more about these later in the month) for this ride if you can- lines can be long.
• Grand Fiesta Tour- (in the World Showcase) a quiet little boat ride through the history of Mexico featuring the Three Caballeros, perfect for the whole family. Usually little to no wait. 
• Test Track- (in Future World- currently closed, but scheduled to re-open in late fall)  a fast-paced ride where you get to sit in a vehicle while they run it through all the safety tests performed on real vehicles- extreme weather, turning, breaking, speed, and even crash testing! It's a lot of fun, especially when they let it loose at the end to test "speed" around the test track! This ride also features a "single rider" line if your group doesn't mind being broken up- it can make the wait much much shorter. 
• Soarin- (in Future World) a fun adventure in a hang glider, soaring over scenes of California, a huge 180 degree scene surrounds you, really really cool. I'd highly recommend getting FastPasses for this because even with a FP it can take you a while to get through the line.
• Living with the Land- (in Future World) a gentle boat ride with information about how to preserve our earth, my favorite part is where you go through the working greenhouses to see how Disney grows their foods that you can eat at their restaurants, like at the Garden Grill! (I'll tell ya about that restaurant later in the month!)
• Ellen's Energy Adventure- (in Future World) a 45 minute ride (though it doesn't feel that long!) where you learn all about energy on our planet, includes video with Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, as well as animatronics that you ride through, great ride if a late afternoon thunderstorm rolls through (as is so common in Florida!)  
• Spaceship Earth- (in Future World) a classic ride through Epcot's signature "golf ball" dome! It's a leisurely ride through how technology has advanced through the ages. Perfect for the whole family. Check this out later in the day, as that's when the lines are usually shorter. 

Illuminations

Entertainment

• Illuminations- this is by far my favorite nighttime fireworks display! The soundtrack is awesome (I actually bought it in one of the stores in Hollywood Studios) and it includes laser lights, huge flame torches lit around the World Showcase Lagoon, as well as all of the countries get outlined in "Christmas lights" for the show! Don't forget the amazing LED globe that opens up... I really can't describe it well, but trust me- make time for it if you can! If you're lucky enough to get reservations before the show at United Kingdom's Rose & Crown Dining Room, they will hold your meal for you whilst you step out onto their patio to watch the show, or if you get an outdoor seat, you have the perfect seat for the show! I'll talk more about this dining establishment later in the month, so check in then for more details :)
• Off Kilter- love love love this band! You can find them performing throughout the afternoon in between Canada and the United Kingdom. They're a Celtic rock band and oh so much fun! I have a few of their CDs, which they have for sale at a little cart near their stage :)
• Matsuriza- these are the drummers found at the tall tower in the Japan pavilion in the World Showcase. You can often hear them clear across the Lagoon, but they are really neat to see and hear!

Behind the Seeds Tour

Other Things to See and Do

• Behind the Seeds Tour- SO neat! They take you behind the scenes at the Living with the Land greenhouses and tell you all about the various hydroponics, aquaponics, and other types of soilless gardening they use! You even get to taste fresh cucumbers straight from their gardens! It usually runs about $18 for adults and $14 for kids this year. Sign ups are to the left of the entrance to Soarin.
• Cool Club- situated in Future World's Innoventions area, you can taste Coca-Cola products from around the world! Fun way to cool off for free.
• Bench Tour- if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the benches as you walk, they're unique for each country
• Lamppost Tour- again, if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the lampposts as you walk, they're unique for each country
• There are some other really neat tours {read about them here} that take you behind the scenes of Epcot, including a Segway tour!
• NOTE: you don't have to wait for a tram to get to the parking lot, you can walk to most of the parking lots! Can be shorter wait time or just convenient to walk if the tram lines are long or you have a fussy little one :)

That's about it for today, but tune in later in the month to find out about all the great restaurants we love in Epcot!! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Hollywood Studios, so I hope to see you then :)

31 Days:: All About Magic Kingdom

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Magic Kingdom! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. This is the first day where I'll be sharing about each of the Disney parks and other areas like Downtown Disney. The website is really one of the best places to find out about everything in the parks, so I'll just be sharing my favorites about the parks :)

Cinderella's Castle

Magic Kingdom is DH and my favorite park, if we had to chose just one! There is just something quintessential Disney about Magic... from the oldies charm of Main Street to all of the kid-friendly rides to the signature Cinderella's Castle. I truly think it's the Happiest Place on Earth (amusement park-wise)!

Our Top Ride Picks

• Space Mountain - located in Tomorrowland, a crazy roller coaster ride where you're dodging stars and black holes in the pitch black! They recently redid this ride and I think it's even better than it used to be!
• Splash Mountain - located in Frontierland, a lazy log boat ride through the store of Brier Fox with a few small dips and the one big drop at the end! You will get wet, especially if you're in the back, and if you stand on the bridge that goes over the drop, you can get a good splashing too! During the off months, and during droughts I believe, they lower the water levels and splashing is kept to a minimum. 
• Jungle Cruise - located in Adventureland, this is perfect for the whole family. A lazy tour along the jungle river, complete with punny narration by the tour guides (hehe the narration hasn't ever really changed, but I still crack up at all the bad puns and jokes, love it!)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - located in Frontierland, my first "roller coaster" as a kid, but tame enough for most any age, a runaway train ride reminiscent of a wooden coaster but without the headache at the end!
• Walt Disney World Railroad - a lazy roll around the perimeter of the park, making stops in various lands throughout the park, truly a relaxing little ride and a great way to get away from the crowds for a bit, and the engines are to-scale working steam engines (a passion of Walt Disney)
• Tomorrowland Transit PeopleMover (formerly the WEDway PeopleMover) - another great way to escape the crowds, this highway in the sky is a leisurely ~10 MPH tour through  Tomorrowland complete with narration of factoids about the land
• Haunted Mansion - located in Liberty Square, a mild slow moving ride through a "haunted" mansion, but even this easily-startled-and-scared-overactive-immagination big kid was able to handle this ride without problem, truly suitable for most kids of any age (I might wait a bit though if they're afraid of the dark... I actually didn't ride this until our honeymoon LOL)
• Pirates of the Caribbean- located in Adventureland, this is the ride the movies were based off of, suitable for most any age, there's one small dip in the dark, but the rest is a slow boat ride through the Pirates story, a true classic ride! FYI- the line on the left is usually a little shorter!
• Liberty Square Riverboat- a leisurely steam around the Liberty Square area on a real working steam boat! Feels like you're taking a step back in time...

Main Street Electrical Parade

Entertainment

• Wishes- who doesn't love a great fireworks show?! I know I do! You can see it from most anywhere in the park. If you want to escape the crowds, I'd recommend watching from Liberty Square or a great view can be seen from the WDW Railroad station that's right as you enter the park- perfect view of Main Street all lit up for the night along with Cinderella's Castle and the fireworks!
• Main Street Electrical Parade- this is my favorite parade out of all the parks! Formerly there was the ElectroMagic Parade, but both are comprised of wire-framed floats that sparkle with thousands of LED Christmas-style lights, fiber optics, and a great soundtrack! It runs down Main Street and through Frontierland. If there's two runnings of the parade, I'd recommend catching the second one as it will be slightly less crowded, and Frontierland is generally going to be less crowded to watch from than Main Street.

Main Street illuminated at night

Other Things to See and Do

• Tours- there are a TON of behind-the-scenes tours that you can do at Magic Kingdom {read about them here}. They all have a fee, some are more than others. I really hope to see many of them one year, myself :) Check them out via the link above, they're really neat!
• Casey's Corner Pianist- throughout the day, you might find a pianist tickling the ivories of a standup piano outside of Casey's Corner on the path that lead towards the bathroom areas
• Shopping- check out the shops in the early afternoon for the least crowded shopping

That's about it for today, but tune in later in the month to find out about all the great restaurants we love at Magic!! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Epcot, so I hope to see you then :)

31 Days:: Disney Tracker

 

Hello everyone!! Thanks so much for joining me on our journey this month on how to Plan your Disney Trip in 31 days! Today's post is a bit shorter, but I think it's the perfect place to start. I'll be sharing two trackers- one horizontal and one vertical, so you can chose which best fits your likes and needs!

When I am getting all of my trip stuff in order, I like to put all of my confirmation emails, printable tickets, budget info, etc into a folder of some sort (I like the plastic ones that have a velcro closure and like 2 smaller pockets on the outside- I put my park tickets, receipts, etc in the pockets)! So if you're like me, get on out your folder/binder/planner, print out your below tracker of choice, and get ready for some Disney planning!!

Today's trackers are called "Things to Do and See in the World" ("world" being Walt Disney World)! They're just a central place so you can take notes on things you read here throughout the month. Super simple- nothing fancy really :) I made these a few trips back, and thought they might be convenient for ya'll to have! So here's a quick view of each of them, and a link where you can download them for free! If you'd like a modified version of either, to better suit your planning needs, feel free to leave a comment or email me! I'd be happy to oblige :)

 {horizontal tracker download}

{vertical tracker download}

That's all for today, folks. I'll see ya back here tomorrow for more Disney fun- we'll be chatting about the Magic Kingdom!

31 Days to Plan your Disney Trip

 

Welcome, ya'll! I hope you're ready for 31 fun-filled Days of Disney World trip planning! Today I'm sharing just a little about why I chose this topic and what you'll be seeing throughout the month! I'll be updating the Master List below with links to each day as they post :)

Overview: Why Disney World Trip Planning?
I've had the great blessing of being able to go to Disney World more times than I can count... My family had a timeshare growing up, so we went every other year. I went with the marching band twice in high school. I went with my family to their timeshare every year in college. My sole trip to the original Disney park, Disneyland, was the year I graduated college. Since DH and I have been married, we went on our honeymoon there, and every year since.

Needless to say, I've been to Disney a few times, so I wanted to share some tips and advice that I've learned throughout the years that might make your trip a little smoother and even more special! I will say that although I'll be talking mostly about Disney World, since that's my "specialty" if you will, some of the Budgeting and Eating posts could easily be applicable to Disneyland {or most any vacation!}. So whether  you're planning a trip in the next few months or you're not sure when you're going just yet, hopefully you can pick up some great tips!

Our little family is headed to Disney at the end of the year, so I'll be planning right along with you! It should be fun!! :) It will be Little E's first trip, at the ripe old age of 9 months, and DH and I will be celebrating 4 years of wedded bliss. Yay! And you're never too young to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth! So enough about me...

If you have any questions, comments, etc throughout the month, feel free to leave a comment or email me!! I can also make you custom versions of most of the printables I'll be sharing :)

Here's a rundown on what I'll be sharing this month, broken up into five Series...
{About Series} Overview of the major Disney attractions
{Budget Series} How I budget for Disney and the worksheet I use before and during the trip
{Booking Series} Buying all your tickets!
{Dining Series} How I meal plan for Disney
{Insider Info Series} Some tips I've picked up over the years
** posts below that have free printables!

31 Days to Plan your Disney Trip: Master List

1. Master List & Overview
2. Disney Tracker **
3. {About} All About Magic Kingdom
4. {About} All About Epcot 
5. {About} All About Hollywood Studios  
6. {About} All About Animal Kingdom 
7. {About} All About Downtown Disney
8. {About} All About Disney's Boardwalk
9. {About} Disney Recreation
10. {About} Beyond Disney
11. {Budget} Budget Planing Worksheet **
12. {Budget} Budgeting During the Trip
13. {Booking} Dates and Tickets
14. {Booking} Location
15. {Booking} Packing List **
16. {Booking} Transportation: Part 1- Getting There
17. {Dining} Meal Planning Trackers **
18. {Dining} Bringing your Meals **
19. {Dining} Eating at the Parks
20. {Dining} Dining at the Magic Kingdom
21. {Dining} Dining at Epcot
22. {Dining} Dining at Hollywood Studios
23. {Dining} Dining at Animal Kingdom
24. {Dining} Planning your Meals
25. {Insider Info} Transportation: Part 2- At the Parks
26. {Insider Info} Fastpasses
27. {Insider Info} Quiet Places and Babies **
28. {Insider Info} Real Coffee 
29. {Insider Info} Military
30. {Insider Info} Other Tips and Tidbits
31. {Insider Info} Disney Resources

Don't forget to check out some of the other fun 31 Day series hosted by The Nester!

Coming Oct 1st: 31 Days of Disney!

Hey ya'll!!
I'm not back just yet- still sifting through the sea of boxes, running to the storage unit, and the like. The up side to moving into a very small apartment is that I have tons of great storage and organizing ideas to share soon (along with posts about baby stuff)!

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be back blogging through the month of October! I'm joining The Nester's annual 31 Days challenge... my topic, you ask?

So stay tuned, and I can't wait to share with you how I plan for our Disney trips!! Hopefully I can pass on a useful tip or two ;) I'll be including...

• general info about each Disney World park
• tips for booking your trip
• my budget worksheet for use before and during the trip
• meal planning on vacation
• and Disney "insider" info!

We've arrived-ish

Hey all!

Just wanted to drop in and give a quick update.  

We've arrived at our next post and waiting to move into housing. I'll soon be having lots of posts about making the most of a small space- this house is the smallest we've been in since we got married!

Things will be a bit quiet still, as we move into our new place. Also I'll be finishing up my Master's thesis while figuring out how to balance that with an infant :P 

But stay tuned! Before you know it, I'll be back and posting regularly :) Thanks for stickin with me ;)

Blessings-

Shauna

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Today is my first mother's day- yay! Little E is almost 4 weeks old. DH has been very sweet today- picked me up some Starbucks (decaf!), some roses, and I have a new waffle iron coming in the mail! Oh yes, and he's currently taking care of E while I relax a bit :) Love our little family!

So here's the spring/summer wreath that I made last week. I added on the little "mom" banner that I whipped up just using some paper scraps, circle punch, alpha stickers, and Twinery twine. Since I like to be able to reuse my wreath bases, the banner (as well as the pinwheels) are attached with pins!

I also spruced up our mantle a bit for the occasion (kinda looks similar to our Easter mantle, I know!)- super simple stuff since I don't have as much time to craft right now with baby and since some of my crafting stuff is already packed since we're moving to our next Army post in the coming week!

I made a super simple banner for the plant using scrap paper, an SU! punch, some Twinery twine, Memento inks, and a stamp from Unity's April KOM.

I also made some little pennants for the decorative branches using again some scrap papers, Twinery twine, circle punch, and stickers.

Well,  that's about it for now... have a fabulous Sunday and Mother's Day everyone :)

Pinwheel Wreath

{ please excuse the less-than-stellar iPhone photos! my camera is still buried somewhere in our hospital bag... }

So the hubby is reading to Little E, which means I had a little time to photograph the simple spring/summer pinwheel wreath I put together! I was inspired by {this post} over at Until Wednesday Calls where she gives a great tutorial on how to make the pinwheels.

I needed something simple for a bright festive wreath, something that I could make whilst little one napped on my lap. These pinwheels were it! I actually sewed them together instead of using hot glue {hot glue + baby = no no} and then I simply used a straight pin or two to attach each pinwheel to the wreath base. Since it already feels like summer down here in the south, I decided to make one wreath for both spring & summer- so I did a mix of springy & summery colors :)

You may recognize the wreath base from my Saint Patty's Day Wreath. That's the beauty of attaching the decorations with straight pins- you can reuse the base! Saves a LOT of time, especially since I like the yarn-wrapped look for my wreaths :) Anyhoo, I should go relieve DH from baby duty- he's making dinner tonite, such a sweetie! Hopefully I'll get another chance to post later this week- I have so many projects I've been meaning to share!!

maternity leave

Hi friends! I just wanted to let you know that I'm on "maternity leave" hehe... this past Tuesday we welcomed our little bundle of joy, "Little E", into the family! Everyone is happy and healthy and we're enjoying time getting to know our daughter :) I'm a bit protective of our little one, so I can't promise any photos will be posted, but I hope to be back posting more regularly soon!
God bless- Shauna

Easter Mantel

Welcome to our "He is Risen" mantel! AKA our Easter Mantel :) With baby ready to arrive almost any day now, I kept the mantel pretty simple... a cross trio, little banner, twine eggs, church photo painted by my MIL, glass cross, and pretty blue jar. On our "secondary mantel" (aka. top of our entertainment center, what we use as our mantel when we're in a home that doesn't have real a mantel) I also have a little crystal bowl with "Jesus" eggs :)
Here's a close up of the banner that I made with just some paper, circle paper punch, sticker letters, twine, hole punch, and two bamboo skewers.
I love my twine from The Twinery and used it to wrap a few pieces of cardboard that I cut out into egg shapes. I hung them from some decorative branches using twisty ties!

The Jesus eggs {below} were super simple too. I picked up a package of 6 kraft eggs, painted a little white spot on the fronts, then added gold stickers. Voila!
Here's some close ups of the rest of the mantel bits and pieces. May you have a truly blessed Easter weekend, and thanks for stopping by! :)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

-John 3:16 (ESV)

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