St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans

Hope you all enjoyed a Happy & Safe St. Patrick's Day!  We kept the shenanigans pretty low key here at the D House, which was absolutely fantastic!  

Let me start by saying that my decorations for this particular holiday are EXTREMELY lacking!  I would have practically nothing if it weren't for my mom, who brought me this little gem of a centerpiece on a recent visit.  And I am very lucky that she did because my 2 little "leprechauns" noticed our lack of shamrocks, pots of gold, and rainbows for St. Patty's Day.  And they were right, holiday's aren't complete without decorations! 

No matter what holiday it may be, I always have my Happy Everything plate from Coton Colors out.  I purchased this a few years ago, and it is a constant fixture in my kitchen.  The attachments are interchangeable and they have so many beautiful designs to choose from.  I love to switch them out for holidays & special occasions.  Looking at it just makes me "Happy".  :)

  
We started out the day with a simple, yet festive breakfast of Lucky Charms & green milk, of course.  I purchased the shamrock straws from the Dollar Bin at Target a few years back.  Everything tastes better with a silly straw, right?!?

We spent the rest of the morning relaxing and playing games.  I love board games, but I will be honest in saying that my least favorite is Monopoly.  It takes FOREVER & the overly competitive natures of a few members of our family (I won't name names ...um ... Honey & C), have a tendency to make it quite the production.  However, when L received the version Monopoly Empire a few years ago for Christmas, my love of the game was restored.  It can be played in 45 minutes or less and there are no productions to be had.  :)  Just good old fashioned family fun!  

Bet you can't guess who won the first round  . . . 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we took advantage of it by spending some much needed time outside.  (It's been a LONG winter!)  Honey & the kids played basketball, while my good friend N & I went for walk.  It was fabulous!!

The day would not have been complete without a little Irish supper.  In the past, I have made Reuben sandwiches or Corned Beef.  But this year, we decided to go a little more simple with Mini Shepherd's Pot Pies, Irish Soda Bread and (by request) green Jello.  

(Recipe from Tablespoon.com)

The Irish Soda Bread was devoured by all!  It was delicious!!  (Recipe from allrecipes.com)

Like I said at the start, it was the a perfectly relaxed kind of holiday.  Just the way it should be, especially during Spring Break!  Does this week really have to end????  :(

Spring is in the Air!

Finally!  Spring is here!  After what seemed like the longest Winter ever, I am so happy for the change in seasons.  :)  The sun is shining, the snow is melted and the kids are officially on Spring Break!  YEAH!

We started out the weekend by heading to the theater to see the much anticipated movie, Cinderella.  It was beautifully done and enjoyed by all.  (Even the boys!)  The Frozen short at the beginning had us all in stitches!!  I don't want to give anything away to those who have yet to see it, but it took all the beloved aspects from the original movie & added a few cute little (ACHOO!) additions.  :)

The original plan of the weekend was to pick up C on Saturday for his Spring Break as well. Little did I know that Honey & C had been conspiring all week to surprise us on Friday.  :)  So imaging my delight when we returned from the movie & here comes C walking up the stairs!!!  Best surprise ever!!!  I'm sure my squeal was heard for miles!!  SO glad he's home.  I love having all three of my kids under the same roof.

The weather Saturday couldn't have been more beautiful.  So after an amazing morning walk with Honey, he set out to get our deck furniture out of Winter storage.  Last summer, we began the process of redecorating & designing our deck and backyard to resemble a mini beach.  Nothing like a little piece of "heaven" out my backdoor.  I was beyond excited to spend part of the afternoon relaxing and basking in the warmth of the sun, with my new pillow from Kohls!  

To make the first official day of Spring Break complete, Honey grilled our favorite Pineapple brats for dinner.  YUM YUM!  I tried a new method for baked potatoes that I had gotten off of Pinterest... the Crock Pot Method.  It's definitely one I will be using again.  It was super simple!  Just wash and dry the potatoes, wrap them in foil & place in the crock pot on low for 8 hours.  They were delicious!  Almost melt in your mouth delicious...  The only thing missing to the meal was corn on the cob, but that will have to wait a few more months. Patience my dear, patience.  :)  

The day ended in an impromptu Family Game Night.  L had gotten the game Spot It! from Honey's parents, Grandma M & Grandpa T, for Christmas.  It was a lot of fun!  There are several different versions to the game & we ended up trying them all.  Lots of laughs were had!  It was the perfect way to end the day.

Looking forward to all the fun family adventures that this Spring Break has to offer!  It's definitely started off on the right foot!  :)  Now I just need to get out my flip flops . . .

Day 4: EPCOT

After a rather long delay between Disney posts, I am back to share more adventures from our recent trip.  (Hard to believe it's been 2 months already!)

When we last "spoke", we had just had an incredible time at Hollywood Studios enjoying a "day at the movies".  Our next stop was EPCOT.  

After you pass through the front gates, you enter into Future World.  This is an area full of innovative technology and experiences.  It always seems to be changing & growing with the times.  I call EPCOT the "Learning Park", because you can't walk out of there without learning or trying something new.  It is divided into different pavilions, each unique in its own theme and experiences. 

We chose to start with our favorite . . .The Seas with Nemo & Friends.  This is the aquarium of all aquariums & where our family spends quite a bit of time.  :)  As the name suggests, this pavilion is themed after the movie "Finding Nemo".

First, we boarded a "Clamobile" to take a ride through the seas in search of Nemo.  It's an adorable ride that combines actual underwater sea life with beautiful animation & scenes from the movie, complete with larger-than life jellyfish, Bruce & his fellow shark mates and of course a "ride" on the EAC (East Australian Current) with Crush himself.  Totally awesome, Dude!

After the ride, we exited into the actual aquarium itself.  The D family are huge fans of all marine life, so the kids could spend forever just hanging out & watching whatever swims around in this enormous 5.7-million gallon saltwater aquarium.  A family favorite is the dolphins.

I have already expressed my fascination with all the little details that Disney incorporates into everything, but have I mentioned the "Hidden Mickeys"?  Oh Boy!  Disney Imagineers are notorious for including the shape of Mickey's head into random spots throughout the parks, rides and attractions.  There is actually an entire book that lists where to find all the current Hidden Mickey's in Disney World.  It's a whole other adventure in and of itself!  We are always on the lookout.  :)  This is one of our favorites!

Our final stop here was, Turtle Talk with Crush.  Turtles are my favorite animal, so when this character was introduced ... I fell in love instantly.  :)  Make sure you have your little ones sit in the front of the theater, because Crush will literally talk to them and answer any questions they may have about him, his friends, marine life, etc.  Each show is unique & fun!  Simply put, "IT TOTALLY ROCKS, DUDE!"

Fun Fact ~ did you know that Mickey has his very own teddy bear?  He sure does!  Meet Duffy.  This Character Stop was just at the entrance to the World Showcase.  Both L & B have their very own Duffy bears, so we couldn't resist a quick snuggle with the life sized version.  FYI, he's just as cuddly!  :)

Before heading into the World Showcase, we stopped to purchase an official Passport for L & B.  I would highly recommend these for younger kids.  It helps make the trek through each of the countries a little bit more exciting for them.  Just look for the Kidcot Fun Stop sign in each country to have your Passport stamped & signed by a Cast Member who is a native to that particular country.  Make sure to ask them to write your child's name in their official language.  It's a fabulous keepsake for years to come!

My kids love art projects, so another thing that they look forward to at the Kidcot Stations, is picking up their very own cardboard Duffy and decorating him in each country we visit.  See apparently, Duffy loves to travel so he's the perfect "mascot".  We have done this the last couple of trips & both kids still love to take them out from time to time to remember our "World Travels".

One thing that had been on our To Do List since it opened is Phineas & Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure.  Perry the Platypus is one of C's favorite characters, so it was a must this trip.  We visited the Recruitment Center & were sworn in as "official" Secret Agents.  Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz from completing his evil plan.   Meet 3 members of the Agent D crew.

We received our Official Spy Gear, or Interactive Evil Detection Device, call F.O.N.E. (Field Operative Notification Device).

Our assignment was to head to Norway and stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  So off we went to complete our mission.  Not quite sure what to expect, it took us a few minutes to figure out the device & the clues that it gave.  But once we got the hang of it, it was quite fun!  It took us through parts of Norway that we had not known existed.  Through special effects linked to our F.O.N.E.'s, we were able to decipher clues that ended up leading us in a scavenger hunt like game.

Ultimately, leading us to discover & save the Magical Sword from Dr. D.  This was REALLY cool!  At first we just saw a waterfall . . .

Then "magically" through the use of our Spy Gear, a hidden cove was revealed behind the water that contained the sword!  Ta Da!  Mission Completed!  Congratulations Agent D's!

After returning our F.O.N.E., we continued our journey around the World Showcase. But not before paying homage to my national heritage and Viking ancestors.  Thanks L for humoring your mother!  :)

Of course, we were bound to meet a few characters along the way.  

Mulan in China . . .

Belle in France . . . Does anyone else notice the difference in L's smile when he is standing next to a Princess!?!  Much bigger, if I do say so myself.  :)

And Pooh & Tigger in the United Kingdom . . .

It was time for our dinner reservations & I could hardly wait!  Tonight, we were dining at the Garden Grill which is located in The Land pavilion in Future World.  The Garden Grill is unique in that it slowly rotates, constantly giving you a changing view throughout your entire dining experience.  It's American style cuisine served Family-Style . . . Roasted Turkey Breast with stuffing and gravy, Char-grilled Filet of Beef, fish, garden fresh vegetables and a delicious berry cobbler served in an old-fashion cast iron skillet for dessert.  Yum Yum!!!

Not to mention it is also a Character Meal . . . and you will never guess who joined us for dinner??

Pluto!

Mickey!!

And MY FAVORITES CHIP & DALE!!!!!  

Typically each character comes to your table one at a time, but Honey thought to ask if Chip & Dale could visit at the same time.  Unfortunately, they couldn't because apparently they cause too much trouble when they are together.  :)  We could see why . . . they really enjoyed playing around with the kids!  (You'll have to excuse the abundance of pictures.  They ARE my favorites after all!)

None of us could stop smiling through the entire dinner!  It was amazing food & amazing company complete with lots laughs!  :)

By the time we finished eating, we were all feeling a little "Nutty" (LOL!),

But decided to take in a little night-time scenery before heading back to the resort.  EPCOT at night does not disappoint!

Everything was absolutely gorgeous!

  
It was another spectacular day filled with fun & surprises!  Little did we know that there was one still to come at our resort.  :)  "Mousekeeping" had made up the kid's bed extra special for them.  

 Again . . . it's all in the little details.   Good night, sleep tight, dream of Mickey tonight.  :)