Life Lately

Hello!  A little bit of what's been happening around here... 

We really don't have the space, but I couldn't resist this FREE vintage dollhouse I picked up on Facebook Marketplace.  I'm not sure what it's future holds but I'm definitely adding some twinkly lights inside for a whimsical touch.

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My valentines.  It was a rainy day but we did do steaks on the grill.

Another rainy day activity: bowling!  The girls really enjoyed it.

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I was able to bring a King Cake to EB's class on Fat Tuesday.  She found the baby and was so happy "to win".

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This past Saturday the sun came out and me and my girl hit "Pickin' in the Park" for some bluegrass.  It felt like the good ole days.

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We recently finished up our first Hello Fresh box and it was good!  These tex mex turkey bowls were our favorite.  I don't think we'll do it again because of price, portion sizes, and also the fact that I'm a tired stay at home mom and a new recipe every night is too much right now.

Would you look at the JOY that pinecones bring this sweet baby?  19 months is the best.

Heading to the park to enjoy this beautiful afternoon...

We're over the hump!

xLaura

Disney Part 3

 We decided to split Animal Kingdom and Epcot into one day.  I know in future trips we could easily spend the full day at each park, but it worked with our small aged kids.  

Animal Kingdom:

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Epcot:

Honestly we made Epcot a priority ONLY because of the Frozen Ever After ride, which was worth it considering our daughters' devotion to Elsa.

We strolled through the World Showcase...grabbed a beer in Germany:

And some Fish & chips in England and then caught the bus back.

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The next morning we had breakfast at Chef Mickey's, which was in our hotel.  Food-wise this was probably my favorite meal of the trip.  The breakfast potatoes were so good!

On our way out we stopped to have the girls' caricatures done.

It turned out super cute!

I really wanted to book another 2 nights but K couldn't because of work.  

I am forever grateful to my mother in law for making our Disney dreams come true.

I can't wait to get back!

xLaura

Ranch Rice

 Rice is a staple on my weekly meal plans and I'm always looking for ways to spice it up.  Last night I made this "ranch rice" to go with ritz baked chicken  and a roasted kale salad.  It was delicious!  I used a rice cooker but you could easily adapt this recipe to stove top prep.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 ranch seasoning packet

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup long grain white rice

Recipe:

Combine onion, chicken broth, rice, and 1 tablespoon butter in rice cooker.

Cook rice...My cooker is 45 minutes for white rice.

Add remaining butter and ranch seasoning to cooked rice.  

Mix and fluff well.

Enjoy!

Disney Part 2

Our first stop at Hollywood Studios was the Frozen Sing Along show.  This was really cute and I think EB really enjoyed it.  Elsa only came out at the very end, so there were a lot of "Where's Elsa?" throughout, but when she finally came out she made it snow, which was magical!

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Afterwards we walked around Toy Story Land and MB was over it.  The Disney reality is that it is a lot for kids, especially little ones.  We had our share of meltdowns and ended up at guest services praying they had pacifiers for sale (they did).

On our way to lunch we caught the Disney Jr parade which was great because these are definitely EB's current faves:

Lunch at Hollywood and Vine.  I think this was my favorite of the character meals that we did.  The characters came around to every table multiple times and the kids loved it.  The meal started with a large salad for the table.  I ordered the shrimp mac and cheese and it was awesome.  I skipped the dessert course because it was just too much for lunch, but I would recommend this spot. 

After lunch we explored Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.  This was just THE COOLEST thing and is on my short list of favorites from the whole trip.  Just walking around was such an experience and I felt transported.  I'm not really huge on Disney outfits (matching shirts/mickey ears) but numerous times I wished that I was in full-on Jedi costume.  I just loved it.

We stopped by for the Disney Jr dance party which was cute.  EB was so into following the moves...I've got to get her in dance ASAP!

Last up, K convinced me to do Aerosmith's Rock N Roller Coaster which I thought was a honky tonk musical ride, and not the lightning speed roller coaster in pitch black darkness. 

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I'll save Epcot and Animal Kingdom for Part 3!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Disney Part 1

 It's time to recap our magical trip to DISNEY WORLD!  I am going to try and fit everything into 2 posts, but there may have to be a Part 3.  Away we go...

We hit the road around 8:00 a.m, made a quick stop for lunch in Jacksonville, and then arrived shortly after 3:00.  It was an easy drive and breaking it into two 3 hour stretches really helped it go quickly.  We stayed at the Contemporary Resort's Bay Lake Tower which was fantastic.  We had a view of Cinderella's Castle, light shows over the lake, and were connected to the monorail.  We were also able to walk to the Magic Kingdom which was SO nice.  

Checking In:

After checking in we grabbed the bus to Disney Springs.  We had dinner at T-Rex and then walked around for bit before calling it an early night.

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We were up early to head out to the Magic Kingdom.  Immediately upon walking in we were greeted by all of the characters dancing on the balcony on Main Street.  So fun!  I borrowed my friend's City mini double and I'm so happy I did.  Our tandem double (City Select) is harder to fold and you need something that's a snap.  

Rides!  My favorite was The Little Mermaid.

We broke for lunch at "Be Our Guest"... I don't think I can recommend this one too highly for a few reasons.  The only character we saw was The Beast, and even just a glimpse of him.  The meal was very heavy...three courses which was not ideal for a day walking in the Florida sun.  Also, it took a long time.  I can imagine eating dinner here would be the way to go.   But EB really enjoyed being in the castle so it was a success either way.

Princess Parade!  I was so impressed with Disney's efforts with COVID restrictions.  Seeing as how this was our girls' first trip, I don't feel like they missed out on anything.  Though the mask struggle was real. 

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After getting the kids to bed, K and I were able to sneak out for a date night at the Enchanted Rose at The Grand Floridian, which was a short ride on the monorail.  This was such a highlight of the trip for me and I highly recommend a visit to this hotel.  Gorgeous!

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Next up, Hollywood Studios!

Stay Tuned

xLaura