Labels: My Best Girl, Photography

Welcome to Part Two of our Disney trip. If you missed Part One, click here. On Day Two, which was Tuesday, we headed back to Magic Kingdom bright and early. Because both our kids enjoy the rides in Fantasyland (Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pooh, etc...), we usually head there first. We enjoyed these rides and also the Tommorowland Indy Speedway on our second morning. After riding with my Favorite Boy in the Speedway car, I am very glad we have 11 more years before he will be allowed to drive! :)


At 10:20, we headed to Cinderella's castle for a magical meal with Cinderella and her friends. My little princess wore her Snow White dress so she could feel like a part of the gang.


We saw Cinderella,


Belle,


Jasmine,


the Fairy Godmother (who my son keeps calling the Dairy Godmother),


and Snow White.


For the record, my Favorite Boy, the one who had declared he would not hug any princesses, thought Snow White was "very beautiful." Snow White also scored points with my daughter when she planted a kiss on my Best Girl's cheek. You can imagine how pleased she was with this!


After eating, we enjoyed the Magic Kingdom for a couple more hours, and then my Best Girl and my hubby headed back to the hotel for a nap. My Favorite Boy and I headed to MGM to ride Star Tours and to see the Stars and Motor Cars Parade. The parade was so cute! My Favorite Boy waved to all the characters, and he is sure that Sully (from Monsters, Inc.) and Buzz Lightyear waved specifically to him. Buzz even gave him a thumbs up. :)


After a few shows at MGM and a visit with Lightning McQueen, my Favorite Boy and I headed back to the hotel to met Dad and my Best Girl for dinner. We hung out at the hotel for the rest of the evening.


As you can see, Day Two was a very special day. Thanks for sharing it with me!

Labels: Disney, Family and Friends, Fun, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Labels: Disney, My Favorite Boy, Wordless Wednesday

I am still trying to catch up from vacation, but I wanted to do a quick review of The Kite Runner. It is the first book I read from my Fall Into Reading Challenge list, and I also read it as part of the Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books Challenge.

The Kite Runner is a gripping tale of redemption and love. The author's writing style is captivating and beautifully descriptive. The story is set primarily in Afghanistan, and I felt like I was there. Considering I had never really given much thought to Afghanistan before September 11th, I appreciated the author's wonderful ability to make me feel as though I was part of the story, watching the tale unfold.

I do not have time to write a more detailed description of this book, but I wanted to encourage you to read it. I will advise you that the author occasionally uses offensive language, and some of the topics are for mature readers; this is not Christian fiction. However, it is a wonderful story, and I am very glad I read it!

Have a great Tuesday!

Labels: Books

We had such a wonderful time on our Disney trip last week. I want to take the time to write about each day so I will be able to preserve our memories. I am going to spread these posts out over the next couple of weeks so I won't bombard you with "The Baseballs and Bows Family Does Disney." I understand that all of this may only be interesting to us and grandparents, but all of you are invited to join me for my vacation recap.

We left our hometown and headed for the Nashville airport after church on Sunday. We landed in Orlando at 5:30. By the time we arrived at our resort, the kids were already tired. We had only a few minutes to walk around before heading to bed.


The All-Star Sports Resort was a dream for my Favorite Boy. We stayed in the "Touchdown" section of the hotel, which looked like this...


My Favorite Boy and my husband enjoyed throwing passes, running plays, and and practicing field goal attempts on the field outside our room. The pool was shaped like a baseball diamond; Goofy stood at the pitcher's mound and shot water out of a canon.


We woke up bright and early on Monday morning to head to the Magic Kingdom.


Because my daughter rises with the roosters, it was easy for us to be at the parks when they opened, even with the change from central to eastern time. Regretfully, I have no pictures from our first day because I left my camera at the hotel! At first, I was very disappointed, but I was able to enjoy myself without having to think about taking pictures all day (although I could have kicked myself when Alice and the Mad Hatter rode in the teacups next to us).

Although it was hot, the lines were great; we were able to enjoy many of the rides at Magic Kingdom by dinner time. We even rode Splash Mountain three times. My Favorite Boy, my husband, and I all agree that it is one of our favorite rides at Magic Kingdom. My Best Girl was too short too ride Splash Mountain; her favorites at Magic Kingdom were Goofy's Barnstormer (we rode this more than ten times during the week), the Mad Tea Party, and It's a Small World. One of the highlights of Monday for my Best Girl was when an employee at the Pinocchio Village Haus (where we ate lunch) gave her a Tinkerbell pin. She wore it the entire week, and pointed it out to anyone who would listen, including all of the characters.


For dinner, we boarded the monorail and headed to the Contemporary Resort for a character meal at Chef Mickey's. While we dined, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald stopped by our table. Of course, I really wanted my camera at this point, but we were able to get pics with all of these characters later in the week. After dinner we went back to the hotel. Because we were at the parks each day when they opened, we returned to the hotel in the early evening on most days.

Thanks for reading about Day One. I hope you will join me for Day Two soon. I will have many more pictures for that post. I didn't make the camera mistake twice. :) Have a great Monday!

Labels: Disney, Family and Friends, Fun, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy

It's time! Katrina at Callapidder Days is hosting the Fall into Reading Challenge 2007. While making my list, I tried to include various types of books and authors. Also, I usually have to force myself to read nonfiction, so I use these challenges to encourage myself. I look forward to seeing the lists of other participants, and I may add to my list when I see other titles that interest me. Happy Reading!

Fiction
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Uncharted by Angela Hunt
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
The Scribe by Francine Rivers
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg *quit reading due to language*
Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
Austenland by Shannon Hale
Where Mercy Flows by Karen Harter
A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin
A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Parting by Beverly Lewis

Nonfiction
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace
Bad Girls of the Bibleby Liz Curtis Higgs

Read-Alouds with My Favorite Boy
All about Sam by Lois Lowry
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Bible Study
I am currently studying the book of Acts. I plan to do one of the epistles next.

Added after Beginning the Challenge
A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer
A Shadow of Treason by Tricia Goyer
Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye by Kaza Kingsley
Everything's Coming Up Josey by Susan May Warren
Chill Out Josey by Susan May Warren

To participate, or to view the lists of other participants, visit Callapidder Days!

Labels: Books

Hello! I am back from my blogging break a little early. My break was much easier than I expected because I was in a hotel room with no internet connection! I didn't mention in my previous post that we left last Sunday for Disney World. I know some of you knew, but I decided not to proclaim that we would be out of our home for the week, just in case some really savvy bad guys had figured out where we live. We had a fantastic time, and you will be be seeing plenty of the pictures in the coming days.

Alas, now it is back to cooking, cleaning, and the big pile of very smelly laundry that comes from humid, 90 degree Florida days and water rides. If someone opened my suitcase for a random inspection at the airport, I bet they were sorry. :)

Tomorrow, I will post my Fall Into Reading List, and I will begin posting again this week. It may take me a few days to catch up with my regular blog reading. I hope everyone had a great week!

Labels: Blogging

Okay, I guess I am addicted to blogging if I have more posts for the year than the number of days we have had in the year! I am going to redeem myself this week by not posting or checking other blogs (that part will be really difficult). I will be back next Sunday with my Fall into Reading list. See you then!

Labels: Blogging

Plastic, it's what's for dinner...

Labels: My Best Girl, Photography

My Favorite Boy and I had this conversation on Wednesday:

FB: Mom, can I have a sleepover?

Me: Maybe sometime.

FB: No, I don't want a sleepover. Remember when Nate came and we had a sleepover? We still had to go to bed at 8:00. I want to have a slumber party. At a slumber party you can stay up really late.

Me: How late do you think people stay up at a slumber party?

FB: Really late. Like 9:00.

Hmmm..... We could probably handle that. :)

Labels: My Favorite Boy, Small Talk

Can you guess who I met yesterday? I had the opportunity to meet Shawna from Scamp's Place. Shawna lives in a town close to me. She had an eye doctor appointment only a few minutes from my house, so we decided to meet at the mall. Shawna and I actually grew up in the same county. I am sure we were often at the same sporting events when our rival high schools played. Of course, we didn't know each other at the time.



Scamp and my Best Girl got to meet and play as well. Scamp is absolutely adorable! I love her beautiful curls.


We visited for about an hour before Shawna had to head to her appointment. It was so nice to meet in real life. Thanks Shawna!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun

Labels: Works-for-Me Wednesday

Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge is in less than two weeks! Head over to Callapidder Days for all the details.

Labels: Books

No, don't even think I am pregnant! I just wanted to let you know that I am adding a new feature to my sidebar. For a while, I have been wanting to keep up with the titles of some of our favorite books and games/toys. I would like to be able to share recommendations with others, but I also want to be able to look back and remember the books and games that are so special to us now. I have a list up and running, but I plan to add to it as I find new things to share (I will not list every book or game, only the ones we think are worthy of note). This may be interesting only to me, but feel free to check it out if you would like to see what books, games, and toys are loved at our house. Also, feel free to give suggestions to me at any time!

Labels: Children's Books, Games

Music
Three years ago, my Favorite Boy and I tagged along with Dad on a business trip. Dad's meeting was held at the Dolphin Resort at Disney World. One of the highlights of the trip for my son was the pianist in the lobby. To give you an idea of how special this experience was to my son, I will tell you that we still remember the man's name! Mr. Tom was in the lobby every evening, and my Favorite Boy was his biggest fan. On the first night, my son sat happily in a chair and listened.



On another evening, my Favorite Boy decided to get a little closer.



And even closer...



Mr. Tom was very accommodating and kind. He even played a lovely rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which was a big hit with his two-year-old fan! I doubt Mr. Tom knew what an impression he made, but my son spoke of Mr. Tom for months. I appreciated so much the music he shared with us!

For more Photo Hunters, click here. Have a great weekend!

Labels: Disney, My Favorite Boy, Photography

This week's FIF is the Italian edition. I got this recipe several years ago when I purchased a Pampered Chef product. This dish is easy to make, and it makes a LOT! Kids love it as well (it's always nice to have a recipe that everyone in the family enjoys). I use a very large bowl to cook it; you will definitely need a very large dish.

Cheesy Mostaccioli

16 oz. mostaccioli pasta, cooked
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained (ground turkey works as well)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (11 oz.) cheddar cheese soup
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Brown meat and drain. Add seasonings to meat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and soup. Combine pasta, sauce mixture, and two cups of cheese in baking bowl or dish. Mix. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy! For more Italian recipes, visit Overwhelmed with Joy.

Labels: Recipes

Labels: Books

Jenny tagged me to participate in this blogging meme. I am not following the rules exactly, but I did want to pass on the advice of others. I am adding a small bit of advice at the end.

1. Look, read, and learn.
http://www.neonscent.com/

2. Be EXCELLENT to each other.
http://www.bushmackel.com/

3. Don’t let money change ya!
http://www.therandomforest.info/

4. Always reply to your comments.
http://chattiekat.com/

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. http://chipsquips.com/

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile.
http://www.velcro-city.co.uk/

7. Give link credit where credit is due.
http://www.sfsignal.com/

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post.
http://scifichick.com/

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it’s nice to know who is reading!
http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/

10. Make a blogger template unique: change the background colour, or add a background picture to your header.
http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/

11. Write positively even if the situation is seemingly negative — spread joy and not gloom. You can do it!
http://www.aliceteh.com/

12. When you find something that interests you, write about it. Sharing yourself with others is one of the best things about blogging.
http://jhthomas.blogspot.com/

13. Start draft posts to capture ideas for future posts, so you don’t lose track of them.
http://charmingdelightful.blogspot.com/

14. Be helpful to new bloggers. Remember when you first started blogging and didn’t know how to post a link? Or was that just me?
http://islandlife808.com/

15. If you have a question about blogging, don’t be shy, go ahead and ask. There are so many bloggers happy to give you help if you need it.
http://www.arewethereyetmom.com/

16. Remember that blogging is a community - don’t be afraid to comment on the blogs you read. Reach out and make new friends, you’ll be glad you did!
http://debmomof3.blogspot.com/

17. Try to blog daily, this is the only way to build up a “cyber following.”
http://mylifeasmamajodi.com/

18. Check that box on your profile so your bloggy buddies can reply by email to your comments, it makes life so much easier... and by all means PLEASE make your profile public so when you click on your name it doesn't say profile not available. There's no way to reply to you or visit you when you aren't public!
http://mylifeasannie.blogspot.com/

19. Be real. Perfection is not approachable, and people will quit trying after awhile. Sure, there are some situations where giving specifics is totally uncalled for, and you don't have to be negative. You really AREN'T the only one to experience what you're going through. Let your friends offer words of encouragement.
http://www.acoachforlife.blogspot.com/

20. Don't constantly check your sitemeter. Just enjoy blogging and meeting new people!
http://www.baseballsandbows.blogspot.com/

Twenty bits of advice seems like enough to me, so I won't tag anyone. If you are a new blogger, I hope you found something helpful!

Labels: Blogging

For more WW, click here.

Labels: My Favorite Boy, Wordless Wednesday

As I was driving my Favorite Boy to school last week, we had the following conversation:

Favorite Boy: Mom, when is [my sister's] birthday?

Me: October 26.

Favorite Boy: You should have waited until November 4th because that's when my friend Abby's birthday is.

Me: Actually, that was [your sister's] due date, but she decided to come earlier.

Favorite Boy: Yeah, I guess if you hadn't dropped your water bottle, she might not have come early.

Me: What are you talking about????

Favorite Boy: You know, when you were going into the garage, you broke you water bottle.

Me: (Realizing that he is talking about my water breaking) Oh, yes!

My Favorite Boy: She was probably scared when your water bottle broke, and she came out early!

Obviously, my Favorite Boy has picked up bits and pieces of my Best Girl's birth story. Thankfully, he doesn't have all the details quite right. Just in case, all you pregnant ladies out there might not want to drop any water bottles. If they break, the noise might scare your baby right out! :)

Labels: My Favorite Boy, Small Talk

April at Butterfly Kisses tagged me for this meme last week. I thought I would start the week off with it.

Accent - Southern. I used to think my accent wasn't too bad, but my kids have very distinct southern accents, and I am guessing they learned from me!

I Don't Drink- Much of anything. I drink two cans of Diet Sun-Drop a day, and the rest of the time I drink water. On special occasions, I might have a glass of fruit tea.

Chore I Hate - I am not sure there are any that I like, but I really don't like cleaning dirty dishes or dirty floors.

Pets - None. Animals are cute and fine, but we just play with our neighbors' dog. Then, we can go home and not do any of the dirty work!

Essential Electronics - Computer and TV

Perfume - Most days, I don't wear any; when I do, I wear Obsession.

Gold or silver - Gold

Insomnia - I can't fall asleep in the daytime; but at night, I have no problem!

Job Title - Keeper of My Home

Most Admired Trait - I am organized, and I manage time very well. I don't know if those are admired, but they are handy.

Kids - Son (5) and Daughter (2)

Phobia - Snakes. I am dreading when our neighbor's cornfield gets cut down. That will send the snakes into our yard!

Religion - Christian

Siblings - I have one younger brother.

Time I wake up - Whenever my daughter wakes me. If it is after six, it is a good day!

Unusual talent/skill - I can't think of a thing!

Vegetable - I like corn, green beans, and fried okra.

Worst habit - Procrastinating

X-rays - Dental x-rays, broken arm, ultrasounds, CT scan, maybe more...

Favorite Meal - I love pizza any time. My favorite special meal of the year is Thanksgiving.

There you have my meme for Monday. I am not tagging anyone, but let me know if you play along. I will come visit you. I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day!

Labels: Blogging, Fun