Slow Sunday Stitching: Halloween Prep

This morning I've been working on this little bit of cross stitch.  I'm going to combine it with this little piece of fabric.  For those who don't recognize it, the fabric is a copy of the wallpaper in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.  I got a free sample of it from Spoonflower.com a while back and I finally figured out what I want to do with it.

Stay tuned to see the finished project.

What are you up to this Sunday?

Linking up with Kathy for her Slow Sunday Stitching party.

If you show your daughter you like Alice in Wonderland...

If you show your daughter you like Alice in Wonderland, she might grow up thinking it's fun to read fairy tales.

If she thinks it's fun to read fairy tales she might develop an active imagination.

If she develops an active imagination she might love going to Disneyland with you.

If she loves going to Disneyland with you she might meet Alice in Wonderland.

If she meets Alice in Wonderland, she might realize that Alice can live and breathe outside of her story.

If she realizes that Alice can live and breathe outside of her story, she might start to think up new stories about Alice.

If she starts to think up new stories about Alice, she might write them down.

And if her nickname happens to be Drama Girl, she might write those stories down in the form of a play, which becomes the school play, which she gets to direct.

And then you get to show your daughter all over again how much you like Alice in Wonderland.


I am so excited about this.  Drama Girl and a friend have written a play called "Wonderland."  I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but everyone who has read it is absolutely crazy about it.  Her brother and sister even auditioned and got parts because they were so excited about the script.

So this spring is all about Alice, in addition to all the excitement about college admissions.  I can't think of a more wonderful way to end her high school days.

[I couldn't find a picture of Drama Girl and Alice at Disneyland, so the photo at the top features a very small Wasabi Girl in pink watching Alice back in 2003]

Before we're too old for fairy tales

My heart pinches a little when I look at Drama Girl and all she is doing this year.  She's already a junior in high school.  One more year and she will be out the door and gone.  Every day for her is a whirl of school and ballet and friends and work and studying hard.  Some days I hardly see her at all.

The other two aren't far behind.  I have to look up to talk to Jungle Boy now, he's so tall.  Wasabi Girl is so mature and savvy she could take the world head-on tomorrow if she needed to.

They will all be gone so soon.

Yesterday morning we were driving in the car and Wasabi Girl asked for the millionth time if we could go to Disneyland one more time before our annual passes expire.

"When would we fit in a trip?" I asked

"Mom, the quarter ended yesterday, the rest of this week nothing is happening."

"What, you mean you guys just want to skip the rest of the week of school and go to Disneyland?"

"YES!" "YES!" "YES!" came the unanimous cries.

"But what about so-and-so's sleepover?  And so-and-so's party?"

"We'd rather go to Disneyland!"

"We'd have to share a room at the hotel."

"I'll sleep on the floor!"  "I'll sleep on the floor!"

"Hotels might be sold out.  There's a big Halloween promotion going on."

"PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE. . ."

Here are my three big teenagers, begging to spend some time with their old mom on a vacation together.  How many more opportunities like this will there be?

So as you read this, we're in the car on the way to the Happiest Place on Earth.  My poor husband on a business trip in New York gave us his blessing and is probably shaking his head at our silliness.  We'll get him a new coffee mug.

Just one more trip.  Before we're too old for fairy tales.

Inside Walt Disney's Apartment

If you go to Disneyland and look up above the fire house on Main Street, you will see a curtained window with a lamp that is always lit.  This is the apartment where Walt Disney lived while Disneyland was being built and where he often stayed and entertained in later years.

It is not open to the public.  For many Disney fans, the chance to visit is a lifelong dream.  Thanks to a very dear friend in the Disney organization, my twins and I got to live that dream this weekend.  It was an incredible surprise.

Our tour guide was a "Keeper of the Keys," one of the few Disneyland tour guides who has access to Walt's apartment.  She was lovely and kept up a steady stream of descriptions and stories about Walt Disney.  She didn't wear a name tag, just a "D" brooch, and I'm kicking myself for not remembering her name.  I was in a state of shock at that moment.

We were not allowed to take photographs as we went backstage and entered the apartment.  The twins got to twist the old-fashioned doorbell in honor of their birthdays.  Then they opened the door and we went in.  We got the full tour before we were allowed to take pictures from a single vantage point.  You're going to have to rely on my description for the rest.

We were invited to sit on the antique furniture while she spoke.  It was only later that I learned that the couch I was sitting on folded out and became Walt Disney's bed.  Oh my.

The decor was beautiful and feminine turn-of-the-century style done by the same set designer who did "Mary Poppins."  Apparently Walt Disney's wife loved roses, so they were everywhere from the carpet to the carved chairs.  The setting fit in perfectly with the theming of Main Street.  We saw the delicate china and wine glasses and even the Tom and Jerry set that the Disneys used to entertain guests.  Tom and Jerrys were a popular drink back in the '60s and '70s I think.  Sort of a warm eggnog with rum or brandy.  I couldn't take a picture of their set but I found one that's similar to it:

We also got to see Walt's sandwich maker.  Apparently he loved a good grilled cheese sandwich.  He also was a big fan of fresh-squeezed orange juice.  It makes me wonder what artifacts of my life would be preserved if I became famous.  My favorite coffee maker maybe?

Then we were taken out to the patio area.  If you look above and to the left of the firehouse, you can see the latticework fence that gave them some privacy.  There is a shady cool area there with artificial turf and patio furniture and statuary.  Really a lovely sanctuary.  I would love to hang out there and watch the people going by on Main Street.  Apparently Walt particularly enjoyed watching the candlelight procession at Christmas from there.

The very small bathroom was notable for the four shower heads at different angles.  There was a bureau nearby that Walt kept stocked with toys for the grandchildren.  We heard about how the Disney kids would go just outside the apartment into the Jungle Cruise area and jump out from behind trees to surprise guests going by in boats.

Back in the sitting room, we were allowed to take pictures facing the window with the lamp that looks over Main Street.  My twins sat down and I quickly snapped this shot:

Yes, those are their disgusting sneakers on the Disney doilies.  I could have died.  But it all happened very quickly (see my friend's hand in the photo!) and then they got up and we reassembled the group various ways for a dozen more pictures. 

I would like to think that Walt Disney would have smiled to see these young people.  Here they are turning into teenagers but they are enjoying his park with family and friends.  Walt called the creative engineers who helped design Disney attractions "Imagineers."  As my son was leaving Disneyland, he turned to me and told me that he wants to be an Imagineer someday.  Maybe a little of that Disney magic rubbed off in that apartment. 

Makes My Monday: Packing Plans

Next Sunday my twins will turn 13.  What a long way from those baby days of three under two!  In honor of the occasion I'm taking them on a weekend trip to Disneyland, just the three of us.

It seems like forever since we've been to our happy place, so we're all getting pretty excited.   Even Dumbledore seems to want to go along - or maybe he just thinks luggage is cozy.

While we are celebrating our happy vacation to come, I have to be honest that my heart and thoughts are with the people of Japan. I hope that if you have friends or loved ones there that they are all safe.

Makes My Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

I try to teach my kids. I think every parent does. Teach them to face their fears and be ready for what the world has in store for them. Usually the best teaching is by example.

Drama Girl has never liked roller coasters. She can tell by looking at them that they will be too scary for her. She particularly doesn't like any ride that has big drops or can get her wet. There are a few coasters at Disneyland, but the only one she has ever consented to go on was the little one in Toontown.

Enter the cool aunt and the new uncle who joined us for a day at Disneyland. Somehow between us we talked Drama Girl into going on Splash Mountain, 50 foot drop and all. Only a huge amount of love and trust would have worked in a case like this.

For the record, Drama Girl is turning 12 next week, and most of the time I am her embarrassingly uncool mom. It's hard to be that age and have a crazy mom like me. It's hard to do things with the family when you'd rather be reading your tween magazines or shopping. Sometimes just even being with your parents is just unbearably dreadful.

So as the logs were being loaded for the ride, I stood forward and offered to sit in the front. I knew I would get wet. I knew I had one chance to make a point. So as the log reached the top of the ramp just before the plunge, I did it.

I put my hands up high in the air.

I got soaked when we hit the bottom of the flume.

I laughed. Because it was fun. And it was funny that I got so wet. We're talking all that hair that I had blow-dried to perfection in the morning, my shorts, shirt, new leather purse. Everything.

We got off the ride laughing at ourselves. Everyone turned to Drama Girl. "How did you like it?"

She looked at me and grinned. "That was great! Let's do the Matterhorn!"

From that moment forward, I started calling her coaster girl.

She lost a tooth at dinner that night. The next morning she woke up to find that Tinker Bell had left her not only a Disney dollar for her lost tooth, but an autographed picture from Ariel. She looked at it for a bit and then asked why the tooth fairy would have left it.

"Because it's Disneyland and she wanted to give you something special." [And when you slip out of the Storyteller's cafe to get a Disney dollar at the front desk of the Grand Californian hotel they go overboard and give you an autographed picture to go with it.]

She pondered this a moment and then said "I don't really need this, I'm going to give it to the first little girl I see at Disneyland who's dressed like a princess."

And she did, much to that little girl's delight.

And as we walked towards the Matterhorn (her new favorite ride) she did something I can't remember her doing for a long time -- she slipped her hand into mine. I was in heaven.

Thank you Disneyland. That's some powerful magic you've got there.

How to Have a Perfect Trip to Disneyland

First, bring some cute twins who packed matching shirts.

Add one silly, dramatic pre-teen to sing along with Snow White at her wishing well.

Hold hands.

Get excited about finding the Wall*e nickel press machine.

Play with characters.

Get autographs from your favorites.

Ask very politely if you may pilot the Mark Twain riverboat.

Sign your name on the ship's log.

Ride Jingles, the lead horse on the Carousel, who is Julie Andrews' official horse. See the little umbrella with a parrot head just behind the saddle?

Lose a tooth at Storyteller's Cafe just before the waiter surprises you with birthday cake. Find a Disney dollar under your pillow the next morning.

This is Ken. Ask Ken very politely and very quietly and he just might let you ride here in the "Lilly Belle," the private car at the end of the train. Walt Disney had this created for visiting dignitaries, and the first to ride were the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Goof around posing with the big letters in front of Disney's California Adventure.

Scream when you get caught by the "Dream Squad," and get fastpasses for every fastpass attraction at Disneyland and DCA.

Go see Oscar at Carnation Cafe and wish him happy birthday. Oscar started working at Disneyland in 1955, the year it opened. He's a great guy and the warmest most wonderful person you might ever meet. He just turned 73 and is a little vague about when he's going to retire.

For me, Oscar embodies the spirit of joy and love and family that permeates Disneyland. Seeing him and giving him birthday wishes was a wonderful way to end our trip.

Tomorrow: A little Disneyland miracle.

Rodent Reverence

a.k.a. Devotions with Disney

Try to convince me if you can, but Mitch Albom’s book, Five People You Meet in Heaven, was far from an original idea. From my very first days in Sunday School, I was planning my list of ‘Who’s Who in Heaven’ -- my absolute must-meets upon arrival. Sure you’ve got the Big Three acknowledged in the Nicene Creed; They (justifiably capitalized) were a given. No need to include the Trinity on my after-death dance card.

For years, one mustachioed, mouse-manufacturing man topped my tally. Cryogenically frozen cranium mythology aside, surely his soul would welcome my similarly disembodied hugs of gratitude at the Gates of Pearl. By that time, with heavenly accessible omniscience, he’d know how very much we shared in common: my birthday, December 3rd. His? December 5th. (Yes, December 7th is the ‘day that will live in infamy,’ but that doesn’t relate to our connectedness.) He liked making animation; I liked watching it. He viewed artists as valuable, enriching, irreplaceable individuals within a healthy society. No argument from me there. Much like my views on life, his features include moments of palpable fear, sadness, even evil -- but inevitably, the heroes and heroines seem to find the brightness, light, and goodness by movies’ end -- so long as you remember that if you whistle while you work, someday your prince will come, and that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.

What of that small-voiced Wee Cricket? Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling depiction may be more dignified; but I daresay the God of my heart isn’t bothered by my imaginings of an ever-present, ever-smiling, conscience spurring, positivity oozing supporter, and thankfully forgiver when describing the attributes I value most in my vision of the Supreme Being. Thanks, Mr. Disney.*(*Here’s hoping you and The Big Man have worked out that disturbing anti-Semitic issue. After all, you’re still on my list. ---CRL)

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Today's guest poster has been Cheryl Lage, author of the book Twinspiration. You can find the latest scoop on twins in the news and around the net at her website Twinsites. Visit her beautiful kids on her blog Twinfatuation.

She and I are often on the same wavelength and today is no exception. We had an amazing honor to visit a very special, very private place that Walt created and loved at Disneyland (no, not Club 33). I'll have the full report with pictures coming up.

The Undertwos are Under Way. . .

Today we're on the road for Disneyland. Wasabi Girl has packed five different Disneyland hats.


Then there is Drama Girl, who made me take an extra stop at the library to make sure she has enough reading material. I don't know what she'll read on the way back, because this wont last her long.



And I have one family member who's just not helpful at all when it comes to packing.


I hope we all survive. Wish us luck! I'll be posting from Disneyland and I have a few guests and surprises this week as well!

Vintage Thingies Thursday: Viewmasters

I don't know why I'm so fond of viewmasters. Maybe it's the elegant simplicity of the low tech special effects. Maybe it's because I know that it's going to be a corny picture, but I can't help looking anyway. Maybe it's the satisfying "click-swoosh" sound the lever makes when it advances the picture.

My kids have modern versions of the viewers, but I like my old blue ones. You can find these at Target and Toys R Us. Pictured above are some vintage Disneyland reels that a dear friend sent to me out of the blue. The 60's fashions are as fun to see as the attractions that no longer exist. I have a pretty good-sized collection now, so I'm just going to show some examples.

My kids are used to the fact that I'm a complete nut about gift shops. I thought Viewmasters were extinct until a few years ago when we were at Yosemite and I stumbled on them in a gift shop. I squealed. I bought all the different souvenir sets they had, and made such a scene that pretty soon most of the people in the gift shop were talking about Viewmasters. I like to embarrass my kids that way.

There's a vintage set from Crater Lake pictured here. We used to go there when I was a kid and I remember all the chipmunks. Sure enough, one of the pictures is a chipmunk.

I've picked up some oldies that I've found. The blue and white covers have very early Disneyland reels.

Some of them come with story books. Who needs a Nintendo when you have a Viewmaster? click-swoosh, click-swoosh, click-swoosh. . .

For more Vintage fun on Thursdays, visit Confessions of an Apron Queen

Sunday House Walk-through

I picked up my camera to record a few things around the house today.

First up, this bag that was under the kitchen sink is absolutely full of batteries. Every week or so I suggest we put them out for the recycling pickup. Every week we forget. This bag is going to burst soon from the weight of all these old batteries.

I got Drama Girl a new handbag that she really wanted. Then I saw it on the table and noted that she has already accessorized it with cool bling. I've resigned myself to the new truth; from here on out she will always be way cooler than I am.

Wasabi Girl and Jungle Boy in matching shirts, coordinated pants/shorts and bare feet. They like to dress alike sometimes and often ask for matching tee-shirts when we go shopping. They've got their Disney dream books slung over their shoulders. They are completely ready for our Disneyland trip, which is three weeks away.

While they were putting together their tote bags for the car trip, Jungle Boy found his mini etch-a-sketch and made this:

We're Going to Disneyland!

Last night I made reservations for our annual pilgrimage to the Happiest Place on Earth. We first took the kids when they were 3 and 4 years old, and at this point, we have as many traditions about going to Disneyland as Mr. Disney had ideas for characters.

• We've got a jar with change we've been saving up for souvenirs. The kids have already rolled most of it. Sometimes grandparents contribute. Looks like somebody slipped in a fiver.

• We've got our list of Disney movies, so we can watch old favorites before the trip.
• We've got our list of penny press machines; my favorite cheap souvenirs.
• I've got up-to-the-minute information from one of my favorite websites, Laughing Place. If you visit there, keep your eye on the pictures at the top of the page and you might even see a picture or two of me.
  
• Just before the trip, I'll strategize how to avoid all the long lines by using a brilliant bit of software called Ridemax. This is a must! Besides saving you hours of time waiting in lines, it's just darn fun to play with.
  
• The kids each have a personalized tote bag, which they'll fill with things to keep them busy in the car during the 7 hour ride. This picture is from 2004, when Drama Girl was a bit smaller. I also made them Disney pillows and character quilts for our trips. Go ahead, I know you want to say it. . .'overkill.' One thing we do not have in the car is a dvd player. Ask my kids, and they'll tell you getting there is half the fun. Maybe because they bring half their bedrooms along.
  

• I'll make a shopping trip before we go and wrap up some surprise gifts for the road.
• I'll load up the car with Disneyland CDs including Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth. You really can't imagine what it sounds like when we're all belting out "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" at the top of our lungs.
  
• I'll make reservations for breakfast at Goofy's kitchen. This is the best place to meet characters.
  

• And if the stars align, I just might get reservation to Club 33. My husband has a friend with a corporate membership. Never been there? Neither had I, until a friend took me. It's the private club Walt built upstairs from Pirates of the Caribbean. Before I die, I want this plate:

• It's so fancy there, they serve you things like this; it's so fancy I can't even remember what it was, but I took a picture of it.

Anticipation is so much fun. I'm as excited as the kids. I love Disneyland!