Crafty Monday: Creation, the Flood, and Personality August 27, 2013

In this post: Our first two weeks of school. Our schedule. A craft for the states, creation, and Noah’s ark. “About Me” crafts etc…

Hello dear ones! We’re a few weeks into third grade over here. It’s been rather different from lower grades. We’ve started a stricter schedule which we’ve kept all of two days. Still we’ve had somewhat better structure than usual. Above you’ll see the silhouette portrait  we did of Michael. Inside it he drew his favorite things. We put this on the wall in his homeschool room.

I’ve introduced a few new ideas that I’ve come up with and also found on other blogs.

In the mornings before school officially starts, Michael writes the date in his calendar book.

http://www.ouraussiehomeschool.com/2012/03/calendar-notebook.html

He also checks the weather on my tablet and records the temperature and…

the weather.

Michael filled out this “Glad to Be in Grade 3” paper from:

http://thirdgradethinkers8.blogspot.com/2011/09/writing-in-third-grade.html

I haven’t did this everyday like I wanted to but I’ve started incorporating “outdoor challenges”.  Here’s Michael watching the ants, his first challenge.

The first week we talked about Creation. So Michael learned about hot and cool colors by drawing the sun and moon.

http://kidsartists.blogspot.com/2009/08/warm-sun-cool-moon.html

We also began our study of the USA regions and states. 

I made prayer sticks for prayer time.

Second, outdoor challenge: tree bark rubbings.

We began “Draw and Write Through History”.

Michael drew a creation scene.

We took school pictures but I’ll show you those Sunday (Lord willing). We tried to pinpoint the estimated location of the Garden of Eden. There’s no way to know exactly where it would be. It’s guess work.

Then we put a pin on our Biblical World History chart.

I’ve been reading old books at story time and also books from wegivebooks.org

Michael and Tessa

Our homeschool group started up again. We signed up for our host days.

• Alabama’s capitol in sprinkles 🙂

From: http://www.gimmesomestyleblog.com/diy-sprinkles-art/

• Outdoor challenge: figure out who our spider is. We have this beautiful green spider living on a flower.  We found out that it’s a green lynx spider.

• The second week we talked about Noah’s ark. Michael drew this picture from his drawing book.

Hannah hosted our first homeschool meeting. We had an “All about Me” day.

The kids made mobiles about themselves. Here’s Hannah’s.

Michael and his buddy Liam.

Hannah read a silly book about liking ourselves…even if we have crazy hair and a pig’s nose etc…

Michael and his mobile. His talked about faith, his family, the computer, and pizza. All his favorites :).

Michael with the nursing home volunteers where we play bingo. We didn’t help over the Summer so everyone was happy to see him.

Well, there wasn’t much to share this time but things are going to get real fun when we get into our country studies (not at the group but at home this time). Lord willing, we will be studying Egypt and many other countries through time from Creation to the 1800’s.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Next: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/crafty-monday-the-tower-of-babel-the-rats-of-nimh/

Last in series: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-1800s-week-6-heading-west-the-final-week/

My Family Rocks! Sunday: My Hometown August 25, 2013

In this post: A visit to my small hometown and recipes for Cherry Crisp and Spinach Rice Casserole. Come hang out 🙂

Oh, how I’d love to take my friends back with me to my hometown. It’s not a place I’d want to live anymore…too many memories. But it’s nice to visit. So where would I take you if we went?

• First, I’d take you to meet my grandparents & family because they are amazing.

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture when Michael and I met my Mema and Grandpa at the Huddle House. We also saw my cousin and his wife and baby. Eating at the Huddle House is sort of a family tradition. By the way, the Jesup Huddle House is the # 1 Huddle House in Georgia (USA)! In case you don’t know, the Huddle House is a 24 diner with greasy but tasty food.

So I did get pictures of my Granny and her new husband and home. She married my step dad’s dad (after my parents married).

It was nice watching the birds and a squirrel from the dining room window. It’s been 27 years since my Grandaddy died. Granny is adjusting well to marriage.

Here’s grandpa Hubert. He’s getting used to Granny’s huge family and dozens of grandchildren (great and even great great).

• My Granny (mom’s mother) lives in the city. So while in the city I’d take you to see the little  red caboose. Jesup came about because of the railroad that runs through the town. You’ll also see that there’s a church on every corner basically.

Neat pic of dog tags left on the tree.

• I’d show you some of my old haunts. Here’s just one. The park across from Dairy Queen used to have a nice gazebo and archway.  Kids in the youth group would carry their girlfriends under it and joke about marriage.  Chris and I had dates here. Sadly, I found it and many places ran down. It made me want to cry.

There’s a turtle in the fountain. The gazebo isn’t even there anymore.  😦

• We would then drive to the outskirts of Jesup out in the country. You’d meet my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Joe and cousins.

Here’s my cousin Ricky playing around with Michael. Michael got so dirty playing in the yard. My cousin BJ (Billie) in the corner. She’s about to graduate. I feel old.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Charlotte built so much of their home themselves. Uncle Joe still works hard despite his lung disease. He truly is a trooper. Aunt Charlotte can cook anything and make it taste good…even things you may not want to try. My husband swears that squirrel is yummy. I don’t think I’ve eaten any and hope I haven’t unless I got slipped some here lol. My redneck husband adores these family members. I caught my first fish with this beloved Aunt and Uncle.

Their land is a bit swampy so you can find frogs everywhere and that’s fortunate for me. I happen to get great joy out of catching frogs…even though I throw them back now.

We visited their hog which was near the corn field.

• That night I would take you to one of the few Drive in’s in Georgia. I have so many fond memories of the Jesup Drive In.

Michael and I saw the Smurfs 2. It was a week day and very quiet but on the weekend the place is packed. It is the happening place to be in a town that didn’t get it’s only Walmart until I was in Highschool.

It has new owners since I was a kid and now they have a very retro theme. You can order food on your phone and the car hop will bring it to you. So we just had to get pizza, popcorn, and a rootbeer float. Yumm! Oh and the movie won’t start until it’s dark. So though starting time was supposed to be 8:30 we had to wait a bit on the sun to sink on our side of the field (they have two screens on opposite sides). Thankfully we were near the bathroom. It always stinks having to walk halfway across the field to get to the bathroom late at night.

• Then we would drive to Ludowici, where my Dad grew up. We would see my Grandpa Way (Dad’s father) and Grandma Betty (Step grandma). Yes, I have three sets of grandparents. Mema being Dad’s mother.

Michael and Grandma Betty playing cards. They also played with the legendary chess set that I played with as a kid. It’s made of some sort of stone and looks like dragons and knights etc. They have faces carved on them.

They live out in the country and near a small country church that has a big cemetery with some of the “Way” family ancestors from the 1800’s!  Way is my maiden name by the way…no pun intended.  But they are not of the redneck branch. You’ll find trinkets from their trip to Mexico everywhere and the house always reminded me of a spanish castle. I had fun pretending as a kid.

I was sad to drive up and see the wall torn down and the big pool filled with dirt and flowers. They can’t keep up with it anymore. So much is changing. I used to spend my Summers swimming in the big pool. But I’m glad my grandparents aren’t burdened by the pool anymore.

• We would look at my Family history and genealogy. Grandpa Way would take out the family books.

Me and Grandpa Way.

You’d see that some of my relatives came from France. We could trace when they came to America.

We could see who they married and when they died. We’d also read stories about my great great grandpa B. Way who was a lawyer and wrote some rather outspoken literature. We’d see that his ears looks like my Dad’s and that eccentricity runs in my family :).  The stories are quite amusing. I guess writing is in my blood!

Oh, and expect to be fed at all of my grandparents. We’d also have lots of free places to sleep.

• On the drive back to Jesup, I’d point to the mill (which you’d have smelled already) and say “that’s how you know you’re getting close to Jesup. You smell the mill.”

Some people claim that the smell of Rayonier is the smell of money. I think it’s just stinky! Don’t fish near the mill or drink the water there!

• Then I’d take you to the cemetery that my Dad is buried in and one day I may be buried there too.

I would tell you how great my Dad was. We’d put some more flowers on his grave. I’d point to the grave beside him and talk about my Papa who died when I was thirteen. My Dad wanted to be buried by his step dad who really was like a Dad to him. I could say the same about my Papa.  He was such a humble man.

You’d notice that the cemetery is peaceful and quiet. Maybe you’d contemplate life and death and the reality of eternity.  Behind my Dad’s grave we’d see the grave of a small child. I know the story of that child’s death and it’s a sad one. You never know when you’re time will come. I know other people in the cemetery too. I’d send a message to Jesus and ask him to give it to my Dad. “Please tell him that I love and miss him. I can’t wait to see him. He’d be so proud of his grandson.”

• There are many places I could show you but our trip is a short one. We had to head to Disney World. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of my home town. When I get mad there I may call it po dunk but there are fond memories too. It wasn’t that bad of a place to grow up. It was relatively safe. It was nice having a country upbringing. Before we left I’d also take you to the Vet’s office to see my Aunt Lynn but I forgot to take pictures. We could go to Screven and meet my husband’s family.

You can learn more about my in laws and my husband’s upbringing here:  https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/thanksgiving-blessings-advent-prep/

So now onto the yummy recipes I tried recently!

Cherry Crisp

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cheery-Cherry-Crisp

Spinach Rice Casserole

http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-spinach-parmesan-rice-bake-96886

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Inspirational Wednesday: First Love August 21, 2013

Hello dear ones! Last time we talked about idolatry. Today we will look at the book of Hosea. Here’s a synopsis. Hosea is a prophet of God who is told to marry a harlot. The harlot  Gomer (I keep thinking of Gomer Pyle), leaves Hosea and goes back to playing the prostitute. Hosea actually goes and buys back his wife. Why would God tell His prophet to marry a whore? We see through out the book of Hosea that God uses Hosea’s marriage as an illustration of God’s dealings with Israel. God being the husband and His people Israel being the adulterous wife.  Wow, to be a prophet back then. Think that’s wild? You should read Ezekiel!

By Wingchi Poon (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

• We see that God is a jealous God. He will do whatever it takes to bring back His own. In Israel’s case, God disciplines them by letting them go into captivity. God’s umbrella of protection is removed because of their habitual disobedience and idolatry.

^“1 REJOICE NOT, O Israel, with exultation as do the peoples, for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved +[a harlot’s+] hire upon every threshing floor +[ascribing the harvest to the Baals instead of to God+].

² The threshing floor and the winevat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them.

³ They shall not remain in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim shall return to +[another+] Egypt and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.” Hosea 9:1-3 Amplified

• We see that God is merciful over and over again. Just as Hosea buys back His wife, the Lord buys his people back. We ultimately see this in the New covenant when He buys us back with the blood of Jesus. The book of Hosea is directly to Israel but it is indirectly for all God’s people. The gentiles are brought in later under the blood of the new covenant. We  see that God will restore Israel to Him completely. I believe that will happen when the Lord returns in the last days and they realize Jesus is Messiah.

^“16 And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi +[my Husband+], and you shall no more call Me Baali +[my Baal+].

¹⁷ For I will take away the names of Baalim +[the Baals+] out of her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned {or} seriously remembered by their name.

¹⁸ And in that day will I make a covenant for Israel with the living creatures of the open country and with the birds of the heavens and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword and +[abolish battle equipment and+] conflict out of the land and will make you lie down safely.

¹⁹ And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.

²⁰ I will even betroth you to Me in stability {and} in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord.

²¹ And in that day I will respond, says the Lord; I will respond to the heavens +[which ask for rain to pour on the earth+], and they shall respond to the earth +[which begs for the rain it needs+],

²² And the earth shall respond to the grain and the wine and the oil +[which beseech it to bring them forth+], and these shall respond to Jezreel +[restored Israel, who prays for a supply of them+].

²³ And I will sow her for Myself anew in the land, and I will have love, pity, {and} mercy for her who had not obtained love, pity, {and} mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people, and they shall say, You are my God!“

Hosea 2:16 -23

By Brocken Inaglory (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

• We’ve seen that sometimes God will remove His hand of blessing in order to bring us back to Him when we stray.
• I want to take a detour real quick and say that God wants to be pursued and loved as number one. Humans are made in the image of God. We have a bit of his essence and character in us. All of creation points to who God is. Like an artist who leaves his mark, we can see God’s fingerprints all over us.
• Women show a special part of God. Science proves that men and women are different especially in the way we think. We can see different sides of God by looking at the needs and characteristics of each gender. We can also learn about God by how the curse left us empty. Men and women were affected differently by the curse. Men were cursed to failure and women to loneliness. The books “Captivated” and “Wild at Heart” have a good bit to say on this subject. Praise God, Jesus came to break the curse!
• The curse is interesting because it was caused by idolatry. Adam and Eve trusted in themselves instead of God. They wanted to be gods. By rebelling against God they were cursed with an emptiness that can only be filled by God himself. Think about how Men desperately need respect and women desperately need love.
• Before you start thinking this is a dictatorship I want you to consider the quote below. My friend, the Bible is a love story. We’re living the greatest love story ever!

“What a comfort to know that this universe we live in is relational at it’s core, that our God is a tenderhearted God who yearns for relationship with us. If you have any doubt about that , simply look at the message he sent is in Woman. Amazing. Not only does God long for us, but he longs to be loved by us.” ~ Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

“God wants to be loved. He wants to be a priority to someone. How could we have missed this? From cover to cover, from beginning to end, the cry of God’s heart is, ‘Why won’t you choose me?‘ It is amazing to me how humble, how vulnerable God is on this point. ‘You will find me,’ says the Lord, ‘when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jer. 29:13). In other words, ‘Look for me, pursue me–I want you to pursue me.’ Amazing. As Tozer says, ‘God waits to be wanted’.”

~Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

By Vassil (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

• The story of Hosea is beautiful. In it we realize that God isn’t a dictator. God is a lover who simply wants us to be faithful in our love to Him.
• In this twisted modern culture, adultery is celebrated. Selfishness is celebrated. It shouldn’t be so. Maybe you can understand why a spouse would commit adultery when their spouse is severely flawed. That’s not quite as bad you may say.
• But think about this: Our God made every part of us. Every good thing comes from God. We would not have brains to think, mouths to speak, and eyes to see with out Jesus. We would not have coffee to drink, clouds to watch, and emotions to feel if God had not made them.  Our Creator is a faithful and good “husband”. He takes care of all our needs. He shed His own blood to buy us back from sin. If anyone deserves faithfulness it is Jesus Christ.
• Think about your own relationships. How do you feel when you are neglected? Ignored? Cheated on? Put on the back burner? Don’t you want to be someone’s soul mate? Don’t you want them to have eyes just for you? God’s feelings are so much stronger and He deserves that kind of affection more than we ever could.

So when you are hurt by a friend or spouse, think about how Jesus feels when we treat Him the same.  Human beings can’t satisfy your soul. They will fail and you will fail. Why not give your life to Jesus, the only one who can satisfy? He will be there when every one else leaves you lonely. He wants your faithful friendship. He loves you.

• When we are judged, it is those that know  Jesus that will enter into God’s kingdom. Notice in Matthew 7: 21-23 that these people had done great works in God’s name but  Jesus didn’t know them. (Amplified version)

^“21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

²² Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

²³ And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly +[disregarding My commands+].”

By Domènec Leal (Fotografia propia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

• Lastly, I leave you with the letter to the Church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation 2:2-5 Amplified version.

^“2 I know your industry {and} activities, laborious toil {and} trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked +[men+] and have tested {and} critically appraised those who call +[themselves+] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors {and} liars.

³ I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not fainted {or} become exhausted {or} grown weary.

⁴ But I have this +[one charge to make+] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first +[you have deserted Me, your first love+].

⁵ Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously +[when first you knew the Lord+], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind {and} repent.”

• Keep in mind that this was written to a real church in Asia minor. The church at Ephesus was great at works and apologetics but they were missing something. They had forgotten what it mean’t to know the Lord. They were so busy working for God that they didn’t spend time with God.
• Some say the lampstand is the Holy Spirit and salvation itself but lets take this in context. As I said, Ephesus (and the other six churches mentioned in Revelation) was a real church in Asia Minor. We see in verse 1 of the second chapter in the Amplified version of the Bible that the church itself was the lamp stand.

By Alex from Ithaca (Father and Son) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Is Jesus your first love? Are you spending time with him or have idols become your heart’s desire? Today I pray that we will all return to our first love, Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Disney World Day Four August 18, 2013

Dear ones, join me for Disney memories and how to dress like a Disney princess (the adult way). This is the last day of our Disney adventure !

Our final day we went to Animal Kingdom.

I decided to where my Lion King shirt.

• The Lion King musical ~ we missed our fast pass time for the show but we still found a seat. Again I didn’t give enough time for the bus wait and ride.  Anywho, the Lion King was a spectacular show.

When I planned our trip I had thought we would skip Animal Kingdom and just do two theme parks. A friend of Chris’ mentioned how great the park was so I changed my mind. I figured it would just be a big zoo.  But Animal Kingdom was a cultural experience.  It was fun walking through the streets.

• The drummers in the Africa section were fun and people stopped to dance in the street. Michael and I danced a bit while walking. The shops had an authentic feel too. If it wasn’t for the Disney merchandise I’d think we were in another country.

• Safari ~ The safari was neat. We rode in a jeep through a replic of the African Savannah. It was beautiful and the animals looked so natural. Even the big cats looked free but they were in an enclosure though for safety reasons but I couldn’t tell. I had to ask how they kept the lions from hurting people. The safer animals roamed freely. Once an ostrich caused a road block.

Rhino

Hippopotamuses

Crocodile

Baby giraffes

The lonely Ox

Elephants

Flamingos

A sleepy lion

Pumbaa ;P…a warthog

Zebra bottoms

• We took a walk down one of the trails and got to see many other animals.

Monkeying around as usual…

The naked mole rats

So cute!

There were so many beautiful birds.

I’m not sure what kind they are but they make the neatest nests.

Lots of fish

Quack quack!

Another hippo!

A very lazy gorilla…

In the jungle the mighty jungle…

Michael playing the drums.

The tree of Life~ if you look close you can see all the animals carved into it.

• Meeting Pooh Bear and Tigger!

This was exciting for me. I think Pooh was surprised that I wanted to get in the picture. I’m just a big kid.

Tigger blew me a kiss. Now Chris has to worry about Mickey and Tigger 😉 lol JK. It’s nice that the characters humor adults as well.

• Finding Nemo the musical~ So we caught one last show with fast pass and it was plenty to keep us out of the heat.

The costumes and effects were just great. The actors did really well.

I love the big costumes and props they have…like this big bird.

• Dinosaur Land

We were exhausted so we didn’t do much here except play in the bone yard.

• We ended our day at the resort. My feet were still sore and we needed a rest. I had pizza delivered to our room and some chocolate cake. We watched t.v., ate, and then I napped a bit. It was so nice to relax.

That evening we finally checked out Pop Century’s arcade (at our resort).

We also explored the different areas and eras of the resort.

There were so many fun statues.

We ended the night by trying out the other two pools on the other side of the resort. Here’s the Hippy Dippy pool in the 60’s section.

And the bowling pool in the 50’s section :).

We had a good night sleep and the next day I drove home. It was supposed to be a 6 1/2 hour trip but turned into 8 hours because I kept getting sleepy and pulling over. The interstate was too monotonous. Next time I have to drive I’m taking the scenic route.  I was so happy to finally get home and see my hubby. The animals were happy to see us too.  It was a nice trip but I always get homesick after a couple of days.

Thanks dears ones for joining us on our Disney adventure :).  Thank you for your prayers and I’m so glad I could share this with you.

God bless & remember the High King lives ! ~Amber Dover

PS: Here’s links to the beginning of this series.

Day One of our Disney World Adventure

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/disney-world-day-one/

Amber’s Guide to Disney with Pain and on a Budget

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/ambers-guide-to-disney-with-pain-and-on-a-budget/

Disney World Day Three August 16, 2013

Dear ones, join me for Disney memories and how to dress like a Disney princess (the adult way). This is day three of four, of our Disney adventure !

We spent day three at Animation Studios. I decided to go with a Princess and the Frog/ Mardi Gras theme: a purple top, a peacock headband (have to zoom in to see it), green earrings, and a Princess Tiana fake tattoo.

Michael went with a Hawaiian Goofy: Hawaiian shirt and hat. Goofy is his favorite character.

We missed our first show on Fast Pass because I miscalculated bus times. So we decided to meet a character while we waited for the next show.  We were pleased as punch to see Mickey Mouse!

Mickey wanted Michael’s hat. 😛

He gave me a kiss before we left…again, my inner five year old was turning flips.

• Be prepared for several pics. You already know that I love Beauty and the Beast. We enjoyed the musical.

Gaston thinking about how cool he is.

Be our guest! Be our guest!

Beast’s castle

Let’s kill the beast!

Oh no! Don’t die beast!

Mama, it’s a man!

I’m so glad you’re not furry anymore!

Happily ever after :).

• Star Tours ~ So I didn’t get pictures of this ride because we were rushing with our fast pass. But we did catch a glimpse of Darth Vader at the Jedi training academy. It was a very brief glimpse. Michael had a blast on Star Tours.

The Muppet show was closed but I did get a nice pic of this muppet fountain.

• Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area

Michael riding an ant. This was one of his favorite areas.

• We took a snack break in the Writer’s Cafe. Here’s Michael with his decaf iced mocha something or other and a Mickey ears brownie.  It was a quiet place to relax.

• Disney Junior live on stage!

Princess Sophia caused it to snow!

Here’s Doc Mcstuffins.

This time we got bubbles!

Jake and the Neverland Pirates!

Gold doubloons! 

Minnie’s birthday party.

• Lights, Motors, Action! stunt show

So I had a hard time with this show. At one point they had a stunt with a fake sniper and a lot of fake gunfire. I was ready to shove Michael under a bench and hide. I really got upset. My panic attack kept getting worse and I felt like I was going to hurl so we left the show early. Michael was upset but he agreed that Mommy was more important than cars.

We did however see several cool stunts and even Lightening McQueen. It was just too loud and scary for me.

• AMC Fork and Dine Theater~ It’s a good thing we left early because if not we would’ve missed our dinner reservations completely. It took awhile for our Downtown Disney bus to get to us and we waited in the wrong bus line for 15 minutes. Buses from the parks don’t go to Downtown Disney. So we had to catch a bus to our resort and then catch another bus from there to Downtown.

So we were already late for our reservation to eat dinner while watching the movie “Planes” in 3D at the Fork and Dine theater. We literally ran from one end of down town to the other. It was painful. Since we were late they almost didn’t know where to seat us but it worked out. I was too tired to pay attention to the movie but I was thankful to have a comfy seat and a good meal. It was such a peaceful meal. The other restaurants looked crowded and chaotic. So we never tried the Rain forest or Dinosaur restaurant but I’m glad we chose the theater. It was comfy :).

I never had the time to take a pic of the AMC but here’s other pics from downtown. This is the Disney Quest interactive adventure and the cirque du le tent. I had vouchers for Disney Quest and didn’t realize it in time. We were so tired afterwards and it was extremely crowded so we didn’t do much of anything but window shop.

This would’ve been neat but look how crowded it was.

The Lego store (which was too crowded and too expensive to enjoy) has Lego statues everywhere.

The World of Disney was a huge Disney store. Yet again it was too crowded and pricey to enjoy. We didn’t buy anything at this outing and chose not to go back to downtown.

The Disney Christmas store. If only we were rich…..even so I’m not sure I could pay so much for an ornament.

I’m sure downtown would be great during a different time of the year and if we had money to burn. There were street musicians and hot air balloon rides. I also think I could’ve enjoyed it if I was by myself. I was so busy keeping Michael safe in the crowd that I was stressed out.  My feet were blistered a bit when we got back to the resort.  I rested a bit before taking Michael to the pool.  We had thought of visiting Magic Kingdom again after the parade but were too pooped to party.

I’d say day three was the hardest day. So heed my advice and give yourself plenty of wait time for buses and time for the bus to get to your destination. Sometimes you need an hour and a half because you have to walk from the theme park to the bust stop…wait for 20 minutes (or more depending on the line) and you may have to catch two buses. Also know where you’re going. We had no clue the AMC was at the far end of where the bus dropped us off.

I’d also say to be aware of the affects in certain shows. Research online before you go.  We had to go to Disney at one of the busiest times but if you can hold out a  couple of weeks later I’m sure there’d be less crowds….say after school has started.

Thankfully this was the only rough day we had at Disney. Tomorrow I’ll post our final day. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Day Two: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/disney-world-day-two/

Day Four: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/disney-world-day-four/

Disney World Day Two August 15, 2013

Dear ones, join me for Disney memories and how to dress like a Disney princess (the adult way). This is day two of four, of our Disney adventure :).

Day two I decided to dress like Belle with a yellow top, pink pants, a rose necklace, and pink heart earrings. I wore my hair up fancy and sported a fake “Belle” tattoo. Yeah, adults aren’t allowed to dress in full costume at Disney unless you work there. So this is as close as I got.

I wanted to prepare for our lunch at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant. Michael dressed as a pirate and I painted his face.

We took a kid’s devotional to do in the mornings.

We  packed some snacks in the ol’ fanny pack and we were ready to go!

Michael looking cool at our resort.

• Be Our Guest restaurant

So if you compare yesterdays pics you can tell this place was a lot busier during the day. On the right there is a long line with people holding umbrellas to keep from burning. We are nearly in the gate. We waited over an hour and a half to eat at this restaurant. The wait was painful but worth it. Enjoy the pics of this new area in Fantasyland :).

Finally inside…the suits of armor talk back n’ forth to each other. Some cough and snore. It’s funny.

The decor is very regal.

This is the room where you put your order on the computer and also pay. Then they give you a rose to take to your table. It lets them know where to bring your food.

Michael had Mickey Meatloaf and I had a delicious pork roast with mashed potatoes and green beans. It was so worth the price. I just wish I could’ve boxed what I didn’t finish.

There are three rooms and we ate in the ballroom. It was like stepping into the movie.

You can see the angels painted on the ceiling!

The windows are magical. It looks like it’s dark outside and snowing. Really it’s blazing hot Summer.

The dessert was yummy and honestly we could’ve split it but we each got our own. We had a rich chocolate cupcake with a raspberry on top.

Here I am. I’m glad I took a sweater for inside. Michael and I sat near an older woman and her college aged son. She was touched by the two of us dining together. She said it reminded her of when she took her son at 6 years old to Disney just them two (after her husband died). Now her son is graduating from college and they were there again. I was glad we brought back good memories. I enjoy my little dates with my son.

After we ate, we were allowed to take pictures of the other two rooms. This is the West Wing and again the details are phenomenal. You can see the picture of the Beast as a prince, all ripped up.

Here’s without flash.

Here’s the enchanted rose and the magic mirror.

Everything is shredded and has that cursed look.

This is the Rose Room and I believe it’s reserved for supper time. You need to get a reservation way ahead of time.  The middle of the room is like a giant music box. Belle and the Beast dance in the middle and there’s a little tune that plays.

Pictures of the couple are all over the Rose room.

It’s really lovely.

The stained glass window from the movie. If you’re going to Disney I suggest that you eat at “Be Our Guest”. It’s worth the price and it’s a great experience.

• Belle’s Cottage/ Enchanted Tales with Belle

We waited 40 minutes to see Belle at her cottage. It sprinkled on us some but I was determined to see Belle at Magic Kingdom.

A picture of Belle and her mother.

A magical mirror opened a passage to the Beast’ castle.

Here we find the talking dresser. Our guide took different props out of the drawers so the kids could play characters from Beauty and the Beast. It’s supposed to be Belle’s anniversary so they’re putting on a play for her. The kids that participated got to have their picture with Belle.

We enter the library and Lumiere the candlestick gives us directions before Belle comes in.

This little girl is playing the beast. I’ve got them dancing on video. You can see a bigger picture of Belle at the beginning of this post.

This little girl is playing Maurice in the dungeon. I wish I would’ve had more time to take pictures of the library. It was beautiful. Sadly we never met the Beast.

• Alice in Wonderland Hedge

• Cinderella’s Castle during the day

• The Hall of Presidents

This was a neat show. Michael actually wanted to see it. I thought it might be boring but it was inspiring and little man really liked it.

• Captain Jack Sparrow put on a show for aspiring pirates. We watched just a bit and left. The actor did well….though he’s no Johnny Depp.

• The Swiss Robinson Tree House ~ there wasn’t a line to tour this attraction. It’s one of the older attractions and it helps to know the book first.

• Tinkerbell and Terrance

I wish I had taken off the fanny pack and sweater before taking these pics….ugg. We waited 30 to 40 minutes to meet Tinkerbell & Terrance. They both stayed in character and I was all giddy. I had to remind my inner five year old that they were just actors.

Tinkerbell trying to convince Michael to be a good pirate like Jake and the Neverland pirates. Michael wanted to side with Captain Hook. I told her I was going to convert him :).

She blew us both a kiss as we left and I really expected to have a bit of pixie dust on my shoulder…maybe fly to the next ride.

• Animation Studios ~ We rode Pirates of the Caribbean once more and then caught a bus to Animation Studios. The place was all decked out to celebrate the new movie Monster’s University.

• A Monster’s University Rock Concert

• Mike and Sully on stage

• The Little Mermaid show

Ariel and Eric

• Toy Story friends ~ there was a long line to meet Buzz and Woody so we just didn’t. There were a couple of toy soldiers in the street though.  We didn’t have to wait really at all. So we got this guy’s autograph and some neat pics with him.

• Free Pirate Food~ So we decided to indulge in popcorn, a cookie, and some soda. It was all free! The cashier asked Michael to give his best piratey “arrrrrrrrr” and so the snacks were complimentary. I love Disney people. They are so stinkin’ nice! Here’s Michael giving me a piratey show.

• Random pics at Animation Studios

• And we ended the day with sandwiches in the room and a bubble bath for Michael.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Join us tomorrow for Day Three.

Day One: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/disney-world-day-one/

Day Three: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/disney-world-day-three/

Disney World Day One August 14, 2013

Dear ones, join me for Disney memories and how to dress like a Disney princess (the adult way). This is day one of four, of our Disney adventure :).

So last Wednesday, little man and I drove from my home town to Orlando Florida, all the way to Disney World. We stayed at Disney’s Pop Century resort. Disney people really are nice. The man at the gate to the resort commented on my shirt. Just everyone was so nice. I was impressed at the welcome we got just driving. The signs are cute.

Parking and check in was easy. We checked in online too so that made things quicker. I was in awe at how big the resort was. Check in reminded me of an airport. There were so many desks. The man who helped us was super sweet and very enthusiastic. We were given magic bands (they are so simple to use) and a welcome kit.  He showed us on a map where to park etc. We pulled around to our parking lot which was very close. Our magic band opened our hotel room. I just touched the band to the lock.

We didn’t go to Magic Kingdom first thing. I was tired from the drive. Michael watched Disney Jr while I got situated and read our packets.  Here are pics of our room:

If you read yesterday’s post you know I bought cheap Disney items to surprise Michael. One of them was this stuffed Pluto which became a quick bedtime buddy for lil man. I laid them out on the bed while he closed his eyes. The helicopter  was a gift from cousins.

After resting a good bit, we tried out the pool. We had a pool view and that was nice.

We were in the 80’s section. Pop Century is split up into different themes from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. We got the computer pool. There’s a big Walkman statue.

You can see a big computer to the right.

See the big floppy disk statue?

I decided on a Snow White clothing theme (Snow White shirt from Walmart, Red earrings, and a red hat). We didn’t wear our Mickey ears because they kept sliding off. The Disney version looked like they’d feel just as annoying.

I also sported a fake Cinderella tattoo. I didn’t have Snow White.

By the time we ate dinner in the cafeteria it was late. We waited a bit to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived right as the electrical parade was starting (about 9 pm). It was so dark that I didn’t see the maps. So we basically had no plan the first night. We just wandered around!

We did our best to leave the parade early but the streets were blocked. We hurried to Adventureland  and rode Aladdin’s carpet ride before the crowds came. We also rode Pirate’s of the Caribbean. We virtually had no waiting time which was a huge difference from the next day.

The Wishes fireworks show began at 10 pm and it was super crowded. We missed some of it because we were being herded like cattle  walking through the crowds. As pretty as it was, I never want to experience that again.

The good news is that after the fireworks people began to clear out. I had no clue where to go first. A nice cashier at a concession stand stopped me and asked where we were going (we were going against the crowd). I told him I had no idea. He showed me a quicker way to Tomorrowland so we went there. We went straight to Monster’s Inc laugh floor for the comedy show. It was good to sit down and take a breather after the crowds.

Then we hurried through the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Again, hardly any waiting.

Next, we zipped over to The Mad Hatter’s Teacup ride. We were racing to all the rides we could before closing at 12 am.

Dumbo’s circus ride

I was surprised how easy it was to get around the park when the crowds left. I didn’t need the map. It was like a big wheel. We hurried to Fantasyland and rode Journey of the Little Mermaid. Again I was so thankful we rode our favorite rides that night when the streets were practically empty.

Michael by the Gaston fountain. You can tell how empty the place is. We could not have taken these next pictures during the day. It was way too crowded.

Be Our Guest restaurant and the Beast’s castle in the background. The next day we waited over an hour and a half to eat there.

Here I am in front of Cinderella’s castle.

Through the Castle but not inside. I never saw inside. I think it’s a restaurant.

Michael with Goofy (his favorite character). We bought a Goofy stuffed animal at a gas station on the way home (still cheaper than the Disney store).

Michael, Mickey Mouse, and Walt Disney….right before closing. The first picture in this post was taken by a nice family. We also took a picture for them.

The streets of Disney’s Magic Kingdom…

Michael that night with his buddy Pluto.

Despite the crowds it was a good start to our vacation. We got back to our resort after 1 am. The Disney bus felt completely safe. I’d say the whole resort was safer than my front yard at night. Because we had ridden so many rides, it felt fine to sleep in the next morning. Join us for day two tomorrow. 🙂

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Disney tips ~reserve a seat for the parades…preferably at a restaurant which needs to be done about 6 months ahead of time. Stay after the fireworks and the crowd leaves…especially if Extra Magic Hours are there the next morning.

Disney Prep: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/ambers-guide-to-disney-with-pain-and-on-a-budget/

Day Two: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/disney-world-day-two/

Disney Countdown #1: 

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/crafty-monday-disney-countdownpinocchio-the-princess-and-the-frog/

Last post in Disney Countdown: 

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/an-early-crafty-monday-disney-countdown-aladdin-the-lion-king-winnie-the-pooh/

Amber’s Guide to Disney with Pain and on a Budget August 13, 2013

Dear ones prepare for a week of Disney World posts. I’m starting with logistics. How to prep for Disney when you’re on a budget and also when you have chronic pain. This is how I did it and survived ;).

• Disney on a Budget

First, I read a lot of Disney blogs for ideas on how to pack. You can find them all on my Pinterest here:

http://pinterest.com/doverette/disney/

A big money eater is the food, though the restaurants weren’t as expensive as I thought they’d be. We settled to have one big meal a day from Disney. Every now and then we indulged in an ice cream or cookie at Disney. The rest we brought with us. We ate several PB&J sandwiches. Here’s a list of what we brought:

• Bread
• PB & J
• packaged tuna salad
• bags of chips
• cranberries
• dried fruit
• cookies
• whales crackers
• peanuts
• granola bars
• tea bags (never used these)
• water
• drink packets to flavor the water

I brought Disney themed food and plates to add to the fun.

• plates
• utensils (plastic knife to spread PB&J!)
• cups
• napkins
• wet wipes
• water bottles (including a flat plastic pouch that you can clip to your belt etc)
• sandwich bags
• plastic bags (for trash)

We only spent $30 something for Michael and I at “Be Our Guest” and it was so worth it. We had two pizza meals from our Resort (Pop Century). Honestly, an adult pizza stick meal would’ve been plenty for us both but I bought a kids meal before I realized it.  The pizza delivery was huge but we ate on it awhile. The night before the last we ate in Downtown Disney at the AMC Fork and Dine theater. It was also a little over 30 and well worth it because we also watched “Planes” while we had a big dinner. We had a snack at a cafe to get out of the heat. We indulged in a cookie, popcorn, and soda but it was all free because Michael “arrred” like a pirate for the cashier. He was also dressed as a pirate. Disney people are so nice.

We split an ice cream at animal kingdom. But for the most part we had breakfast and lunch in the room. Once we had a light supper (after eating at Be Our Guest). I carried cookies and water with us most of the time. For the most part we were thirsty instead of hungry. So we didn’t snack much except in the room. We refilled our water at the fountains.

Note* You can see in the picture below that Michael has a wrist band (the white one). I made that with contact paper and I wrote all his information on it (my phone number etc). I stapled it together. He never got lost but if he had that would’ve helped.

• We also saved money by choosing a value resort. We loved the Pop Century resort. It was clean and fit our budget.

The staff were peppy and sweet. The cafeteria was a bit pricey but tasty. Pizza delivery was great. The best part about staying at a Disney Resort was the free transportation. Buses left from the resort every 20 minutes to go to Disney theme parks and downtown Disney. The buses had air conditioning and we always felt safe. A couple times we rode the bus late at night and it felt just as safe. Only people staying at Disney could use these buses. The most I drove was from our building’s parking lot to the main parking lot so we wouldn’t have to walk so far at night.  Our resort also had big statues of Disney characters and three themed pools. There was a Disney store and an arcade as well. The room wasn’t huge but we had a pool view. It was cheap for how many amenities came with the resort. I’d stay there again in a heartbeat.

• Magic Hours~ We could have used the magic hours because we stayed at a Disney resort but we didn’t. We were too exhausted to get up early and there were no late night MH at that time. But we stayed 4 nights and that gave us time to do what we wanted. I also found that the night before magic hours and after the parades (between 11pm & 12am when the park closes) the crowds cleared and we were able to ride most of the rides we wanted without a line.  Throughout the day at Magic Kingdom it was practically impossible to ride rides without a wait. We saved the day time for meeting characters and watching shows. We had already ridden rides the night before. We did wait in line for Pirates of the Caribbean because Michael wanted to ride it one more time.
• Fast Pass~ This really helped us with shows at Animation Studios and with the safari and shows at Animal Kingdom. I wish we could’ve used these for meeting characters and eating at “Be Our Guest” but we couldn’t.  When I saw the lines for shows and especially the safari I was so thankful we had a fast pass. We didn’t ride many rides at the other parks but we did have a fast pass for Star Tours at Animation Studios and it had a long standby line too.  Fast pass is free so if you can, use it.
• Park Hopper~ I am so glad I chose the park hopper option. At first I thought we’d do one park a day since we had so many days. I’m glad we spent just a little extra for the park hopper. We were able to spend the night we got in at Magic Kingdom and then the next day there as well. Then later that night hop to Animation studios and the day after back to animation studios. It really gave us freedom and I didn’t have to worry about the weather or crowds ruining our plans. It was nice to be flexible cause believe me, those four days went quick. There’s a lot to see and do in the theme parks. We didn’t visit the water parks which was extra and mainly because we used our resort pool often.

Here are some more things I packed:

• Sunscreen~ we didn’t get burnt at all. Yaaa! One day I forgot to put it on but we stayed indoors as much as possible.
• Bubble bath & bath toys~ our bath at home doesn’t work right. So Michael got to enjoy a bubble bath.
• Fanny pack~ this came in handy at the parks. It kept our money, phone, and camera safe. We could also fit snacks, a water bottle, and autograph books. Now it was a bit heavy. So I bought a Mickey change purse for the days we didn’t need to carry much. The last day I had Michael wear the pack to carry our lunch. We could wear this on the rides.
• goggles and pool noodles
• Disney Princess tattoos for me
• a Mickey notebook from the Dollar Tree (much cheaper than the autograph books at Disney)
• generic sharpees for autographs
• tissues
• Mickey band aids that thankfully we never used
• scissors
• mole skin (this really helped my aching feet)
• tweezers that I couldn’t find when I needed them & I wish I had remembered nail clippers.
• Baby Powder ~ when you don’t have time to shower every hour. Just rub baby powder to soak up the sweat and leave you smelling fresh.
• Travel sized tooth brushes and paste
• small bath poofs (I can’t remember what they are called)
• Monster’s University back pack (I got this for $4 at Family Dollar. This was Michael’s bag for toys and books.)
• stapler~ to staple Michael’s info wrist band each day.

• I have a confession. We never traded pins or wore our lanyards. They were too heavy and we didn’t need them. We used our Magic bands (these are starting to replace key to the world cards) to get on everything. The bands were so easy and they are water proof so we never worried about losing them.

• I bought these Disney shirts at Walmart and these cheap hats.

There is a Disney store at the end of every ride and everything is expensive. We shopped twice at the stores and only for things that lasted. Instead of blowing our money at Disney, I bought Disney items from the Dollar Tree and Walmart. I gave Michael some for the ride there and then a few surprised him in the hotel room (like Pluto). Here’s a list of the cheap goodies I bought along and along before our trip:

• Disney coloring books
• Disney puzzles
• glow sticks (much cheaper than the glow toys sold at Disney)
• Disney stickers
• Disney story books
• Mickey, Minnie, and Donald action figures
• Monster’s University notebook
• crayons we already had
• a stuffed Pluto
• homemade Mickey ears
• Mickey ear maracas

• I packed several pairs of shoes but Michael did not need his rain boots. The rain was never that bad. I also packed hats for dressing up.

• I printed out a list of Disney facts to read on the way.

• We never used these ponchos. I couldn’t get them small enough to fit into the fanny pack. The rain wasn’t bad and we only got sprinkled on twice. It felt nice after a hot day.

I brought these from home:

• Hats to dress up (Hawaiian hat for Goofy, Pirate hat etc)
• animal masks
• toys for role playing
• cards (never used at Disney but played with when we visited my home town)
• a Buzz Lightyear video game
• face paint (it was so much cheaper for me to paint his face and we didn’t have to wait in line)
• etch a sketch (oh the possibilities!)
• Kid’s devotions (there was a Bible in the hotel room surprisingly)

• Disney with chronic pain and illness

Some of you may not be interested in this section at all and all the details. So to you I say goodbye and thanks for reading. Now for those of you who are interested I continue…

I have certain health issues that make long trips difficult. Sometimes local outings and plans get messed up. My husband did not accompany us on this trip. Disney isn’t his thing. So I had to do all the driving and planning. It was a big undertaking for me but prayer and planning got me through.

I’ll make this as brief as I can. I have Endometriosis, scoliosis, arthritis, bladder and bowel issues, and I’m recovering from Anemia. I also have problems with going out of it (kind of like fainting and blacking out but more like going to sleep against my will) and it comes with a headache every time. I’ve found that it’s linked to potassium and sodium. My blood pressure drops and that causes me to go out. 

So this trip proposed a few problems. Long drives cause my back to hurt bad. Endometriosis causes my bladder issues and certain times of the month are pure hell. My bowels can put my plans off by hours & it’s dreadful to spend all my time in a strange bathroom. I have very little energy and I wouldn’t want to faint while driving. The arthritis (though painful) I can live with  but it does make it hard to walk long, stand up long, and to lift  my arms much.

So I carried these things:

• Advil (for headaches and pain. I rarely use pain medicine but I was at Disney).
• Midol (for my time of the month) & also other feminine products.
• Imodium ~in case my bowels tried to keep me from going out. I did have a rough morning where the Imodium made it possible for us to leave the hotel.
• peanuts ~ whenever I started feeling faint I would eat these for the salt. That helped while driving.
• water bottles ~I drank lots of water.
• So I couldn’t do much about my bladder but thankfully Disney has bathrooms everywhere.
• Natural Progesterone Cream~ to help with the Endometriosis.

So I had to deal with pain the whole trip because I didn’t take much medicine. But I made sure to soak my feet and rest a lot.  The drive home was rough and I’m still recovering from it. I had to jump into homeschool the day after we got back. I’ll rest eventually…

I am so thankful for all the prayers. That time of the month decided to happen the day we left for Orlando. Usually I’m in so much pain etc that I’m in bed for the first couple of days. The prayers and the progesterone really helped. This time was the mildest I’ve had in awhile. The Midol helped too. I was so scared that the Endometriosis would ruin our trip but even though it was harder we still had fun. I’m glad we had four days so we could take it slow.  We took advantage of the hotel room and took it slow in the mornings.

• So if you deal with illness and want to take a trip to Disney don’t be discouraged or scared. I saw people there with all kinds of handicaps and illnesses. Just take it slow and pace yourself. Make sure you bring all the medicines you need. Rest often. You can bring your own food into the park and they will provide for special dietary needs if you let them know ahead of time. Take advantage of fast pass and always keep water for those long waits.

Michael and I both burn easy so on really hot days we stayed inside watching shows and meeting characters.

This is a bit off subject but if you have PTSD or anxiety issues then please take my advice:

• The parades and fireworks are very crowded. You want to find a spot way before it starts and if crowds really bother you then find a restaurant to eat at to see fireworks. You’ll need to reserve 6 months ahead. The crowds didn’t bother me but it was hard to push through.
• The Lights and Motors stunt show at Animation Studios is really loud and they have fake gunfire and a fake sniper. I don’t know why but live gunfire causes me to have a panic attack and cry. I’ve never figured out why I am so traumatized by it. Michael was upset that we had to leave the show early but I was a mess.  After that, everything suddenly felt dangerous and crowded. It took me a good hour to calm down completely. So be aware.
• There are people from all over the world at Disney and it’s super crowded. If you have PTSD from war then certain people groups may cause flashbacks etc. There’s also a market place feel in the theme parks. I know that’s hard for some people. So prepare yourself.

Last word of advice: Parents please hold your kid’s hand or put them in a stroller. I saw many children walking freely behind their parents. It was way too crowded for that. It’s way too easy for kids to be trampled or lost in the crowd. There are certain areas that aren’t so bad but when it’s super crowded it can be dangerous. So please at least in the crowded areas hold onto your kids. Everyone seems nice at Disney but you never know…

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Actual pictures and details of our trip are coming shortly ;). Also thanks again for the prayers. It feels nice to know I actually made this trip despite my hardships. I know God gave me the strength and I’m happy I did it. My family members were concerned about us taking this trip by ourselves and when my monthly started my Granny mentioned maybe we should cancel (until I told her how much we had paid for it!). So it really feels like an accomplishment though I can’t take credit because God helped me through.  At one time I was scared to drive locally because of my fainting issue. Since then Chris has done the big driving…until this trip to Disney. So it’s a bit liberating.

Inspirational Wednesday: God in a Box August 7, 2013

Video by One Time Blind

Email sub. please come to my blog to see the video. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

An Early Crafty Monday: Disney Countdown ~Aladdin, The Lion King, & Winnie the Pooh August 3, 2013

In this post: Magic carpets with Aladdin, on safari with the Lion King, and honey with Pooh Bear. Come join us for # 9 on our Disney Countdown!

Hello dear ones, I hope you are well! This week was another slow one for the countdown. The elaborate crafts and sets are behind us. I’ve been busy getting ready for school etc… So while we didn’t get to everything on our list I can still share my ideas with you so maybe you can try them out.

Here’s #8 on the countdown: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/crafty-monday-disney-countdowncinderella-snow-white-sleeping-beauty/

• We begin with Aladdin.
• Here’s a tiger mask Michael glued together for Jasmine’s pet, Rajah.  I got this mask at the Dollar Tree along with the tiger stripes bracelet.

• We watched all three of the Aladdin movies. These are some of Michael’s favorite Disney movies.

• I saw an idea for a magic carpet snack using Jello but it didn’t look very tasty. Michael hates Jello anyways. So instead I made these Magic Carpet Sugar Cookies.

• Above: before being baked. Below: after baking. I formed the dough into a carpet shape and painted them with food coloring.  It’s not Martha Stewart but it satisfied my kiddo.

• Michael made this paper magic carpet.

Blew (yes that’s how it’s spelled) tested it out. It flew just fine :).

We had three days of Aladdin so I wanted to make food each day but only made it to day two.

• We had “Arabian” food, pita chips and hummus.

• We used parrot plates for Iago.

• I wanted to make Monkey bread for Abu but it didn’t happen. Here’s the recipe:

http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/sweet-mini-monkey-rolls-x-2

• One day we watched The Lion King.
• I put safari cut outs on the table, also from the Dollar Tree.

• Animal crackers for the “zoo” theme. We had thought about going to the zoo but since we are going to Animal Kingdom I figured we’d stay home and save our money for that.

• Michael made an elephant mask and he wore a Zebra striped bracelet.

• Michael drew a scene of the Savannah with his Draw Write Now book.

There’s a giraffe in the foreground and a lion in the background.

• The writing assignment was going to be about what he saw at the zoo and this picture from the link below but it didn’t happen.

http://buzzingaboutsecondgrade.blogspot.com/2012/02/animal-camouflage-reports-and-safari.html

• I had also thought of this safari outfit and binoculars found here:

http://pinterest.com/pin/82824080620267767/

• Maybe you can use the above ideas. Below is a pic of Mom (Nana) and Michael doing his Mailbox Club Lesson.

http://mailboxclub.org/index.php/sign-up-for-bible-lessons

• I love “Winnie the Pooh”. I do regret that we didn’t get anything done this day. But I will share with you my brilliant idea that we didn’t do ;).

• My idea was to have a lemonade themed Pooh Bear party. Michael would have a pretend lemonade stand made from cardboard and he could sell lemonade to his stuffed Pooh bear and Tigger.

Pic of lemonade stand inspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/82824080620094198/

• We were going to have lemon cookies with our lemonade.

http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/sugar-cookie-lemon-tarts/

• For lunch we were going to have nuggets with honey sauce since everyone knows Pooh Bear loves honey :).

Here are lunch signs we could’ve made: http://pinterest.com/pin/82824080619711458/

• Our craft was going to be a Bee rock painting. Since bees love honey too.

http://www.marghanita.com/a-fun-way-for-kids-to-learn-about-our-amazing-pollinators/

• I also thought about looking back at our Bee study from last year:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/crafty-monday-bug-studies-painting-the-front-door/

Well, dear ones. That’s it for the countdown. I’m about sick of it lol. If I get a chance to, I’ll post some of what we did last Summer. It all depends on how busy I am getting ready for school and other things. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Here’s the beginning of the Disney Countdown if you want to look through them all:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/crafty-monday-disney-countdownpinocchio-the-princess-and-the-frog/

Day 1 of Disney World

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/disney-world-day-one/

Here’s my Pinterest for Disney (remember email sub. to come to my blog to see the link)

http://pinterest.com/doverette/disney/