We are all getting VERY excited for our trip to Orlando.  I admit, I am in need of a little happy right now and this trip comes at just the right time.  I feel like you have to take a Prozac just to watch the news anymore and a total escape from reality is just in high order right now!

After mulling over all the options and searching around, I finally decided that a family suite would be the way to go in Orlando.  The biggest reason for this is that we are all in one place and if will like a real family vacation - which it is.  The other reason is that with a kitchen at our disposal, we will save a ton of money and time by cooking in our room  With 7 of us, that could add up to a LOT of mulah!

I chose the Floridays Resort in Orlando because it has the type of room that I wanted with free shuttels to and from both the Disney Parks and Seaworld.  It is perfect for us! Here are some pictures from their website:

The rooms at this gorgeous resort were cheap! Much, much less expensive than staying at a Disney Hotel - and I consider the $4,000 we are saving found money! - and a much better arrangement than staying at a more traditional hotel. I think the kids are going to feel more at home. I also feel better having everyone all together. When my kids want their Nana or Auntie, they are right there. Everyone will have their own bedroom for some privacy and there will be some space to spread out. I can't see any down sides to this at all - and at $189 per night, it is a win-win in my opinion.

Next stage - to begin the packing!

Hi all!
I just wanted to touch bases with all of you. I have been absent from this forum for the most part over the past week or so - mostly due to the fact that there simply are not enough hours in the day! LOL

Just so you all know, my inconsistent attendance will continue as I have big things on the horizon:

Maya's 6th birthday - which is a big "to-do" ..... again. The entire Kindergarten class, all the cousins, a couple of family friends and the neighbor kids are all attending so I have a lot of work to do. It's a Chinese theme this year and as usual, I cannot stop myself from going all out. I will blog all about it right here!

Our trip to Orlando is in two weeks! I have to get everyone packed - which is a major ordeal since we are in the middle of winter and in Florida, they are not. And, I have to get the house ready for my Dad, who will be house sitting while we are away. I will take my old laptop with me and check in with all of you while we are away - and to make sure my Dad isn't on here posting and pretending to be me! LOL 

I am going to do a post all about our trip plans including the absolutely spectacular resort hotel that we are staying at.  I still cannot believe my good fortune at finding this place for the price I did.  You will not believe this place!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and big hugs to all of you!

I have been hanging out, doing this and that - nothing really worthy of blogging about - but there are a couple of things I wanted to share with all of you!

1.  Please visit the Team Armitage blog for you chance to buy some celebrity related merchandise that will help to raise money for cancer research.  Fans of British television and film will especially be pleased with the merchandise the ladies over there have to sell.  Check it out!

2.  My dear friend Sharon Lathan will be releasing her novel Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Two Shall Become One on March 1.  I have been honored with an advance copy and will be reviewing this novel as well as conducting an online interview with Sharon very soon.  You can read my upcoming review and the interview as well as entries about this particular book by the author herself at my book review blog Awaiting Diana.  For more information about Sharon and her upcoming book, you can visit her website:  The Darcy Saga.  If you are an Austen fan in any fashion, you will love this book!

3.  Speaking of my books blog, we have started a new feature over there called Tuesday Teaser.  To read this week's teaser and to participate in this really fun feature, hosted by Should Be Reading, please click HERE.

4.  Twilight mania has made it impossible to find a sane discussion site, but I have one that you will enjoy.  It is a brand new forum and very well run.  If you are a Twilighter, you will love Twilight Point.  I am a new member and I have to say that they rival my beloved JAF in friendliness and welcoming new members.  That is a tall order, but there it is!

5.  Finally, my family will be traveling to Orlando, Florida in one month!  I plan to post daily from Orlando so please keep that in mind!

Until next time, take care!!

Back from the House of Mouse.....

Our trip to California is sadly over. I really enjoyed it - in spite of the heat and crowds and would go back next week if I could.

Let me start with the hotel. The Grand Californian is where we stayed. I chose this particular hotel because the travel agent suggested it. We took my mother in law - who is over 70 - with us and I wanted her to be comfortable and be able to go to her room if she needed to rest. The Grand Californian, with it's private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, was the absolute best location.

The Grand Californian is an Arts and Crafts style lodge - totally my style - well, one of them anyway. Very nice and very big! The pools were great and the food was plentiful and all fantastic! Our hotel was not terribly crowded and we had two rooms with a view of Downtown Disney. Maya loved that! She could hear all of the music that was playing and watch all the people as they walked by. Owen was, as usual, indifferent to the entire Disney experience. Owen.

We went on as many rides as we could handle. They were all a lot of fun but I have to say that my very favorite was the newly reworked Pirates of the Carribean. It was great and both of the kids loved it. I will not say anything more about it because I would not want to ruin any of the details for anyone.

In spite of the crowds, we really did not wait in any really long lines for any of the rides. We used the FastPass gizmo for some things, but most of the time, we just waited in line - never waiting for more than about 20 minutes or so. I was quite impressed with that. The most fun for the kids was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters.

It was crowded at this time of the year and Maya and I were the only ones of our group to cope with that fact very well. Crowds do not bother me. Traffic does not bother me. I had a great time in spite of the complaining and lack of help from the other two adults - who were both so overwhelmed by the crowds that they were a bit out of sorts. No big deal. I am used to such things and we all got on well and had a great time in the end. The only thing I wish is that I could have done a bit of shopping for myself. That is not happening with two kids!

I also got the chance to meet my friend Sharon Lathan. She and sat in the lobby of the Grand Californian for a couple of hours and gabbed. She was lovely - very Jane Bennet like - and we were instant friends. I think she and I could have gone on for quite some time, but we both needed to get back to our respective families. Now I have the idea of taking a vacation, sans my family, and meeting up with Sharon and a few of our fellow Darcy Saga fans. That would be awesome to do some day! Someday....

When I got back, I was shocked and humbled to find that I have had a blog award bestowed upon me by my friend Jenster. I am thrilled to be the recipient a Rockin' Blogger Award. Try as I might, I could not get the graphic to load. My DSL is down again so I will have to give it another try in a day or so. Thank you Jenster! You are an awesome friend and a TOTALLY ROCKIN" BLOGGER!!!

It took 67 days and a pretty good chunk of change, but we are finally finished with our new add on. I am relieved and thrilled at the same time. I have built several houses in my married life, but have never done an add on or a remodel. This was not a remodel, unless you count the replaced light fixtures in the kitchen. This was straight new construction addition. I have to say, now that I am on the other side of this project, I cannot imagine how people deal with remodel projects. I know people – families with small children – do remodels while they are living in the house. I cannot see how they do it and I have a renewed respect for people who flip houses. Home improvement is darn hard work, but home improvement with children on the premises is down right tough.

I wanted to do more than I actually got to on this project. The parts that I did get to do saved us about $5,000.00. I worked *really hard* and the phrase ‘sweat equity’ is totally appropriate here. I got to be the accountant and pay all the bills and co-ordinate with the electrical and flooring sub-contractors for scheduling purposes. I also got to paint all of the interior and stain the exterior. All of it. Every single square inch – even the stuff up under the eaves. All by myself.

So, here is how I am going to cash in my ‘sweat equity’. I am going to spend $4,950 on furniture, $50 on a manicure and use the gift certificate that my good and dear friend gave me for Christmas on a pedicure. Yes, I still have a gift certificate from Christmastime that I have not used yet! See how often I really get off this mountain? Hahahaahaaa!

Only $4950 for furniture will be tough. I saw a chest the other day that I would have loved to buy, but it was $3995. That does not leave much for a sofa, end tables, rugs, lamps and a media cabinet. Oh, a some bookshelves as well. It was a beautiful chest though. I could buy it, set in the center of the room and rub it with a diaper I guess. Sigh…….I hate it when things are beyond my means.

I have a hard time shopping for furniture. I like so many different styles and have an eye for very expensive pieces. Needless to say, I cannot just go to a store and buy a whole room of matching pieces of furniture. That would be crazy and way to ‘cookie cutter’ for me. I cannot possibly have the same stuff that someone else has. At present, my dilemma is whether to buy a sectional sofa or a more traditional sofa. Thanks to my husband and the General Contactor, the room is huge – 900 square feet huge – and so I have plenty of room to put what ever I want out there. I could park my car out there and still have plenty of room to put all kinds of stuff in there! So, any opinions? Traditional sofa or sectional? Ugh. The only way for me to decide is to go shopping, sit and lay on every single sofa in the store – which usually ticks off the salesperson ‘helping’ me – and then decide. I think furniture shopping will be the hardest part of the whole job and it will likely take me a while.

In the meantime, my family and I are headed to Disneyland next week. As luck and fortune would have it, my dear friend Sharon Lathan and her family will be visiting the Magic Kingdom at almost the same time. Hopefully, our paths will cross on Thursday night and she and I will be able to meet! It is so strange to have the prospect of meeting someone you have only chatted with through e-mail, but I am looking forward to meeting Sharon. She and I are very alike I think and I would be honored to actually meet her face to face!

I am also really excited because we will be staying at a 4 star hotel and I will not have to cook or clean – or stain – a single thing for 4 days! Room service and maid service! Whoo Hoo!!! I promise to take plenty of pictures and update soon! Until then, you all take care and God Bless!

North Carolina - Part 2
















The next leg of our trip to North Carolina involved a lot of driving. I rented a mini van. Let me just say that I had always thought that I would hate driving a mini van and I did. It was not a vehicle that I would ever purchase or drive if I have a choice. I appreciate that mini vans have a lot of room and that it is easy to get everyone in and out, however, I really hate the actual driving of them. I really had a hard time with parking in particular. How do all of you who own and drive mini vans do it? Seriously.

So, we all load up in the loathsome mini van (I should not complain. I have been blessed with the resources to have been able to go on this trip - including the money to rent a mini van. It is not that. I just have a thing about vehicles and mini vans do not measure up for me) and head off for Virginia. We were on our way to Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. My brother and his friend were on their way from Kentucky that same day and we all met at the hotel in Williamsburg.

Right off the bat, we discovered that Busch Gardens had had a schedule change and were going to be closed. So, no Busch Gardens. That did not seem to bother anyone, so we just went right on with the business of enjoying Williamsburg.

Williamsburg was awesome! I loved it and the two days we spent there were not enough for me. I could have spent a week there. While we were in the area, we also took in Jamestown, which the kids loved, and Yorktown Battlefield. Both sites were very educational and full of stuff to look at. The kids really enjoyed both of those sites, a thing which really surprised me!

As for Williamsburg specifically, we had a great time. We all went on a horse drawn carriage ride and a lantern lighted ghost walk. We must have walked 8 miles! There was so much stuff to look at, houses and buildings to tour and events to watch. Williamsburg is like being transported back in time a couple of hundred years. There are citizens of Colonial Williamsburg dressed in period clothes walking around talking with people. Then, at scheduled times, scripted events happen. You get to watch a skit so to speak and be an active part of the audience. Maya, in particular, loved that!

After Williamsburg, we spent a couple of days hanging out at the beach in Wilmington, North Carolina. Beautiful place and I could have stayed there for much longer than we did. Everyone loved the beach. I have never seen my kids have so much fun! That was just a couple of days of hanging out. Nothing scheduled. We did go the the aquarium and do a bit of local shopping.

Then, sadly, we headed back to Raleigh for a couple of days of visiting with old friends and packing up. We just rested because we were all exhausted from all of the sight seeing and driving.

The flight home was relatively uneventful. We arrived back in Montana about 10:30 PM and the kids and I loaded up in the car and drove the hour and a half home so that we could all sleep in our own beds. We were so tired!

In the end, we all had a great time. Now, I find myself home and totally swamped with work regarding our add on. In addition, my mother in law has arrived from Kentucky and so we are spending some time with her as well. Whew! I am tired again :)

**I tried repeatedly to load a slide show for this post and was unable to get it to work :(**

The first leg of our journey took place right in the Raleigh area. We spent our first day goofing around. We took the kids to some places they had never been such as the Disney Store and Build a Bear Workshop. I think they were in awe of the amound of traffic and people as much as they were of all the stuff at the Disney Store. If you see those things all the time, you take for granted the wonder someone else might feel at seeing such a thing. The things I take for granted are: quiet, mountains, clean water and air, easily accessed and clearly marked roads and a general slow down in the pace of life that I get to live here in Montana.

The afternoon was spent at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History and Sciences (I think that is the name of it anyway) where we saw all kinds of stuff. Maya and Owen really liked the Arthropod Zoo and Butterfly Pavillion. I have been to this museum before and I like it better every time I go there. We wrapped up the day by having dinner at Tir Na Nog - a local Irish pub - and then collapsing into bed once again.

On Friday, we drove to Asheboro and spent the day at the NC Zoological park. Owen pouted for about the first hour we were there because I made him ride in the 'kid buggy'. If I call it a stroller, this will be met with tears and forthright assertions that he is not a baby - he is a big boy. It was apparently field trip day at the zoo and the place was crawling with large groups of kids. I was afraid that one of my kiddos would get swept up in a group of kids and get lost. Hence, the kid buggy. After a while though, I let them both get out and walk with someone.

This is a zoological park - and they mean park. It is a pretty good hike around there to see all the animals. The kids were fascinated to see animals they had only seen on TV. Some favorites were the gorillas, flamingos and alligators. We had a great time. The only hiccup was when my sister Jill misplaced her camera somewhere. We check Lost and Found, but it was gone.

Saturday was spent in Winston-Salem at the Highland Games. I had never attended an event like this one before. Having been to Scotland, I will say that any sensible Scot would *cringe* at this specticale. I know the feeling being from the West. When non-westerners try to do western stuff it falls short and I am sure that these Highland games would be a similar experience for someone who is used to a large Gathering. All of that aside, I was amazed at watching the kabor toss. I was in awe of the strength and agility it takes to compete in that event. It was a wonder to watch a man pick up a 15 plus foot tree trunk and toss it end over end. And, many of them did it several times. A wonder! After visiting a couple of the tents selling all manner of stuff, we were on our way back to Raleigh.

Sunday was Mother's Day and we went to the Farmer's Market to buy supplies for a picnic. It has been a long while since I have been to a real Farmer's Market. I must admit a bit of jealousy at not being able to grow all the stuff you can grow in North Carolina. I love to garden. While North Carolinians are harvesting their first crop of strawberries, it snowed about 4 inches here this morning. Can't grow a lot of stuff here at 5,000 feet about sea level!

We went to the Rose Garden in Raleigh and had a lovely picnic and played for the rest of the afternoon. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed it a lot. Then, it was back to the hotel to pack and get organized for the second leg of our journey!

More to come.......

That's right! I am actually going on vacation. While we don't actually leave until next Tuesday evening, I have never been on such a long trip with two kids and find myself tripping over all the details. Actually, come to think of it - everyone else is going on vacation and life will remain the same for me - The Mom! LOL

We are headed to North Carolina for two weeks to see my brother and sister and family friends. While we are there, we have a whole schedule of things to do. Yes, it is an actual written schedule - I have right here - ready to put into the envelope full of other important papers I will be taking with me!

We are planning to drive to Virginia to Colonial Williamsburg. I am so excited because I have *always* wanted to go there! Then we will to to Busch Gardens, hang out in Wilmingotn for a few days at the beach and attend a Celtic Festival in Winston-Salem. See why we need a schedule? We would never accomplish all of that without an idea of when we need to be doing what - and still may not!

Needless to say, I will not be posting until I get back. Be prepared for a million and one pictures and silly stuff when I do get back. Hope all of you will have a great couple of weeks!!

Obsessions

Stacy has tagged all of her readers to list their obsessions. Hmmm.......not sure if I want to take the lid off this cookie jar, but here goes.

I am currently obsessed with the decor of our new room addition. I want the flooring, paint and lighting to be just right. As a result of my pursuit of living room perfection, I would class my behavior as obsessive! LOL Part of my obsession stems from the fact that our new room currently amounts to a muddy bunch of trenches! That will all be better very soon. I am obsessed with that idea as well! :)

I must confess that I have become secretly obsessed with youtube. I can't stay away from there. I can watch all kinds of things about any subject I am interested in, and, the best part is that if I do not like it - I just click it off and go on to the next thing. Brilliant!

My family and friends would say that I am obsessive about my favorite books - you know, the Jane Austen ones and the Diana Gabaldon books. No need for me to recount my love for them. I have told you all many times! LOL

I am also embroiled, okay, obsessed with planning our two - yes, two! summer trips. The first trip is exactly one month away. The kids and I are headed to North Carolina with some friends, my Mom and my sister Jill. Bill is staying home to, ahem.....look after the building project. We will be driving to Virginia for a visit to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg along with a trip to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. We will also be attending the Highland Games in Winston Salem. Such a fun vacation. Then, in July, we will be headed to So Cali for a trip to Disneyland with the kids, my mother in law and my husband. My husband is notorious for not going on vacations, so I am doubly excited. We went to Disney World on our honeymoon, so this is like a mini second honeymoon for us! We are staying at the Grand Californian, by the way, so if any of you have stayed there - let me know what you thought!

Enough about me. I tag anyone who wants to play to list some of their obsessions!