Pink Glitter Pumpkins

Leaving Disney World - October 2021

Dec 16

Dec 16 Leaving Disney World - October 2021

I did not mention this when writing about our time at Epcot, but we ended the night with a semi-upset child because she didn’t spend her gift card money from her Nannie. See Nannie gave all the girls a gift card since it is so rare they all go to Disney World (at the same time that is). Melody had been so torn on what to get, and she never found anything she loved. We didn’t really have time to go to the Creations Shop in Epcot at the end of our night. And Disney Springs sounded miserable that late too. So we told Melody we would go to Disney Springs when the opened. So that we did.

DIY Pigeon Costume

Dec 14

Dec 14 DIY Pigeon Costume

During Red Ribbon Week, Melody wanted to dress up as Pigeon as her favorite book character. I did some researching, and I opted to go the blue jacket route. It seemed the simplest. The hardest part for me was finding the right colored blue jacket locally. But thankfully I found one at Target that seemed to work. I had black and yellow felt on hand, and I bought some white felt.

Epcot - October 2021

Dec 13

Dec 13 Epcot - October 2021

We spent our last day at Disney at Epcot. We opted to dedicate the whole day to Epcot. We had briefly considered returning to another park, but realistically staying at Epcot all day allowed us to see both Emily’s group and Rebekah’s group.

Galaxy of Lights 2021

Dec 12

Dec 12 Galaxy of Lights 2021

We did the walking nights of Galaxy of Lights back in November. We went on a Sunday, and I actually found it less crowded than last year’s visit. They did change up the trails some this year, but it was still really pretty, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. I didn’t take as many pictures as I have in the past, but here are some.

Magic Kingdom and Epcot - October 2021

Dec 11

Dec 11 Magic Kingdom and Epcot - October 2021

Tuesdays always seem to be a great day to visit Magic Kingdom, so we opted to do that. We ended the night at Epcot for the food! Epcot is our go to for great food, and we always have to fit in our must-dos. We snagged a decent timed reservation for Chefs de France on this evening, so we opted to do that.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Dec 10

Dec 10 Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Crockpot chicken fajitas are easy and yummy. Perfect for a Tuesday night fiesta. You literally just have to heat up the tortillas (if you want), and you are set for dinner! Buy some tortilla chips and premade salsa and call it a night.

Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom - October 2021

Dec 9

Dec 9 Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom - October 2021

We decided our first day would be spent at Hollywood Studios followed by the evening at Animal Kingdom. We opted for Hollywood first for a few reasons. One, we knew we wanted to also do Magic Kingdom and Epcot for sure. And those were fitting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Magic is never a good idea on Monday, and with the Food and Wine Festival going on, Epcot wasn't ideal for Monday either. We love doing Animal Kingdom at night, so that left Hollywood during the day. Melody LOVES Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, and we find it best in the evenings.

Dec 8

Dec 8 November Fun

If my lack of blogging in November didn’t make this obvious, November was a busy month. Dance, gymnastics, school, Christmas decorating, baking, Thanksgiving, and more!

Traveling to Disney World - October 2021

Dec 7

Dec 7 Traveling to Disney World - October 2021

Not much fun is involved on travel days to Disney World. Especially when you are driving 10-12 hours. We got up as early as we could and headed down. We had to make the trip in one day, and we needed to get down to Orlando early enough that we could go to Shades of Green to get our park tickets before the ticket office closed.

Red Ribbon Week

Dec 6

Dec 6 Red Ribbon Week

Melody’s elementary school celebrated Red Ribbon Week back in October along with most of our state (maybe nation, I don’t know much about how far it extends beyond Alabama). While I love dress up days, I do hate that it landed the week of Halloween when I was already working on our Butterbean Costumes. But we managed to come up with all the outfits for the week after a run to Walmart and Hobby Lobby!

Disney October 2021 Planning

Dec 5

Dec 5 Disney October 2021 Planning

Months ago, we found out both our in laws (brother/sister/nieces) and best friends were both going to Disney World during Fall Break. While it sounded fun to plan and tag along, several things kept us from booking a trip: money, 50th anniversary, Brad’s travel, crowds, etc. We also didn’t want to invade on their vacations. Well about two weeks before fall break, we still were not sure if Brad would be home or not. So I started looking at several options for Melody and me, including Disney. A few days before fall break, Brad found out he would be home, and we started floating around the idea. We kept going back to not going due to money and just the exhaustion of driving and a short trip. Melody was clueless about our family and friends going. But that changed the Friday before fall break. Her best friend, Lydia, found out she was going, and Melody started asking to go to Disney too. After a lot of talking, negotiating, and even some arguing, we decided Saturday morning we would head to Disney on Sunday. THE NEXT DAY! Thankfully I am a seasoned Disney goer, so this wasn’t impossible.

Brad's Birthday Dinner

Dec 4

Dec 4 Brad's Birthday Dinner

So while we celebrated Brad’s birthday after he arrived home for his long work trip, we celebrated his dinner the weekend after. He wanted to give Texas de Brazil a try. We love eating there, but with COVID, we had not been there in person in around two years.

Dec 3

Dec 3 Grille on Main

Our favorite brunch spot was Grille 29. We loved going there, and it was our go to spot for out of town guests. Unfortunately they did not survive COVID. I am not entirely sure COVID was the true cause of their closure. Rumor is they had issues with their landlord. But the closure happened during the pandemic, so it is hard to really know for sure why. But it was replaced with a restaurant named Grille on Main. While similar in name, it is a different owner and different foods. They do offer a brunch they we visited a while back. Check it out below.

Thanksgiving 2021

Dec 2

Dec 2 Thanksgiving 2021

Kids, Randomness

Thanksgiving definitely did not go as planned. This year was my family’s year for Thanksgiving. It would be the first time seeing some of my family in quite a few years (most in two due to COVID). But the day before, Brad came down with strep. Melody and I still were able to visit my parents’ side of the family on Thanksgiving day however.

Santa Pictures 2021

Dec 1

Dec 1 Santa Pictures 2021

About two weeks ago, we visited Santa. Melody was nervous but also so excited. Kindergarten has really brought out the bravery in Melody. My aunt got some great pictures of Melody with Santa. And she even spoke with him for about ten minutes afterwards all about what she wanted and his favorite cookies and candy.

Butterbean Costumes

Nov 30

Nov 30 Butterbean Costumes

Kids, Household, Crafts

For Halloween, Melody wanted to go as characters from Butterbean’s Cafe. She wanted to be Butterbean, Brad went as Jasper, and I went as Poppy. This was definitely one of the more DIY Halloweens, so I thought I would share most of what I did to make our costumes.

Nov 29

Nov 29 Halloween 2021

Randomness, Kids

We had such a fun Halloween this year. We kind of went all out in the costumes this year which required a lot of work from me, but Melody loved it. So I supposed the work was worth it.

Nov 28

Nov 28 October Fun

So I have definitely been MIA the last few weeks (and basically the last two months). Things have been busy around here it seems like. And I just have not had the time to really sit down and concentrate as much as I would like to on my blog. I hope to make up for that over the next month or so. I have a lot of content planned including all about the holidays and more! But let’s wrap up October. We had a busy month with Brad being back home (for the most part). Check it out below!

Ice Cream Diner Pictures

Nov 7

Nov 7 Ice Cream Diner Pictures

Kids, Randomness

Back in September, my aunt did a photoshoot at an old diner back in Florence. She had an opening, so Emily and I took the girls. We went vintage with blue jeans and white shirts. I think the pictures turned out adorable!

Pumpkin Patch 2021

Oct 31

Oct 31 Pumpkin Patch 2021

Kids, Randomness

So unfortunately we have missed the Pumpkin Patch the last two years. In 2019, every chance we could go it rained. In 2020, COVID happened. So this year I was determined we were going to go back. Once again, our opportunities to go were limited. We finally narrowed down a date, and it was supposed to rain. But we decided to go anyhow. The forecast projected it to miss us until later that evening. Unfortunately Brad was told to travel for work last minutes, so he was unable to go. But we met up with the Owen clan.