Disneyland in Pictures

One of Princess' favorite things is meeting the characters.

Buzz Lightyear

Goofy

Max

Captain Hook

Tigger

Fairy Godmother

Minnie

Eeyore

Rafiki

Princess' observation skills astound me. She knew the difference between Chip and Dale. Chip has one tooth, Dale has two . . . and their stripes on their backs are different.

Chip

Dale

We shrunk down to fairy size.

Tinker Bell

Irridessa

We visited Minnie's house.

 And drove Mickey's car.

 Of course, the rides are always fun!

Radiator Springs Racers

This ride had me laughing...

Luigi's Tires

Matterhorn (I have a love/hate relationship with this pic)

Ferris Wheel

My sister with a giant turkey leg. YUM!

And we are counting the days until we return to Disney World!

Marla's Meatloaf

My friend, Marla, has created the best recipes.  I love her roast chicken and beef soup. She also makes an amazing meatloaf. This stuff is seriously delicious and, of course, totally Paleo. What's even better, she told me I could share her recipe. How cool is she? I'll be sharing the others as well, but you'll have to wait for those.

Here is Marla's meatloaf.

Ingredients

1 t salt
4 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c nutritional yeast
½ onion – finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef (75% works best)
1 lb ground pork

Mix all ingredients in order thoroughly and form into a large flat loaf in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The reason I say “in order” is because you get your hands messy less often that way.

My notes: the ground beef I have is 80%, so to increase the fat, I add a tablespoon or two of bacon grease. The Lizard King and I think this is the best meatloaf we have ever had!

Scavenger Hunt

You are probably aware that we go to Walt Disney World every year. It has never been a surprise and we  always have a countdown going, anxiously awaiting our next trip. We've considered Disneyland a few times, but always go back to Disney World, because the price isn't that much different, but the parks sure are. Well, the Lizard King earned free hotel nights and free airfare, so our trip is practically free! How could we not go to Disneyland?!

This time, we decided to make it a surprise. We began searching for a fun way to surprise Princess. There are a lot of ideas out there, but Princess loves a good mystery. We decided on a scavenger hunt with a puzzle.

I created the poster board puzzle and LK cut it into pieces. Then I came up with some poetic clues. Princess likes rhyming and I did my best. Here are the clues.

1

You walked into the room and what did you see?

A piece of a puzzle with the name Akee.

She could be found anywhere, yes that’s what I said, 

But there is one certain room she would lay her head.

2

A place for a Princess, where flowers grow inside,

Could this be the place where the next piece will hide?

Are you here? Did you find the room?

Look for the flower with the biggest bloom.

3

You go up, you down down, have you noticed the light?

If you do you might find something colored so bright.

You might need some help to reach this so high,

Perhaps Mommy or Daddy can hold you up toward the sky.

4

There is a room that’s intended purpose was to dine, 

but we made it a place where imagination can shine.

You are welcome to dress up, you can always dress down,

Open the treasure chest where you can find a gown.

5

You can wash them and dry them, you can hang them about,

This room is a room that we could not do without.

Open the door and look inside,

This place is a warm spot for the next piece to hide.

6

Go up, wait, go down to the room with the strainers, 

Then look in the place where we keep the containers.

It could be inside or maybe on top,

Keep looking and looking, you may have to hop.

7

Go toward the place where Santa Claus comes,

it’s warm and it’s cozy and its fan loudly hums.

Here you will find a small doggy bed,

Search around this spot for something red.

8

It’s big and it’s white, and was built with great care.

It lives in the same room as hockey with air.

You will find a closet that used to have games,

Towels can be found there, Mommy exclaims.

9

Now turn to the right one hundred eighty degrees,

Then walk forward eight steps, do it with ease.

Find the stand near your drums, look inside the book,

There you will find the last clue, take a look.

10

That’s just about it, you are nearly done.

But wait, can you tell me? Are you having fun?

The next piece is a scramble that you have to find,

It’s in the only room downstairs without a blind. 

Then I shot video of Princess doing the scavenger hunt. Sadly, it won't properly upload for me to post here. :(

I'll post pics soon from our weekend in Disneyland!

P.S. Akee is Princess' aunt, my sister.

New Game in Town

Skylanders Giants is the current number one game in our house. Both Princess and the Lizard King are hooked. While I am not one to play those kinds of video games (I'm more of an Animal Crossing kind of a gal), I totally see the attraction. It is a really cool concept!

Not only does it come with the game, it also comes with "The Portal of Power" and three Skylanders. Each Skylander has a different power and element. They have their own individual attacks. You need different elements to accomplish tasks that can only be done with that element. Additional Skylanders can be purchased separately and new ones are being released. You place your Skylander of choice on the Portal of Power and then play as that character in the game.

LK's first plan was to purchase one of each element to allow access and abilities in all areas of the game world. Now he is adding on to that. The really cool thing is that you are not limited to just playing the video game on your gaming system (and it's available on just about any gaming system), you can use the codes that come with the figures to play online.

Princess has totally gotten into all of it and recently decided that she wanted to create her own YouTube Channel and make Skylanders videos. So far she's made two. Check them out! If you'd "like" or comment on her YouTube page, Princess would be tickled. And if you subscribed to her channel, she would be over the moon. :) Thanks!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Our latest field trip was to the Oregon Children's Theater production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

Princess and her friend loved the play so much, they wanted to go back and watch it all over again. Of course, Princess says that every time. She'll just have to settle for the next play on the schedule. :)

Paleo Pancakes

These pancakes couldn't be easier and there are only two ingredients! Two eggs and one very ripe banana. 

I use an immersion blender, but a regular blender would work. Blend the eggs and the banana. Melt coconut oil in the pan and spoon batter into the pan, making sure to keep the pancakes small. It makes it easier to flip them. Stack them on a plate and sprinkle them with cinnamon. I also melt butter on each pancake.

These have become my new favorite pancakes.

Serves 1.

ORGANIZE Update #1

It's time for our first ORGANIZE update! Thanks again to Sheri at My Leftover Life for the creative edge she's added to the word of the year:

Remember, no project is too small or too big. 

I didn't take any before pics, but I found these. I'm not sure if you can see all the chaos on the shelves. Trust me, it was awful.

Half the shelves are crammed with toys, the other half are filled with books and DVDs. This built-in wall unit allowed me to move all the books and DVDs upstairs (pictured below) and I was able to reorganize the whole playroom . . . which is supposed to be a dining room, by the way. ;)

I love how organized it is and how easy it is to find things. 

 And here's a look at the rest of the room.

 I love the open space that we created in the middle. The chaos is gone!

What was your organization project? Link up with Mister Linky below!

ORGANIZE Reminder

Just a little reminder to post an organization project to your blog, with before and after pics, on Monday (the first Monday of the month). Remember, no project is too small (think junk drawer or a shelf) or big (a whole room). If you don't have a blog but still want to share, please post in comments (not now, wait until Monday's post). I've even found out how to do a Mr. Linky thing at the bottom of the post. How cool am I? ;)

If you want a button (I'm not cool enough to figure out the code thing), let me know and I'll send you the pic and link to the original blog post so you can place the button on your blog.

Looking forward to seeing how you ORGANIZE!