Disney Rewards

I've been saving my Disney Rewards points for quite some time hoping against all hopes that they would repost the One Share of Disney stock reward again. (You just can't have enough Disney stock!) Alas, it was not to be...I received an email from guest services that they would not be offering that reward again in the near future...sniff, sniff...

I decided that I was going to spend my points anyway. I was feeling like I needed a new prize and what better way to get one than with points??? Wes can't complain about spending money that way.

I was so exicted when my new prizes came. They are way cute! This is the Blue Fairy. She lights up under her waist with a blue LED light that shines on Gepetto and Pinocchio-they turn with the music "When You Wish Upon a Star". Her wings sparkle too. Way cute!This is Captain Hook. When you turn him around...

Mr. Snee is on the other side! The detail on both of these is remarkable. They are both from the Jim Shore Disney Traditions Collection. I couldn't be happier...except if I had been able to use the points for Disney stock! I can't wait to collect more points!

Too Big for the White Rabbit's House!

When we visit our Happy Place, I try to take pictures in the same places just for fun and memories. This set makes me laugh and feel a little sad at the same time. October 2006- with their first mouse ears. This is in front of the White Rabbit's door just west of the Alice Coaster and the Tea Cups. December 2010- Too big for the door...and too cool for mouse ears!
they're growing up way too fast!

BUNCO!

So last fall I started playing BUNCO for the first time. I've heard of other groups playing for years but had never been invited to play. I was so excited to play! The group I play with is a bunch of really talented, gorgeous, fun young ladies. Most of them have spouses that work with me at Malt-O-Meal. Rikki even joined us. It's nice to get her out of the house and spend some time with her once a month.

The first time we played I even won the big prize for having the most BUNCOS! It was so cute.. Julie made a wooden display that said WITCH... the I is a witch and the H is a cat. I've already put it away or I'd post a picture. All the prizes have been way cute! AND the food has been outstanding as well. Last month, Stephanie made a chicken and vegetable chowder type soup that was to die for. I can't wait until she shares the recipe!

Wes gives me a really hard time over it all. He teases and reminds me not to stay out too late, or tells me to have fun with my little friends and stay out of trouble. He's such a smart alec!

I look forward to playing every month. It's tons of fun! The only bad thing in all of it is that I am the OLD person there. Everyone else is newlywed or just starting their families. It's kinda weird. Last month we found out that there are now four ladies in our group that are expecting. Someone at that point piped up and suggested that we all should have babies! NOT! I just don't think that would be a great plan for me! It bites being the oldest sometimes.

Anywho, I have BUNCO at my house in July and September. I get two months since Rikki doesn't have a lot of room at her place. (The things we do for our kids!) I desperately need ideas for themes, food and prizes. Any suggestions would be welcome!

More Pictures for Friends

I took a few pictures for a friend of mine just before Christmas. It rained the entire weekend, so we only got one background. She really liked them, so that's a plus. I hope she comes back this spring so we can get more pictures of her super cute boys in different places. Enjoy!

Late Fall Pics of the Littles

Just a few pictures...I'm really enjoying my camera. Beats the heck out of spending $200 at Kiddie Kandids! I just need to decide on a few favorites and get them printed!

I think I'll do black and white on this one.

Hunter Earned His Eagle!

Long time no post! Sorry everyone! It's amazing how quickly life can pass by. My new resolution is to post at least a few times a month. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, I was trying to remember the things that have happened since my last post. Here is one of the more significant milestones for our family...Hunter, (and Wes and Grandpa) earned his Eagle! Finally! It did take threats of relieving him of his keys and making him ride the bus to get him to finish, but whatever it takes, right? For his project, he replaced the foot boards on the opponent bleachers at the high school. Most of the boards had been replaced at one time or another, so there were no less than five different bolt sizes and most of them were so rusty that they couldn't turn them. They ended up cutting most of them off. They finished just as it started to rain. I'm not sure how happy Hunter was about all this scouting stuff, but he did make me happy getting it done. Oh, and he has his keys and doesn't have to ride the bus. That would have been embarrassing for a senior!

One more big thank you to Mr. Perkins for helping Hunter get everything filled out and in place for this project. He is an amazing man. When Hunter went for his interview, I had a chance to visit with Mr. Perkins for a minute. Not only has he helped dozens of boys finish their Eagles, but he was in the Armed Forces (Army I believe) and faithfully served our country for many years. I hope these boys that he has helped over the years realize what an outstanding man he is. Hopefully, they learned something about serving others from this great man.

The Best Banana Nut Muffins

Banana Nut Muffins

Makes 12-15 muffins

2 C flour

1 C sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3 very ripe bananas- mashed should be about 1 1/2 C

1/3 C buttermilk

2 large eggs

6 T butter- melted and slightly cooled

1 t. vanilla

1 C walnuts- chopped finely

Oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat to 400 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by spraying with non-stick spray or you can use liners.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix bananas, buttermilk, eggs, butter, vanilla and 3/4 C of the nuts. Fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. until just combined- batter will look lumpy. Be careful not to over mix!

Use an ice cream scoop to drop the batter into the tins. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C nuts on the tops of the muffins.

Place in oven and drop the temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 20-23 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in tin 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack for 10 more minutes of cooling before eating.