Stef's Walking In A Disney Wonderland

[stefa70 205]

Great trip report. The castle is beautiful.

Great TR and awesome pix. Keep it coming.

Love the castle photos.

Ty all!

One can never take too many castle photos! Just be happy I didn't post them all.

Great pics, Stef! Your HT lady reminds me of a woman and her daughter in line behind me at the store register in MK one day. It was particularly chilly that day so the stores were packed early with people buying sweatshirts. The people in front of me took what seemed like forever to complete their purchases, but I was very much entertained by the woman behind me over-the-top complaining about being in line for so long. All I could think was "If you think 15 minutes in line to buy stuff is bad, wait until you try and get on Peter Pan!" :rofl2:

Thanks Mo! I agree 100%. When I hear someone complain about waiting, I always want to ask them where they were supposed to be vacationing. Obviously they ended up in the wrong place.

WDW = Waits.

Glad for the Osbourne Lights as we missed them this year and changed our plans to not go back for Christmas.

I love Big Thunder. Just wish the rest of the family did too

Sorry you missed the lights. They are amazing.

Trevor won't ride BTM either so I have to convince someone else to go, or ride alone like I did last trip. That's not as fun. I was tossed all over the place and a couple times felt as if I would fly right out of my seat.

Amen and :bravo: One should never complain about being on a crowded MK boat at Christmas time. If that is where you are .... you are very fortunate. There are certainly worse problem to be had. :) (I do have to admit you were more polite than me by just sprinting away at the first available moment. Shamefully, I have been known to say out loud what you were thinking.) I always try to be polite but sometimes I fail. Bad me. Yay for you... you scored high on the politeness meter!!! You may have pegged it out on that one.

Thankfully hoity toity ladies aren't generally a problem at the Fort! :whew:

Your nighttime photos were fantastic! Great job!

I've been working on my temper for a few years and do pretty good at keeping my mouth shut and my hands to myself....for the most part.

It's just not worth it. If someone is miserable, let them be miserable. I would rather get away from them and keep smiling. No cranky, bitter person will ruin my good time. I actually felt bad for the DIL. Can you imagine how she acted when she had to wait in a ride line?!

More proof the boy was switched at birth......

10+ years later, XX pounds lighter, ....... Mom.

You are scaring me.

I got you into punch, BBS, apple pie and nutella waffles. Next, I'll teach you a proper headlock technique.

I got behind on my trip report reading over the weekend, and just got caught up on yours.

Great stuff. I love all the night time photos you got.

I'm glad to hear you finally got to see Nemo. We love that show.

Also glad to hear you tried the hot dog on pretzel roll at DHS. I should have warned you about the mustard. The twins ask for theirs on the side. You are absolutely right about how it all gets pushed to the bottom so the last couple of bites will get you.

Looking forward to the rest.

TCD

Glad to have you back. Just caught up on your report.

(For purely selfish reasons) I'm happy both girls were accepted to UCF. I would hate to see them split up.

As for the hot dog: Nate finished his first and whined like a girl about the mustard. I, of course, made fun of him.....until I experienced it!

Holy hotness!

But the dog and roll were excellent. Maybe mustard on the side is the way to go.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As for the hot dog: Nate finished his first and whined like a girl about the mustard. I, of course, made fun of him.....until I experienced it!

Holy hotness!

But the dog and roll were excellent. Maybe mustard on the side is the way to go.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I forgot one more hot dog tip.

They serve the hot dogs with a side of chips. Which is a small bag of those Disney chips. A lot of times the girls don't even eat those, so I end up carrying them with us, or they eat a few and the rest get tossed. On one of our recent visits, the CM asked if I wanted the chips with the dog. I said I thought they came with. She said I could order the dogs without the chips, and she would deduct the cost of the chips. It turns out those chips are like $2 a bag. So that move saved me $6 on three dogs. I have done that since. That just about pays for a Disney beer.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

Before we move on to Sunday at the Fort, I want to share this.

I did some Christmas shopping over the weekend. I ran into Kmart to get wrapping paper and bought myself some new slippers.

Kid clearance for $4.00! ^-^

Mason isn't impressed. He thinks they should be for him to play with.

Back to the report.....

Sunday morning I slept til 7:00 am! That's a record for me, but I guess when you don't get to bed until one-ish, it's to be expected.

I started some camping chicken & dumplings in the crockpot and Trevor came out for coffee in a "camping outfit"

Ya know, those outfits you wouldn't normally be caught dead in?

He wasn't thrilled with my laughter or the fact that I wanted a picture so it's hard to see just how attractive it is.

A work sweatshirt he grabbed out of his truck, complete with a grease stain on the front. A teal colored t-shirt underneath. Black shorts, black socks and his black Nike sandals.

Goofball!

While Trevor put on a more suitable outfit, Nate and I went to the trading post where I picked up a couple of Christmas gifts.

With our shopping done, we picked up Trevor and went out to do some looping before Nate had to head back home.

While cruising through the 1200 loop we found TJ, in an empty site, talking to a CM.

I knew he was staying at Carol's, who was in the 1700 loop. There wasn't a cart or vehicle around. It turns out, Nancy had brought him there on her cart, then had to take someone up to the front. We talked for about 20 minutes before he called Nancy and told her we would give him a ride back to Carol's.

We stayed and talked with Carol and Missy for quite a while. I think Carol took some photos of us, my camera was in the cart.

While I was there, Donnie texted and asked if I'd go to AK with him, Annie and Lil Bee. Of course, I would!

We met up at Judy's and started towards the front. Nate decided to go with us, so we had to take 2 carts.

We hopped on a bus and were on our way to AK.

Lil Bee crashed out in the back.

Anniston was on her phone, you can see her behind Donnie.

Donnie had to rouse Bee out of a SOUND sleep, so Nate and I went inside.

The kids (Annie and Nate) were starving, so we hit Pizzafari first. I forgot to take pics til the scavengers had finished, so this is the best I got.

Nate and Anniston (probably discussing how goofy their respective parents are)

First stop, Primeval Whirl!!

Next stop was Dinosaur, which Bee wasn't a fan of! But he sucked it up and handled it fine.

The 3 of them wanted to ride Expedition Everest, I did not. Nate realized it was 3:00 and he wanted to pack up and head home, so we split up and said we'd catch them back at the Fort.

Nate & I started toward the exit, not really paying attention, when Bee ran up beside us. He had the biggest grin on his face, as he had snuck up on us. Annie said he had been jogging behind us the whole time, but we were lost in our own world.

Turns out, Bee wanted to get home to see his Dad before he caught a flight home, so no Everest for anyone.

Back at the Fort, we said goodbye to Nate and he pointed the Jeep west.

Trevor and I took Mason for a long walk.

There was a Kyle Bush fan in our loop.

Poor Trev had to sit and smell the chicken & dumplings cooking all day long, so he was ready to dig in!

It doesn't look so good with the crusty cooking bits. Here's a better one.

I tried all day to get Donnie to stay and let Anniston skip school on Monday. He was being a good Dad and said NO!

I fed him some dinner, and reluctantly said goodbye.

I walked him out to his cart and Lonestar came by while we were talking. This was my first meeting with Michael.

He's a redneck from Texas who drinks beer. Need I say more?

I wish we could have spent more time with him, but he was with family and we never could hook up again. (I did slip him a Jello shot while he was there)

Great to meet you Michael! Hope to do it again soon.

(And by "it" I mean hang out and have a few beers )

Trevor and I tried to do some looping, but it was chilly! Instead we curled up in bed and watched Christmas Vacation.

"Clark, is your house on fire?" ;D

Classic!

Next up: Monday, our final full day and I have a special photo for TCD.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

we can't be at the final full day already

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Next up: Monday, our final full day and I have a special photo for TCD.

Great update!

And, I can't wait for the special photo.

TCD

[SCTigerCock 171]

There was a Kyle Bush fan in our loop.

It's official you were in the classiest loop! Loser, but classy.

Recipe, please. NOW.

[HappyRedhead......Betsy 16]

Yes, recipe please....that looks yummy!

Enjoying the report...thanks!

[stefa70 205]

we can't be at the final full day already

Yep, but I still have a lot of photos!

We didn't just sit around and mope.

Well, I did start moping, but I was active when I did it. ;D

Great update!

And, I can't wait for the special photo.

TCD

Coming right up!

Loser

I couldn't agree more. :raspberry2:

Yes, recipe please....that looks yummy!

Enjoying the report...thanks!

Yummy and fairly simple!

I will post the recipe at the end.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Cool, two awesome things to look for - TCD special photo and a recipe.

I have potatoes in the crock pot right now. :D We are doing baked potato bar tonight.

Loved the recent update.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Annie-

Please give a report back on how the potatoes worked out.

Somewhere along the line I got the idea that there always had to be liquid in a crock pot to avoid damage to the ceramic container.

After hearing Stef say she did it, I did some checking, and came across a recipe that suggests wrapping the potatoes in foil.

Does anyone know of any risk of damage to a crock pot from this?

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Well, when my crock pot explodes, I will let you all know.

[stefa70 205]

Monday December 3rd. We check out on the 4th. Yuck!

We got up early and decided to hang around the Fort and go to Epcot that evening.

Fort exploring:

We took Mason behind the 300 loop. While he did his walk along the canal, I went down to the water.

The weird buoys are still there.

The cabin is looking abandoned and sad.

Fisherpeople (I couldn't tell if it was men)

There were two other older couples back there walking and taking photos.

I didn't get a pic of the other folks, they were standing right next to me and that would have been kinda creepy.

TCD's favorite spot (this is not your special photo, BTW. That will be in the next update)

One of the ladies who was taking pics turned to me and told me she thought it would be prettier if that crane couldn't be seen.

I think we've all said that at least once.

I made my way back up the road. Nothing new or exciting to see at the dam.

The canal leading towards the Settlement is icky green.

More ugly cranes.

Looping and admiring decorations, with Mason

I felt bad for the folks with a lot of blowups who have to have a recycling bin right in the middle of them. Kind of "breaks the flow"

Gary's site with his new fiver. Very nice Gary!!

This was in the 1200 loop. In fact, he was still setting up. Great idea!

Right between seeing all these great Christmas decorations, I noticed the sign for the 1200 loop was covered in yellow flowers.

Gotta love Florida!

The picture doesn't do them justice as it was an overcast day.

Lonestar's site with no Christmas decorations (Trevor had to check out Michael's new truck )

We ran into Brent & Justin who were getting ready to leave. We said our goodbyes and started plotting another get together.

Cruising

Mason was over the golf cart ride by now. He was scootching around on the seat to get comfortable.

NO, he won't lay down, he may miss something.

So we took him back to camp and went to one place he can't join us.

[stefa70 205]

Cool, two awesome things to look for - TCD special photo and a recipe.

I have potatoes in the crock pot right now. :D We are doing baked potato bar tonight.

Loved the recent update.

Potato bar sounds yummy!

Annie-

Please give a report back on how the potatoes worked out.

Somewhere along the line I got the idea that there always had to be liquid in a crock pot to avoid damage to the ceramic container.

After hearing Stef say she did it, I did some checking, and came across a recipe that suggests wrapping the potatoes in foil.

Does anyone know of any risk of damage to a crock pot from this?

TCD

I tried the foil the first time as I had seen both with and without, but they took way too long with the foil on low. Guess it would depend how hot your low setting is.

I have done them many times without and my pot is fine. Believe it or not, you will have to clean your crockpot as the potatoes create their own juice.

They are more steamed I guess (moister) than baked potatoes.

Well, when my crock pot explodes, I will let you all know.

:rofl2: OMG, I hope that doesn't happen!

But if it were to happen, have a camera handy.

[stefa70 205]

Double posted

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for the photo from my favorite place!

And I still have another photo coming?

Wow.

Must be my lucky day.

That guy on 1200 won the site decorating contest last year, so I'm betting he will be there through Christmas.

Thanks for the baked potato info. I am going to try this on our next trip.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

IT's official KFK's ghost has hit your TR...

[we3peas 12]

I'll give you great advice......crock pot liners. They are awesome and really reduce the cleanup. Never camp or cook without them anymore!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'll give you great advice......crock pot liners. They are awesome and really reduce the cleanup. Never camp or cook without them anymore!

I saw a crock pot liner for the chicken and dumplings.

Stef knows her crockpots.

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

That guy on the 1200 loop ... the awesome rig ... I had a pic of his Halloween setup in my TR. How long does he stay at the fort?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

That guy on the 1200 loop ... the awesome rig ... I had a pic of his Halloween setup in my TR. How long does he stay at the fort?

He was gone at Thanksgiving.

Now he's back.

I don't remember him from before last year, but last year, he came right after Thanksgiving and he left right around New Year's day.

TCD

[MetalDad 33]

I totally see nothing wrong with that outfit.

I'm not a fan of the flip flops with socks look that's happening these days.

Who would have thought that the trend would be plumber's crack saggy pants and "old ethnic grandfather gettin' the mail" chic footwear?

What's next? Those sunglass goggles that go over your regular glasses?

[kampfirekim 260]

IT's official KFK's ghost has hit your TR...

It's the Ghost of Christmas Post. ;D

Love the updates. The chicken n dumplin's looks yumm oh! Even with the "cooking bits".

Great TR!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Good news, no exploding crock pot. I did put the potatoes in wet after I washed them and they did make their own little juice. Crock pot liner would be good though because I'm not looking forward to scraping off that baked on juice.

[caveat lector 181]

...

It was 9:00 when Nate & I started towards the marina. Trevor was resting comfortably, with Mason, watching football.

(Ya hear that, Caveat? :) )

Two things I like about this:

1) getting a shout out on a FF.net celebrities TR....thanks

2) I knew that's how Mason rolls....definitely mans best friend!

Before we move on to Sunday at the Fort, I want to share this.

I did some Christmas shopping over the weekend. I ran into Kmart to get wrapping paper and bought myself some new slippers.

Kid clearance for $4.00! ^-^

Very cool shoes! Didn't you get a Yoda themed tshirt a while back? I'm not up on my clothes lingo, but does that mean you are developing an ensemble?

Now, if we can get a shirt referencing both "being the lucky dog" and correct use of "Jedi mind tricks" it would be a big seller.

Rock on with the pics. My favorites are still the Christmas decorated sites. Definitely puts me in a good mood. Then again, maybe it's just the jack Daniels in the egg nogg I'm enjoying while reading your TR.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

She said I could order the dogs without the chips, and she would deduct the cost of the chips. It turns out those chips are like $2 a bag. So that move saved me $6 on three dogs. I have done that since. That just about pays for a Disney beer.

Good to know!

Those. Are. Awesome.

Next stop was Dinosaur, which Bee wasn't a fan of! But he sucked it up and handled it fine.

I'm with Bee - they need to turn the volume down on that ride big time. If the knob goes to 10, they've got that sucker turned up to 15!

Recipe, please. NOW.

Thanks - saves me asking.

And I've now got "crockpot liners" on my list of camper stuff I need to remember to pack.