Tag Archives: Mickey Mouse

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Top 10 Things I Am Excited To Do at Walt Disney World

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Day 386 in my excitement on my way to meeting up with Mickey

Here are the 10 things I am the most excited about for our trip to Walt Disney World in October:

#10 Riding it’s a small world.  It is my favorite ride!!

#9 Celebrating one year’s-worth of birthdays with “the dip” (see below) and birthday cupcakes.  We have been saving up to celebrate our birthdays together in Florida.  Woo hoo!  Happy birthday to us!

#8 Exploring EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival.  Looking forward to tempting tidbits of tasty treats.

#7 Experiencing Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party for the first time ever.  See comment from number 8.

#6 Spending the better part of a day at Disney Springs exploring and shopping.

#5 Eating at Olivia’s Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. This is by far my favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World.

#4 Experiencing Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween for the first time ever.  I have my costume now.  I ordered it from the Disney Store.  I will wear a Mickey Mouse Skeleton Tee and a Minnie Mouse Ears Headband.  🙂

#3 Spending plenty of resort time and pool time at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.  It is, seriously, my Happy Place.  When I’m chilling at Old Key West I can actually feel all stress leaving my body.  It is the ultimate in relaxation for me.

#2 Meeting and greeting Mickey at Magic Kingdom. This has been the driving force behind this blog.  I am anxious to shake Mickey‘s big, white-gloved hand and get a picture.

And the #1 thing that I am excited about…Looking at the faces of my husband and children and their spouses and spending some quality time together in this beautiful place.  This will be a family reunion extraordinaire!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

*The dip: In a pie plate spread 8 oz. of cream cheese.  Next sprinkle 6 to 8 cut-up green onions on top.  Then spread a can of No Bean chili on top.  (We usually make a second dip with Vegetarian chili with lots of beans.)  Finally sprinkle 8 oz. of grated cheddar cheese on top.  (We prefer sharp cheddar.  The shaper the better.)  Microwave for five minutes and serve with your favorite chips.  (We usually heat it in the oven t 350 degrees for 30 minutes instead, because it seem to hold it’s heat longer.)

 

 

 

 

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Taco-licious!

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Day 385 in healthy eating on my way to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to write up this week’s menu and get my shopping list ready for tomorrow.  Done!  Yay!  So since that’s already behind me let me share tonight’s dinner recipe with you.  It’s from my favorite cookbook: Betty Crocker’s 30 Minute Meals for Diabetes.

Quick Taco Skillet Casserole

Prep time: 25 minutes-Makes 6-1&1/3 cup servings-3 Carb Choices

  1. Ingredients:
  2. 1 lb. extra lean (at least 90%) ground beef
  3. 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  4. 1&1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
  5. 1 cup chunky-style salsa
  6. 1&1/2 cups water
  7. 1 can (14.5 to 16 oz) diced tomatoes, or whole tomatoes, cut up UNDRAINED
  8. 1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, UNDRAINED
  9. 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
  • Directions:
  • In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain well.  Return beef mixture to skillet.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients.  Heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium high; cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir before serving.

It’s just that easy.  And it is so tasty!  Try it; you’ll like it!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Dunkin Donuts Blues

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Day 384 in my eating my way to a healthier me to meet up with Mickey (1 month and 16 days to go)

Today’s plan is to NOT go to Dunkin Donuts.  Dunkin Donuts has recently built a shop in the lovely town of Lake Bluff.  This is not good news to someone who is a sugar addict and who loves butter crunch donuts, Boston cream donuts, apple fritters, French crullers and more…  Also I can’t ever buy one donut.  I want 2 or 3 or 4 with my cup of coffee.  So today’s plan is to NOT go there.

I shared a delicious salad for lunch today with Mike.  So far, so good.  For dinner I am making baked salmon and baked sweet potato with grilled asparagus.  Just thinking about how it will look on my plate: pink salmon, soft orange sweet potato, complimented by green asparagus delectably seared to perfection, makes me salivate.  Color means a lot to me on my plate.  I like lots of color, and when that color turns out to be a delicious combination, it’s a win-win situation.

Today’s plan is to concentrate on the healthy foods that I will treat myself with today.  Truly treat myself, because my body will LOVE these foods for fuel.  And to just get through this day without hopping onto my car and heading to Dunkin Donuts.

Pray for me, Dear Readers.  I am not good at resisting when the sugar cravings come.  I think today is a minute by minute deal.  I won’t get into my car for the next minute, then I’ll opt to not go in the next minute, etc…  I believe I can do this one minute at a time.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13  Help me, Jesus!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Sugar Funk

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Day 376 in my realizations on the way to meeting Mickey

Well, dear friends, today I have been in a funk for no apparent reason.

  1. The weather was a cool 65 to 74 degrees, and that’s my kind of weather.  Perfect.
  2. I had a busy and successful day at work, accomplishing all that I hoped to.
  3. Mike’s sister came into town , and I always enjoy visiting with her.

So here’s what I think.  I think that sugar has crept back into my diet, slowly and insidiously.  I haven’t been as careful about reading labels and tracking down nutritional information on my food choices. And most telling I been craving sugar again something fierce.

That’s got to be it now.  I am back on it, and I will be tenacious in my food choices.  Back to label reading, back to cooking more and ordering in less, and less eating out.

Hopefully in the next week this sugar-funk will lift and I can get back to enjoying this journey.  I’ll keep you posted.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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You Want to Look Where?

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Day 372 in getting healthier to meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to meet with my gastroenterologist and set up an appointment for my colonoscopy.  I had one a couple years back, but he is keeping an eye on things.  My appointment was for 2:00 pm and at 3:30 pm I was still waiting to see the doctor.  So frustrating.  I had to meet for this prescreening, because my doctor is with a different practice now.  Once the doctor was available and entered the room he chatted with me for fifteen minutes, going over any recent medical issues (ie. endometrial cancer), getting family history (no colon cancer in my family), etc…  He is a delightful person, I must admit.  I totally trust him with my, well, you know.  Next Wednesday it’s colonoscopy time again.  It’s pretty hard to get excited about that.  😦  But I know from a getting healthy perspective it’s a necessity.  *sigh*

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Making Smart Choices

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Day 370 in eating my way to a healthier me to meet up with Mickey (1 month and 28 days to go)

Today’s plan is to create my menu for the week, making it as heavily veggie centered as possible.  I need to pack in the water and veggies this week to try to purge all the salt I took in during our vacation.  We ate out and carried in a lot, and unfortunately, these types of foods have much more salt than I cook with at home.  I am bloated with water weight, and I am anxious to get rid of it.  I can feel it in my shoes and clothes.  Yuck!

So this week it’s back to fruits and veggies, lean proteins and complex carbs.  ( And I will stay sugar-free.)  And I really need to refocus on portions size.  It’s so easy to eat too much when you are given such large portions.   I will fill my dinner plate like this: half vegetables, one quarter meat (3 to 4 ounces), one quarter complex carbs (brown rice, quinoa, brown pasta or spinach pasta, rye bread, etc…)

Thank you for reading, Dear Friends and Family.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Putting Myself Out There

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Day 368 in dealing with my hang ups on my way to meeting up with Mickey

OK, here’s the deal.  I have a nervous stomach.  I always have had it.  Today I am invited to a friend’s condo to help celebrate another friend.  I’ve never been to my friend’s condo before.  I have known about this event for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would be ready to go.  Now, however, my stomach is tied in knots, and I have diarrhea just thinking about it.  Whenever I have to drive to a new place, my system reacts this way.  I don’t know why.

When I was a little girl, my mom would wait to tell me we were going on vacation until the last minute.  Otherwise, I would become so excited that I got an upset stomach…every time.  Maybe this is the result of those early days.  I don’t know.  I just know it happens every time.

Today’s plan is to suck it up, get in my car and drive myself over to the gathering.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NKJV  I believe that verse, so I am going to step out in faith and believe that God will guide me and be with me.   This does not come easy for me.  Fifty pounds ago, I would have found an excuse to not attend.  I don’t want to be that sedentary, closet eater (not eating closets, but hiding and eating) anymore.

I really want to attend this particular event, because I want to show my love and support for the Guest of Honor.  And once I am there, I know I will really enjoy it.  So, Dear Readers, into the fray I go!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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It’s Time…Again

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Day 366 in my quest to meet up with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to begin again.  I am exhausted from five poor nights of sleep, but I am back home now after my trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  So tonight I will sleep in my own bed, hoping against all hope that I get a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow morning when I wake up I begin again.  One year and one day after I began this blog, I will begin again.  My goals are to make the best food choices possible (including getting back to sugar-free) and to move more.  Tomorrow I will move around five minutes every hour while at work.  I miss moving more, and now that my body is well on its way to healing, I am ready to move it more again.  So now just two months out from our trip to Florida, I am ready to dive in and immerse myself in healthy foods and more walking.

When I get to Walt Disney World, it will be what it will be.  But I am ready to take it seriously until then.  So whatever happens I will be in the best shape that I can be…for the age that I am…in the condition that I am in.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Work and Play

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Day 360 in working toward a healthier me to meet Mickey

  1. Today’s plan was to up the physical activity factor at work today.  New carpet is being put in my office on Monday.  Mike and I are leaving town tomorrow evening (Thursday) for a family reunion in Michigan.  So I have been purging and moving things out of the office most of today.  My neck is sore, my back is bit achy, even my wrists and ankles are complaining.  🙂  But I have been VERY physically active today.  And, thanks to my rescue inhaler, I haven’t gotten out of breath and wheezy.  Yay!  I’m liking this new me, and I’ll like it even better when I am moving around more.
  2. On a side note: Be Our Guest, a restaurant at Magic Kingdom, opened reservations today for breakfast.  They used to only serve lunch and dinner.  I thought, “Great!  We can change our reservation for there rather than Crystal Palace, since we’ve already eaten breakfast at Crystal Palace.  We’ll try something new.”  Well, I should have been online at 6:00 am, but I didn’t remember until 9:00 am, so guess what…no reservations available.  Figures.  It’s a good things we like Crystal Palace.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Ten Minutes and Thirty Seconds of Peace and Good Will

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Day 358 in my contemplations on meeting Mickey

According to DIS at wdwinfo.com: it’s a small world–Ride Length: 10 minutes, 30 seconds

“The “legend” has it that if you ride it’s a small world at Disney World, the song will stay in your head forever, it’s a small world after all.  A lot of people claim this ride is just a cliché or is “just for kids.”  People will tell you that they avoid it like the plague. These are the same people that will turn around and moan that the Carousel of Progress should be saved, or that they never should have taken out Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Their reasoning is that these are Walt Disney’s Legacy…Let’s talk about that. Many of the older, or original if you prefer, attractions at Disneyland and Disney World have Walt’s touch. Walt and his team of Imagineers, led by artist and designer Mary Blair, created it’s a small world as tribute to the children of the world for the UNICEF pavilion at the 1964/65 World’s Fair. The Sherman Brothers, responsible for a big chunk of Disney music (ex. Mary Poppins) originally wrote the theme song as a ballad. Legend has it that Walt told them he needed something “peppy” that would last throughout the ride. “

it’s a small world is my favorite ride.  When I get to Walt Disney World, riding this ride is my sign that I can exhale and really begin my vacation.  It has always been my favorite ride here.  On our fourth trip to Walt Disney World, which was our second trip as Disney Vacation Club members, we invited my mom and dad and Mike’s mom along.  My dad was enjoying the vacation, but not really showing excitement about anything.  Then we rode it’s a small world, and everything changed.  As soon as we got off the ride he asked to go again.  🙂  And then on our last day of that trip, I asked my dad what he would like to do on his last day of this vacation.  His response?  “I want to go on it’s a small world.”  That cemented it for me.  It is now and will always be my favorite Walt Disney World attraction.

Meet you at the Kingdom!