Home from Florida.

Our trip was absolutely amazing -- oh, and kinda exhausting, too.  Drive like mad, then traipse around Disneyworld for 4 days, then back in the car to get back home.  My hiney and legs are a bit confused by the actions I'm requiring of them ;)

Here's one quick photo of our family (taken in Epcot - the HGTV Garden Festival is going on right now, so there were amazing topiaries and flowers everywhere).  BTW, I feel compelled to say that our daughter was trying to imitate Ferb's pose, so no, she really isn't mad at her brother... I'll upload more this week, but just wanted to share a quickie and some thoughts:

• I am absolutely baffled as to why anyone would wear flip flops to Disney.  It's not like you end up there accidentally!  It was raining one day, and due to the wet socks, our daughter ended up with a blister on her foot.  We got a band-aid from the first aid station and discovered that blisters on the feet are what brings over three quarters of their "patients" in (this was an informal opinion of the nurse on duty, not an official statement)
• Disney does an amazing job hiring their "cast members" (no, they're not employees, but part of the show!) - hubby made the comment that he was trying to find just one grumpy person, but he couldn't.  Every one was genuinely polite and helpful.
• My hubby had been to Disneyworld back in 1978, and I'd been to Disneyland in 1990, and this was the first time for our kids.  I'm really glad that we waited until they were old enough to do "big" stuff but still young enough to enjoy the character interaction as well.  We made tons of great memories together, from riding roller coasters to seeing shows to eating fancy pastries.  Lots and LOTS of laughter
• My advice to any "newbies" considering a trip there: (1) Stay at a Disney property!  It was wonderful to use their shuttle service from our hotel to the parks, and not have to worry about finding our car or fighting traffic after a long day. (2) Dining plans are totally worth it, too.  I know we could have saved money by bringing our own food (which is not frowned on in any way) but I was thankful we weren't lugging a cooler around, and the food really was top notch - everything was fresh, and not the greasy, salty stuff that I was afraid of.

Signing off for now -- must do another load of laundry, put a few more things away, and then get some SLEEP!

Friday Funny

As heard around the house this week:

Son D, asking me to help him identify some songs: "You know, it's that one by Taylor Swift.  About one of her old boyfriends."
Me: "That doesn't really narrow it down much."
--
D: "Don't worry, Mom, I'll come to your funeral."
--
Daughter A: "Mom, do you know who made the very first American flag?"
Me: "Well, most people think it was Betsy Ross, but we don't really know for sure."
A, crossing arms: "Why do you have to know everything!?!"
--
both kids: "We're going to Florida!"
Yeah, that surprise thing didn't exactly work out -- our kids are getting way too observant!

Color!

I've come to the conclusion that my hubby is partially colorblind.  Not in the traditional red/green way, but he cannot differentiate between shades of a similar color.

He drives me crazy when he says stuff like, "Bring me my red shirt," and he actually means that burgundy one.I drive him crazy when I pick out paint colors because he swears the five shades of ivory are all the same - he doesn't see the yellow and blue undertones.

But color matters to me.  Especially in our home, which is my place of employment.  Color affects our moods, and helps set the tone of our life in the space.

Why am I babbling about this?  Benjamin Moore has an awesome new line of print ads that I just came across in the March, 2013 issue of House Beautiful.  There were three full pages (blue, green and pink).  The text on the blue page reads: The wall is not your enemy.  It's not there to fence you in.  No, the wall's wide open, nothing but _________ sky.  Notice we didn't say blue.  That's the beauty of the wall. You've got your own color for unbridled freedom. For possibility...

Love it.

Color. God gave us such beauty in the world!

Friday Funny

There's *always* something to be thankful for.

 

More silliness here.