Emergency Preparedness

So if you read my last post from yesterday, you know I had a heat stroke on Monday. That's one of life's emergencies. I do wear a medical alert bracelet for my allergies and my diabetes. Though, after Monday Chris and I agreed that one thing on my Summer Bucket List is really necessary: Emergency Binder.

Mine will be slightly different because I'm also adding some organizing to mine about my townhouse. I feel that some important things really need to be kept together. Chris got two fireproof/waterproof boxes (he is doing his own), sheet protectors, binders, and pencil pouches.

Now I must admit my boyfriend has in genius idea until we were watching NCIS and I realized where he got the idea about blood typing. We are finishing up the binders what I am going to do is make a Emergency Preparedness Pinterest Board and let you look through some of the things I've done and I am going to do. I will also add things for a family binder as well because some of you have families and I hope someday I have my own little family.

Emergency!

Notebook

I have come up with many ideas to do and I love my notebook. I used scrapbook paper and stickers to decorate it and I love it so much I might get Hannah later to take pictures of it for me. I really encourage people to do this and be prepared for emergencies. I feel a lot better knowing some of the information I read while doing this and making this with Chris. We even had fun making our binders together. It was a great way to learn even more about each other.

It's Not an Obsession...

Hello, hello, hello, hello! Today has been a great day! I for one I had awesome time with my oldest baby brother.

Anyhow continuing with this week Disney theme, I might obsess over making sure I have EVERYTHING for the trip.

Like Chris and I are driving, yes Chris has an iPhone with GPS and 3 different apps with driving directions, however, cellphone towers sometimes do go out or are being worked on so I am printing out maps.

 I print out Touring Plans which enables us to make the most of our day with predicting how bad the crowds will be plus how long wait lines are. I do these for each park and day.

I like to be prepared for things, I have 3 different packing lists. I print out cute invitations and on the back I print out the confirmation number from the Disney website.

I have a 3 inch, 3 ring binder to house all of my organizing, from Packing Lists, and checklists for my place to Maps, a hotel for over night stay on the way there, to our hotel when we get there information (like maps, tips, hidden Mickey heads), to Park plans which is the Touring Plans and photo opportunity cue cards, to a Dining Section with Restaurants reservations, snack credit lists, to a Section about budgeting, to a section about Future Disney trips and the Harry Potter section for Universal Studio. I am having to add two small sections that I have not gotten to yet for Horror Nights at Universal and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

I have made a Disney Countdown to go in my living room to remind me how many days I have left to get everything organized.

I also do envelopes for all money keeping. I prefer cash and gift cards while traveling. The envelopes you see below marked Mousekeeping is for house keeping tips to leave out each day. It is a common thing at Disney to leave $1 per person each day. I like to do mine daily because the same person does not clean the room each time. I made mine for mine and Chris's even though we are sharing a Grand Villa at Bay Lake Tower with Erica and Matthew.

(Thank you Brittany for the great images!)

Just own the night like the 4th of July

I love celebrating this even if it is not where either side of my family originated.

I am going to be really busy today therefore there will be no craft or recipe today. Though I have done several crafts and recipes for today.

I won't leave you completely empty handed, though, the following link are the boards I used to do most of the projects for today; LuckyRoxy - 4th of July, Paginajarcher - 4th of July Crafts, and Iadoreyorkies - 4th of July Recipes & Crafts.

I hope you have a "blast" with your family this holiday. God Bless!

Sew Deep In My Dreams

I have always wanted to learn how to sew with a sewing machine. I inherited a real old vintage sewing machine but it is still currently at my dad's. I want to restore it some day. Though, my dad gave me a brand new high tech sewing machine/monogram for my birthday. I love it. I have already accomplished making some new items for my bathroom, throw pillows for my couches, an apron and Disney shirt.

In the future I hope to work on making vintage dresses, coats, and shrugs. I have found and received many patterns that are vintage, but many are vintage inspired. Magan helped me find places with really good patterns and I love how cheap some of the patterns were online. She loves to sew and many people have told me that she is really quite good at it. Actually Chris's brother, Frankie, loves her pillows and has several of them and a blanket made by her. I had a real shopping spree with the patterns because of how cheap they were.

Here is a list of the sewing projects I want to do in the future:

• Silk Pajamas (Way later when I'm getting extremely good at sewing)
• Snack sandwiches bags
• Reversible hats
• Woolen berets
• Hanger sachets
• Quiet books for my brothers and anyone else with kids
• Homemade heating pad
• Hair straightener and curling iron covers
• Fleece hats for my younger brothers
• Flowing skirt
• Tshirt quilt
• Pot holders
• Plastic Bag organizer
• Pettiskirt
• Baby quilt for Claudette (her request)
• Vintage day dresses
• High waisted shorts
• Diaper bag
• Washcloth duckie for Jackjack

I have a few more ideas but I'm sure I'll write about them. There are many websites that I like to look at and get ideas, patterns, and inspiration from. 

1. Pinterest - I can search for almost any kind of patterns or sewing ideas in general and I find a slew of projects and ideas I want to do.
2. Martha Stewart - I TiVo her show as well as search her website. I have a found a number of easy sewing projects that I have succeeded at which in itself is amazing. 
3. Thread Magazine - I don't actually have a subscription to the magazine but I have found some really great ideas and other websites.
4. So Vintage Patters - Vintage Patterns and ideas

I am wanting a dress form but that will come later. I want to really get into sewing for its another form of art and I love art. I keep all of the artwork my students give me. I keep them in a files for now. I am hoping to become better at sewing so that I can provide clothing for my own family someday as well as putting the skill to use for gifts and people in need. 

Its on my table down stairs for when I use it. I am investing in a table for the extra room in my condo. 

Its an Elephant

Taken in my bedroom

This was one of the things that I really wanted to learn how to do on my Summer Bucket List.

I really wanted to learn how to do this because Disney Mousekeeping sometimes will create towel animals for you. That's how I became inspired to learn how to do one. At Disney the high of rank your resort is the bigger the animals are, just like everything else at Disney resorts. So I was on half day at work and I really wanted to get the first thing marked off my bucket list. So this is what I did.

Let me explain because I had a few people ask did I use starch in the trunk of the elephant. No I did not. I actually hang my towels, bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths on my balcony on the second floor at the back. I live by myself I use the same towel two days in a row (except my work out towel, I wash it daily.) So I can hang most of my towels outside and it gives them a stiffness to them.

I will admit I had to do the trunk and face several times because I thought I was doing something wrong when in reality I was doing it right but I'm one of those Type A people sometimes. I looked up a tutorial on Youtube for a towel animal. There were a few options but being a former student and a huge fan of the University of Alabama, I went with the elephant. I actually am going to see in the future to make diaper cakes and shapes. My little brothers loved the elephants I made for them, HOWEVER, I bought sticker eyes for theirs instead of using tacts like the videos says to do. Also the one above is my first attempt and you cannot see his ears.

Below is the tutorial that I followed. I will say that you will need to pause it if you are trying to make a towel animal. 

Bucket Lists, what they mean to me.

Look for the Page called Bucket Lists. The page will be where I keep my Bucket Lists updated so I and everyone else can see what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish...

I went through a situation where I realized my life was not turning out how I wanted. I realized that I was a pushover for many people, and a person who is no longer in my life showed me this. The person who showed me how to change was his mom. She told me I didn't have to stand for his crap or anyone else's.

I went on my own, I don't regret it at all. I have never been happier in my life. I don't answer to many people now. Notice I said people, for the Lord tells me things I need to do. Quite honestly, I have been extra blessed because I am happy and I tell the devil to get behind me. I want to end up at the throne of God battered and bruised and weak saying "I used everything you gave me."

So I was inspired by a friend of mine, on her Pinterest, where she had created a bucket list, I was in awe of things she wanted to do. Now I have traveled all over the world. Been on 5 of the 7 continents but its the little things that I've never experienced and now I'm realizing how the small things make the true memories. I made a bucket list for the summer and I have loved experiencing the things so far and it's invigorating to realize that you just did something that you had never experienced or something that you wanted to accomplish. I have learned so much about myself.

The following is my Fall Bucket List. I break my bucket lists into seasonal themes besides the Big Picture Bucket List. You can find my Summer Bucket List and what I have accomplished on my Bucket List Page. I'm sure I'll be updating the one below. I aim for 50 items on each list. Let me know what you think.

Fall Bucket List

Go to Alabama game

Tailgate

Apple picking

Take a hay ride

Climb a haystack

Carve a pumpkin

Make pumpkin pie

Play chess

Do everything in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Sip on Apple cider

Go to a carnival

Go trick or treating at WDW

Make chili

Play in a leaf pile

Watch Hocus Pocus 

Go through a Haunted House

Go on a Hot Air Balloon

Cook Gumbo

Sips Starbucks while at Starbucks looking at Pinterest

Make a pecan pie

Eat outside at a real picnic table

Make smores

Visit a Pumpkin patch

Make pumpkin bread

Make caramel apples

Go on wine tasting tour