Disney World 2017

We surprised the girls with a trip to Orlando a few weeks ago and it was a secret six months in the making.  The girls woke up at six in the morning and we told them they were going to Disney World and we were leaving right then and there.

Before Disney we ate dinner at Medieval Times and it was probably the highlight of the trip for us.  The girls are already asking when we're going back.

Beside the castle is an authentic medieval village and you could go inside them.  We only went through the torture chamber but it was really interesesting.

The last time we stayed at Disney we were in one of the moderate resorts and we both agreed that the amount of time we actually spent in our hotel was not worth the extra money so this time we went for one of the value resorts.  And it was not the best choice.  The hotel was clean and fun but it was in desperate need of an upgrade.  The girls loved that our maid posed their dolls everyday, though!

We only spent one day in each park and while we got to ride pretty much everything we wanted to, it would have been nicer to take our time and not power walk through the parks.  I walked 25,000 steps the first day alone!

We've already decided we're going back quicker than five years like we did this time.  We love Disney!

July 2017 Books

I only finished six books in the month of July which was one of my smaller months, BUT I did finally finish the monstrosity that is War and Peace.  FINALLY.  

I'd been working on this since the first of the year and it was a chore, not going to lie.  I finally just forced myself to read at least ten pages a day.  I figured ten pages isn't much but every little bit counts and I normally managed to do around 15 pages instead of 10.  Once I started that the book finally started to seem manageable.  It was a big day when I finished.

Those MinaLima classic editions of Peter Pan and The Beauty and the Beast are beautiful and they're interactive.  I love them. The books themselves are a little boring but everything is more fun with a pull-out or pop-up!

Random Things I've Loved Lately

It's been ages since I made a random post of things I'm loving so here's just a hodgepodge of pretty pictures and stuff I'm obsessed with lately.

I was introduced to Larabars back in January when I did my first 28 Day Reset round.  They're these snack bars that only have a few ingredients in them and they. are. amazing.  I buy them in bulk every time I go to the store.  Peanut Butter Cookie is just the best thing ever.  I savor them like a candy bar.  So, so good!

I worked my butt off during this last year.  Most days I was gone between 10 and 6 and there were quite a few days where I worked 7-6.  So I rewarded myself with a handful of Barnes and Noble orders.  There's nothing I like better than beautiful books.  Usually I buy for my girls or when it's for me I only order books I've read through the library and loved.  There's nothing I hate worse than spending $15-$20 on a book and hating it.  The MinaLima editions of classics are an exception.  I buy every one that comes out because it's not just the story I want to enjoy, it's the whole experience.  They are worth the money.  I already have the entire Harry Potter collection but I want to start reading them with Bug and I thought she would enjoy the illustrated versions so I'm going to slowly start to collect them, too.

If you have a Krispy Kreme near you then run, don't walk, and get there before the Cake Batter donuts are gone.  They are the best donut I've ever eaten and Goose can literally eat five in one sitting.  She's unstoppable when it comes to the Cake Batter flavor.  I love sitting at the table with a yummy donut and a hot cup of coffee and not moving for a while because there's a book in my lap. 

*sidenote- this book was horrible

I know this post is heavy on the books, but it's honestly because books are a huge part of my life.  I rarely leave the house without one because you never know when you need something to read.  Growing up my parents spoiled me with books.  They were so cheap and I read so much that pretty much every time we went to town I got a new one.  Wal-Mart came out with the Wizard of Oz paperbacks around the time I was in sixth grade and I eagerly started collecting them.  I never got them all but I had a decent amount that I absolutely loved.  Oz became my favorite fantasy world and over the years I've gone a little crazy in my collection.  I'm rereading the series now and trying to go slow with no more than one book a month but it's so hard!

June 2017 Books

There was a grand total of ten books I finished in June and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I managed to do.  My kitchen redo project was in full swing so I was listening to audiobooks almost every day this month and that helped out my count a lot.

My favorite book this month was Beartown.  Honestly the only reason I picked this one up was because the cover was so pretty and I went into it not really knowing anything about the plot.  It turned out to be so good that I read almost half of it in one morning. 

This wasn't the most exciting reading month but I'm glad I was able to knock out a lot of random books and that I was able to stick with the audiobooks for so long.  Usually I lose interest and stop downloading them after a couple of weeks.