Month: August 2011

Oh, Yeah, It’s On!!

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A couple of weeks ago the Funky Four got together for a birthday.  I won’t tell you who or how old because it doesn’t matter.  And besides… paybacks are hell, don’t you know.  But here is a teeny, tiny, little bitty hint:

Birthday Girl

I made her a chocolate cake for dessert to go with the magazine-menus meal!  As you can see, she is using one of her gifts that I got her from Savannah.  Just what a hot-flash Momma needs!  She is wearing the berry decoration Sandy and I found on her porch to decorate her awesome gift… and the tin, white, round pan too.  Well, here, just look for yourself at what a fantastic wrap job we did.  We found the rug out on the porch; still had the clothespins on it, so we knew it was all spiffy clean.  This group knows how to give gifts!

what a fantastic wrap!!

Our menu for the evening was

Pork Roulade with apple-raisin stuffing

Creamed Peal Onions & Peas

Mashed Carrots and Potatoes

Molten Chocolate Tunnel Cake

The recipes and pics from the magazine follow; I forgot to take pictures.  And the reason I forgot to take the pictures is, No. 1, I was late (I know you can’t believe that) getting there and had to get with the program to finish up the supper; No. 2, they were already playing poker with a new dude, and I was dying to get in on it.  But the food looked like the pics except for the pork roulade.  The roll turned into more of a fold, but it was still very delicious.  For the Mashed Carrots and Potatoes, throw a few carrots into the water and boil with the potatoes, then mash as usual.  It adds a little color and tastes great.

The cake recipe is from Pampered Chef.  Check out my good friend’s (Lisa Ozment) web site for recipes or anything else you need.  Her link is on the right-hand side: look for food.

Molten Chocolate Tunnel Cake

Ingredients:
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 package (18.25 ounces) devil’s food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 pint fresh raspberries
Whipped topping (optional)
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray Deep Dish Baker with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a 10-inch circle of Parchment Paper; place in bottom of Baker. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In Small Batter Bowl, combine pudding mix and milk; whisk until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate morsels; set aside. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup oil, eggs and water; mix until smooth. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the batter; set aside. Spread remaining batter over bottom of Baker.
  3. Using Small Scoop, scoop pudding in circular pattern 1/2 inch from edge of Baker. Spread remaining batter over pudding. Bake 35-40 minutes or until Cake Tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from Baker, carefully invert cake onto Round Platter.

  4. Combine remaining chocolate morsels and half of the whipped topping in Small Micro-Cooker®. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until melted; mix until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the glaze; set aside. Pour remaining glaze over cake. Spread glaze to edge of cake, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Place raspberries evenly over top of cake 1 inch from edge; drizzle with reserved glaze. Garnish with whipped topping using Easy Accent® Decorator, if desired.

    creamed pearl onions & peas recipe

    Everything was very good, each recipe.  The whole meal was from recipes I’ve been saving.  So don’t be afraid to try them; you won’t have any leftovers.  My only wish is that this little post was a tad more refined with pictures that I took myself.  The scanner was being difficult, the cut-and-paste thing I had going on looks as though little Kate did it instead of her Gigi.

  5. creamed pearl onions & pea

    I can’t figure out how to get this 5 off of here.  Somehow when I copied the cake recipe, it stayed in the same format.

  6. So, No. 6, my last and most important point:  I cooked another meal!  Oh, yeah, it’s on!  Just call me Julia or Julie or Magazine Menu Momma!

    pork roulade with apple-raisin stuffing

     

What’s the Deal with Dr. Phil?

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hot sauce mother

Jessica Beagley appears in court during her trial in Anchorage. Photo: AP

So the mom that wanted to be on the Dr. Phil show sits before a jury and is subsequently convicted of abusing her son.  As she should be.  I think part of her punishment should be a mouth full of the hottest peppers they can find for her yelling at a seven-year old the way she did.  Did I misunderstand?  This was all about pencils at school?  If it was that bad, where was the principal?  Why didn’t he step in and mete out some sort of disciplinary measure?  Perhaps writing sentences with a pencil  maybe?  We used to have to do that in school.  I can remember writing lines, and I hated doing it!

And then there’s good ol’ Dr. Phil.  Just trying his best to help out the world… by having them abuse their children on video and then making a big profit from it.  How is that different than the people who make child porn?  The child is still being severely abused, physically and psychologically.  And the good (ahem) doctor thinks he’s going to “cure” these abusers and the poor children they are abusing by exploiting them for his gain?

Where is America’s outrage at Dr. Phil?  I see it at the mother.  Thank goodness we didn’t wait until this little child became another Caylee Anthony or the mother would have been acquitted.  It seems as though America has become so indoctrinated to political correctness or inundated with crime sitcoms or increasingly stupid that they can’t see guilt when it’s sitting in front of their nose.  Circumstantial evidence?  It’s all circumstantial evidence unless there’s something like a video of a mom pouring hot sauce in her seven-year-old child’s mouth and screaming in his face.  That doesn’t happen very often.

Maybe if Dr. Phil would start a program called “Murdering Moms” we would have had little Caylee’s horrible death on video as well.  As it is, we only have all the other evidence.  And personally, the fact that her mother didn’t even report her missing for a whole month but partied it up instead is enough to find her guilty.  There are a lot of people convicted of killing someone that didn’t pull the trigger, but because they were a party to it, they are just as guilty.  It doesn’t matter that we don’t know who did it; it’s beyond a reasonable doubt.  And I reasonably doubt that little Caylee’s mom didn’t have anything to do with her death.  Guilty.

Dr. Phil

I am here to tell you that Dr. Phil is guilty, too.  Just about as guilty, and maybe even more so, than the people he is encouraging to abuse their children for his financial gain.  It makes me sick.

Why isn’t Nancy Grace all over this?  Why hasn’t America called for Dr. Phil to be called out and put on the stand before a jury for possessing child abuse videos?  And making them!

Where is our outrage at things that matter?

I am outraged.

From Beginning to End

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Kate and Ava waiting for the shuttle to take us to the plane... and DISNEY!!

From the beginning of our Disney trip to the day we came home, there were continual new adventures for the girls.  Of course, Ava isn’t going to remember any of it, but Kate will.

It was their first plane ride, and neither Kate nor Ava was scared.  They both wanted a seat by the window so they could look out.  Kate even picked out her house!  Watching their looks of awe as they watched the clouds and watched us getting farther and farther away from earth was  my adventure.

Kate making sure Sissy stays with her own family

walking onto the plane

The little family right in front of us when we were in line to board the plane had a little girl the same age as Ava: two.  She was petite, and Ava is tall for her age, so Ava thought she was a baby and absolutely loved her.  So when it was time to board the plane, Ava thought she would just walk on in with them because she and the other little girl (can’t remember her name, of course) were having a great time together.  There were a hundred questions as we were boarding.  I had hoped they would get to see the cockpit since it was a 6:00 a.m. flight, but the plane was packed!  I couldn’t believe it!  Did everybody have the same idea that I did?  An early flight would mean less people?

waiting for take-off

They are all buckled in and ready to fly!

taking the bus to our first trip to the Magic Kingdom

boat trip

Sometimes we took the bus to the parks and sometimes we took a boat.  A couple of times we had to take a taxi to our destination (Curque du Soleil and 1900 Park Fare) because we were running short of time.  Thank goodness we only had to take the taxi twice because even though everything was close, it took awhile to get there:  stop lights, traffic.  So a short trip to Downtown Disney was about $20.  And perhaps that’s not expensive.  Since I never take cabs anywhere because I live in this little rural area, that could be a very conservative amount for a taxi trip.  But ten bucks sounded like a good price to me!

Our home away from home was the Wilderness Lodge.  It had a great pool that Kate loved and a baby pool that Ava loved.  There was a slide that Kate went down (after purchasing Nemo floaties) at least 200 times during the week.  She looked so big walking up the ramp to that pool and coming down all by herself.   And, of course, she made little friends all week at the pool.  She’s very social.  Ava made some, too, at the baby pool.  She loves those little people!

Wilderness Lodge

Ava had some favorite things to do while we were gone as did Kate.  She loved to ask when we were going home (she loves to be home) and she loved taking big bubble baths.  So we tried to indulge her as much as possible.

one of Ava's favorite things to do while on vacation

one of the little critters the cleaning crew would leave for the girls

Every day the maid would leave some kind of little wash cloth animal ( dog, lion, penguin) and one day left Kate’s sunglasses on Marie, the cat.  The girls loved their little surprises as well as anything else on the trip.

Kate, Lady, Marie

Keely and Ava

“There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead…”  If you know the poem, Ava fits it perfectly:  “When she was good, she was very, very good.  But when she was bad, she was horrid.”  And oh my, when that girl got tired, watch out.  She cries and holds her breath; she’s beyond reason.  On one such day when she was throwing one of those I’m-so-tired-I’m-nuts fits, the maid was just coming in and was a witness to the scene.  From that day on, she started leaving the pet surprises.

Poor little Ava got really sick on Saturday afternoon, throwing up all over the place, and was sick all night.  She would get chilled, so I put my long-sleeved tee on her that looked like a nightgown.  Since we left early Sunday morning, getting to the airport a good hour ahead of our flight, the girls had time to find a few more “characters” for yet another photo op.

Kate with the astronaut

Ava with Googy and the astronaut at the airport

It’s a take!  The movie is shot and the war is won.  We are home.  Ava is happy.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair!

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Rapunzel

First of all, I want you to notice how cool and un-sweaty Rapunzel is.  Now, look at all that hair.  Keep these things in mind because later on you will need to refer back to these little tidbits of observation.  There is not one single sweat bead on that gal.

Rapunzel's court

waiting on Rapunzel

All the little children got to stand around the big stone table in Rapunzel’s court and color her picture while they waited on her arrival.

chatting it up with Rapunzel

Kate and Ava are enthralled!

 

Rapunzel and all the other princesses as well as Goofy, Pluto a/k/a Pooto in Ava-ese, Minnie, Mickey, all of them,  were just too neat.  How in the world they stayed so nice in that hot, humid weather is amazing.  But each one took time with the children, talking to them, giving them undivided attention.

Kate and Ava with one of their favorite characters

Kate just cracks me up the way she leans into all the characters and looks like she is totally in love.  Ava is just as funny with her teeth-clenching smile.  Well, she is two, and that is the age they start trying to smile and totally screw it up.  So for the next year or so I’m sure we will have all sorts of weird facial expressions as she works on her smiling technique.

Notice Rapunzel is still dry as toast!  Not one teeny tiny trickle running down from that heavy hair.

In the big teacup

Remember how cool Rapunzel looked?  This pic of the girls in the teacup is how we looked all week: sweaty, shiny faces; sweaty, shiny creases in Ava’s elbows; sweaty, wet hair; droopy, wet, sweaty clothes.  And they were riding in the stroller!  So you can just imagine what I, the Gigi with shorts to her knees and a cami top to emphasize my granny flab-arms and tennis shoes and hair in a pony tail, looked like.  Especially on the day I was laboring to push that stinkin’ stroller with the brake on!

The question that I just can’t seem to answer, the mystery that eludes me, is how do those people in character stay so perky?  So dry?  So dull versus sweaty shine?  Mini battery-operated fans inserted in their clothes?  Disney only hires non-sweaters?

I’m going to Google this.

Winnie Poo and Tigger Too!

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Girls with Winnie Poo and Tigger

This past week I am still recuperating, so the blog upkeep has been a little slow.  I did go to the doc and got x-rays of my foot and toe and have no broken bones!  Yippee!  I will take any and all good news that I can possibly get.  The arm is killing me, though, so therapy starts Monday.  To get my mind off my ails and ills, I decided to post some more on our Disney trip.

I am so very sorry if you are bored to tears with my precious grandgirls… but I just can’t help it.  I am addicted to them.  And, personally, I cannot fathom how anyone else could not be.  Look at those cute little faces… and toes… and hair… and, well, you can just click on off now if you want.  I will totally understand.

But for those faithful few who indulge my addictions, here are just a few more highlights from our trip.  As I said, the big thrill for both girls was getting their picture made with all the characters.  After I added up all the bills, those photo opportunities cost a fortune!  Worth every penny, too.  After all, I can’t take it with me, and surely I won’t be eating that much when I retire (when they force me) and can learn to live on a meager existence.  I took lessons from my very frugal mother, so I at least know how to do so.

So enjoy these cute little faces (my grandgirls, not the characters).

Tigger lovin' on my Ava

Tigger & Kate

sitting in Winnie Poo's house

coming out the front door

I will stick this next picture in here to show you why there will be no photos of me.  The whole week I looked as though I was there through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which, I must add, is really neat.  There was a young girl there through that program, and they are treated so very special.  As we were waiting to get yet another picture, this time with Jasmine and her guy (can’t remember name), and after the line had been closed with several upset people expecting to be added to the line and not being allowed to do so (they do have to set limits), just as it was our turn they brought this young lady up to have her picture made.  The attendant explained she was through the Foundation because she had on a special necklace, and they would let her get her picture made first.  That was just neat; to see how they treated her in such a special way.  Come to think of it, a couple of times people looked at me like I needed some help… which I did.

Gigi peeking out from hiding in Poo's house

two grumpy girls

the ultimate way to get around Disney

To make it as easy as possible on all of us, I rented a stroller at Disney.  One of the good things about that was when we needed to drop it off and pick it up somewhere else, we could just take the name tag out and pick out another one, no packing it on and off the transportation.  We should have gotten two so there would be no fussing:  leg touching, sitting in the middle, touching feet.  You know the routine.  But basically they did very well in it.  Now, I, on the other hand, needed a little help every now and again.  At one point I had retrieved the stroller after getting off a ride, and was pushing the girls.  But my goodness!  Today was an exceptionally hot, humid day, and I was particularly tired, but that stroller was so very difficult to push.  Keely hadn’t had that much trouble, just flitting all over the place as she pushed the munchkins around.  Man!!  I was really getting old.

Since my pushing progress was lagging behind, Keely looked at me and asked if I wanted her to push.  So I told her she was going to have to; I just simply couldn’t push it and didn’t know how she pushed it so easily.

“Did you undo the brake?”

BRAKE!!?

You would be sooo amazed how easily those strollers glide along without the brake on.

The Age of Adaptability

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Just as all animals on earth adapt to survive, this year I have been adapting for my survival.  For the past decade, actually, I have been trying to adapt, however unwillingly.

First, it was the eyes.  I will never forget how mad I was at the opthomologist when he told me the reason my vision was blurry was because I was getting older.  I think I was just a young 42 at that time.

And, of course, I’ve been dealing with the joint pain (probably arthritis) since I was 28.  Every year finds a new ache somewhere deep within my bones.

Last year I added a new mix:  falling and dropping things.  The first fall was a year or so ago when I was standing on the shovel sort of jumping on it with both feet (it was fall; needed to get the plants out of the ground to the warm garage) and somehow just fell right over onto the dollie I use to trot my plants to the garage.  I landed right on my left thigh.  That thing was bruised, severely bruised, all the way to my knee with a big hump in it.  I went to the doctor, and everybody had to have a look.  It was one of the worst ones they had seen.

I learned my lesson on that one and now move the dollie out of the way!

This year I fell in the stinking pool (you’ve heard all about that at least once on here) and my whole right arm from the shoulder down to my wrist aches and hurts, and I can’t use it.

Over the weekend Darla wanted me and Dave to go for a nice leisurely evening at Carbondale.  Just as we were nearing town, Dave’s work called saying they needed him for an emergency.  So they dropped me off at Menard’s, and Dar took him back.  When she got in the parking lot at Menard’s, she called and I said I would be right there.

And I would have, too, if it hadn’t been for the gallon can of water sealer that fell on my foot, my big toe mainly.  And now my left foot aches and is bruised.  The good people at Menard’s got me a wheelchair and cleaned the blood up off the floor.  Dar got my picture in the wheelchair but I can’t figure out how to get it off my computer or even the card for that matter to show you just how cute I look in a wheelchair.  The geriatrics are going to so want me someday… someday soon it feels like.

I think I’m beginning to adapt to pain and aching.  Just in time.  My wheelchair days are around the corner.

The $15 Cupcake

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this is a jewelry box?

At 1900 Park Fare I had ordered a “personalized” cupcake that came with a small jewelry box for the big finale on Kate’s birthday.  1900 Park Fare is a buffet restaurant in the Grand Floridian which is a very snazzy resort hotel, on the old grand hotels of yesteryear scale.  They have the characters Prince Charming, Princess Cinderella, the mean stepmother, and the two stepsisters.  It was a full crowd that evening, but no more full than the castle restaurant had been earlier that day.  I was expecting the same kind of treatment.

So when it was time for dessert, here comes the waitress with Kate’s “personalized” cake and jewelry box.  Say what?!?!  The waitress hands her the Mickey plate and says, “here you go.”  That’s it?  Where’s the fanfare?  Where’s the happy birthday song?  Not even a happy birthday said to her?

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed in the presentation as well as the “jewelry” box.  I knew the cake was going to be an oversized cupcake, so that wasn’t surprising, but the pink, plastic treasure box was a bit of a shocker.  Shoot.  I didn’t even have to buy an extra cupcake at the castle.  Just goes to show you that royalty knows how to put on a shindig.

Kate, however, was pleased as punch.

checking out her treasures

Not only was she pleased, but when she heard me later dissing it, she was rather upset with me and sternly reprimanded me.  So I’ve been careful to bad mouth them and it out of her presence.  Why can’t I just be happy, like Kate is?  Even if they didn’t have some hoopla, she was thrilled with her little cake and jewelry/treasure box.

planning the extraction

she has a plan

concentrate

Houston, we have lift-off.

AND it's out!

Since we had had a big lunch, I don’t think she was all that hungry and enjoyed cutting it up into pieces more than eating it.  It wasn’t even all that good.  I tasted it (gotta get my money’s worth, don’t you know) and it was a little dry.  Kate was probably full of cupcake; it was more fun cutting it up and playing in it.

Such fun!!

She loved all the characters that were there.  I thought they might make a bigger fuss over her since it was her birthday, and there weren’t that many little ones there that evening, or not the way I remember it anyway, but they didn’t.  One of the mean stepsisters told her she was glad she didn’t have on a Cinderella dress, and Kate wanted to know why she said that.  Innocence.

Kate and Drizella

Kate, Ava, and Anastasia

I loved their costumes and make-up!

the mean stepmother telling Kate to eat all her food

Kate was loving being beside Prince Charming. Ava? Who knows what she's thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we ended our big birthday celebration with a bang.  Kate and Momma went back to the Magic Kingdom and stayed till after the fireworks, getting back to the room around 11:00.

Of course, we’ll have to do this again on Ava’s 5th… or 10th… birthday so they can actually remember going to Disney.

"Yeah, yeah, you seen one princess, you've seen them all!"

 

Lips Made For a Princess

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Our first day was staying at a stay and park hotel which was a good deal since we got to leave the vehicle there all week plus get a ride to and from the airport.  Our flight was at 6:00 a.m. so we had to get up and at ’em early.

waking up Kate

Waking up the little princess (which is what she called herself all week, by the way) was a chore.  Ava got up and was getting dressed while we tried to get Kate going.  She wasn’t too happy that I was taking early-morning photos.

grumpy Gert

As you will see, Kate has not only the potential of being royalty but also the lips for royalty.  When she is older, she can be a real princess at Disney because she has the lips for it.  We discovered this at Cinderella’s castle when we went there for lunch on her birthday.

Snow White talking with Kate

Snow White was so sweet!  She took time to talk to the girls.  And as she was talking to the girls, I noticed the similarity between her and Princess Kate.  If you will look at the photo, you will see her mouth is moving and she has beautiful lips.

Kate’s mouth is always moving and she has beautiful lips… when they’re not turned down in a big frown.  Well, even then, they’re still beautiful.

the two little princesses mesmerized by the one big princess

Kate loves to talk with her beautiful lips (actually it’s called bossing).  She also loves make-up including bright red lipstick.  The two just go together:  beautiful lips and bright red lipstick.

Kate kissing Snow White

Kiss from Snow White

checking out the kiss

The girls were very excited to be kissed by Snow White.  I can’t imagine how many times the lovely Princess must have to replenish her lipstick!

Ava's turn

the special kiss

Ava's ready for her Snow White kiss

Ava is loving this!

beautiful red lips!

Ava is very proud of her Snow White "tattoo"

 

I’m fairly certain she does this to each child that will allow her to do so.

And the final result of all this kissing…

A pair of bright red lips on the cheek of each little princess!

And how does this make me realize our Kate has the lips of a princess?  Her lips are always moving and talking, so check that one off; she loves to kiss her prince (usually me–I am so lucky), so check that one off; she would love that bright red lipstick slathered all over her lips, so check that one off; and she has the full lips for leaving nice, big, red “princess tattoos” on all the happy little children’s faces.

Cinderella’s Castle

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so awesome!

Cinderella’s Castle is just so neat!

beautiful stained glass

It is awesome to go up the winding staircase with the knight’s armor and all the other decorations.  In the dining room there are stained-glass windows all around.  The furnishings are beautiful, and the waiter is more than helpful.  As you wait to go upstairs to the dining room, photographers take a picture with Cinderella as well as give each family time to take their own photos.

Cinderella, Kate, and Ava

As you’re having your meal, they bring the pics around in a folder: one 8X10 and four 4X5’s.  They are included in the meal package which is two dining meals or $150 for the four of us.  Actually Ava ate free because she was under two.  All the other restaurants were approximately $100 (some a bit more, some a bit less),  and if you wanted the picture, it had to be purchased, plus Ava ate off her sister’s meal and ours, not one of her own.  The girls’ meals were served on white Mickey Mouse plates:  a big round plate with two smaller, white, round plates attached for ears

the wishing star and wand

Once seated, they bring everyone a wand and a wishing star. During a part of the mealtime, they have everyone make a wish on their wishing star and then move the wand over the star, repeating the magic words of the wish master. I can’t remember the words; I’m not sure I made a wish.  But Kate did.  She told us she wished that she would get to see Jasmine.

making a wish

The birthday cupcake

blowing out the candle

 

 

The waiter made a big production out of her birthday that day.  He brought out a cupcake with three small bowls of decorations for her to decorate her cake.  As he lit the candle, he had everyone in the restaurant sing Happy Birthday.

Ava decorating her cupcake

decorating the birthday cupcake

Ava got one as well!  So they both had a big time with the tiny chocolate chips and sprinkles, decorating and then scarfing down birthday cake.

Kate's big birthday cupcake

Snow White, Kate, and Ava

We saw Snow White.  She was very gracious and spent a lot of time with each little girl.  This is the princess that Kate should be when she gets old enough to work at Disney.  More on that tomorrow.  Of course, Cinderella was the first we saw as we were waiting downstairs.

Ariel, Kate, and Ava

Ariel wore a blue dress and had a starfish in her hair.  She was beautiful as well with her long red hair.

Aurora is really Kate’s favorite even though she was quite a Jasmine fan this past week.  Kate loves to be Sleeping Beauty and wants me to be Prince Phillip.  She knows all the couples.  If she is Ariel, then I get to be Prince Eric.  If I mess up and mention the wrong prince with the wrong princess, she corrects me.

Princess Aurora, Kate, and Ava

Belle, Kate, and Ava

We never play Beauty and the Beast, but I think I will have to suggest it from now on because Belle was one of the nicest of all the princesses we met.  She met the girls at their level, as did Snow White, another favorite of mine.

Mundane Molly and Home Sweet Home

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the princesses

As you can see, Princess Kate has a long way to go to come back down to reality.  In this picture she is wearing her Jasmine princess costume she bought with her birthday money.  That’s the one she picked out at the Disney Store.  She loved those jingly gold decorations.  (I have my own jingly gold decorations on my zumba skirt that I so love.)

Come to think of it, she’s never in reality that often.  Our little mundane town and existence (that I appreciate so much today) is nothing more than a background for her big plans and productions for her life.  From her knight in shining armor all the way to the babies to the police woman/school teacher/who knows, Kate is always pretending and playing.

Kate with her knight in shining armor

Her very favorite play story, though, is her prince and she getting married and living in a castle and having babies.

Kate and her Prince--♪♪Some day my Prince will come♪♪

By the time she had gotten her picture made with several princesses, she had the princess moves down.

The princess dress hold -- sort of like the princess wave only holding the dress/top out to the side

She’s already regal (takes after her Aunt Dar) and has the “how dare you talk to the Queen that way?” attitude.  (Sorry, Dar.  You may be usurped before you even realize it!)  So I have no doubt in my mind that our mundane Molly lifestyle will not be a hindrance to her grand scheme of things to come.

Now, Ava on the other hand…

"What's a prince?"

I’m not sure what that is all over her face, but the black on her chin is where she fell as she was running.  Big bruise.  And she loves to be home.  That was her big request all week:  Gigi home or Mommy home.  Just our little Mundane Mollies playing and planning their lives and being happy to be at home, sweet home.