Travel Tip Tuesday: Earl of Sandwich

For my fellow Disney lovers, sign up here for the Earl of Sandwich e-club and get a free sandwich on your birthday. 

Travel Tip Tuesday: Towel Animals

 As a guest at a Disney Resort you can expect to find all sorts of towel art surprises in your room.  This is a favorite - the Octopus.  I get such a kick out of seeing how enthusiastic the Mousekeepers are in making these - adding stickers, rubber bands to hold parts in place, etc.  It really makes me smile.

A friend took a cruise a couple of years ago and told me she had taken a towel animal making class on board the ship.  I would love to take one someday.

Tasty Thursday: Chilled Salt-roasted Beets with Skordalia

I had this amazing dish at Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney's Boardwalk last week. It is vegan and gluten free as it appears on the menu - what a thrill as I don't often get to order something straight from the menu without the chef modifying it in some way. It was delicious! The beets did not taste like soil as so often can be the case. The garlic was tangy but not overwhelming. The dill in the olive oil drizzled on the plate was so fresh you could smell it even with all the garlic. Well worth the mere $5.99 price for this appetizer!

Good Financial Decisions

I'm very big on living within, or hopefully below, one's means. My mind can't grasp the concept of buying a huge McMansion, fancy car or material goods to 'impress' others. My joy comes from the simple things in life - a gorgeous organic yellow beet from our CSA share, the kids sharing a story about a pleasant happening in their day, the feel of nice wool socks on a cold morning. I always strive to make the best possible financial decisions. In order to be able to sleep at night I have to know we are able to pay our bills.

We're at a point now where the kids are taking care of their own expenses. We're both working. We have a comfortable home, functional vehicles, good medical coverage. And yes, I confess, I am a Disney junkie.

While I will always be a New Yorker through and through, I would love to own a little place near WDW to escape to now and then. We have the Vacation Club, but what I'd really like is to have a little place of my own, as Carlin said, 'for my stuff'. I'd love to travel without a suitcase, stay in the same place every time...and maybe even catch the fireworks from my balcony while working on a sewing project or touching up some trim with a little can of paint.

Real Estate is, without a doubt, bottoming out in that area. I looked at some places a couple of weeks ago. We thought for sure with prices so low it was time to do it. We checked on financing, discussed how much to put down, even fell in love with a sweet little condo with lots to do in walking distance. And then my spouse brought up a question that I hadn't previously considered.

Would we prefer to have this little getaway or pay off our kids' college loans?

We chose the latter.

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth from BCV Balcony

Wonderful view.

Disney Planning DVD

Each year Disney offers a new vacation planning video or two. Most years they don't change too much, but they're free and fun to collect. When the kids were younger we'd pull them out on a rainy day and through them, commenting on little changes here and there or just enjoying the visit to the parks/cruise line/Vacation Club through our TV. If you'd like to start collecting these DVDs (we've been at it since they sent VHS tapes!) go here and sign up.

Headed to Walt Disney World?

If you haven't discovered it already, you won't want to miss this site for LOTS of fantastic savings and codes.

To help plan your meals, make resort choices and find other things to do I can't recommend any site more highly than AllEarsNet.

I've been a fan of these two sites since, well, as the saying goes, since way back when.

Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour.

Check here to see if this free event is coming to a location near you. While you're there taking a look at the free fun to be had, you may also wish to consider entering the sweepstakes for a trip to the London premiere.