Family Movie Night Featuring: BEAUTY & THE BEAST

**75 Days til Disney!!**

Last night we had our 3rd Disney Family Movie night which featured one of my childhood favorites, Beauty & the Beast. Disney first introduced us to Belle and the gang back in November 1991. Hard to believe the movie is nearly 22 years old!!

With the recent expansion of New Fantasyland, Cinderella isn't the only one with a castle at Walt Disney World. The Enchanted Forest includes Be Our Guest Restaurant, where according to WDW's website, you can "feast in one of 3 incredible dining rooms in the middle of Beast's Castle." Also included in the experiences are Enchanted Tales with Belle and Gaston's Tavern. Along with all these new attractions, MGM Hollywood Studios still has Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. It was pretty much a no brainer to include this movie in our countdown...

And now I invite you to relax, pull up a chair as I proudly present - our dinner!

I had a lot of fun decorating for this movie night. I purchased a small bouquet of fake roses from Dollar General for $3 which is more than I would have liked to but that's all I had. I plucked the blooms off the stem and placed them under some wine glasses to represent the rose in the West Wing. I borrowed a teapot from my Grandma and I already had the old books. Belle is a bookworm, after all!

Sorry about the low quality pictures.

When I edited them to add my blog address it seems they got a little blurry.

For our menu I chose a few items Lumiere sings about in Be Our Guest:

Hot hor d'oeurves (honey bbq chicken bites and loaded baked potato puffs)...

I added the French bread and champagne Sparkling Grape juice.

Notice some of the hor d'oeurves are missing... 

I made these chicken cordon bleu crescents but they got a little overdone. 

Try the grey stuff, it's delicious!

I attempted to make this strawberry rose shortcake. Not too bad but I didn't realize I was out of cool whip...

Lil got to decorate a mirror I bought for a $1.50 from DG. She put some Belle and princess stickers on the back. I printed a picture of the Beast and taped it onto the mirror. The image wasn't quite big enough, as you can see.

She really thought that was cool. It came with another mini mirror that she carried around most of the night.

And here are the movie tickets we love to use!

I have really enjoyed doing all of these movie nights. I can't believe we're less than 3 months out from our first family trip to Walt Disney World!! I'll soon be posting about some items to make sure you include when packing for Disney...some great Dollar Tree finds! I'm still trying to decide which movie to do for our next movie night. I'm a member of the Disney Movie Club and should soon be receiving Lilo & Stitch so I'm planning on using it. We'll see!

See ya real soon!

Casey

Family Movie Night Featuring: CINDERELLA

**85 Days til Disney**
(and a few less than that now, again!)

 

Cinderelly, Cinderelly
Night and day it's Cinderelly
Make the fire, fix the breakfast
Wash the dishes, do the mopping

                                                 -Work Song (Cinderelly)
 

Ah, Cinderella. One of the classics.
This was one of the first Disney movies Lil started watching...and watching. Almost every night before bed, she requests I sing "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and it warms my heart.

For our second Family Movie Night, Lil requested we feature Cinderella and I could not agree more.
Arguably the most iconic landmark at Walt Disney World, for years Cinderella's Castle has brought tears to the eyes of kids and adults alike as they enter Magic Kingdom and stroll down Main Street USA. I'm so excited to announce that I have made ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) to dine at Cinderella's Royal Table, located inside the castle. This is a pretty big deal and I'm really looking forward to it, especially because we are going first thing in the morning, before the park opens, which will allow for some great photo opportunities.

To prepare for our movie night, I had to figure out what to put on the menu. Cindy went from being a peasant to royalty so it was a hard decision to make. Do I choose an elaborate feast, fit for a princess or stick to a simple meal a servant girl would eat? I picked the decorations based on her signature color and looked at my favorite store, The Dollar Tree, for craft and activity ideas.

Thanks to Momma's Playground for these movie tickets!

 

 

The table set up...

Candy jewelry, princess sponges, costume necklaces,

steamers and table cloth all $1/ea from Dollar Tree!

One of the crafts...Cinderella stamp.

We also got the princess sponges wet and stamped paper but that got soggy real quick!

 

Another activity...dressed Lil up in her Cindy outfit, including

the tiara she won from a baby pageant when she was only 6 months old!

Decided on a Royal Feast for the Menu:
Turkey Mignon, Baby Bakers, Gus-Gus' Golden Corn, and
Ham & Cheese Carriage Wheels (made with crescent rolls, ham and shredded cheese)
For Dessert:
Cindy's Strawberries and Fairy Godmother's Marshmallows, both dipped in white chocolate.


As I prepared dinner, Lil also got to play outside in bubbles, just like the Sing Sweet Nightingale scene in the movie. During dinner, we tried to stack as many corn kernels as we could, like Gus does. I got up to five before my hungry Lil mouse snatched mine and ate them! When Fairy Godmother first appears, she can't find her wand. I purchased a glow in the dark wand from Dollar Tree and gave it to Lil during Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo to enjoy throughout the rest of the movie. I had a lot on hand already so I only spent $6 other than food, well below my $10 budget.

I'm not exceptionally pleased with the details of this movie night but Lil still had fun. Stay tuned for our next Family Movie Night Featuring: Beauty and the Beast! Our nights are a little off for the countdown but we're still enjoying them and will continue to do so until we leave for WDW!
Thanks for stopping in! Feel free to share your family movie night ideas!

See ya real soon!
Casey
 

Happy Father's Day!!

 

Happy Father's Day

to all the dads out there!

 

I hope you're enjoying the day and able to do something special for the dad in your life!!

 

See ya real soon,

Casey

For the Disney Daddy

If you're a Disney fan, you've surely noticed the lack of a matriarch in most Disney movies. The bond between the main character, especially the Princesses, and their Dad is undeniable.

 

Who's your favorite Disney Dad? I suppose mine might be Ariel's dad, King Triton. Maybe it's because I simply love the movie...or maybe it's because I see such a similarity to my life. My dad has always been a little over protective of his little girl, never hesitating to step in when he thought I might be getting in over my head.

 

If you're struggling with what to get for the Dad in your life this Father's Day, check out the list of gift ideas I've compiled. Be sure to click the link to see the how-to. I hope this helps!

 

Number 1

 

Last year, my aunt helped me out by printing this awesome vintage-looking Daddyland Coupon Book for Lil to give to her Daddy. I'm not certain he even got the connection to Disney...as I said, my husband is just along for the ride! I, however, loved the Disneyland-inspired gift.

 

Number 2

 

 She also gave me a copy of this coloring printable featuring Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Ours didn't look quite this neat once Lil was done with it, although I did help her out a little bit!

 

Number 3

 

This picture was taken last year on Father's Day. My husband's birthday is just the following week so it worked out perfectly that I could use a picture from our fishing adventure for his gift. Lil painted the plaque, I Mod-Podged the picture on and after it dried I framed it out with twine. We wrote a message on the back and dated it. I can't believe how little she was!

 

 

Number 4

 

How cute are these stache jars featured on artsy-fartsy mama's blog??
Load it up with Dad's favorite candy or even let him use it for a change jar!!

 

Number 5

This notepad is sure to come in handy for Dad. I love the simplicity of this gift! 

 

 

Number 6

 

 It's not the outside, it's the inside that counts!

Decorate this Fold-Out Photo Gallery for Dad to carry and show off to all his friends!

 

Number 7

 

I absolutely love this! But I've tried and tried to find more than just a picture online but haven't had any luck. Appears as though it's from Firehouse Pottery. Whether you do it on paper or a ceramic plate, this is pretty neat. Of course, any variation of a hand/foot print gift is a good one!

 

Number 8

 

 

 We're kind of big Monsters, Inc fans around here. It's such a funny movie and this keychain cracks me up. Get it...Eye'm the man?!?! Love it! We have a laminator at work I might see if I can use for this very project! I'm sure my husband would love to carry such a cool key ring!

Number 9

 

Aren't these so stinkin' cute?! Lil and I made these guys by just gluing eyes onto some decorative rocks and painting a smile on with a red craft pen. I plan on putting each one in a little bag with a label that says, "You Rock, Daddy!" I'll change it up for my dad and grandpa. They were just so simple and adorable. Lil actually wanted to sleep with one last night!

 

Number 10

 

For Mother's Day, Lil had help filling out an "all about mom" questionnaire. I really enjoyed it and look forward to doing one each year. To match the one I received, I decided to print one for us to fill out for my husband. This one found at Kinzie's Kreations was cute and I found a variety of others but had a difficult time downloading them. I decided to create my own; it's not this pretty but it works!

 

 

There are a million and one Father's Day gift ideas floating around online. Just do a quick Google search or spend some time on Pinterest and you're sure to find more. I'm notorious for procrastinating so I enjoy these quick, easy ideas! Hope my list helps!

 

See ya real soon!

Casey 

Family Movie Night Featuring: FINDING NEMO

100 DAYS TIL DISNEY!!

((okay, it's actually a few days less than that now))

 

When deciding how I wanted to countdown to our Disney vacation, I began searching that ever-so-popular site, Pinterest. Can you believe how many ideas are on that thing? I must admit...I'm a Pinning Junkie. Especially with an iPhone, it's so easy to just tap on the app and pin away. A recurring theme I found was Disney Movie Nights. I think this is a unique way to prepare and introduce my daughter to some specific movies that play a big role in the magic of Disney World. Obviously, most of the rides and activities there are fashioned after the wonderful films Disney and Pixar have created. 

 

To kick-off our Family Movie Night Countdown, I chose to feature Finding Nemo. From Finding Nemo the Musical to Turtle Talk with Crush and The Seas with Nemo & Friends...the story of the lost clownfish is quite prevalent at WDW.

 

Below are the ideas that came to life during our first Family Movie Night. As we all know, a trip to Disney is anything but cheap. My plan is to keep all our movie nights under $10.

 

Table Setting

 

I got the blue table cloth and blue plates from Dollar Tree for $1 each and already had the green napkins and orange cups. I can use the leftover plates in the future. The treat bags (which really served no purpose...) were an awesome find at the local Party Supply store that day for 54 cents with tax!!  I discovered the very cool "tickets" on Pinterest but they can be found here. If you look at her blog, you can see that her Nemo movie night served as the main source of inspiration for ours.

 

Menu: Octopus Hotdog, Marlin's Anemone,

Seanut Butter & Jellyfish Sandwiches & Dory's Delightful Dessert

 

Plated Meal

 

I just found a nice sized image on Google and added the menu in Paint. I don't have any fancy editing software so I just do what I can with that. I hung it on our front door and Lil was so excited to see it when we pulled into the drive way. She shouted, "There's something on the door!" I had given her the ticket when I picked her up after work so she knew it was going to be a special night. Dory's Delightful Dessert didn't turn out quite as well as I had planned. I made blue Jell-O with swimming Swedish Fish and a Cool Whip topping. Lil also enjoyed blue Mondo "Ocean Water" as her drink.

Dollar Tree Clownfish Craft

Fish Stickers! 

Fishing

 

Our three activities of the evening were purchased for $1 each, again from the Dollar Tree. I love that place! While I was preparing dinner, I let Lil work on the clownfish craft and do a little fishing. She thought that was so cool as did our kitten - she jumped right in! The clownfish craft also came with a sea turtle and an angel fish (I think??) like the black, white and yellow one Nemo meets in the fish tank at the Dentist office. I thought that was pretty neat...especially for $1. Lil picked out the fishing activity when we were at the store and of course I let her get it...it worked perfectly with our theme! I did splurge a little and purchased the Finding Nemo shirt from Walmart for $5-6. I hadn't intended on spending that additional money but boom there it was so I scooped it up.

Table

 

You'll have to forgive the crappy picture of the table set up and jellyfish. I snapped the photo as I was walking out the door to pick Lil up. I knew by the time I was able to take another picture, it wouldn't look quite as nice so I just took one on my way out. The jellyfish was just made with two of the blue plates and some blue streamers I purchased from Dollar Tree as well. I can use them again for future movie nights too.

 

If you're keeping track, that was about $13 spent plus the cost of food which wasn't very much. I would have come in well under my $10 goal had I not picked up that shirt but I couldn't help myself. You don't see many Finding Nemo items anymore and it was still pretty inexpensive. Lil said she had a lot of fun and she's already asking when our next movie night will be. I'm glad she enjoyed herself even though she only watched about 10 minutes of the movie that night because she wanted to watch Dumbo instead (lol). She did pretty much finish it the next morning though.

 

The planning is already underway for the second Family Movie Night. No countdown to Disney would be complete without Cinderella! I hope to write a none-countdown post between now and then though...perhaps one with a little Disney family history...mine, not Walt's! Thanks again for visiting!

 

See ya real soon!

Casey 

Part of My World

Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you found your way here. I've been debating for quite some time whether or not to start this. There are so many successful, informative blogs out there with a variety of Disney material but I decided I needed an outlet for myself. I'm guessing that my hundreds of "friends" on Facebook are probably not as excited for all things Disney as I am so what better way to express my love than to create a blog about my family and all of our magical Disney moments.

I chose the name "Up Where They Walk" because my all-time favorite Disney film is The Little Mermaid. It came out just a few years after I was born and has remained a beloved movie ever since. I was so excited to introduce my daughter to Ariel, Sebastian, and even Ursula. It is almost humorous to me to watch Lil reenact the very scenes I loved to perform when I was her age!

In just 100 short days, we will be making the first of many family trips to Walt Disney World and I couldn't be more thrilled!! Although it won't be my first trip, experiencing it through the eyes of my little girl will make it just as magical! When I was four, I visited Disneyland with my mother and aunts. I've been hooked ever since. I first experienced Walt Disney World when I was 12, with my parents and brother. It was a one day event, seeing Magic Kingdom only and I don't really recall it being all that amazing. However, I was given an opportunity to go at little cost when a friend invited me to go with her family sophomore year of college. We had a week long stay at Caribbean Beach Resort and this is when I really fell in love with the magic. My now-husband and I then stayed off site the next year. That's been four years ago...so I'm definitely ready to go again!

As I said, we're 100 days out from our trip so I'll be sharing a variety of Disney countdowns as we prepare for vacation. We're starting with a family movie night countdown. Every ten days or so we'll be watching a Disney movie with dinner and activities matching the theme. Come back soon to see all the fun from our first family movie night featuring Finding Nemo.

Thanks for visiting!


Casey