St. Patrick's Day 2023

Top o' the morning to ya!  It's St. Patrick's Day!!!

Eliot and I usually don't do too much for the holiday, but since it fell on a Friday this year, I knew we had to do something.  Neither of us are big drinkers, so that wasn't even something that crossed my mind.  I like corned beef, but I didn't think ahead and I'm sure the grocery stores are out of it now.  Thankfully, the Maine Mariners have a home hockey game tonight, so that's what we're going to do!

They are giving out t-shirts and having a "green out" so Eliot and I will be wearing our green.  I'm excited to see what the shirts look like.  We're assuming that they'll be the logo with the "a" in Mariners as a shamrock like the advertising for the game has been.

So those are our "big" plans for tonight.  It's not too much out of the ordinary for us... but definitely more our speed.  And I'm really excited!  Hopefully, the Mariners will bring the luck of the Irish and have a good game!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!  °o°

Magical Merchandise: Disney 100 Clothing and Apparel

Happy Monday Friends!  Today, I'm continuing my Disney 100 merchandise posts with another installment.  Last week, I focused on the Hallmark home decor collection... so this week, we're switching gears over to clothing and apparel!

I've seen a few clothing companies release items for the Disney 100 celebration.  Most of them have been really popular... and some of them have sold out already.  But, I still wanted to include them in today's post!  Let's check them all out!

Her Universe and Hot Topic

I should have known that Her Universe and Hot Topic would have a collaboration for the Disney 100 celebration.  What I wasn't expecting was for it to be all in on the Mickey Mouse Club and vintage nostalgia.  But I love how the collection came out!

First, there's this Steamboat Willie Athletic Jersey.  I love it and I know Eliot would too!

Eliot would also like this Mickey Mouse and Friends Vintage Woven Button Up Shirt.

I love the simple design on this Sensational Six Vintage Tie-Front Ringer T-Shirt.

The Mickey Mouse And Friends Reel Satchel Bag matches the collection perfectly.

The Mickey Mouse Club Vintage Mini Backpack definitely caught my eye!

They also made a matching Mickey Mouse Club Vintage Mini Flap Wallet.

There's also a matching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Keychain... 

... as well as a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Lanyard!

Finally, my absolute favorite part of this collection was the Mickey Mouse Club Vintage Varsity Cardigan.  Both the front and back are adorable.

This sweater would look great with my Disney outfits.  I just wish they had made a dress to match the collection.  But there's still plenty of time!  I'll keep my eyes peeled!

Cakeworthy

Another collection heavy on the vintage Disney nostalgia was the Cakeworthy Disney 100 release.  These products would also coordinate really well with the pieces above!

Photo Source by @magicwithjen

First, we're starting off with this Steamboat Willie Flannel since Cakeworthy is known for their flannel shirt designs.  I love how they included the graphic on the back!

They also made a Mickey Mouse Club Crop T-Shirt that's perfect for Mouseketeers!

The Mickey Mouse Print Denim Shorts are designed for both men and women.  I really love the gray color with the black and white Mickey heads printed all over them!

I'm not sure if I could pull off this Mickey Mouse Tie Up Jumpsuit, but it's really cute!

I really love this Vintage Mickey Button Up Dress.

The Mickey Mouse Club Crossbody Bag would look great with any of these outfits.

Finally, my favorite piece in this collection was definitely a quick seller.  The Mickey Mouse Club Bucket Hat is so cute and it would be perfect to wear at the parks!

RSVLTS

RSVLTS (pronounced "rose-uh-velts") is a company that's more new to Eliot's and my radar.  I was probably originally introduced to them when looking for shirts for Eliot to wear that would coordinate with my Disney dresses.  They had a booth at the D23 Expo last year and I definitely took a peek.  I've been really impressed with them!

I'm starting off with something a little different first.  This Disney 100 Hiya Pal Short Sleeve Shirt definitely screams "Mickey" but it makes me feel like there's a subtle nod to Sorcerer Mickey with the blue color, moons and stars printed on it!

Next, this Disney 100 Steamboat Mickey Short Sleeve Shirt definitely fits the theme of Disney 100 and starting off with the cartoon short staring our favorite mouse.  I really wish that I'd gotten one of these for Eliot to match a few of my outfits!

But my absolute favorite is this Disney 100 Sketches to Screen Short Sleeve Shirt.  I am obsessed with sketches... the designer in me can't help myself.  This shirt would go perfectly with one of my Disney Dress Shop dresses so hopefully they will restock it!

Rock 'Em Socks

Rock 'Em Socks is another company that's a bit newer on our radar.  They also had a booth at the D23 Expo and I spent quite a few minutes drooling over all of the sock designs.  (They have everything... and plenty of holiday designs... but I'll save that for another day!)  They have a nice selection of Disney 100 items as well.

First, we have these really cute D100 Mickey 100 socks.  I really like this design!

We have the OG Mickey with these D100 Steamboat Willie Showtime Socks.

I'm a big fan of these D100 Steamboat Willie All Over Socks.  I really love this print!

If you enjoy Disney music, the D100 Musical 3 Pack of socks is perfect for you!

The D100 Music and Wonder All Over socks are also sold separately.  I love these too!

Finally, my favorite was this Mickey D100 3 Pack of socks.  I might have to get them!

Love Your Melon

Finally, I've told you about some of my other Love Your Melon finds.  Eliot and I both have an obsession with these hats.  They're not cheap, but they are so warm and such high quality.  For the Disney 100 celebration, they released eight new designs inspired by Steamboat Willie and vintage Mickey and Minnie designs.  All of the new designs included a special "button" on them that say "Disney 100" on it.

They had a pom pom version and a non-pom version.  I'm a sucker for the pom poms, especially the double poms.  Eliot actually prepares the non-pom hats because they cover his ears better.  But both are good options and all of these are really cute.  I've defiantly got my eye on that speckled Steamboat Willie double pom design!

Whew!  That was a lot of fun nostalgia... I love all of the Steamboat Willie stuff.  This definitely makes me want to go big on my black, white, gray and red outfits.  

What do you think of the Disney 100 stuff so far?  I'm a big fan and I can't wait to see what else is coming... there are plenty more collections and products to see!  I'll be back next week with some more merchandise finds!  °o°

Fun Find: Super Nintendo World Videos

It's Super Mario Day!!!  Each year, fans of Mario and Luigi celebrate the popular video game on March 10th... MAR 10... MAR10... MARIO... get it?

Photo Source

Since today also happens to be a Friday, I thought the best way to celebrate was to share a few videos from the newly opened Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood!  It just opened back on February 17th, so it's not even a month old yet!

I know that I usually post Disney parks related news, but as you know I have been trying to branch out a bit.  And I think this new section of the park deserves to be celebrated.  Just like the Harry Potter sections of Universal parks, this new land is top notch.  It looks like you're walking through the actual video game.  Universal has really brought a lot to the table lately, and the Harry Potter and Nintendo portions of their parks feel very Disney in essence.  (Disney definitely needs to keep up!)

The most talked about part of the new section seems to be the Mario Kart dark ride.  I should start off by saying that I love Mario Kart.  I'm not really a video game person, but I've been known to get my go cart on occasionally.  Jeremy, Eliot and I love to play it together, and Eliot and I have also played it a a few times with Sara and Elissa.  I might not be very good at it, but it's still a lot of fun.   (And I do occasionally win!)  

Photo Source

So when I heard about this ride, I had to know more about it.  I'm always so hesitant with Universal rides because there are so many I can't go on.  The video below shows a great comparison of the ride with and without the glasses.  I think it looks great without the glasses... and from that point of view, I might be able to ride it.  The images that the glasses create are amazing, but I'm afraid it might be too much for me.  I get motion sickness on rides pretty easily... so I'm not sure how I'd fare on this.  But it looks absolutely amazing!  It's like Test Track and Runaway Railroad had a Nintendo baby!

This entire addition looks incredible.  I'm so glad it's coming to Florida soon too!  I can't wait to go and take photos like I'm actually in the game.  I'm also going to have to try one of those burgers with the cute little hats.  And the MagicBand like wrist bands also look like a lot of fun.  I'm sure that I'll have a blast whether I can go on the rides or not.

Photo Source

Plus, I know that Eliot and Jeremy would absolutely freak out seeing this!  The three of us used to brainstorm ideas for a Nintendo theme park years ago.  We used to talk about making a "Rainbow Road" ride... so it's cool to see it as a reality now!  We will definitely have to go together to see this someday!  Happy Super Mario Day!!!  °o°

#tbt Cake Decorating Class

I wasn't planning on posting today, but earlier today, I saw a Facebook memories post about my cake decorating class that I took 13 years ago.  I thought that I'd pop in for a super quick Throwback Thursday post to share my first attempts at decorating cakes!

In the spring of 2010, I decided to take a cake decorating class through the local adult education school.  Assebet Valley was only about 10-15 minuets from my house, and it had so many offerings that interested me.  (Boy, do I miss all of those class options!)  It seems like a lifetime ago now, but I took a bunch of adult eduction classes there.

I've always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes, so I jumped at this opportunity.  I wasn't great at it, but I also didn't practice much after class ended.  I have recently wanted to get back into it- whether I take another beginner class at our local Michael's or if I just try to re-learn it and practice on my own!

Anyways, the first cake that I ever decorated was a circle cake that I made a Star of David on.  Eliot's favorite color is teal, so I tried to mix my frosting in that color.  It ended up looking more like a snowflake- I think due to the lighter aqua color of the frosting and the shape of the "star" but practice makes perfect!

My second decorated cake was a Mickey Mouse cake!  When my instructor told us we were going to learn how to decorate characters, I knew I had to make my favorite mouse!  It's still not perfect, but this came out pretty good!  My edge piping was a lot better, and you can tell that it's Mickey Mouse.  I was so proud of this!

As class went on, we learned more complicated designs.  One of the hardest designs was the basketweave.  It really isn't a hard concept, but you had to get the lines just so in order for it to work.  I think my icing ended up being a little bit too runny, because mine looked a little drippy.  But it still tasted really good!

During our final classes, we learned how to make a bunch of royal icing flowers.  I wish that I'd taken photos and notes on how to make each design.  Our instructor made gorgeous flowers.  After they dried for a week, we used them to decorate small two tier "wedding cakes" in our final class.  This was the instructor's sample cake.

It's been a long time since then... but I'm pretty sure this was my attempt at it!  It's not gorgeous, but it's not too bad for a beginner!  I definitely learned a lot in class.

A few weeks after class ended, I made another two tier cake that I decorated.  I think it was for Eliot's birthday since it was in late June and the colors are pink and lime.  Well, pastel pink and lime anyways... gotta work on those darker colors!  (After that, I didn't find anymore photos so I'm not sure if I decorated more cakes or not!)

Looking back at these photos definitely makes me want to attempt it again.  It's been a long time since I got out my cake decorating stuff... and they've made so many new decorating products since then!  I would love to get back into it someday!  °o°

Still In The Twilight Zone

It's been 10 days since the Timo trade.  I have been through a gamut of emotions over the past week and a half.  At this point, it still hurts, but I've been feeling better about it.

The thing that has softened the blow the most is seeing how much New Jersey loves him.  We heard through the grapevines that Devils fans were literally chanting "We want Timo" during games before the trade happened.  And he organization also made it very clear that they wanted to be his trade destination.

Since the New Jersey Devils acquired Timo, I've become a part-time Devils fan.  (Just like when Joe Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars.)  I even started following them on Facebook and Instagram.  Their social media loves him.  I swear every other post for the past ten days has been about Meier.  (Not that I'm complaining about it.)  They have photographed him at practice, interviewed him a few times, and made sure to include him in pretty much any and every post that they can.

It's nice to see how excited everyone is that they have him.  Sure, there are a few people who doubt how good he actually is.  And I can't say much; I'm still skeptical that we didn't completely blow this trade.  But most people are super pumped to have him.

It's been a weird transition since he's still been recovering from the upper body injury that's kept him out of the Sharks line up the later part of February.  Eliot and I were at least glad to see that he was injured.  Not that I wanted him to be hurt, but I would have been more upset if he was being "bubble wrapped" before the trade deadline.

Thankfully, he's finally recovered though.  He was able to participate in his first practice as a Devil on February 28th.  (But I think he was just doing individual drills in a no contact jersey at that point.)  Then, Timo made his debut with the New Jersey Devils in an away game against the Arizona Coyotes this past Sunday, March 5th.  It was so weird to see him skating for another team, but Eliot and I were excited to see him on the ice playing again.  And it didn't take long for him to bring "Timo Time" over to New Jersey.  He ended up scoring a goal on his third shift of the game!

The announcers spent most of the rest of that game talking about him.  We must have heard that he scored his first goal as a Devil in his first game as a New Jersey Devil about 15 times.  They also spent a good portion of the game with the camera on him- whether he was on the ice or the bench.  (Again, not complaining.)

But I have to imagine that all of this attention has put a lot of pressure on Timo.  He's never struck me as the type of guy who loves the limelight.  Now, he's got all of these people practically fawning over him and singing his praises.  And he deserves the praise because he's a great player.  But it must be a little bit nerve-wracking too.

And from watching him play, it's clear that he's going to have an adjustment period to get used to playing in their system.  He wasn't in his usual position on the wing, or on the power play.  It was really weird for us watching him play different positions.  I can only imagine how different it is to be the person playing in them.

It's been an adjustment for me and Eliot too... I won't lie, it is really weird to watch him in a red New Jersey Devils jersey, but at least he's in Swiss colors.  That's made it a lot less painful.  I keep reminding myself that it could have been worse... he could have been in Vegas Golden Knight colors, and that would have broken me.

Another adjustment is trying to track him out on the ice.  Not only has he been playing in different positions than what he (and us) are used to, but he's wearing 96 instead of 28.  (One of the other guys on the team already had his number.)  For both the San Jose Sharks and Switzerland, Timo has always been 28, so it's been weird for us to see him wearing that.  However, he used to be number 96 when he was playing in juniors for the Halifax Mooseheads, so it's like he's going back to his roots.

I think having him be in a different number has also softened the blow a little.  It's like his jersey number has been memorialized to me in way.  And ironically, the same thing actually happened when Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns both left the Sharks.  Pavelski is wearing number 16 in Dallas (instead of 8) and Burns is wearing number 8 (instead of 88).  It probably sounds weird, but that's taken the sting out of losing them all a little bit.  It's never easy to have your favorite players leave your team, but I'll always be crazy about my 8's... no matter the numbers or jersey colors they're now wearing.

I guess you could say that this new reality is sinking in, and I'm starting to be more ok with it.  So, we're still in the twilight zone... but at least I'm getting more used to it.  °o°

All photos from the New Jersey Devils Facebook page.