Books to Read While Under Quarantine

It's time for the fifth installment in my Things to Do While Under Quarantine boredom busting blog series.  Today, I'm going into more detail of one of my ideas from a few of my previous posts.  I mentioned reading Disney books and I'm sure most people would think of children's books first.  However, there are a ton of Disney books out there.

Most of these books are geared toward teens and adults, but older kids and pre-teens might enjoy them too.  Some of these are books Eliot and I have personally read and enjoyed... and pretty much all of them are currently in my pile of books to read.

Text Edit by Me- Original Photo Source

Disney Books to Read While Under Quarantine

Disney Movie Art Books- Eliot and I absolutely love these books.  Disney has made art books of many of their movies- from both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Studios.  Basically, the books are filled with concept art and designs.  I love this kind of stuff; these books are incredible if you love Disney movies and seeing how they come to life.  Each year, Eliot and I ask for a few for Christmas and we've got our own little collection started including: Frozen, Tangled, Moana, and Finding Nemo.  If you search for "Disney the art of books" on Amazon, you'll find them available to purchase.

Imagineering Books- I absolutely love learning more about Imagineering.  One of the things that first brought Eliot and me together was our love of Imagineering.  I had a book about it and Eliot was really excited to come over and check it out.  If you search for "Imagineering books" on Amazon you'll find a few of them- most of which I have and love.  Another fun series are the field guides with information on each Disney theme park and land.  Be aware that these books are all from 2008-2014, so they won't have the newest attractions.  To find these, search for "Disney field guide" on Amazon.

Disney Leadership- I love learning more about how the Disney parks were created and I'm a big fan of books like this.  Not only are they educational, but they always inspire me too!  A few years ago, I got both "Dream It!  Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms" as well as "One Little Spark" by Marty Sklar.  I haven't had a chance to read all of them, but the parts I skimmed I really loved.  I'm also hoping to get and read "The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company" by Bob Iger.  (I've included links so it's easier to find them.)

Descendants- Eliot and I both love the Descendants movies on the Disney Channel.  I haven't read any of these yet, but I did start one and I enjoyed what I read.  These are geared towards older kids and teens, so they're a really quick read.  If you enjoyed the movies on tv, these are a great way to dive back into that world.  So far, there are four books and you can find them easily by searching for "descendants books" on Amazon.

Kingdom Keepers- This is a series of seven books by Ridley Pearson.  Eliot has read most of these and he loves them.  It's basically a series about five teenagers protecting the Walt Disney World theme parks from Disney Villains.  Like the Descendants books, these are more geared towards older kids and teens, but I know many adults who love them too!  Search for "Kingdom Keepers Ridley Pearson" on Amazon to find them!

Villains Series- If you're into the villains, then you might enjoy the Disney Villains book series by Serena Valentino.  The series has books for Ursula, Maleficent, Cruella deVil, Mother Gothel, the Evil Queen and more.  These are geared for teenagers, but adults seem to enjoy them too.  So far, there are seven books in the series.  You can find them by searching for "villains series" on Amazon.

Twisted Tales- These books are all "twisted" re-tellings of the fairy tales we all know and love.  It takes our favorite Disney stories and spins a different story.  So far, there are nine stories in the series.  I practically begged my parents for these books for Christmas two years ago.  Then, they bought me the entire first wave of the series.  I still need to get the new ones.  I haven't been able to read any of them yet, but I have friends who have that loved them.  These are what I want to read first... I can't wait to dive in!  You can find them by searching for "disney twisted tales" on Amazon.

I hope this list inspires you to broaden your horizons and read something new!  I'm hoping to get through all of these books at some point and now is the perfect time to pick one up and start!  If you read one of these, let me know what you think!!!  °o° 

Christmas 2015

So I know I've been all about the new year and closing the 2015 chapter of my life.  But before we completely move on to 2016, I've still got a few things to share from the last few weeks and Christmas 2015.  Hang in there for the next few days!

Our Christmas 2015 was nice and relaxing this year.  Eliot and I went home to be with my family up in Bar Harbor.  It was the first time Jeremy and I have been home for the entire Christmas weekend since we were in college.  (The last time was probably Christmas of 2008!)  Once I started working in retail, that was it!  We've both had to rush back to jobs ever since.  I'm sure glad that wasn't the case this year!

It was difficult to face our first Christmas without Papa, but I was determined to make it a good one for my mother and Nana.  We did better than I expected.  There were certainly a few rough patches.  However, I know Papa was there in spirit, watching over us.  I know he would have wanted us to have a good Christmas together.

This year we decided to change up our Christmas morning routine a little bit.  We usually do stockings, open gifts, have breakfast and then watch the Disney Christmas parade.  Then the rest of Christmas Day, we usually just hang out.  Mom and I decided that we should eat breakfast sooner and push opening our gifts to after breakfast and the parade.  That way, our Christmas Day would be more spread out.

Once the "adults" were all in place, Eliot, Jeremy and I finally came downstairs.  We all opened our stockings and looked over the gifts from Santa that weren't wrapped on the couch.  That kept us pretty busy.  Santa brought us a bunch of things to look at.  Then, we had a delicious breakfast of waffles, eggs, sausage, and ham.  Yum!!!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Afterwards, we watched the Unforgettable Disney Christmas Celebration.  It certainly was unforgettable.  I don't think I'll forget how awful the "parade" is becoming.  There was about 10 minutes of "parade" throughout the entire 2 hour show.  I miss the old days when you actually saw the parade.  This year, we saw Santa less than 10 minutes in.  Way to kill the suspense element.  The performances weren't awful; I enjoyed a few of them like the Descendants, Colors of the Wind and Andy Grammar.  It just seems to be like Disney is trying to make the Christmas Day "parade" into something it shouldn't be.  There are plenty of awards ceremonies and shows these people can sing at.  Bring back the Disney magic!  Anyways... (steps off soapbox.)

After the "parade", we settled in to open our gifts from each other.  We all took turns handing gifts out.  Nana got Eliot and me a beautiful Frozen jellybean machine while Jeremy got a Star Wars one.  Jeremy got me the entire Cinderella tsum tsum set from Target!  He had no idea what to get Eliot, so while we were at Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve Day, I suggested the new "We Love Disney" music CD.  Eliot loved it!

Speaking of Eliot... he completely spoiled me rotten this Christmas.  I had known he's been buying things on eBay over the past month.  I was told I wasn't allowed to buy any tsum tsum items.  About a week before Christmas, he had me open one present because he couldn't take it anymore.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a Hong Kong 10th anniversary Duffy.  Christmas morning, I had a few more gifts from him.  Eliot got me a Duffy and Shellie May wreath and the Mickey and Minnie New York exclusives!

As if that wasn't enough, he still had two more packages.  I guessed one of them was the Olaf edition of Operation since when I'd mentioned it prior to Christmas he told me I wasn't allowed to go to Toys R Us to see if they had it in stock.  Ironically, my parents had also seen it and bought him the same game!  Great minds think alike!  (We're going to leave the second game there so we can play it while we're visiting them.)

What I wasn't expecting was the other gift.  Eliot wrapped it in a pretty large box and I had absolutely no idea what it was.  I opened it to find a beautiful Elsa night light.  She sings "Let It Go" while snowflakes, hearts and tiaras are projected to swirl around on the ceiling.  I've always had a thing for different types of lights.  I can't wait to put this on my side of the bed once our master bedroom is done!

I wasn't sure what to get Eliot.  I have had a million ideas but I was being really picky.  I was going to get him the plush baby Sven that he wanted, but we ended up buying it in Chicago.  Finally, I settled on Disney Cranium- something we'd talked about getting to play together.  He liked it and we're planning to play it sometime soon!

Mom and Dad outdid themselves with our gifts, just like they do every year.  I was really excited to see all of the Disney books I'd asked for!  They got me the Frozen and Disney Princess Art Therapy adult coloring books.  They're really stunning.

I got the Marty Sklar books I'd asked for.  (I actually caught Daddy reading one mid-afternoon Christmas Day.  I guess it's was a good book!)  I was also excited to see the Disney Book.  Eliot grabbed that pretty quick to flip through it.  He was impressed.

Eliot and I also got a few Art of Disney books.  I'd asked specifically for Frozen and Tangled, but I mentioned on the phone that Eliot liked the Inside Out and Wreck It Ralph movies.  The books are incredible and we're planning to collect as many of these books as we can!  This is a great start!

Mom and Dad gave us a head start on spring at our new house!  They bought us a Minnie Mouse solar lantern, and a Mickey and Minnie garden statue.  Finally, Eliot's last big surprise was the large Mickey Mouse fountain Mom and I had bought back this fall when it was on sale.  (We were eyeing it all last summer.)  He loved it!

Eliot had a few other surprises too!  Mom and Dad got him the San Jose Sharks Oyo lego like toys I'd suggested.  He really enjoyed those.  They even have the special 25th anniversary jerseys the Sharks are wearing this year!  They also ordered the Disney Knex I'd suggested.   Eliot grew up playing with Knex and he loves them.  We found a Space Mountain and a Dumbo set on Amazon.  He loved them!

I also got a few toys.  I was excited to open a box filled with Build-A-Bear stuff!  Mom and Dad found the Frozen Fever Elsa bear, the outfits, and a Patriots bear!  (They're planning to order me the Frozen Anna bear online since they couldn't find her.)  They also got the cute little Olaf pjs and slippers!  They're all so cute!

We got some Disney accessories.  Eliot got new Stitch socks (which he opened before I could even take a picture) while I got a Wall-E bow and Olaf fuzzy slippers!

I was also really excited to get all of the Once Upon a Time DVDs.  I'd gotten the first season for Christmas a few years ago.  Jeremy then got the second season the next year.  Mom and Dad said we could "share" them but that's difficult when you're 1.5 hours away from each other.  I had given Jeremy my first season to borrow indefinitely since I could go on Netflix to watch them.  A few days before Christmas, Dad and I were in Best Buy trying to get a few more gifts for Jeremy and he bought Jer seasons 1, 3 and 4.  Then, Daddy asked which ones I needed and he bought them for me as well.  Now we both have all of them!  We have the best parents!

One of the last gifts I opened was a small gift bag.  Mom and Dad gave me a few gift cards to the craft stores so I can buy some new supplies.  They also included an Acadia National Park season pass for Eliot and me.  Then, I spotted something I wasn't expecting- my Alex and Ani bracelets!  I'd asked for the Walt Disney World and Disneyland 60th bracelets, but I definitely wasn't expecting them!  I absolutely love them!  It's the perfect start to my collection!

After we were finished with gifts, we spent most of the weekend relaxing at my parents' house.  It was nice just to hang out at home together.  We didn't have to be anywhere at any certain time.  We watched the Snoopy Christmas special, Wheel of Fortune, and a few Christmas movies.  Dad, Jeremy, Eliot and I watched Inside Out Saturday night.

Sunday morning, we ended up getting a snow storm so Eliot and I decided to drive back home Monday morning instead.  (He was able to work a half day and make up the hours later in the week.)  While the roads weren't too bad, Dad took Eliot, Jeremy and I up to AT&T so I could buy a new phone.  That was really exciting for me since it was about 2.5 weeks since my other one had died.  I was happy to have a smart phone again!  (I really missed Instagram!)  We got pizza from our favorite local place that night for dinner.  It was the perfect way to end a great Christmas weekend!

I am so blessed with a wonderful family.  While I appreciate all of the wonderful gifts Eliot and I received, I am truly thankful to have spent so much quality time with them this holiday season.  And that's what it's all about.  °o°