Fun Find: Magical Quarantine Memes (Part 21)

Yippee!  TGIF!!!  It's finally Friday.  This has been quite a week and I'm glad it's almost over.  I'm feeling so drained emotionally lately.  But, these silly memes keep my humor going.  This is the last normal Magical Quarantine Memes post that I have for now.  If you're in need of more, you can find the rest of my weekly meme posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19 and Part 20.  For now, here's my last round of Magical Quarantine Memes: 

It's that time of year when we trade a swimming pool for back to school.

Not gonna lie... I'm ready to get my Halloween decorations and pumpkins out.  Bring on pumpkin spice everything!!!

My current status after spending most of this summer quarantined at home... 

Yep, most relatable meme for 2020... Apocalypse Bingo!

I'm so glad that I finally got a haircut... let's not discuss my need for a pedicure.

All the movies did not prepare me for this.  Definitely the most boring apocalypse ever.

I don't know what I'd wear to go out... I've lived in pajamas and yoga pants for so long.

Don't like Disney?  Then there's a 0% chance of transmission from me.

Poor pirates... they'll be digging up a lot of buried treasure.

I've got to stay away from the fridge and all the midnight snacky snacks.

This is what we'll all look like after all these quarantine and midnight snacky snacks.

It's a before quarantine snacky snacks and after quarantine snacky snacks time lapse.

I miss people and I'm ready to be able to get together with people again.

I'll be singing this someday... when things finally feel like they're normal again.

Of course, I had to end my magical memes post with another song.  I think this is my favorite of all of the memes I've seen so far.  And, it's still very pertinent five months months later... continue to clean and quarantine like Gaston!

I hope you enjoyed these magical memes.  I've got one more planned post and Part 22 will be coming next Friday!  (Be sure to come back and check it out... it's going to be a really good one!)  Take care of yourselves and enjoy your weekend!!!  °o°

Please Note: I did not make any of these memes and I don't claim ownership of the photos or the jokes.  Most of them I've seen uncredited on Facebook from other people who have shared them.  I just wanted to put them all in one spot so we might try to find some humor in a dark time when we could use a smile.

Magical Merchandise: Halloween, Hocus Pocus and Haunted Mansion

Happy Monday!  Earlier today, a lot more Halloween merchandise materialized over on the Shop Disney website.  It's only been two weeks since I first posted about the 2020 Halloween collection.  (And lot of the items I posted about from that post are already sold out!)  Merchandise is flying off the shelves.  This morning, it appears that they added the Halloween merchandise for the parks.  This was also the official release of a few items I've been waiting for!

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Today's merchandise additions also include a Hocus Pocus collection and some new Haunted Mansion items!!!  Here are a few items from each collection:

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Hocus Pocus Spirit Jersey- This was one of the items that I've been waiting on.  I knew I wanted to get it as soon as I saw it.  I love the green dip dye look!  After a rough check out process (like the Tiki Room Minnie merchandise), it finally decided to stay in my cart long enough for me to check out.  You won't find this searching on the website as it appears that it's already sold out in all sizes at this point.  But look at your local Disney Store!  I've heard that they're available there!!!

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Hocus Pocus Loungefly- This was an unexpected addition.  They had a similar bag last year, but I didn't bother getting it.  However, I did purchase this Loungely tote bag to match my new Hocus Pocus Spirit Jersey... Salem here I come!

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Haunted Mansion Maid Loungefly Backpack- This backpack what I've been waiting for since they announced it in May during the Disney Park Blog's Halfway to Halloween celebration.  I love the Haunted Mansion and this needed to be in my collection!

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Haunted Mansion Spirit Jerseys- These sold out so fast.  There was a design for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland and they're completely gone.  That was fast!

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Haunted Mansion Crocs- These have been a huge hit at Walt Disney World the past few days.  I've heard that they're sold out on WDW property so grab them quick!

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Haunted Mansion Dress- I love this new dress!  I saw photos of it online the other day and I'm so glad it's online.  I love it and it will probably be my newest Dress Shop addition!  There's also another dress of the Haunted Mansion wallpaper! Yay!!!

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Light Up Mickey Pumpkin Decor- This is so cute!  It reminds me of a few of the Christmas pieces available last year.  I love the fun colors it lights up with!

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Mickey Pumpkin Bubble Wand- Ok, this is ridiculous, but I totally bought one of these earlier.  I have a bubble wand from a few trips ago and I love it.  I had to get a pumpkin Mickey one and I'll be outside playing with it this fall!

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Halloween Crocs- These are so cute!  I might have to get them.  Crocs are so comfy and they'd be perfect for me to wear around the house.

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Halloween Spirit Jersey- They made Spirit Jerseys for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.  I love the fun designs on the back!  (See photos at the top of this post.)

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Halloween Mouse Ears- Disney also released a bunch of cute new mouse ears!

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There are so many more fun merchandise items from each of these collections!  These are just a small selection!  I'm so glad that I checked the Shop Disney website earlier today!  Were you able to snag any of these items before they sold out?  If you're interested in any, check them out soon!  With everyone spending so much time at home... things aren't staying online for very long!  °o°

Fun Find: Magical Quarantine Memes (Part 20)

Happy Friday!  We've made it into August and we're still navigating our way through the COVID-19 pandemic.  I don't know about you, but I'm growing tired of all the quarantining, debates about face masks, and general unrest.  But, I think this is how life is going to be for a while... especially when cases only seem to be getting worse in most of the country.  Thankfully, these posts keep my humor going.  If you haven't been following along with my weekly meme posts, you can still catch up with all of them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 , Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18 and Part 19.

Time for a mental health check... I think I'm at a 6 or 7 right now.  Blah.

The most relevant meme for parents of school aged kids these past few weeks.

 

I was pretty excited to get my haircut... but I still don't get it.  I was already months (maybe even a year) overdue for one.  I don't get how people can't go a few months without getting one.

Can I book a one-way ticket to Genovia to ride out the rest of quarantine there?

This is it.  We all need giant hamster balls.

Is anyone still watching Tiger King?  (Eliot and I still haven't seen it.)

I never get my nails done so this would be me anyways... haha!

How I picture quarantine to be for those of you who have kids.

Poor Quasimodo... he doesn't get any credit.

Wash your hands.  Also, don't land the carpet anywhere that hasn't been sanitized.

Gotta love those quarantine snacky snacks!!!

Sigh... part of me wants to Disney so bad.  I could use a break from reality.

Yes!  The Muppets would be the masters of Zoom.

This is so true... and so sad.  Back when COVID first started, I really thought we might be better on the other side of this.  Now, I feel like we're more divided than ever.

At this point, most days I'm happy to be inside my house away from everyone.

My thoughts: The real super heroes are the ones who wear masks!

Of course, I had to end my magical memes post with a song.  I think the intro to Under the Sea is exactly the way I feel about the world right now.  We're a mess.

I hope you enjoyed these magical memes.  I've only got another post or two left!  Part 21 of my Magical Quarantine Memes series will be coming next Friday!  Take care of yourselves and enjoy your weekend!!!  °o°

Please Note: I did not make any of these memes and I don't claim ownership of the photos or the jokes.  Most of them I've seen uncredited on Facebook from other people who have shared them.  I just wanted to put them all in one spot so we might try to find some humor in a dark time when we could use a smile.

Hamilton and Disney Crossovers

It's been one month since Eliot and I first watched Hamilton to finish our at home 4th of July celebrations.  Since then, I've watched the movie again twice.  I've also listened to the entire soundtrack a bunch of times.  At this point, it's my go to music if I'm cleaning or organizing the house.  It's also perfect to crank up and lose myself while working on mouse ears.  I think it's safe to say that the musical is now a personal favorite of mine.

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I, like many others who love Hamilton, also love Disney.  With the addition of Hamilton to the Disney+ family, many people have also made Hamilton and Disney mash ups.  A search of "Hamilton Disney" on Etsy will produce a bunch of shirts, stickers, mouse ears, and more with quotes from the musical and our favorite characters.  I'm definitely going to be getting a few of them to rock the next time I'm at Walt Disney World!

Of course, the music itself also presents another fun way to mash up Disney and Hamilton.  I've come across a few things that I couldn't help but share.  The most ambitious project I've seen thus far are these two videos of the entire first and second acts of the Hamilton musical- but performed by the Muppets.  On Youtube, voice impressionist Ricky Downs III has re-created the entire musical, complete with commentary by our favorite Muppet critics: Statler and Waldorf.

The cast includes Kermit as Alexander Hamilton, Miss Piggy as Eliza, Gonzo as Aaron Burr, Sam Eagle as George Washington, Fozzie Bear as "Marquis de LaFozette" and many more of our favorite Muppet friends.  Some of the characters even switch for the second act of the play, just like in the real version of Hamilton!  (You can read more about Act 1 here and Act 2 here.)  I haven't had a chance to listen to all of the videos yet, but it's definitely on my to do list!

My personal favorite crossover (so far) is this video parody brought to us by King George if he owned Disney.  It's the perfect Hamilton Disney crossover and I found myself laughing each time I've watched it.  Of course, we'll be back... even when you raise the ticket prices to remind us of your love.

If you love Disney, the Muppets, and Hamilton, you have to check these out.  I'm sure you'll get a big chuckle out of them- just like I did!  °o°

Just Keep Swimming

Happy August everyone!  (Oh my gosh... we've actually made it to August!!!)  I think we can all agree that the past few months have been rough.  Like many, I've gone through an emotional rollercoaster between fear, sadness, disgust, anger and little glimpses of joy here and there.  And then the rollercoaster ride starts all over again.  

To be totally honest, summer hasn't been something I've been looking forward to.  For most of it, it's just felt like another thing to get through.  Summer has been hard for me to get excited about when so many of the things I look forward to every year aren't possible this year.  I've been socially distanced from everyone.  Bar Harbor's 4th of July celebration was cancelled.  And Six Flags New England is still closed.

I've been growing increasingly frustrated about everything.  I haven't been handling photos on my Facebook newsfeed of people enjoying summer very well.  I don't blame them or find fault in their choices.  I'm happy that some of my friends can salvage their summer given the crap we've all been through.  And I've made the conscious choice to stay home to protect my Mom and Nana.  But it's been really frustrating at times.

Having Eliot's sisters here last week for those few days was a really nice break.  It was the only slice of summer that I thought I'd get.  Going to Old Orchard Beach, getting Pier Fries and going mini golfing are all things that Eliot and I would do together during a "normal" summer.  It was so nice to do something that felt somewhat "normal" during all of this craziness.  I really soaked in those few hours of normalcy.

After the girls left, I found myself mourning my break.  I've been back in "quarantine" as Mom's surgery has been scheduled for mid-August and I'll be going home for a few days.  My Mom told me to continue to live my life, but I can't in good faith go to Old Orchard Beach where no one is wearing masks.  I had resigned myself to spending many more hours inside our house.  I have plenty of things to keep me busy, but it's depressing when the weather is so nice.  It's too hot for me to just sit outside though...

Thankfully, this week has been wonderful.  Eliot's best friend at work, Eric, has been telling Eliot to come use his pool whenever we wanted to.  Eliot actually went over and helped them put the pool together a few summers ago.  Eric and Heather live about 10 minutes down the road from us so it's really convenient.  We've always had the open invitation, but we've never gone over before; Eliot insisted we go over this week.  It's pretty much been in the 90's all week, so it seemed like a good time to do it.  Looking back now, I don't know why we didn't go over to their pool sooner.

This past Tuesday morning, Eliot and I got up and went over for our first swim.  Eric and Heather both work the earlier shift at Eliot's company, so they weren't home when we arrived.  Eliot walked next door to the neighbors' house and let them know it was just us next door in the pool.  (He knows them from a few weekends of dog sitting their dogs and Eric and Heather's dogs this past winter while they were all away.)

The water was a teeny bit cold at first, but it felt good in the heat.  We got in around 11 am so it was starting to get warmer out even though it was overcast.  Eliot and I floated around for a little over an hour or so before getting out.  I wouldn't let go of my foam noodle at first... Eliot was prepared to drag me out if necessary.  After promising me that we'd come back the next day, I begrudgingly got out.  Then, we both dried off and headed home so Eliot could get ready for work.

Wednesday morning, we got up and headed over to the pool again.  It was very sunny that morning and sun cast shadows over part of the pool but the water was so inviting with the sun dancing off of it.  It felt a little colder, but the water temperature was 81, only one degree cooler than the day before.  We didn't splash around as much this time, but I thoroughly enjoyed floating around on the pool noodles.  We arrived just past 11:30 and stayed until about 1:00.  Eliot almost had to drag me out this time.  We were only planning to stay until 12:30 but I didn't want to get out- and he didn't really want to either.  At 1:00, we finally got out and headed home so he could get to work.

We had plans to go swimming again on Thursday.  But after going to bed at 1:00 am and waking up at 7 am to take the trash and recycling bins to the end of the road, Eliot and I were both still exhausted.  I was fairly awake for a little bit.  I cooked myself some eggs and finished and scheduled my blog post from yesterday.  Then, I started to crash around 9:00.  I finally said screw it and went back to bed for a bit.  By the time I got back up and we packaged up orders... it was too late to go swimming.  I was a little bit disappointed, but Eliot promised me we'd try to go again on Friday.

Friday morning, we slept in a little bit.  Eventually, it was time to get up and ready.  We ended up getting over to the pool around noon.  After eating Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, Eliot and I got in the pool.  It was really hot out this time and the cold water was refreshing.  We played with a water cannon taking turns playfully blasting water at each other.  Then, Eliot found a second one for us to play with.  I sprayed mine up in the air while singing the World of Color song as the water landed around me.  Around 1:30 we finally decided it was time to leave so Eliot could work another late shift.

Going swimming this week has been such a treat.  After spending so much of my time indoors and lamenting my lack of summer fun, going to Eric and Heather's pool has truly been a godsend.  I know it's done wonders for my mental health.  It feels so good to do something that feels "normal" for the summertime.  

I'd honestly forgotten how much I loved swimming.  It's been so long since I've been able to go regularly.  My family used to go swimming almost daily when I was growing up.  My Dad's family had a camp that was about 20 minutes from our house.  Since Mom and Dad run their own business, we'd pack up and go whenever we wanted to.  I remember spending many hours floating in the lake, kayaking, paddle boating and going for long motor boat rides up and down the lake.  We all loved it and that was summer to me.  Now that I've had a taste of it, I don't ever want to go back.

Next summer, or the summer after that, Eliot and I will have a pool.  We've talked about it for a while now.  There's even a spot where the previous homeowners had a small pool.  Eliot and I plan to landscape more area to get a bigger one.  I'd love to get a 24 foot round pool to float around in.  I can see many more wonderful summer days in our future with us splashing around in the water.  °o°