Image from www.spoonful.com

It’s cold and snowy in much of the country and when kids can’t go outside they are easily bored. Combat that boredom with an afternoon spent making ornaments. These 10 Disney ornaments from spoonful.com are for all ages and experience levels and perfect for a group of kids. I really like the snow globe ornaments. You can put any scene in them that you want. I have some miniature princess figurines that would be fun to include.

These ornaments are more than just decorations for your tree. You can embellish a package with them or hang them from the banister. They could also decorate a small tree in a child’s room. The Mickey String Ornament would even make a nice gift for someone who loves Disney as much as you do. The ideas are boundless so start printing and get creating. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you are looking for a gift anyone would love, one that doesn’t have to be dusted and goes with every tree, consider getting them a Disney ornament. There are so many to choose from and you can make it special by giving them their favorite character. I would be excited to get a Sleeping Beauty or Winnie the Pooh ornament. Which character would your family like to receive?

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique. – Walt Disney

Walt Disney said lots of meaningful things but I think this is one we can all take to heart. Walt Disney was certainly unique. I hope we can all spread some happiness in celebration of his 112th birthday. Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: Here’s another great quote. This one is worth taping on your bathroom mirror.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney

 

Image from www.spoonful.com

I love advent calendars. I love the idea of counting down each day until Christmas, and if there is a treat along with it than that is even better. I also love to do crafty things so when I found these advent calendar ideas on spoonful.com I was excited.

My advent calendar is a wooden tree that I made in high school. I found it again in college and turned it into an advent calendar by screwing twenty-three hooks into it and making a miniature ornament for each day. Day 24 is for the angel on top. It is fun to decorate the tree each day and a tradition that I enjoy. The paper tree advent calendar reminds me of my own tree.

My favorite one of these advent calendars is the forest of trees. It would be really fun to make the trees with the whole family. I would put a Hershey kiss under each tree and then everyone in the family could take turns removing a tree. When I was a kid we had a simple advent calendar with doors. My brother and I took turns opening the doors, but we both wanted to do the even days so we could open door number 24. I smile when I think of that.

Do you have an advent calendar tradition? If you don’t perhaps you could start your tradition by getting together with your family and making an advent calendar. Then you’ll have great memories every December as you count down the days, and something more to smile about. Happiness squared.

Goofy Craft: Need some Disney in your decorating? This advent calendar is full of your favorite Disney characters. I know I would have a blast opening these doors every day until Christmas.

Image from www.spoonful.com

Christmas cards are fraught with problems. If you don’t send any then you feel guilty when you receive some from friends and family. If you type up a nice family letter you hear that it is considered bragging. The photo cards are nice, but they take planning and it is already after Thanksgiving. You could just send an email card, but they are hard for people to enjoy the whole season. What is the answer?

My answer is to do whatever you want. It is the thought that counts. But if you want to send cards that everyone is sure to love consider having your kids make cards. This is easier than it sounds. While the kids are home for Thanksgiving break pull out the paper, the crayons, the scissors, and the glue. And if you need some ideas check out these cards from spoonful.com.

Any card made by a child is special and they cannot do it wrong. If you want to make lots of cards that are the same, like the gingerbread man card, you can set it up assembly-line style. I really like these cards because they are made with sandpaper and I think that is so inventive. They also have cinnamon and nutmeg rubbed on the sandpaper so they smell good and the card becomes an ornament. If you didn’t want to add the scroll you could just write on the back of the gingerbread man. Any of these cards can be adapted to your needs. That is part of the fun of making handmade cards. They are perfect in every way.

In one afternoon you can have all your cards ready to go. As a reward for being so organized you can make a fun card holder for your own house. I like the one made with an upside down tomato stake. Talk about creative! You’ll need it because when everyone receives your awesome card they will feel guilty and send a card back to you. Happiness squared.

Goofy Craft: If you are super organized get the perfect Christmas card photo while you are visiting the Disney parks during the year. Pack Santa hats in your backpack and find the perfect backdrop. Everyone dons a hat and you have your picture. With a little planning you can end your Christmas card stress!

Image from www.spoonful.com

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I hope everyone has wonderful plans. I always liked Thanksgiving when I was a child because lots of relatives came to our house and we got to have food that I loved, but only ate once or twice a year. My brother and I were the only kids at the table and we got to sit with the adults. However, if you have a lot of children coming to your house for Thanksgiving it might be more fun for them to have their own area so they don’t have to listen to the boring adults talk all night.

Why not make their table even more special by making it first a craft table and then a dinner table? They’ll love coming to your house when they get to make Thanksgiving decorations for the dinner table and color fun place mats. So click here for great Thanksgiving kids crafts from spoonful.com. You’ll be surrounded by grateful kids and their parents. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Have you ever thought about visiting the Disney Parks for Thanksgiving? Lots of the restaurants in the parks and resorts have special menus and seating times to celebrate the day. You can have all the fun of Disney and Thanksgiving and not have to slave away in the kitchen. Just make sure you tip your wait staff well to show your gratitude. They are working so you can have a great Disney trip.

Image from www.spoonful.com

Halloween is tomorrow and nothing says Happy Halloween more than a jack ‘o-lantern glowing on your porch. I always carve my pumpkins as close to Halloween as I can because they get moldy really quickly. If you have not carved a pumpkin yet, or if you want to add more to your collection (you can’t have too many jack ‘o-lanterns) check out these great pumpkin carving templates from spoonful.com. They are easy enough for novices to do and everyone will be really impressed with your carving ability. Happiness Squared.

Goofy Quote: (One of my favorite Halloween movies is the Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. This animated movie does a fantastic job of telling the tale of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Bing Crosby sings and narrates the story and it is suitably spooky. This is the last line of the film. Imagine it in a Bing Crosby’s voice. I get chills just reading it.)

Next morning, Ichabod’s hat was found, and close beside it, a shattered pumpkin, but there was no trace of the schoolmaster. It was shortly thereafter that Brom Bones led the fair Katrina to the altar. Now, rumors persisted that Ichabod was still alive, married to a wealthy widow in a distant county. But of course, the settlers refused to believe such nonsense, for they knew the schoolmaster had been spirited away by the Headless Horseman.

Tomorrow is October 19. It is my birthday but that has nothing to do with dream realization. No, tomorrow is also Goddard Dream Day. Robert Goddard was a pioneer of rocket science. On October 19, 1899 he dreamed that someday he would “fly without wings.” He made his dream come true with rockets and he secretly celebrated the success of his dream every year on October 19.

I want this to become a public holiday. I want everyone to go and live their dreams. If you need inspiration watch Tangled, for this movie has dreams coming true all over the place. So tomorrow, act on your dream. Tell someone your idea, or take one small step toward making it come true. Whatever you do celebrate your dream.

But don’t stop there. Set a goal. (A goal is a dream with a deadline.) Decide what you want to do with your dream by next October 19. Finish this statement “By Oct 19, 2014 I will ______________” Write it down and post it somewhere where you can see it often. Work to make your dream a reality. Then you’ll have something to celebrate next Goddard Dream Day. If you need reassurance I recommend carrying a frying pan. Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: Walt Disney was a big believer in making dreams come true. Here are some of his inspiring words to help you with your dreams.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

“The way to get started is to stop talking and begin doing.”

Image from www.amazon.com

Angela Lansbury was born today in 1925. I think most people today know her from Murder, She Wrote which is still in reruns, and as the voice of the teapot, Mrs. Potts, in Beauty and the Beast. (You know, she sang that song. Yes, that one.) But today I want to suggest two other great Angela Lansbury movies to watch in honor of her birthday. Of course there are dozens of others, but I feel that these two are special, and very different from each other.

My first suggestion is Bedknobs and Broomsticks. This Disney movie came out in 1971 and it is fantastic. It’s the story of three orphan English children who are moved from London to the countryside during WWII. They are forced to live with Angela Lansbury who is a witch-in-training and not interested in children. Through trial and mishap they end up saving the village from a Nazi invasion. The plot is enchanting and the music makes you want to dance. It has a bit of romance, a lot of adventure, and multiple magical rides on a bed. Rent and share it with your family. You will love it.

The next movie is Gaslight. This black and white suspense film came out in 1944. It is so good that the term gaslighting has become part of our language. If you don’t know what gaslighting means you really need to see this movie. Angela Lansbury does not play one of the main characters but her role as the maid is incredible. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want her to be my maid. According to Wikipedia this was the first movie she acted in and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Award. That’s how good she was. This thrilling film is about a woman who is slowly going insane. However, is she really insane or is someone causing her to think she is insane? This is an amazing film and a must see on Angela Lansbury’s birthday. I’ve never forgotten her acting in this film.

To celebrate Angela Lansbury’s birthday, after all she is 88, watch one of her many wonderful films. I have recommended two but she has done so many more. I hope I am as spry and well-remembered when I am 88. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Since Angela Lansbury played Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast you could always have a spot of tea today. Or if you are lucky enough to be visiting the Magic Kingdom enjoy a meal at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. There you can try “the Grey Stuff”, a dessert I can’t wait to taste.

Image from www.spoonful.com

Halloween is the one time of the year when we can celebrate evil Disney villains. Why would we do this? Aren’t we supposed to hate the villians? Aren’t they the bad guys? Don’t they mess up the lives of our lovely princesses and brave princes? Sure, but if there were no villains there would be no story. Who wants to read a story that goes like this:

Snow White had a happy life and when she was a teenager she wished for a prince. One showed up and they got married and lived happily ever after.

Boring!!!

In fact, there is probably no happily ever after if there are no villains, because without the villain the prince and princess would think life is always cheerful and they would become as bored with it as the reader does. So we should thank a villain for strengthening our favorite stories and not boring us to tears.

How can we celebrate villains? It’s easy with the help of spoonful.com. My favorite idea is to make villain cupcakes with paper toppers. They would be great for a class Halloween party or a Halloween party at your house. If you are going to have a party at your house you’ll need invitations and spoonful.com has some awesome ones you can print out. Why not have everyone get dressed up as their favorite Disney villain? There are a variety of masks and hats that can be made as party favors.

If you celebrated Disney villains in April it might seem weird, but October is the perfect time to show of your (slightly) evil side. Just avoid anyone who offers you an apple. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Even though you don’t want to accept poisoned apples I would have lots of apples at my Disney villain party. Bob for apples. Serve baked apples, sliced apples with caramel dip, and apple juice. Play pin the apple on Snow White and give apples as party favors.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

Happy 4th of July! Along with the food, festivities and fireworks it is a great day to remember that no matter how we may disagree with each other we are all Americans and we all can celebrate how this great country came into existence.

I love a good quote so I thought I would celebrate our nation’s birthday by sharing some with you. Happiness squared.

“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” John Adams

“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.” Thomas Jefferson

“Tomorrow will be better as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.” Walt Disney

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” Mark Twain

“Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be.”  Abraham Lincoln

Goofy Tip: Few things are more patriotic than listening to music performed by our various military bands. Americana music always brings me to tears and doubly so on July 4th. All week long at the Disneyland Resort a variety of military bands will be performing. If you have a chance to visit the parks this week make a point to see these performances. They will make you proud to be an American. Click here for the schedule.