Tag: disney

  • Disney’s BRAVE – Scotch Eggs Recipe

    Disney’s BRAVE – Scotch Eggs Recipe

    Make it a movie night with Brave and these Scotch Eggs! 
    Make it a family movie night. Watch Brave and enjoy Scotch Eggs.
    We love the movie Brave. It was one we were truly excited for from the first preview we saw over 6 years ago. When Brave came out we were in the middle of the Princess craze with our little girls.  They loved Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and the Little Mermaid. It was also during a time where there seemed to be a lot of backlash on Princesses in general.
     


    Why did Princesses always need a Prince? Couldn’t they take care of themselves? They’re always so helpless – well except Belle. I think people often overlooked her in their generalizations of the helpless Princesses. Actually, I could give a good argument on why every single one of the Disney Princesses was not helpless, and actually quite brave in their own individual stories. 
     
    That should probably be its own post. Instead, let’s talk about Brave and the strong-willed red-headed Scottish Princess. Merida. She is a spitfire! And one of my favorite princesses to watch. I’m raising my own little spitfire, and while she and I have way too many head-butting moments like Merida and her mother – I am actually grateful for that determination. 
    Make it a movie night with BRAVE and this recipe for Scotch Eggs.
     
    When I first watched Brave, I thought it was how Merida was brave enough to stand up for herself against family. She was brave to be herself, and live her own life. The more I watch it, the more I love the ending. Merida was brave for doing those things, but she became braver when she admited she was wrong, took ownership of her choices, and apologized to those she hurt. Saying sorry and meaning it, is the bravest thing any of us can do, and too few of us choose to do. 
     
    I’ve made it a personal goal to always apologize to my children when I’m wrong, or when I let my inner bear come out. I want them to know that I’m human, and that apologizing is a good thing. The first few times were not easy, but it’s become a natural habit, and has allowed a lot of trust between us all. 
     
    Check out these other family movie night recipes:
     
    For a fun family movie night, I would highly suggest making these Scotch Eggs! They were a lot of fun to make, and they tasted fantastic! Granted my kids hate eggs…but they all gave the scotch eggs a try, and some really liked them. Some just enjoyed the sausage casing, but that’s ok too. They showed me they were brave enough to give something new a try. 
    Make it a family movie night with this recipe for Scotch Eggs and the movie Brave.
    I knew the kids would be hesitant to try the eggs, and I wasn’t sure just how filling they would be so I paired it with a side of sauteed root veggies. A couple of chopped potatoes and some rainbow carrots from our backyard garden were just screaming to me for a hearty Scottish side. Toss them in a little oil, add some garlic and salt and cook up until fork tender. You’ll love it with the Scotch Eggs!
    Scotch Eggs
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    Ingredients
    1. 8 large eggs, hard boiled, chilled, and shelled
    2. 16oz pork sausage
    3. 2 raw egg
    4. 1/2 cup milk
    5. 1 cup flour
    6. 2 cups panko bread crumbs
    7. dash of thyme, basil, and chives
    8. oil for frying
    9. salt and pepper
    Set up a breading station using separate bowls
    1. 1. Flour, salt, and pepper
    2. 2.Egg Wash – raw eggs and milk, whisked to mix well.
    3. 3. Panko Bread crumbs and herbs
    4. Portion the sausage into 8 balls. Flatten each ball into a thin round disc.
    5. Encase each boiled egg evenly in the sausage, making sure it closes well all around.
    6. Coat with flour, egg wash, then panko bread crumbs.
    7. Preheat oil to 350F.
    8. Cook meat encased eggs for 5 minutes until golden brown.
    9. Drain on a paper towel, and season with salt.
    10. Serve warm.
    Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/


  • Get a Free Disney Inspired Wax Tart from Pixie Vacations

    Get a Free Disney Inspired Wax Tart from Pixie Vacations

    This is a sponsored post. I am a member of the US Family Guide Bloggers. I was sent a free Wax Tart.

    Weather got you down? Maybe now is the time to plan a vacation to Walt Disney World. When you book through Pixie Vacations you’ll get a free Wax Tart inspired by the sights and smells from Disney World. 

     

    Book with Pixie Vacation and receive a free wax tart #sponsored

    Are you getting ready to plan your 2016 spring or summer vacation? I recently heard about Pixie Vacations and am loving what I see so far. The staff are former Disney Park Cast Members and Vacation Planners. Pixie Vacations offer the same prices as if you book through Disney itself. The big difference I found, is that when you book through Pixie Vacations, if a cheaper price comes up, they’ll move your reservation to the better price!

    When planning a vacation for a family of 6, finding the most inexpensive price is so important! One thing I really hate is when I buy something, and find a day or a week later that the price went lower. With Pixie Vacations you can book when you’re ready, and not worry that you’ll miss a good deal. 

    Disney World 2016 Vacation Package Late Spring Vacation:
    Booking Window: Feb. 29 – Mar. 31, 2016
    Travel Window: Apr. 14 – Jun. 11, 2016

    How to Book this Offer:
    Contact a Pixie at www.PixieVacations.com
    Phone: 678-815-1584
    Email: Info@PixieVacations.com

    Amber Griswold (10) loves going to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. She’s also very crafty and after a recent vacation at Walt Disney World she decided to try and recreate her favorite scents from her trip in candles and wax tarts. So, she started with Disney snacks. Main Street Popcorn, Pineapple Whips, and even Turkey Legs. 

     

    We were sent the Main Street Popcorn to try out. We pulled it out all sneaky like, and asked the kids to guess the smell.  You can tell we’ve never walked down Main Street with them or anywhere near a popcorn shop. They were guessing anything that looked yellow – banana? lemonade? 

    I could smell the popcorn immediately, and finally gave up on the kids, and let them in on the scent. That was followed by “Oh yeah, that does smell like popcorn!” Silly kids. 

    Now I have to keep my eye on Ambers scents, because I really want the Pinepple Whip next!

    Each Disney inspired scent is available on her Etsy store.  She only makes one scent at a time and when it sells out it’s gone. You can make suggestions for the next scent you want her to make on her Pixie Scents Facebook page and when that limited batch is ready she puts them up on her Pixie Scents Esty shop.

    Get a FREE Scent!

    Now – October 1, 2016 Pixie Vacations is offering one of Amber’s Disney inspired snack scents as part of your Walt Disney World Vacation package. So if you are planning a Walt Disney World Vacation for 2016, go over to Pixie Vacations to get a quick no obligation Disney World vacation quote and the details for your Free Pixie Scent wax tart.

  • Pete’s Dragon in Theaters August 12th First Look Trailer

    Pete’s Dragon in Theaters August 12th First Look Trailer

    One of my absolute favorite movies from my childhood is Pete’s Dragon. When I got the email that Disney is remaking it – I may have squealed a bit. The trailer is now out, and I’m so excited!! Check it out.

    #PetesDragon

    Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley and Robert Redford, this reimagining of Pete’s Dragon can’t get here soon enough! While I limit our kids tv time, like I assume most parents do, I really do enjoy family movie nights especially when it’s sharing one of my favorite stories via film. 

    Pete’s Dragon

    For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

    Pete's Dragon coming to theaters August 12th

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  • DIY Inside Out Family Costume

    DIY Inside Out Family Costume

    Fill your emotional buckets with this awesome and easy DIY Inside Out Family Costume. This post contains affiliate links and I will receive compensation when you click through and make a purchase. 

    Last weekend our church had their annual Trunk Or Treat. It was a lot of fun being that we’re in a new place again, which means new people to hang out with, and we could really show our stuff. About a month ago we decided that this year we’d try for a family themed costume again, and went with Inside Out.

    It’s the only movie we saw in theaters this year, and with our girls growing up into little adults, and dealing with all kind of emotions, it was the perfect one to see! We had one problem though – there are only 5 emotions, and there are 6 of us. Feeling a bit spunky, I volunteered myself to dress as Bing Bong – Riley’s imaginary friend for those who haven’t seen the movie yet.

    Guess what! Turns out besides a chili cook off, cornbread contest, and dessert contest – they also had a costume contest. I bet you see where this is going right? Mark entered the chili contest – no win. I entered the dessert contest – no win. We were automatically entered in the costume contest, and we WON. The kids emotions were all JOY when our names were read.

    Joy’s Costume

    Blue Hairspray – Target
    Yellow Summerdress – Goodwill


    Sadness’ Costume

    Blue Hairspray – Target
    Glasses – knocked out the lenses and spray painted blue – Party City
    Oversized Blue sweatshirt – Goodwill
    Blue Jeans and Sneakers – Closet


    DIY Inside Out: Disgust Costume  

    Disgust’s Costume

    Green Hairspray – Target
    Oversized Green nightgown – sewn into a skater style dress – Goodwill
    Pink scarf – Goodwill
    Green belt – Goodwill
    Pink Shoes – Goodwill


    Anger’s Costume

    Red Hairspray – Party City
    White shirt – closet
    Red tie – homemade


    Fear’s Costume

    White shirt – closet
    Sweater Vest – Goodwill
    Purple Tie – homemade


     Bing Bong’s Costume

    Bowler Hat – borrowed from a friend
    Pink Dress – Goodwill
    Purple Tie – homemade
    Black Bolero – closet
    Finger Gloves – Fingerless gloves
    Paper Flower
    Purple Tail – home sewn and held on with a large safety pin
    Orange Leggings – Amazon 


    There you have it! It took me a good month to assemble all the pieces. I made MANY trips to the Goodwill, and even checked out a couple different locations. The kids were thrilled and I had a blast – even if I was making ties I’ve never made before 2 hours before the party. 
     
     
    What are you dressing up as this year? Have you seen Inside Out yet?

      Be the hit of all costume parties with this DIY Inside Out Family Costume! The perfect Halloween party costume.


  • Snowflake and Olaf FROZEN Grapes

    Snowflake and Olaf FROZEN Grapes

    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh #CollectiveBias
     
    If you’re kids love Disney’s FROZEN, they will love eating healthy with these Frozen Snowflake Grapes and Yogurt Olafs. They are so easy to make, and of course fun to eat! My kids are asking for snowflakes after school every day now!
    FROZEN grapes and yogurt make kids happy #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh ad

     

    Years ago, or so it seems, when Mark was teaching band he introduced me to frozen grapes. The night before their first parade march found us skewering grapes and sticking them in the freezer. I was skeptical to say the least, but 24 hours later on a hot summery day – frozen grapes ya’ll! They’re amazing!
    Jump a couple years, and without marching band, I kind of forgot about our frozen grape treats until walking through Walmart and I saw FROZEN Grapes!  They were obviously just calling to me to freeze as an after school snack. I then found myself wandering all around the store dreaming up all kinds of ways to make frozen grapes a bit more fun for the kids – Snowflakes! Olaf! drink toppers! 
    FROZEN Grapes can be found at Walmart #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh ad

    These were super simple to put together one afternoon while the kids were at school. Little Prince and I pulled out a clamshell of FROZEN grapes, vanilla yogurt and our trusty toothpicks. I got to work skewering grapes to look like snowflakes, while the little prince turned his into “Cars! See mommy, I made a car”.

    FROZEN Grapes are a favorite after school treat. ad

    I used 6 toothpicks in total for each Snowflake. Taking 1 grape insert 4 toothpicks on each side. Skewer 2 grapes onto each toothpick. Taking 2 more toothpicks skewer diagonally all the way through the center toothpick, and add 4 more grapes, one to each side end sticking out. While not terribly hard to create, perhaps you want something simpler – in that case skewer 2 grapes to a toothpick, and dip it in vanilla yogurt to create your own Olaf.

    Yogurt Olaf and Snowflake FROZEN grapes #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh ad

    Once all the grapes are skewered and covered in yogurt as desired, I toss them on parchment lined cookie sheet, and place in the freezer. Do not forget the parchment paper! Otherwise the grapes will freeze to the pan, and then you’ll have sad kids with no frozen grapes, and no one wants that.

    After about 2 hours you’ll have sufficiently frozen FROZEN grapes, but I like giving them a good 24 hours for a nice freeze. I served our frozen snowflakes and yogurt Olaf’s alongside a bowl of vanilla yogurt for extra dipping fun.

    Snowflake and Olaf FROZEN grapes #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh ad

     

     

    Yesterday was probably the hottest and most humid day we’ve had since moving to Indiana. Despite that, I still walked the kids to and from school. When it’s right around the corner I have a hard time justifying putting them on the bus. It was so nice to have this cool treat waiting when we got home from our afternoon walk. Princess R was not expecting just how cold and delicious these would be though. She let out lots of Ohh’s and Yum’s – Mommy Success!

    Have you seen the new FROZEN packaged Grapes? Months ago we saw them on apples, and now my kids LOVE eating apples and grapes! What fresh produce would you like to see Disney help market next?
  • Party with Robert Downey Jr

    Party with Robert Downey Jr

    You KNOW I cannot resist a good cause! This just came through my email and I had to share it with you!

    Right now, if you donate just $10 to Julia’s House, you could win a trip for you and a friend to Hollywood to have the experience of a lifetime with Robert Downey Jr. You must donate at this site here, to be entered.

    Julia’s House

    Julia’s House is a children’s hospice charity dedicated to helping life-limited children and their families. The nurses and caregivers at Julia’s house provide life-changing support for parents and their children both in the hospice and in their own homes. The majority of those children are unlikely to live beyond the age of 18, but thankfully Julia’s House is there for them year-round, offering emergency respite and overnight care during treatment and offering emotional and practical support at the end of a child’s life. 

    The Experience

    You and a friend will be joining Robert Downey Jr. for the best day of your lives at the premiere of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. You will experience indoor skydiving, a helicopter ride over the Hollywood sign, a custom tux/gown fitting, a pit stop at Randy’s Donuts and caviar tasting with RDJ before riding in his private motorcade to the premiere. Flights, 4-star hotel, and transportation are all included. Best of all, every entry benefits Julia’s House.
    Looking at the donation site, there are also many other goodies to receive, just by increasing your donation amount. 
    Avengers: Age of Ultron in theaters everywhere May 1
    Like The Avengers on Facebook
    Follow The Avengers on Twitter
  • DIY Gingerbread Planes Hangar

    DIY Gingerbread Planes Hangar

    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlanesToTheRescue #CollectiveBias
     
     
    Have you made a gingerbread house yet? Why not mix it up and build a Planes Hangar instead! Are your kids home for the Christmas break? Are they driving you nuts? Yeah mine too. Don’t get me wrong, we’re having lots of fun, but without the regular routine, I’ve heard probably a million times in the last 2 days – 
     
    • I’m bored! 
    • We have nothing to do. 
    • You won’t let us do anything!
    Well, we had to remedy that asap! Really though children, you have a room full of toys and dress ups, I’m sure you can find something to do – am I right?! Earlier last week, I was walking the aisles of Walmart since it’s too cold to go outside, and I found the Planes Fire and Rescue toys on Rollback! Woot Woot! I know the kids are going to get new toys on Christmas, but that’s not until Thursday and we needed something to break up the monotony of days spent indoors. 
     
     
    My lightbulb dinged, so I grabbed a couple of the Planes:Fire and Rescue Character Assortment die cast set ($4.97 each!). I thought how fun would it be to make our own hangar – it’s like a doll house but for planes!I get home and I’m pulling out the cardboard to make this cool vision in my head, when in walks Mark and says something like “Why don’t you make it out of gingerbread?”.
     
     
    I knew I married this guy for a reason. So I put my cardboard away and started making the gingerbread – which soon became apparent I was terrible at! Seriously, ya’ll my ideas were failing left and right, and my beautiful vision was dimming. That’s when Mark stepped in and I stepped back with the camera, and the vision in my head became a reality plus some!
    We didn’t want the kids to know what we were doing, so we sent them to the other room and turned on the Disney Planes Movie. 
     

     

     
    First you’ll want to make some gingerbread. We doubled this recipe from Food Network. Follow the recipe up until rolling it out. Before you roll the dough, split it into three portions. Roll out on the back of 3 cookie sheets, or if you have a cookie sheet without a lip use it like normal. Bake according to directions. When it comes out of the oven, you’ll want to start cutting your shapes while it’s still hot! Otherwise it will harden and be impossible to cut. 
     
     
    Sheet 1 you will cut it in half width ways. Then round the tops. Measure the sides to make sure they are an even length all around. On one side cut out the doorway for your planes. Cut the cut out in half to attach as doors to the opening.
     

    Sheet 2 you will just cut in half, and trim the edges to be the same height as your front and back pieces. These will be your side walls.
     
     
    Sheet 3 is your roof tiles. Trim the edges, then cut in strips width ways. Let all the pieces dry sufficiently, about an hour or 2. Save all the trimmings, and crush finely for ground covering to complete the scene. 
     
     
    While Mark was busy with the gingerbread making and assembly I cut out the Planes: Fire and Rescue logo from the packaging. It made quite the nice little touch to our finished hangar. 
     
     

    Once the pieces are sufficiently cooled, it’s time to start assembling. We’re big chocolate lovers, so we decided to go with some good old chocolate frosting for glue. Any type of frosting will work, though royal icing will stick the best, we just used a creamy frosting. Watch this quick slide show of the assembly process.

     

    The final touch before presenting this to the kids was the gumdrop propeller. Mark saved one edge from the sheets of gingerbread and carved it into a propeller. We added some frosting, sprinkles, and a gumdrop nose.

     
    Finally it was done. My vision of awesome was complete! So although I am most definitely NOT an engineer, Mark saved the day and made the kids some of the happiest ones around. 
     
     

    Presenting the kids with their Gingerbread Plane Hangar with the new Disney Planes toys was a blast, and the exact kind of break we needed. They had fun flying Dusty over the chocolate pretzel forest, landing him on the roof, and attempting to eat the roof.

     

     
     
    Need a last minute Christmas gift? Also on Rollback at Walmart are: 
     
    • Disney Planes Flight to the Finish Speedway
    • Disney Planes Fire & Rescue Die-Cast Vehicles, 3-Pack
    • Disney Planes Fire & Rescue Deluxe Talking Vehicle Assortment
    • Disney Planes Character Assortment die-cast set
    By the end of the day our Plane Hangar didn’t look too much like a hangar anymore. The gumdrop propeller had been replaced with a half eaten Santa, and the roof “caught fire” and collapsed on the poor characters. It’s all good though, because the Disney Planes are all pretty tough!
     

     

     

     

    If you’re looking for some last minute fun before Christmas, and haven’t made gingerbread houses yet, I suggest you mix it up and try the Gingerbread Hangar instead.

    What will you be doing to entertain kids this week? Share with me your holiday plans!
     
     
  • Disney/Pixar’s new movie Inside Out

    Disney/Pixar’s new movie Inside Out

    Why does June have to be so far away?  I think this movie looks amazing!  We all struggle with emotions, how to show them and control them. Some of us hide them deep inside, while others let it all loose. I’m excited to see this movie, and hope that besides being a good story, it will inspire us all to take a deeper look at how we really feel and allow us to open up to those who care about us more.

  • So much Frozen!

    So much Frozen!

    *I received a free download of the app. All opinions are my own.*
    Did you pick up your copy of Frozen yesterday?  We got ours!  If you haven’t been able to tell yet, we’re a little Frozen crazy around here. 
    For Princess C’s birthday I even sewed her Anna’s cape, double layers and all!  I still need to finish it, but she’s pretty much in love. They’re now asking me to make an Olaf costume – that should be fairly simple right?
    I know we’re not the only ones in love with the Snow Queen and her quirky sister.  It’s about all I saw yesterday as everyone picked up a copy from the store or semi patiently waited for the mail.  I was pretty excited when Frozen won 2 Oscars – Original Song and Animated Feature Film. 
    I’m sure you’ve all seen the many covers for Let It Go, the song that won the Oscar’s. My kids favorite is a fairly newer one with a guy singing it in a myriad of disney voices. My personal favorite is this one from The Piano Guys
    Wasn’t that beautiful?  Yeah I thought so too.  
    While waiting for Frozen to come out on DVD, we have had a lot of fun playing the Frozen Storybook Deluxe on the ipad. The kids especially love the ice puzzles!
     Even Prince L enjoys the app
    Princess R’s birthday is coming  up, aso I’m pretty sure she’ll be getting some Frozen products. I think she’d really enjoy one of the many storybooks
    Are you celebrating with Frozen this week?
  • Preview of Disney’s 2014 Movies

    Preview of Disney’s 2014 Movies

    I don’t think Disney will be able to ever top Frozen, but they have a pretty awesome line up for 2014.  Here’s just a few we are looking forward to.
    The Wind Rises
    From Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki slated for release in late February. 
    Muppets Most Wanted
    Release date March 21.


    Captain America: Winter Soldier
    Release date April 4th
    Maleficent
    Release date May 30
    Planes: Fire and Rescue
    Release date July 18
    This is just a sampling of what’s coming this year from Disney! 
    What are you most excited about?