For our first Disney Dinner after returning home from Disney World, I turned to the “sandwich of the future,” the Handwich! I chose chili as the filling, but there are so many other options…I think we might have to try some more of them! Creating the cones out of crescent roll dough was only a little tricky (the real struggle was getting them off of the forms when they were done!), and they didn’t fall apart quite as much as I expected when we were eating them.
For dessert, I made 50’s Prime Time Café-style peanut butter and jelly milkshakes (or just jelly, for Moose), which were really delicious!
This is about the halfway point in the Disney Dinners I planned, so there’s more fun to come…stay tuned!
What can I say about this year’s summer school? One thing is for certain…I know I’ll never top it!
Yes, we had a reading list, and there were some amazing choices on there (Ladybug in particular really enjoyed many of the titles), but this summer was all about travel and experiences, including visits to Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. It was like four days of field trips on steroids, where we went on rides, built things, and even learned things! (And let’s not forgot the three days of field trip equivalents in Washington D.C., where we visited monuments and memorials and museums, toured the US Capitol, and walked the grounds of George Washington’s Mount Vernon! Plus the day at Kennedy Space Center after our Disney fun concluded!)
Back at home, we kept the Disney magic going with art projects:
And games:
And lots and lots of cooking! We had 12 “Disney Dinners” at home over the summer (plus the one we indulged in at The Hollywood Brown Derby), which let us sample copycat recipes from the theme parks and the Disney World resorts:
Ladybug and Bunny especially enjoyed baking and decorating some Mickey Mouse cookies:
It wouldn’t be summer school without a Lego build, and we found the perfect set to reflect our summer fun!
And we squeezed in a few craft projects, including an amazing pumpkin coach, a cupcake liner lei modeled by Stitch, and a string art Mickey Mouse head that left glitter everywhere!
We also watched a ton of Disney documentaries (thank you Disney+) and classic Disney movies, some we had seen before, and some that were new to us. I especially loved the mid-century documentaries from when the theme parks were just getting their start, but the more modern ones, that focused on attractions we saw at Disney World (and their California counterparts) were fascinating, especially after we had the experience of seeing them first-hand.
Like I said, there won’t ever be a summer school like this again, where we were able to blend fun and learning and so many experiences together, but I’m really glad we got to do it once in our lifetime!
The best souvenirs of a trip are the ones you can wear, and I picked up a whole outfit’s worth before and during our trip to Walt Disney World!
Just as I did with my Kyber Crystal necklace, I decided to order this beautiful Disney World 50th Anniversary dress before we left for our trip. I didn’t know for sure if I would actually bring it with (spoilers…I did!), but I knew I wanted to have it as a wearable memory. Lucky for me, the Disney Dress Shop dresses tend to have a retro feel, and this shirtwaist dress definitely fits my personal style!
The print is beautiful, featuring the castle and fireworks in the anniversary color scheme, as well as embroidered 50s scattered throughout.
While we were at the Magic Kingdom, I picked up a Loungefly mini backpack that matches the Minnie Mouse ears I found at the same shop (the Emporium). It has the same castles, fireworks, and 50s as the dress, plus the major Disney characters (Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, and Chip and Dale). A helpful store employee even found me what she called the “perfect bag,” (they’re all a little different) with a 50 right in the middle of the front pocket!
The dress also has a pretty yellow belt. I’m also wearing a silver belt underneath, because I can never tie a belt tight enough. And did I mention the pockets?!?
I’ve got a whole Disney World 50th Anniversary look!
Besides the Minnie ears, I accessorized with my Cinderella key necklace, a single gold glitter bangle, and a pair of Minnie Mouse hoop earrings that are another souvenir of the trip:
I mentioned that I brought the dress on the trip…here’s a look at my outfit right outside the castle!
I’m really glad I found these special pieces that not only commemorate our trip, but also the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World!
Without question, my favorite thing about EPCOT is the World Showcase. It’s the thing I most remember from my childhood trip to Disney, and it was just as cool as in my memories! Here’s a look at the various countries, starting with our neighbor to the south, Mexico. I think it’s really cool that the two ports of entry are the countries that border the US to the north and south!
I loved the stave church that represents Norway:
China’s architecture is unmistakable:
I might be biased but I think Germany was my favorite country to visit:
Italy looks just like I imagine the actual country does:
We breezed through America pretty quickly because, let’s face it, we already live here!
I loved the blue accents in Japan:
Morocco is the country I remember the most from first Disney trip, but we didn’t get to walk around it too much this time because our time in that country was spent huddling under an archway during a storm:
France is as charming as you would expect:
After we visited France, we crossed the “channel” and entered the United Kingdom. If Germany wasn’t my favorite country, the U.K. definitely was!
We ended our around-the-world journey in Canada, which is a mix of native design, and something vaguely similar to the U.K.
This may be as close as I ever get to international travel, but at least I got to see some really cool things (and eat some regional foods) at EPCOT!
I didn’t realize until fairly close to the beginning of our trip that we were going to be at EPCOT for the tail end of the International Flower and Garden Festival…I’m so glad we were there! In addition to beautiful flowers, there were topiaries everywhere in the park. Most of them were of Disney characters, but there were a few others, as well.
The festival takes place EPCOT, but the Magic Kingdom had topiaries of the world’s most famous mouse couple out front, as well!
EPCOT has festivals of different types running pretty much year-round, and I think this was a particularly fun one to attend!
Although we sampled a lot of food at Disney World, we only enjoyed one full sit-down meal while we were there. It was a really good one, though…we went to The Hollywood Brown Derby!
I really wanted to play I Love Lucy by visiting the “local watering hole.” Actually, I’ve eaten at the Disney World Hollywood Brown Derby before, back when Disney’s Hollywood Studios was called Disney-MGM Studios…so, a pretty long time ago! My memories of eating there were all mixed up with the I Love Lucy episode, so it was exciting to see it again in person!
The entrance is bright, and as soon as you walk in, you see the caricatures on the wall that the original restaurant was famous for.
The restaurant really does look like it did on TV, including the round booths and more caricatures (our favorite of those, seeing as there was no two-frame-picture of Jimmy Durante and his Schnozzola, was a pair of Bob Hopes on either side of Bing Crosby!).
On to the food. We shared a 50th anniversary “EARidescent Sip-a-bration,” which was a lemonade fruit punch with an adorable little Pluto perched on the side that you dropped into the drink to add a little Disney magic. And we got to keep the cup!
We also shared an appetizer, the Charcuterie Board, which was excellent. Several members of our family had the Famous Cobb Salad (which is named after Bob, yes I said Bob, Cobb), but as far as I know, it wasn’t “tossed in a derby.” Turkey ordered the Filet Mignon with Walt Disney’s Roast Beef Hash, and I really wish I had photographed it after he cut into it so you could see how beautifully rare it was!
I may be biased, but I’m pretty sure my meal, the Shrimp and Scallops Newberg, was the best. It was served with a sherry cream sauce, and the waiter (who was fantastic!), brought me a spoon and told me to make sure I finished all the sauce…so I did! It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had!
We shared two desserts, the 50th Celebration Baked Alaska and the Crème Brûlée. Both were absolutely amazing, and look how pretty!
Did I mentioned the wall lamps shaped like derby hats?
We made it out of the restaurant without flinging pie on anyone, so I’m not sure how successful we were at playing I Love Lucy, but we had a great time!
The sliver lining in the cloud that was us having to postpone our Disney World vacation for a year is that we were there for the park’s 50th anniversary, the “World’s Most Magical Celebration.” The celebratory atmosphere was everywhere at the parks, but especially with the golden statues of Disney characters scattered throughout the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom. We didn’t see all of them, but we also didn’t do too badly!
There were other hints of a celebration, including cakes with “50” toppers:
There were other 50s here and there, as well, including on the castle, in the landscaping, and on the lamppost signs:
And the main characters have special anniversary costumes…I got pretty close to Donald Duck in his!
I love being part of a celebration, and no one knows how to celebrate like Disney!
In 1983, the Slave Memorial was dedicated at Mount Vernon, at the spot where both free and enslaved people had been buried in unmarked graves. Just as there is at George Washington’s tomb, a daily wreath-laying presentation commemorates those who are buried nearby.
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association had placed a marker in 1929 to recognize those buried in the unidentified graves nearby, but it lay forgotten for many years. Its rediscovery in 1982 led to the creation of the modern memorial.
I am glad we had the opportunity to stop and pay our respects here.
Something that was important to us, and especially to Bunny, when we visited Mount Vernon, was paying our respects at George Washington’s final resting place:
It is a much simpler crypt than Lincoln’s Tomb, which we visited in 2015.
We also saw the original burial vault, in which Washington was temporarily interred. Because the original vault was showing wear, he left instructions for a new family burial plot, which wasn’t completed until 1831, 32 years after his death. The original burial location is the one Marquis de Lafayette visited and at which he spent some time of mourning and reflection.
Despite the fact the Washington wished to be buried at Mount Vernon, Congress attempted to have him buried in a crypt underneath the then-new Capitol building. His wife even gave her consent (I will assume she was grief-stricken and not thinking straight), but fortunately, the project in D.C. was never completed, and Washington’s final wishes were honored.
One of the most anticipated events of our vacation was a visit to the home of America’s first First Family, Mount Vernon!
It’s a huge place, with lots of things to see. You start out at the Visitors’ Center, where stained glass depicting major events from George Washington’s life immediately caught my eye:
You can also find a lot of quotes from Washington himself:
And there’s a dollhouse-style replica of the house…as it turns out, this was the only chance we had to see the Lafayette Bedroom, because the actual room was under renovation.
After we left the Visitors’ Center, we took a winding path that finally allowed us a glimpse of the house…it’s quite impressive!
We were a little early for our tour, so we admired some of the landscaping and formal gardens. Washington worked on the grounds himself, and was involved in planning the landscaping, as well.
We also took a look at the slave quarters. I appreciate the honest look at the history of the estate.
On the way to the tour, we admired the outside of the house. I especially liked the covered walkways connecting the different parts of the mansion.
We passed through the first building, which was the Servants’ Hall…not much is actually known about what this space looked like at the time of the Washingtons, and its plain decor reflects that fact.
The home was built in parts, so the first room of the main building (the “New Room” as Washington called it) wasn’t original to the home, but it was a gorgeous addition!
I love all the little details in old homes, like the color and pattern of the carpets and the artwork on display:
The closet under the stairs amused me!
They encouraged us to use the railing on the staircase…the actual, original railing that George Washington himself used!
We also saw the actual key to the Bastille, which was sent to George Washington by Marquis de Lafayette:
I am often astounded by the use of color when I visited historic homes. No matter how often I see how bright things really were (this green is the original color of the room), I always imagine historic locations to be dim and washed-out for some reason. Also, the ceiling is original…isn’t it beautiful?!?
There are several beautiful bedrooms in the home. Pictured here are the good guest bedrooms…I assume the previously-mentioned Lafayette bedroom is lovely, as well.
We saw the place where George Washington spent his last moments on earth. Following his death, Martha moved to an upstairs bedroom because she couldn’t bear to stay in the room where he died.
I really enjoyed seeing Washington’s personal office!
Of particular interest were the fan chair, and the desk with his eyeglasses:
The kitchen was in part of the house complex, and not simply an outbuilding, but it was, as was common at the time, in a separate building from the living spaces.
After we toured the inside of the house, we continued to walk the grounds. We looked into a few outbuildings:
And we came across the ice house:
And the beautiful Potomac views:
We even got to see a musical demonstration, which was really cool!
There is also a museum on the grounds. Here’s just a small look at some of the things we saw, including the original weathervane that graced the roof of the house (there is a replica on top today):
It’s amazing how you can see the layers of history!
We could have spent so much more time at Mount Vernon, because there’s just so much to see there, but I think we got a good overview with the time we had!
