still learning cool disneyland secrets

the girls and i hadn't been to disneyland in at least a week or so.  GASP.  and so we decided to head out on thursday evening after the sun had gone down so it wouldn't be so stinking hot out there.  there weren't too many people arriving at the same time as we did, but finding a parking spot was a little difficult.  we were directed to the goofy level of the mickey & friends structure, but there were few spots open and we ended up having to circle around three times - something we've never had to do before.

because it was already 6:30 and the old lady had work the next day, we knew we'd only get to do one or two rides, which we do pretty often.  you know us - we just like to drive down, soak in some disney magic, maybe grab a snack and go home.  the bean got to decide what we would do, and she chose to wait in line for space mountain.  with a 65-minute posted wait time, we mustered up all the patience in the world and headed up to stand in line.

while 65 minutes sounds like a crazy amount of time to wait (and yeah, it really is), it really didn't seem that bad as we stood there and chatted and played with a batch of slime that the bean had packed in her purse and joked and laughed.  we were, as usual, stuck with some really clueless people behind us who apparently didn't adhere to the personal space rule.  i really hate people who feel like they have to practically stand on top of you at all times while waiting in line.

i have to say, the quoted wait time was dead on.  it was exactly 65 minutes from the time we got in line till we were seated in our rocket to blast through space.  the bean hadn't been on the OG space mountain ride in forever, what with the longstanding "hyperspace mountain" overlay and halloween's "ghost galaxy" before that.  she loved it, as we all did.

when we got out of there, we decided to get in the 20-minute line for autopia.  on our way there, we spotted some fun decorations at the tomorrowland railroad station (disney, you've gotta fix that sign, yo):

since the railroad finally reopened this past weekend, i'm assuming that they'd decorated the stations like that for a soft opening of some sort.  maybe a media day, or a cast member pre-opening party.  i'm excited to ride it again, because it's been closed forever and i can't wait to see the changes and updates that they added to it.  i'm sure it'll be awhile before we get to it, because it'll be crazy packed for awhile, but that's okay.  we can wait it out.

after we got off of autopia, the old lady and i remembered something we'd read about just a few days ago.  the finding nemo submarines have an option for those who don't want to or can't get into the submarines to be able to see what goes on during the ride.  if you go up to a cast member at the ride exit and ask to get into the marine observation room, they'll lead you to this door:

and as long as that green light is on, you can go in without waiting in any lines.  inside, there are two benches and this screen:

the cast member will push a button on the control panel, and then the show begins.  you'll get to see the bubbles as the submarine descends into the water:

and then the room goes dark while you sit back and enjoy the attraction without being crammed in like sardines next to random strangers.  you'll see the whole gang - nemo, marlin, bruce, dory.

when it was over and the lights came back on, we decided to look around a little.  the lockers on either side of the screen are full of all sorts of fun props.

it's a great way to experience the ride while sitting back to enjoy some lovely air conditioning in a sweet space all to yourself!  so if you're cool with swapping out the actual submarine experience for a private viewing of the attraction...definitely go check out the marine observation room.

you're welcome.

cookies for the olds

last week, i got a text from a lady who asked me to do cookies for her a few months ago.  she'd just been invited to a 70th birthday party, and she said that the celebrant really loved cookies with white frosting.  simple enough, right?  and so i busted out a couple dozen of these:

well, apparently the birthday boy's wife really liked them.  so much so that asked for my contact information to ask if i could make her a couple dozen for her dad's birthday, who's turning 90.  of course, i said.  it was kind of short notice but not really, since that was monday and she needed the cookies for friday.  no problem.  i asked her if she had any ideas for designs, or maybe if he had a favorite hobby or sports team.  she said that he was a funeral director for many years and has a fantastic sense of humor, and with her blessing i went into my halloween box of cutters and ended up making these:

i sent a picture of them to her to make sure they were okay, and she seemed to really like them.  thank goodness.  the old lady thought they were pretty hilarious, while the bean found it appalling.  she was all "OMG, is that a TOMBSTONE??  that's so mean!"  i was just sitting there happy to have gotten the cookies done.

but man oh man, i really hope ol' jack really does have a great sense of humor.  eek.  happy 90th, sir.

hanging out at the monkey bar

i was so happy when a few of our SFAMily members and i were able to coordinate schedules to do a weekday lunch GTG.  getting the whole group together is turning out to be pretty much impossible anymore, with everyone spread out all around southern california with kids and work schedules and extracurricular activities to manage.  we haven't even been able to do our annual holiday hoorah the last couple of years, which makes me sad.  sigh.

although there is a small group of local-ish members, with a couple of us being stay-at-home moms and another couple currently in FUNemployment mode.  we managed to find a day when we could all come together in a central location - santa anita mall - and settled on monkey bar for lunch, which is in the newest section of the mall.

the interior is tiny, with most of it taken up by the huge bar and a few high top tables.  for a party of seven like us, the only option was to be seated outside on the patio.  luckily it's in the shade...but not in the air conditioning.  it's terribly humid in soCA these days, which kind of sucks, but i think the excitement of being able to get together made up for the muggy conditions.  and in another stroke of luck, it's dine l.a. week in los angeles and they had a special prix-fixe menu available for us:

we'd tried to all sit at the same table together, but decided that the bean and mini cee might like to have their own space and sat them at their own little spot right next to us.  they were perfectly happy to be separated from the boring adult talk.

the novelty of their own table wore off after a little while though, and they turned their attention to the bicycle props just outside of the patio.

i decided to splurge and got a delicious coke served out of a glass bottle...the best kind.

we'd all opted for the dine l.a. menu, and i chose the baby heirloom starter.  super delish.

and since the tri-tip sandwich was priced at $16 on the menu all by itself, it was an easy choice for me over the chipotle chicken sandwich.  served with nori fries, it was really tasty.

while weezermonkey and i are not deviled egg fans, we were more than happy to photograph them before lilcee and amber dug in.  look, so pretty:

we enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch as we chatted and caught up and laughed together, and somehow ended up discussing the bra selection at the nordstrom anniversary sale.  this was rather timely, as the hub had eyed me earlier that morning and told me that i needed new bras.  amber mentioned that her favorite brand and style was part of the sale, which took us to the sale racks...which eventually landed me in a fitting room waiting to be professionally measured.  heh.

and then i was called over for a photo op, because who knows when the next time will be that we can all get together?  and yes, i know i look absolutely ridiculous.  oh well.

weezermonkey remarked later that it looked like i was a bride getting ready for her big day and they were my bridal party.  heh.  but then i thought about it and if i were doing another wedding, these ladies would totally be my pick to stand up with me, along with the old lady and maybe one or two other friends.

good times.

amazon really DOES have it all

we all know how much i love a good surprise box, yes?  and especially the kind that brings fun new snacks to try!

i've never used one of amazon's dash buttons before.  you know, the little gadget that's connected to a specific product and your amazon account.  and when you push the button, it automatically places an order for that item, charges your credit card on file and delivers the product to your doorstep.  seems like a pretty good idea, although i never really had a need for one before.  i mean, i'm a stay-at-home. if i need something i can pretty much just run out and grab it, you know?  but then i got an email from amazon offering me this dash button:

prime surprise sweets is a fun little box you can order with the push of that button, and when it arrives it looks like this:

and then you crack it open using the oh-so-convenient pull tab on the front of the box:

pull that paper off, and voila:

it's a super fun surprise box full of sweet snacks from small companies around the good ol' u. s. of a.  this is my first box, but apparently you can order the box as often as you want and it brings you new and different treats every time.

the old lady and i decided to try these first.  they're little shortbread bites that have crushed key lime candy mixed into the batter, and they're so delicious we almost hoovered up the entire thing in a matter of minutes:

i love a good sea salt caramel.  these are really tasty:

we've picked these up at a local sweets shop before.  it's a gigantic brick of specialty rice krispy treat, and we've had lucky charms and froot loops flavors before.  this one, made from cocoa krispies, looks like it'll be just as delicious:

and we haven't tried this one yet, but who doesn't love a good whoopie pie?

this little button is dangerous.  i'm keeping it tucked away in the little box it came in, upside down, in a drawer so i don't find myself pushing it like, every single day.

hmmmm.  what else can i get a dash button for?  this is fun.

i've got a secret

so when my co-leader and i find ourselves wanting to work on a new sewing project but lack the proper fabric to get the job done, we hop in the car and make the drive out to our most favorite local source.  hidden away at the very end of this small building in alhambra (812 south date avenue, suite g to be exact) is the home office and warehouse of purple seamstress, one of the best sources anywhere for knit fabrics.

when you walk into the warehouse, you're greeted with stacks and stacks of giant bolts of fabric sorted by type, like versatile cotton lycra in every color of the rainbow:

need stripes?  mel's got that too.

she keeps a carefully curated selection of licensed fabrics with all sorts of familiar faces printed on them:

super soft brushed polyester, which has become crazy popular and in-demand since a certain leggings company burst onto the scene over the last year:

if you're so inclined and are willing to put in about an hour of work, those leggings that are $20+ a pair can be made with just one yard of fabric...which you can scoop up for under $8.  it's actually pretty fantastic.

she's got swim fabric year-round:

it's hard to focus on sweater knits when it's a zillion degrees out, but she's got those too:

and if you have time to browse, there are racks and racks of precut fabrics in various lengths.  they're mostly sorted by type - stripes, floral, polka dots, characters, holidays, chevron...you name it, it's here somewhere.

so if you're local to the l.a. area, purple seamstress is open seven days a week from 9:00-6:00.  mel and her super friendly staff are always so helpful and are great about offering suggestions for coordinating fabrics or what to use for a specific project.

i probably shouldn't even be sharing our best fabric secret, because now when we go see mel and flor they'll probably be busy with all of you...but that's okay.  i'm a giver.  

you're welcome.

more slime than you can shake a stick at

so if you have elementary-aged kids at home, you've probably come into contact with this year's summer craze...homemade slime.  now, i know homemade slime isn't a new thing.  the bean actually made slime a couple of years ago and lost interest in it fairly quickly.  but with her addiction to youtube videos and chatter with friends and all of the ingredients for slime being displayed together at stores like target and michaels, her interest has been renewed.  with a vengeance.

she's experimented with different ingredients like borax and shaving cream and lotion and glitter glue and liquid starch and little foam balls, and she has her eye on a recipe that involves baking soda and contact lens solution. it's all so weird, and yet since it's science related i don't really have a problem with it.  i DID have a problem with her using all my stuff to make her batches of goo, and so i hit up the dollar store awhile ago and picked up a bunch of cheap utensils so she'd have all her own stuff.  you know, like measuring cups and plastic spoons and containers to hold it all.  best $10 i ever spent, let me tell you.

like, she's so addicted that even when she was at grandma camp she got MIL to pick up some supplies  so she could make some while she was out in texas.  sheesh.  although i will say that her texas creation was pretty cool.  MIL got her some clear glue, and it turned out like this:

too bad that TSA wouldn't let her bring it home.  oh, she was so bummed when she told me about how they took it away when she went through security.  i bet those fuckers sat there and played with that slime when she left.  okay, not really, but still.  big bummer.

and it's actually turned into another creative outlet for her, as she brought a batch with her when she came with me and the hub to lowe's to look at boring home stuff.  it was pretty funny to watch her sculpt it into all sorts of different things:

and the salesman we were talking to was pretty amused when he looked over and saw this:

she's got containers stacked on top of each other with different colors and textures, and she even put together a little sampler pack for her friend mini cee the last time we saw her:

look for her etsy store, coming soon.  heh.