At The Altar Of The Bird

As I said in the previous food post, Blogger was taking it's sweet time posting pics for me. This was supposed to come up yesterday. For my final installment of food week we come to that which is most holy. The God of all fast food. The one by which all other chicken pales in comparison. Yes, my brothers and sisters, I'm talking about Chick-fil-a. Please get down on bended knee and thank the maker for putting the idea into the Chick-fil-a man's head. The photo you see before you is the delicious Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap. Now, I love all things Chick-fil-a. I don't think you can go wrong with a single thing on their menu. However, this little baby is my favorite. The chicken is just the right amount of spicy. The lettuce is crisp, the cheese gives it just the right texture. But, what seals the deal is the spicy dressing. This stuff is amazing. I love something that is so spicy it makes you sweat under your eyes and across the bridge of your nose. That's some good spicy. Throw in some waffle fries and a sweet tea and we're in business. There's only one thing that can ruin it for me; the dreaded soggy wrap. I always ask my favorite Chick-fil-a girl if the wrap is fresh when I order it. There is nothing I can stand more than wilted lettuce and a mushy tortilla. Yuck! But, thankfully, that problem is few and far between at my local Chick-fil-a. If anyone is reading this and has never experienced the joy that is Chick-fil-a let me first tell how terribly sorry I am that you have missed out on one of God's most wonderful creations. Then, let me tell you, get your butt to the East Coast (below the Mason-Dixon) and have some. Southwest has great flights and it will absolutely be worth it.

photo courtesy of me; Spicy Cool Wrap courtesy of Chick-fil-a Annapolis Mall (I love those girls!)

The Incredible Edible Egg

I had planned on blogging about this yesterday but, alas, Blogger does not seem to want to post the picture I sent in. So, there will be no photo of my yummy, delicious breakfast. If it were here I would say, 'Let me introduce you to the scrumptious, the delightful, the Four Cheese Egg Souffle from Panera Bread.' This little piece of egg heaven is awesome. It's creamy and the pastry is light and flaky. The seasoning they use is perfect. I'm not sure what's in there but yum! The cheese is not overpowering at all. It's made with white cheddar, Romano, Parmesan & Neufchatel cheeses. All blended together into yummy goodness. I can eat one of these babies and I'm full for the rest of the day. I'm not sure what it is that fills me up but it's great. I only wish the Panera girls wouldn't look at me like a glutton every time I walk in for my egg souffle fix. I try to control myself and only go three times a week. It's so good. I know, I know, I could try to make them at home and eat all I want but let's get real here. Who am I to take away the job of the souffle kid at Panera. If I don't come in almost daily to feed my egg addiction how will the souffle guy make ends meet. I couldn't live with myself. Now, I must go buy more. Oh wait, they're only available in the morning. Well, then, tomorrow we shall feast!!

The Incredible Edible Egg 2

Finally, here's the pic to go along with this post. Doesn't it look FABULOUS!!

Filling Space

I've been waiting on the edge of my seat all day for a picture to post to my blog. In the interim, I couldn't risk a day going by without some kind of post. This week we've seen a food theme here at the palace. The picture I'm waiting for will fill that requirement so this post will be non-food related. It was announced here some time ago that a new addition was added to Sleeping Beauty's royal family. Prince Younger Brother and Princess The Girl Who Married Him procreated a few months back. The time has come to anoint said addition in the waters of baptism. (Will we not go into why this has taken so long to happen.) SB's sister was asked to stand up for the child in this important ceremony. Naturally, I accepted. What I find fall down hysterical about the whole thing is that our other dear sister will share the duties with me because my chosen religious beliefs don't fall in line with those she is being baptized into. I guess the idea is our other dear sister will be there to protect the child from my heathen ways. Unfortunately for the church my religious beliefs are not what she needs protecting from. Excessive amounts of ice cream and naval rings when she's 16 don't necessarily fall under god mother duties. That's the best part about kids that are not your own. You can spoil them and then send them back to their parents. Oh the joy!!!

Better Than *** !

Let's keep rolling with this food theme. Have you ever had something that you know is better than anything (and I do mean anything) in the world. It's hard to imagine but if you have yet to experience something that good then I say, 'Get thee to a grocery store!' and try Haagen-Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. Holy crow this stuff is absolutely better than anything (even that certain anything that requires getting horizontal!) This little baby is the smoothest, creamiest chocolate ice cream ever. And then, as if it couldn't get any better, they swirl this yummy, fudgy, cinnamon into it. I dream of stocking my freezer with as many little pints of this heavenly concoction as possible. Every time I buy some I have to fend off the little princesses. They have yet to experience the yummy goodness that is Mayan Chocolate. I fully intend to keep it that way for as long as possible. Unfortunately for me, the excuse that it's too rich for them won't hold up much longer. Maybe, I could buy one of those stand alone deep freezers for my garage and fill it to. Instead of ice cubes and ground beef there would be nothing but pints of ice cream. Now, I must get me to a grocery store and feed my need for Mayan Chocolate.


photo courtesy of Haagen-Dazs (may God bless the genius that invented it!)

Seven Inches of Burrito Goodness

On the third day God created Chipotle. And He looked upon it and saw that it was good. And God was happy. And so was I. I am hopelessly and madly in love with my Chipotle burrito. OMG, this stuff kicks ass! If there was a way I could be the Jered Fogle of Chipotle I would be there. Maybe I'll have to look into that. Whenever I eat one of these I'm full until the next morning. I know of people who actually only eat half. Are you kidding? There is no way I could stop half way through. Yeah, yeah, I know; carbs, carbs, carbs. Well, I say to that; WHO CARES!! If God had wanted us to live a carb-free life He wouldn't have created them in the first place. In case you're wondering this little baby is the Barbacoa beef burrito with black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and the medium salsa. HEAVEN!! Now, I'm going to finish this puppy and invent a way to mainline this stuff. Is it possible to open up a vein and shove it in? If someone could invent a self-cleaning litter box there's got to be a way to do it. In the meantime I'll have to ingest the old fashioned way. And as if things could not get any better you can order online! Hello Chipotle! How about delivery next? Then I would never have to set foot outside again for as long as I live! Someone connect me to Chipotle HQ, pronto!!

photo courtesy of my cool pink Razr; burrito courtesy of Chipotle Annapolis

What! More Numskulls! OMG

Yes world, these are the fruit of my loins! Good Grief!!

Spot The Numskulls!

Don't you love embarrassing those closet to you!!

Our Story Begins ...

Well, the days tick ever closer to our trip "home." We leave for WDW on 11/15. Each one of us has started counting down in her own special way. I'm keeping track right here on this blog. The oldest of the little princesses has computed the time down to the second and has created a detailed graph on which to mark off the days. Princess #2 has the date circled in red on her "Charlotte's Web" calendar and has already crossed off every day leading up to it. I've tried, to no avail, to explain to her that you can't cross off a day until that day is over. She doesn't care. As I mentioned before, we will be staying for 13 glorious days. To say we are excited is a HUGE understatement. We'll be staying 4 nights at Old Key West and 8 nights at Saratoga Springs. We have Disney Vacation Club but, alas, they didn't have our entire stay at OKW. SB's other sister stayed at Saratoga on her honeymoon last year and really liked it. I'm not so sure. I'm going to call DVC and see if anymore nights have opened up at OKW. Have you ever noticed that when a Disney Fanatic (DF) talks about Disney they use a lot of abbreviations? How about this one; I'm going to WDW on 11/15, we're using our DVC points to stay at OKW, while using our AP. If your a fanatic like me that made perfect sense. If you're not, then let me know when you want to start "Disneyese 101." In the next installment of our story I'll wax nostaglic on the joys of the DDP (Disney Dining Plan.) And if you're currently searching the sky for falling cats and dogs because I posted 3 times in one day, don't let the crap hit you on the way down!!

The Gold Standard

(Yeah, yeah! What a shock, two posts in one day. I'm really trying to get back on the ball here people.)

I thought I was over due for another podcast post. I had to get in something about the BEST podcast of all time. This one is really the gold standard of Disney podcasts. Any DF worthy of using the name knows this one. WindowtotheMagic is far and away the best Disney podcast out there. Paul, Patrick and the zany crew of WTTM are amazing. I love listening to Paul's soothing voice as he takes you on another trip into the "Disney Sound Experience." Once a month Patrick comes in with an awesome show about something special, Main St Electrical anyone? They are just the best. WTTM focuses mainly on Disneyland. I've personally never been to DLR. No, SB's sister has not gone out there yet. I know what you're thinking, 'Doesn't Sleeping Beauty have a castle out there?' Yes, but there's this thing about she doesn't have it childproofed yet or something. I told SB that it doesn't matter anymore now that my princesses are older. She gets this look in her eye like a deer in the headlights and shakes her head at me. Anyway, back on topic. WTTM is mostly Disneyland related. Paul's "Where in the park?" games are so great. I've heard them so many times now that I know exactly where he is in the park and I've never been there. I'm working on a trip in May and I hope I can meet up with Paul and his amazing team. That would be better than meeting Brad Pitt. What a minute is that possible? Could anything be better than meeting Brad Pitt? I don't know, I might be a little scared that Angelina would pull out her Tomb Raider gear and do me in. Anyway, if you're a bonafide Disney Freak then get thee to iTunes and subscribe to Window to the Magic. You won't be disappointed. Hurry, so you don't miss the Halloween episode. It's guaranteed to be great. Patrick hasn't been heard from since July because of it. I'm starting to miss that segment on his show, "Are you smarter than my stupid little brother." Until next time, this has been post #50 of The Life and Times of Sleeping Beauty's Sister. "Surround yourself with the Magic!"


photo and awesome "surround yourself" tag line courtesy of wttm.com

Weather!

Hello! This is supposed to be Fall. Saturday was so ridiculously hot that I swear I thought I would spontaneously combust at any moment. Excuse me, but who sent the memo to Summer that it had to go back to work. I'm sorry but I have no interest in paying time and a half because some idiot told the wrong season it was time to clock in. Then, I get up this morning to take the little Prince for his morning constitutional and almost freeze parts off of my body that would prefer to stay. What is going on here? This my friends is the screwed up weather of the mid-Atlantic. I think it has something to do with being so close to our Nation's capital.

My 'Tween Obsession

OK! News Flash! Sb's Sister was a HUGE Duran Duran fan in her younger days. I used to rent this video from Erol's every weekend when I was 11. For two years I mainlined everything I could get my hands on that had anything to do with Duran Duran. Every square inch of my room had pictures of them on it. I, of course, was madly in love with John Taylor. Who wasn't. Now, I find out that you can buy this DVD on Amazon. Who knew it was even still available! I used to beg the Queen to buy this for me almost daily. She never would. Naturally, when I found this on Amazon I bought it. Watching it again brought back all those great '80's memories. I don't care what anyone says; the '80's RULED!! Now, if anyone knows where I can find the companion book that was released at the same time as this video I'll be set. That I did own but it has long since left the building. You know, the age difference is not so great anymore. I think the next time they come to town I may have to show up and see what happens. Though I don't know if I would be comfortable sharing makeup tips with Nick. On the other hand, I am a makeup artist so he may be looking for a new girl. Hmmmm!!






photo courtesy of amazon.com

I Love Fall!

Finally, the stranglehold of Summer has been broken. I HATE Summer with a passion. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate all the tourists it brings to my city. Yuck, yuck, yuck! But, Fall is wonderful. I woke up Sunday morning and it was so cold the end of my nose was frozen. Ahh, I love that! This time of year also means "The Chase" has begun. I am a bonafide NASCAR fan. Can you believe Sleeping Beauty's sister loves NASCAR? No? Neither can Sleeping Beauty. I tried to explain to her once what the fascination is. When she heard that dresses and high heels were not allowed on the track she completely shut down. Oh well. Give me a track full of screaming, sweaty fans and loud cars any day. Ya know, it's funny. I can't stand the heat but I don't mind it at the track. The royal parents and step-parents think it's funny that I love a redneck sport like NASCAR. Have you seen Dale Jr in a firesuit lately? Not bad to look at from any angle. I'll be going to Martinsville next month and I can't wait!! THE CHASE IS ON!!!

Changing Course

When something isn't working right you should probably stop doing it and try something else. Have you struggled towards a goal and find it never comes? I sure have. I've done it every day. Nothing has changed. NOTHING! They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, I'm guilty of insanity and I'm not doing that anymore. I know everyone is all abuzz over "The Secret." I don't know if all it says is true but it makes sense to always expect that what you want is going to come to you. I've been doing that all day today. I can't say that everything I've been thinking about has come but I can say that I've felt really good all day. I haven't felt that way in a long time. I haven't felt that way since we last went to WDW. I'll call it the "Disney World Effect." If I can feel like this everyday just be expecting good things to happen to me then I'll do it. Anything to get the "Disney World Effect" every day.

Where Has The Year Gone?

I can't believe it's September already! Is it my imagination or does time go by faster when you're older? I found a bunch of clips on youtube from the old "Donny & Marie" show. Boy, it was great to see all that awesome '70's goodness. What I wouldn't give to go back! Bell bottoms, Farrah hair, afros. How much fun!! Now, I'm old and trying to explain to the princesses just how great it used to be. Wisdom is wasted on the young!

Cooler Heads Have Prevailed

After a brain system overload last night I've greeted this beautiful new day with a bit of sanity. Much to the disappointment of the oldest princess, I have decided to wait on the new iPod touch. Really, if Apple could drop the price of iPhone after two months what would stop them from releasing an iPod touch with more gigs and applications. Karma would definitely do that to me if I bought one now. Right before Christmas Apple would roll out the improved iPod touch with all iPhone's apps minus the phone, a hard drive with more memory AND the option to add the phone to it later if you wanted it. I'm not going to give karma the satisfaction. I am, however, going to hit the Apple store and play with all the new toys as soon as I can. Does anyone know any t-Mobile bigwigs that we can grill about when they're going to get their hands on the iPhone?

iWhat?

I hate Apple. Just when I get my little pink Nano they've gotta change everything up. Now, they've got that damn iPod touch and I'm totally geeking out. I love it. I love the iPhone too but I hate at&t so oh well on that one. I've decided that some how I've got to get that new iPod. I may have to sell off some of the little princesses toys to fund the purchase. How cool would it be to carry every single Disney podcast I "own" with me everywhere. OMG, my brain circuits would probably fry with all the choices. If only Apple had opened up the iPhone to all the mobile carriers to duke it out. I guess I'll have to wait a few years in the hope I can update my crappy little flip phone that t-Mobile gave me for free. If only I could buy an iPhone and not activate the phone application, hmmm. Then I could access all those awesome toys and not throw my money at the evil mobile monster that is at&t. Why can't I have a techie in the house that could fiddle with the iPhone innards and make my dreams come true. Quite obviously I'm up to late. Nonsense is spewing from my fingers.



photo courtesy of apple.com

WDWToday

I mentioned awhile back about my "dirty little secret." PODCASTS! Here's the first of many reports on some of my favorites. I would say, hands down, WDWToday is my favorite podcast. The premise behind this little gem is "give us 5 minutes and we'll give you the World." Well, they don't exactly do 5 minutes but they almost never go longer than 20. They broadcast three times a week and each show has an interesting and informative topic. WDWToday is 4 guys talking about Walt Disney World and the best way to vacation there. But, these are not just any guys. First, there's your host, Matt Hochberg, owner of MGMStudios.org, lover of Wonka Bars and hater of all things Lou Mongello. (And it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eye.) Then, the old man of the bunch, Mike Scopa, of Mouseplanet.com and AllEarsnet.com. He worships at the shrine of Le Cellier and spearheaded the name change of the Pop Century Resort to Scopa Towers. Then, there's the sound man, Mike Newell, owner of MouseWorld Radio.com. All who read this please go to his site and find out how to raise your voice in support of Internet Radio. And last, but certainly not least, Len Testa of the venerable and hallowed Unofficial Guide and Van Halen's hair guy. These guys know their Disney World and are absolutely HILARIOUS!! If you love Walt Disney World and are thinking of dipping your toes into the world of Disney podcasts, RUN to iTunes and subscribe to this one first. You won't be disappointed. http://www.wdwtoday.com/


photo courtesy of wdwtoday.com

OMG! Where Have You Been?

That is the story of my life. Where have I been? School has started for the little princesses. The mad rush to prepare has left me with no time to do anything. What a sorry excuse. Thankfully, the magical day has come and my job as Judie McCoy, Cruise Director, has ended for another season. This Love Boat has gone into drydock and will not come out until next June. Now, I turn into glorified chauffeur. If only Sleeping Beauty's best girl, Cindy would lend me her fairy godmother so I could get an extra pumpkin to cart everyone around. I'm going to have to discuss that with her the next time the two of them are trying on shoes together.