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    Home » Disney

    Saturday Snapshots: Spring DIY Projects & Family Trips

    Updated: Feb 21, 2018 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 7 Comments

    Walt Disney World Florida

    With Spring now upon us I figured it was high time that I did another Saturday Snapshots post.  These posts are more personal in nature, just a way for us to get to know each other a little bit better. I totally fell off the “Saturday Snapshots” bandwagon last winter…. let’s just say I didn’t have anything positive to say, so I just chose not to say anything at all!  January & February ended up being quite challenging for us, and the horrid winter did not help matters much.

    Now it’s Spring and I’m feeling a bit cheerier… so we’re back– I made a conscious decision 4 years ago that this blog would always be a positive and uplifting place. So please don’t think that my life is all pretty Instagram shots and smiling children… cause it’s not.  But I learned a long time ago, this is not the place to share negative emotions.

    DIY Plank Wall

    The horrid winter left me walking around the house all day long nick picking everything apart!! Not leaving the house for days will do that to you. I decided that the “cure” for our winter blues was a DIY project.  Having also committed to a more active lifestyle in 2014-  I thought our bland exercise room was a good place to start.

    Here’s a shot of it in progress- we installed a plank wall to give it a good focal point. It’s done now and I’m sooo happy with it- I just need to figure out how to photograph it, since it is a room with ZERO natural light (suggestions???)

    After the exercise room we moved right to our torn up Guest Bedroom- you’ll be reading more about  that project in May. Right now I’m in “the thick” of it all- and most of the DIY projects I had planned for the room are FAILING!! We broke a drill bit last night trying to drill into a mirror (don’t ask, it will all make sense soon)…

    Amelia Island Florida

    For Spring break we escaped to Florida…. We have a Disney Vacation club membership and use it to the MAX! On the way to Orlando, I scoured the map for a beach to stop at on the way down. By process of elimination (how far off the freeway the beach was, and how close we could get to Orlando) we settled on Amelia Island, Florida.  We got out of the car, ran to the beach and just sat and soaked in the much needed sunshine and sea air.

    Amelia Island Florida

    We were only there from late afternoon til the next morning so we didn’t get to explore too much. We did manage to check out Fort Clinch, downtown and the beach. Man, that place is ADORABLE… we are sooo going back.

    Disney World

    My parents and adult brother (he has Autism) flew out from Utah to meet us in Orlando. We had a great time with them all week.  It was really fun to “show them around” Disney and share our favorite spots and restaurants with them.  It felt really strange to be there without our oldest daughter- she’s in college and still in class… but she’s growing up so we’re on to trying new things.

    We had a great week in Orlando- I’m going to write up some Disneyworld tips for you guys and share them next week. I got a lot of questions as I posted on Instagram all week and I think now that we’ve been to Disneyworld more than 10 times that I have some relevant knowledge to share. I think everyone has their “own” way to do Disney, and I know that the blog world is not short of Disney Blog Posts- but I’ve got a few things that I think you might like.

    Clutch Sewing Pattern

    Next week I’m headed to SNAP conference. I’ll be teaching one of the classes! I’m soooo excited. If you will be there make sure you find me and say “hello”… or even better sign up for my Clutch class- we’ll be making the bow front clutch you can see above!! I’ll be sure to share a tutorial for the clutch when I get back!
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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Denise in PA says

      April 19, 2014 at 9:14 am

      Hi Melissa, love your photos. We’re in the DVC too and try to get to WDW at least once a year – this year we’re taking the whole family (our kids are grown, so it’s usually just hubby and me) and we’re all super excited! Even though we’ve probably gone about 10 times too, I’m always looking for tips, so I am looking forward to your tips post! I get you with the challenges. Just went through another this past week, so “thinking Disney” is a much welcome distraction! Hugs

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 22, 2014 at 11:09 am

        How fun!!! We went last year with everyone before my daughter left for college- I had a feeling it would be a while before we were all back there again at the same time- Enjoy your time with your family!

        Reply
    2. Karen says

      April 20, 2014 at 1:27 pm

      This winter was wearing on SO many people.
      My DH moved us to basically a three room house away from town 3 yrs ago, so cold and isolated describes my winter. DH watches TV all day and I have no room for exercise equipment but I learned to march in place for exercise this winter and keep my mouth shut- complaining does no good, right? So I gained more fitness over the winter which was a good thing. And spring has finally come!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 22, 2014 at 11:07 am

        I agree! Complaining never seems to help does it? I started exercising more this winter too- it really helped, so one good thing came out of the terrible weather I guess 🙂

        Reply
    3. Kerrie says

      April 20, 2014 at 9:29 pm

      We are DVC too and leave for DW in less than 2 wks! Woohoo!
      I can’t wait to read your tips to compare to ours 🙂
      I can’t wait to try the new bands!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 20, 2014 at 10:08 pm

        We ended up really liking the magic bands! It made things so much more convenient. My only complaint was that we needed more than 3 fast passes for Magic Kingdom- hopefully they will change that soon though 🙂

        Reply
        • Kerrie says

          April 21, 2014 at 10:20 pm

          Great..glad to hear that you liked them.
          Our kids are super excited to wear them!

          Shoot, we were suppose to buy our season passes and do our fast passes tonight. Okay, tmr then!
          Yes, I’ve heard that they have a few things to work out with the fast passes.

          Cheers!

          Reply

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