I think this is the longest I've gone without adding to my closet, crazy! I guess that's what happens when you get older, have more self control and less need of clothes (especially if you work from home, ha ha.) 

I did receive a pair of sandals in exchange for a post on Instagram and they're already a workhorse. Any time I have to run outside quickly I'll throw them on, I even wear them while cooking dinner for extra support because they're orthotics.

I started this post before I went on my annual camping trip in Vermont and technically I did buy a sweatshirt. Even though it's a "souvenir," I'm going to add it because I'll probably wear it around the house and occasionally on cool Summer evenings.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. *NEW!* VERMONT Sweatshirt in light gray via the Weston Village Store ($20, retail $50)
   

1. None yet

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

1. Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. None yet

Gifted from Brands:

• *NEW!* Aetrex Maui Orthotic Flip Flops in Matte Black
  

Spent in June: $20

Spent in 2023: $20

Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $20

Now that I've shared my few quick tips for a Disneyland trip, here are all the tasty treats and meals we had on our trip! Since we only had 2 days and 3 nights we had to be very strategic about where we ate. While I would have loved to do 3 sit-down meals a day to try as much food as possible we also wanted to prioritize all the rides that we don't have over in Disney World.  

Disneyland Eats

Disneyland Popcorn Carts

 

Mickey Beignets

Normally the Mickey-shaped Beignets with powdered sugar are found at Mint Julep Bar but it is currently closed to make way for Tiana's Restaurant so we picked ours up at their temporary location - Hungry Bear Restaurant. They're messy, but oh so good! The perfect snack to have while you sit in the shade and rest. I wish Disney World had the Mickey beignets in-park too so we didn't have to take a special trip over to Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter.

Cafe Orleans

When choosing our Disneyland sit-down restaurant we were torn between Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou. Blue Bayou is definitely the more popular of the two, but it's also more expensive so we opted for Cafe Orleans because the menus are very similar. I really enjoyed it, especially sitting outside with a nice breeze. 

I had the Roasted Chicken and a Mint Julep while Christian & Caleb had the Battered & Fried Monte Cristo. Caleb had the Triple Cheese version and Christian went for the classic.

 

My Ratatouille Dooney & Bourke bag featuring Remy & Emile was ready for tasty food!

Mint Julep

Battered & Fried Monte Cristo - Sliced Turkey, Ham and Swiss with Seasonal Preserves and choice of Pommes Frites or Petite Salad

Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Citron-Orange Salad and Coq Au Vin Jus

 

Ronto Roasters - Galaxy's Edge

A friend had posted about the Meiloorun Juice (Pineapple Juice, Minute Maid Lemonade, with Blueberry, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice, and Desert Pear) a couple weeks before our trip so we had to try it out! We picked it up on our way to get our Mickey Beignets. They don't have this in Disney World (at least not yet) so it was fun to try an "exclusive" drink.  It's not my usual flavors but I enjoyed it for a change.

Café Daisy - ToonTown

WE had a super quick snack/lunch at Cafe Daisy on day 1 when my friend Caleb joined us. Christian and I shared the Pepperoni Pizza Flop-Over (Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Provolone with Tomato Sauce) and I stole a Daisy's Goody-Goody Donuts (House-made Mini-Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar) from Caleb. (didn't snag a picture because we ate super fast, ha ha.

Downtown Disney Eats

Naples Ristorante e Bar

 

Disney California Adventure Eats

Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums - Pixar Pier

One of our favorite eats of the trip was the famous Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num which is a very large chocolate chip cookie served nice and warm. They have these at Disney World as well but we hadn't gotten around to buying one yet. Next trip to Hollywood Studios we'll be grabbing one to see if they're just as good.

Mickey Pretzels

Can't go to Disneyland without getting something Mickey shaped so I needed a Mickey pretzel! Yes, I know I had Mickey beignets too, shh!  I got mine at Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. in Pacific Wharf (soon to be San Fransokyo) next to Pixar Pier.

Corn Dog Castle - Paradise Gardens Park

We were told we had to have an Original Corn Dog (dipped in Corn Batter and fried to a golden Brown served with Cuties® Mandarin or Small Bag of Chips) so we grabbed one for breakfast on day 2 of the trip. Meal times don't matter at Disney, ha ha! 

Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival

We're spoiled by EPCOT's food festivals so both of us were a little disappointed in the DCA Food & Wine Festival. I don't like cheese and almost everything on the menus had cheese, so the only thing I got was the Celebration Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Gooey Chocolate Brownie with Pecans, topped with Chocolate Pecan Glaze and finished with Chocolate Pearls and Silver Stars.) Christian got the Carbonara-Garlic Mac & Cheese with Nueske’s Peppered Bacon from the Garlic Kissed booth and loved it. Sadly he was disappointed by the Kenny’s Family Cheesecake topped with mixed berry compote from the Berry Patch booth.

Lamplight Lounge - Pixar Pier

I was very excited to eat at Lamplight Lounge but ended up disappointed.The restaurant is full of Pixar memorabilia on the inside and the outside has a beautiful view of Pixar Pier. Unfortunately we got seated at a shared raised rectangular table in the middle of the patio with a view of the people across the table from us. If we had known we would have asked to wait for a single table. The way we were seated, all next to one another, made it impossible to talk while eating, someone was always left out. The service was also pretty slow.

However, Christian and Caleb did enjoy their meals. They got the Kung Pao Bao and Al Pastor Pork Chop, respectively as well as the Donuts, a special cookies & cream version for the Food & Wine Festival. My Roasted Chicken wasn't as satisfactory, especially after the roast chicken I had the previous evening at Cafe Orleans. It lacked flavor even though it looked like it would be loaded with it.  I would maybe try eating here again but request a normal table and try the pork.

Al Pastor Pork Chop - Marinated Al Pastor Bone-in Pork Chop, Oaxaca Cheese Polenta, Pineapple Relish, Charred Onions, Roasted Red Chili Butter and Green Chili Sauce

Kung Pao-glazed crispy Pork Belly, soft Bao Bun, Red Peppers, toasted Peanuts and Green Onions

Ale and Citrus-brined, Dry-rubbed Half Chicken with Seasoned Couscous, Pickled Red Cabbage and Smoked Almond Romesco

Warm fluffy Donuts with cookies & cream dipping sauce

Finally getting around to doing some posts on our California trip in April! Let's start with something I've been looking forward to for a long time - Disneyland! While I have been to Disney World many times since my first trip in 2011 I had never been to Disneyland, or California for that matter. The parks may both be Disney but they're so different. Different rules, different rides, different sizes. It's a whole new ballgame. Having said that, it was still fairly easy for us to make the most of our trip, even though we were newbies. 

My friend Caleb lives in CA now, so he was able to give us all the locals tips that helped in addition to my own Disney knowledge. (We also got to make use of his Magic Key discount for my souvenir shopping & food, ha ha.) Since we had a large list of to-do's on my first trip to California we only did two days at Disneyland & Disney California Adventure so we had a LOT to pack in to those days.

I'm hoping to start taking more outfit photos again.  Getting tired of this dry spell I've been going through. I might have to go back to shooting with a tripod because I always feel bad having Christian take them for me (even though he's great at it!) 

Here's a simple outfit I wore this weekend. I ended up needing a sweater on top because it was very windy and chilly. It did not feel like June! I haven't worn these floral jeans in a long time, so I figured they deserved a day out. They're actually reversible but I never wear them on the plain denim side. It's also been a while since I've worn this pair of Ancient Greek Sandals. A few years ago a friend borrowed them while we were on vacation and really stretched out the straps. We had them fixed at a cobbler but now they're too tight. Such a shame. Maybe if I get rid of the ankle strap all together they'll be fine.

Tee: Everlane 'Cotton Box-Cut Pocket Tee'

Floral Jeans: Target Flipside Denim 

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals Clio in Marine Blue

Bag: Tommy Hilfiger bucket bag (won at Clinton Crossing event)

Another no-spend month. Going strong in 2023, ha ha. I'm sure at some point I'll find something fun to splurge a little on, but for now I'm not really feeling the need for anything. I still have my eye on this colorblock Chloé Alphabet bag, but I don't really need a new bag and it's very pricey. Maybe if it goes on super super sale.

I did recently have to buy a new clothes rack for my closet, though. Right before we left for our Missouri trip in April my dress rack finally broke (it's been on the edge for a while) and my other double rack was also slightly broken so it was finally time to buy something more sturdy. I went with this white clothing rack that has two sections for longer clothes and a middle section with two rods for tops and skirts/shorts. Now almost everything in my closet room is white. I still have an old wooden baby changing table that my Mom used for me & my siblings that I use as a dresser, I may paint it some day but that's a lot of work, ha ha. (see it in this post)

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. None yet

1. None yet

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

1. Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. None yet

Gifted from Brands:

• None yet

Spent in May: $0

Spent in 2023: $0

Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $0

Throwing it back to Easter because I finally reminded Chrisitan to edit the photos we took. To be fair, we forgot to download them to a computer before we left for Missouri the week after Easter so we didn't have access to them for a full month. Whoops! But, better late than never!

Decided to wear an oldie but goodie this year, my Paris map print Carven dress from 2014. Also broke out one of my favorite pairs of shoes, the Lanvin suede city sandals I got in the Net-a-Porter sale in 2017. Coincidentally, the Net-a-Porter End of Season sale just started so you can get up to 80% off select pieces! The promo images say up to 50%, but if you sort by percentage some things are already 80%.

Dress: Carven Paris Map Print dress (YOOX)

Sandals: Lanvin studded suede 'City' sandal (Net-a-Porter End of Season sale)

Necklace: Acanthus Jewelry 'Gemma' (giveaway win)

Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective) 

Realized I forgot to do my April wardrobe update! I guess that's what happens when you leave for a month-long trip in the middle of the month, ha ha! No purchases in April apart from a couple Disney shirts & a hoodie that I don't actually count in these because I don't wear them outside of Disney and they're souvenirs, ha ha.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. None yet

1. None yet

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

1. Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. None yet

Gifted from Brands:

• None yet

Spent in April: $0

Spent in 2023: $0

Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $0

Our last Disney hotel recap was Pop Century Resort so it's only fitting that it's sister resort, Art of Animation, be next! AoA is another Value resort but it is on the higher end price-wise vs the other four. Art of Animation offers normal rooms as well as Family Suites, which can sleep up to 6 people versus 4 for standard rooms. Family suites are a great option for families with more than 2 kiddos, but they'll cost you upwards of $400 a night even with a deal.

This is my favorite of the value resorts but we often choose Pop Century because it's at least $20 cheaper a night. I'd rather more fun food than a slightly better hotel, ha ha! The theming is pure Disney nostalgia with Little Mermaid and Lion King sections as well as Finding Nemo and Cars. 

The lobby is super fun and full of color, artist sketches and storyboards. Even if you don't stay here it's fun to come check out. In the lobby building "Animation Hall" you will find an arcade, gift shop and a very large food court, Landscape of Flavors, for all your meal needs. You can mobile order to go if you want to eat in your room.  There is also a pool bar called The Drop Off near the main (Finding Nemo) pool.

As I already mentioned for Pop Century, the biggest perk of staying at Art of Animation is access to Disney's Skyliner in addition to buses. The Skyliner station is shared with Pop Century and will take you to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios or the other hotels on the Skyliner Route - Caribbean Beach & Riviera Resort.

View of the hotel from the Disney Skyliner

We always stay in the Little Mermaid section because that's where the standard rooms are. The rest of the buildings are family suites. One day I'd love to stay in a Lion King family suite, they look so fun!

A quick video tour! 

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