Evil Queen Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

My 37th Birthday

May 30, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

On the whole I avoid putting the actual age I am, on my blog. It’s not that it particularly bothers me (turning 30 never did) but I have to admit that inching closer to 40 does somehow make me feel old. However I’m sucking it up this year and trying to embrace it – and I’m going to let you know what a great birthday I had!

For a start, it was a Saturday (May 28th). Amy and Olivia came down to visit for the weekend, Chris was off work and even Amy’s O.H. was coming to spend the day with us! Though technically my birthday had started at midnight where Amy and I were still up and sitting in the dinning room, we soon headed to bed and started again properly in the morning. Chris sadly woke me at 7am when he got up and though I had hoped for a lie-in, it wasn’t to be! I got up and was greeted by many “happy birthday”s and Amy kindly made me a cup of tea! I sat down on the sofa to open cards and gifts from them all, which was really lovely.

The girls got me the Evil Queen from Snow White, in hag form. This is a Disney Tradition that I’ve been after for a while and I’m not sure why as she’s ugly as hell, but I love it regardless! Chris got me Seven Dwarves on a Log – again another Disney Tradition that I have loved for literally as long as I can remember. It was always far too expensive to consider getting but now it’s mine, yay! Finally Amy and Liv got me a box of goodies, including an Ursula decoration, Regina in Pop Funko, an art print of Belle and the Beast and a Tinker Bell scarf (I put it on straight away, so forgot to photograph it). There was also a limited edition print that Amy had found in a charity shop, which is literally amazing!

After this we sat around for a while relaxing, but the kids started to get hungry so I put on some breakfast. We had freshly baked croissants and pain au chocolat, along with margarine, nutella and chocolate/peanut butter spread. We actually didn’t even manage it all which was a surprise between six of us.

Everyone went off their separate ways then, to get dressed, to have another cup of tea etc. My mum arrived around lunch time to give me her gift and then Amy’s O.H. arrived too. After a while we headed out to Nottingham with the plan to play mini-golf but it actually turned out that we went shopping and ate at Five Guys. We headed home, got the girls to bed and then my friend Nat and her O.H. came around. We spent the evening chatting, laughing and drinking wine until about 1am.

While it maybe doesn’t sound like the most spectacular of birthdays, the evening was everything and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thankfully its a whole year now until the next one but I’m glad this one turned out pretty great.

Wednesday Wishlist – Disney Style Books

May 18, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

I have to admit that I’m super excited about this week’s wishlist, because I’ve been working on it for absolutely ages! I don’t read half as much as I’d like to as I’m always busy sewing or blogging, but if I did, I would read ALL these books I have listed and many more. This week I wanted to show off some of the many Disney/Fairytale style books that I’ve come across over the last few months. Some I’d never heard of before and others being sequels to books I already own or have read.

Disney style books

Disney is one of my favourite topics ever but I love a good spin on it too. Nearly all of these books follow that idea and so hopefully if you’re the same, you’ll like the sound of a lot of these books.

Starting off with Poor Unfortunate Souls, this book has been on my wishlist for a while now. When we visited Florida last year I discovered Fairest of All and The Beast Within, both of which I regretted not buying. However for my birthday the following month, I was lucky enough to get bought both. This third book is about Ursula and honestly she is pretty much my Villain spirit animal. It’s not released yet but I would love to own this book and add it to my collection.

As Old as Time is a similar story, it’s pre-order and not released yet. However I’ve had my eye on Once Upon a Dream and A Whole New World (Chris just bought me this a few days ago) in hardback for a while (they just got released in paperback) and now spotted this Beauty and the Beast Twisted Tale coming out soon. I have yet to read any, but I plan to start AWNW this week!

The next couple of books, Unhooked and Never Never, are both Peter Pan/Hook themed books. They both appeal to me to read, though I’ve heard nothing about them other than reading the information on Amazon. There is one on the next line down called Wendy Darling (and its a Part 1 I believe) and this is the same sort of thing. They all just sound like good books. Finally on this line is a book called Fairest and its part of The Lunar Chronicles series. I currently own Cinder which is by the same author and while I haven’t read it yet, I’m told it’s really good.

On the middle line is a book called Once Again, its by the same as the Twisted Tales but I think it’s co-written. From what I can gather its two stories in one, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Since I mentioned Wendy Darling above, I’ll skip on to Kingdom Keepers. This is a series that I only recently discovered and have to admit I’m thoroughly enjoying. The first book, Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, I actually bought for Megan for her birthday, but Lily and I ended up reading as a bedtime story. Once we’d finished, I moved onto Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dawn. Since we only read one chapter a night, it does take quite some time to work our way through, however Lily was lucky enough to get bought the next 3-4 books for her birthday so we should have enough to keep us going for a while. This particular book I listed is a sort of spin-off series I believe, called Kingdom Keepers: The Return. Obviously we will be finishing our current series, before heading off into that one though.

Finally on the middle line is another book which I believe is co-written, by Riley Pearson (the author of The Kingdom Keepers) and Dave Barry. There are several books in this series too and again I haven’t read any of them, but given that they are by the author of The Kingdom Keepers, I would definitely give it a try.

Finally on the bottom row is a couple of cheeky additions. Return to the Isle of the Lost is a sequel book to The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel. All I really know of the Descendants is the Disney movie that was on TV last year, which I watched with the kids, but I did buy this book for Lily and we haven’t got around to reading it yet. Given that the first book is good, then we’d probably want the sequel too! My next cheeky addition is actually Once Upon a Time (OUAT) related and though there were several to choose from, this one is my top pick. OUAT isn’t technically Disney but it’s pretty damn close so any book connected to the series is something I want to read.

Finally that leaves three books which I only found today as I was searching for last minute additions. I honestly know nothing about the three picks but the blurbs appealed so I threw them on. Disneylanders and The Disneyland Quest, remind me somewhat of the Kingdom Keepers style book. The last one, is Fairy Godmother themed and is part of a series, some of which Megan owns but hasn’t read yet (The Snow Queen and The Sleeping Beauty). The series is called Five Hundred Kingdoms and from what I can gather, all the books can be read independently.

So these are some of my treasure finds but I’d love to know if you have any other suggestions!

Wednesday Wishlist – Rings and things…

May 11, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

I may have forgotten to publish this yesterday (oops!)

So recently I’ve found myself looking at rings. And yes, I guess they could be looked at as engagement rings but they are also just pretty rings right? These are some beauties that I’ve picked out which are really spectacular and some that are much more affordable, since now a days you can even get a Sydney custom diamond engagement ring which is a great option for those looking for this. No surprise that they are Disney themed!

Disney Rings

Majority of these really nice rings are from places like Etsy or custom design jewellery websites, like those who offer these Sydney custom diamond engagement rings. However some are from places like Hot Topic, Disney Couture and TruffleShuffle. Can you spot which ring is which character, in the case of Ursula, Maleficent, Ariel, Elsa, Rapunzel and the Evil Queen?

My favourite of them all is definitely the Ursula themed ring (black ones on the bottom line) as these are just so unusual. I love the idea of a black ring instead of something silver/gold. A shop called Lakewood Treasures on Etsy is definitely the place to check out if you have a fair bit of cash and want something really beautiful and unique. Other favourites come from Disney Engagement Ring, Gemvara and Razo’s Ring Shop.

Make sure to take a look at this beautiful nickel free sterling silver earrings you can match with your favorite outfits. While gold isn’t really my colour, I do love the Belle rose ring too but that’s more because I love anything Beauty and the Beast. I also used to own the Believe ring pictured, but sadly it wore down to the actual metal because I wore it so much!

What would be your dream ring, Disney or otherwise?

Wednesday Wishlist – Pop Funkos

May 4, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

As always, I want a whole bunch of Pop Funkos and with my birthday coming up, I’ve started to think about which ones are top of my list. I figured I’d put together a variety options, in case anyone was looking to get me one ;)

Pop Funko Wishlist

I’ve tried to group the Pop Funkos somewhat, though it’s still a bit random. The first section is Disney. To be honest I would always be happy with a Disney Pop Funko but there are actually very few I really want. Merida, Alice, Mushu and the Evil Queen are my main picks. Honestly the Queen has been on so many lists now – she’s top.

Next is Harry Potter. I would like Harry, Ron and Hermione (though I have two Harry variants) but they aren’t my top picks. Since Megan has Luna, Sirius and Dobby would be my other choices so far, though I’d love Hagrid too.

Next is Superheroes and the main man, Stan Lee. To be honest there are hundreds of DC and Marvel characters that I would love to collect, especially when Chris started me off with Oliver Queen (unmasked). The new wave of Avenger ones are definitely better than the first wave, though I prefer the Iron Man from 3. Along with all these, Deadpool would be great but I had too many that looked like him (Spider Man, Flash and Iron Man) to add him too! If you want to stay updated on the latest entertainment and pop culture news, you might want to visit sites like The Direct for the freshest scoop on your favorite fandom.

Once Upon a Time has got to be one of my all time favourite TV series and I love the Pop Funkos too. The only one I have so far is Killian Jones (a Captain Hook variant) but I would love his regular version too. Regina is my top pick for OUAT though and she has been on many lists. Snow and Prince Charming would also be a great addition.

Last but not least is the odd one out of Katniss Everdeen. There are actually a couple I would like from Hunger Games (especially Effie Trinket) but Katniss is my top pick and I didn’t have much space left! Megan has her in the red dress and Mockingjay dress (with wings) so I would like this version for my collection).

What are your top Funko picks?

Birthday List Countdown – One Month to Go!

April 28, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Today marks one month until my birthday and I thought I would celebrate by sharing a few bits and pieces I would love to receive! Over the next month you might see one or two more of these, as and when I find other things I like. However for now, these are my (off the) top (of my head) items.

Birthday Wishlist – Disney Style

It’s probably no great surprise, that everything on my list is Disney. That’s not to say it’s the only thing I like, but its one of the few I’m passionate enough to want to own or collect. Another amusing thing about my list is that it’s pretty much half villains and half Beauty and the Beast!

While I’m not going to explain each and every thing (the list is done on Polyvore so if you click on each item it will tell you where to get it from), I will explain some bits. For a start the Beauty and the Beast traditions ornaments. These Mrs Potts, Cogsworth and Lumiere are all new and I love them all. As you can tell, Beauty and the Beast is my favourite so I would love these to join my collection. The “Belle” necklace is because “Bel” is what I go by so I would actually love this for a duel reason and the cushion, makeup bags etc are just because I like them.

For the villains side, I would really love Regina to add to my Pop Funkos (but I’m pretty sure Lily knows this so fingers crossed this year), also I have the Evil Queen in small but I would like her in the regular size. There are loads of other Funkos I like though so its hard to pick. The Ursula cover book, is the third in a series that I have the other two of. The villains bag I’ve wanted for ages and the colouring book is pretty new and I haven’t spotted it before. Recently I treated myself to the QoH plush and I seriously regret not getting Ursula when she was in store – so connected to that is this old hag plush which I don’t think is technically Disney but I’d like her. Finally that leaves a book called Never Never that’s been on my wishlist for ages (but is still too expensive to buy myself) and some DVDs which I’m still missing from my collection.

I’ll be keeping an eye on other things over the next month so keep any eye out!

My Christmas Wishlist 2015

November 13, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing some of my ideas for gift guides, including “for him”, “for her”, “for kids” etc. However I wanted to start off with a wish list of my own! This is my Christmas Wishlist 2015.

Christmas Wishlist 2015

As you will see, even at a glance, my wishlist is almost entirely filled with Disney. This is because Disney is probably my biggest fandom love, followed immediately by Harry Potter (which there are also several items for). Anyway, let’s get started!

On the left hand side of the guide, you will see an Inside Out board game and a Ticket to Ride board game. I absolutely love playing board games, both with my family and with my friends. Though we already own a version of both these games, I would love these versions (just like I would love Disney Villains monopoly still). Inside Out seems like such a great idea for Game of Life and a United Kingdom version of Ticket to Ride sounds fun! On that same side you will also spot two DVDs, Inside Out and Tomorrowland. Inside Out isn’t released yet but Tomorrowland has been for a while, I’d like both to add to my every growing Disney DVD collection. Finally on that side is a Thomas Kinkade Disney calendar. I had the mini version last year but I would love the full size version as my main calendar this year. I love the art work and even better when you’re done with it you could always frame the pages.

On the right hand side I have clothes. The dress is an Alice print dress from Hot Topic which I absolutely love. I have another dress from Hot Topic in this style and its my favourite Disney dress. I also have this exact print in a scarf (which I’m wearing now) and I love it. Not only that it’s black and I know I’d get lots of wear out of it, even in winter paired with a cardigan and tights. Secondly there is a set of PJs and these are Beauty and the Beast from Topshop. Last year I treated myself to a pair of PJs from Topshop and though they had cuff bottoms on the trousers (which I thought I would hate) I loved them and as such would love this pair for this year.

Heading for the middle of the wishlist you can see its basically an array of ornaments and Pop Funko figures. However there is a Harry Potter umbrella in there too. I love the Marauders Map print and I know I would get loads of use out of this – especially living in the UK where rain is our standard. Also not an ornament is the Disney Villains bag. This is from Loungefly and have I loved their stuff for a long time. In this style there is also a Disney Villains wallet but as it doesn’t have card slots I know I wouldn’t use it much. This bag however is amazing and I would love to use it as my every day handbag. Not technically an ornament, this candle is also on my wishlist. It’s available from the Disney Store and comes in a few different colours. I’m not a huge candle fan but I find myself more drawn to them this time of year. Plus it’s Disney. No brainer.

Finally, onto the ornaments in the middle. There are four Disney Traditions/Showcase ornaments and some of these are firm favourites while others are new to my wish list. I have loads of Beauty and the Beast ornaments already but since it’s my favourite, I’d love to have them all. The ornament of Belle with the Beast has been on my wish list since last Christmas so hopefully this year I’ll get lucky and manage to get it. The one of Mrs Potts is new (or at least I haven’t seen it before) and since I have one of Lumiere and Cogsworth together, I’d love to have this too. That then leaves the Villains. Maleficent joined my wishlist over a year ago, for my birthday last year when we watched the new Maleficent movie. I love this figure so much but sadly it went out of stock last Christmas and I ended up with the Evil Queen instead. It’s now back in stock in most places so I’d love to add it to my collection. Then there is the “hag”, who is the Evil Queen from Snow White. I’m not exactly sure what draws me to this ornament as it’s pretty ugly but I love it nonetheless. Next comes the Pop Funko and sure enough one is Disney (sort of) and another is Harry Potter. I started out my collection of Pop Funkos with only Disney and I’ve tried hard to resist branching out into other Fandoms as its a disaster waiting to happen. However we do have several others, including some Harry Potter. I love this Voldemort figure and it would definitely be my next pick to add to the collection, though I would happily take any I do have (which is only Harry and Dumbledore). Regina Mills aka the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time is another figure I’d love. She is my favourite character by far and I hope to cosplay his exact outfit someday. While OUAT isn’t technically Disney, its definitely a branch of it and therefore adding the OUAT figures to my collection is a must! Finally that leaves Katniss Everdeen. Until a few days ago I didn’t even know Hunger Games existed as Pop Funko figures. Now I know, I sort of want them all. Katniss is available in several different variations but I think this is my favourite – like I said though, I would take them all.

I could have gone on and on but hey, Christmas is about giving not receiving – so instead of concentrating on what I’d like, I’ll soon be moving on to what you can get for others!

Pop Funko Collection

August 19, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Though I could quite easily have made this post a wish list – the truth of the matter is, I’d pretty much like every Pop Funko in the world. Disney is obviously my main collection, but I have one from Harry Potter (and want the rest), one from The Walking Dead (and would probably like a few more) and definitely definitely would like any Marvel and DC comic ones. However instead I decided just to share with you my current Pop Funko collection, as it grew somewhat over this last weekend!

So this is my main Disney collection of Pop Funkos. It all started with Belle in her yellow dress (which Amy bought for me and is now near on impossible to get), along with the Beast that Amy bought for Chris and it just sort of became mine! Over time, the collection has grown to include Lumiere, Cogsworth and Belle in her blue dress (just like I cosplayed at the weekend). Tinker Bell came from Hot Topic when we went to Florida, as did Ariel in her town dress (though that was via mail). Gus in the Glass Slipper, Rapunzel and Ariel (as a mermaid) came from SFCC, this weekend just gone. Maleficent was a gift, Groot came from a Loot Crate and Judge Doom belongs to Chris.

However this isn’t all we have between us, there is more!

While not all these are Pop Funkos of course (its just a geek hole really), there is Jigsaw who belongs to Chris, as does Jason. There is Stan Lee (an LFCC special) still in its box, who is probably my most expensive purchase. There are then mini Pop Funkos (or pocket as I think they are called) in the form of Elsa, Anna and Olaf, then Maleficent and Evil Queen too who are a tiny bit bigger. Again, not funko but there is Olaf, Pooh and Anna on keyrings, along with a random collection of blind box figures!

Harry Potter is from Hot Topic and he’s an exclusive. Instead of the regular Harry Potter, who comes with a wand, this Harry comes with the sword of Gryffindor. I’m still undecided as to whether or not I want to get regular Harry, but I do know I want Voldemort next. He’s amazing.

Finally my last Pop Funko has just found a new home in my glass cabinet. He’s Daryl Dixon from TWD and he’s on a motorbike. He was my second most expensive Pop Funko and I’ve wanted him for so long that at MCM Comic Con in May, I treated myself.

With several more conventions in the works, I’m sure my Pop Funko collection will continue to steadily grow. When I got my first ever, I couldn’t possibly believe I would end up collecting them. But here I am!

Wednesday Wishlist – Hot Topic

April 15, 2015 by Bel 4 Comments

As you know, I’m in Florida!! Now, instead of gazing hopelessly at a computer screen and wanting all the Hot Topic products, I can actually go and get them! Today I’m sharing my Hot Topic Wish List with you and you’ll just have to wait and see if I come back with them all!

A. Dumbo scarf – ever since buying my Princess Quotes scarf and my Doctor Who one, I’ve realised just how much I like wearing a scarf. This Dumbo scarf is a little different to the ones I have, as its an infinity (loop) scarf instead. The print is so cute though and I think I’d genuinely get a lot of wear from it.

B. Belle compact mirror – I’m a huge fan of this more grown up style of sketch and as Belle is my favourite princess, this mirror really appeals to me, even though I’d barely use it I’m sure. It’s neat and stylish though and it would make a great edition to my handbag.

C. Anna and Elsa Pocket Pop Funko – I mentioned in my wishlist post last week, that Megan and Lily already own the Pop Funko figures of Anna and Elsa, but that they stay in their room, rather than with my collection. I’d love to get these pocket figures, just to sit with my collection and represent!

D. Once Upon a Time’s “Evil isn’t born, it’s made” vest/tank top – as yet, I haven’t bought any vest tops from Hot Topic, largely because I really went off them as an item of clothes, due to my fat upper arms. However as summer comes around again and now I’ve lost a little weight, I’ll be looking forward to embracing them again. This t-shirt is just amazing and it would definitely be one of my “must-haves”. There are loads more though, to be honest.

E. Alice in Wonderland/The Little Mermaid tights – If you read my shopping post a few weeks ago, you’ll know that in preparation for this holiday, I bought myself some new dresses. One of those was Alice in Wonderland and the other was The Little Mermaid. Obviously in Florida it will be far too warm for tights but when I come back I’d love to keep on wearing my dresses. As such these cute tights would couple nicely with each dress, to make an awesome colder weather outfit.

F. Daryl Dixon’s Chopper – I’m going to ignore the innuendo in the title of this product and just point out that it’s a Pop Funko figure of Daryl Dixon on his motorbike. While majority of my Pop Funko wants are Disney related, this is one of the few that isn’t. Daryl is a character from The Walking Dead and has long been my favourite character. I’d love to get this figure to add to my collection, just as he’s so awesome.

G. Beauty and the Beast/Rapunzel hairbrush – these hairbrushes first arrived on the site before Christmas and I really wanted one for the girls but honestly we don’t really need them. However I love the Beauty and the Beast one and would happily throw out my current one, in order to replace it with that. For the girls I’d like the Tangled one as it just makes sense – Rapunzel has long hair that needs brushing, so what better choice is there?

H. Rapunzel umbrella – I honestly do not need another umbrella. My first ever brolly was Sylvester and Tweety Pie and I still have it to this day. Just before Christmas I bought myself an Alice in Wonderland one from BHS and I think I’ve only used it twice. However I do love the lantern scene from Rapunzel and that makes this umbrella almost irresistible to me!

I. Villains backpack – for a long time I fancied the Beauty and the Beast stained glass window backpack, but really it was just a little “loud” in colour for me. However when this Villains one came along, I was sold. Anyone who knows me, knows I have such a soft spot for Disney Villains. That makes this backpack straight out cold – regardless of the fact I so rarely use a backpack!

J. TWD Crossbow keychain – I definitely don’t need another keyring and yet I want one. This keyring is Daryl’s crossbow (from Walking Dead) and a tag that reads “Fight the Dead, Fear the Living”. Mostly I want it because of Daryl, but it’s cool and it’s about time I had something to represent my Walking Dead fandom.

So right now, these are the things I have my eyes on! Look out for a Hot Topic haul post when I return from my Florida trip!

Wednesday Wishlist – Disney Pop Funko

April 8, 2015 by Bel 5 Comments

As the whole of April on my blog is “Disney Month”, today’s wishlist is Disney related – specifically Disney Pop Funko figures.

This is my current collection of Pop Funko figures. To be honest I never really considered buying them myself, but when Amy bought Belle and the Beast for Chris and I, it seemed wrong not to! For my birthday last year, a friend called Jon bought me both the large Maleficent and also the mini Maleficent and Evil Queen (I believe he made an error when ordering). After that Amy bought me Lumiere for Christmas and Chris got Judge Doom from her too. The girls also have Anna and Elsa but I don’t class them as part of my collection, since they’re upstairs in their room. Between Chris and I we do also have three other Pop Funko figures, but they aren’t Disney so I skipped them from this post!

So rather than list each of these Pop Funko figures separately, I’ll just say that you can buy majority of them from places like Amazon, Forbidden Planet and Funko Pop Vinyl.

Row A: From left to right, these figures are Cogsworth, Belle and Mrs Potts. As I already have Belle (in her yellow dress), the Beast and Lumiere, I’d love these three figures to complete the set. My favourite is probably the other Belle (in her blue dress) but I would really love them all.

Row B: Next up is Alice, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter. I was never really into Alice in Wonderland before but over the last few years I’ve developed a love for it (probably because both Lily and Chris like it). Wanting Alice is really because she just represents the Alice in Wonderland world as a whole, but the Cheshire Cat because he looks amazing and the Mad Hatter because he’s simply crazy!

Row C: For this row, it’s all princesses. As I have Belle already, it would be nice to have some of the others. Cinderella, Ariel and Snow White are fairly iconic princesses and would make a great start to my collection. There are a few others available like Merida and Jasmine, but these other three would be my first picks.

Row D: This row is Villains. Everyone who knows me, knows I like Disney Villains. These are just a few of the ones I like – Jafar, Captain Hook and Ursula. I also love King John, Scar and Cruella De Vil. They would all go perfectly with the Maleficent and Evil Queen I already have (and Judge Doom if you count Chris’) though I perhaps need a full size Evil Queen instead.

Row E: Final row is a bit of an assortment really – ones that don’t belong in a set or that I just don’t want the rest of. Tinkerbell, Boo and the Genie are just a few of the ones I’d like. In all honesty I would be happy with any Disney Pop Funko figure but there are plenty I would pick first, even before the others.

Do you have a favourite Disney Pop Funko figure?

Megan’s Birthday

December 15, 2014 by Bel Leave a Comment

I’m going to post later on today with my weekly round up but I felt like Megan’s birthday (and the celebrations generally) deserved a post of their own. Megan turned 10 last week and it feels like we were celebrating all week! The first sign of her birthday came on Saturday 6th, in the form of her birthday mystery party.

If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know I have been working on Megan’s party for quite some time. Not only did I agree to write her a murder mystery (without the murder) but I also ended up making four out of the eight costumes (four and a half if you count the costume my mum and I part shared). The first week in December was crazy busy – with the first 3-4 days being filled with writing the party and the rest being spent finishing off costumes that I’d been working on for weeks.

Though Lily’s didn’t quite get finished, Megan and Lily were young Anna and Elsa. I was pleased with their costumes and while I have a few additions to make, the girls were really happy to have “young” costumes, instead of the standard shop bought ones.

For Nat’s costume we had the great idea to do her costume part pink and part blue. It wasn’t quite how I pictured it but it turned out okay. Sadly Nat’s definitely didn’t get finished as it was missing sleeves, collar and the waist band. However it still gave the effect and I have promised I will finish it for her!

As Amy’s was the first I started, it was also the most finished. Missing only the collar piece, Amy’s dress for Snow White was otherwise complete. I was really pleased with it, especially the sleeves and I hope she was too!

Finally, my mum and I shared costumes. For Nat’s birthday, I had been the Evil Queen – knowing she would be the Evil Queen a week later for Megan’s. As such I was responsible for getting the cape, crown, balaclava etc. I didn’t really make any of it, except for ironing on white for the collar, to cover up the purple.

I didn’t get as much time to work on the food as I’d wanted – but we had a rough theme. There were Anna’s sandwiches, Anna and Elsa’s chocolate stack, Olaf”s carrot dip etc etc. Anything without a theme, feel under Sleeping Beauty’s bites. Megan asked if we could put blue food coloring in the lemonade and so that was our drink. As a “party bag” we bought Disney themed mugs for everyone (since everyone was a Disney character) and then placed a lottery scratch card in each. Sadly there was only one win and that was for £1. Megan’s Uncle Chris was nice enough to give it to Megan too.

The party went well and while it didn’t go quite as smoothly as I hoped, Megan and Lily enjoyed it and that was the main thing! That saw the end to Megan’s party, but certainly not the end to her celebrations.

On Thursday of last week, it was Megan’s actual birthday. Despite giving her free reign to wake me whenever she woke, it was only 6.45am when we got woken and we’re usually up at 7am anyway. Chris and I got Megan an electric keyboard, some Frozen loom bands, a Where’s Wally book and a Hidden Mickey’s book. Though it didn’t arrive until later in the day, we also got her a new set of headphones and a bag for her iPad. Lily bought Megan a Ravenclaw scarf and honestly she’s barely taken it off since.

As well as that, she got quite a lot of money from people, largely in dollars – ready for our Florida trip. I think at last check she had just over $200. On top of that she got a year’s membership to Movie Star Planet, a new dress, a novel, £20 for Next, £20 for Toys R Us, a board game and £10 in cash (I think that’s everything!!).

The day was spent at school and work but afterwards we all went out to Pizza Hut for a family meal. There was ten of us in total and actually it was really nice.

That saw the end of Megan’s birthday itself, but the celebrations still weren’t over!

On Friday night, Megan had her friend Katai over for a sleepover. Katai recently moved to Zambia, but she is back for Christmas. As such it was Megan’s one request, to have Katai over for the night and then spend the day with her on Saturday. The weekend started with popcorn, crisps, chicken strips, cheese bites and cherry coke, while watching movies. First we watched Enchanted and then The Game Plan. After that the girls went to bed. The next day we had a very chilled out morning and finally around lunch time I sent everyone upstairs to get dressed. God knows how, but it took them an hour to get ready and it was about 1.30pm before they were ready to go! We headed over to Lincoln with the plan to get dinner and then go bowling, but in the end it didn’t work out that way.

We went to a pub called Woodcocks for lunch and even though it was 2pm, the pub was still incredibly busy. It took an hour to get food and then because we ordered dessert too, it took almost two hours in total. When we eventually left, we went over to my mum’s for a little while, just so Megan could have longer with Katai. However we headed back after that, dropping off Katai on the way home. This officially saw the end to Megan’s birthday celebrations and now we’re moving on to Christmas! I can’t believe its only a week and a half away now!