Benny was a Pup!

In loving memory of Benny/Bean/Mr. Fern/Friendly Fern/Stinky Bean

Benny was a pup
And a little pup was he
With fuzzy yellow furries
As cute as he could be

He lived down the road
In a house not far away
And when we'd go to see him this is what he'd say

Ruff Ruff (ruff ruff)
It seemed he always knew
The way that I was feeling
His love was always true

And when I was feeling sad
He always made me glad with a ruff (ruff ruff)


He was like my best friend
And after school or play
Benny would be waiting
To sniff me every day


I'd take him in a sanpo
And I'd give him a snack
I'd tell him all my secrets & he would answer back

One day Mr. Fern-guy got sick
And though I tried
To make him feel better
Mr. Benny died

But I see my Mr. Benny
When I go to bed & pray
He's playing up in Heaven
I'll be with him there some day

We love you Benny....we're glad you're happy now.

Cookie Time: Pistachio Cookies

Been awhile since I actually took the time to photograph something I made. Perhaps it's just the soon coming adjustments I'll be making but I've been itching to make something with pistachios for awhile now. It's mainly because of this wonderful business:

This my friends is pistachio butter, given to me by my fantastic friend, Kari. I'm slightly ashamed to say all I've done with it until now is snitch from the jar & spread a little on some left over tortillas (don't ask me what possessed me to do that!) It's very much the same consistancy of goma paste. And it has the most unbelievable nutty flavor almost like.....I dunno......say....PISTACHIOS, maybe! (Been a long day & I'm running out of adjectives!)

So....I scrounged around & threw all hopes of finding a reliable recipe to the wind & do what amaturs do best....totally freaking wingin' it. I took from a little of this & a little of that. And if you must know, the product wasn't half bad.

Here's what I did:

Creamed together 1/3 c of shortning, 3 tbsp of pistachio butter & 1/2 c of both brown & white sugar.

I put together my "drys" in another bowl & whisked them to mix: 1 c flour, 1/4 tsp b. soda, 1/2 tsp b. powder & a few shakes of salt (I could've stood to add more salt in hindsight)

I then proceeded to add a tbsp of my much loved & cherished sexy friend Disaronno. (aww-ka-pooow!)
Mixed the dry in with the wet & it kneaded with my hand till it was well blended. Rolled into a log. :) (Sorry, can't type that, w/o getting a bit pre-schoolish) Wrapped in wax paper & set it in the freezer for 1/2 an hr. Meanwhile I preheat the oven to 200c (400f).

Cut the dough into 1/4" slices & topped with roughly chopped shelled pistachios. Loaded them onto wax paper and start handing over the snitches of cookie dough to the kids for dear life before there's an ugly "Kitchen coup".

Baked for approximately 6-8 min & cooled immidiately on a wire rack.

And there you have it. Not half bad tasting if I do say so myself. The consistancy was closer to shortbread than cookie but that's fine for me. I probobly could've stood to put....I dunno an egg yolk? But then maybe that would've turned it a bit too cakey. And I'm sure if I had used butter instead of shortning the texture wouldn't have been as flakey. Call me old school but the little brown sugar lumps that wouldn't be smashed were like little drops of caramel goodness in there & I was a happy camper. (even though my 3 year old dumped my ice coffee in the sink so she could drink water from my glass!!)

Yes Sir, somethings put a smile on my face & make my little world go round!!

Can I?

There are a million and one things I could say to preface this but let's just say it's what I gotta do.

I've always wanted this blog to be a happy food loving place. Somewhere I could post my findings, record my favorite recipes & kitchen successes & failures & a little of my daily life too. (though a little less of the latter).

Let's be honest, I'm all about the foodies! Could it be a byproduct of needing to keep a family of 6 active kids & one DH with a voracious appetite fed? Maybe. Could it be that I have an inclination to be indulgant? I've never been one to skimp on the goodness if a recipe says slather with butter, I'm it's ALL about the butter!! If it says, "will go great with Naan bread" I'm gonna go build a clay tandoor in my backyard. Whatever the reasons, I'm glad I love to be in the kitchen & I'm not ashamed of it.

There is another facet of my foodie life that I need to stop & ponder for a moment. Face the facts with me for a moment if you will: I've been pregnant & or nursing since I was 17. There has been the occasional 1 month break between stopping nursing & getting pregant but that's about 11 years.

What this means is that for 9 months I'm eating what I want (or get outta the way for an angry preggo), and then the next year & 1/2 I'm nursing I'm eating what I want & defying every law of gravity & everything they told you in Health class about metabolism. I was a Snacking Superhero. My super-power being, I could eat non-stop ALL DAY LONG! (I know some of you nursing mom's know what I'm talking about too....you closet snackers, you!!) choosing the heighest in carbs & protien foods & sadly at times not the healthiest food choices either, and all that would happen was that the weight would come off. (repeat this process 6 times & we end up here!!)

I've realized now that I am neither nursing nor preggo that I have a sad & somewhat addicted lifestyle of eating almost soley for pleasure rather than for nutritional value. And it doesn't stop at the food, I don't think so. I'm not too trusty with the drink either...alcohol & caffine are both old buddies of mine. And though I've found that my body has balanced itself out to a pretty normal weight, my eating habits are a bit of a concern to me. I have to face that my eating rules go a little something like this: "EAT IT ALL......NOW.....BEFORE THE KIDS WAKE UP......YIPPIE!!" or equally sad, "DRINK IT NOW........BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE ASLEEP...YIPPIE!!". Yeah, I know, not the coolest.

So, not surprisingly the thought of doing some kind of "detox" has been more & more appealing to me over the last few months.

Now, hopefully without offending, I must be clear and say that I've never been one to think much of diets or dieting. Also since I've always easily lost weight I've never been interested in weight loss either. Don't get me wrong, I'm always shocked with the self control some people have. But I've just never found it within myself. Besides, looking in the fridge over & over again is just too much fun of a habit to give up. (hmmm) But the thought of toxins building up in my body after years & years of virtual carefree grazing is just too horrible a thought to ignore. The thought of having a clean digestive tract just seems sooo wonderful. Doesn't it? Come to think about it, it's something I love about sqeaky clean newborns, their breath is clean because their whole body is free of any food & polutants. Sigh!!

So I'm a little mortified to be saying it but I'm going to be doing the what's come to be known as the "Master cleanse" or "lemonade diet". For anyone who doesn't know that's basically consisting of only drinking a mixture of lemon, cayanne pepper, maple syrup & water throughout the day for 10 days. Along with doing what's called a salt water flush daily(consisting of drinking a liter of salt water in one shot & you can imagine the rest....eh-hum).

I'm not sure if I wanna be posting my experience but hopefully it'll be a good one. I'm really not in anyway trying to advertise or condone fasting, dieting or detoxing. I know it's just right for me right now for a few reasons: 1) I'm not nursing, 2) It's not "birthday season" 3) My TMJ syndrome has flaired up so badly that it's painful to eat anyway.

I'm planning on starting sometime around the 25 or 26th of May. I'm imagining it's not going to be the easiest as if you know me at all....I'm a real wuss when it comes to self control. And since I'll still have to be shopping & cooking I'll be facing a lot of yummy looking opposition.

So...that's it. We'll see how it goes & if I'm capable of posting anything related to food w/o munching on my screen. Catch you later!!!

For the love of Breaky!

Been awhile since we had a big breakfast truth is the oldest 3 kids have been making breakfast basically every morning. And it seems to be a much coveted job. (They do it in pairs). This morning I decieded I started making breakfast & enjoyed it thoroughly. After all there's something to celebrate.

The harvesting of the first basil & Italian parsely. Glory Be!!

Hey you should try this one. Serve your eggs with tomatoes heavily drenched in EV olive oil, dash of red wine or sherry vinegar, & generous amount of course ground sea salt. Now pair the two together in a bite & you can practically believe the egg is a soft mozzarella. Don't forget to soak up your tomato sauce with some hot toast. Go on & try it.

Hope you enjoy your cool mornings now before summer comes & steals it away.

Proof of life...there's a point (wait for it)

So, thanks to my DH & self sufficient gang of "naughties", tonight I've given leave & been marching around old stomping grounds (like places I hung out when I was 11) with a beer in one hand & a permanent smirk affixed to my face & honestly I can't help but wonder what all the fuss is about "Mother's Day".

I hope it's not offensive to say, I always get a little creeped out by corny poems & flowery business as the primary way to express affection for one's mother. Doesn't it kinda send the wrong signals? Are you supposed to like poems & flowers when you become a mother? Similar to when you go to a maternity clothing store & see hidious knee length dresses in ugly pokadot patterns. Does being pregnant suddenly give you a raging desire to wear the ugliest clothes ever?? I'm hoping this is just a "Japan" thing.

As for me, I'm perfectly happy with a night off and a good beer or two.

OK, so point being this. As far as I'm concerned mother's day should (in my opinion) be renamed "Universal Belly Button Day"! Yeah, you heard it here first. Spread it like wild fire.

I mean, really what is a belly button but proof that some lady somewhere was in pain for you. And no matter what your relationship to that lady might be presently....I think anyone who goes through something like that for you deserves their own "day", don't you think?

So take a moment if you will to pull up your shirt & take a look at that funky looking thing there...you probably need to clean out a little lint anyway. Chances are if you have one....you have a mother and if nothing else take a moment to contemplate what kind of crazy person would grunt out something like you? You & I both know, only your mama would!

Peanut Butter Torte

I finally got a chance to try out this torte at our birthday party for all the little Aries kids.

This tasty was for the mommies & the daddies who nursed a coffee in one hand, nursed a baby in the other & stuffed a bite of THIS baby in between.

The best thing about making this was the fact that Peter (a genuine French man) grabbed my arm & muttered to me in his soothing French accent about how his "Mama" would make him a similar Chocolate Torte & this took him back, "Ow, did you make iiit?". That just warmed my heart!

This has all the elements of adult tasty goodness, it's rich, creamy, nutty & certainly got a bit of an edge with the bitter chocolate ganache. So if you want something new to try for a birthday, try it!!

So, Peter, this is how I made it. Though I didn't follow the recipe word for word (I'll show my changes in Blue) it still turned out great for me. For anyone who cares this is another Dorie Greenspan recipe.

Munchi-munch!
Thanks for the pics Merch!

PS. If anyone thinks this recipe doesn't make very many servings (it says 6-8), you've got to be kidding. It's much too rich for more than a small slice with a good cup of coffee.
---------------

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping) I only ended up using about 3/4 a c.

2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo (or other brand) cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender (I just used cookies from the 100Y store & added 3 tbsp cocoa to give it more color)
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt (I skipped this)

2 ½ c. heavy cream (Don't skimp on the cream, I did accidentally & mixed 1/2 milk 1/2 cream for the ganache....BIG BOO BOO...it nearly curdled!)
1 + ¼ c (114 g + 28 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I don't remember now, but I didn't use quite that much sugar at all I believe I only used 1/4 c for the cream & 1/2 c for the cream cheese)
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c (385 g) salted peanut butter –- crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy) (So DID I!!)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (The bitter, the better!)

Getting ready:
center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. (I just buttered my springform pan, gotta keep it simple)

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside. (I ended up not adding any peanuts to this partially because I didn't read the recipe correctly but also I was using crunchy P.B. so I figured we could do w/o the extra crunch)

Crust:
Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Filling:
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

Ganache:
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Forget not the takenoko

Heads up all you friends in Japan, spring has sprung & takenoko is in full swing. If you know anything about me you'll know I am MOST fond of takenoko. If you're blessed enough to get a couple of these fresh, don't be intimidated by the hairy covering, these are a wonderful & fantastic food. Just be sure to pre-boil them to get rid of the bitter taste. (test it before you shut off the flame) And store in water in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

So for my friends who I just visited & had an excessive amount, I will direct you again to my Takenoko Pasta recipe, Takenoko rice & of course the simple-dimple & lovely sauteed takenoko with BUTTER, salt pepper & shoyu. Which I fried up late one evening for us to sample with generous helpings of beer.

And BTW, I learned from the ever wise & genius cook "Fay-the-speedy-crafty-muti-tasking-woman-of-wonder", that peeling the takenoko one layer at a time is akin to cutting hair one strand at a time. She demonstrated to me that slicing the whole thing (peels & all) down the middle & then ripping off each half of the hairy coat at a time.

Sigh......I love learning new things. That Lady needs to come to my house & teach me a thing or two.



Anyone got any good takenoko ideas? I'm all ears!

And the indulgent coffee drinker is......

......as chosen by a 3 year old in her Boots the Monkey PJ's (you can thank her later)...














Maryheart!

So....happy day. Hope you enjoy your coffee beans. Send me your address & I'll send you the coffee beans tomorrow. Ground for paper coffee filter/mild blend/Guatemalan beans!

(PS. I'm sure Joan is thanking you right about now, eh, Joan?) :)

Time for another Giveaway

So as promised here's my next giveaway.

But before that I feel it's time to talk Coffee. And I must warn you, I might be talking about this for awhile, it's too late.......I've already gotten started. Where could I possibly start but at the beginning. This book is where it begins for me:

Well, no that's not entirely true, it actually started when after my 5th baby I decided that I would have to finally give in to coffee. Not that it never seemed appealing. But honestly, paranoias involving stained teeth & bad breath & that alarming, crazed look in certain individual's eyes when you'd mention the blessed brew sorta made me want to remain one of the un-addicted.

But, hey when you're running a 5 ring circus, you barely have time to brush your teeth & have that crazed look in your eye anyway, so heeeeey, why not get started on the coffee?

So, long story short. For the last 5 years my knowledge of coffee went as far as understanding that they were a roasted bean that should be drunk regularly & at Starbucks on special occasions. That is until I got the above mentioned book for 100Y at a 2nd hand store.

The author takes you through the coffee farms, the growth of the tree, harvesting, roasting, cupping (method for sampling the roast to determine it's grade & thus it's value in the Coffee world). And if that wasn't enough information it then goes on to give a thorough explanation of methods of grinding/storing/brewing, not to mention the dreamy land of espresso. Dear Lordy Lord! At the end he also reviews coffee country by country. Not a bad read.

OK, this is not very short is it? Let's get down to business. I am DEEPLY saddened by the mediocre name coffee has been given, not so much even because of the quality of bean as much as the way in which it's handled.

- Overdoing it on the amount of beans used
- Pouring boiling water over it
- killing the taste with brown sugar, or any sugar
- leaving a pot of coffee hot for hours & hours on end (waaaaa)

RESPECT THE BEAN, YO!!! I know it's not realistic to have top grade coffee beans on hand at all times, not to mention the taste degrades considerably after the first week after it's been roasted & every moment it's exposed to aroma robbing oxygen.

But consider this.....about 400Y for a tall coffee (possibly flavored artificially & or topped with cream), 1000Y (give or take) for a bag of beans that will last you over 20 cups of delicious coffee. I admit a hand grinder might be a bit of an investment (a few more thousand yen) but if you are a coffee lover already, why not make it count?

So if you've gotten this far into my coffee post, chances are you're gonna want to take part in this giveaway.

I'm going to be giving away one bag of 200g of coffee beans from my favorite coffee store here in Chiba.

And I promise you that this coffee will be sent to you THE DAY it has been roasted. (provided I get your address in time)

The rules are simple:

- Again, only those in Japan are eligible. (Sorry, gaijins!)
- Giveaway starts NOW and ends at 12:00am April 22nd, Wednesday.
- to be eligible leave a comment telling us 2 things, 1) how you like your coffee. If you tell me what kind of roast you like, I'll be better able to pick something you'll like. (eg: mild/medium, body/dark, or light) 2) if you have a electric or hand grinder.
- If you have a significant other, you can up your chances if you both comment. :)
- Winner will be decided using the scientific method of "names in a hat" & picked out by one of my kiddos.
- You must vow to consume this coffee within at LEAST 2-3 weeks of receiving it. (Come on...you can do it)

Well...what are you waiting for? Go forth & comment! I'm gonna go grab me a cup of coffee. Kiss-a-lova!



PS. Winner will be announced 9:00 am, April 22nd, Wednesday. (Happy B'day, Mike)

My Milkshake brings.....

....all the kids running to surround me in the kitchen with their cups in hand and their "hungry for shake" faces on.

I've said it before & I'll say it again:

Avocado Milkshakes ROCK!!

Scarcely rocket science, not cutting edge cooking to say the least. Grab a couple of bananas & an avocado or 2 (I personally feel strongly about milkshake Bananas needing to be frozen but, yeah...) a few cups of milk & a few handfuls of ice, a squirt of honey or two (or ten....if you're so inclined)...some even feel that a squeeze of lemon juice brings out the flavor of the avocado but you can be the judge of that

And then..........BLEND AWAY, FRIEND! (No, David, stop sniveling, the blender is not eating your bananas!)

TA-Daaaaa! Deki-agari!

Stay tuned for the unveiling of my next passionate giveaway starting tomorrow at a computer near you....and now what to make for dinner. (sigh)

Thank Youes!

This is the face of a happy relaxed mommy who is so thankful for a full day of rest and a dandy new hair cut. Long overdue for the latter. Who comes to your house bringing playmates for your kids & elbow grease to clean your unspeakable "mold of many colors" laden ofuro, & enough energy to keep your 5 year old on his toes?

My very own Mark & Elaina! I am as always just very happy and still discovering areas of my house you cleaned for me. I am ashamed (yet somehow just a little pleased too!)


PS. This straight business is merely temporary (just ironed out) I am true to the creed of the "bed head". I'm of course, not sure what that creed is but it should have something to do with turning up our noses to all the "straights" and vowing that curly hair is the next best thing God made. (fitting snugly between large amounts of body hair & outie belly buttons, on the "practical anatomical jokes" list)

In case you think I've forgotten what this blog is all about HAVE NO FEAR!!! There are recipes brewing...and further more stay tuned for another aromatic give away coming soon.

Love, Peace & Chicken Grease!

Stepping out with Bento Fare Ideas

I don't have any grand Sakura pics to post but I tell you spring makes me feel like fresh food & good clean dirt for gardening in. Time to get a late start on the herbs.

I get tired of the same old "bento" fare for picnics & like to keep it fresh with salads, breads or cold pastas. My present obesession is to have a Lebanese picnic with the whole deal of flat bread w/ Zaatar, tabbouleh, hummus & labneh etc...

Here are a couple favorites I featured many moons ago. I'm not very tall but I stand by them all:

Cold red pepper soup

Tomato Torta (this is great cold too)

Fresh Tomato & basil pasta

Basil Rice & Balsamic Soy-sauce chicken

Greek Salad. (no link, but baby, if you haven't had feta you haven't lived!!)

Macha o' le
Blood Orange Iced Tea

Tomato Mozzarella Salad (I always bring whole tomatoes & a knife if I want to use them for a picnic)


What'd you have for your sakura picnic? Besides chu-his & happo-shu, I mean.

Gotsta get a move on dinner, have a lovely spring day, friend.

Family Time #3: Disney Day 2

Day 2 of Disneyland:

The ever-excited offspring of ours who are incapable of sleeping in woke us up bright & early. Everyone was thrilled that the clouds were rolling away and the ever elusive Mt. Fuji was peeking out behind the Cinderella Castle. Not a bad view.

Kids made feeble attempts to eat slowly the granola that I whipped together before we left. Meanwhile I set up camp by the window announced my intention to "HAVE A MOMMY MOMENT.....so...SHHHHHHH".
Room Service Coffee & Home made Granola....(a small moment, if you, please)


..........that is until someone spills a drippy granola mess on the floor & cries over spilt milk, aaaaaand, we're back.

Everyone ready to go for round 2?

Apparently!

Despite our best laid plains, one thing that we didn't plan was the freezing weather & Spring break and it didn't help that Disneyland was celebrating it's 25th anniversary that during that time as well. Though seriously people? Do we ALL have to go to celebrate the magic of Disneyland packed like little sardines, waiting in obscenely long lines wearing the most absurd Disney attire available? Apparently! But when you think about it where else can you see so many people in a small space? It must be MAGIC!!

Case point: Auntie Becky held down the fort (benches) for the 2 hours before the parade started. She bravely withstood the onslaught of the (affectionately dubbed) "Disney Street Nazi Ladies" who repeatedly attempted to force us to fold our strollers, let strangers sit on our bench and repeatedly shouted loud announcements reinforcing their protocols while staring menacingly at us.
Praise be to God for naptime & snackies, or else the poor toddies, would have been totally stir crazy.

Thank God also for the patches of green ever once in awhile with little 'quack quack's here & there. Despite Disney's best intentions with all their "These are wild animals" signs, it was pretty obvious feeding the ducks caramel corn was a main attraction for little kids. I bet if you cooked one of these they'd taste sorta caramelish.

By the time Parade time came along we were sooo glad we stood our ground. We had great seats!

Check out the thighs of foam (Grrr), & the hoards of people.

The dancers performances were so enjoyable. Their plastic smiles were painfully perfect & could not have been wiped off their faces if they tried. The obvious theme of crazy wigs & even crazier make up just TOTALLY made my day.

I totally need one of these "giraffe go carts".

The moment the "Disney Couples" were carted through I was sure I was "feeling the magic" big time. I could hardly contain my excitement. For a few minutes I desperately wished all my sisters were there, scratch that, ALL my siblings were there because you just couldn't have enough people to exchange sidelong/alarmed/knowing/smirking glances at, while you enjoyed the spectical of sincere looking gaijin men with their eye brows raised just so, their coiffed wigs looking so "FIIIIINE" and their index fingers separated from the rest of their glove clad hand (Just the way I used to practice in the mirror when when I dreamt of a sucessful carrier in figure-skating, but that's another story) as they pointed to no one in particular whilst proudly singing the words of their perspective theme songs. It was such an experience that I swear I can barely contain my laughter now while writing.

The other thing I loved is how there was a whole sea of people waving at these guys, like they knew them personally, like there was some kind of a "connection" there......I don't know why but it was to me the ultimate in the Japanese "oneness" of spirit.

Sooo, that's about where my Disney experinece ended as we again realized that the little ones were getting cold & bored so we left DH & Amy-in-law to it with the big kids to spend the rest of the day there.

And of course, as you've suspected & as Mikey, Miney, Belle & Ariel know.....we went home & lived happily ever after.