Spring Has Sprung at Disney!

Hi everyone! Its been quite awhile since my last post, but things have been busy, busy, busy. I started a new job about a month ago (yay!) so things have been crazy, but going really well. About a month ago, I got to check out the annual Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT, which is a must-see event that happens every spring. I always enjoy the beautiful topiary and the warmer weather that comes along this time of year, but this year the festival was extra special!



Some of my favorite topiaries

Due to the popularity of the Food and Wine Festival (my favorite Disney event), this year the Flower and Garden festival featured Garden Marketplaces throughout the World Showcases! These Garden Marketplaces include "culinary creations and special libations inspired by the gardens around World Showcase." I was super excited to try some of these great items!

My first beverage was the Watermelon Passion Fruit Cocktail, which was ABSOLUTELY delicious. Super sweet and tangy at the same time. Plus I'm just a sucker for frozen drinks. Next up was the Dole Whip...one of my most favorite Disney World treats of all time. But this was no ordinary Dole Whip, this was a Dole Whip with Siesta Key Spiced Rum! I was easily most excited to try this item. As usual, the Dole Whip was delicious...but the rum...WOW did it give that sucker a kick. It was almost too much for me. I'm not a huge spiced rum fan so I just downed the shot and enjoyed the rest of my Dole Whip sans liquor.

Next on my list was the Potato, Chive and Cheddar Cheese Biscuit with Smoked Salmon Tartare and Sour Cream from the England Pavillion. This just sounded downright decadent and it was. Filling too! George and I's favorite item that we tried at the festival had to be the Frushi, found in the Japan showcase. Frushi= fruit sushi and it was super duper yummy! The only complaint I had was that you only got two small pieces for $4. Not really worth the price, but still a favorite.

We also tried the German Meatloaf Sandwhich with Sweet Mustard and Fried Shallots, which was good. I really wanted the Potato Pancakes, but growing up in a German household, I've had many potato pancakes, so I decided to try something new instead. George kept commenting on how the meatloaf looked like a flattened hot dog...which it kind of did. Didn't look much like your typical meatloaf. Next was the Spring Pancake with Grilled Chicken and Green Apple from the China pavillion. This was not my favorite item. Although the pancake used to hold up the chicken was good, the rest of the veggies in there were kind of blech. Lastly, I had to have the Tostada de Jaiba from Mexico (Crab Tostada served with Chipotle Mayo and Valentina Sauce). This was also good, but nothing amazing. I definitely want to go back and try some more food, but especially more drinks (both alcoholic and non). They had TONS of frozen non-alcoholic slushie drinks that looked tasty.

The Flower and Garden Festival also had a fun little walk-through area called the Land of Oz, based on the new movie Oz: The Great and Powerful, that recently came out. George and I had seen the movie the previous week and really enjoyed it, so we were happy to get a couple of photo ops.

We also got to enjoy another fantatsic Disney day last Saturday. We went to Hollywood Studios on a whim because we woke up early and wanted to ride some rollercoasters. It turned out to be a nearly perfect day with amazing Florida weather. After getting in a couple rounds of Rock'n Rollercoaster (front and back seat!), we headed over to the Animation Building for some meet and greets with Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz. We just watched Wreck-It Ralph a few weeks ago and I LOVED it, so I was super excited that they had a nice little meet and greet section set up.

After getting some pictures taken with the Wreck-It Ralph gang, George finally talked me into riding Tower of Terror for the first time. I've tried to ride this several times, but have never gone through with it. As a kid, I was insanely claustrophobic, so I flipped out when they hold you in the waiting room and didn't ride the ride after that. Then as I got older, I just feared the big dropping feeling. But George wouldn't let me go another time without just trying it, so I sucked it up and I DID IT! And it was FUN! I really had nothing to be afraid of. It was a cool ride with great theming and I can't wait to ride it again.

To end a great day, we had a late lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre, which neither of us had ever been to. What a great concept for a restaurant! Once you enter the restaurant, you are seated in a big room filled with about 30-40 1950's style convertible cars. The room resembles a drive-in theatre, and at the front of the room is a big movie screen playing old 50s and 60s B-horror movies...we couldn't resist! Your server then seats you in the convertible car, which has a small tabletop in the center, so you can dine-in, watch awesome old horror movies, and eat some yummy diner food. George and I split a delicious vanilla milkshake and Angus cheeseburger. The burger was good...nothing amazing, but definitely better than the standard burgers they sell at the quick-service stops in the park. I would definitely recommend the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre simply for the experience (and an escape from the hot Florida sun) and the fairly inexpensive food. Although we did split a meal, our bill was only $20 (plus tip) and we were full. Check it out next time you are at Hollywood Studios!

Sorry for my crazy demon eyes. My baby blues don't like flash. 











Sponsored Post: Schick Hydro Silk

A few months ago, I signed up for BzzAgent after seeing other bloggers that I follow rave about all the free goodies. I mean, who doesn't love free stuff? The premise of Bzz Agent is that you take short surveys on the things you like (food, makeup, drinks, personal hygiene products, household products, etc) and based on your preferences, Bzz Agent will send you new products to test out and talk about through social media. It takes a little while to get your first Bzz Campaign, but once you do and start completing your Bzz Activities, such as this awesome blog post dedicated to my first Bzz Campaign, as well as Facebook and Twitter posts, the campaigns will start coming in. As I just mentioned, this is my first Bzz Campaign, and I'm SUPER excited about it! So without further ado, I introduce you all to the new Schick Hydro Silk razor!

I'm going to start off by saying that the Schick Hydro Silk is awesome! Simple as that. I've always used disposable razors, so this was obviously a HUGE improvement. I also live in Florida, where shaving almost every day is a necessity. The problem with me shaving my legs every day, is that when I do, I start to get hideous and also painful razor bumps. Switching from a one-bladed razor to a 3-bladed razor helped for awhile, but this baby has FIVE blades, and my legs, arms, and underarms have never been more silky smooth. Here's a comparison from the razor I was using, to the Schick Hydro Silk:

Not only did my BzzKit come with the Shick Hydro Silk razor, but it also came with a replacement blade, a little holder that you can suction to the wall of your shower so that the blade doesn't stick to your tub/soap/etc, and TONS of $5 off coupons so all my friends can try out this awesome razor! The starter pack has a retail value around $9.99, so the $5 off coupon is a great deal! Please let me know if you'd like a coupon to try it out and I'd be happy to share the wealth!

I have to say that I am officially a convert! I noticed the difference immediately and I never want to go back. In fact, I havn't even been using shaving cream or lotion when shaving and my legs, arms, and underarms and still super smooth. This truly is a great product and the best part of all is that I got to try it for free! Thank you BzzAgent for an awesome first campaign! Can't wait to receieve my next BzzCampaign!

I Heart Disney's PhotoPass!

As avid Disney-goers, I need to confess my love for Disney's PhotoPass photographers. I've been taking advantage of PhotoPass for a couple of years now, and I wanted to share the information for all of those who have not used these services before. Here's how PhotoPass works:

Throughout the Disney parks and resorts you will find PhotoPass photographers who will take pictures of you and your family (and friends!). You will find most of these photographers at the front of the parks, in designated photo spots, and with characters for meet-and-greet. As you and your family get your pictures taken, the PhotoPass photographer will hand you a card that they will scan and have you keep. Keep the card on you throughout the day, and throughout your trip and hand that card to the PhotoPass photographer before getting your picture taken, and all your photos from your trip will be stored on your card. At every park, there are PhotoPass kiosks, where you can go view your pictures and order prints for a discounted price. Your pictures can also be accessed online at http://www.disneyphotopass.com, where you will type in the identification number on the back of the card and you'll find all of your pictures from the last 30 days. Here comes the fun part! On the PhotoPass website, you have the option to add all kinds of fun borders and images to really give your photos that Disney touch! Here are some examples of some of the super fun photos taken with PhotoPass, courtesy of Eve and Phil!

For this particular Disney trip, Eve and Phil purchased their PhotoPass cd before their trip, which you can get online for a discounted price of $169.95 (its $199.95 to purchase your PhotoPass cd with all your pictures after your trip has ended). Its a bit pricey for someone just going to the parks for the day, but if you are planning a full-on Disney trip, its a great deal because you get unlimited pictures from your trip without lugging around all the camera equipment, worrying about extra batteries, etc. Plus, when you order the PhotoPass cd, it also comes with TONS of professional quality stock pictures from the parks to add to your photo collection. Its really an awesome deal that allows you to capture all the Disney magic of your trip!

HUGE thanks goes out to Eve and Phil for sharing these awesome pictures with me! 

The Infamous Kitchen Sink!

A few weeks ago, George and I (along with fellow Disneyphiles Eve and Phil) decided to take part in a challenge of EPIC proportions...The Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream, a cute little 50s-style diner at the Beach Club Resort. For those of you who havn't heard of the Kitchen Sink before, here's what it looks like:

Yes ladies and gentleman, for only $26.99 you can get yourself this ginormous piece of ice cream Sunday heaven. Here is the list of ingredients for those of you who are curious on what exactly is in the Kitchen Sink (courtesy of Disney Parks Blog):

• ½ cup fudge topping, warmed
• ½ cup butterscotch topping, warmed
• ½ cup peanut butter topping, warmed
• 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
• 1 cinnamon spice cupcake (2 ½ x 1 ¼-inch), quartered
• 1 angel food cupcake (3 x 1 ½-inch), quartered
• 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
• 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• ¼ cup marshmallow crème
• ¼ cup strawberry topping
• ¼ cup pineapple topping
• 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
• 1 brownie (6-inch x 6-inch), quartered
• 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
• 4 chocolate cookies with cream filling
• 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
• 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slices (approximately 2 large slices)
• 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
• ½ cup drained maraschino cherries

Between four full-grown, sugar loving adults, we were able to finish practically the whole thing! And it was abso-friggin-lutely delicious. All that was left to spare was a hunk of ice cream at the bottom that was covered in peanut butter topping, which was way too rich for my blood, and a little bit of melted ice cream stuck to the bottom of the sink. Was it worth the $26.99 price tag? Between the four of us, definitely! It was a great midday snack and break away from the parks, plus its only about a buck or two more than getting an ice cream sunday in the parks. The service was also awesome. When the server brought out the Kitchen Sink, the lights in the restaurant were dimmed, and some flashy, strobe lights went off and she announced to everyone in the restaurant that we were about to partake in the Kitchen Sink challenge. It was a really cute and fun thing to do at Disney that neither of us had done before. So all of you with a sweet tooth (or mouth full of sweet teeth), go get yourself a Kitchen Sink! 

  

Welcome to Pixie Dust and Punk Rock

Hello everyone out there in blog-land! My name is Lauren and welcome to Pixie Dust and Punk Rock! I am a 20-something living in the heart of Orlando, Florida with my boyfriend and two dogs. My obsessions are anything Disney, punk rock music, and all things local...therefore, this is what my blog will focus on (though I'm sure there will be plenty of randomness thrown in there, because that's just me)! My love of blogs started about a year ago, when I signed up for Pinterest and discovered that there is a blog out there for literally everything. Since then, I have become an avid blog-follower and decided why not me? I like to go out and there's plenty out there to rant, review, and discuss, so that's where I'll start. I hope you all enjoy!