Sunday Funday! First Happy Thanksgiving Wishes!

Hey everyone.  Sorry to be late today.  We had an ice storm yesterday and lost internet for awhile.  Couldn't even get out to take Sammy for his follow up on his surgery.  But you know what?  I'll take a little ice and no internet over what those poor folks in Buffalo are having.  With temperatures rising, I know Buffalo is expecting some flooding.  Looks like old man Winter has arrived this year.  And yes, I have my snow tires on already!!  So it must be true!

You'll probably recognize this from your solved jigsaw last week.  It is indeed the French Pavilion located in the World Showcase in Epcot.  I will be sending out your coupons shortly.   Congratulations to the winner of the $10 coupon, Jeanne Bancroft! 

Thanks to all of you who commented and shared your weather situation last week.  I love hearing from you all!  Sunday is for fun around here, and I am always happy to hear what's going on in your world.

Mother Nature is really odd.  Yesterday, we still had lots of snow and freezing rain.  Everything was glazed over!  Just opened the front drapes.  Hardly any snow is left!  I feel very sorry for those people in New York that really were hit hard with this Lake Effect snow.   I still remember the year we were the unlucky recipient of all that snow.  Lost our garage that year. The kids had very extended vacations because the National Guard moved into the schools to help with snow removal. There literally was no place to push the snow anymore. So the National Guard loaded it up and took out into the farm fields.  What a winter. What's the worst weather related incident you can remember?  Be sure to share that with me in comments this week!!

Sticking with another Jigsaw Puzzle this week.  Solve the puzzle and email me what the photo is about.  That simple.  You have until Friday, November 28th at 9 PM Eastern to get me your answers.  Send them to coyotelady(at)gmail(dot)come. Reminder that you can solve he JigSaw right here on Connie's blog, but it does require Flash. So use your computer and not a mobile device!

Online jigsaw puzzles from JigsawSite.com

That's it for this week. Except one thing.  I would love to be the first to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I am very thankful to be part of this wonderful community.  I have made so many friends here.  Thank you all for spending your Sunday's with me!!

The 21st International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot

Epcot's 21st International Flower and Garden Festival has been announced for March 5 to May 18, 2014 and will bring higher than normal crowds into Epcot. Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck will celebrate spring with a butterfly hunt adventure in the front entrance garden.  Topiaries will decorate Epcot throughout.  Many of the gardens will now be illuminated when the sun sets. Tinkerbell's Butterfly House will feature hundreds of the winged beauties and intricate fairy topiaries including Tink, Fawn and Terrence.

With all the added festivities, Epcot will warrant full day(s) during this expo.  So I thought I would talk about places where you can grab breakfast at Epcot. There aren't all that many! So if these don't suit your taste, schedule your breakfast at your resort that day.  Most of the resorts have quick service type eateries available.

Fountainview Starbucks Coffee - In addition to all of those Lattes and Frappuccinos,  there are some  breakfast sandwiches.

Sunshine Seasons located in The Land, Future World, has a bit more variety. Bacon, eggs, oatmeal, and french toast for the kids.  There is also a breakfast croissant.

Princess Storybook Breakfast at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway offers a character breakfast. Be prepared to spend a little extra time for a character meal.  Reservations are recommended and breakfast hours are 8:00 AM to 11:10 AM.   Reserve for 8:00 AM, have a wonderful breakfast, meet some Princesses and then enjoy the festivities in the park. Buffet style dining that is sure to please. Autographs and photo opportunities are plentiful.

Epcot is open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, however the World Showcase hours are 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  Hence the shortage of breakfast venues in Epcot.  My best recommendation is to make your reservations for a day when evening Magic Hours apply.  Start off with an early breakfast at the Akershus, taking your time to enjoy the experience. (Kids not required if you are traveling only with adults. Heck.. I'm a big kid when it comes to these character meals!)

I would then take a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase and check out all of the topiaries.  Maybe sample an outside kitchen or two in my travels.  Believe it or not, I would find the topiaries far more enticing than food.   I have been behind the scenes and saw first hand what goes into creating those topiaries.  Ok, Disney has great food,  But, I'd be so full from that breakfast.. I wouldn't really  want to eat more.  Here is a partial list of topiaries coming up this year:

• Mickey, Minnie and Pluto  Located behind Spaceship Earth
• Disney•Pixar Buzz Lightyear   Located near Mission Space
• Mater's Parts, Plants & Play Garden   Located at Test Track Walkway
• Phineas and Ferb   Located at Odyssey Bridge
• Mike & Sulley's Monstrous Garden   Located at Imagination Walkway
• Fantasia  Located at World Showcase Plaza
• Bambi and Friends  Located at the Canada Pavilion
• Peter Pan and Captain Hook  Located at the United Kingdom Pavilion
• Winnie the Pooh & Friends  Located at the United Kingdom Pavilion
• Classic Disney Couples  Located at International Gateway and the bridge to the France Pavilion
• Beauty and the Beast  Located at the France Pavilion
• Disney•Pixar Toy Story Characters – Woody & Lotso  Located at The American Adventure Pavilion
• Lady and the Tramp  Located at the Italy Pavilion
• Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy – NEW!  Located between the Italy Pavilion and the Germany Pavilion
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  Located at the Germany Pavilion
• The Lion King  Located at the Outpost between the Germany Pavilion and the China Pavilion
• Soccer Goofy  Located at the bridge between Future World and World Showcase
• Spring Is in the Air!  Located at the Main Entrance
• Pandas  Located at the China Pavilion
• Troll   Located at the Norway Pavilion

I have photos of many lovely topiaries and  I should really make layouts!  More on the upcoming festivities for the Flower and Garden Festival coming up in future posts!!  Since you all seemed to enjoy last week's freebies, I have a couple more for you. (Several different kits from Connie were used.)   Who knows... I may just make a topiary layout into a hidden element challenge... or hidden Mickey. Leave me a comment with your preference!

Click on the preview or here for your download!

Until next week....