Will You Be My Disnerd Valentine?

I had grand plans to have a Disnerd Valentine party, but I got sick, and so all my plans went out the window. I was going to include a time for card-making, and I came up with a bunch of snarky and/or cheesy lines to write on the cards. But I didn't even have time to do those on my own. So, I share these with you with the disclaimer that they were done in little time and without the use of Photoshop. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the humor! Share them with your friends!

Thanks to Disney and the interweb for the images. :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#18: A Glimpse of Greatness

Sword in the Stone, 1963
watched December 18, 2011

(c) Disney

As much as I enjoy writing for this blog, I have to say taking 2 1/2 weeks off was wonderful. It was nice spending time with family and friends who know me not as just a Disnerd but as a real whole person with other interests!

But that's over now. Back to the Disnerdy fun!

The story of Sword in the Stone is quite bare (a couple of my friends even fell asleep), but I was quite intrigued by the relationship between the wise, quirky wizard and the awkward cracking-voiced adolescent.

And no, I'm not talking about Dumbledore and Harry.

At present, Wart is clumsy, hesitant, and naive. Others see him as nothing but a dumb kid who will never amount to anything. Even his given nickname indicates how he is perceived: annoying, useless, and unwanted. It seems as if Wart believes this about himself too. Again we see the "Underdog Effect" as is common in Disney movies, but he is so pathetic that even the audience isn't sure if rooting for him is worth it.

Merlin, however, looks into the future (and well, as a powerful wizard I guess it's easier for him to do that than it is for us normal folk) and gets a glimpse of Wart's potential. Despite what he is now, Merlin sees and treats the young boy as the future great king of England, investing all of his time preparing Wart for his royal role. While the film lacks any significant feeling of threat or conflict (sorry, but "villain" Madam Mim was kind of a joke), each scenario that Merlin and Wart find themselves in presents opportunities for Wart to learn important values and overcome difficulties. It is in these moments of teaching and growing where the heart of the story lies.

I have had the privilege to know a couple of "Merlins" in my own life. They were people who saw me not as a quiet, aimless girl, but as someone who had leadership qualities and gifts. They instilled in me the value of training, Bible study, prayer and discernment. They gave me opportunities to lead and grow. I was encouraged to hone my natural strengths and challenged to do things I never realized I could do. I am quite sure I would not be where I am now without their guidance, encouragement and friendship.

In the film, we never see Wart embody the great King Arthur that is described in folklore and legend. In fact even as he is crowned king (sorry for the spoiler, hah), he appears extremely uncomfortable with his new responsibility and power. That's not so dissimilar to us. Maybe we are thrust into situations that seem more challenging than we are prepared to handle. Perhaps somewhere along the way you have felt that you disappointed your mentors or yourself.

But it is not about successes or failures, it's about identity. We are each created with gifts and abilities that were meant to be used for the good of others. And the "Merlins" in our lives are the ones who not only see that but bring it out of us when we don't even know how. They come alongside us to remind us of who we are in Jesus: royal priests, chosen and set apart for something wonderful. I am thankful for the women and men who live as Merlins (many of whom I get to work with), seeing people not as they are but who they are destined to become.

A Disnerd Christmas

It's another Disnerd holiday! Christmas is a great opportunity to decorate, eat, exchange gifts, eat, watch Christmas movies, and eat (I am so overloaded with sugar from these past couple weeks it's ridiculous). So of course I hosted a Disnerd Christmas party!

First, I decorated my apartment with paper ornaments.These were super easy and cheap to make. I bought a few sheets of Disney paper, a few sheets of Christmas paper, and I was all set. Good thing I'm a scrapbooker and have access to things like paper trimmers and eyelets.

want to make these? check out this website

these are easy and don't require eyelets like the other ones. check out this website.

the finished look.

these ornaments have been up for a while now. I'm very proud of my resourcefulness. I just happened to have the right size ornaments to create these Mickeys!

Then there were of course, the snacks. Thanks to the 'regulars' who brought food! I made Sword in the Stone cupcakes, which basically consisted of frosted cupcakes with sword toothpicks stuck in them. I'd seen other examples of much more elaborate ones, but I didn't have the energy to do it.

Notice that the swords are Christmas colored. I had to pick them out of the box which also had orange, blue and purple toothpicks.

Tiana made Christmas "Sticky Mickeys" - so cute!

After the viewing of Sword in the Stone, we had a "Pink Elephant" gift exchange (Pink Elephant as a tribute to Dumbo, of course!). Here's my gift still in its wrapping. I found this cute Disney Christmas wrapping paper at the dollar store! I also have Winnie the Pooh but I have a thing about finishing a roll of wrapping paper before starting a new one. 

The gifts were mostly Disney themed. Christopher was thrilled when he opened his gift, a Disney Princess flavored lip gloss set. Other gifts included a Disney Guess Who? board game, a Mickey/Minnie rubber stamp and ink pad, Mrs. Potts and Lumiere figurines, and a Tangled coloring book (from me).

The most coveted gift (stolen twice) was a handmade Mickey ring and Minnie earrings, made by Tiana. How awesome are they? By the way, I was the one who got them in the end. hehe. Sorry, Becky. 

After everyone left I made the cookies that I had planned for all of us to decorate together but had given up on because the dough was so sticky. When I was still in the kitchen at 12:30am, I realized that, yup, this Disney blog has officially taken over my life! But um, at least the cookies turned out well!

Yes, I did cut out stencils that spelled "Disnerd" in the Disney font to use on these sugar cookies. As if I needed more proof that I am truly a Disnerd.

Disnerd Christmas goodie bags, which I had to give out the day after the party. Good thing most of my friends work at the same office as me!

I was so touched to receive gifts from Kylene and Vicki, a Disney Christmas singalong CD, and from Christopher and Tiana, a handmade Tangled lantern! Thanks guys!

It doesn't float, unfortunately. But it does light up!

The night also included bonus viewings of Mickey's Christmas Carol, featuring Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge and cameos from several other characters like Mr. Toad, Mole and Rat, Willie the Giant and some Robin Hood peasants. We also watched Small One, another short that tells part of the real Christmas story.

I was exhausted at the end of the night but it was fun. Again, I enjoyed the opportunity to be creative. And I was excited that others joined in the fun by finding or making Disney-themed gifts.There's much fun to be had when you've got a theme and a small budget. :)

Have a Disnerd Christmas, everyone!