2017 Updates

It's been a long time since we posted and it's time we fixed that!  So lets get right to it. Continuous improvement is the name of the game and here is what has been done this year:

• Games Room overhaul (this is the big one)

• A new larger fridge to make big group vacations easier!

New outdoor clock and thermometer (F and C).

• We added a new clock in our African room that has USB plug to charge your phone.  
• Paint touch ups throughout.
• A new hidden Mickey for our youngest guests to find.
• New pool cues for the table.
• New games, cards and shelf in the games room.
• New linens, mats

Whew! What a busy few Weeks!

Hello everyone! Long time no see.  We've been really busy getting things up and running at the new house.  We were lucky enough to have 3 groups of people booked into the house from the previous owners.  The downside is that we are unable to go to the house ourselves and make the changes that we would like to make. 

It is almost unreal that after all this time we ended up buying a different house in such a short period of time.  We couldn't have done it if we hadn't had all the prep work completed in advance.  So far we've managed to put an additional group of guests into the home and ordered some new linens for the house.  Our kids though are most excited about just going to Florida.

Now that we have the house and things are starting to come together I will try and switch the focus of the blog to upcoming events in the Orlando area to help guests with planning.  Of course I'll do some updates on any renos we do as well! 

Have a great week everyone!

Let's Get this Party Started!

The title of today's post has 2 meanings. I'll start with the first.  The seller of the house has a new lawyer! Thank you! Our Realtor has spoken with the firm and they have been retained, now we are waiting for confirmation that they have the file and are working on it.  They report having almost 100% track record for closing deals. Who knows maybe we'll be one of the ones they don't close but it sounds like the odds are in our favour. So let's get it going!!!!

Secondly, I am in process of planning my soon to be 9 year old daughter's birthday party.  She has decided that she wants a Harry Potter theme.  So keeping me busy has been all the planning.  Sorting Hat cake, Owl delivered invitations and lots of candy to boot.  It takes a lot of planning so that's what I've been doing to keep occupied. 

Summer vacation is about 1/2 over can you believe it!  It's been over 6 months since I started this blog and I thought by now I'd be telling you all about the house, the changes we've made and what you could do while in the Orlando area. But so far it's just been me commiserating with you and having some fun along the way. I hope you are all having a great summer and thanks for stopping by!

So you're Renting a Vacation Home, Now what?

I've been struggling to decide what I would write about next.  I started this blog to chronicle our journey into the world of vacation home ownership, but what I didn't know at the time was that there would be so much waiting involve.  How boring would it be if I blogged weekly about how we're still waiting (which we are and my regular Friday update confirmed this). So today I thought I'd let everyone know what their options are for groceries when staying at a vacation home, at the Windsor Palms Resort specifically.

Even prior to jumping into this crazy process I was aware of Garden Grocer (www.gardengrocer.com). They do deliveries to the theme park hotels, private homes and vacation homes in the Kissimmee/Orlando area.  I know people personally that have used their service and have been very pleased with it.  When you visit their website you will need to set up an account, they have many payment options which will make most people happy. They have plenty of items to select from and even label organic, gluten free and kosher items. You can select your delivery date and time. It would be great to arrive at your vacation home and have your groceries arrive just after you. It certainly would make your first day or two less hectic. I will be posting a link to their website on the blog and the website so you can go directly there at anytime.

If you, like me look forward to the stroll through an American grocery store to check out all the different stuff then there are plenty of options nearby Windsor Palms. All within 10-15 minutes from the house. There is a Grocery store, a 24 hr Walgreens and numerous restaurants within 2 miles (3.2km ).  You can also head to a Super Target which is 3.8 miles (6km ), 10 minutes away, Walmart Supercentre 10.2 miles (16km) or the Publix Supermarket which is 4 miles (6.5km) away.

It is great that the Resort is so close to so many places.  Since it is self-catering only minimal supplies of toilet paper and soap will be provided by the management company. If we had to drive really far (us included) it wouldn't be quite as much fun.  Getting settled in and being able to enjoy a simple meal (BBQ anyone) by the pool sounds like a great way to start a vacation, I can't wait to do it myself.

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Social Media and What I've learned so far!

We are now almost 3 months into our Vacation Home journey! It's been a fun journey so far, I've learned a lot about an industry I knew nothing about before. Hopefully at the end we'll be rewarded with a beautiful home. I just want to get down to Kissimmee and get the house ready and have some fun!

So far I've learned a lot,  but I think the thing I've learned the most about is social media. Most of us have been exposed to facebook or twitter. I was surprised though by how far reaching it all is.  One of the first thing I did when we started this journey was this blog!  It has been a great place to tell our story and share some information that I've learned over the years.

During my research before we put the offer on the house,  I came across some other rental properties on facebook. I loved the thought of utilising social media to find people to rent our home to and have a place to post pictures and keep people up to date. I made the page about the same time as I started the blog but I held of publishing it. In the end I decided to do it and get the word out, it's been great and I enjoy keeping everyone who follows our page up to date on some of the goings on in the orlando/kissimmee area!

Twitter came next (@mickeygrdnvilla), we now have an amazing 79 followers now.  It is an amazing way to connect with people and keep up to date with news. I've also connected with some other vacation home owners. I enjoy re-tweeting their specials or information. It is great to build a network of other people in the area who have homes. I've learned a lot by watching what they tweet about and how they reach out to people in the twitterverse (hysterical I know, the words amaze me). 

Next I found Pinterest.  To me it's like having access to everyone's bulletin boards! And they post anything from how they want to decorate their houses, to places they want to visit or food/recipes they find!  This is the one I don't think I've mastered yet. So come by and visit us! It is a lot of fun and I'm working on making it even better.

I think the most fun I had was getting our own web address and website! mickeysgardenvilla.com I'm still working on the website but it's coming along and I think it's looking good.  I think I changed what it looked like about 10 times before I settled on a look for the site.  I finally know what html is and how to use it (well sort of, I can add it to a page but that's about it). It's been a learning experience.

Overall I've enjoyed the experience of learning how to use social media! There are many other places I have yet to venture (or like google +, just trying to figure out).  I've seen or heard of tumblr, 4 square and I have instagram on my phone but haven't used it.  It's been a wild ride and I've loved exploring all these different types of media but most of all, I've loved connecting with all of you in these different areas.  So thanks again for reading and visiting, and I hope to connect with you all at some point!