Grace and Tessa take over!!

So.....yep I dropped the ball again last week, no blog!!  lol  the girls didn't have school so I spent the day with them shopping in Charles City having fun.....yes I shop a lot.... ;) But I thought today we would do something a little different....Grace and Tessa do not have school today while Haley and Allie do.....so I'm going to let them blog!!  So buckle up and hang on cause you never know what will come out of a 8 & 9 year old mouth!!  toodles!!  <3

Hi this is Grace I am doing 9 facts about me #1 I am in ROLLER DERBY.My roller derby name is sweet cheeks.

#2 My house is a ZOO. We have 5 cats 1 dog 10 fish 2 turtles and a couple stray lady bugs and a few srtay box elder bugs.I like having that many animals because 2 of the cats curl up and suckle on my pillow pets.
#3 My favorite summer activity  is jumping on the trammpilen.
#4 My  little sister is a animal/tattle tale/liar.TESSA eats a lot that is  why I call her an animal. she likes to tattle on people.last she likes to lie.
#5 I LOVE to sleep.
#6 I am marred to Olaf.
#7 My friends names are Ava,Jenna,and Kagean.
#8 I get a lot of injures.
#9 My favorite song artist is Taylor Swift;)



Those are 9 facts about GRACE the AMAZING.


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Hi my name is Tessa.I am 8 years old going to be 9 in September.My birthday is September 27.I am in dance and roller derby.I have a dog named PIVOT and a cat.My cats name is oreo.I share a room and i sleep on the the top bunk.I also have a fish named Callie.I like unicorns and my favorite color is purple.I have 3 sisters.I like to go swimming when I have time to.My favorite animal is a cat.I have 5 might be getting rid of one.I dislike spiders.My favorite movie is Minoins.I like to read when i have free time at home and at SCHOOL.I like to do dance and do cartwheels.I like to go shopping.I like to play with shopkins.I like to help my mom.My favorite food is pizza and my favorite dessert is ice cream and cake.I lactose and tallint.My sisters are really mean to me.Today i just bought my own purse.I love animals.My friends names are Kaylie KARANA and Erica.I like to play outside most of the time.I hate when I have to clean  my room when im at home but i like to clean other peoples rooms.I like to be outside and i like to look at nature.My friends are really nice to me.I love to help others.I help out around the house sometimes.I love  to ride my bike when i have time to.

that is a little about me Tessa(THAT IS MY DOG BESIDE ME)

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There it is....the world in a nut shell by my 2 youngest daughters!!  :)

We had breakfast together this morning!!  about the only quite time we had today!!  ;)

Ink!!

So here it is...finally FRIDAY!!  So as you may have guessed it by the title I did go through with my very first tattoo!! I am so excited!!  Yes I chose a weeny sized one but none the less it is still a tattoo!!  I guess I went with a small one for my first to make sure that I was going to be able to handle the pain.......lol  Yes I had 4 beautiful children without any pain medication but I think that is a little bit different!!  ;)

So my tattoo adventure began on Tuesday Feb. 23rd .  2 of my friends and I decided that we were going to go to Technicolor Tattoo in Mason City, IA for their $20.00 Tuesday special.....let me tell you; everyone and their dog was on board this particular day for this deal.....  We checked in around 5:15 and were told there would be about a 2 hour wait, no biggie....we would go do some shopping.  (we decided to go to Pure Pleasures {a sex store} and just walk around.  No harm in just goofing around)  We decided that we want to make sure that we were back with plenty of time so we headed back to the shop around 6:30......little did we know that it was going to be HOURS until a needle even touched our skin!!  I can't say that I am hugely upset.....yes, things in the shop should have been handled differently (there was a gentleman there getting the side of his head tattooed which took around 3-4 hours alone!)  In my opinion the larger tattoos should have been scheduled on a different day, but to each their own........  we watched people come and go, and we began to get a little mad......when was our turn!?  It was approaching 11:00 before we actually got to sit in t he chairs, we were the last people besides the artists to be in the shop that night, which closed at 9:00!!  So they went above and beyond to stay open for us!!  My friend Jamie and I both got the same artist, Jake.  He was super friendly and made both of us less nervous as it was our firsts!!  He laid the stencil on, and asked if we were ready......he slowly started with a small line and checked to see how I was doing.......I was actually doing great!!  lol   To describe how it felt would be difficult, as each person is different.  But I would say it's a lot like a bee sting repeating or if there are any of you that have ever touched an electric fence (to keep animals in) it's kinda like that.  Once he got close to my wrist bone it felt weird as my bone was vibrating.....lol  But I was amazed it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it was going to be......yeah!!





So I guess there is going to be a long list of future tattoos made....there are already a few in mind.....

all done!!  :)

Blah.....

So I apologize, I missed last weeks blog....went shopping with my mom in Rochester!!  Had more fun than sitting at the computer blogging.....lol

Anyways, it's been 2 weeks....not much in life has changed.  A few doctor appointments, selling Girl Scout cookies, Dance practices, 4-H meetings......and most of those are on Thursdays.....

I'm feeling a little blah today about writing this blog....not really sure where to go with it......just sitting here sipping my home made lactose free hot chocolate contemplating if I want to eat lunch with my husband today at the Chinese place we LOVE to go to......he asked me to so might have to.....lol

We have a roller derby to go to this weekend so that is exciting!!  Always love to watch and support the River City Dames of Anarchy.... (there will be more info on roller derby in a future post) :)  Since we will be in Mason anyways we are planning on donating 20 rag quilts to the NICU for "For the Love of Grace."  (there is a post somewhere down here that talks about a little bit of For the Love of Grace~maybe I'll write an updated one sometime)

I'm honestly starting to run out of ideas.....how about the 4 of you that follow me leave some ideas in the comments about future blogs you would like to see!!  ;)

On this coming Tuesday the 23, a friend and I are going to get tattoos!!  My first one!!  Kinda a little bit worried it's gonna hurt (duh, it's gonna hurt!)  but hoping it's kinda like a piercing and won't be that bad.....lol  Thinking a little orange kitty on the inner part of my wrist...maybe next week will be that blog, or maybe not.....depends on the way things go........

The middle kitty standing up.......

Yeah,  I'm bored.....don't know what to write about.....lol

My daughter's school is pissing me off.....Grace tells her teacher her ear hurts and needs an aspirin and he tells her it's not his problem!!  Huh??  Not your problem to help my child??  Really, that's news to me.......AND, when they have holiday parties they always have cheese and dairy filled items.  I haven't gone into too much detail about much since I kinda slacked MAJOR last year, but Grace, Tessa and I are all giving up dairy; as it causes major stomach upset, loose poop and all that fun stuff.  So at these parties she gets to sit and watch the other kids eat their treats and she get nothing.....thinking at conference time I'm going to mention it......

Yep, officially bored......colored my hair yesterday......went from purple to what was suppose to be dark brown~turned out almost black......yeah.....it's different.  I miss my purple hair though....why is it when you dye your hair it's so soft??  I like that!!!!

new hair blues......

hey.....I'm really a nerd!!  :)

Hey, I'm going to admit......I'm OCD!!  Never been diagnosed, but I'm no doctor to tell you that.  My closet is in rainbow order, my fabric is in rainbow order, I do things in even numbers......yeah.....please help me.....lol  No it's good.....I like things just so.....unlike my house though, there are small piles, not huge messes but piles of like items.  Ask me what is in a certain pile and I can probably tell you where it's at......probably.....I'm kinda odd like that.  lol

yep, pointless blog today...no direction!!  sorry about that....leave a comment about what to write, share me with your friends..... :)

Gator Gurl.....

So I wanted to do a short little ditty today......just wanted to give a quick shout out to one of my newest "followers".......this just so happens to be my 11 1/2 year old daughter!!  Allie found my blog on Google during one of her many hours on her computer....lol I am honored that she takes the time from her busy day of playing baking and animal games to read what goes on in our lives from my point of view.  Although, I'm sure there are things that she disagrees with from time to time...... :)

So Miss Allie, what embarrassing things can I blast about you......?? hmmmm.....oh the things I could say, but I choose to not since the huge world of the web can come back to haunt you one day.  But the things I choose to say are maybe things that you should hear......

Allie with Mr. Pivot

You are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for.....I know you have a passion for reading, sometimes getting a book out of your hands is impossible.

being goofy!!

You have so much more courage than what you think you have.....as you sat on the bed last night and cried about being scared about your upcoming dance competition I tried to tell you......your team is AMAZING!!  You ladies have worked so hard and that is all that matters!!  You will go out there, do your thing and what happens on the floor stays on the floor!!  I am crossing everything on my body that can possibly be crossed that you ladies knock some socks off!!  I have confidence in you guys!!  Even if you don't bring home a ribbon, you have already done something amazing....you have stood in front of hundreds of people and shown them your hard work and dedication for your passion.  You have worked too hard to worry now about something you don't need to!!  You know I'll be in the stands, with my heart in my throat, tears in my eyes, unable to breathe cheering you guys on!!  When the top places are announced I will applaud those first few and hold my breathe until they announce your teams name......I'm going big here!!

first dance competition 3 years ago....she still gets this look though.......

You are growing too fast into an amazing young girl....could you possibly slow down??  It seems not too long ago you were just learning how to walk and talk (the talking thing might be nice to revisit.....)  ;)  I miss the days you used to sit with me, quietly......  You turn 12 this year, so your last year to be an official pre-teen!!  I'm not sure I'm ready for this!!!

My Allie!!  <3

Most off I want to tell you that I love you!!  I probably don't tell you enough as I just assume that you already know that mushy stuff!!  <3  But I really do!!  To the moon and back, I would do (almost) anything for ya!!  So as you grow into a beautiful adult, please remember who you are and never change for ANYONE!!  I will always be your biggest fan cheering in the stands, holding my breathe waiting to hear your name......

the look I will probably get once she reads this........

Pivot.......

We might just be considered CrAzY!!  Yep.....we are that family!!  We have officially added to our family!!  There is the pitter patter of 4 feet added to our house!!  Yep you guessed it......A PUPPY!!

We had a family pooch that passed away a few years ago, his name was Ruger and he was the sweetest guy you could ever ask for....we got him from an ad in the newspaper for free.  His owner was looking for someone to spend more time with him, at that time we had a very active toddler (Haley) who was 18 months old and Ruger was a mere 11 months old.  It was a match made in Heaven, they were soul mates, pals to say the least.  Ruger was definitely not a house dog, he was black and chocolate lab mix.  He got very sick in the winter of 2011 and ended up with kidney and liver failure so the best thing for him was to be put down.  It was one of hardest things I have ever had to do.  Haley and I stayed with him as the vet administered the medication that would take away all of his pain and suffering.......we watched him take his last breath and close his eyes, we stood there crying but knowing it was what was best for him.  We couldn't be selfish because we wanted him to stay with us, we loved him more than that......

right before we took our beloved boy to the vet to be put down....... <3 

We waited so long to add to our family, no one could ever take Rugers place in our hearts, that was going to have to be the most amazing dog EVER!!  In the spring of 2015 I was toying with the idea of a dog.....I missed the walks and the companionship of a dog....we just had to convince my husband that this was a good idea.....lol

Mother's Day weekend, May 9th to be exact we were at a hillbilly swap meet and there was a tote of adorable puppies.....I knew I was in for trouble.  3 of the girls were up with my family while Grace and I stood there.....one black with a little white puppy stuck out to us.....we went over and played with him, a sweet little guy.  I had to walk away.......I quickly found my dad and asked him what he knew about lab/terrier mix dogs, then I showed him......my step mom went over and picked him up and he quickly began giving his now famous "kisses"  hook.....line.....sinker........lol

We chatted with the owner, learning that they weren't 100% sure what his daddy was.  He was adorable!!  With no thought at all I reached in my pocket and paid her the $25.00 that she was asking and scooped up this puppy.....we started walking to the girls and told Grace not to say anything.  As we got closer my heart started pounding anticipating their reaction.....Grace walked ahead and the girls turned around.  My brother's girlfriend said something about what a cute puppy and the girls FLEW around....I was attacked!!  "is he ours"  "do we get to keep him"  "does Dad know?"  Millions of questions came rumbling out of their mouths.........and the fight began as to who got to walk him around........we quickly found a vendor with a small collar and a lead to "walk" him....I say "walk" because it was more of a drag at that point than anything......the girls were in love....... <3

the night we got him.....such a little guy......

the first day the girls went back to school......bought him this pillow for "large dogs"  lol  he can't even fit on it anymore.....

We called my husband when he got off of work and he came to the swap to meet up with us.....he wasn't too mad, but excited would be lying.......yes, I kinda rushed into this whole idea....but if you stand there thinking too much about it; the time will completely pass you by.  We had to buy him food, a kennel and all of the other necessities he needed.

That first day the girls went back to school was tough for him.....he laid by me waiting for them to come home......

We take Piv on walks when the weather works with us......it proves to be a challenge as he more walks you than you him....lol  We are slowly learning....... ;) Although one day when we got home this is what happened......

Piv in the pond........taking a chill

So you might ask where Pivot's name came from....it's a derby reference!!  The girls have become involved in Roller Derby (future post) so we want to make him part of that. A few explanations of what a Pivot is......

  "The pivot is also a blocker. A blocker's job is to get her jammer through the pack while blocking the opposing jammer. Blockers must be able to play offense and defense, often at the same time. There are 5 skaters on the track (per team): a pivot, 3 blockers, and a jammer."

Pivot - The pivot blocker wears a helmet cover with a stripe on it. She generally starts at the first starting line and serves as the leader of her teammates playing in that jam. As most teams play the pivot position at the front of the pack, she is also often the last line of defense to stop the opposing jammer from escaping the pack.


We thought about naming him Derby but it just didn't seem right, and when I was on line I seen another dog name Derby so we wanted something pretty original, I think Pivot hits his mark. The girls have taken him out skating with them, that was quite the challenge but Haley had fun with tying his rope around her waist and letting him run with her......they crashed but no one was hurt!!  :)

My derby team!!

Over all, Piv has become a welcome part of our family.....besides his biting and clawing.....lol  we have yet to get his BIG snip and get those claws taken care of....but he is a spoiled boy to say the least!!  <3

been a while.......

So, it's been a long time!!  I truly apologize about that... (to the 10 of you that actually read this....lol) Last blog was December 4, 2014!!  So last year flew by without a single post....... :/ Today I commit myself to "trying" every Friday to sit down and blog just what's flying around in this noodle on my shoulders.  There was a lot that happened in 2015, so much that changed our lives.  Most of it is immensely private so sadly I can't share juicy details but I can touch on subjects I feel are closely related.  :)  

One of the changes within me is the most obvious when you look at me.......I got my left nostril pierced!!  I am loving it!!  There are a few things that you wouldn't think would alter your way of doing things that it really does.....blowing your nose is sometimes difficult, you get these "elmer's glue" buggers that get stuck up in the crack of your nose that are nearly impossible to pull out.  I haven't gotten those in a while but yes, they blow......funny little blurb of a story.........so my 16 year old is a cheerleader; we enjoy attending games to watch her cheer.  As we sat one a very frigid football game, I had my cozy gloves on.....I felt like my nose had a drip on the end of it so I wiped it....well, turns out my hoop in my nose likes the material of my gloves as I was stuck.....with my hand up to my face, attached to my nose ring......lol  Of course my husband didn't care and the girls thought it was amazingly funny!!

So, a little about the nose piercing adventure.....Haley, who was 15 3/4 at the time, my mom, who was 61 and myself decided to get something special as a 3 generation girl thing......  We planned May 26, 2015 was our day....the girls had roller derby that night until 8:00 so it would be a late night thing.  We dropped the girls off at home and headed to Mason City (we got pierced at Technicolor Tattoo as they run a $20.00 Tuesday special)  we got there and the smell of Subway filled the store....lol  Our main guy was eating his supper.  We had paperwork to fill out (make sure to check age restrictions for your state as to parental consent) as we waited for our materials to be sanitized.  Haley had plenty of time to sit on the couch and freak out (her boyfriend at the time came with us to help keep her calm, which he was COMPLETELY worthless!)  My mom decided she was going first, otherwise she would chicken out.......we were allowed to take pictures but no videos.....

 http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/tattooing-and-body 
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0231.htm   

Our piercer's name was Alex.  Here he is cleaning out the inside of the nose preparing for the piercing.

There is a mark made on the outside of the nostril (of which side you choose) and you are asked how the placement is, it can be moved accordingly.   Then forceps are placed on the nostril to stabilize and prepare for the needle.

Here is my mom with the needle in her nose.....we had a curved needle used.  The next step is to place the jewelry on the end of the needle and slide through (which I thought was the most painful part.)

So, my mom took it like a champ....just a flinch when the needle pierced through.  :)  It was my turn next!!

My nose is marked and forceps put on......

The needle is in!!!

The final step of getting the jewelry put in.  the end of the post (which was  a curved post called a corkscrew) is lined up with the end of the needle and inserted as the needle is removed.  Not sure why this hurts the most but it really does!!

Next Haley was up, she didn't want to watch me get mine done; but I needed someone to take pictures!!  lol I stood by her side and talked her through it, she was really freaked out!!  Her "boyfriend" stood there like an idiot and didn't want to watch as needles made him queasy....then why did he come!?

Haley's nose is marked and clamped....... (dummy's hand to the side...)

The needle is going in!!  She actually flinched when he even touched her!!

Your eye waters for some reason on the side you get pierced.....I teased her she was crying..... :)

We took a 3 generation picture just outside the shop!!

and at Mcdonalds.....lol

.....after all was said and done, my mom comes up and tells me that her's hurt like a bitch....that she had lied about the pain!!  lol  I kinda figured!!  ;)  I can honestly say though that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I'm not sure what I was expecting it to be but not terrible, if I had to rate 1-10 (10 being I'm DYING)  I would rate about a 4-5....I only say 5 because mine throbbed for a while afterwards which was irritating, I whinned about it for quite a while.  Both my mom and Haley went right side while I went left.....somebody has to be different right??

The piercer went over aftercare instructions with all of us (each piercer will have slightly different instructions)  Ours were basically to clean it with a saline solution 2-3 times a day for 6 weeks.  After  6-8 weeks we were able to change out the jewelry, although Haley and I did it earlier....lol  My mom had a tougher time healing due to the quality of jewelry (she is allergic to most metals so gold is her only real option)  so sadly she had to take her's out and let it heal up..... :(

The first time changing out my jewelry was much tougher than I thought it would be....I fought for over an hour with it.  There were tears involved and some blood......but once it went in I was stoked!!  It does get easier with practice!!  Now I can fly one in and out.  There are different types of nose jewelry to wear.  I prefer the hoop (mine is not as pictured in the first~it's the second one) as to where others like the bones or l-shapes........there are also different sizes of all the jewelry, the hoops have different measurements and the bones have different lengths I believe.  Best bet is to buy a few of style and play with it.....I have a short nostril so the corkscrew feels weird and to me it feels like it hangs out the front of my nose.  But the screw is my close second in favorites!!  :) Although when I wash my face at night I tend to wipe down and end up pulling it half out......

There are also different gauges or basically the width of the post.......I wear a 20 gauge which is basic size (ranges from 18-20) I personally think 22 is too small but to each their own.




**I want to say that I am no where near professional with any of this information, this is based on what I was told and what we have learned. :)  So before taking any of my advice, please consult a professional piercer!!

Tiny Tim Christmas

As Christmas time is approaching us quickly this year our family is doing things a bit differently......something along the lines of a Tiny Tim Christmas.  Gifts have been scaled back this year, pretty much none exhinstent, not for lack of money but for lack of reasoning.  If you think about all of the things in a year our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews recieve........just random things they might "need" or just purely want.  I know my girls get almost anything they wish throughout the year, so why should the NEED anything for Christmas??  It seems like the Christmas spirit has simply been replaced with commercialize, the need to exchange gifts and some quite simply ones we don't even want.  Last year each of the girls got tablets, now I thought that was a great idea, but withing weeks they had either got it taken away or had lost it.......seems like money well spent to me right??  The little girls got simpler versions of tablets, which they were not pleased with after the new tablet smell wore off.......if you would ask them today where they are they would look at you like you have 6 eyes on your forehead.  

I simply mean, none of these materialistic things meant anything to them.  Sure, we go to the candle light service at church (one of my favorite services) where each and every time I cry.  To have my healthy family together is all I really need anymore.  So this year I made the executive decision that our family will be volunteering at a Community Kitchen within the area.  Emails have been sent and messages delivered, in hopes that someone is willing to take on our family as their servers.  I want my girls to see there are so many different walks of life, and to never be ashamed to ask for help.  In return, if you have asked for help and are at a point in your life where you are able to pay it forward, please do so.  We have been fortunate enough to have never visited a Community Kitchen or any other type of shelter, but I know there are those who have.  Life is not always easy and sometimes we need a helping hand.  I want the girls to see people who might not have a big fancy house, big loving family but are thrilled to receive a smile and a warm meal.  I want them to be that person, one to not judge......the one to lend that hand to stand.  So this year, 2014 is our Tiny Tim Christmas.......we are going back to the meaning of Christmas........ <3