Potatoe Head Creations

When in Florida we went to a store in Downtown Disney that had an entire section just for Potato Head parts. They were all Disney related. Margaret and Mike bought the box full of parts for $19.99 and the body for $2.50. It was for Jolynn (right). 40 parts total! I had so much fun playing with it, that the next night I had Jon take me back to fill another container. We ended up with every part they had in the store except Cruella De Vil and the Star Wars characters. Here's the fun I had prior to going back for seconds:

Hodge podge

Tinker Bell (later discovered we have the wrong feet for this)
female traveler

pirate?

Chef

crazy Disney fans

this girl is NOT on a diet!

(told ya I was getting a little crazy)

Getting Inked

The artist (Johnny 5) never responded to my emails so I didn't know how much the tattoo was going to cost. Apparently the cost of their tattoos vary with your attitude. I thought mine was going to be around $300. It was $120. The bad part was that I also didn't know they didn't take credit cards, so luckily I had Heather there with cold hard cash - and also thankfully, enough to pay for hers and mine.

He started by tracing Jolynn's foot print from her birth record. Then he did the lettering and date. He put it all together on to carbon paper. Then he applied it to my ankle. Many times through out the whole designing phase he was asking me if I was sure this is how I wanted it, do these letters look okay, is this what you had in mind? When he finally had it all together we checked the placement on my ankle. He asked if that was where I wanted it. Everything looked great. I was ready to go - Heather was supposed to be sitting beside me, but ended up getting hers done at the same time. Johnny did a little strip and asked if I was okay. I hardly even felt it! As he went on there were moments I had to remind myself to breath, and Lamaze breathing came in quite handy. I was sweating so bad. A few times he would hit a nerve and my foot would twitch. He was done outlining and moved on to shading. I couldn't believe that I was making it through this without crying! He said I was doing very well. I guess my "attitude" must have been good because I think being it was Vegas and a large custom tattoo, that $120 was very cheap.

We wrapped it up and then waited for a cab. We waited for 45 min before we called the cab company again and they said they had to re-dispatch the driver. When asked how long it would be she hesitated and said maybe 15 min. Don't think so. We called Bill and had him catch a cab from a hotel (much easier than outside of the strip) and pick us up then we rode back to the Flamingo.

And that's my first tattoo, probably not my last!

Vegas 2011

It was a long time planning and it is finally here! I took a 1/2 day of work off on Thursday and drove 4 hours to Brookings. I met up with Heather, Bill, and Brian Prow. We drove to Sioux Falls to catch our flight to Vegas. Once there, we pretty much split up - girls one way, guys another. Knute flew in separately and met up with the boys.

First night there we just wandered Mandalay Bay (that's where we stayed). We went to bed around 1am Vegas time, which since it was our first night there, was really 3am MN time.

Friday morning we took our time getting up. Then we headed down to Raffles for breakfast. Yummy fruit platter, egg and bacon omelet, hash browns, and toast. So much food, I was good until dinner. After breakfast we walked around Mandalay Bay again and browsed the shops. Heather bought some cute shoes, purse, and a top. Our initial plan was to be poolside all day. While wandering we came across the Spa. The beach was filled with kids, and people that we really didn't need to be staring at to lower our self-esteem anymore. So we decided to have a spa day instead.

We each had the Quick Fix - 25 min neck/shoulder/back massage and 25 min facial. The massage felt like it went longer than 25 min. The facial felt great and we looked fabulous without ANY makeup. Then we each had full makeup applied. We tried to get in the hair salon, but they were completely booked. So we went back up to our room and did our own hair. Heather got all dressed up in the clothes she just bought; but she needed some bling. So we went back to the same store and found a bracelet and ring. From there we hailed a cab to the Flamingo.

There was a 1 1/2 hour wait to get into Margaritaville. We signed in then went people watching. There was a little mini bar for margaritas. Heather and I both got the 48oz "Booze in the Blender" margarita. I tried hers before ordering mine; hers was so strong I asked for a little less alcohol in mine. I was able to drink all but 8oz of mine. Heather got down to about 30oz. Hers was so strong I would have been passed out at that point.

When we finally were seated at Margaritaville, there was a very tall black man with a big group of people at a table right next to us. People kept coming up to him and shaking hands and giving hugs. We asked our waiter if it was someone famous - he said it was Jimmy Buffet's bodyguard, but that Jimmy Buffet was not there. Towards the end of our meal a lanky young man, dressed all in black, with an entourage, sat down with the bodyguard. Heather heard the bodyguard introduce him as Buffet's son. I tried to get pictures of him, but it was dark and he was wearing all black. I should have tried video. We walked a ways with our blenders and then hailed a cab back to the hotel.

Saturday. Tattoo day. Last nights 48oz felt like it was still in my system. Heather suggested mimosa for breakfast. It was a little hard to get down. Finally did a CHEERS, and shot them down. Breakfast was 2 french toast that were about an inch thick and as big as the plate! Totally stuffed myself to the point where I didn't need to eat again until dinner. We did some more shopping in the Mandalay Bay Shoppes before hailing a cab to the tattoo parlor.

The website advertised this parlor as being off the strip. It was exactly that, WAY off the strip. In a strip mall surrounded by Mexican/Latin stores. Heather said the parlor made her feel like we were at LA Ink. It was a pretty cool shop.

After getting the tattoo, we waited a long time for a cab. Catching a cab outside of the strip is not easy. The line up at the hotels awaiting passengers, but outside the strip they forget about you. We ended up calling Bill and having him grab a cab from the strip, come get us, and then we drove back to the strip. The boys went their way and Heather and I went to M & M World. We spent a good 2 hours there and visited all 4 floors. I did all my souvenir shopping there. Then we headed back to the hotel to drop off our goodies. The boys were at the Rio waiting for us. We ate at what we thought was the largest buffet. It was just a really good seafood buffet. Not so good for Heather. She is allergic to seafood. There were a few things not seafood, but she didn't eat it. She had a great $29 salad. The rest of us filled our plates with crab legs. Knute bought the four of us margaritas with souvenir glasses. It was another 45oz of goodness. I actually finished all of it this time. Did you know you can bring your drink with you into a cab? I finished that glass before we got back to the hotel. I was very giggly after that. Heather and I got in the elevator and there were two guys already in there. I could not stop laughing. Didn't even know what I was laughing at. One guy asked if we drank both glasses (we were carrying Bill and Brian's glasses back). The other guy was a jerk and told us that Vodka was evil and that it makes you do bad things. That shut me up, at least until he left the elevator.

What a weekend! I was so thrilled to be able to go on a trip that was just us girls. Yes, I went with Bill, Brian, and Knute; but we really didn't see them all weekend. We did our own thing and it felt great.

My thought on government assistance

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Since this is my personal blog I have decided to let loose here, because if I did it on another public venue I'm sure I would get tons of comments ridiculing me for my opinion.

Jon and I are hard working adults with two cars, a house, a child, a dog. We have some debt and lately have been living from pay check to pay check. We get super excited when we get any kind of bonus, overtime, or when Uncle Sam sends us a check. Not that it isn't already spent.

Here is my beef. When we first started struggling we tried to apply for WIC. We didn't qualify because we made too much money the year before (even with me being on maternity leave for 3 months). So we knew we would not qualify this year being that we were both full time again. I'm upset because I know people that are on assistance with one child, then keep having more. Guess who pays for it - US! If you couldn't afford the one why does the government keep providing? I don't know how it all works. Maybe you get less and less for each child you have. Why wouldn't people just keep having babies if they know the government will provide. If you are going to live off the government, fine. I get really frustrated when I see someone on assistance that is taking trips or making frivolous purchases. That's government money that I am working overtime for so you can go on a vacation, but I can't get assistance to help buy necessities for my child.

I know at this point I am probably sounding like a hypocrite because I'm taking a trip in a few weeks to Vegas. I don't have the money for it, but I was invited and I really want to get away. I got a good deal on the trip. I don't plan on doing anything else there but people watch and lounge poolside. I'm getting a tattoo that is going on my credit card.

Other people's answer to my problem has been to have more babies. Then you will qualify for assistance. That's just my point. You shouldn't have more kids with the thought that someone else will provide for you. Try providing for yourself. I would love to have one more, but I am terrified that it could put us in bankruptcy. The economy still isn't great and selling our house is not an option. We have a loving support system out there with our parents and friends. They have given us way more than they should. It is our problem, and we know they have their hard falls too. We don't expect anything from anyone and we don't ask for it either.

Okay. I think that's it for now. If you've read this thinking I'm a bitch for speaking this way, I'm not sorry. Like I said, this is my personal blog. It's my space to vent. Get over it.

Renaissance Festival 2011

Jolynn and I went to the Festival today with Uncle Jason, Nate, Sarena, Olaf, and Knute. It took us a while to get situated but it was nice once we were inside. We were there around 11am so it wasn't very crowded yet. I had been on my phone or texting with people so my phone was on top of the stroller. We finally all got together and decided to grab something to eat and then find a spot next to the jousting arena so we were ready for the show. It's been a while since I have been to the festival. I had forgotten the food booths don't take cards. So I went to use my phone to call the bank to find out my pin number so I could use the ATM. LOST MY PHONE! Nate tried calling it and no one answered, then we backtracked to where I last had it. He called it again. This time someone answered - they had brought it to the information booth/lost and found. Sigh of relief! Guess where I put that sucker after I got it back - close to my heart. With my bustier, nothing was falling down.

Since I still didn't have any cash, Jason gave me money for a turkey leg. I shared a bit of it with Jolynn. She liked it. Jolynn spent a lot of time with everyone else while at the festival. Sarena held her for a while. Then Nate. Even Jason watched her while I went to the free beer tasting with Olaf and Knute. Honestly, I drank maybe half of each little shot glass sample and the rest was poured into Knute's glass. There was one that I drank the whole thing and wouldn't have minded having a whole one - Jeremiah Weed, Lightening Lemonade. Yummy! We got back to Jason, and Jolynn was out of the stroller in his lap. He tries to be a tough guy, but he really likes her a lot. :)

I wish I would have taken more photos, there were some CRAZY looking people. It was the last weekend so I guess all the wack jobs come out. I mean - this is the RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL. Not Trekie weekend. Not Comic Con. Not Space Invaders (there was a robot). I even saw a guy dressed up as the Johnny Depp version of the Mad Hatter. And then there was the transvestite (see FB for that image).

Sewing 101?

So maybe this was a little more than 101. This all started with a photo of Sarena and Nate at the Renaissance Festival last year. Sarena was wearing this totally cute outfit. I asked Nate if she made it and he said she put it together. Then enters Stephanie - girlfriend to Olaf. She works at the Feast of Fantasy and has free tickets for us this year. I got all excited because both these girls have cute outfits and I didn't want to be the odd ball outsider; so I decided to make a dress. REALLY...I should have just made a skirt and used one of my tops. This was such an undertaking. It took about 4 weekends. Luckily, Margaret owns two sewing machines and a serger. She just recently purchased a self-threading serger. This fancy serger was used on this last weekend of sewing.
The other girls had projects too. The first weekend we really concentrated on Stephanie's project since she had to start working Ren Fest. She wanted a cloak for the colder nights that would be coming. So she made a very nice cloak with fleece on the inside. She said it felt like a big snuggie! The next weekend we made a shirt for Olaf. All the while we are working on these projects I was working a little bit at a time on mine. Sarena also made a cloak. She bought a lot of her outfit online. Margaret was finding great deals at thrift stores on skirts, belts, shoes, blouses. She even found Jason and Jon shirts online.
So after 3 weekends, we come upon this last weekend. I was determined to get these done. I basically did the cloak in one weekend and the under dress in one weekend. The over dress took EVERY weekend I worked on everything else. This weekend I finished all three projects - WALA! Here you have it, my Renaissance Festival outfit!

Memorial Weekend 2011

Memorial weekend for me has been camping since I was 4 years old. I was introduced to this by my step dad, Bumby. He has a group of friends that get together every Memorial weekend and they call themselves Tent City. We take over entire campgrounds. I believe they are on their 42nd year. This year was the first for Jolynn. We decided to take it slow and go to their cabin first, then go camp for one night. When we got to the cabin we discovered that all four of us were sick with the same cough. After listening to the forecast of rain for 3 days, we decided not to camp out. Good plan on our part because being sick, sleeping on the ground, and packing up wet gear=no fun.

Here are some pictures of our fun filled weekend.

One minute I see this...

The next I see this.

Bath time in Ducky!

Having some bananas and cheerios before our trip to Tent City.

Made it to Tent City for a few hours.

Playing with Marge Gamache at Tent City.

When we got back from TC I tried my hand at the Bobcat. Did pretty good until...
I got it REALLY stuck. Neighbors brought over a tractor to get it out.

After trying to dig it out, my mom and I went for a trip into town for a little spa time. Jolynn slept through most of it.









When she woke up my mom gave her a swim lesson (since she missed this week)

Spa Day

I decided to host a home spa day for my girlfriends. My mom took Jolynn and Polly overnight so I could get the house cleaned and prep the food. Saturday, I had 7 friends over for face masks, manicures, pedicures, hair treatments, and paraffin waxing. I made food and had Mohitoes (with Grey Goose if you wanted to spike it). It's been a while since we have gotten together. It used to be getting together once a month or so to see a movie. Just getting out of the house and being with the girls. The guys had a similar night - Tuesday's at BWW for the wing special. They haven't done that in a while either. The last few times I have gotten together with the girls I was pregnant.

I haven't done anything with them since Jolynn was born, at least not without her. I love my time with Jolynn - especially right now because she is so interactive with her facial expressions and voice; but sometimes it is nice to sleep in, take a long shower, watch a whole movie or tv program without getting up or falling asleep, and being able to savor a meal. I just realized why I don't make big meals anymore (mostly it has been Ramen, mac-n-cheese, pizza, or something frozen that you just pop in the oven); I only have about 10 min to actually make anything before her attention span goes and she gets cranky. Then enjoying that meal is just the same. She may have eaten already, but if she's not getting attention because you are too busy eating-then you have a cranky baby again.

Anyway - back the Spa Day. It was a blast. We all sat around the table for a good hour or more just chatting (venting). Then we got out the foot spas and paraffin wax. Some did just their feet or hands, and some did both. It felt really good. Luckily Erin brought nail polish because I don't own anything but clear. There is a reason for this - I suck at putting polish on. Lauren was nice enough to paint my toes for me. Every time I look at my feet I feel fancy. Like I just went to a salon and had my toes done. My little secret that it was done at home :)

I wanted this to be really special for all my girl friends, so I didn't have them bring anything but themselves. As much as I would love to do this again, I don't think I could do that part again. Welcome to host it, but going to need each person to bring food of some sort. I love to entertain, but my single/non-mommy days are behind me. I need to realize that I can't do everything anymore and I need to learn to accept help.

I wish I would have taken some pictures. We were just so busy chit chatting. The best one would have been Lauren and my face after putting on our Avocado/Carrot/Honey masque. It looked similar to what Jolynn spewed all over me later in the evening when I tried to feed her pureed carrots. (BTW-carrots stain...bad.)