The 2016-2017 School Year BEGINS!

It seems so funny to me that the older that you get time seems to fly by so much faster!
Last week we were jam packed with getting ready for the 2016-2017 school year here and I have found it hard to grasp that I in fact have a 4th grader, a 7th grader and a 9th grader!

The 7th Grader!

The first open house for last week was getting my middle one ready fro her last year at the Middle school! Hard to believe that this one is already on the end slope and will be at the junior high soon!
We are excited about her schedule too but we also hate due to some of the classes she won't be in choir for the whole school year, but we are excited about the other electives like aide for example. I am sure that this year between the classes, dances and friends she will of course keep us busy as usual!

Our Freshmen!

The second open house we had was for the high school kid... 4 more years and this one is off to college! Jeesh... I think I am going to protest blinking til 2020!
She is super excited yet nervous about her schedule this year but mom has faith in her.
We  are most looking forward to the books lined up for Pre-AP English as she will get to read some amazing classics including Romeo and Juliet and How to Kill a Mockingbird... Of course we are also excited about GT and her going back into band after taking last year off and Dakota seems excited about Civics and Economics and surprisingly ROTC.
I am sure that between band and ROTC we will have a VERY busy yet exciting year for her freshmen year!

Our 4th grader!

Our "baby" was the last one to have open house this year. We are so blessed that she got an AMAZING teacher for her what maybe last year at the elementary school
(rumor has it 5th grade will be moved to the middle school campus soon)
I absolutely LOVE this age. This age is always busy with class parties, dances, field trips and fun activities. We are both super excited to see what this year will hold for her and her guys!

First day of school!

Tatted Thursday: The Stories Behind MY Ink: Part One

As my blog title suggests I am HUGE into tattoos and the love for them in this house is HUGE. Earlier when I started the blog I shared my Hubby's ink in a two part series and I realized I have yet to share mine! 

If you'd like to catch up with his you can check out Part One here and Part Two here.

As for me the adventure started when I was 16 and it has blossomed into a full fledged addiction I am sure. 

Right now my count is at 16 and more planning is in the works for future ink therapy sessions.   :) 

In order to not bore you to death I broke this down into several posts and they are in no special order either... so here we go :0)

Cancer Awareness Ribbon & Cross:

Shop Name/Location:  Forbidden Images Dothan, Alabama

Artist Name: Jesse

Placement: Left Calf

Pain Scale: 4

Price: $100

Age: 28?

Meaning/Story: Cancer is something so real and since this deadly plague runs through our family line I wanted to honor family members  and friends who have fought with this unforgiving disease.

 

I <3 U

Shop Name/Location: Anchor Tattoo & Piercing Bryant Arkansas

Artist Name: Chad

Placement: Left Ring Finger

Pain Scale: 5

Price: $60

Age: 30

Meaning/Story: Last year for mine and my husbands 8 year wedding anniversary her wrote out "I heart U" and I went and tatted that bitch to my finger :) I have always wanted a finger tattoo and we had talked about getting wedding rings tattooed forever but I decided I liked this idea way better and I can still wear my wedding ring :) 

 

Semi Colon

Shop Name/Location: Anchor Tattoo & Piercing Bryant Arkansas

Artist Name: Chad

Placement: Behind Left Ear

Pain Scale: 3

Price: $60

Age: 31

Meaning/Story: I know it seems that this tattoo is a trend and you my friend are RIGHT! The semi-colon has become the sign of self harm awareness and for good reason!

A semicolon is used where a sentence could have stopped, but didn't. With that being said this tattoo (especially on a wrist, is used by survivors) A semicolon tattoo means shes a survivor of self harm/anxiety/depression and things of that sorts. She could have very easily ended her life but she was strong and got over all the pain to continue on with her life story..

As for me personally I got it for my oldest daughter who had a VERY rough year last year. Though we battle it daily still we know that she is working on herself and she knows she has the support she needs to battle this! 

 

AMJ 

Shop Name/Location: Screamers Tattoo Daleville Alabama

Artist Name: Dave

Placement: Left Side of Neck

Pain Scale: 3

Price: $40

Age: 21

Meaning/Story: If you checked out my post when I shared the hubby's ink then this looks familiar :) After a year together went and tatted each others initials on our necks. Our Parents freaked the fuck out but I told them... well he went first :)

He of course decided he was going to make going first funny and had me soooo scared... such a drama queen :)

There are plenty more to share with you guys so be sure to check back with us! 

If you would like to share your ink and the story behind it please contact me. I would love to feature you and your stories right here on the blog!

10 Ways We Are Beating the Summer Heat in Central Arkansas

With summer in full swing and the temperatures rising we have been finding ways to cool off this summer!

June and July are usually our "coolest" months here in Arkansas but with the heat index already reaching 105+ I sit here and wonder what August will bring.

Luckily we have found a few tricks and treats to beat the summer heat and ALWAYS looking for more...

Here is what we have so far this summer.

1: Swimming!

Because it takes a REAL genius to figure that one out :) 

Here in Central Arkansas you have a TON of great swimming places to choose from ranging from FREE to a few bucks a head and you can't beat that! 

 

One of our favorite places is the Saline River.

It is close to home for us and free! 

The kids and the hubby always enjoy it but to be honest I am not a huge fan of river water. Guess its the Cali girl in me but my Southern babies love it. 

A few downfalls is when it storms the river is easily flooded and damaged so unless you have a 4x4 and maybe a death wish this may not be for you.

 

 

We have also fell in LOVE with Lake Catherine State Park this year. 

Between the swimming "beach" and the trails we tend to find ourselves there on the weekends soaking in the sun and taking a dip in the lake to cool off. 

Warning... get there early or the beach will be crowded, but all the same a great day to be had :)

 

We personally don't have a swimming pool... yet... but we are very blessed to have some friends who do. 

They have invited us over a few times for the day to hang out, have a few drinks and par take in the enjoyment of their pool. Granted we have not been once where my hubby has not thought it would a splash to throw me in... 

Now if these places aren't for you that's ok here are a few ideas for you to run with!

Local splash pads!

We have one walking distance from us at Tyndall Park but I personally think that our youngest who is 9 is a bit big for this area though I have seen grown adults enjoying the pad. There are also several scattered between us and up into Little Rock :)

Public Swimming Pools

There is a great one not to far from us at Mills Park we went a few times last year but they went up on prices this year and since I am not working right now we are trying to conserve money. You can also check out other places and parks plus even hotels in the area will allow you to pay to swim for the day! 

2: Ice Cream

Because we all SCREAM for ice cream and lets face it who doesn't LOVE ice cream?!

We are HUGE Sonic ice cream fans and I since I am signed up for the text deals they have I get the scoop on all the promos they have! Which you can't beat! 

 

One of my personal favorites though is Gary's Sling Blade Diner. 

It is another home town favorite here in Benton. The diner was the diner in the movie "Sling Blade" staring Billy Bob Thorton and a HUGE local fav! 

Their ice cream is amazing and the prices are too!

3: Shaved Ice aka Sno Cones
Because no matter your age who doesn't LOVE a sno cone!
Here there is NO competition on where to go and that is over to Hobo Joes!  
There are well over 50+ flavors and the prices are hard to beat!
We have been SEVERAL times this summer and I might have a new obsession!

4: Iced Coffees
I love coffee... my girls love coffee... my husband does not... weirdo!
But that doesn't stop us girls from enjoying this amazing iced treat right here at home!
I happen to have 5 years as a certified barista under my belt of "talents" and it pays off here at home. The girls love that I can make "fancy" drinks and lets be honest so does this mamma :)

6: Make Overs 
What girl doesn't love a make over!
Me and my youngest has spent a few days relaxing at home  doing our toes, nails, make up and face masks. This is a great way to bond and always fun!

7: Cold Drinks
Ok so we ALL know Summer = Beer but I personally think Summer=Cold Refreshing drinks no matter the alcohol content.
Don't get me wrong I do LOVE a good beer, wine, liquor etc. but I have kids too ya know :)
SO anything from an iced tea to a Mikes hard lemonade you can't go wrong with lots of ice plus you need to stay hydrated right?  

7: Gatherings with Friends
There is nothing like spending time with some amazing friends!
We have been very blessed this summer and have got to hang out with some very good friends so far!
On the 4th we went and sepent the day with my god father and his work crew (which is my hubby's work crew also) and enjoyed every minute of it!
I love that my husbands job has brought so many wonderful people into our lives these last few years!

8: Exploring your town!
 Yesterday I posted where we had spent the weekend exploring new places.
Though I have not posted EVERY time we have done this (maybe I should?) we do it often.
We are always checking out things and visiting our favorite spaces :)
Check out yesterdays post for more information.

9: The Good Ol Water Hose!

 

With today's world I have noticed that things move faster and faster and there is less time enjoying the simple things for example the water hose...

I woke up one Saturday morning around 8 to an empty house... I went outside to see if my husband had left to find him and our youngest out washing the cars (another great way to beat the heat!) But when I looked at my daughter she was more wet than the cars daddy was washing! LOL 

I love moments like this where I see my girls taking in the old school techniques that we did as kids too. You can even find her in the sprinkler once in a while too or building forts in the house :)

10: Movies/TV
Though I would not say we are HUGE TV watchers we have come to find two shows that we might or might not schedule our lives around if possible :)
Monday nights you can find us on the couch watching America Ninja Warrior... I am not sure to be honest why we are so addicted but we are and we love that is is something ALL of us will watch!

 Now on Tuesday and Wednesday nights we are ALL about some AGT!
This is the first season where we have watched it from the beginning episode and we are hooked! So hooked that someone in this house (wanna guess who?!) even downloaded the app for the live shows!
There are so many talented people on this season and I am on the edge of my seat this week as tonight is the last of Judges Cuts! EEEKKK

 

Wednesday nights me and the youngest stay up and watch The Night Shift 

(daddy usually bails on us and goes to bed...party poop-per)

we love this show! It kind of reminds me of ER which I LOVED back in the day and I am very sympathetic to overnight workers since I personally worked the grave yard shift before. 

I also love that it is something me and the girls can watch together :)  

 

Though we are NOT TV people we are however movie people!

Though we do not usually go to theaters we do how ever rent or buy movies like a maniac! Movies are our go too!

Here are a few that we have seen and both are worth it just so you know :) 

Trust me when I say we have seen more but I can't remember all of them PLUS I don't want to bore you :)

 How are you beating this summer's heat?

Exploring New Places....

I know what you have got to be thinking... How are you STILL exploring NEW places?!

Well the facts are this...

We have lived in our "new" home state for almost 5 years...yes

We have been to Little Rock and North Little Rock COUNTLESS times... sure

We have checked out MANY places and explored the areas often...absolutley

BUT...

There is ALWAYS something new! 

When we first got the hubby's job offer 5 years ago I did some mad research on Arkansas and the area in which we would be living and working.

When I was FLOODED with information and things to do it knew that this would be an adventure that could last a while!

October markers 5 years here since our move and so far I have not been wrong or let down in the things to do category! 

One of our most favorite places to go is to Little Rocks River Market no matter how many times you go there is always something new and exciting happening and we LOVE that! 

Plus its convent location offers a great and exciting walk to other local gems like The Old State House Museum .

We have visited the museum before after we first moved here to the state but we just had to go back! The hubby and I really love history and learning new things and we feel that it is an important trait to teach our girls! PLUS they are always adding new things and the building alone makes you want to see inside! 

This time around they had added an area called "Different Spokes" dedicated to bikes and their history, since our youngest LOVES to ride her bike she was super into seeing all of the bikes and the differences through out the ages...

Here are a few pictures from our trip. 

 

Though you can spend the entire day at the river market it does tend to get a little HOT in the dead center of summer so we try to break it up with places to cool off so we don't over heat the children :) Since we were so close to North Little Rock we took the 10 minute drive to that mall there and stopped for a quick bite to eat. 

While we were eating I got to thinking about some places we have never been to since the move and since we were in North Little Rock The Old Mill.

If you have seen the movie Gone with the Wind then you too have seen this mill and just didn't know it! 

From the Opening Credits from Gone with the Wind

  The credits in the movie REALLY doesn't give this place justice! 

As some one who enjoys history AND a photographer I was IN LOVE! 

We WILL be going back and I think I might have just found a new location to offer for my photography business but even with that fact the place is JUST AMAZING! 

If you are ever in Little Rock or North Little Rock area I highly suggest that you go! 

I really would like to see this place with all 4 seasons and Might be adding that to a personal bucket list! 

Here are some pictures from our trip there.

Amazing right! 

Our Weekend Recap

For once it looks like that rodent was right and spring will be early this year. We have had some beautiful days here lately and the fact that we have only had one snow day this winter I am a happy camper.

 This weekend's weather was perfect and thanks to mother nature's kindness we were able to get some time outside and spend some quality family time, since soon I will be venturing back to the overnight working world.

 Saturday after the hubby got home from work we got out and about to so our usual Saturday errands and made a stop at our local Hasting's.

We are a sucker for good movies not only as an at home date night but also as quality time with our girls.

Hasting's always has great deals on used movies and they even to this day offer the old school "video" rental that we are known to take advantage of on a regular basis. 

This weekend was no exception as we rented Black Mass and The 33 plus we snagged The Iron Giant and the 2013  version of Godzilla to add to our collection and only spent a whole $4 on both!

I don't know why but for some odd reason we always tend to watch the movies we buy first versus the rentals and there was no exception to the unwritten "law", because the rest of the evening was kicking back at home and watching Godzilla and then The Iron Giant...

On Sunday the hubby and I got up and deep cleaned the house. This has came to be a routine around here and it is nice that we spend one day as a family to get together and clean. Though I maintain the house during the week it is usually just that maintaining but the deep cleaning always gets put on the back burner with things that happen though out the day. 

After we got the house cleaned we rounded up our girls and took about a 3 mile walk around town. Of course us girls suckered Ant to treat us to lunch on our adventure and we finally tried a local favorite called "Eat My Catfish". I will share more about our experience there this week. 

After we filled our bellies we drug ourselves home and spent the afternoon watching the kids play in the yard and starting working on our over flowing  burn pile... 

As the afternoon became cooler we came in doors had dinner and  the hubby and I sat down to enjoy one of the rentals and opted that Black Mass had to be the first must watch! 

If you are a Johnny Depp fan this is one not to miss. His skills awe me in every movie he has been in and this one did not disappoint. 

This is going to be a busy week for us but I plan on not forgetting you guys :) 

See you soon! 

Turning a HOUSE into OUR HOME ; The Yard: Phase One

One thing I REALLY love about our place is that we can do what we want to make it fit our style, needs and most importantly make it our own... 

We have SEVERAL projects started here and there but a lot of the things that we are doing now is "blank canvasing" areas that we will re do when we have more time and money. 

The weekend before that is a perfect example...

When we moved in the yard has some MAJOR greenery and though it is beautiful they were all untainted, overgrown and honestly I didn't really like them... 

I have always had the theory when it comes to yards that less is more.

BUT here is the kicker...

I am not in charge of the yard and how it looks lol

When the hubby and I met we agreed the inside was mine to decorate, have final say etc and outside, garages, building etc were for him to have the same...

Front of the house before.... 

I did convince him some how to pull ALL of that greenery up and it came to look something like this...

Not only does the house not only look bigger but it had already helped with the yard looking cleaner in it's self! 

We have not came up with an official plan for this area but I think a beautiful porch or deck would be amazing... hmmmm...

What I REALLY love though about projects like these though is that everyone gets involved! 

And when I mean everyone I do mean everyone! 

Even our little wolf pack came by and helped! 

You will meet them tomorrow :)

There has been a lot of cleaning up in the yard and there is still SO MUCH MORE to do! 

Stay tuned :)