Ballard Bunch

Every Friday I will post about something that is my favorite. I am leaving it pretty open for interpretation, so I will always be able to come up with ideas. It might be a recipe, a top 5 list of my favorite (fill-in-the-blank), whatever. Any ideas are welcome as well!! MY FAVORITE........ season is fall. Why do I love fall? 1. Even in Texas, where the weather is crazy, the weather is lovely. It feels so great outside, and it looks so pretty, too. I love the colors of fall- the reds, oranges, and browns. The leaves changing, it looks crisp and just makes me want to be outside, sitting on a blanket, reading a book. 2. I also love the clothes. Long sleeved shirts, jeans, sweaters- fall clothes are the best, because your not all bundled and uncomfortable like sometimes when it's really cold outside, and your not self conscience like in summer clothes!!! 3. Fall food and spices. I love pumpkin anything! The spices like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg- they have the best aroma. And, I get to s...

Halloween-such a fun holiday! As the kids get older, and more aware of things like holidays, it becomes a bigger deal for our family. Here are some pics of Halloweens past. Halloween 1998 Zorro and his Senorita Halloween 2004 Our little Superman Halloween 2005 Dumbo- the happiest elephant you've ever seen! *Yes, this was Lucy's first Halloween, but she wasn't supposed to be BORN yet, so we didn't have a costume for her.* Halloween 2006 Mickey Mouse Minnie Mouse Halloween 2007 Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

My friend Maggie had this great post "My Favorite Things", where she posted pics of her favorite stuff. I thought it was a great idea, and told her to tag some people and get this "thing" moving around, so she tagged me!! Thanks, Mag! MY FAVORITE THINGS: Just HAVE to watch The Office every week. We fell in love with the British version first, and caught up with the American version halfway through the second season. We quickly caught up, and haven't missed an episode since. Go PB&J!!! My favorite restaurant right now. I have only been there a couple of times, but I have yet to taste anything that I didn't like. I have been loving life since they started making fruity water. And this one is REAL good. I am not trying to be a brand name snob or anything, but my Grandmother bought me some Chanel lipstick recently and it is the BEST lipstick ever. And they have the coolest brand logo. I wanted to do my whole kitchen, but I couldn't find a good picture, s...

...to care for 2 toddlers when their mom gets a bad case of the flu. I have frequently talked about how our family all live close and we see them all the time. Well, this was definitely one of those times that I realize why I love them all so much. Tuesday, my mom took off work to be with us at home. That evening, Jason was working late for a special event there branch was putting on, so Jason's parents picked up the kids and kept them at their house. They even fed them dinner and gave them a bath!! Wednesday, my dad took the kids to school so I could go to the doctor. He also picked them up, and then kept them through dinnertime, so I could continue to rest. Jason is taking a sick day today to be with us. I just HAD to brag on my incredible family. I think as soon as you become a mom, you should automatically become immune to EVERYTHING. But, if God won't do that, at least he gave me a caring, considerate family that comes together when they are needed.

Well, first, I should say- What A Crazy Weekend! We had 2 birthday parties for Lucy, and I got started getting sick on Friday. But, as I mentioned before, everyone is so busy, it wasn't really a possibility to move the parties. So, we trudged along. It was great to see everyone, and the kids had a great time. I was so exhausted from the weekend (and still had a fever), so I emailed the school to tell them- No Senora Ballard today!! Jason (BLESS HIM) took the kids to mother's day out and is going to pick them up, so I have ALL DAY at home, BY MYSELF! I literally don't know what to do!! I am feeling better, but I will be pretty lazy and rest. It is just REALLY weird to be here without anybody else (besides our first baby, Daisy May). Mom's are so used to running around crazy, getting juice, changing diapers, putting in this movie, etc., that you really don't know how to act with quiet time like this. I am very thankful for these several hours. I know my body needs the...

My baby will be 2 on Thursday!! We had her first party last Saturday. We have to break it up and do a couple of family parties because all of our family lives locally (we are very blessed by that) and we don't have room for everyone at one time, and they are all so busy, if we just had one party, inevitably, someone would not be able to attend!! So this past weekend, Jason's family came over and we had a great time. Jason's mom made an incredible castle cake for our princess, and she got lots of fun stuff and some great fall clothes, too. Lucy with her castle cake. Thanks, Nana!! With her favorite present, the baby stroller and a baby to go with it. Thanks Aunt D and Uncle Jeff!!

I was tagged by Maggie. 1. Who is your man? Steven Jason Ballard 2. How long have you been married? 5 years, 9 months 3. How long did you date? Dated 2 years, engaged 1 1/2 years 4. How old is your man? 30 5. Who eats more? Jason (usually...there have been occasions!!) 6. Who said "I love you" first? Jason 7. Who is taller? Jason, by 6 inches 8. Who sings better? I do (but I love to hear him sing) 9. Who is smarter? Jason 10. Whose temper is worse? Jason 11. Who does laundry? Me 12. Who takes out the trash? Me 13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me 14. Who pays the bills? Jason 15. Who is better with the computer? Jason 16. Who mows the lawn? Jason 17. Who cooks dinner? Me, but Jason does all the grilling. 18. Who drives when you are together? Jason 19. Who pays when you go out? Jason 20. Who is more stubborn? Jason 21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me 22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine 23. Who kissed who first? Jason kissed me, in the IHOP...

My mom's birthday is today, and even though she is not even in the COUNTRY, the least I can do is dedicate a post to her with some great pictures and thoughts. My mom is great. She has a husband, 3 daughters, 2 grandchildren, and a job. Yet, she is always ready to talk about my problem or listen to my story. I LOVE YOU, MAMA! So here are 10 things you might not know about her. 1. She was a nationally ranked when she rode horses. 2. She was also a fantastic tennis player. 3. She went to ACU for one year. 4. She is the fastest typer and fastest reader I have ever seen. 5. She does not have a good memory (and it doesn't have anything to do with her age.) 6. She met my stepdad, Monty, at a party at TCU through her sister Lea. 7. She loves to cook. And she is great at it... 8. One of her favorite places is the Rooster Bar at Cafe Aspen. 9. She HATES to cry, and avoids romantic movies like the plague. 10. She goes on 5 trips a year. At the San Francisco Hilton, on our girls trip, thi...

This is a magazine that is put out by Kraft Foods. It comes out quarterly (as a new season begins). IT IS FREE. I love this magazine. I feel like I am getting something I shouldn't be getting, like eventually they will realize they should be charging people for this. It has great recipes, that are quick and easy, and you can also sign up for weekly emails. I hate to sound like a commercial from Kraft, I have no ties to that brand but I love what they are doing, but they also send me coupons throughout the year for new products to try. I love to cook, but I really love finding new recipes and trying new stuff. This is a fun and easy (and cheap) way to do both. This last week, I made the Easy Italian Stew from this last issue, and it was GREAT! EASY ITALIAN STEW* 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage 2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables (white onions and sliced green, red and yellow peppers...

Well, the weekend started off great. I got to go to my new favorite restaurant with one of my favorite friends. Rachel (Kacsmaryk) Kerbel came into town this weekend, and we met for dinner Friday night, just the girls. The food was incredible, as usual, and we had a wonderful time. I have always liked Asian food, but PF Chang's has really taken it to a new level with me. There food is so much better than any other Asian place I have ever been to. It is my favorite restaurant right now. You have to get the lettuce wraps!! My mom and stepdad are in Italy for a couple of weeks celebrating a certain milestone birthday of my mom's. My sister, Sydney (or Jojo as she is now referred to), is staying with us. She brought her camera and that always means some fun, cute pics! So here are some, courtesy of Jojo. One of our favorite activities right now is Play-Doh. I try not to let them do it too much because I don't want them to get tired of it. I usually bring it out when I need some...

The Bad News- Walker doesn't take naps anymore. As any mom of young kids will tell you, this is a very important part of your day, especially to help keep your sanity. Sleep has always been VERY important for Walker. If he didn't get enough, everybody paid for it all day. But, he was a night owl. So, we have never been on a good schedule for him. If he's tired, he will take a long nap and then he doesn't go to sleep until late because he's not tired from the big nap he took!! A terrible cycle, I know. The Good News- Walker is asleep, in HIS bed, by 8:15 every night. No fights, no fits, no crying. Lucy goes to bed between 7:45-8:00 (she has always had a schedule and sticks to it), and now, Walker goes to bed right after her. He tells his Daddy goodnight, and then I take him to his room. We pray, sing and I walk out the door. He goes right to sleep with no problem and now Mommy has some time to unwind... and watch Grey's Anatomy, of course. So, overall, I will tak...

After these 40 "things", I will have completed my "100 things you may not know about me". I really was just going to do the 50, but then it got my brain going, and I wasn't completely happy with the first 50, because alot of those weren't "things you may not know about me", they were just thoughts FROM me. So here you go, the final forty... 1. I love Friends and am constantly relating things people say to the show... even though it has been over for 3 years. 2. On our flight to Rome, our luggage went to Cincinnati. We didn't get it for 3 days... 3. ...I was 7 months pregnant. 4. I make Jason's lunch for work everyday. 5. I always have the makings for chocolate chip cookies in my pantry. 6. I love McDonald's. 7. I was so starved for sports this summer (baseball is COMPLETELY unwatchable to me), that I started watching NASCAR... 8. ...now we are hooked and watch it every week. Go #99! 9. I think I am a good cook. 10. When I was pregnant ...

This past weekend, we went to Glen Rose with my Dad and Grace. Glen Rose is just past Cleburne, about 1 hr to 1 hr and a half away. We went to Dinosaur Valley State Park on Friday and Fossil Rim on Saturday, on one of those guided tours in the "zookeeper's car", as Walker called it. As I have mentioned before, my kids LOVE animals, so they were excited to see all this, and we got some great pics. We also had some of the best chicken fried steak and blackberry cobbler EVER!!! Thanks, Peepaw and GG, for a great weekend! Walker with the T-Rex and Brachiosaurus at Dinosaur Valley State Park GG, Lucy, Peepaw and Walker Lucy with a goat at Fossil Rim Before the Big Adventure! Lucy and Daddy Feeding the giraffes (this one is Beanpole) Lucy with HER Beanpole Lucy feeding the giraffes- they were so friendly, but their tongues were freakishly long!!! My cutie pies:

Yes, 100 is still alot, but once you make your list, you start thinking of other things you should have put or new things. Since I did the 50, I have been having these thoughts. So I will add 10 more today, maybe eventually I will get to 100. 1. I listen to sports radio all day. 2. My cardio playlist (for the gym or cleaning house) is almost entirely rap and hip-hop. 3. I failed a class in college. 4. I am not a good housekeeper. 5. I am a good organizer. Keeping things clean and keeping them neat are two TOTALLY different things. 6. The last concert I attended was The Wiggles. 7. We all had shirts made... and signs. 8. I love it when my Dad and Grace go out of town... 9. Because I get their housekeeper that week!!!! 10. I clip coupons every week.