Ballard Bunch

I was looking for a post idea to get the "blogging blood flow going". I actually searched "blog post ideas" and there are several sites for this purpose!!! I saw something about Tell 9 things you are grateful for, and that reminded me of something a friend of mine has been doing: Days of Grace. Grace in Small Things is a website/movement/way of thinking that is "a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." My friend posts everyday about a few things she is grateful for. As she says, "You get to find positive things in everyday life." I looked up the definition of grace and here were a few definitions I liked: a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill. b. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence. c. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God. Grace in Small Things (or GIST as I will refer to it :) GIST Day 1: - my hair lady :) - texting, so I can keep in touch with my...

so here are the rules for "eight things": . mention the person that tagged you . complete the list of eight things . tag eight of your wonderful blogger friends . go tell them you tagged them Eight things I look forward to: 1. friday 2. Jason getting home in the evenings 3. family errands/activities 4. summer 5. football Season starting 6. holiday season 7. bedtime 8. date nights Eight things I did yesterday: 1. went to the "mercado" grocery store to get cookies for Cinco de Mayo celebration at school 2. had lunch with an old friend 3. worked 4. unpacked 5. cooked dinner 6. took a shower 7. watched Tivo'd Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice 8. caught up on my Google Reader Eight things i wish i could do: 1. pray more...and not get distracted while doing it 2. run long distances and enjoy it 3. clean my house better 4. french braid Lucy's hair 5. start my own business 6. be more patient with my kids 7. make a good pie crust- everytime! 8. buy a...

Well, it's official. I could stay away no longer. When I first started hearing about all this Twilight stuff, I thought, "Well, if that had come out when I was in high school, I would have been all over it." Lately, I've been feeling "too old" for stuff. So I stayed away. My youngest sister (16) bought all the books, my mom read the books, I still stayed away. Now, I have always been a major bookworm. It used to drive my dad crazy. I mean, sure, he was glad I was reading, but I would get so involved in what I was reading. I would bring whatever book I was reading (usually Baby Sitters Club) with me wherever we were going- and read constantly. My mom totally got it- because she was the same way. That is another reason I stayed away. I get so caught up in books and characters- I literally had to stop reading a series when I was in middle school because I was getting upset at the bad things that were happening to the characters. Now you know my secret. I get ob...

Well, we had our 10 year reunion this weekend. We were saying how 10 years sounds like such a long time and it didn't seem like it could have been that long. But, at dinner, going through our senior yearbook, it did feel like a lifetime ago. I really had a great time in high school- awesome friends, incredible memories and opportunities. It was nice to see who I saw- we only had about half show up (8 couples on Saturday night, 11 class of '98 alumni at the game). Pictures for Maggie (missed you, hon!!!) Christy, me and Rachel Me and Rach with a class photo from left: Heather's husband, Jimmy Gresham and his wife from left: Susie (Kyle's wife), Carly's husband, Carly, Heather What I loved about high school: - first and foremost is the friendships. I have yet to forge the kind of friendships I had in high school, and luckily for me, I am still in contact with most of them. Too many memories to recount, but my best friends and I were always together and looking out for...

I was tagged by Laura, here goes: 1. I teach Spanish to preschoolers. I minored in Spanish at TCU, but had never taken it until I went there. I took German in high school. 2. I used to eat raw oysters as a kid. My granny and I would eat raw oysters on Saltine crackers- now I think they are gross! They smell bad... 3. I love NASCAR- we watch the race every week. It makes my dad crazy, but Jason and I got into it last summer and I love it. My kids even know our favorite racers (go #99!!!) 4. I have been growing my hair out for the past 2 1/2 years...and I am going to chop it all off tomorrow!!!! I had fun with the long hair, but I'm done with it and ready for a "style" again. 5. I love to stay up late. I will stay up after Jason and the kids go to bed, and watch some of "my" shows. It is great unwinding time, and I enjoy it so much having quiet for a little bit. The shows only I watch are- Chuck, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Numb3rs and Psych. (Man, this ...

- I'm starting from scratch with my computer because my hard drive crashed and all data was lost. Can't find iPhoto, and have no pictures. - I've been doing more cooking from scratch. Found a good cake recipe (don't forget the pudding mix !!), and it is cheaper to buy the fresh ingredients and put it together yourself. - The class I teach at church, we have gone back to the beginning- Genesis, where God started from scratch. He literally made Adam from nothing (the dust of the earth). - I am teaching a new grade this year, and so I am starting from scratch with them. We are both learning as we go along. It is amazing how lost I was without my computer this week. You'd think I would have gotten more housework done!! (I can always find SOMETHING else to do besides dust...)

I feel blessed... - that I have found a network of friends and comrads through blogging. I truly love getting glimpses into your families and learning things about you. - that I have my family close to me. They are always there when I need them, and I see them often. - that my kids get along so well. - that my husband and I can talk to each other about anything from the Cowboys defense to how to build (and keep) and savings account. We make a good team. - because I have healthy, active children. - because I have a list of people I could call if I needed them. - because my husband understands my need for a "night off" (otherwise known as Taco Casa night!!) Sometimes, when your overwhelmed, and you are having a CRAZY week- it's nice to stop and remember, I really do feel blessed...

Part 1 The Living Room Before: No, it's not your eyesight, this picture is a little fuzzy. Those are bookcases over the brick hearth, my Granny had them filled to the brim with pictures. The carpet has already been ripped up. Now, we have bookcases on either end of the mantle, with a carpet square on the floor, inside of the couches. The rest of the living room is tile, as well as the dining room and kitchen. Full view of the living room, from the entryway Before: Looking in the living room from the dining room During: The paneling has been removed from the walls After: Before: Entryway After: The ceiling Before: Wood beams made squares on the ceiling During: Beams taken down and we tried to just sand down the popcorn effect on the ceiling. After: The sanding ended up looking horribly uneven, so we covered the entire ceiling with wood flooring. Then we made the big beams that go vertically. It's beautiful now, and we love it, but it was one of things that didn't even go CL...

Oh, I cherish this time. For some reason I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, but I felt refreshed and not aggravated. I got up, made coffee and started some laundry. I got to have a cup of coffee and nice conversation with my sweet husband (about Disney World- less than 2 weeks!!). Then, he left for work and now I am at the computer and the house is completely silent. Oh, man this is nice. You just need some of these quiet times every once and a while. Thank you, Lord, for my incredible life. I am so blessed. My kids are healthy, we have a roof over our head, and a family that loves us and lives close. Thank you for these quiet moments, that you know I need so much. Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop and thank you, to be appreciative for all I have received. Your love is an incredible thing. Amen.

I saw this on someone else's blog, and well, we all know how I like to talk about myself... 1. What was I doing 10 years ago? (This question is really why I wanted to do this on my blog- 10 years ago right now was a HUGE time for me) I was graduating high school from SCS, and starting my relationship with my future husband. WOW! May of 1998 was a crazy time. I was so excited about graduating, so looking forward to TCU, and crushing SO hard on the cutest boy ever, Jason Ballard. I was best friends with Maggie, Katie, Rachel and Denee and nervous about being so far away from them after high school. Luckily, I can say 10 years later, I am still in contact with ALL of them! I graduated on May 18, turned 18 on May 23 and fell in love all in one month!! 2. 5 things on my to-do list today... 1) Call the man who is installing our new back door, and give him directions to our house 2) take a shower 3) drop the kids off at the in-laws so we can have my birthday date night. Cheesecake Factor...

Yesterday, I received two deliveries: Number 1: Blue Irises to remind me of Walker Pink Tulips to remind me of Lucy Number 2: An Herb Garden Thyme, Rosemary, Basil and Sage THANKS, HONEY!! I love you and the kids so much and being a mommy is the best thing there is!! Today, my Dad watched the kids and Grace and I went to lunch at PF Chang's. It's the BEST!! Then, we went to a Mother's Day Tea where my Granny stays. Granny and I Our table , with Granny's bingo buddy, Ruthie

I thought it would be fun. This is not a "tag" but if you would like to copy and paste, then add your own one-word answers, I'd LOVE to read yours! Leave a comment and tell me if you do one. 1. Where is your cell phone? counter 2. Your significant other? strong 3. Your hair? red 4. Your mother? greatness 5. Your father? caring 6. Your favorite thing? my kids 7. Your dream last night? forgotten 8. Your favorite drink? sweet tea 9. Your goal or dream? patience 10. The room you're in? living room 11. Your kids? hilarious 12. Your fear? loneliness 13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here 14. Where were you last night? home 15. What you're not? driven 16. Muffins? blueberry 17. One of your wish list items? iPhone 18. Where you grew up? Texas 19. The last thing you did ? cook 20. What are you wearing? shirt 21. Your TV? HD 22. Your pets? dog 23. Your computer? Mac 24. Your life? lively 25. Your mood? good 26. Missing someone? yes 27. Your car? Trail Blazer 28. Somet...

7 Random things about me... 1. When I eat chips, I eat the broken, smaller ones first and then the larger ones, and then the whole ones. 2. I LOVE trailers. We record a trailers show every week on HDNet and I HAVE to watch the end of every TV show, where it shows, "Coming up next week on..." 3. If I could have ANYTHING in the world it would be a housekeeper. It is really hard to get motivated to clean house. 4. My feet grew after my two pregnancies- I am now a size 10. UGH! 5. I love sports and listen to sports talk radio whenever I am in the car. 6. I eat ketchup on my hot dogs. I used to be a mustard ONLY girl. 7. I love kids foods. Fruit snacks, goldfish, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, and McDonald's! I am supposed to tag people to do this on their blog, and put their name as a link. I tag... Caitlin Jojo Jennifer R. Ashley C. Crissy

One of my favorite things to do as a child was read books. Babysitters Club started it all!!! My mom understood, but I used to irritate my dad and stepmom because I would ALWAYS be reading. Even if we were just going to be in the car for a few minutes, I would bring my book and read the whole way. It is something that has stayed with me, but since I became a mother, I have not had the time I once did. Right now, I have several books that I am reading. I have never done that before, because I used to finish books so fast. These are the books on my nightstand right now. Birnbaum's 2008 Walt Disney World. The kids favorite right now. You HAVE to read this if you are going to WDW. Really enjoying this book. Very encouraging Nora Roberts- just for fun, easy reads. Classic ROMANCE love the First Lady, but AM NOT enjoying this book This is a SMART book, with lots of good thoughts. Mary Higgins Clark- classic suspense novels. GREATNESS!! Favorite authors- Harlen Coben, Nora Roberts, Mary ...

When I was pregnant with Lucy, and found out I was having a girl, I was really excited. For many reasons, this was great news. But, I was so thrilled to have a girl so I could join the Bowhead club. Sometimes I would laugh when I would see a little girl with a really huge bow on her head, but secretly, I thought it was...awesome! One of my favorite things about having a girl is.... The bows!! Yes, I'm aware this is a bit of a silly post, but it's MY favorites, so... Feb. '06 I usually get my bows at a boutique. But, as Lucy got older, and I wanted to go onto bigger bows, they got expensive. I mean, 8.99, for a bow!!! What was I to do??? They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well, I didn't invent anything, but out of necessity, I taught myself how to make bows. Michael's has a great selection of ribbon, and a HUGE bin of clearance ribbon for $1. My favorite bows are layered with different colors, so I get some of the solid color grosgrain ribbon, and then ...

A New Sonic - Not that Sonic is my favorite and my best or anything. I mean, they are fine and good, and have lots of different choices for whatever mood you're in. BUT, we live kind of "out" and there is not alot of stuff that is real close. Well, they are building a Sonic right on 1187, about 4 minutes from our house! So, I was glad we were getting something close, and then I drove by one day, and saw that there will be a HUGE playground at the Sonic. YES!!! I have never seen a playground at a Sonic before, but I am seeing alot of trips there this spring and summer for the Ballards- for a Dr. Pepper blended float, or maybe an Ocean Water?!?! Holiday tomorrow -Tomorrow is President's Day, and I am off school. The kids, however, still have ARK School. I have to admit, my first reaction was- YES!!! So, tomorrow I will get the whole 9-2 to do WHATEVER I WANT!!! Actually, Jojo is going to be with me and we are having a fun sister day [feeling left out, C? :( ] together, ...

I love cooking, but one of my favorite things is finding new recipes. Growing up, I remember seeing my mom tear out magazine or newspaper pages, and more recently, printing out pages from foodnetwork.com The problem was, she put these pages in a big envelope. So, when she wanted to look for one of her recipes, she would just dump the whole thing out and hope to run across it, AND hope it wasn't torn. It drove me crazy!!!! And, it really deterred me from starting my own collection of recipes. I have several great cookbooks that I refer to often: But, my favorite cookbooks have to be the personal ones. For my family wedding shower in 2001, my Dad put together a cookbook full of recipes from the Ballards, Shaws and Wrights. It has some of my favorites (my Dad's buttermilk pie and my mom's lasagna), Jason's favorites (his Granny's banana pudding), and some old family recipes (my great grandmother's Hershey Bar Cake). It is a real treasure. Recently, I started c...

Well, it's only 9:30, and it's already one of those days. I have already prayed several times. 6:30- Lucy wakes up and comes in our bed. Not completely abnormal, but she wouldn't go back to sleep! I snapped at her that it was still night-time and to be quiet. Prayer #1 soon followed. 7:30- I get out of the shower and hear Lucy's terrible hacking cough. They have both been coughing for a couple of days, but we have kept it under control. I go to her and feel her, and she is slightly warm. She is laying down, and saying she is tired. So I email the school to tell them I will not be coming in today, and I get out the breathing machine. 7:45- Walker wakes up, and comes into bed with us. He says he wants to go to school (prayer #2 thanking God for that) and he feels fine. *I must add that last night he threw up on me twice. He had been saying he was full, and we thought he just ate too much yesterday. 8:10- getting Lucy dressed, and Walker tells me, "I pooped in my unde...

Some of Walker's favs: - puzzles. He got several for Christmas and does at least one a day - Power Rangers. UGGHHH I didn't like it in the 90's when my sisters were watching it, and I don't like it now. There are about 5 different Power Ranger shows, and a new one where they are jungle animals that he is MAJOR excited about- bleck. - Cheetos. If he sees Cheetos anywhere, he MUST have them. - playing in the leaves. Jason blew a bunch of our backyard leaves into a big pile- WOW, did they have fun with that. Great idea, Dad!! Some of Lucy's favs: - her underwear. She is so excited that she has underwear like her Bubba. She is actually doing really well with potty training, this is one of Mommy's favorite things right now!! I can't believe I am so close to a no diaper house... - Princess dress-up clothes. She got some dress up stuff for Christmas, and it is so funny to see her try to walk around in the high heels that it comes with. -chocolate milk. This girl is...

When I started my blog, I planned to post recipes and talk more about food. Cooking is definitely a passion for me, not just just something I have to do. I love Food Network, reading cookbooks, finding new recipes and cooking for my family. It is really fun to have a recipe for something, but change it up a little bit to make it "yours". One of my favorite all-time meals is.... BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!! When I was a kid, this was my absolute FAVORITE thing to have. Partly because I love breakfast food, and partly because it was just fun and different. Now, even as an adult it is still one of my favorite things to make, and my kids love it, too!! We have it when Jason is working late, as he prefers his breakfast in the morning. My favorite breakfast was at Dottie's in San Francisco. We waited an hour out in the street, but it was worth it. I have never had a better breakfast in my life. Favorite breakfasts to have at home- - Jason's breakfast burritos - french toast m...