CC Dog!

Coconut Curry Carrot Soup!

I got a Ninja!  For dinner I made soup... I blended/ ninja'd: coconut milk, carrots, peppers, curry powder and tummeric, Olive oil, and chicken broth!  I also baked some organic chicken and shredded it into the soup!  I'm the only one in the family that loves spice so this meal is all mine!  Rusty and Lorelai will eat their baked organic chicken and vegetables on the plate... no blending necessary! 

New Paint Pics!

So clean and serene!  It's everything I hoped it would be!

It's finished!

This painting project started in Feb 2012! And here in July 2014 it's finally finished!  Woohoo!

Almost there!

As soon as I put the Mississippi Mud glaze on the top half of the head board... this project is finished!  Hallelujah!  Stay tuned for an amazing before and after shot with the fish eye lens!  It's beautiful and I'm so proud that we made this transformation... it's a DIY paradise!

Furniture progress!

We started white washing our bedroom furniture two and a half years ago. It's been the slowest project, ever. But I couldn't take the dark brown headboard anymore today and just started slapping on some choc paint!  Here's to hoping it looks ok!

4th Fun!

We had an insane spread for our 4th celebration!  We kicked off the party at my house with BBQ and then headed to the Jackson Generals baseball game and fireworks display!  Good times!  The fireworks were amazing!!!!

Family Day!

Memphis Zoo and Joe's Crab Shack, perfection! 

A new journal!

Genius! Can't stop, won't stop!

She's blown through FOUR books in The Critter Club series in the past week (these books are 100+ pages each and a slightly more exciting read than the Junie B. Jones series). This series is amazing, if you have a little girly- girl in the 5-9 age reading group... you need these books!  

Also we grabbed a new series to get us through the week in case L finishs The Critter Club.  The series is Kylie Jean... no clue how they are yet, but the first page was cute and Kylie has a dog named Ugly Brother so I'm thinking this series will be a hit too!

Lemonade $1

Lorelai had the best time selling Lemonade yesterday!  This was the ultimate Ballentine family project, and brought out the best in all of us. Rusty made the stand, it is so professional looking!  I bought all the supplies.  And Lorelai helped paint the sign.  It was perfect!  Then my parents even stopped by and helped out!  

Reading glasses!

The eye doctor gave my little book worm reading glasses and she is thrilled!  She's a homebody at heart.  We stopped by the book store last night to grab some new "chapter books". The Critter Club is an adorable little girl series with glitter on the cover and a fun read!

9th Anniversary

My blog has been sporadic at best this summer. Basically because my computer is pretty much full and I haven't taken my camera anywhere because I don't have much to do with the pictures until I dump my computer. Anyway... 

Rusty and I celebrated our NINTH anniversary yesterday!  Yippee!  In the past nine years we've had a few times where we simply survived instead of thrived. But this year we're thriving!  It's been a great year and the big ten is just around the corner!  The ninth anniversary is pottery, willow, or leather. We talked and talked and did a little shopping but couldn't come up with anything we loved or needed at the moment. So as of now we are without a combined gift this year. Maybe we'll find something, maybe not. Life will certainly go on. Maybe we could re-purpose one of our awesome pottery pieces into an anniversary item... we love being thrifty and re-purposing things. Now that I've typed that, I love that idea!  

We went to Lorelai's team practice, and then dinner at Red Lobster... what screams celebration like the admirals feast?! we got ice cream, and headed home for family movie night watching The Book Thief!  Perfect night!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

My dad and Lorelai's are the two best!  My mom got my dad a gift bag that read the world's best dads get promoted to Grandpas!  And isn't that the truth?!  Lorelai has the best Grandpa in the whole world (he spent all week at horse camp, need I say more!!!)  We love you dad and Rusty!  You two are living testimonies of Christ's unconditional love!

Best Friends

Party Planner

Lorelai won a McKenna party kit at a birthday last week, and used it today to host a viewing party for me!  Complete with invitations, tickets, critics sheets and pencils, an appetizer platter that she assembled herself and matching McKenna outfits!  

Is that you?

The unicorn on Ls shirt and the new white horse at the stable could be twins!

2020 Olympics, here we come...

Friday night beam routines and Make It or Break It Marathon!  Complete with leotard changes and makeshift bars and floor routines!

Dolly

Lorelai and I are home from our trip with my parents to Dollywood/ Splash County and the Dolly Parton Blue Smoke World Tour concert in Knoxville!  Here's a picture of Lorelai's favorite ride, The Smoky Mountain River Rampage!

Memorial Day!

We went swimming and to a BBQ at my friends house last night!  #jorts #ballentineslovewatersocks 

For Fun!

Lorelai has a 1st grade math book that she works in for fun!  She does it during our nightly tv time!  She's done 42 pages in the week or so that she's had it... incredible!  Also, it's hard to tell in the picture but she's using CC as a desk, ha!

Another common sight is her nose in a book.  Her current favorite series is Junie B. Jones.  How lucky am I?!

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

This is the second one I've made this weekend!  The first one was made with frozen hash browns, this one is with whole wheat rolls (I wanted to do biscuits but they were out of those). Anyway, so you start by putting some olive oil on the bottom of the crockpot, then you add the biscuits/rolls or hash browns, then you add cooked sausage (we used deer sausage this time, last time we used Jimmy dean maple sausage), next you mix up 12 eggs (we used organic) and a cup of milk (this time we also added Swiss cheese to the mix, and a dash of turmeric to the mix, pour the egg/milk/ optional cheese and tummeric mix to the crock pot.  Cover the entire thing with some shredded cheddar cheese and cook on low for 4-6 hours!  Yum!

My kindergarten Mother's Day gifts!

A book mark with a flower made out of finger prints!

A clay owl!

An interview essay!  

My Mom's name is Carlin (Caroline).

She is 33 years old.

She weighs 40 pounds, and is 7 feet tall.

Her favorite food is pettsu (pizza).

She is happy when I sprs her (surprise her).

She gets mad when i do not lisin (I do not listen).

Her favorite thing to do is woch tv (watch tv).

My mom is happy. 

A drawing!

A picture!

Happy Mother's Day!

To my own, and to the little girl that made me one!  

I love being a mom, and I'm going to spend my day serving my family a sit down filet steak lunch with my baby's favorite Mac and cheese and sweet tea!  On a tablescape designed by my mom, one of her favorite things is creating beautiful settings for us!  I'm so appreciative that I get to be Lorelai's mama, what a blessing!!!

The picture on the left was taken in 1988, my mom with Me and Derek... she was deep in the throws of motherhood driving us to school, swimming, horse riding, and helping with media fair projects!  The picture on the right, 2014, she's deep in the throws of grandmotherhood... helping me plan for kindergarten graduation, playing the Easter bunny, and still driving the mom-taxi to voice, cheer, horse, and art lessons!  Thanks mom, you're the worlds greatest Meme and we love you!

High Five Friday

1.  School is almost out for summer!  Hallelujah!  I'm ready for a break from early mornings!  This year has flown by.  We loved Lorelai's teachers and friends!  It's been a great year, and I'm really, really really looking forward to the kindergarten graduation ceremony.  It's called a "bridging" ceremony and the children receive their diploma from their kindergarten teacher and then walk across a bridge and receive a ball cap from one of the school's first grade teachers.  I tear up a little just typing that!  I mean how could it get any cuter?  Oh, but it can!  They sing little songs about moving on to 1st grade!  I live for stuff like this.  I'm having a graduation party after the ceremony, and can't wait to shower my little graduate with cake, gifts and praise!

2.  Mother's Day is this weekend!  I got my own mother a portrait session with me and Lorelai.  We took the pictures on Wednesday of this week.  My mom's favorite thing on Earth is pictures, so I know this was a big hit... one of the proofs is already back, and it came out great!

I posted the journal entry Lorelai wrote for me earlier this week and  I know I've got some more hand-made gifts coming my way... I've seen some kindergarten projects in the hallway at school... I LOVE hand-made gifts and can't wait to see what I got!

3.  We made our annual pilgrimage to The Strawberry Festival!  I shoved my pie hole full with fried gator and 'tater, shrimp on a stick, funnel cake, and lemonade!  It's one of my favorite traditions to kick of summer and I love a good street fair.

4.  I got a first edition Arthur Court magnolia ring!  It's very pretty and light weight and just my style!

5.  This week was also cinco de mayo!  We went out for crawfish and drinks on Monday and listened to a local band!  It was a great night to be outdoors and having fun!  Summer is here and the weather is warming up!  I prefer fall but change is always good and it's nice to have some heat after the brutally cold winter!

Ripping out her teeth!

She's lost THREE teeth in one week, and is working round the clock to get a fourth one to fall out. It's quite a sight to see her gummy grin!  

Mother's Day 2014

"Mother's Day is abawt my mom and my mom rocks. i love my mom she is nice.  my mom loves me to.  by Lorelai 

to lean more abawt this go to Lorelai.com"

1st Voice Recital Today!

Stay tuned for a video!  Lorelai's singing "Twinkle Twinkle"!

Friday Night, Living It

Papa Johns, wine, Greys, Gilmore Girls.