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?!