Crafty!

So I have been feeling crafty this year and have been researching good craft websites for cute ideas. Well....I have found THE best craft website yet! It's a combination of sewing ideas, paper crafts, kids stuff, party ideas, etc. Really...if you need an idea, this is the place to go! One thing I think I will do this season (though I am getting a late start) is this christmas postcard idea. You use old gift boxes and christmas cards to make your own christmas cards. Genius!! It doesn't cost you a penny...just time, AND you are being "green" by reusing old things. I love it!!

Here's the link to the Craft idea (which you can then navigate the website as you wish):

Chica And Jo Recycled Christmas Cards

Hope you enjoy this website as much as I do!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Jacob's Christmas Concert

So this year Jacob's school did a Christmas concert. It was so cute! They put the Kindergarten class together with the First grade class for the first two songs.

I am a little bummed cause I didn't clear out my phone and there was only enough memory for 2 short clips of his concert. So I only got 30 seconds of the first song. so enjoy what I have.

FYI - Jacob is in the middle row third from the right. He's wearing a green sweater.


Friday, December 11, 2009

My recipes

Okay so I have soooooooooooo many recipes that I felt I should make a blog to put all of them on. I will not post a recipe that we have not tried yet, so I guarantee that - if you have the same tastes as me - all the recipes will be yummy!!!! Not guaranteed that the kids will eat all of them, but they eat most of them.

The blog is ballantynerecipes.blogspot.com

I only have a few on there right now. It's a work-in-progress so keep checking back.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Our Newest Endeavor

So first I must warn you...if you have a weak stomach to bloody things please do not continue.


This last Friday, while talking on the phone, Andrew decides to be sneaky and cut his own piece of rice krispie treat. Well, what he thought was a butter knife (which I allow him to use supervised) was actually one of my new, VERY sharp steak knives. Well....... I hear crying. I just know that he cut himself being sneaky (he's always sneaking). But when I see him his finger is dripping with blood. I had no idea a single finger could put out so much blood. So I take him to the bathroom to try and assess the situation. Lo and behold.....he sliced the tip of his finger almost completely off.


So I wrap it with a bandaid as tight as I can with tape, Wrap his hand in a towel (just in case the bandaid doesn't keep the blood at bay), throw Jacob in the car, call a friend to see if she can watch Jacob, call Ryan to tell him what happened and to tell him he needs to pick Jacob up from the friends house, and take Andrew to Urgent Care.


We get to Urgent Care at Kaiser Permanente and they don't open for a half hour. I didn't want to go to the ER because I know we'd wait longer than at Urgent Care so we wait.....and we wait....apparently those with the flu take higher priority over blood and guts. That's the only conclusion i can come up with. We waited...oh...about an hour. Once we were in it was pretty quick moving.


The picture taken was after the wound was cleaned and we were waiting for the doctor to assess whether to use glue or stiches. Poor Andrew! All this was done without any pain killer or anything. Let me tell you...Andrew is a strong boy!!! The whole time we were trying to clean his wound he was fighting with ALL his strength and I almost couldn't hold him. I was trying with all MY strength and he almost won!! He is a strong boy!!!!!! I had to tell him to not fight when he's putting the glue on, otherwise we'd have to clean it again. He still fought, but not as hard.



So that is our story. Andrew is officially our reckless one. In the last year he has more injuries than Jacob has had in his entire life.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Family Feasts Giveaway

So there is a blog I have told everyone about www.owlhaven.net and every month she does a giveaway. Well this month she is giving away her book Family Feasts for $75 a week. Seeing as how we are possibly going to double our family size in a matter of months this book would really be beneficial! So one way to be entered is to blog about the contest and then post a link to my blog on her blog. So here is my post!!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009