The Ballard Bunch

A little recipe share: Low-Carb Lasagna in a Bowl. It's soooooooooo yummy!



Ingredients:
Ground Meat (cooked & drained - 1 lb makes about 4 servings)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (per serving)
1/2 cup sugar-free spaghetti sauce (per serving)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (per serving)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (per serving)
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash (per serving)

Directions
Cook the spaghetti squash. I used a tiny bit of olive oil and some Mrs. Dash in a skillet. Really yummy and really quick.
Cook the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Drain and rinse.
Heat the ricotta (microwave works best)
Layer in a bowl (or plate, like me): squash, ricotta cheese, ground meat, mozzarella, sauce, parmesan.

Nutritional Information: 19 g effective carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 38 grams protien, 425 calories.

Enjoy!

Wow - my 300th post!

I took the easy route today with the girls and had a sprinkler party - complete w/ sprinkle topped cupcakes (I'm good, I know).




One of the girls brought over her Rocket Launch sprinkler hook-up. It's awesome! I may have to go and buy one for us to play with this summer. Beau was in love at first sight. :)



And my sweet little gals had fun, too. Hot, hot day!

Found some awesome helmet/knee guard/elbow guard combo sets at K-Mart afor $5 the other day. Price was so good, I bought a few for gifts.

Here is Hayden modeling Tatum's set. Glad she likes it - she'll be getting her own for her birthday in August. :)

I made this blanket today for my friend Lauren's shower tonight.




Turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself.

Check out my cute friend Yvonne's blog.

I love that Brown Evonne and Blonde Yvonne are on the same page with blog design. Babies the same age, same great taste - BFF, baby! :)

Me - "Who is that in the picture, Hayden?"



Hayden - "You!"

I think I may point that out in pictures too much ("There's You!") - she's starting to think that's her name!

And tired as can be. Only 2 more hours to go...

Anyone have any good online time killers to share? That is, besides my vices listed under "Favories", of course.

It's officially summer in our family - we've hit the pool! The girls had a blast and Layne slept 95% of the time. And even though he didn't swim, he had to wear his swim trunks!

I'm so excited for the almost daily visits to Grandma and Grandpa's pool. Many more pics to follow this summer, but here are the first batch.





Babies Playing...


...and Wet Diaper Booty

voi·là (vwä-lä'); interj.
Used to call attention to or express satisfaction with a thing shown or accomplished: Mix the ingredients, chill, and—voilà!—a light, tasty dessert.

Not "wah-la".

Okay, I've given up. It was taking way too much time and effort to try and make my own blog design right now, so I opted for the easier way out. I love my design, I've changed my font colors, links have been re-added - I'm good.

Only a couple of issues:
Why can't I get my header to upload the custom designed jpg image I have on my computer? It says it's uploaded, but it won't show up on my blog at all.
Why can't you change fonts on your blog? I think that's just dumb.

'Nuff Said. Feeling almost accomplished. Can't wait to cross this of my list.

Still working on the blog update and running into some HTML issues. Anyone good w/ this stuff?

What I want to do is to add my own jpg as the header (I know how to do it, but it's not showing for some reason) and to resize the side columns. Oh, and I want some of my right hand column items to show on the left - to split things up. My template is for a 3 column design, but I can't seem to get things to move over.

Help!

We were in charge of playgroup today so the girls and I thought it would be a fun treat to bring cupcakes for all of the kiddies (and the mommy's, too!). Here are the fruits of our labors. Yum!



Thanks also for the compliments on the girls' dresses. These are some of my favorites. I also made a version similar to these out of blue and white toile w/ a chocolate brown ruffle and top trim - so cute! I'm happy to teach or to make for others - just send me an email! Tatum was the only one who would pose for me, so here's a better view than in the Father's Day post.

(A day late, but I'm just now finding a second to hop on the computer.)

For the best dad we know...



Happy Father's Day, Beau!

...I had to post one more.

She's getting so much better at coloring and drawing distinguishable objects. :)

Our Family


Itsy Bitsy Spider


Balloons


Coloring Inside the Lines...Kinda

Found this on Lisa's new fun blog and thought I'd try it out. Think Brangelina, TomKat, etc.

Beau + Evonne = Beanne
If you know Beau, you know this is especially funny because people always misread his name as "Bean" - he's even been announced at softball games that way. It's starting to stick. :)

A close second was Beaunne. Do you think this would be pronounced "Bone"? *haha* I'm laughing because I'm having a serious flashback to "Growing Pains" right now.

Try your name out - it's pretty fun!

I've been a good little missionary and converted another blogger to the world. :)

Quick link here...Odoyle Rules

Check it out, yo!

Tatum (aka Tate, Taters, Nonnie, Tater Bug)




Hayden (aka Haydes, Baby Bug, Baby Girlfriend, Denny)





Layne (aka Layners, Layner-Lou, Monkey Man, Buddy)

I am: Beat. So Tired. Exhausted. Sleep Deprived. And my baby sleeps through the night, go figure.
I think: My kids are the cutest in the world. I really do – I believe it. I could just take bites out of them – yum!
I know: How to say “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” backwards.
I want: A new car.
I have: Bigger feet since I’ve had my kids. Only by about a ½ size, but they’re bigger alright.
I wish: I had more wishes.
I hate: Unattentive moms.
I miss: My skinny jeans.
I fear: Something will happen to one of my kids or to Beau. I really worry about it on a daily basis.
I feel: good about myself when I get a good workout.
I hear: Shanna talking to a customer – she sits right behind me.
I smell: Nail polish. I just painted my nails at work – it’s so not busy at this time of night.
I crave: Sweets and carbs all the time. I’ve got to get it under control – HELP!
I search: On Google every day. I’m addicted. Oh, and on eBay.
I wonder: What my kids will look like when they’re older.
I regret: Nothing! Haven’t always made the best choices in life, but here I am!
I love: My husband. He’s the bomb.com. Really, you want him – you know you do.
I care: What people think about me too much. I’m working on it, but I think it’s ingrained in all of us at least a little.
I want: A new car.
I am not: Only a mom. Sometimes it’s hard to remember, but I try and remind myself daily. Otherwise, this girl is overwhelmed with the monotony sometimes.
I believe: That I’m better than I sometimes give myself credit for. Kind of similar to the statement above. I just know that no matter how overwhelmed I get or how stressed out I may be, I’m important to someone all the time. It could be the same person or someone different every day – doesn’t matter; it’s kind of a cool concept if you try and wrap your brain around it and really accept it.
I dance: With the girls when no one is watching.
I sing: Little Mermaid in the car with the girls every time we drive somewhere. It’s getting old. Quickly.
I don’t always: Get my way. I wish I did, but it’s just not realistic.
I fight: With a 3-year old on a daily basis. I always win, but we fight – I won’t lie.
I write: Blogs and emails daily. I need to focus on my book.
I win: At almost every board game Beau and I play. I’m just a storage container for oodles of useless knowledge. Now ask me about the pythagorean theorem, and I’m screwed.
I lose: Nothing! I’m exceptionally good at keeping track of my keys and my cell phone. I know a lot of people who misplace those, but I have never lost my keys – ever.
I never: Go to bed with the living room or kitchen dirty. Well, never say never, but rarely.
I listen: To the word “mom” all day long.
I can usually be found: Changing someone, feeding someone, bathing someone, cleaning up after someone, hugging someone or scolding someone.
I need: More money so I don’t have to work.
I am happy about: Going home to bed.

Tag, y'all! :)

Today was Layne's blessing - we had such a great day! After a busy morning (lots of babies to bless around these parts!), we made it home in time to clean up a bit and set up some tables and chairs in the back yard.

Beau did a great job with the blessing - I tried to take some notes for Layne's baby book, but I was crying and trying to shush Tatum most of the time, so we'll see.

We had lots of friends and family come to support our family - thank you all so much!

Here are a few pics of the day. I haven't gotten a real pic of Layne in his outfit - he barfed right after the blessing so I'll have to wash it and dress him up again for pictures. :)