Ballou Family

2009-08-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah! I finished the mirror. I painted it red and hung a wreath on it I already had. I hung it where just wreath was before. Too much??? James has always said our house looks like "the Quilted Bear threw up in it!" Can you guess my favorite item in this picture?

It's the green pitcher. It was my Great Grandmas. Cool hu?

Trash to Treasure

2009-08-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I sold my totes at a boutique in Eagle Mountain earlier this summer where I met the most creative gal, Christine. Visit her at www.thisandthatcreations.blogspot.com She has a knack for finding treasures. So I am following suit. I always said I was a great idea stealer! So I ventured into D.I. the other day where I found these beauties for only $2.00 each. Score!!!! And this is what I turned them into.

I painted the little shelf this fun green color.

And the cork bulletin board I painted purple (when do we ever get to decorate with purple) and tucked in some fabric I already had. Then screwed in these little hooky things and hung all my sewing stuff on them.

Here it is above my sewing machine. Right within reach.

I made this shelf out of just 2 pieces of 6ft by 5 inch wood. I've had the fun pink drawer knobs for a while now just waiting to be used.

I still have the mirror to do.

Now that my sewing room is all nice and neat I'd better get back to sewing.

I BLINKED

2009-07-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ya know how everyone says your kids grow up in the "Blink" of an eye?

Well it's true!

We had the missionaries over for dinner yesterday, something we haven't done in a couple years. Well, I was getting everything ready and in walk the two Elders. They could have been Hayden's friends. I mean seriously! I've always had the impression of the Elders as Young men. But my heck, they were just two young teenagers. It was a weird realization for me. My sweet little "teenage" Hayden will be out there within the next year. As mothers we always want our babies to grow up, go to college, serve a mission, etc. But now that it's here for me I just want to keep him home safe with me. I love my boys. They're so funny and a joy to hang out with. I know a mission is where he needs to be but I'm tellin' ya, it's gonna be hard on me.

And it's all about me right??

Graduation Time

2009-05-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

This has been a momentous week. Porter graduated from Pre-school and Hayden graduated from High School.

I have never been a crier. I didn't cry when my boys started Kindergarten like other moms did or when Hayden went to his first prom or got his license, but oh boy has that changed.... We were sitting at the Dee Events center today waiting for his graduation to start, feeling good about everything and then I saw him in his cap and gown with the music starting to play and out of nowhere came the water works!

For some reason this sweet picture kept running through my mind. And I could not stop crying.

(We were still in the hospital. He had an IV in his little wrist)

It hit me all at once! Time with our children is so precious. We get so caught up in daily lives and before we know it BAM! They're all grown up.

The sweet baby boy I used to hold in my arms now towers above me. He is such a perfect son. He tries so very hard to do what's right and I know how hard this can be at times. I'm so glad he is the oldest because he is a wonderful example for his younger brothers.

He and 4 friends are driving to St. George and then on to California next week. I offered him my van, his remarks, with a big grin, "we can't pick up girls in a mini-van!"

Needless to say I will be doubling up on my prayers for him this week!

Congrats Hayden. We love you sooooooooooooooooo much!

Happy Mother's Day to Our Favorite and Most Wonderful Mother

2009-05-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

This song was written and performed by Jordan Ballou. He is the dutiful and loving son that naturally results from the kind of love and guidance provided by someone like April. I told my sons today that they can see that their mother is incredibly special and unique. They will be lucky to marry half as well as I did. Happy Mother's Day April.

LOVE,

Hayden, Jordan, Conner and Porter

And even though you aren't my mother you have been a wonderful mother to my sons. Thank you.

Love,
James

Vacation GO GO GO

2009-04-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA 2009

OK, brace yourself! There are a ton of pictures on this post.

My sweet brother and sister-in-law just moved to Anaheim Hills, CA. So the gang came down to visit them. We have been here for 9 days. And haven't stopped the whole time. We have been going, going, going. But what fun!

Here is their beautiful home.

Porter acquired,count em, 6 swords on this trip!

Conner thinks he's Tarzan

Here the girls are ready to go into A Bugs Life

And these are homes are on the Beach on Balboa Island.

They start at a cool 5 million.

Want one?????

Conner and Abbie in the Ice Caves in Sea WorldSome of my beautiful nieces. I have 11!!!Conner got a new hoodie in Disney Land.

"It's super de duper pwnsome!" He says.Here's the "O" in California. Hangin' out on Balboa Beach

Yummy Shaved Ice

At the beach. Porter loved everything but when the sand would stick on him.

Hmmmm, hard to not let that happen.

Huge, loud, waves
OK, funniest thing ever. When we arrived the rental car only had one of our reservations, so we ended up renting a 15 passenger van. You should have seen my 19 year old niece's face when we told her to get in to the "Polyg-Rig" And then the jokes that followed us the whole trip.

Priceless!
My brothers AWESOME pool

We missed all of you that couldn't come this time. Let's go again really soon!!!!!!!

And I want to thank my sweet adorable husband. Hayden and Jordan stayed home this time. And while we were gone Hayden got super sick and ended up in the hospital. James cut the trip short and flew home to take care of him.. Everyone is doing well now. Thanks honey for allowing the rest of us to have a super time.

THE END

New addition

2009-03-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

I know you're all going to love this new tote. Just in time for spring. My favorite part about making these totes is picking out all of the fun different fabrics.

Don't forget to go to www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com to enter to win a tote. It goes through Sunday.

Here is another one. Sorry they turned out blurry.

Good Things Utah

2009-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many millions of times they've posed for a picture like this.....

This morning I went with my sisters and mom to a taping of Good Things Utah. It was so much fun. I even won an awesome cookbook. I recommend everyone do this. I will def do it again. The girls were so beautiful and nice. Annnnnnnnnd super skinny. (I want to be them when I grow up!) After we ate lunch at the Garden in the Joseph Smith memorial building. Yum! It was a very fun day.

Me, Julie and Robyn

Just a question, do any of you watch Jon & Kate plus eight? If you do what do you think of it lately?

2009-02-19T19:19:00.001-08:00

This is how it works...
The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to receive your gift, you have to post this on your blog first. (Which means that sometime during this year,you'll send a gift to three people as well!) Get it?
So, the first three people to comment will be the lucky ones!

Good luck!

2009-02-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

Look at these two cuties!!!! Last week Jordan was in the "Battle of the Bands" at Union Station. He is on the left and his friend, also Jordan, is next to him. They did awesome!!!!! And they had so much fun. Jordan couldn't stop smiling. They even had "groupies". I hope he continues down this path. He is truly at home performing.

DISCLAIMER!!!

2009-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

The caramel (see previous post) was way too hard and I didn't microwave it very long. As Porter put it, "They taste like ROCKS!"

I think next time I'll just use the dipping caramel. But they did look nice.

Valentines Treats

2009-02-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in the Feb. issue of Ladies Home Journal. Conner and I made them tonight and they turned out great.

Here is the recipe:

Caramel squares, vanilla wafer cookies, lollipop sticks, chocolate chips and Valentine sprinkles.

Melt caramels in a microwave according to directions Working quickly spoon small dollops of caramel onto cookies. Place lollipop stick in center and top each with another cookie to make a sandwich. Melt chocolate chips according to package. Dunk each cookie sandwich in chocolate and shake gently to remove excess. Top lollipops with sprinkles and place on wax or parchment paper. Chill until firm.

Here they are with all the caramel inside.

Next, dip in chocolate

Conner came up with this brilliant idea to let the suckers set up by poking holes in an empty cereal box.

Genius, pure genius!

And here they are all done!

Happy Valentines Everyone.

2009-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

I have found the funnest online shop. I was searching for a purse cookie cutter and found this store,

The Cookie Cutter Shop.

Not only did I find a darling purse but Porter was looking with me and he found a sword. How cool is that!

They have EVERY shape in the world. And cheap too, only 2 to 3 dollars. Happy baking everyone!!!

On with it then...

2009-01-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

OK, that's enough! No more winter blues. Time to move on to sunnier days. I am the kind of person that could be perfectly content to know exactly what is going to happen day after day in my life. I don't like change or surprises. And I am learning all too well that what happens in life is not always in our control. "Stuff" happens! And sometimes the "stuff" is not fun. We have always been taught to "Have Faith". Easy enough right? As I get older I realize that sometimes it's much easier to be Angry. It's ALOT of work to "Have Faith". So I am going to try "choosing" faith. To make a conscious effort to "Choose" to be cheerful, and strong and have faith whatever comes my way. So there! I have put pen to paper, (or hands to keyboard) and I'm ready for tomorrow. Besides Valentines is on it's way and I will make my scrumptious sugar cookies. mmmmmmmmm. Also my 20Th wedding anniversary is next month. And I will be reminded again how lucky I am to get to wake up next to my bestest friend every morning :)

Thanks for listening everyone.......

Stuck in the blues....

2009-01-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, I don't think I ever remember getting the "after Christmas blues" like I've had this year. Is anyone else feeling them? Please tell me I'm not alone. I thought maybe some nice fresh air would do me some good, but unfortunately there isn't any to be found around here. I just don't have the get-up-and-go yet. If any of you have extra's please oh please send some my way.

Love you all

Happy Birthday Porter

2008-12-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Birthday to my sweet Porter. Today was a fun filled day. First we had Porter's party at McDonald's- HUGE hit! Then we took him swimming at the Roy rec center which would have been more fun if we hadn't had to deal with the "Swim Nazi"! (But that is a post for another day) Then I hurried home to cut up a ton of steak and chicken for our fondue dinner. We also had twice baked potatoes, corn, rolls, pigs in a blanket and sparking cider. Oh my goodness, it was awesome! When I was young we did fondue every year but once the family got too big my Mom decided it was to unsafe. So while mine is still small I thought I'd start it.

Look how I'm surrounded by boys. Hopefully someday soon I'll be surrounded by daughter-in-laws :)

And Mom & Dad can hardly wait for school to start again...

2008-12-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

Please someone.... HELP!!!!

With 3 teenagers, all, and I mean ALL their friends and Porter home all day, my house cannot take it! Even when I go to bed with the kitchen clean this is what I wake up to.

(look, even my cute little teddy bear can't take it)A while ago I put Hayden and Jordan in charge of their own laundry. Well, on the off day they do a few loads this is what ends up in my sewing room!!!!! Don't you all feel sorry for me??

You should all do a service project for me and hire a maid to clean my house. If you really loved me you would :)

That's it I'm gettin' the whip out. If you see 4 Ballou boys cryin' you'll know why.

2008-12-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks Til for giving me this award.

You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.You must link back to the person who gave you the award.You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas.If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space!Pass the award along to as many people as you like.That can be 1 or 45; it's up to you. But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going! Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment.

I love seeing my sweetheart playing Santa

I love the smell of Cinnamon candles burning

I love the old fashion Christmas songs

I love watching "Ralphie" over and over and over again

I love that all my boys stay home for one day

I love making gifts for people

I love that people are a little nicer and friendlier

I love the excitement that Porter has when you talk about Santa

And on that note, I love being able to use that to bribe him with all month long "I'll tell Santa"

I love checking the mail to see all the Christmas cards

I love eating all the goodies and not feeling guilty about it

I love telling the nativity story to Porter while he plays with the figures

Merry Christmas

I tag Heidi and Jamie.

Is it really over???

2008-12-26T18:45:00.001-08:00

Weeks and weeks of planning and it's over in a matter of minutes.

Here are the boys Christmas morning.

This is Porter at his preschool sing a long.

And these are the pictures that were going to go on our Christmas cards.

I don't know where the time went. We did have an extra special Christmas this year. We realized we'll only have one more with us all together before the babies start to leave the nest.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Can you believe it???

2008-12-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you cross this:

With this:

Give up???????

An $800.00 dollar fix it job, that's what!

My Dad's brand spankin new Navigator wasn't working today so he had to have it towed to Bountiful. He's only had it about 2 months. Well, they called and said they had bad news. Apparently a squirrel had made its permanent residence under the hood of his car. It had chewed all the electrical wires.

Can you even believe it?!?!?!

SO, next time you see a squirrel,

RUN IT OVER!

2008-11-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We had a glorious day. There were 25 of us. The sweet potatoes that my sister Robyn made were the best ever. I should post the recipe. We missed my brother Kris's family and my nephew's family. But we also found out we will be getting 2 new babies this coming year. Yeah Heidi and Anne :) That will make 5 GREAT grandchildren for my parents. Holy cow.

Later that night we kept our holiday tradition of going to the movies and saw Madagascar 2. It was cute. Porter actually sat through the whole thing which is a first for him.

Tomorrow is my 3rd son, Conner's birthday. And right now I have about 20- 13 year olds in the basement. Can you say B.O.? Oh my good golly. I told Conner to open all the windows and spray air freshener. I know they're all getting use to their changing bodies but sheesh, would it hurt to use a little deo????????

Today I participated in Black Friday. My only store I wanted to hit was Joann's fabrics. Well apparently that's were everyone else in the state was heading too. This was my day:

Arrived at Joann's at 8:45 a.m. (with Porter)

Immediately took a number. # 14

They were on 44. So I thought, ok, they have to go all the way to 100 then I'll only be 14 short spaces away.

Not so! They were on 44 A. I had 14 C.

Realize I'm going to be a while so I open a coloring thingamagig for Porter to play with.

Oops. Now I'm stuck here.

10:00. Start to panic cuz Porter is no longer having fun :(

Decide to abandon my cart and take him to McDonald's for breakfast.

Eat, Hayden arrives.

11:00, go to Circuit city. Hayden buys himself a digital camera.

11:30 go back to Joann's. Now they're on #84 A. Cart is still fine in it's little corner.

12:00. Take Porter home.

Call the store. They are now on the B's.

Go with Hayden to Best buy. Buy a new router for the house.

12:30. Go back to Joann's. They're on # 80 B. Yeah!

12:30-1:10. Listen to someones grumpy husband complain about the wait. (who brings their husband to stores like this? I wanted to kick both of them!)

1:10. # 14 C is called!!!!!!!!! Try and make my way to the cutting table through swarms of crazy people like me.

Old man John cuts my fabric. (odd person to be working here)

1:30. All checked out and on my way home to eat leftovers.

Was it worth it you ask? Well I saved $254.00. So I think it was.

This is the fun flannel I got to make all my kids quilts.

And this is the apron I'm going to make for a certain someone this year

Out of this darling fabric.

Whew! This was a long post. Thanks for enduring.

Zinney Lou Totes

2008-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

My totes are being featured on HERE. Your Home Based Mom is doing a give a way of a Chocolate Sky tote this week. This web site is so fun. She has wonderful recipes all the time. I can't wait to try the herb roasted onions. Or the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.

Don't forget to check out all the new totes on Zinney Lou's web site.

BIG SAVINGS

2008-11-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Question: How many groceries can you get for $10.00?

?????????????????????????????????????????????

Well, this is what I got for $10.22!

(The soda is not included)

How you ask?

Well all 3 packs of razors were free

( They were on sale for $2.00 and I had 3 coupons for $2.00 off)

~The canned milk was free

( It was on sale for .50 and I had a .50 coupon for each can)

~The deodorant was $1.00

~The 10 lb. bag of sugar was $3.99

~The Swiss miss was .50

~The cereal was $1.06

~The detergent was $3.33

~And the canned veggies were only .33 cents!

I have been price matching and using coupons for the past couple of months. I'm sure most of you that live around here are doing the same. Isn't it the best! It is a lot of work though. But I consider it my job. I prepare all the meals, buy all the cleaning supplies and keep our food storage stocked so the more I can save the more I can buy. (Holy crap, I just found gum mushed into the carpet! dang kids!) Any way... You do have to be prepared to put up with the under trained workers at Walmart but in the end I save a ton. The last time I went I saved a $100.00 just in coupons. That doesn't count all the price matching I did. Tonight my bill came to $120.00. I saved $60.00 on price matching and another $15.50 using my coupons. When items are on sale I stock up so I won't have to buy them for a while. Like tonight I bought 10 things of deodorant. With 3 teenage boys we go through a lot! So it's always good to have extra. I encourage everyone to do this. If you ever have any questions just ask.

Pumpkin Bread

2008-11-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to receive an early Christmas present, a brand new Bosch mixer. Many of you know I looooooove to bake. Not really cook, but bake. I don't like fixing dinner, but I love making bread, cookies etc. So I have been having tons of fun with my new mixer. I've been making banana bread, white bread and rolls, sugar cookies and today I tried for the first time pumpkin chocolate chip bread. My boys gobbled down 1 1/2 loves before dinner! I have been looking at a few different recipes and decided this one was best. I actually combined a couple different ones and it turned out perfect. I wish you could smell how good it is. Below is the recipe.
1 (15) ounce can pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 Cup water

4 cups white sugar

4 cups flour

3 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 pkg. milk choc. chips

Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and sugar. Then add dry ingredients. Pour into 4 greased bread pans. Bake on 350 for about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This bread freezes well too.

Happy baking everyone.

Where does the time go?

2008-10-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

For a "stay at home mom" I sure am busy. And I'm finding I don't "stay at home" much.
So I'm just going to do an update of what the Ballou's have been up to.(Beware... this post is full of pictures.)

I went with Porter to a pumpkin patch for his preschool field trip. After we stopped at Krispy Kream and watched them make doughnuts, and ate some of course.

Another day we went to see the Witches at Gardener Village with my sisters and mom. (we miss you every year Jamie) The fried green tomatoes were the best ever! Porter was still scared of the witches so I didn't get any pictures of him next to one.

Here we are with all of our pumpkins and my darling witch.

Last summer Porter wanted to plant something so I gave him a pack of sunflower seeds and told him he could plant them in the front. Well he did! And look how beautiful they are now. Good job Porter.

Thanks for visiting us. Hopefully I'll get another post in before Christmas.

PICK ME PICK ME...

2008-10-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

I just found this wonderful site tonight. Click HERE. And hopefully they'll pick me to win a wonderful bedroom set for my sleeping angel. If any of you want to join in on the fun, hurry, you only have until Monday the 13Th.

Here is my sleeping angel

We sent Conner to bed and then noticed minutes later that he'd fallen asleep on the stairs. He was so tired he couldn't make it all the way up. Poor baby. I'm sure if he knew he had an awesome bed to sleep in he would have made the long journey no problem!

And here is the beautiful bedroom set we hope to win.

Cross your fingers ;)

Fun site

2008-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon this fun site. Click HERE. And she had this yummy recipe today. Just thought I'd share it with you all.

By the way. NEVER and I mean NEVER eat at Burrito Grande by Kents. Bad story, I'll share later...

Happy 100

2008-10-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

This is my 100Th post! Yeah for me. I have been wondering what to post on this special occasion all week. But since I am having a creativity cramp I thought I'd just blog about everything I love about Autumn.

~ The cool nip in the air

~ Burning my Pumpkin Spice candle

~ Making caramel apples . We did this last night. have you seen these wonderful things? No more unwrapping a million caramels.

~ Seeing Porter's face light up every time he talks about Halloween. He wants to be Mario this year. I actually made a Mario costume that Jordan and Conner wore a few years back. He asks me EVERYDAY if it's Halloween.

~ Watching Hocus Pocus. I LOOOOOVE this movie. (and A Christmas story is right around the bend)
~ And of course, going to see the Witches at Gardener village. Mmmmm, I can already taste the fried green tomatoes.

Oh ya, I can't forget Stephen's hot cocoa. We like to mix the vanilla with the milk chocolate. Oh my goodness, I could go on and on. What are some of your favorite things?????

20 years.....

2008-09-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Look at the babies. Our 20Th year high school reunion is tomorrow. I got an email from one of my old classmates. Someone set up a website for all of the alumni. It has been so fun to check it out and see some pictures of them now. Not very many people have signed up and to tell the truth I don't recall many of them that have. And NO we are not going to the reunion. Maybe 50 pounds ago I might have. It is fun to remember those times though.

This picture was of me and James in the library.

Could my hair be any frizzier?

Me cheering "GO FARMERS!!!!!"

can you find me????

Blond was definitely in baby!

how silly of me to write this..... I was a total geek

Don'tcha wish you boyfriend was hot like mine??? Don'tcha

Got Chicken?

2008-09-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today I cut up and Bagged 40 pounds of chicken. Not a pretty site! Kent's has it's chicken on sale. You get 40 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken for only 50.00 bucks. It comes fresh so I had to separate it and put it into freezer bags. It is a ton of chicken!!! I'm sure it will last us at least a year.

Anyway, on to more fun things. Our ward is getting ready to do our Super Saturday. It will be October 18th. My committee and I picked out some super fun things to make. Here are some pictures.....

These are only $10.00 including the stand

This is $5.00 It's just scrap book paper on wooden blocks with the letters stamped on in black paint. Each block is about 4 by 31/2 inches tall.

This is $9.00

This adorable snowman can be yours for only $5.00

This is $4.00

$3.00

and finally, this little guy is $8.50.

We have a few other things not listed. Hopefully it will be a fun filled day.

I have gotten to be friends with a gal from our doctors office that lives by me. She is doing all our vinyl for super Saturday. She is very creative. This most adorable witch is her creation. And she was kind enough to let me take pictures of it and sketch out a pattern. So soon I will have one hanging on my door too. Thanks Angie :)

While on hold.....

2008-09-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

So it's Wednesday morning and I'm stuck on hold waiting for the warranty department for my washing machine to pick up. So I decided, there's no better time than now to do a new post. Some of you might know of Porter's OBSESSION with Link, a character from The Legend of Zelda video game. Well he was getting so crazy with it that James and I decided he needed to take a break from the games for a while. Surprisingly he's doing OK with this. Although he does tell me everyday how much he loves Link.

Meet Link...

He was Link for Halloween last year and since then has worn the costume almost everyday. (best 4 dollars I've ever spent!)

So the other day I walked past Porter's room and saw him sitting in his costume looking at a video game strategy guide, humming the theme song to The Legend of Zelda. I guess in his head he had to make his own version of the game. Sooooo funny. Am I mean? Should I just give the poor boy back his game???

This was Porter last year on Halloween

OH MY HECK!!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN ON HOLD FOR 40 MINUTES AND THEY JUST HUNG UP ON ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's good to be back!

2008-08-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

This summer has been so busy! I have missed blogging. I have tried to keep up on my reading of all of your post though. So I thought I'd give a quick synopsis of the Ballou family's summer...

My second son Jordan turned 15

Porter beat up Conner a few times.
The boys had a few water fights on the trampoline. (note to self; if you know you'll have a million strapping teenagers over, buy a better trampoline!) poor tramp...

Hayden worked out every day. He insists on not wearing a shirt around the house even though it drives his mom crazy!

The boys playing in the water at the dam. They had so much fun. This is Jordan and his friend Steve, (I'm pretty sure I adopted him and no one told me, these two have been together the whole summer) His name is Steve Canaan, yes his dad is John Canaan the LDS singer, famous for singing Together Forever.

We found time to go down to St. George with my mom, my sisters and sister in law.

Jamie is visiting from New York. Kris, my brother will be here tomorrow. They finally got a normal blog.
This is Porter and Joshua.

James did a radio interview on his book and is doing very well. I conquered West Haven Days, Cherry days and Roy days and boy am I tired of sewing!!!!!!! But I did just order some way fun fabric for fall so I'll be starting that soon.

Thanks everyone for your support for the book. Now if we can just get school started.........

Next best thing

2008-07-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Many of you know of my love for diet Dr. Pepper. Well I was so surprised and happy when I realized that many of the gas stations here in the Ogden area have drive thru windows. Big deal you say??? Well when it's early in the morning and you have just crawled out of bed to take your kids to school it's comforting to know that you can stay in your P.J's and zip through the trusty drive thru to get your morning fix. Now, if that weren't good enough, I found the next best thing today! I was in North Ogden by the Cannery building. (I have some of my purses in their boutique for sale :) ) Anyway... across the street is a Cavanaughs chocolate store. So Porter and i run in to get us a treat and on my way out I see it !!!!!! Yes that's right! Mrs. Cavanaughs has thought of everything. There is a drive thru window. I swear my heart skipped a beat. Seriously could life get any better?

All I can say is "Thank you Mrs. Cavanaughs"

(This really is her.)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

By the way, check out here to see my daddy's, Draper temple site. The angel Moroni came this week and he documented the whole thing. Yeah Dad!

Finally!!!

2008-07-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Can I please just sit down and catch my breath please? What have I gotten myself into? I just finished my second fair today. I did west Haven days last week and North Ogden Cherry days today. Even though I have been extra busy I have loved every minute of it. Everyone has been so receptive and loves the totes. Both fairs were great! But now it's time to get on with summer. We haven't been to the pool once. And we need to go to Lagoon more than twice to make our season passes worth the money! So I'm putting away the sewing machine for a few days and it's time to relax and play! Happy 4TH everyone.

P.S. I had to change my comment area because I was getting some weird comments. Sorry for the dumb delay.

Thank You

2008-06-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks soooooo much to everyone who did a post for James. His story is so great and I believe important for all to hear.

We have had a crazy week. Jordan was staying with my parents in Draper last weekend. They live up on Traverse mountain where the Draper temple is being built. Well, he was long boarding down a HUGE hill going way too fast and biffed it. Luckily he hit grass or I'm sure he would be a gonner. He ended up breaking his collar bone. Two pieces of bone have broken off and all the ligaments are torn away. They were going to do surgery right away but decided to wait a week and x-ray it again. He is very sad because he can't do much. He can't even play the guitar for at least 4 weeks. Then on Tuesday Hayden got his wisdom teeth out and he is still in muchos pain. Thank goodness for Loritab. Then... today my mommy was rushed to the hospital in terrible pain. It turned out to be kidney stones. So far everyone else is hangin' in there, except for the fact that James back still hurts like no other! SO the moral of my tale stay away from the Ballous, we're bad luck. (Unless you want to buy a purse ha ha)

Please click on this link to see the video James made to promote his book. http://www.jamesballou.com/Media/Show/SoulSurvivor.html

You call this Summer?

2008-05-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

My latest purse

Well even though today is a beautiful day our kick off to summer hasn't been the best. Let's just say that between the cold weather the cops, yes I said cops, I'm wondering how our summer is going to turn out. Without going into all the details let's just say that if you're going to egg someones house park your car far enough away so that no one will be able to see you license plates. Anyhoo, I'm going forward from here. I've been sewing, getting lots of totes ready for West Haven Days at the end of the month. James finished and published his book. I am soooooo proud of him. We've had several people review it and so far everyone loves it. YEAH! I'm putting a link to it so you can all check it out. If any of you are interested in purchasing it let me know. We can get you a better price than what's listed.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2532560

Summary of James Book
James Ballou grew up in Davenport, Iowa and faced what some consider an almost insurmountable set of obstacles from virtually the beginning of his life. Raised by his father in an environment of the most brutal and depraved group of criminals that infested the Quad Cities in the 1970s and 1980s. He survived shootings, drug deals, abuse and neglect in a household that was a literal den of thieves, drug addicts and other criminal types. His book includes an accounting of the events that took place in his home, how he reacted to the events and what long term effect that the the events had on his life.

IT'S HERE!!!!!!

2008-05-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

My sweet, darling, amazing husband has been working so hard on Zinney's web site. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. He not only built the site but he designed and created Zinney, her house, and EVERYTHING in it. I love you James. Please visit often. We will soon have it ready to take orders so pleeeeeeeease tell everyone you know about it. Let me know what you think.

www.zinneyloutotes.com

My awesome sisters

2008-05-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

My sweet sisters Robyn and Julie are such fun and generous people. They always put so much thought and effort into birthday gifts. Julie bought me the cutest purse (this was before I started selling my own) and Robyn surprised me with a quilt she made. She has had a very tough year and is so busy working and trying to keep it all together. So it means even more to me that she would take the time to make me such a beautiful gift. I love my sisters (and brothers) so very much. We are a lucky family. We have the BEST parents in the whole world! Thanks sisters.

Still Sewing

2008-05-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my world...

So I have been muchos preoccupied with sewing EVERYDAY! This could get out of hand but I am lovin' it. Check out some new bags on the Zinney Lou site. So far I've sold 4 totes. Yeah for me :) And to reward my hard work I bought myslef a brand new sewing machine. Now I have to figure out how it works.... But for now I'm dang tired so I'm off to bed.

www.zinneyloutotes.com

ZInney Lou Totes

2008-05-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my purses. I have sold 3 already. The bigger ones (the ones pictured) are going for $35.00. And I also have a smaller one that sells for $25.00. The name I'm selling them as is Zinney Lou Totes. I have a blog for it but haven't posted anything yet. It will be www.zinneyloutotes.blogspot.com

So far I've gotten great response from them. James has designed the tags for them with Zinney Lou's picture on them. She is the most darling little girl you've ever seen. I will post her picture as soon as I can. Thank you all for your nice comments.

OH ME OH MY

2008-05-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy lately. And if you saw my laundry piles you would have no doubt. For the past few months I have been helping my sweet hubby finish editing his book, which will be its own post in a few days. And I've been making purses like crazy. Let me explain... I have been sewing tote bags for the past year, just a few. But last week I finished one that was especially darling. Well I have been getting so many compliments on it and people asking where I bought it that I thought maybe I would try selling them. The lady that cuts my hair said I should bring them into her salon to sell. So after tinkering around with a pattern that I liked I have made some to try out. I have always wanted to do something like this and a while back I even came up with a name. When I was little my mom would call me "Zinney Lou". I have no idea where it came from. So the name I want to sell the purses under will be Zinney Lou Totes. I have no idea if they will sell but I'm gonna give it a try.

This was the one people had interest in.

I'll let you all know how it goes. Even if they don't sell I'll have birthday gifts for the next few years.

Signs of Spring

2008-04-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today has been a beautiful day. The temperature is just perfect. I was sitting outside earlier enjoying the sun and noticing all of the tell tale signs that Summer is right around the corner.

Little boys chasing butterflies with their net they just had to have from the grocery store.

My Lilac bush I planted last year sprouting new buds.

Dirty little boys running around having just gobbled down their weight in Oreos.

My beloved Hollyhocks coming back to life from a very long, cold winters nap.

Spring decor hanging on the front door.

And of course my neighbors beautiful green lawn springing life next to my sad brown grass.

Yes mine is on the left. I think he fertilizes just to make us look bad.

OK, this might be a sappy post but it really is a nice day. My Mom has a saying she uses a lot and I'm going to try to adapt it to my life this summer:

"I expect some new phases of life this summer and will try to get the honey from each moment..." ~~~Lucy Stone

Happy Birthday to me!!!

2008-04-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

My b-day is tomorrow April 25Th.

Come take a walk with me down memory lane...

Do I look cross eyed???

I wonder who I was looking at in this one. Maybe my mommy :)

I remember loving this cherry shirt. Wouldn't it be great if we still had some of our baby clothes????

I am Porter's age in this one, 4.

Me sleeping with my little brother, Kris

My mom made these pants for me. The hand prints were mine.

I won a Valentine contest at church when I was about 7.

Thanks everyone for looking.

Porter is such a good host

2008-04-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I hollered down to Porter and asked him who he was talking to

he said, "A girl"

I thought it was the little girl that lives behind us that he'd been playing with earlier.

James asked, "What are you doing?"

To which Porter replied, "I'm just showing her around."

We thought that was an odd thing for a 4 year old to say. But figured he was ok.

About 5 minutes later we went downstairs and Porter said, "She won't come out of the couch."

James said, "Who's She?

Porter replied, "The cat."

Apparently he thought it would be a good idea to bring in a mangy old filthy stray cat and show her around. Lovely!

When we lived in Herriman we actually had 2 cats and a dog. But since we built our new home we've been pet free. The picture is from before we moved. We had a talk with Porter about the difference is between a cat and a girl. Who know if it took or not......

2008-04-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

+ PLUS +

=EQUALS=

Cool huh?! My sweet Conner ran for 7Th grade officer for his Jr. High next year and WON!

Yeah Conner. We're so proud of you.

(don't skip my last post, I did two today.)

Yummy Munchies

2008-04-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our enrichment night at church. We just did a "Munch-n-Mingle". It was a lot of fun. It got me to thinking that it would be fun if everyone did a recipe post now and then. So I'll start with my "munchie" that I took tonight. I wish I would have taken a picture of it but I forgot. This one I found on the Internet. It looks almost the same as mine did. Enjoy!

Texas Caviar

1 Can Black Eyed Peas ,rinsed

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed

2 Anaheim Peppers, chopped

1 Can White Shoepeg Corn, drained

About 1 1/2 Cups Grape Tomatoes, sliced

1 Jar Italian Dressing

Just mix and serve with corn chips.

You could add onions and bell peppers if you like.

I AM NOT A GRANDMA!!!

2008-04-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

It all began back in January of "04. I walked into church holding my beautiful new baby boy, all decked out for his blessing and a man walked up to me and said,"Oh, I didn't know you had a grandchild that young." Keep in mind I was still having major after baby blues. To keep myself from crying I convinced myself he must have been blind.

But then a couple months later I was at a park, again with Porter, and an older couple, admiring him said to me, "are you the grandma or the momma?" As soon as I got home I threw away the shirt I was wearing. My sister, Julie said it was too grandma-ish. Well since then it has happened 2 more times. Then last week I was at RC Willey looking into a new dining set. I told the sales lady I had a friend who just bought the same one. Later in our conversation she asked me when my daughter had bought it. Oh my FREAKIN' heck. No more excuses, I must look older than I realize, I'm only 37. I try to dress hip but clothes these days are made so tight fitting. Even the larger sizes. And I simply will not give up my comfort. SO... I decided to go to a real hair salon, not a great clips, and see what they could do for me. The sweet gal, (who ended up being in my old ward and is now in Regale Country, I think her name is Carly) helped me pick out a sassy cut and bold color. At least it is bold for me. She took about 3 1/2 inches off, added layers and stacked the back. I think it is blonder in person. The picture doesn't show as much of the color for some reason. I think I like it, and I really hope I don't get called a grandma again. I know I will cry......

Thanks for indulging me everyone.

Some more "This-n-That"

2008-04-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

I was surprised how many of you don't know Debbie Mumm. She is an artist that designs a vast array of items. From calendars to fabric to most anything cute. I'm sure you've seen her work many times and just didn't know who it belonged to. I found some darling screen savers on her website. Her style is definitely me.

Here is a picture of my screen saver.

Here is some of her artwork:

I stopped in the Quilted Bear the other day and found the perfect vinyl saying for my bedroom. I have a space above my T.V. that is tall and bare. So I put up the saying and this cute wreath.

Who doesn't love Debbie Mumm?

2008-04-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

So I was "surfing" the other day and came across Debbie Mumm's website, and discovered she has a blog. I was so excited. I have always loved her artwork. I even use one of her pieces as my desktop background. She is so dang cute and creative. You all should visit her site.

Happy Birthday Hayden

2008-03-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boy is turning 17 tomorrow. Oh my goodness. Let's take a trip down memory lane.

Hayden was always very reverent :)

The best big brother ever!

There was a time when he truly believed he was a pirate and wouldn't go anywhere without his swords.

Hayden has always been a good worker.

This was his first day of preschool

Hayden has maintained a 4.0 grade point average almost every quarter. His lowest grade ever was a 3.6. And believe me, he was crushed.

And look at him now. So handsome, talented, generous, sweet, loving, and gives the best hugs to his mommy everyday. I hope all of you will get to spend time with our sweet Hayden someday and that he will play his guitar and sing for you all.

Happy Birthday Haydos potatoes. We love you very much.

Oh sweet heaven

2008-03-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

I stole this post from Clisty. This is a quote directly from her blog: "I took a sample. It was a 2x2 inch piece of lovin' topped with a kiss of cream cheese." (Clisty, you seriously should do a commercial for them.)

This store is right up my alley. Next time I'm down South I'm heading there! Anyone want to come?

Check out the website-

http://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/index.php

A little "This N That"

2008-03-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago there was a sign up sheet going around in Relief Society to help a lady in our ward organize her house. My house might not always be clean but I do loooove to organize. So I signed up. 3 of us met at her trailer last Saturday. The Relief Society president (whose heart is seriously made of gold) met me outside and told me to "prepare myself". I started to get a sinking feeling and wonderd what I'd gotten myself into.....

Have you ever seen that show where the 2 British women go into the most hellish of homes where you can't walk or for that matter even take a breath. Well that's what we had staring us in the face.

My heart broke for this poor lady. She was very humbled to have us there. We got a tich done but will have to go back several more times. She has been through a lot over the years. But if the church can't help, who will?

Anyway, when I got home (after a couple of shampoos) I decided to do some deep cleaning of my own. First was the closet. Do any of you have "skinny" clothes? (or in my case "not so fat clothes") Well I have a ton. So out they went!!!! I filled 3 bags full of clothes I never wear. Once the bags are gone my closet will be too empty. I guess I'll have to go shopping to reward myself. I got the shoes,on top of the bags, at Pac Sun. Who was I kidding??? I couldn't even walk in them.

Next will be kitchen cupboards and then maybe the garage.

Onto more fun things...

I stopped into my favorite little boutique today trying to get some ideas for Enrichment. I found these two darling spring crafts. I think I'll be able to recreate them and have the ladies make them in May.

It's hard to tell from the picture but they're are about 18 inches tall. Which do you like better?

It's good to be back!

2008-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I haven't posted forever. So I guess Easter is a good time to jump back in.

Porter would NOT do a normal pose for me.

He loved his outfit. He through a fit when I made him take it off after church.

Looking for treasures.

The 4 boys with all their loot.

They had a hard time keeping their eyes opened in the sun. Especially Conner.

So handsome. I'm very lucky to have such great boys.

Look how tall they are. I think Conner is going to tower Jordan and Hayden some day.

What traditions do you all have? The Easter bunny comes to our house during the night and hides candy.

Happy Easter everyone.

Easter here we come

2008-03-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

I just love it, love it, love it!!!!!
Even their tags are adorable

This is Porter's outfit from Janie and Jack. Visit them online at http://www.janieandjack.com/ . (by the way I know there is abetter way to put links on, but I simply can't figure it out...) I can't wait for Easter now. I just wish my big boys would let me pick out their clothes too. Maybe I'll be able to get them to wear springy ties.

more from Colorado

2008-03-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

Our Sushi lunch in the most awesome mall ever!

They had really nice stores that I usually only see catalogs for.

Cute but very EXPENSIVE children's clothes

And OH MY HECK more sweet, sweet kids clothes. I splurged and got Porter the cutest Easter outfit here. I'll put a picture of it later. Even there bags and tissue paper that they wrap the clothes in a darling. Oh to be rich..........

This is James answering questions after his training last night

Greetings from Colorado

2008-03-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

So James had to take a quick business trip to Colorado for a couple days so I decided to tag along. (I'm actually his un-official secretary) We just arrived and are resting up at the hotel before his presentaion tonight. I thought I'd give you all a play by play of our trip so you won't miss me too much.

This is me in my new cute "traveling" outfit by our cool rented expedition.

Our lunch at Chili's. I know, we fly all the way to another state and eat at Chili's.

And by the way, notice, James actually orders the cinnamon apples as a side. Seriously, I didn't think anyone really ate those.

Me doing my favorite thing......

See you all again soon

Maybe this explians it....

2008-03-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

After cleaning up the "Sunday mess" in the kitchen all morning, I came upstairs for some much needed computer time. As I sat down I took at good hard look at my work station. Hmmmm. Could this be my problem??? I think I'm onto something.

Another new program

2008-03-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

While I was playing around with different blog templates I discovered you can also use all of the cool stuff for scrap booking. That 's where I got this cute frame, ribbon and buttons on the picture above. Just go to www.shabbyprincess.com and click on the downloads. Soooo much fun.

(I don't know what to title this)

2008-03-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

I heard some women talking about this the other day on a talk show and I thought ah ha! I'm not the only one who feels this way. When I wake up in the morning and get ready for the day I don't feel as yucky about my weight. But by the end of the day especially after a big meal I feel HORRIBLY fat. Does this happen to anyone else. It's soooo not fun to feel like this every day of my life. (as if I don't know what I need to do) Just wondering if anyone else feels this way. They say "Misery loves company".

By the way, did you all know "They" are really the relief Society? So whenever someone uses the term "They" I always think, "I didn't know the relief Society says that"

Side note: Check out my sisters new blog and my Moms blog. I finally figured out how to use background paper so I fixed their's up cute.

http://www.rjhunt.blogspot.com/

http://www.grammawest.blogspot.com/

My Secret Addiction

2008-02-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I can't go in this store anymore! But I LOOOOOOOOVE it. I just found out they have a website so now you can all join my addiction too. It's www.rodworks.com Have fun.

My Brain can't talk.

2008-02-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

(Kids can sleep anywhere....)

My conversation with Porter:

Porter- How am I going to get bigger?

Me- You are growing everyday. Soon you will be big like Conner then Jordan then Hayden. Then you'll be big like Daddy. Hayden and Daddy have a job, and you will too.

Porter- "What will I do?"

Me- You can do anything. You can fly an airplane or drive big trucks or work on a computer like Daddy.

Porter- But will I play Playhouse Disney?

Me- You can play some of the games like Daddy does.

Porter- How will I know how?

Me- Your brain will tell you how.

Porter- Brains don't talk!

Memory lane part #2

2008-02-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

James moved to Utah from Iowa in 1985 during our sophomore year of high school. He was a football player and a wrestler. I was a spunky cheerleader. (I know what you're all thinking- NO WAY!) Yes it's true. Those were the days. We dated all through high school. We were young and very stupid. So we broke up a lot. During these times I would usually through away every picture I had. (I was such the drama queen) So sadly, I don't have as many pictures as I would like. I cherish the ones we do have.

Here are a couple for your enjoyment...

James was an awesome wrestler.

What a Fox!

GO FARMERS!!!

Memory lane part #1

2008-02-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

This was my boyfriend. What a stud! You'd have gone out with him too, you know it.

I wore this outfit to a Hawaiian themed dance we went to. I swear the top was just a piece of fabric I tied around my chest. Where were my parents???

Don't you just love the bleached hair?

James and I met in English class our sophomore year. I asked him to the Sweethearts dance which was February 15TH 1986. 22 years ago. Holy macaroni.

Stay tuned for more........(you know you're dying to see more.)

Our Wonderful Weekend

2008-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ooooh, look at the babies....

As you know James and I spent the weekend in Salt Lake for our 19Th anniversary. It was a much needed escape. Our dinner at the 5 All's was magnificent!!! First we started out with yummy soup then the delicious meatballs then the fantastic bread sticks and clam dip, then came the pineapple drink, followed by a delicious salad. (I was ready for the check by now) Then our scrumptious entrees came. I had the Chicken Kiev James got the Steak and Lobster. YUM! Of course no one can ever finish it all but you can't leave with out ordering the BEST cheesecake in the world! Then... they give you each an almond cookie. I really need to get the recipe for those. After dinner we waddled to a movie at the Gateway. We saw Jumper. It had all the fixins' of a great movie but the lack of story line and giant holes left us scratching our heads.
Our stay at the hotel was one of the most relaxing times in my life. We closed the curtains with those black out shades and I'm embarrassed to say this but we slept in 'till almost 2. (Is that a sin?)
We got lunch one day at Litza's Pizza on 7Th east and 4Th south. We used to go there all the time in High School. They had a menu framed on the wall from 1987 the exact year we went there. Our favorite thing to order is garlic bread with ranch for dipping. The price in 1987 for 4 pieces was .95 cents. Now it's $2.45. Crazy.

My next post will be a trip down 19 years of memory lane.

President Hinckley

2008-02-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Please watch this. It's a tribute to President Hinckley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPN8HkZPkxo

Follow up...

2008-02-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

So the girls are safe and sound now. I say "girls" because at the time I didn't know that Bailey's little sister Sydney was also on the bus. My sister never mentioned her because Bailey was the one so upset. Apparently Sydney thought it was fun - go figure. She is only 7. A man living near by saw it on the news and got a friend and the two of them drove big trucks to the bus and started unloading the kids. They took them all to a church house and fed them. From there Bailey and Sydney ended up at a friend of a friends house and eventually got home around 1:30 a.m. What a day! James training seminar was in American Fork. It took him 3 hours to get from there to Draper. Then we had to drive all the way home to West Haven. I don't want to do that again...

Snow Snow Go Away

2008-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

James has been training in Utah County all week so today I went down with him to hang out at my parent's house in Draper. On our way there the snow began, and 7 hours later it's still going strong. I hope James can make it back here tonight. Then as soon as he gets back we have to head back to West Haven because James has a training again in the morning at 7:00 a.m. But the worst thing of all is my little 9 year old niece has been stuck on the school bus for over 5 HOURS!!! They live in Alpine and on the way home from school her bus got stick, then broke down, then the highway was shut down. So my sister, Julie can't even go get her. One of the kids had a cellphone so she has talked to Bailey. Needless to say everyone is quite upset. I'll write more later and let you all know how it turned out.

This is Bailey on a happier day.

Happy Birthday James

2008-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

My sweetie turns "Thirty something" on the 7th. So this blog is devoted just to him. If any of you haven't read his book you're in for a real treat. (Visit link below) http://www.jamesballou.com/Pages/SoulSurvivor/SoulSurvivor.html
The words I use to decribe him are: Fiercely Loyal, funny, kind, sensitive to my needs, commited, SMART, strong, of cource cute, survivor, intune, etc, etc, etc.
He works so hard to provide this wonderful life for me and our boys. He has such a strong testimony of the gospel and I love that he shares it with us often. He always knows exactley what our boys need. They are lucky to have him. After you read his story you'll wonder how he turned out so great. The odds were stacked against him. I fully believe that before we came to earth, Heavenly Father told us that one of us would have to go through many trials here on earth and James jumped right up and said he would do it. I'm sure I would not have come out on top as he has. I'm amazed at the wisdom he has. He knows the scriptures backwards and forwards. He is sooooooo good to me. He always says and does just what I need to make me feel good about myself. Almost 19 years later I love him more and more every day. We have so much fun together. There is no one else on this earth I'd rather spend eternity with.
I love you babe.

Both of these are with Porter

This is the "James Wall of Fame". We're so proud of our Dad!

No News is Good News

2008-02-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Each time I go to write a post I can't think of anything exciting to talk about. So I'll just update you all on the Ballou going-ons. James has a birthday this coming thursday the 7th. He wants a gun... Ok, where does one go to buy such a gift??? Our anniversary is also coming up on the 15th. We are going into Salt Lake for dinner at the FiveAlls. http://www.fivealls.com/ We have been going there for years. Then after, we booked the Honeymoon suite at the Marriott down town. Jealous? I can't wait. I'll write more about that when it gets closer. So since not much else is going on , I thought I'd just post some random pictures of us. Talk to you all again soon.

Conner and Porter in Disneyland last year.

All my boys being silly at our house in Herriman in 2004

Before Porter was born I painted his room with a barn and animals. This was the hardest thing to leave when we moved from Herriman

Too cute!!!

I already have a nose.

2008-01-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

James company sells a sinus product and gave out these nose key chains to promote the product. (you know the kind that when you squeeze it gooey boogers come out) So James brought home a couple for the boys. He tried to give one to Porter but he said,

"Daddy, I already have a nose,,, see?"

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but Porter takes everything literally! It actually works to our advantage sometimes. If he won't do what we tell him to do, we just say we're going to turn him into a rabbit or a dragon. Works every time. Too mean?

Help!

2008-01-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

Our Ward split a couple weeks ago and we are now in a brand new ward. I was just called to be the Enrichment leader, (a.k.a homemaking) I'm calling on all of you to please share ANY ideas you have. I want it to be super fun and hip. No knitting allowed! We are having a Relief Society Birthday in March. So please send your ideas my way. Thanks everyone.

"Look, it's Disneyland."

2008-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok I know I've been blogging a lot. I guess I have too much time on my hands. But Porter said a funny thing the other night. James and I took Conner and Porter to a Jazz game up in the suites with his work Monday night. (mmmmm, yummy guacamole....) Anyway, after the game we were walking back to our car and Porter saw the Temple. He said, "Look Mom it's Disneyland, can we go there?" Umm, I think I need to talk to him more about the Temple. Good grief, he thinks Cinderella lives there.

"It means you're big."

2008-01-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

We have had my niece staying with us this week, McKenzey. It's been so fun for me to have a little girl around. I can't wait to do her up cute for church on Sunday. Girls and boys really are hard wired differently. Porter couldn't care less about my blog but McKenzie will sit by me forever and look at all the fun pictures. Last night she even taught Porter how to fold towels, and kept telling him, "good job sweetie". Well this morning I was getting Porter ready for preschool and the two of them were discussing how old they were.

Porter said, "I'm 4".

McKenzey said, "I'm 4 1/2".

I told her that Porter didn't know what the 1/2 meant yet, to which she replied,

"It means you're big". Too cute.

At what age did we all stop using 1/2's in our age???

2008-01-16T18:35:00.001-08:00

I changed my font at pYzam.com

OUCH!!!

2008-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Porter fell today on the asphalt and he stopped his fall with his face... Soooo sad. He hit really hard. When I picked him up there was blood all over his sweet face. His nose and lips were bleeding. It's hard to tell in the picture but his lip is really swollen. Luckily it didn't split open. It happened outside of Costco. Some workers saw it happen and came right over to help. They were so great. They got me wet towels to wipe him up and even took the shirt I was returning and got the cash back for me. Then they brought Porter and my niece McKenzey some icecream. Way to go Costco!

"Holy Big Screen Batman"

2008-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Could my monitor be any bigger??? The computer we got at Costco kept crashing. Not fun for James. SO we took it back, went over to Best Buy and found a killer deal on an H.P. It's just what James has been needing for work. So we switched. Now I get to use his Monster Monitor. How cool is that! Thanks James for being so computer savvy and giving me all your super cool hand-me-downs.

Tough Momma

2008-01-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

A funny thing happened today. At least I thought it was funny. James and I were at Costco getting a new computer for me. (yeah me!) Well, he had put the box in the cart, and as you all know he has a super bad back. I told him to stop cause I knew he'd pay for it later. When we went out to the car I started loading all the stuff in the back of the van. Being such a sweetheart James started helping. I told him I'm a pretty tough girl and I could handle it. I quickly handed him my purse and I loaded all the heavy boxes into the van. It happened so fast. When I looked at him he said, "Please don't ever give me your purse to hold and then do all the heavy lifting yourself." Maybe you had to be there, but I laughed my head off. I hadn't even realized I'd given him my purse. Hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

This is Porter playing in the computer box.

We should have just gotten him a few boxes for Christmas.

He played in at all day long.

New Software

2008-01-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

I just figured out how to use this Picasa software. You can make the coolest collages with your pictures. Just link to it from the icon below this post. Thanks Holly.

Craft Day

2008-01-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make a bulletin board for a while, so today while Porter was at pre-school I went to JoAnn's Fabrics. I love looking at all the fabric and ribbon. And I can only do it without Porter... So here are my 2 bulletin boards I made today. They really are soooo easy. No sewing involved, just fabric and a glue gun. I could have spent a million dollars embellishing them. The hooks on the bottom of the red and black one are from my Grandma West's house.

I also put a picture of my new fireplace screen. It's kinda hard to see against the fireplace, but I love it. I got it for a steal at Tai Pan. And then when I was checking out I saw the super duper cute wreath. A must have don't you all agree?

Ok everyone now tell me how cute everything is :)

I put this one in my sewing/computer/laundry/craft room.

Here is a close up.

My baby girl

2008-01-07T16:53:00.001-08:00

I know I'll never have a sweet baby girl but I wanted you all to know if I had, this is what my baby girl would wear. I get the Pottery Barn kids catalog and

I love and want EVERYTHING in it. Check it out and sign up for the catalogs. http://www.potterybarnkids.com/

This left me speechless

2008-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Check this out. http://youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY Just make sure your sound is on.

MY BRAIN TOLD ME TO DO IT

2008-01-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

I was filling up my bath water tonight and left to take a phone call. When I came back there was a magazine (a Rush Limbaugh one, sorry James) floating in the water. Porter looked at me and with his finger pointing to his head said "My brain told me to do it." I said, "What?" He said, "to put that paper in the water, he said it was okay"..... Anyone know any good psychiatrists?

Just another day in Porter Land

2008-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

Porter's outfit of the day.

At least he took his snow boots off.

Baggers

2008-01-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking this for years and thought I'd see what you all think.

I was at the grocery store yesterday and when the bagger was done bagging my grocerey's he kind of mumbled "do you need help out?" I swear this is what they're really thinking..."please say no, I really don't want to go outside, I want to keep talking to my friends inside where it's warm." It makes me laugh. Sometimes they don't make eye contact and mumble under their breath, hoping you don't really notice them. Hayden was a bagger a while back and I know they are suppose to take our grocery's out for us. Am I making too much out of this? I guess they are all very young and I know how I was at their age. Which actually makes me feel very old! Oh well, just thought I'd share.

NOW WHAT???

2008-01-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel a little melancholy when the holidays are over? We all spend so much time and energy getting ready for everything that comes along with holidays, but now that they're over I feel kind of down. Today I asked myself, "what's my motivation for getting out of bed and cleaning the house today?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all depressed. I guess once the kids get back in school things will return to normal. And anyway, "normal" is pretty good after all. None of us have a horrible disease. My boys are doing great. And I'm still crazy about my sweety. What more could I ask for? Except maybe a maid......

Love to all, April

24

2008-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

James and I recently rented the t.v. show 24. We'd never seen an episode before. We just finished disc 2. If you haven't watched, I would recommend doing so. That is , if you're like us and are 7 years behind on what's cool. We have had such a good time watching this together. We sneak up to our room and watch a few episodes in a row. Of course Porter comes in now and then but he's pretty good about letting us watch. With 7 seasons still to go we'll be entertained for a long time.

You call this a birthday?

2007-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

So even though we celebrated Porter's b-day yesterday it felt funny not doing anything for it today. So we decided to take him to McDonalds. Well everyone body else and thier dog was there too. (especially all the little girls that only know how to SCREAM). I had gotten him another little cake so we could sing to him at McDonalds, I even brought the candles. Wouldn't you think someone there would have matches or a lighter??? When I asked the worker she said "none of us smoke." Like she was insulted that I would think they did. I know they host birthday parties there, how do they light the cakes then??? Do they only hire hostesses that smoke? Anyway... Porter was a good sport and he pretended to blow out the candles.

We went into a store after to look around and Porter spotted some Cars Crocks. He told James he wanted them and James replied the standard response, "maybe for your birthday". Well I guess Porter is so used to hearing that , that he said "OK".

Happy Birthday for real this time Porter.

And happy New year everyone.

Here he is in the play thingy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PORTER

2007-12-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

Porter was born on a very snowy New Years Eve in 2003. So tomorrow he turns 4. We had my some of my family over to celebrate tonight. We really appreciate them for driving all the way here. We know that drive is no fun. Every present Porter opened he said "this is just what I wanted." Both his older brothers play the guitar so he thought getting one was pretty cool.

He kinda looks like one of the Village People. Notice the "Up pants" again.

Happy Birthday Porter, we love you very much.

A Run Down of the Republican Candidates Coming Up

2007-12-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

This is a strictly self promotional post but I wanted to go where the traffic is and April has it. I promise not to do any more political posts on the site my wife has so generously allowed me to post on so please bear with me.

I have watched with some disappointment (and sometimes horror) as the voting records and political decisions of the Republican candidates for President of the United States (POTUS) have been exposed to the light of day. If you have been watching closely (and I hope you have more fun things to do than that) then you know that we certainly don't have much to be proud of in our candidates. Nevertheless, the Republican stable of candidates are certainly more qualified than their Democrat rivals. Sadly, that's a little bit like saying my high school buddy's 1982 K-Car was dramatically better than my 1978 Ford Fairmont but you have to take your victories whenever they come.

In the next series of entries on my site (BallousNews.blogspot.com) I am going to provide a run-down of the candidates. I will include the following candidates in this series of blog entries:

former Mayor Rudy Giuliani - NY
former Governor Mike Huckabee - AR
Senator John McCain - AZ
Rep. Ron Paul - TX
former Governor Mitt Romney - MA
former Senator Fred Thompson - TN

Please note that I am only including Ron Paul because of the comedic value that he brings to the line up. He is not someone I honestly believe you should even consider placing your support behind but then again I was also never a big supporter of smoking cigarettes and that sure seems to have caught on. One other important point is that I am not backing anyone so far but I will vote for the Republican candidate. The reason I have not thrown my support behind any of the candidates is that each of them has found a special way to cause a slight gag reflex in me. I think this is going to be another one of those elections where I have to hold my nose when I vote Republican.

To read these reviews just click over to my site.

The Woman Who Makes My Holidays (and Life) so Enjoyable

2007-12-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

With my failing health this year and the serious illness that I survived I had the opportunity to think a lot about my wonderful wife. I realize that I can't adequately express how grateful I am and how lucky I feel but in this blog entry I have the chance to try to express my deep appreciation for my wife. I have heard it said that everyone needs at least one person to be totally crazy about them. April has always been that person for me even though I haven't always deserved it.

April has helped me create a life that is more fulfilling and of greater value than I had ever imagined possible. When I was a little boy I never even dreamed my life would be what it is today. But then again, I never dreamed I would meet someone like April. When she met me I was of little use to anyone and was lost. She somehow saw my value and helped me work to understand it for myself.

What a wonderful holiday season it has been and how blessed I feel to have her in my life and to have my wonderful sons around me. I often tell my sons that they will be lucky to marry half as well as I did. They don't know how lucky they are to have her as a mother.

No doubt it will embarrass April to have this on the blog but I want all of the people that she interacts with to know how I feel about her. She took care of me and helped me save my soul when she met me. And this year she saved my life. I hope she doesn't get tired of saving me...it seems that it is turning out to be a standard part of her job.

In this time of the year we have the opportunity to share with our loved ones how much they mean. Don't miss this opportunity. You never know if you'll have another chance. So here is my expression of deep love, appreciation and respect for April. Each day she stays with me I am the luckiest man in the world.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2007-12-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas.

We hope everyone had a wonderful day. Ours was very nice and relaxing. I even got a much needed nap. This is the first year we haven't gone anywhere. We just stayed home and enjoyed each others company. Porter was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. Santa brought him a Diego costume. It was too upsetting for Porter for some reason. He just couldn't get it to look EXACTLY like the real Diego. Can you say O.C.D. I think that costume might turned up lost tomorrow.

Conner has been using his drawing stuff all day, Hayden has been working out with his new weight set, and Jordan has just been chillin', playing the guitar because he got a long board, and he can't ride it in the snow. And then of course they've been playing Guitar Hero too. I got a super cute thing to hang on the wall and James got all of his awards and certificates from the military finally framed.

I also included our pictures from our yearly Christmas Eve dinner at Denny's.

Porter, completely tuckered out tonight.

Dinner at Denny's. I know, nice eyes shut April.

Jordan and Conner Playing Guitar Hero.

Hayden with his weight set.

This is the wooden wall hanging I got. I think it looks nice above my little quilt.

See you all in a few days. Merry Christmas!

West Christmas Party

2007-12-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

This post is especially for our family out of state. We missed you terribly at the annual West Christmas party. James did a bang up job as Santa. He was in usual "James fashion". And I might say he was the best Santa we've ever had. Porter had no idea it was really his Daddy. We told Porter to look at the camera but he just couldn't take his eyes off Santa.
Everyone opening their presents.
Grandma and Whitney cooking all the sweet and sour chicken.

Jamie we really could have used your help.

Grandpa cutting the char shu

Zac and Kylee
Scott, Michelle and Robyn
This is Anne and her daughter, Alexa. Anne is Dallas's girlfriend.

"Up" Pants

2007-12-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

Porter changes his clothes so many times during the day. I have heard of kids doing this, but boys? None of my other kids ever did this. And to make matters worse he insists on wearing summer clothes. I usually don't mind too much because he does wear what I want him to, to school and church. I tried hiding all his shorts. He came to me yesterday and said "Where are my "up pants?" What??? After a while I figured out he was talking about shorts. Now today he found his Crocks. Good grief! I ran to the bank today with him and then decided to run into the mall real quick. Of course he was in his latest summer outfit but I went in anyway. Boy did I get some disagreeing looks from people. I should lock them up in a room with Porter for an hour. Then they'd understand.

My Rock Star Son

2007-12-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

No this isn't one of the Beatles you're looking at, it's my 14 year old son Jordan. He performed in his school's talent show today. He's soooo good. All the girls kept screaming his name. When I commented on that he said, "Yep, those are my groupies".

Hayden also plays guitar, sings and plays the piano.

But sorry Jordan, now that the talent show is over

YOU ARE GETTING A HAIRCUT!

Yummy Desserts

2007-12-16T12:40:00.001-08:00

My friend's son is having his mission farewell today. I told her I would bring some food ever for the get together after. ( you know you're old when your friends kids start going on missions...) I ended up making 2 desserts, chocolate covered strawberries, and something I saw the other day and figured out how to duplicate them. By the way Kent's has their 2lb. strawberries on sale for $1.99 and chocolate chips for $0.89. What a bargain!!! The yummy chocolate thingys are soooo easy. You just make a batch of chocolate cake mix cookies (I cooked mine in a mini muffin tin) cook for 10 minutes and right when they come out of the oven stick a Hershey's Hug into them. Easy as can be. The cake mix recipe is:

1 cake mix

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 egg
Bake on 350 for about 10 minutes. Shorter if you just bake them on a cookie sheet.

I doubled the recipe and it made 72 cookies.
( Thanks Holly for the cake mix recipe. Yours is way batter than mine.)

Check this out it's hillarious

2007-12-15T18:00:00.001-08:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1441004874
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1441644455

Day light savings

2007-12-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe what a hard time I'm having adjusting to the time change this year. I don't ever remember it being this hard. It will be around 5:30 p.m. and I'll go get in my pajamas thinking it's time to start getting ready for bed and when I look at the clock I can't believe it. I even had to get re-dressed the other night cause James wanted to run to a store with me. My sister Julie gave me a cute sign a while ago and boy is it true for me-

I don't know what's wrong with me. It couldn't be that I eat too many goodies and never exercise. That's just silly. Oh well, Spring will be here soon enough. Is anyone else out there having any touble?

Why you should never kiss a monkey

2007-12-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

RUDE PEOPLE

2007-12-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

2 posts in one day??? This is a first for me.

Today I went to Kinkos to print out our Christmas cards, (which by the way turned out darling) and I ran into so many people who must have left their manners at home. First I couldn't get any good service from the employees, then what should have taken about 10 minutes took over a half hour. The machine ran out of paper and ink, which I knew it was going to but the worker told me to wait until it did, so I had to recreate the card 4 different times cause the stupid machine doesn't save. One reason I messed up was this RUDE lady breathing down my neck! I think even if you're waiting in line for something you should give people their space. Then another lady was making a ton of copies on the ONLY color copier they had. But that's ok cause she got there first. A lady came in needing color copies and acted soooo put out to have to wait for the first lady. Like the whole world should have known that SHE was in a hurry and her time was much more valuable that the rest of ours! She finally left in a huff and gave the poor lady a dirty look. Then of course I had Porter with me and he was being pretty good. He found a cute little girl to play with and they were laughing and having fun. Well, this grouchy old lady walked by them and said "you guys look like you're having a good time." Which Porter said "We are" and she replied " way too much fun for me!" In a very condescending voice. Ewe! why can't people just be nice? For heavens sake IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!

At least my pictures turned out cute. Be looking for them in the mail.

Love to all, April

Our night out

2007-12-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

So James got an email from his office saying they had 2 Jazz tickets for him. They do this a few times a season and it's always very nice. So we drive into Salt Lake, go to will call and pick up our tickets and parking pass. When James gets in the car we look at the tickets and OH MY HECK. Do you know how much they cost??????????? $800 EACH! We could not believe it. We've never had tickets that cost that much. Who are these people that pay this much every game? Nutraceutical has been so good to us. The owner is such a kind and generous man. We feel very lucky to be part of the Nutraceutical family. I took my camera to document the evening. Wish you all could have been there. Enjoy.

THIS IS US READY TO LEAVE.

These are our tickets. Again, Holy Cow!

We had dinner at the 100 Club. They even had a place for our coats.

This is my cute hubby getting ready to enjoy dinner.
Mmmm, everything was irresistible.

This is the delicious seafood platter. I know, you can't help but drool. And remember, it's all you can eat!

And of course, my favorite part, the endless array of glorious desserts.

Ok, here was our view. Our seats were on the floor under one of the baskets. This first one is of my feet right up next to one of the Jazz dancers. That's how close we were.

Here is The Bear.

This is a pretty good shot of the players.

And this might be cruel but these "women ??" were sitting across from us. We weren't sure what to make of them... Just thought I'd share.....

Ok, one more of the skinny wenches. (Just kidding I'm sure they're all very nice. It just makes me feel better to think they're mean.)

We had a wonderful evening. Wish you all could have been there. It's nice to rub elbows with the rich and famous once in a while. Oh well, back to laundry, toilets, driving kids around, worrying about my weight and everything else in my life. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm living the life I always wanted.