ITALIAN NACHOS

Well, I have a new favorite EASY dinner that I thought I would share. Now to be fair I am usually the last to figure things out especially in the litchen but it is new to me. Jason and I love Italian Nachos at Johnny Carino's so I set out to the internet to find a recipe and I found one. Now I have tweeked it a little bit to fit our family but here it is.

1 bag tortilla chips ( I use Santina's because of how thin they are)
1 roll sausage
1 can of Alfredo Sauce (spaghetti sauce size)
Roma Tomatoes
Green Onions
Jalepenos
Olives
Parmesan Cheese
Mozarella Cheese

So you spread out the chips on a cookie sheet. Brown the sausage and heat up the alfredo sauce seperately. Add the Alfredo and then the sausage. Then the vegetables and then Parmesan and finish it with Mozarella Cheeses. Then cook it at 375 for betwwen 5-8 minutes until the cheese has some golden brown spots. Serve.

It is SOOOOO GOOOOD! And I think that you could really add or delete anything you wanted. You could use Chicken or beef instead of sausage or the recipe online suggested that to make it authentic that Johnny Corino's uses browned won tons for the chips. I haven't tried it that way. So There it is

Bennett on TWO WHEELS!!!

Okay, so I want to start this post with some background info on our Bennett. From the day he was born he will not be pushed into doing something that he is not ready for and he refuses to let you know what he knows no matter what. When he was in the hospital the Neonatalogist had to remove the ventilator and later the CPAP off of him cold turkey because he would not wean off them. His lungs were developed but until he was forced to do it on his own, he was content the way it was.
So Jason has been working with him off and on for a while to help him learn how to ride his bike without training wheels to no avail. Now I must disclose that we do not have any patch of ground that is not plauged with rocks so it is not excatly a smooth ride. It would always end with Bennett in tears(which he does often, he is a very emotional child) and Jason frazzled. so needless to say there have not been very many riding lessons lately. BUT, yesterday Bennett decided that he was ready to ride it and after about 5 minutes of help from Jason he is riding it like he has been riding a bike for years.
He has already asked for a new bike to commemorate his triumph, but his bike has hardly been riden since we bought it for him last year so he will have to wear this one out first.

The Hit on Rudy the Rooster

So, we have a Rooster on the property that has taken a dislike to Bennett. On at least a couple recent occasions the Rooster has chased Bennett off which has made him dislike him just as much. Well, last week as Bennett was playing down by the barn with the other kids when Rudy went on the attack. He actually punctured skin when he jumped on Bennet. so a couple of days ago Bennett came to Jason with a proposition and it went something like this:
Bennett: Dad, I need to talk to you about Rudy.
Jason: Well, What do you want to talk about?
Benentt: I was hoping that you could TAKE CARE OF RUDY! (he said really softly)
Jason: What do you mean TAKE CARE OF RUDY!
Bennett: You know, with your gun.

We could not stop laughing!!!! He wanted to put a hit out on Rudy. Needless to say Rudy is still alive and well but Bennett says when he is old enough to have a gun Rudy will be the first to go. We had to explain to him that he will not be able to have a gun until he is MUCH OLDER and MUCH WISER because you can not kill an animal just because.

TOO FUNNY!! Had to share!

The Ballard's Caffeine FREE!

Well, for all ya'll that know us well Diet Coke and Diet Mt. Dew are pretty much water in our household. BUT, we have decided to go Caffeine Free. As of Last Monday I have not had any Caffeine and Jason has only had 1 Mt. Dew a day. I know it does not sound like much but for anyone that has had a caffeine headache you know what we went through. We fell really good about it.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Well I thought that if Loretta can do movie reviews I should do a review on the only movie I will see this year. Not beacuse I don't want to see any movies it is just the way it works out for us. ( although i know that my reviews are not near as good or pretty as Loretta's)

Paul Blart:Mall Cop is a PG rated Adam Sandler produced movie, so if you like adam sandler humor you can appreciate this movie. The best part about it is it is reated PG so none of the bad stuff. It is not Great but it is a really good funny family film to enjoy together. Bennet loved it. Shelby thought it was okay. Jason and I were both laughing through most of it.

Things have been crazy busy at Ballard Paint and Body. Lots of work so far, so we consider ourselves blessed. We did however find some time to do some remodeling. Jason built me a pantry and totally redid the laundry room. Drywall and crown molding. The whole works. It looks beautiful. I can't wait until we have the time and money to do the rest of the house. I will take some pics and post them when we get all of the trim painting done.

My Heart is Full!!!!!

What a night!!! Jason and I were fortunate enough to go see Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater. It was amazing! If you have the money and time I would plead with you to buy the book and read it. It is VERY powerful. One of the most powerful books I have ever read. After watching the show I am filled with hope and love and a need to share the story and what I have taken from it. There are two major things that I have taken from it and I want you to read the book so I won't ruin the story but they are timeless and always relevant to everyone. First, FACE YOUR STORM. Whatever that may be we must face the storm and walk through it because only when we are through it can we really live the life we are meant to live. If you stay on the other side of the storm all you do is live in the darkness but if you will take the first step through the darkness the light on the other side is the most beautiful light we have ever seen. We all have hard times in our lives but if we will the take the first step to get past them then and only then can we be relieved of the weight that they can cause and can live in the light. Second, HOW DO WE CARE FOR OUR GREATEST GIFT? In his story he uses the Christmas Sweater that his mom made for him one christmas beacuse she could not afford the bike he desperately wanted, as an analogy on how we care for our gifts. When he first got the sweater he was so dissappointed that is was not a bike that he discarded the sweater on a ball in the corner. His mom with disappointment in her eyes asks him why he would treat the gift so carelessly. What is the greatest gift? It is from our Heavenly Father and it is given to everyone. It is his atonement. Without it we are nothing. But how do we treat that gift? My prayer is that everyone will think of that gift this holiday season and how they can display that gift for everyone to see!!!!!

Needless to say we were crying like babies through the whole thing. Just a side note, The Ballards hace decided that we are going to spend Christmas in Texas this year, so We will be down on Christmas Eve and stay through the weekend. We can not wait to see everyone. God Bless Ya'll and Merry Christmas!!!

LET IT SNOW!!!

Well, Christmas has finally come to Neosho, Missouri. It started early Sunday Morning and continued through this morning. Really just a dusting but it is a sign of things to come. But to tell you the truth I would be a lot happier having loads of snow than any ICE!!! We will keep our fingers crossed. I have some pics and I will post them in the next day or so.