School

James 6 going  into K
Emily 8 going into 3rd

Bed Pockets

Made some Bed Pockets for Emilys bed. To put her books in, as we are remolding where the books go now. If you like them go here to check them out.

Hair Clips.

Can you guess what I used?



Emilys Craft & Other Thing's

Emily (7) made this last night, looks good dont you think?

Sunday fun (Tent making)

The kids are having fun this sunday with some tent making.

Summer

Please summer come back into our lives we miss you so much. l need you, you make me do so much more
like -

• get out of bed early
• let my feet breath
• watch new things grow
• watch my kids be one with the mud



l can feel the heat

• eat fresh veg from our tiny garden
• air dry my bed sheets
• outside cooking everyday
• run out of bath towels daily
• relex in the river
• no worrys about time 
• no bed times
• hanging with freinds

l will keep adding untill summer comes

count down till summer 144 days ;(

MUM

Mum by Emily Age 6 & 10 months

Pretzels @ Target

Day 3

had a lazy day got done with Emily's  project what auntie Katie got her for her bday then watced some tv had a nap then cooked pork loin and scalloped corn i think i will need to add mike next time it was very dry.

Count down to 2010

What i have done in the last 10 years

1. 2000 - Spent Dec 31st 1999 in New York, USA seeing the miluimin in with a very good freind "funny this was my 1st time in the USA".
2. 2001 - I left England in dec 2000 for the world and thanks to another very good friend i landed in Egypt saw the new year in China , then went onto Hong kong from there we went to Tailland then to the very green Bail, then finsed in Austrail  we came home early as we run out of cash so we never did get to the USA. Got a spring job in a hotel in my home town with tounge piced & dredlocks and a very dark tan but somthing was up i had the bug the travling one i was 22 then i didnt know what to do so i was talking to a kid (17 year old) one sunday morning and i told him  how i felt and that we didnt get to all of the USA and he said "y dont u try and work in a summer camp " i had no idea what he was going on about so in my break that day i went and goggled it. i found  a thing called YMCA look at some of the jobs vac they where looking for and found one for a cook thinking to my self "i could do that " so i was running out of time so i quikly filled out the app and went back to work that sunday. i told my mum what i had done and said i would fill some more out that week and see what happens. i was at work the tueday that week and my BIL called me and said "they called " i said "who "the camp people they want todo a phone interviwe with you " i could belive it turns out there where in need a big need befor i knew it 2 weeks later i was at gatwick waiting for my filght to Boston , MA I didnt have a clue what i was doing beside that all i knew was that i was getting picked up at the other end.      roled my sleves up and got in to the job yes i had my up and down wanted to go home lots of times but i found love that year cut a long story short it tock me 9 weeks to even get him to notice me i will tell u about him later .  i finned camp and went to Canada with a camp friend then my visa hadded run out yet so i went and stayed with that love for a bit in Boston. then Sept 9/11 came and rocked alot of people live so i cut my stay in the Boston , MA a little short and went back to england on the day they went to war. 
3. 2002 - i was missing that one love of mine so i decide to go back in Feb and stayed with him for 90 days that all i am aloud. in that time we came to place called New Hartford , Iowa thats where he is from my love then got hired back at the camp for the summer we talked all summer lon long about what we will do next so we dicded to move back to his home town in to his grandmas house we came to some great news when we moved back to NH, IOWA that we where going to have a baby . my visa run out again so back i went to England we spent alot of money on the phone calls .
4. 2003 - Emily came  on 3rd May 5:25pm on a sat  and Shane arrived the next morning it was his 1st time to england . Emily and i traveld eastbourne to iowa 3 times that year   and had our 1st christmas together as a family in iowa we didced it would be a good time to get married and stop all this flying as it cost so much moeny so the date was picked and paper work sorted and signed .
5. 2004 - Emily and i spent along time with out Shane that year he missed a lot he came for her 1st bday with his mom, sister and oldest nice. the all we had to do was wait for July 31st . we where married what a great day. Red sox won that year to they haddnt won since 1918 that thansgiving we found out we where having our 2nd baby.
6. 2005 - james came a long july 27th 8:00pm that year we went back to england for christmas .
7. 2006 - not much happend this year i got  a new job at the town public library
8. 2007- we went to Florida/ dinsy world  for spring break with the ballhagen family loads of fun cant wait to go back one day shane got a new job at John Deers Alieen and Daren from Aussie came and spent some time with us this year
9. 2008 - found out baby No. 3 was coming . we had a very bad year  on sunday  May 25th we had a torndo hit our town it was the biggest in the usa ef5 2 people lost there life in new hartford then 2 weeks later june 8th ant the same time the town had a flood the whole town was under water i had lost all the work i had put into the library but we are getting over it and the library looks so much better so then came Oct 13th 3:30pm Charlie Shane dilvered this on and said "i am never doing that again. the Haines came for christmas that year .
10. 2009  - Katie and her boyfriend came in May and did some site seeing and then my Brother James came and spent 3 months helping todo the farm up

So i come to the end of my last 9 years of life WOW thats all i can say who would of thought it i hope the 10 years brings me this much fun this is just a little note of what  i did .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Merry Christmas 2009

Spring

l love spring everything about it to the smells, green grass , buds on trees , freash eggs , sending the kids out after school to play, walking to school and work and spring cleaning. This is really the only time i keep it up. Who knows me well knows i am just not put on this plant to clean I wish I could do it relly I do but all that time clean.

What about the kids you ask well.

Emily - is 5 and just one month off from being 6. 6 wow I have been a mum for six years. I just cant belive that. She is turning in to a lovly young lady she loves school and her teacher Mrs . Bass she started to read at christmas and now cant stop every time i see her she has a book or pen and paper in her hand. She loves helping out with her younger brother Charlie so I know she will make a great mum to. Every one who see's her says she looks like her auntie Julie (dad's side) i can see that but omg she looks like my little sis Katie and sleeps like her acts like her and thats where she get her love for art from.
NTE: i love you very much




James - is 3 and will be 4 in july he gose to pre shool and his teacher is mrs . Simons james love to dance any beat he hears he is moving and he is good little mover loves playing with hes cars and tractors. when he say good bye he adds honey to the end even to the boys he has a grilfriend who is married with 2 kids and is 37 wonder if he will marry her one day. he love to his sis, called her hiho for a long time but one day just started calling her Emily not sure who he looks like yet but still sucks his trumb like his uncle James.
NTJ: keep on dancing you make me smile .





Charlie - is 5 1/2 months old is rolling over and just started to crawl still no teeth no hair no sleeping all night (what are you doing to me Charlie)he looks a lot like his dad and emily.dont know what colour your hair will be yet.
NTC: get some teeth soon please


i cant wait to see what this spring brings our family.

( Auntie Katie and Uncle Paul and soccer for Emily and my house all clean for a day )

life is good in the Ballhagens house hold

sorry i have been away

I have been in freezing Iowa yes -45 below my car wont start. School has only been in for only 2 days this week. It has been a mess with the kids at home, don't get me wrong l love them but l don't get anything done , clean up one room then they are making a mess in the other. l can't believe l am copping with the car not working , l think it is because l have not had to use the car much so l have relied on hubby's car. p.s. thank you to my bf for helping me on Tuesday . The library has been in the news this week a bit courier newspaper and Des Moines reg and i hate to say it but i was on channel 9 . My hubby is home today he has hurt his arm . I am trying to get to work today . Then Emily and l are going to our 1sT Daisy's cookie rally cant wait (if you need some just call me).
look out for todays budget run down where we are at.

People

people, they are just so amazing it just shocks me every day what people do for others.

our little town has had its downs this year but now we are on the up again. I work in the library in town. santa pops by every year. I was not sure if he was coming to the library this year as our library got hit by the June 8th 500 year flood we got 3 ft of water inside and lost alot. as you can see from the library web site http://www.newhartford.lib.ia.us/ . i cant post a photo on my blog this is a happy blog. but getting to why people are so nice we have had over 100+ people helping, donating there time and lots of money donted and we are back well ready for santa that is. santa's helper's came and droped off over 100 persents and snack bags for today and a lady came and droped of hats and gloves and stuff from around the usa and england for all the familys to take and i have had lots of people drop of cookies well over 200 of them for tonights party in the town park lots of fun i cant wait for that. ( N2S , cant eat them valerie).. That is why people are so very nice.