{sweet baby}

Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and turn off the music before watching. 

{domestic}

I've been so very domestic lately and here are a couple of scrumptious recipes to prove it...

I've been trying new recipes almost every single night for dinner. Lance loves it and I love it and coincidently, so does Crew because with me eating so much, my milk is flowing! TMI? Sorry :)

One of my favorites to get recipes from is the Pioneer Women's cookbook. I LOVE that book! Not only are the recipes so yummy, but she also has easy step-by-step instructions and pictures. Thanks for the thoughtful gift Kirstin :)

The first recipe I am going to share with you is one I snagged off of my friend Rachelle's dinner blog. It's called Let Me Plan Dinner and I'm in love...She posts an entire week's worth of meals, recipes and shopping lists. Heaven! Planning dinner can be such a task and it seems I always fall into the same 5 recipes which I make over and over. But her blog has helped me think outside the box and we've been trying all sorts of new things.

Ok. Ready? It's called Neapolitan Baked Ziti. Mmmm. SO yummy and perfect for leftovers. If you are anything like Lance and I, leftovers never last for more than a day.

Neapolitan Baked Ziti


1 lb ziti pasta
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes
4-5 leaves basil, torn
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 bay leaf
dash nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil pasta till just shy of al dente. Drain well. In medium sauce pan saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and smash with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Add basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble and simmer for 15 minutes. Now start on the white sauces. Melt butter, add flour and cook together for 1 minutes. Whisk in milk. Add the rest of the seasonings and simmer for 5 minutes on low. Mix pasta with red sauce and pour into a glass 9x13 pan. Poor the white sauce over the top then sprinkle with cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees.

The next recipe is a very tasty treat that is actually VERY easy to make and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Its from Paula Deen on the cooking channel. It's the ultimate sweet tooth fix. I used roasted almonds instead of pecans.

English Toffee

14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Dash salt
• 1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars

Start by Generously buttering a cookie sheet. Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove spoon from pan, and cook to a very brittle stage (300 degrees to 310 degrees F on a canyd thermometer). Or, make a cold water test: candy will separate into hard, brittle threads when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat and add nuts to mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Some other recent favorites around our house are homemade lasagna, Macaroni Grill's Rosemary bread, and Zucchini Bread. I always knew I wanted to be a little mommy and stay-at-home wife but I just never knew I would enjoy it quite so much! 

Happy Homemaking :)

{poolside}

Its hard to believe summer is coming to a close. We have been trying to fit in all the outside fun time we can!

Cousins; only 3 weeks apart. I just melt at these cute babes.

First off, we loved having Kirstin, Marcus and Savannah in town! They decided to make a last  minute trip to Utah for a week. We feel so spoiled to get to see them two months in a row. Kirstin and I have become such good friends and it's been hard to have her live all the way in Arizona. I feel so blessed to have sisters-in-law that I just click with and have from day one. I sure love them! 

Every time Kirstin comes into town, we pack our things to spend the night in Salt Lake to get in as much time as possible. And inevitably, we end up spending at least 2 and even sometimes 3 nights in a row because we just never want to leave! 

Fun at Dive Utah.

Savannah has become quite the little fish! Her uncle Keaton is her absolute favorite.

Savannah showing me the stamps she earned after her great swimming lesson.

This evening, we got together for a BBQ and pool party at Andrew's house. Everyone got together for a group shot at the end of the party just as my camera died. Bummer. 

Here is Sutton holding Crew with his brand new glasses. Ha! What a little stud.

There was something really interesting on the ground apparently. 

Practicing his floating with daddy. He LOVES the water.

Look how fat he has gotten! Yup. Pretty sure he eats all the time. 

I just cant get enough of this sweet baby.

He has been regularly sleeping 5 1/2 hours at night which is heaven. And he makes getting up in the night such a pleasure. As soon as he sees me he breaks into the biggest smile and will sit and talk and coo with me. It's like he's trying to say, "Boy! Am I sure happy to see you. I'm really hungry..." 

He is still a complete cuddle bug and loves to be held. But he is also really curious about the world around him and cant stand to be laying flat when he's awake. He loves his bouncer seat which we put on the kitchen table so he can see everything that is going on. 

 He has been smiling so much more in the last couple of weeks and today he giggled for the first time! Probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.... :)

He is an absolute pleasure and we are so very happy he's ours forever.

{Nursery}

I couldn't be happier with Crew's new nursery...

C is for CREW

Canvas wraps I made.

The new chair rail that my hunky hubby put up thanks to a quick lesson from my Dad.

The gorgeous afghan my talented mother made. She is incredible!

I LOVE the color, the crib and the canvas wraps.

This is the rocking chair my mom used to rock me in when I was a baby :) I love thinking of that every time I rock Crew in it. Having a baby has really changed the way I see my parents. I respect them so much and understand a little more how much they love me and want what's best for me.

My mom and I whipped out these corduroy curtains in about an hour and a half. Thanks mom!

For those of you who don't know, Lance and I moved into my parent's basement apartment a couple weeks before Crew was born and will probably be here for a couple of years. We feel completely spoiled! The apartment is nicer than anywhere we've lived and we have babysitters just upstairs! It's been so nice to be close especially with my mom's diagnosis of breast cancer. Crew gets all the cuddle time he wants :) I am also SUPER excited to paint and make any changes I want. 

I am mostly finished decorating the kitchen and family room and then I will post some more pics.

In the meantime, we are just enjoying our sweet little CREW and especially loving these warm summer nights. 

{LOVE}

I didn't know love like this existed.