A Crazy Red Head

Monday, January 27, 2014

This is one happy boy who is so excited to go to scouts for the very first time!!!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Who'd have thought that all an 8 year old boy wanted for his birthday was a bed, some books and clothes...

Saturday, January 25, 2014

To celebrate Seth's Birthday, Dan took him ice fishing with his Grandpa, Nate, Drake, Mahonri, Moroni and Bridger. They went to Pine View and caught quite a few fish. The only picture I got was of this pile of socks. This is how many pairs Seth had on to keep his toes warm!

Winter Fishing at Bear Lake

Monday, January 20, 2014

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Bry saved me and my fingertips when he joined Dan out on the boat in the freezing cold. Seth went with them on Saturday but they had to cut their morning short when he persistently reminded them how cold he was!!! They went back out that afternoon and then again today and it was all worth it. This is the biggest fish I have ever seen this handsome man heft!!!

Just a couple of monsters!!!

Lasagna!!!!!!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

There are 6 exclamation marks because today I made 6 Lasagna's

I love to enjoy the fruits of my labors after those labors have been cleaned up and put away...

Our freezer was desperately missing some lasagna and today was the day to brown, stir, sauté, boil, cover, cook, drain, rinse, spread, repeat and top before serving times six!

Lasagna

Betty Crocker

12 ounces ground beef & sausage combination

7½ ounces tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
6 ounces tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 egg, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
8 slices mozzarella cheese

For sauce, brown meat; add onion powder and garlic powder. Drain fat. Stir in un-drained tomatoes, sauce, paste, basil, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook noodles for 10 to 12 minutes or ‘till tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well. For filling, combine the egg, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese. Layer three of the cooked noodles in a large rectangle-baking dish. Spread with half of the filling. Top with half of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese. Bake 375° for 30 – 35 minutes or ‘till heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Make ahead directions: after assembling as above, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake, covered 375° for 40 minutes. Uncover, bake about 20 minutes more or till hot. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Oh How I Love This Kid (and his Grandparents)

Monday, January 13, 2014

Did you know that when your little boy turns 8 years old he gets to go to cub scouts?

All I know is Activity Days, Young Women's and GIRLS!!!

I have been one nervous mom trying to prepare myself for the next stage in Seth's life. I felt ready for a new adventure but almost lost it there in the chapel when he proudly informed me that he is no longer in Jr. Primary!!! We have been working on getting him ready for baptism. We've attended the wards "It's Great to be Eight!". I found him a durable scripture bag, with a compass and the scriptures to fit in it, with his name embossed. I finished the invitations and mailed them out. Grandma and Grandpa Davis took us to the scout store to get him all decked out in his uniform. Physically he is ready. Physically I am ready.....

Thanks G & G ~ he slept in his hat!!!

Chloe's Late Night

Friday, January 10, 2014

I don't know how she talked me into having five fabulous friends over but here they are! They all wore their favorite jammies and brought their best stuffies for movies and snacks

Seth's Baptism Photos!!!

Sliding through the Snow

Monday, December 16, 2013

I couldn't get these kids to hold still long enough to snap a decent picture but Chloe and Seth had quite a crowd over to slip and slide down the steps of our itty bitty deck. They had so much fun even though the temperature was in the low teens! It always amazes me how long they can play out in the cold. There were frequent warm up breaks including stomping off the snow, stripping out of their snow gear and sipping hot cocoa!!!

We need more people in this little family of mine!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

I know, I know. I already posted this picture. But doesn't my baby sister Erin look so sweet and angelic holding baby Jase in her arms? I didn't get a photo but I caught her hubby Kendall with the same contented look on his face as he held Becky's sweet baby boy.

I think she needs to have some more babies, right away. This is how she felt when I mentioned this:

Her little twins are getting way too big, I call and they talk to me on the phone!

Then she changed her mind and held out her wrists! She can be so dramatic sometimes!!!

Here's Jack thanking Grandma for the Christmas Jammies:

And not to miss out, here's Josh giving her some kisses too:

(Yes, that's Dan hiding out on the steps or guarding the upstairs)

Christmas Luau

These are some of the BEFORE pictures:

{Many Thanks to my neighbor Avry for lending me all of the Hawaiian decorations!}

My favorite was the pineapple Laura brought that had a light sprinkling of vanilla pudding mix

And she also brought me a topper for this pineapple shaped cheese ball!

I made pulled pork sandwiches for the main course but I think the favorite was the dirty sodas:

Then there is the after:

My little sister Erin always worries that the floor is going to give out and all of us will crash to our deaths. It's kind of understandable, but we made it!

2013 Thomson Christmas Song List

Christmas Secrets

Monday, December 9, 2013

I love finding Dan the perfect gift. I try really hard to surprise him. He is really hard to shop for and usually goes out and purchases himself something just before Christmas... This year I spent all morning on Cyber Monday trying to purchase this:

When the box came I opened it up and made sure everything was there. I was teasing Dan to see if he could guess what it was. That is another annoying trait. Usually he is handed a gift and feels it, weighs it and then says, "I hope it's not a camp stove!" So he got a glimpse of this bendable part and I thought I had him fooled into thinking it was a something else completely.

Well he was looking for a number on the phone and scrolling back through the incoming calls and noticed GoPro's 1-800 #. Surprise ruined.

Making Carmels

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Dan only has a few requests during Christmas time. His family likes to remind him that all he needed growing up was some sugar and some colorful twinkling lights. At our house, he's responsible for hanging the Christmas lights. This year my to do list included Caramels, Gingerbread Cake, and Fudge. Today we crossed off caramels by constantly stirring:

Seth tried sweetened condensed milk for the first time and really liked it!!!

It amazes me that just like Christmas presents, it takes so much more time to wrap them compared to unwrapping them. It took me years of mishaps and a sister coming to the rescue and finding me the right pan (Wendy, I only use the pan for caramels) but I am so glad to be able to make caramels the way his mom did when Dan was a little boy!