Have you ever seen one of these?

This last weekend we were able to go out and visit my sister in Effingham, Illinois. My nephew, Spencer was baptized-we are so glad you made this choice in your life and so proud of you. We had so much fun hanging out with family.(Thanks again Krista for the plane tickets-you are great) While we were there, my sister showed us a mushroom that she has in her backyard. I don't know about you, but none of us had ever seen a mushroom like this in real life. We have just seen cartoon drawings that look like this. To be honest...I didn't think they were real. Check this out. We also helped to dig a couple of window wells. They are going to grade(I think that is what it's called) my sister's backyard today, and she needed to have the window wells in place before they came. I know, I have great shoes for shoveling, but it was flip flops or my new white tennis shoes.

Mom and me

My cute sister, Denise

I just thought this next picture was so cute. My niece and nephews love Night at the Museum, so Patrick brought it along for them to watch. This was the second time that day, and Patrick was plum tuckered! We had a really good time. Thanks for letting us come and stay with you Denise and Scott.

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Two weekends ago we spent some time at my parents house. We went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple on Saturday morning. It was so beautiful. That is the very first temple I went to, and it was fun to go back. We also tried some new recipes

Luscious Lemon Fruit Dip

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups heavy shipping cream, whipped
• Fresh Fruit

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-hgih heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes onger. Remove form the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentl boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Cover surface with waxed paper and refrigerate until cooled. Fold in whipped cream. Yield 5 cups.

Cherry-Chicken Salad Croissants

• 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2/3 cup dried cherries-I used craisens
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped apple
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons buttermilk-I used regular milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• croissants

Combine chicken, cherries, celery, apple and pecans. Combine mayo, milk, salt and pepper. Add to chicken mixture and mix well. Spoon into croissants. Makes 7 sandwiches.

Russian Cream

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 10 oz frozen raspberries, thawed

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 min. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside. In another saucepan, heat whipping cream and sugar over meium heat until sugar is dissovled and mixture is lukewarm. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. In each of four parfait glasses, place a scant(that is my new favorite word) 1/4 cup of cream mixture; top each with a rounded tablespoonful of raspberries. Repeat layers. Top each witha scant 1/4 cup cream mixture. Cover and refridgerated for 3 yhours or until set. Just before serving, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint if desired. Yield 4 servings. I really enjoy trying new recipes, especially with my mom because I know she enjoys it too. We had a great weekend. The three recipes were from the Taste of Home Magazine.

Snug as a Bug!

A couple days ago, it was pretty cold outside. I decided to bring my big fluffy down blanket downstairs. I left the room for a few minutes and came back to find this. He is definately snug as a bug in a rug. I just thought he was so cute and had to take a picture.