Caitlin's Blessing

Yesterday at church Andrew was able to bless Caitlin. In the morning after I put Caitlin in her special dress (the one that Andrew's mom made for us...isn't it beautiful! ) Carson said, "Caitlin looks like a pretty princess!" Awww.

We had great family support and in my opinion an extra special visitor, my Grandpa Tom. For starters Tom is my only living biological grandparent and he also has Parkinson's disease which limits his activities. In fact, he hadn't been to church in years so when I saw him at church, I started crying because it meant a lot to me that he was there.

We only managed to get a couple family shots after sacrament meeting because it was super windy, hence the crazy hair all around! Later in the day we had family over for dinner, it was great to be able to visit and relax.

We are super lucky! I seriously love not only my family but I feel grateful to be able to live so close to our families as well.

Caitlin is a fantastic baby and we can't get enough of her happy disposition and chubbiness!

Tasty Tuesday

Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes

Ingredients

• 8 whole Chicken Legs Or Thighs
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
• 5 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
• ½ cups White Wine (more To Taste)
• 2 cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
• 1 whole 14.5 Ounce Can Artichoke Hearts, Drained , Rinsed, And Patted Dry
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Freshly Chopped Chives To Taste
• Freshly Grated Parmesan
• 16 ounces, weight Pasta - Cooked And Drained

Preperations

Prepare all fresh ingredients

Salt and pepper chicken pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add sliced mushrooms to pan with the garlic, and stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Add wine and cook for a minute while it evaporates.

Pour in chicken broth—you should have enough for it to be very liquidy. Stir to deglaze the pan, the add chicken back to pan. Add artichoke hearts. Put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat (or in a 375 degree oven) for 30 minutes, checking to make sure chicken broth doesn’t completely evaporate. (Add more as needed).

Remove lid and reduce heat to low. Remove chicken from pan. Pour in cream and shake/stir to distribute. Add chives, then add chicken back to pan. Put lid on pan again and cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken sauce. Stir and check for seasonings; add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over cooked pasta. Top with more chives and Parmesan. Yum!

I Love to See the Temple

Carson has been asking to go to the temple so we went to the Sacramento Temple tonight for FHE (Family Home Evening) and invited some neighbors to join us for a picnic dinner.

The lighting was awesome when we first got there and I captured the steeple with Moroni.

The weather was on the chilly side but we enjoyed our time outside before getting eaten alive by mosquito. Carson was so excited when we first arrived, actually the whole time. He especially loved the fountain and the "slide."

So glad to have a little adventure and spend the evening outdoors before it rains.

I love my family and glad that I can be with them forever!