simple recipe: brushetta with roasted garlic and a gift idea.

I'm pretty sure, when we arrive in heaven, Brushetta will be served as the appetizer at our "welcome home" dinner. The combination of ripe tomatoes, garlic, and basil, must truly be a gift from God. :)

simple solution: teaching kids to set the table

Question: If the silverware had a fight, who would win?

"Bite" silverware designed by Mark Reigelman.

Each Sunday after church, our married kids and their families (and Annabelle the dog) come over for dinner. It's pretty casual, but we always sit down at the table to eat together. We also have horrible special traditions like making a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough after dinner, and devouring the entire thing. And Ella always challenges her big brothers to a game of Mario Cart. (And usually wins--seriously. Luckily, they're good sports.) It's a day I look forward to each week because it means I get to see my grandlittles and catch up with my bigs.

Recently Ella has become more interested in helping out with the prep before everyone arrives. I think she believes they'll get here faster if everything is done. So, I've been teaching her to set the table.

out and about: BYB 2013 Conference

Wondering what to expect at a blog conference? Here's a bit of my personal experience.

I attended the Build Your Blog 2103 Conference last weekend in Salt Lake City. The darling girls at Six Sisters Stuff blog (yes, they are actually sisters) hosted and did a beautiful job.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST?
When I was deciding whether or not to go to the conference, I saw that Brooke Walker, host of KSL's Studio 5, was the keynote speaker. I watch Studio 5 almost every day while I'm on the treadmill, and think Brooke is darling, so that was the little push I needed. In real life, she's even more funny and inspiring.

I loved that the conference was just one Saturday, which made it very doable, less overwhelming, and cost-effective for so many attendees. And, I love, love, love that all the classes were recorded, and will be available for viewing soon (free for attendees and a small cost to non-attendees). That means I (and you!) can actually attend ALL the classes. I think that is a huge perk to attending this conference.

one simple recipe: heavenly hot chocolate

Here in beautiful Utah, we've had a far more extreme winter than usual. There have been record breaking low temps and snow accumulation totals. Brrr! That's led to far too little socializing among neighbors and friends.We decided to warm things up a bit with a good old-fashioned Relief Society social.

helen's quilt

I have a friend, Helen, who is sweet and caring and can always make me laugh. Seriously, she's hilarious. She's also authentic to the core and very knowledgeable of the gospel--all things I very much admire about her. One thing she apparently is not, is graceful. :)

While painting a room in her home a few weeks ago, she took a major dive off of or onto (?) a chair and got a spiral fracture in her leg. I'd describe what that is, but it's super gross and would make you cringe. I just did--eck. Following her surgery, she's been at a rehab center for physical therapy. As much as I'm sure everyone there is enjoying her humor and antics, I know she's going nuts without her family and friends.

To give Helen a little comfort and remind her we're thinking of her, some friends got together and made her a quilt. Actually, Jen Ostler did most of the work, the rest of us got to help. The whole thing came together in three days. I know...amazing!