Monday, September 26, 2011

Blog Sugar

The weekend is over.  Blog Sugar came and went.  Holly and Tammy are on their way back to their homes in Arizona and Bakersfield.  We anticipated this weekend event for almost a year.  It did not disappoint!  During the past several months since signing up for the blogging conference Blog Sugar, we had the opportunity to get to know Holly and Tammy better, and we eagerly anticipated meeting them in person.  My girls and I put together a little welcome basket for the ladies to enjoy, and arranged to have it in their hotel room upon their arrival.
After resting up a bit, they arrived here for dinner.  We hugged, and laughed, and it felt like we had known each other for years.  I made a cheese ball appetizer.  YUM!  Cheryl, I hear this cheese ball recipe originally comes from you!  It is always a winner!
Here are Holly and Tammy.
We sat outside and enjoyed a nice cool evening.  The kids played and chased chickens!  Noah demonstrated his chicken catching skills for us.  Here he is with his chicken, Ham.
We kept is simple for dinner, and ordered specialty pizzas at Twisted Gourmet.  Gennifer and I made a couple of salads to go along with it, and it was delicious and easy, leaving us lots of time to visit with our friends.
One night over the summer, we had a BBQ at my Mom's house.   She made a caprese salad, and instead of just pouring the balsamic onto the salad, she made a reduction with the balsamic and it was so good!  I did this, using a gourmet pomegranate balsamic that my son's girlfriend Diana had given me and it was a syrupy delight!! 
We enjoyed a nice meal outside, and then went into the house to sing Happy Birthday to Holly!  I made the same ooey gooey chocolate sheet cake I made a week or so ago.  This is my go to cake!
Holly opened her present.
We took our cake and coffee and went back out to the patio where we enjoyed a nice fire and our dessert.  It was a perfect evening, and it felt as comfortable as if we had known them forever.  But we had a big day ahead of us for Blog Sugar, so we bade them goodnight, and told them we would pick them up at noon tomorrow for our day at Blog Sugar.  Tomorrow I will share a couple of pictures from our day at the blogging conference.  
Holly and Tammy......you are both exactly as I knew you would be!   We all had such a great time with you!!!

22 comments:

Bethany said...

It looks like so much fun!!! I want to reach through my screen and eat that caprese salad -it's my all-time favorite!

NanaNor's said...

Oh Kris, I think they were equally blessed by you-what a wonderful basket filled with such goodies-you should do a post on that alone-what all you put into it. Presents, dinner and the conference-what heaven!!!!! You certainly know how to treat your friends well. I've seen gifts on blogs that others give eachother when they get together and if I were working I'd do the same.
Have a great week, can't wait to see more pics.
Love, Noreen

Janna said...

loved meeting you and Genn at Blog Sugar!!! Can't wait to see pics.

Pammy Sue said...

You are the most wonderful hostess! Those baskets full of goodies are great, and your dinner & appetizers look so pretty and sound scrumptious. Girl, your momma raised you right.

Anonymous said...

that just warms my heart toknowthat meeting blogging buddies is a reality,, what a wonderful post,, just wonderful and you welcomed so warmly,, just beautiful,, thankyou for sharing this,,

Kerri said...

Kris- you are the hostess with the mostess! What a thoughtful basket you guys put together! And your get together at your house looks so nice. I bet your new guests felt welcomed immediately. Looking forward to hearing about blog sugar!

Unknown said...

What a blast. I see nothing but smiles, smiles and more smiles. Are you not the best hostess ever? Glad to see you didn't stress one little bit and ordered the pizzas out. Perfect way to entertain. Would love to hear more about Blog Sugar, I'm not 100% sure I get it.

Stacey said...

Fun!!! I can't wait to hear all about it :) And that ooey, gooey chocolate cake looks and sounds amazing.. And, I don't even like chocolate cake.. lol

~Niki~ said...

oh what a fun time! cannot wait to see more pics!
you were so nice to make those baskets! beautiful.

Cheryl said...

Looks like so much fun!!! My cheeseball looks so happy attending too :-)!!!

Sinta Renee said...

What a fantastic idea! I would love to do one of those get togethers up in my area!

Tammy said...

Kris, I don't know where to begin! You all were what I imagined and more!!! Thank you so much for letting us into your house, the basket, dinner and going to Blog sugar with us! I miss you guys already and was so sad to leave. =) Thank you for everything!

Dawn said...

So glad you had a great time with your new friends:) Wish I was there:(

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a wonderful "welcome basket," you and your daughter's made, Kris! It looks like you all had such a good time. I already peeked at soem BlogSugar photos on Deb's blog. It looked like sweet fun!

From the Kitchen said...

Love the basket and the fun time you had. Would you believe that I have a bottle of pomegranate balsamic vinegar that I just opened today (from last Christmas) to marinate those figs for my pizza. I just listed balsamic in the recipe since I figured most people wouldn't have a bottle of the pomegranate balsamic hanging around. Wrong!

Best,
Bonnie

The Tuscan Home said...

Glad you all had a great time! XO ~Liz

P.S. Thank you for the sweet comment on my Living Room Mantle. *smile*

Genn said...

What a fun time that was!
I miss them already!!

Linda said...

Kris you are a wonderful hostess and friend!! It looks like everyone had a great time...I enjoyed our lunch and Blog Sugar with you guys!!

Nancy said...

I loved meeting you and giving you a big hug. You and Genn are just delightful and like we said before, you look AMAZING. What a blessing to meet you. A great night for sure! xoxoNancy

Nicolle said...

OH how fun. What a great weekend with family and new friends! :)) Love the gift basket you and the girls put together for your friends' hotel room. Fun!

Holly said...

Girl, don't even know where to start with you. Most amazing weekend. Miss you like crazy already. You are an amazing woman and made us feel so welcome and a part of the family. You're my sister from another Mister. Love you and miss you! Now come to Phoenix.

Whosyergurl said...

WOW...what a welcome basket! How wonderful...your meal looks delic. Everyone looks so happy! Fun times! xo, Cheryl