IRL with Our Best Bites

I KNOW this girl!



The gals behind the cooking blog Our Best Bites are a couple of sweethearts- I went to sunday school with one (Sara, on the left) and with the HUSBAND of the other (Kate, on the right).  They came to our town to do a book signing for their new cookbook, and Aunt LoLo and I were so excited!

Is it me, or does Wonder Boy seem to be a bit friendly with Kate?

(Although, Sara seems awfully excited about the bread Aunt LoLo brought her to keep her strength up!)



It's been such an amazing thing to watch their blog take off....to see them on the cover of a magazine (LDS Living,) to see their cookbook on Amazon and at Costco...wow!!

If you like to cook, and you haven't seen their blog yet...go check it out.  They use honest to goodness NORMAL ingredients, and the food is all fantastic.  Sara served a mission in South America, and the experience really shines through in a lot of her dishes, especially with her love affair with limes and fresh herbs.  They're both young moms, they don't have a ton of time for cooking, and the food is all fast and fresh and yummy.

A huge thanks to Uncle LoLo for taking all four of our big kids while Aunt LoLo and I (and Wonder Boy) hit the town!  Movie and Popcorn Night is fast becoming a Friday tradition at my house (I can't think of a nicer way to stuff my girls full of fiber!) and I was glad to get out to the signing early so we didn't miss our popcorn night!  (Plus, it's HANDS DOWN the easiest cooking night.  Ahem.)

Also, please note: I AM WEARING MAKEUP in that photo.  Yes, I know it doesn't show.  My darling, GORGEOUS twin sister greeted me the other day with the announcement that we are BLEACHING.  It's a highly technical term, apparently, that means we need makeup if you want to see any color variation between forehead, cheeks, lips, and chin.  I look forward to more of these announcements as we near our thirtieth birthday.  Also, daily updates on her latest gray hair count.  (Mine: 1  Hers: More.  Her boy is older than mine.)

Bending The Rules

Caught a great book signing this week- Amy Karol, author of Bend the Rules Sewing and Bend the Rules with Fabric, came to a book signing at The Quilt Loft in Seattle. That's driving distance! Plus, she was accompanied by the fabulous Miss Black Apple, Emily Martin. I was so stoked.

The Quilting Loft is tucked away in a cute part of the Seattle-area * known as Ballard, near Lake Washington.  I have never been in the presence of so many delicious, vibrant, designer fabrics.  (Overhearing a woman at the cutting counter laughing that she was going to spend over $300 on "this quilt" cured me of any serious designs, though!)

There was a good-sized line, and I joined the back.




I met Amy Karol!  She's darling.



I met Emily Martin, too!  She's so funny- after this picture was snapped she looked at the camera and said "Wonderful!  I look like a vampire."  It's a pretty common look in this area, I'm afraid.  (I love everything in her Etsy shop.  Everything.  I heard tell that a while back, she was the top selling Etsy-er.  Incredible!)




There were cookies from Amy, door prizes for a lucky few gals, and even old friends.  (I felt like such an interloper after finding out the people in front AND in back of me had known Amy for years.

Mom and Dad, thanks again for my birthday books!

Wonder Daddy, THANK YOU for taking solo duty for bed time!!

And Amy and Emily, thank you for coming out this way!

*You have to know that everything near Seattle is "Seattle Area."  There are no breaks between cities and towns.  You drive Seattle-Mercer Island-Bellevue-Issaquah-North Bend-Preston on I-90 before you find a real break.  And it's a mountain range.  So we have Eastside, with Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah.  South is Renton, Tacoma.  North is Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Snohomish County.  West...well, there's just West Seattle, because of the large OCEAN in the way :)  You better pay attention to your exit numbers in this area, because you'll never know when you reach a new town!