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Weekend Bites #28 Conference

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Happy Easter Weekend! I hope you have some plans whether they be with family, or just relaxing and taking time to reflect on the Resurrection. This year Easter falls on the same weekend as our church’s General Conference. Saturday and Sunday we’ll get to enjoy 4 sessions of inspiring messages from our leaders and prophet. If you get the chance you can listen and/or watch as well.

General Conference has always been a day full of both uplifting messages and good food (and lots of treats!). Pair that with Easter weekend, and well – you get the idea. So much food! Traditionally I make Sloppy Joes for our Saturday lunch between sessions, and then while Mark is at the mens evening session, the kids and I will have a pizza night.

This week for your featured pleasure, I’m sharing some recipes I think would make great conference food! I have to say this was hard, because there were so many crowd pleasing recipes this last week!

FEATURES

Lemon Pound Cake w/Strawberry Kiwi Sauce
from The Gold Lining Girl

Whether youre watching conference, or have family over for an Easter feast – this will be a favorite!

Monster Trail Mix

from Serendipity and Spice

If there’s one thing we always have on Conference weekend, it’s a bowl of M&M’s and a bowl of nuts

Buttermilk Biscuits 2 ways

from Bombshell Bling

That takes care of breakfast and brunch!

Easy Cheesy BBQ Chicken Subs

from Optimistic Mommy

In case you don’t like sloppy joes, there’s always this easy bbq chicken sub!

Grab a Featured Button!

An InLinkz Link-up

April 3, 2015
LDS General Conference Sunday Morning Recap #LDSconf

President Henry B. Eyring spoke of unconditional love, and the choices that will lead us to happiness, and choices that will lead to unhappiness. What I took to heart personally was near the end of his talk when he said

“We cannot force God’s children to choose the way to happiness….but we can let them see it in our lives”

Isn’t that powerful? Many people struggle with finding happiness in their lives, some have depression that makes that choice even harder – so let’s try to show more happiness in our lives, and share it with those who struggle.

Dallin H. Oaks gave a powerful talk on the 10 Commandments, and specifically the first commandment to love God. He questioned what we might be putting priority on in our lives above serving God. Perhaps it’s a career, education, recreations, political correctness, or material possessions. I came away with ways I put God first, and ways that I can and should do better –sharing my religion here for example will become more a priority.

Near the end of his talk, Elder Oaks quoted the following from President Monson –

Bonnie L Oscarson serves as the General Young Women President. This is a program for young girls in our church age 12-18. I’ll just quote a portion of her talk here, because I really liked it.

True Conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just having a testimony of those principles…Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe and allowing it to create a “mighty change in us, or in our hearts.”

This can be applicable to many different areas of your life. It is one thing to have knowledge of something, it is completely different to act upon it.

Richard J. Maynes followed Sister Oscarson beautifully as he spoke of enduring to the end, and the relation our testimony and conversion have with our ability to endure trials along the way. When we have a strong testimony and are converted, we will be able to more fully reach the end of our trials.

Richard G Scott bore a beautiful testimony when he told us about the personal strength we can receive through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He spoke to all of us and warned us to be on guard at all times, because Satan will be looking to lure us back into past sins.

“We must be ever vigilant to avoid his enticements. Such was the case of the the faithful Ammonite fathers. Even after their years of faithful living, it was imperative for them to protect themselves spiritually from any attraction to the memory of past sins.”

I encourage you to read the story of the Ammonites in the Book Of Mormon: Alma chapters 23-56.

President Thomas S. Monson said “Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls with His comforting words.

You can watch Sunday morning’s session of conference at this link.

November 6, 2013
LDS General Conference Saturday Afternoon Recap #LDSconf

Where did the time go? I can’t believe October is almost already over. I love that every October starts with the General Conference of the LDS church. To learn more about it, you can visit the LDS website. Get my take on Saturday Morning’s session here.

There was so much good in Conference. My hope as I share these bits of wisdom and love with you, is that something will speak to you, to life your soul and help you through trials you may be having.

Saturday Afternoon session started with an opportunity to raise our hands and sustain the leaders of our church. Different from other faiths our leaders are not paid, so being able to show our support for them can really be a comfort to them, and a show of faith on our part.

The first talk was given by President Boyd K Packer. He spoke of the perilous times we live in, that the apostle Paul foretold – but he left us with inspiration and hope, that as we turn to the Lord and read our scriptures we will be OK.

Elder D Todd Christofferson spoke on the moral force of women. As a mother I felt especially touched by his faith in, and expectation of women as teachers in the home. I felt especially inspired by this quote, and want to become this woman.

Elder S. Gifford Nielsen reiterated much of what the Prophet spoke on, and called us to all do missionary work. Currently my baby brother is serving a full time (2 year) mission in Boston Massachusetts. He has devoted these years to serving the Lord and spreading His love to all who want to hear it. I may not be doing the same exact thing, but I can be an example and share God’s love to my friends, and here on Home Maid Simple.

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela also spoke on missionary work, but encouraged us to reach out through small and simple things. Some people just need a hug, or a smile, or a true friend – someone who really cares about them.

Elder Timothy J. Dyches reminded us that we must have faith before the miracle. Sharing many stories from Christ’s life, and those He healed, we learn this lesson. Will we be made whole?

Image source

Elder Jeffrey R Holland made me cry. As someone who has suffered depression, and watched family members battle with mental disease, his cry of love and compassion for the people struggling with these diseases spoke to my heart.

There was so much from his talk that I’d love to share with you, but that would make this post much too long, so please, I encourage you to go and listen/read/watch his full talk.

Elder M. Russell Ballard brought the theme of this session back to missionary work, and again encouraged us to share the gospel. In an effort to support my leaders, and really share my faith and believe with everyone I come in contact with – That is why I share these posts. I hope that you all can feel our Savior’s love. He is not just my Savior, but the world’s. I know this to be true as I have felt His hand in my life.

Watch the whole Saturday afternoon session of the LDS General Conference online.

October 23, 2013
LDS General Conference Saturday morning Recap #LDSconf

I just love the beginning of October, because it means I get to listen to my church leaders in a General Conference broadcast to throughout the world. It is always an uplifting and humbling experience as I write notes on the bits that really stuck out to me, and had meaning for my exact situation in life.

Anyone listening to conference with an open heart ready to be taught something inspiring, will not be disappointed. And great news, the whole thing (along with past conferences) can be found online at www.lds.org

This is just what I came away with, along with some meme’s that were made from many of the talks. I hope something here resonates with you, and you will leave Home Maid Simple feeling a little bit better than you did when you stopped by.

From Elder Hales, I was left with this bit of inspiration – I need to make a mental list of things in my life I can perfect, and then I need to GO TO WORK to better my life.

Sister Carole M Stephens really had my thoughts turning back on the different roles of men and women. I’ve touched on this topic and what it means in my life before with my Why I Wear A Dress to Church post. I know this is a hot topic in the world, but what I got out of her talk was that if we begin to mix our genders divine roles, we will soon eliminate the need for families, an eternal aspect of our Heavenly Fathers plan. Being equal does not mean we are exactly the same, it means we respect each other equally and take on the needs individually for our families.

Alright, have you all seen Kid President? Someone posted on twitter that Kid President is Elder Dube in 20 years, and it just made me laugh. Elder Dube was so enthusiastic and just full of life and hope! He said so so many good things, but one that really stuck out was that we should:

“Look ahead and believe. Stand close together and lift where you stand”

It reminded me of the part in Finding Nemo where the fish all have to work together in a close environment to get out of the fisher men’s nets. Together we can do amazing things, and having hope in the future is key!

Elder Bednar spoke directly to me when he spoke about being grateful for the things we have. It is something I am working hard on teaching my kids, and I realize I need to work on myself a bit more.

Just how content are you? I know I could be a little bit more content. I do have quite a bit to be thankful for. I think we’ll be pulling this back out as Thanksgiving comes closer.

Elder Uchtdorf is a favorite among many LDS members to listen to at conference. His accent and fun stories pull you into everything he has to say. I even drew a little picture in my notes during his talk, when he spoke of an acorn growing into an oak tree.

You all know I have a thirst for learning. I wish there was a way I could go back to school that wouldn’t put us into more debt, or take time away from me being with the kids. So I ask questions. I do my own reading and research so I can continue to learn.

Reader Camille sent me this image she created Saturday during Conference, and I felt it just spread the sunshine I felt, and the reason we have conference. It’s to gather together to hear messages from a Loving Father and His Son.

OH dear I haven’t even touched on so much of conference! So I’m going to split this into a 4 part series. I hope you’ll join me back next week for part 2, Saturday Afternoon talks. Until then, I hope you can remember who you are, honestly seek truths so that you can become an oak of understanding, and look around at all you have to be grateful for.

What talks were your favorites?

October 9, 2013
An Invitation to Learn more about the LDS Church

This weekend I would like to invite you to come listen, and learn more about my religion and who I am the core. Twice a year we gather as a church to listen to our leaders – people we believe have been ordained with the holy Priesthood from God. I personally have a strong testimony of their calling as a prophet, seer and revelator.

For 8 hours I will sit with my kids, parents and sisters as we tune into the televised broadcast of General Conference. It seems like a lot I know, but I invite all of you, if you have a moment during your days this Saturday or Sunday to visit lds.org where you can watch the conference live. Even if you only watch a single talk, or listen to one of the hymns sung, I promise if you come with a desire to really understand who Mormon’s are, I promise you’ll feel something.

To prepare myself spiritually to listen to our leaders, I have been re-listening to past conferences online as well. This particular quote stuck out to me this week as I was listening again to the amazing talks. I don’t recall hearing it last April, so I was glad I took the time to listen again.

I hope we may all seek acceptance from those who encourage us, motivate us, and see the best in us. This is just a small sampling of some of the wonderful things I will be listening to this weekend.

We are a worldwide church, so this broadcast is available in many different forms to reach everyone. There is a list here of all the different ways you can view this conference.

October 4, 2013
Salt Lake Comic Con with Kids

A week ago, Comic Con came to Salt Lake City for the first time. This was an event I thought I would never go to. I grew up loving Star Trek with my dad, and the original Star Wars movies. But for me it was just something fun to watch with my family. It wasn’t until the last few years with Mark that I’ve really gotten into some other shows, and superheros with the kids.

So when my sister purchased tickets to Comic Con, Mark started talking about how much he’d love to go. I did some budgeting, and decided the experience would be fun, and something the older girls would remember. We hadn’t done anything big for the family in a long time, and plus, the kids were completely FREE. So really why not go?

For the most part we let the kids decide how they’d like to dress up. We took Princess Peach, a Minion, a Japanese girl, and Avatar Korra.

We got to Salt Lake 30 minutes before the doors opened, and let me tell you, I’m so glad we did! Because we hadn’t pre-registered we actually got into a shorter line where we needed to get our wristbands. We met some fun people in line. Once we had our wristbands, the doors had opened, so we did not have to go back outside into the hot sun. We were able to just walk right into the booth area. After a little walking around some booths, we heard there was going to be a puppet show in one of the theater rooms. Well that did sound like fun for kids, so off we went.

The Adventures of Sancho-n-Rusimus

These guys were funny. The girls were entranced, and I had a good time sitting in a comfy chair. Mark was less than thrilled with the puppets though, so he took our little minion and went to browse more booths and see some celebrities.

There were a couple of celebrities I had wanted to go see, but lines were pretty long, and the kids could only stand in so many lines while keeping my sanity intact. So we did what was fun for everyone.

After the puppet show finished we went to find Mark and the Minion. On our way we stopped to say hi to a couple of our favorite characters –

This girl really had Avatar Korra’s outfit perfect. We were impressed.

Princess Merida was so friendly. While lost in a sea of people, and Peach begging to buy all the Mario figurines we saw, Princess Merida came up to us and told the girls how beautiful their outfits were. Then asked if we would like to take a picture with her. Well, I wasn’t going to refuse that.

Not the greatest picture, but I was fumbling, and somehow ended up with most of it in video instead of picture. Whoops!

Once we found Mark, the girls were pretty hungry, so we grabbed some slightly overpriced pizza for lunch, and sat with a couple of Gandolf’s. Then it was back to the booths, and my personal favorite, whole reason I wanted to go to Comic Con – The TARDIS.

While standing in line for our picture with the TARDIS, I told Mark that if I got inside that box, he might not get me out. He must have thought I was serious, because I never got to get inside. Not even a little peek. I rubbed shoulders with it though, so I guess that will have to be good enough.

After we saw the TARDIS, it was time to go. There was much more I would have loved to see, and people I’d have loved to talk to like Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz. But the kids needed to get out, so we headed home. As we left, we noticed the doors had been closed to more attendees, and there were A LOT more people outside waiting to get in. So much that they were starting to spill into the road, which in downtown Salt Lake City, not very safe. Unfortunately the building was at it’s max occupancy so the Fire Marshall had the doors shut. Next year, I’m sure the organizers will be better prepared for Utah’s huge fan base.

We are looking forward to coming back next year, but may stick to just Mark and I, and possibly the 2 older kids as well.

Have you been to a Comic Con?

September 16, 2013
Heroes at Home

*This is a sponsored post on behalf of R Legacy Entertainment and the Inspire My Life Conference Series. I have received compensation for my time. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own*

I’ve been noticing a recurring trend lately – looking for inspiration, admiration, and applause for the every day people and events in our life. I If you recall I recently participated in Mompacts REAL mom’s event (and by the way, won the GRAND PRIZE!). Then I told you about the Inspire My Life Women’s Conference in St George.

Well now I get to tell you about another Inspire My Life conference, coming this Saturday June 29th to Provo’s Covey Center for the Arts. Before I tell you more about the event though, I want to tell you about someone I consider a Hero at Home.

What is a Hero at Home? I believe a hero at home is anyone we admire, that even when failing will find the positive and push through to the end. They persevere against all odds, and treat everyone they come in contact with as their best friend. They haven’t won the Noble Peace Prize, and they haven’t fought in wars – except the personal wars we wage at home.

Today I want to tell you about my Mother In Law. I can’t really begin to describe the amazing person she is. She married an Air Force pilot, and followed him around the world for a few years. Giving birth to some of her children overseas, she made the best of her situation. When my Father In Law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at a very surprising young age, Kristin stepped up. They had 5 kids that still needed to be raised, and now she had a husband, who needed so much more care than was probably ever expected. As Chris’s diagnosis became worse he was discharged from the Air Force. Kristin stepped up once more and began a career in teaching. For the next 26 years she taught elementary school during the day, and came home to care for her children and husband at night. Mark recalls to me listening to his moms voice recorded on tape reading him stories. She couldn’t always be physically present to him, but she made sure she was somehow there. I can not imagine the sudden change she had to go through. Dreams must have been put on hold while the responsibility of raising the kids and providing for the family came to rest on her shoulders.

After 26 years of teaching, and raising 5 children to adulthood, Kristin retired. But she couldn’t just stop. She applied for and is now teaching ESL with the Department of Defense in Japan. Chris is by her side still pushing through his own trials. They both could have given up a long time ago. Instead they fight for each other. Chris has had numerous testing, and experimental procedures to help calm his Parkinson’s. Kristin has been by his side every step, while still pursuing her dreams of teaching and spreading love everywhere she goes.

Kristin – I know you’re reading this. Thank you for all you did, and are still doing for your family. You are a true Hero at Home – even if home is so far away from us right now.

If you live in or around the Provo, UT area I invite you to come hear more inspiring stories like the one I’ve shared this Saturday June 29th at the Covey Center for the Arts.

Tickets are available at http://www.coveycenter.org/ or by calling 801.852.7007

Or to see if an Inspire My Life event is coming to a city near you check out http://www.inspiremylife.com/

*I have received 2 tickets to attend the Heroes At Home event as compensation. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.*

June 24, 2013
Inspire My Life “Women” Conference coming to St. George

I’ve been itching to go to some kind of conference for about a year now. This past weekend we watched the 183rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love listening to my spiritual leaders (prophets and apostles), give us direction. I always come away feeling more inspired and motivated to become a better person. This conference though is one we watch at home on the television set (of course I could go to the conference center, but that gets crowded!)
I was so excited to hear about another conference coming up this weekend:

Inspire My Life: Women

Excitement was kicking in, I started making plans for my kids, and thinking of inviting my sister in law to come with me. Then I looked at the calendar. It would happen to fall on a Saturday that I can’t go (furthering Mark’s career, an equally good thing to be doing). When you ask?

Why it’s THIS SATURDAY: April 13th, 9am to 6pm

And how much does it cost, you ask? Well, that’s the best part because IT’S FREE!!!!

You really can’t beat that! Can you? Well, they can!

Although it is free to attend they are asking for donations to the Dove Center – a crisis center that benefits women effected by rape and domestic violence. So you can go and enjoy free of charge some inspiring music from people like Katherine Nelson (played Emma Smith in the Jospeh Smith movie) and Charley Jenkins. Then listen to motivational speakers David Christensen and Vickey Pahnke Taylor.

Or you can also go, free of charge, but know you did some good by donating to the Dove Center. Not only will you be edifying yourself at this conference, you’ll also be making difference in the lives of many women.

Wait though, they even went further!! The 999th person to register online will win a Girlfriends Getaway package to Green Valley Spa in St George.

If I haven’t convinced you to go yet, check out this music video from one of the performers

If you can’t make it to this Conference, check out the list of future conferences: some for teens, some for couples, and some for parents.

April 8, 2013
Blogging Conferences: Are they important? {Think About It!}

A few months after I began blogging more for me, and less just about the kids, I heard that they had conferences for bloggers. All over the country bloggers gather together to learn, pick the minds of professionals, and network.

Think About It!

In just about every line of work, professionals gather together in some type of conference to learn and grow. So why wouldn’t bloggers do the same? For many of us, we use our blogs as a source of income for our families. Sometimes it’s just for that little extra, and sometimes it’s how a blogger supports their family.

I may have thought at one point that a conference for bloggers was kind of silly. Then I started having companies and brands contact me to review their products. I had no idea that was even an option for bloggers at the time. I was pretty thrilled. Someone actually wanted to know what I thought about a product. 2 years have gone by since I began blogging as more of a job then just a hobby and I have learned so much, but a conference would teach me so much more!

Think About It!

If I could go to a blogging conference, oh the things I would learn! I’d start by attending every single session on every topic humanly possible. I’d equip myself with notebooks and a stash of pencils (because face it, I’m still old fashioned when it comes to taking notes).

But blogging is so easy Adelina! All you do is write and take pictures.

True, that’s all you see. There is just so much more than that though. I won’t lie, my writing could use a bit of a boost. I usually have to write up a rough draft (hello my notebooks), then rewrite it on the computer, and finally edit and re-edit. Sometimes a post sits in draft for a few days before I finish it. I really only want to share the best. Attending a conference would equip me to become even better.

Then there’s the photography. At a blogging conference there is sure to be a photography class. Even if I can’t afford tons of fancy equipment, I know I can learn how to make my pictures stand out. It takes time to get the right angle, right lighting, and then edit them to pop it even more!

Once I learned all I could, I would then find myself networking. Let’s face it, after learning from the speakers, the best part of a conference is meeting other bloggers. I’ve already found so many online friendships like – Mallery from Horrible Housewife, Jillian from Mommy Testers, Amber from Jade Louise Designs, and Nicole from Wyoming Girl *turned* Coastie Wife.

Not only have these amazing bloggers become my blogging friends, and pushed me to improve, they have one other thing in common. They all have the #CBias tag in many of their posts. Was that just coincidence? I don’t think so! .

Think About It!

I #LuvSoFab! The Collective Bias Community, aka Social Fabric, must be doing something right if I ended up following all these blogs for their great content and pretty pictures. When I read their “reviews”, I don’t feel like I’m reading a users manual, but an actual persons opinion on a product. They suck you in with their writing, and make you want to pin every image (and yes I have a pinning problem….).

Did you know? This is the first year Collective Bias is putting together a conference? I want to go!!! I would get to meet my favorite bloggers, and become a better blogger myself. Here’s the kicker for me – #SoFabCon is being held in Bentonville, AK. Do you know what that means? Home of Walmart! And since you can buy just about anything at Walmart, it also means the home of many Brands! Brands I would love to talk to, pick their CEO minds and create lasting relationships with.

Think About It!

If you could attend a conference where you can connect with people that would make your business better, wouldn’t you do it? That is what #SoFabCon would do for me.

After attending a conference I would come back renewed, with excitement bursting from the seams of this page, picture you would all want to pin like crazy, and content truly worth reading. The most important thing I would learn and bring from conference though, is how to better manage my time around blogging, to maximize my time with family.

Mark actually made a comment the other day that had me say inside – Think About it.

“Sometimes I think you take more pictures of food then you do our kids”

I honestly hope that’s not true, but when I go through my pictures, it’s not just food, but products, the house, random pictures of random things, and not so many of the kids. I want that back, and I know attending a conference would help me prioritize, get back the moments with my kids, and still create quality content for Home Maid Simple that people love.

#SoFabCon, #Cbias, I have one thing to say to you –

Have You Ever Attended a Conference?

March 14, 2013