This is the first installment of a mini-series on entertaining and hospitality. For me and Eric, it’s a big part of our relationship and family- we love having people over and sharing our home and our food! Over the years, we’ve learned that so many people are intimidated by the idea of having company over. The stress and hassle they feel, makes it not-so-fun to have people over. I have some entertaining tips, ideas, and also some myths to debunk over the next few weeks! Let’s get started…
When’s the last time you were at someone’s house and wished the entire experience was fancier and more formal?
Let’s be real… I have never left a friend’s house and thought, “Man, I wish she had more fork options around my plate, and the wrinkles in the cloth napkins were so distracting!”
This photo is from a dinner Martha hosted recently for a “few friends.”
The menu was:
Warm Salad of Spring Vegetables -Â Green Pea Jus
Osso Bucco -Â Risotto Milanese with Saffron
Pavlova -Â Passion Fruit Sorbet
NEWSFLASH: Your guests DO NOT expect the Martha treatment (Unless you’re really Martha Stewart, in which case- thanks for reading our blog!) Yes, it’s nice to sometimes add special touches, and there is definitely a time and a place for that, but don’t feel pressured to impress.
REMINDER: It’s assumed that the people coming over already like you and vice-versa! You don’t need to impress them- just make them feel welcome. Since we sold our dining room table three weeks ago, our weekly company has been sitting on folding chairs around two Costco tables and they keep coming back!
Monica’s Entertaining Rule # 1: Don’t try to impress your friends and family. They already like you and think you’re pretty great.
On this note, I want to share one of my favorite blogs with you. Catalog Living is a humorous look into the lives of families living in the uber-perfect rooms in all of our favorite catalogs. Gary and Elaine are my favorite, and they often live in Pottery Barn rooms. Here are a few of the rooms and captions that made me smile…
Satisfied that he’d gotten enough practice in today, Gary decided to treat himself and stow away his counting board a little early.
Kids! Dinner! Last one to the table gets the tetanus stool!
Recognizing the familiar sound of a shattering crunch followed by a scream, Elaine prepared for another recitation of her “These are not powdered sugar donut holes” speech
These absolutely kill me and I was laughing so much tonight choosing which ones to post. There are tons of funny ones, but I chose these pictures to remind you that you don’t live in a catalog-perfect home (again, sorry Martha if you’re reading… your home is quite perfect.) Yes, people don’t want sticky pancake syrup on themselves from leaning on your kitchen table, but don’t go overboard thinking your home needs to be spotless and look like something out of a magazine.
So, let these things sink in over the weekend and next week we’ll work on some easy peasy tips and ideas to make this entertaining thing less stressful and a lot more fun!
Have a good weekend and don’t forget to submit your Design Challeng{ed} photos!
I love this post. . .sooooo true! When i first started having people over I was a neurotic mess!!! AND, it was family!! Sheesh!!!
Thanks for sharing! I definitely struggle with some of these thoughts about having people over.