It's Madness Basket!

I have a basket that I have empty and sitting in my laundry room in the event that I get a call at the last minute that someone is coming over. I run like a mad woman through my small downstairs and throw every stray item in the basket and stash it in the laundry room.

This is a great way to have a stress free clean up. My kids think it is hilariously funny and we make a game of it usually.

Since I am not to the point where I love to have people come into my messy house, the basket has been a good middle ground for me. It allows me to do a quick clean, but not in perfectionist style.

Our Favorite Beverages

Here are some things we like to stock up on to offer our guests to drink:

Stash Rasberry Tea
Irish Breakfast Tea
English Breakfast Tea

Lipton Ice Tea
IBC Root Beer
Switch Orange or Cherry Soda
Bottle Water

Lemonade
Sprite
Dr. Pepper
Lorina Pink Lemonade or Orangeade

Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate Mix

Time Out: Hershey Pie

Tutti's Hershey Pie

2 Large Block Hershey Candy Bars
1 Oreo Pie Crust
1 8oz container of Cool Whip

Melt chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat once smooth. Mix in Cool Whip. Pour mixture in Oreo Pie Crust. Place in fridge. Allow 6-8 hours of sitting in fridge before serving. Really yummy with fresh strawberries and whip cream.

Please don't attempt to count calories- you don't want to know. But it's good!

This is an easy pie to make up the night before company comes for dinner or to invite friends/neighbors over for a last minute get together. Children line up for this dessert.

Pre-School Valentine's Day Party

I had a Pre-school Valentine's Day Party

Here was our menu:

Heart Shaped Cookies
Apple Slices
A small fruit bowl
Juice boxes
Hot Tea and Hot Chocolate for the Mommys


Our Craft was Valentine's Day Cards for the Daddys or another loved one.

Then we had freeplay.

For Decorations I cut out large construction paper hearts and strung them on string. I purchased a heart balloon for each guest at the dollar store and displayed them through out the room. I bought a red plastic table cloth and cut it in half for the kids table. We had Valentine's Day plates and napkins.

I think I did the party for around $20.

It was fun!

Boy Proofing

I have realized in my adventures to have families into my home that I now have to consider "boy-proofing".

No offense to parents of precious boys. But I have two girls and well, boys and girls are just different. In my experience having boys into my house, you really need to think about the toys in your playroom.

Boys have an uncanny ability to turn anything into a sword. They don't mind tossing around small pieces of furniture because they are protecting damsels in distress (my girls) from captain hook or a lion that escaped from the zoo.

I shouldn't just pick on the boys. Girls find their way into mischief too. Hauling large amounts of water into the play kitchen to pour into the fake coffee maker and for tea parties can cause some problems for your carpet too. Finger nail polish kits that you thought you had on a shelf too high...need I say more?

One thing I've learned is to establish parameters. I let the kids know the rules when they arrive-not in a stern manner but in a loving way. And I check on them a lot. But mostly I just consider each little guest before they arrive and if they come unexpectedly, I escort them to the play room and take a look around for things that might get in their way or become a flying object,and might not survive the flight! I also think about things they might enjoy playing with and make sure to set it out for them.

I've also decided that all contraband items can be tossed into my bedroom and the door can be locked. I encourage my guests to respect my older daughter's privacy and ask to be invited into her room before barging in.

I love to have kids over. They are so much fun. And I love it when they include me in their spy games or rounds of hide and seek. And I am amazed at how well they behave when they know their boundaries. When they are repeat visitors, I find that they remember the rules and respect them but also they flock right back to the games they played before.

Ahhhh...Perfectionism.

So, I mentioned that I came from a long line of great hosts. I think that was part of the problem.
I take no notice of how perfect or not so perfect things are when I got to or go into other people's homes. But I held myself, as a hostess, to a whole different set of high expectations.

Let me give an example. My grandmother, Mama, was an amazing cook. Her door was always open. All you had to do, was stick your head in her screen door and say, "Hello?" and she'd welcome you in. She'd insist you get a drink and sit down. If she was doing something, she'd stay about her work and you were welcome to visit with her while she worked. But even though she was working, you knew she was listening. Her house always clean. She could serve you a great feast, and you'd never know she'd cooked anything b/c her kitchen was so clean.

While she was such a great example as a hostess, friend and cook- I found that if I couldn't do things as well as Mama did, then I was essentially a failure. So, I just wouldn't do it.

I think that was the real failure. Not trying.

This is also sin. It's the sin of perfectionism. It took me a long time to realize that I was holding myself hostage to really big problem. I think perfectionism also encourages worry, anxiousness, and anger when things don't go according to plan. I think it also causes people to covet what others have or gifts they possess when we just can't seem to "compete or stand out" the way they do.

When I was able to realize I was holding my self captive to a sin and something really unhealthy, I was able to really have open discussion with God about where I was coming from. I began to hear God say, "Kelly, it is okay. Let's work on this together." The really crazy thing about perfectionism--it really isn't very forgiving. But God is.

There is a lot more to tell....stay tuned....

Preschool Parties- Easter

Having kids and having people into your home can sometimes be a challenge. There is a group of women here in my neighborhood, who all have the opportunity to be at home with their kids during the day. So, I thought, why not have a gathering that is focused on the kids, but fun for the moms too?

One thing that I've been doing over the last several months is having a pre-schoolers party.


My goal is to do these parties for less than $25.

Here is the menu:

Orange slices (these didn't go over well)
Apple slices (2 apples, were very popular)
Juice Boxes (Sesame Street fruit punch-smaller box-good for this group)
Funfetti Cupcakes with Funfetti Icing
Hot Tea and Iced water for the mom's to drink

I decorated with things I already had, stuffed bunnies and lambs, easter baskets. I bought a green table cloth from the dollar store and cut it in half for the kids table. I had most of the easter eggs already, and stuffed them with goldfish crackers, stickers and jellybeans (all really inexpensive) I had about 12 eggs per kid. The craft was an Easter "welcome" Door hanger for their doors. I got that craft at a craft store I bought the door hangers for 3 for a dollar and used a 50% off coupon on the foam stickers.

So, we did a craft, an easter hunt, had a snack and did freeplay. 1 hour and 15 minutes is just the right amount of time for this age.

It was a lot of fun!

Time Out- Margaret's Chicken Pot Pie

Every once in awhile I'm going to break in here with some recipes or thoughts on hostessing.

I'll call them "Time Outs"

When my first daughter was born, our church arranged for people to bring us meals. Our first meal was provided by a great lady, Margaret.

Margaret brought us the most delicious Chicken Pot Pie. To this day, every time someone has a baby or needs a meal, I make her Chicken Pot Pie. I've changed it up a bit. My good friend, KM, suggested that I might make it creamier and so I took her up on it.

Oooooh, la-la Margaret's Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cans cream of celery soup (low fat is best)
1 box Pillsbury Pie Crust
1 can Veg-All or Organic Mixed Veggies
Pepper

Cook the chicken breasts in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove from water. Slice into bite size pieces. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bottom pie crust in pie dish. Drain Vegetables. In a bowl, mix together soup, veggies and chicken. Add a little pepper. Pour mixture into bottom pie crust. Top with 2nd crust. Cut a pretty vent in the top of the crust. Cook for 50 minutes to one hour.

Now, you've probably realized by now that you are going to have 1/2 a chicken breast and 1/2 can of soup left. I've resolved in my mind that whenever I fix this for someone else, I fix one for our family too. So, just cook 3 chicken breasts, have 2 cans of the veggies, 2 cans of the soup and 2 sets of pie crust and you'll be set. A meal for you and a meal for another family or friend. When I make it for my family, I love to call up a neighbor out of the blue and offer to make one for their dinner too. Never had a neighbor turn me down! Who wouldn't love a night off from cooking?

We typically serve this with a green salad or a bowl of fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

The Freak Out

For awhile now, I've really been challenged when it came to opening up my home to others. Recently, I've had a change of heart. This blog is about having people into your home. Also, it will be a place for recipes, to share thoughts hospitality and other stuff.

The Background
I am an introvert. I am good with that. I recognize who I am. I recognized pretty early on that while I am pretty easy to get along with as a guest, I tend to to freak out when expected to be a hostess. In my little world, you don't just drop in on people unexpectedly- you make an appointment to visit. What if my house is a mess? And don't bother scheduling an appointment either, because I will have to clean every nook and cranny of my house, because I wouldn't want you to see that I actually "live" in my house.

Even as a teenager I did my best to avoid having friends over to my house. As someone married to a friendly guy, who loves to have people over and get together with others, I found myself in a lot of trouble. Then after lending my womb out to my two little girls, they would take after their dad, and become kids who love to have people over. How could God do that to me? I am out numbered in my own household!

I really have no excuse for not knowing how to like and do hosting. I come from a long line of great hosts and hostesses. I grew up around some of the most gracious and well equipped hosts of all time.

This blog is dedicated to those of us who "freak out" at the thought of people coming over. I'm encouraging some of my friends and family with the natural Martha Stewart and Food Network talents contribute, so we can all benefit and learn about the art of extending a warm welcome to the people in our lives.

I want to let people out in the world of blogging know about how God has really brought me through a time in my life where having people into my home would nearly cause a panic attack, to being able to enjoy the people that walk into our lives and homes. This is too good of a story for me not to share. God can change us. Let me share my journey with you.....