Joyful Hospitality

I always dreamed that when I got married I would host dinners and cocktail parties and backyard barbecues.  But in truth?  I kind of suck at the actual doing it part.  And the reasons are completely silly.  I was reminded of this as I read Parisienne Farmgirl's post on this topic, and somewhat ashamed.

I tell myself, "Oh, my home is such a mess."  or  "I wouldn't know what to cook."  And the reality is that yes, my home can get cluttered, and yes, sometimes it's hard to find meals that people would enjoy.  And even worse, yes, I've had guests think my fare was too "fancy" or say I went to too much trouble.  And my biggest cause of nerves comes from the fact that in our home we don't do seconds (unless it's something like a bowl of soup in the winter, and even then we usually don't), we serve small portions, and yes, I have had people give me odd looks over this.

But... I'm a homemaker.  Part of my job is to make my home welcoming, a respite for my family and friends.  I want to be that woman who can invite a friend over for a Sunday lunch or a quick cup of coffee with dessert.  I want to stop being ashamed if I missed a tuft of dog hair in my sweeping.  I want to stop being no perfectionistic to the point that I'm not welcoming.

So this week is being spent doing 2 things: pampering myself and cleaning my home enough that I can hopefully have a friend over for coffee this week or dinner this weekend.  Pampering myself, because I've been go go go lately, and I look "tired" as people kindly say.  The cleaning should be quick if I can remember why I want to do it and take breaks with some iced tea.

I figure that practicing hospitality with friends and acquaintances will be perfect so that I can properly welcome my husband home.  After all, he's definitely the one I try hard to please the most!

Spring Cleaning Time

Oh my goodness, my life has been pure madness lately!  Between dealing with people, meetings, get togethers, and just trying to finish a book I'm exhausted.  I honestly spent most of yesterday sleeping, I had no energy.

But, in order to keep my mind off the fact that my husband has been gone nearly a month, I am getting into Spring cleaning.  The overhaul is gonna be huge, it will probably take me all of April and most of May as I sort, build shelving, and finish furniture, but I am thrilled to have all of it to do!

First up is my bedroom because it needs to be more of a sanctuary.  Clothes are going to a charity here in Charm City, and I'm going to steam clean the carpets (with dogs I think this is necessary).  My goal is to start making my bed every day, so it will be a habit by the time G returns.

I will be finishing organizing and painting the office and having a friend come help me build bookshelves.  Move the sofa, place the rug down and hang the picture frame that will eventually house the t.v.

Then it's on to the back bedroom which will eventually become a guest bedroom.  I need to completely clean it out first (it houses boxes once again).  And then it's on to painting and moving some furniture in there.  Eventually our antique full size bed will go in there.  Super narrow windows so I'm going to try my hand at making roman shades for them and hanging some curtains.  I want to get all of this done before my T comes out later this summer.

After that I'll be going into the hell that is the basement to box up and categorize everything.  What stays needs to be labeled since I'm going to be building shelving to go down there.  Our old kitchen table and chairs is going to be a work space down there, and I'm looking for a dresser to turn into a tool chest for G.

It sounds insane but my goal is to have the house as finished as possible before he returns.  I've got a lot on my plate, but I'm learning to balance it all out.  And my OCD tendencies are getting me excited to have everything in a nice and tidy place.  I have a long list of planned purchases for the house that one by one will be bought, and soon this house will feel much more like home.  In fact, it already has begun to with my night routine of tidying and keeping my keys in a certain place.

Do you do Spring cleaning?  Any tips?

Oh, and have I mentioned the gorgeous weather?  Makes me want to picnic and fly kites!

Flash

It's raining, it's pouring, I wish my "old" man was here curled up with me.  Hmm. 

It's literally raining enough that we're under both flash flood warnings and coastal flood warnings.  And it's supposed to rain several inches more tonight.  Joy.  I was supposed to be going to a wine tasting and dinner but had to call the restaurant and cancel me being there because G is down south and with this rain he'll never get home in time.  And of course, the restaurant being down near the water wasn't helping me feel like rushing to get somewhere I might not be able to get home from!

So instead we're spending tonight continuing to prep for when my best friend gets here!  We don't have a guest bedroom set up yet with furniture, because eventually our bedroom furniture is going in there, but currently we're in the process of trying to find time to build (yes, I said build!) our bed.  So my bestie is on an air mattress for the week, but I'm trying to make it look cozy and welcoming in there for her!  I am so super excited for her to come I keep telling G, "Theresa is coming!  I'm so excited!"  and he just looks at me, laughs and says he knows.  Okay, perhaps I should limit it to once a day.

I am hoping that the rain means it will be cooled down.  I'm planning on having us walk up to drink coffee at my favorite little place, and the coolness will make that easier.  I'm also excited for the weather to be a bit cooler so I can cook!  I really need to sit down and menu plan for this visit.  So far I'm thinking pizza, soups, quiche, maybe a roasted chicken or some meatloaf (my maman's recipe, and it's to die for).  And T has also offered to make lasagna!  I love hers, so I keep telling G about it.  

I am supremely lucky.  I met T our first few days at college, and we've been close since.  And even luckier....my husband thinks she's great too!  Now if only I could convince her to move out here to Charm City.....  

I mean, who doesn't want to living in such a charm-ing place? 

Making My Home A Warm Haven

Beginning next week, I will be participating in the Women Living Well Fall Challenge, "Making Your Home A Haven."  I am so excited to do this! 

G and I have been trying to be more intentional with our home and our time.  We've gotten into the habit of praying together in the mornings, and throughout the day as we feel it's necessary.  We're also slowly working on adding warm touches to our home to make it more inviting, not only to guests but for ourselves as well.  After all, there is no living person who will enter my home more important than my husband!

If you're interested in joining head on over and link up!

Little House

So, one thing that was on the truck my parents brought out east was the story of the family that goes out west to the prairie.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder series was a big part of my childhood.  I remember acting out having to travel and set up a new life with my barbies.  I loved Oregon Trail (who didn't?).  And my maman still watches Little House On The Prairie when she can catch it.  

So in choosing a book to read yesterday I started the series with Little House In The Big Woods.  I finished that while waiting for G at a doctor's appt. and moved onto Little House On The Prarie.  For certain these books seem to have one effect on me so far:  I suddenly feel lazy doing nothing.  So I rushed around yesterday afternoon, picking up a legal pad holder, making lists of things, making plans.  Then I came home, made a double batch of homemade brown sugar (sugar mixed with molasses).  It's divine, but we prefer to use it after it's sat for a couple months, and so to prepare for Christmas time I'm actually going to be making a ton of it.  I made it with a little over 2 cups sugar yesterday and it smells like warm times in the kitchen.  

Then I began my evening.  I made a double batch of my pie dough and set that in the fridge to chill.  Then I made a double batch of salmon croquettes (notice a pattern), frying them all up quickly.  I make them thin as pancakes (because I'm terrified of them not cooking through) and as they used up the oil I realized that since mine were a little more "wet" than my grandmama would have done, they really didn't need oil, so I cooked them without.  The juice of the salmon has enough natural oil that it cooked them gorgeously.  We have plenty for G's lunches this week (he loves them and was excited I was making so many).  Then I moved on, preparing the equivalent to 10 large tomatoes.  I blanched, peeled, cored and sliced.  (next time I will be removing the seeds, it was too watery, but as it was from The French Kitchen I wanted to follow it exact....except I used my own crust)  I put that together and threw it in the oven.  Lastly I began working on a plum galette.  I sliced tiny little walnut sized plums in half, tossed them with a bit of our homemade cranberry vodka, and let them sit to marinate.  Then I moved on to pre-baking the crust and making the custard.  It turned out lovely and I finished all that up while G chatted with his older brother.  I was lovingly told to "get in the kitchen and cook something."  Ha!  

I used red tomatoes, then layered our farmer's market orange and green tomatoes (the ripe kind) on top.  Next time I need to slice paper thin.

I feel productive, since I also cleaned as I went.  And though my kitchen is not sparkling (the stove and the oven are my arch nemesis constantly getting dirty), it is pretty picked up, with nearly all the dishes either clean, or currently running in the dishwasher.  Today I am going to surprise G and clean quite a bit while he's away.  Because we have so much unpacking to do, we've been cleaning together more often.  My best friend is coming in a few months and I need an organized home before then.  So I'm reading a bit more of my book, hoping to be shamed into motivation again!  (God, they really did do so much, didn't they?!?)

A Work In Progress

Our little walk in closet has been a general disaster since we moved in.  Too many things just thrown in there and then the door shut so we don't have to see the mess.  So I spent a few hours today tidying up, which included taking nearly all the clothes out (not much were on hangers, mind you), and putting away cold weather items, organizing a bit.  Here's the work in progress (we have laundry going that will end up on my empty hangers).

Eventually we want to rip this closet to shreds.  The shelves on top are not even deep enough for a shoe box (something we'll know to bring along when looking at our next home).  We're wanting to measure and build our own with two levels of hanging with drawers underneath that and then shelves up high that you need a small ladder for (the ceiling in our closet is a good 9') that can store out of season items.  For now, I organize the best I can.

This is my favorite little closet helper.  I think it's supposed to be a tie and belt thing, but whatever.  It's keeps my scarves from sliding off and getting lost, and on this side I can see them all and pick one at a time.  


Still working, I'm exhausted from the sheer mental effort cleaning takes.  

Old Fashioned

It is strange to me that the older I get the more conservative and old-fashioned I become.  And I'm only 25! But my love for vintage is slightly out of control, and is not helped by a husband who feels the same as I do.  But for the amusement of my readers, here is what we have been up to lately:


We spent all day Sunday listening to a dozen "episodes" of the radio show Father Knows Best.  While listening to the radio online, I managed to write out half a dozen letters to people I love.  I am a huge fan of correspondence through snail mail, have a strong love of stationary, and am currently coveting a wooden stationary box from Crane's filled with nice cotton paper and correspondence cards.  I really do love sitting at my great-grandmother's desk writing to friends and family.  I also ironed a lot while listening to the radio program while G sat on the desk chair listening with me.  It helped me get some napkins and tea towels ironed, as well as G's blues, and his white handkerchiefs (and yes, I love that my husband carries them!).


Yesterday we went to the store to get groceries and also stopped for coffee.  I chose to look casual in a camisole and cardigan with jeans and flats.  But add in my green coat and my new red lipstick and G was having trouble keeping his eyes on the road!  For anyone with my complexion (pale, somewhat porcelain) please let me recommend what so many others recommended to me:  M.A.C. Russian Red.  I use a cherry red lip liner under it (always remember to exfoliate your lips so there isn't dry flaky skin) and then carefully apply.  Even after wiping quite a bit off over the course of a couple cups of coffee it still looked divine!  It's bright, and at first was shocking.  But G thinks it's the sexiest thing I own, and I might have to agree.  (oh, and my maman, God love her, hates it.  Which might make me love it more, hmmm.)


And last night, in an effort to use up some greek yogurt I was worried would go bad, I made a yogurt spice cake.  In a bundt pan.  And it looks beautiful and smells amazing!  We'll be having it with tea this afternoon, pictures to follow, and if it turns out good, I am sharing the recipe!


I don't know what sparked this insanity in me, that caused me to love old things far more than I do modern.  But God definitely blessed me with a husband who agrees and so we both get to live a happy little lifestyle.  Now if only I could hunt down some 1940's Christmas cards.....