Keep it Simple: Summer Dinner P A R T Y

One of my favorite things about throwing a dinner party is creating a pretty table. 

I love taking time to add thoughtful details – like handwritten namecards, or freshly starched cloth napkins tucked into burlap holders – that make guests feel really special. 

Since I'm usually the one making the food, I never have time to do anything elaborate – I like to keep things simple, seasonal, and elegant, without being fussy. Simple is best is truly my newest mantra.

We all have to agree that the VERY best thing about a dinner party is spending time with your guests. And yet - most of us - spend WAY too much time fussing around in the kitchen while our poor husbands are left to entertain the guests. 

We KNOW how that could very well turn out!

Mike and I used to entertain quite often when we lived in the Metroplex. Most major holidays - and even those that may have not made the official calendar - gave us the PERFECT excuse to host a soiree. Sometimes it was a full-out party; other times an intimate gathering of our closest friends. 

Since our move to the country and since starting the B&B business, WAY TOO OFTEN we've used our work as an excuse to either not host or not accept social invitations. It is in no way because we don't enjoy those times; we DO!!! It's more because we've become caught up in all the HUSTLE that we'd forgotten how to slow down and savor the simple moments.

In January we decided to remedy that. We made a pact that we'd do our best to say YES to all reasonable invitations and to - from time to time - throw the occasional spontaneous dinner party.

Flashback to a couple of weeks ago. 

A neighbor, who also happens to be a close friend, celebrated a milestone birthday. What better occasion to gather the neighbors and honor her, as well as open our table and our home to friends?

Even though the weather was a bit sultry...okay, it was HOT...until after dark, we filled our plates from the taco bar (recipes and ideas coming up in a future blog) and took our plates to our outdoor dining area.

Soon, even the humidity and the mosquitos couldn't stop us as we chattered, caught up, and celebrated our dear friend's birthday. It truly doesn't take much to create a memory; it merely takes the "want to."

I did decide to use real vs paper, but that's mainly because I'd rather load a dishwasher than face an overflowing trash can! Besides, what says welcome to my kitchen more than real honest-to-goodness plates, cloth napkins, and actual napkin rings? This time I threw in turquoise chargers for the finishing touch :)

What it all boils down to is that people don't really care what you have to entertain, they care about the fact that you care about them. 

This is something that I am constantly reminding myself of. It's all too easy to blame our schedules, or the lack of time we have to spend on cleaning, or the weather, or....I could go on and on.

Bottom line is that we were created to be social. To be friendly. To show ourselves real and accessible to those around us. It may not always be Martha Stewart-y (okay, it will NEVER be Martha Stewart-y) at my table, but my prayer is that it will feel as though we've welcomed you into our home with open arms.

Come as you are.

We'll be ourselves.