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.

Girls' Trip 2017: Pawhuska, OK Day T W O

We woke up on Friday morning, sipped coffee (okay, I think maybe I was the only one that did), and chatted through our adjoining rooms. Free of a specific timetable, we relished in our "girl time," dressed leisurely, ate breakfast in Bartlesville, and then set out again for...you guessed it! - Pawhuska.

An easy 25 minute drive, and a gorgeous one at that, and then we quickly realized that Fridays in Pawhuska are not like Thursdays. Parking spaces were scarce, The Merc was pretty much body to body, and the line to get into the restaurant (our goal for that evening) was three times as long as it had been the day before.

Still, it seemed as though every single person in The Merc were as happy to be there as we were. Not only that, but each salesperson (wearing the signature black button-down with PW's turquoise beads) were happy too. Each was helpful, friendly, and eager to make sure that everyone had a pleasant shopping (or browsing) experience.

After a few more purchases (and another Spicy Cowgirl!) we decided it was time to get in line for dinner. Sarah and Elizabeth took one for the team and braved the looooong line in order to snag a table for us while Mom and I relaxed upstairs in the coffee shop.

(First 2 minutes waiting in line...)

(The picture they texted near the end of the 40 minute wait...)

The staff of The Merc had even considered these poor, hot souls who were braving the elements of a summer in Oklahoma, and had bins of sunscreen available to those who were waiting in line outside, as well as employees who frequently stepped out of the building to hand umbrellas to shield their customers from the intensity of the heat. Details, people. These folks thought of them ALL.

The. Wait. Was. Worth. It. Behold...

Every bite was as delicious as the last and we all left with a bag of leftovers (which we enjoyed again as a late night hotel room snack) and a feeling of supreme satisfaction that this trip had lived up to - and even exceeded - our expectations.

Even though we had to load up, eat one last lunch together, and then say our good-byes, it was a Girls' Trip for the books, for sure! I'd like to say we'll do it again next year, but it will be so very difficult to top the joys and laughs and pure delight from this one!

Girls' Trip 2017: Pawhuska, OK! Day ONE

For Mom's birthday - 73! - this year, my daughters-in-law and I decided to take her on a little road trip. Not just any 'ol roadtrip, mind you, one to visit The Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, home to the Pioneer Woman herself!

We made our reservations in nearby Bartlesville a good three months ahead of time. Yes, The Merc has generated THAT MUCH visitor traffic; if you want to plan a stay, make sure to allow a good few weeks in advance unless you're willing to stay in Tulsa and drive in from there.

Mom and I rolled out of Northeast Texas about 7:30 am, and met up with Sarah and Elizabeth - leaving from Dallas - in Bartlesville. We ate a quick lunch in a nearby cafe (don't remember the name - the food was great; we were just in a hurry to get to Pawhuska!) and then headed for The Merc.

Y'all.

The Merc DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.

 

Since we arrived on a Thursday afternoon, the shop itself was not overly populated, even though the deli/restaurant was still commanding a long line outside. In complete awe, we wandered around for several hours, trying on hats, picking up all sizes of scoops, admiring hand towels and linens, and fawning over the endless tables and shelves that fairly oozed all things Pioneer Woman. We were in heaven!

My initial thought was to browse for items of interest on Thursday and then make purchases on our return trip on Friday. Um...nope. I finished perusing with several amazing little finds in my bag, and then I joined the others upstairs in the coffee shop/bakery.

Y'ALL.

Again, words fail me. You MUST visit in order to understand just how wonderfully this Pawhuska project has come together! From 3-4 carefully arranged seating areas, to the unique table tops, to the hospitable and helpful baristas...the upstairs experience was equally thrilling as the downstairs one had been!

I slowly sipped on a Spicy Cowgirl (recipe in future post!) while I glanced around, drinking in all PW's family photos strategically placed around the large, open space of exposed, historical brick. While it allowed you to get the feel of Ree and Ladd and their amazing family, friends, and ranch, even more - it welcomed you in like a giant hug. You were inclined to sink into a seat and sit awhile.

Somehow...I imagine that is just what PW had in mind...

Summertime!

Although it's not officially summer until later this month, if you're a teacher - or a parent for that matter - then summer has begun!

We kicked ours off with a wedding here at the B&B, a local couple who honored us by choosing our venue when they could have gone most anyplace else! What made this weekend extra special is that I taught both of the bride's children - I definitely had a vested interest!

All week beforehand we kept an eye on the weather radar; rain and - more specifically storms - were almost a sure thing. I tried to stay calm, but, really, all I could think was " I wish we had the event center already built!"

Like everything else, it does no good to "wish." What will be will be. Or, as Mike likes to say, "it is what it is." Laying in bed a couple of nights before the big event, I whispered, "Are you nervous?"

As usual, he was as calm as ever. "Babe, we can't control the weather. Why be nervous?" Why are men so level-headed and calm-spirited when it is perfectly clear that things are headed to doom on a one way track from nowhere?

Beats me.

But - I had to admit he was right. We stayed the course; mowed the lawn, set up the arch, readied the cabin and bunkhouse, and - finally - welcomed the happy couple and their family and friends as they arrived to set up for the big weekend.

They had a great band of people on hand to help; it's always so impressive to me to sit back and watch as a major event comes together and becomes the event it was meant to be. Bree decorated the arch, Kelly arranged flowers, Connor and Dillon delivered stumps, carried tables, and were truly at every female's beck and call. Loved ones drove in, sounds of laughter began to drift toward toward our house, and soon it was time for the bride to make her way down the aisle to her groom.

I sat on the porch and watched from a distance as the music cued up to my right, even as the sound of distant thunder rumbled to my left. Somehow, even though neighboring towns received wind damage and power outages, the skies above Wildernest remained serene and provided the perfect backdrop to a gorgeous early summer evening wedding.

It never ceases to amaze me how tranquil life is when you remove the worry and allow for the unexpected. Could this situation have turned out totally differently? Of course, but worrying about it wouldn't have been the deciding factor. Instead, everyone chose to focus on the joy, on the occasion, and on the assembly of family and friends.

It was a night to remember, and I hope they do - for a lifetime to come!

XXOO
Staci

Vegas, Baby!

We did something highly unusual - but highly needed - the very day I finished up this school year. We left the ranch for a mini vacay! We don't do this often, for sure not as often as we should, so we were super excited for a few days away from our normal B&B operations and chores.

I finished up at school at 10:30 am and we drove to Dallas that very afternoon, and caught a midnight flight to Vegas. This makes it sound almost spontaneous, but if you know either of us, you know that spontaneous for us means a month of prepping. LOL. This trip was actually a combination birthday/anniversary gift to me from Mike. The cherry on this very fun sundae were tickets to Celine Dion, my all time favorite vocalist.

This was the view from our bed; I must say it was every bit as dreamy as this photo suggests. I could have stayed tucked in these amazing white sheets, dozing every now and then, only waking to catch a view of the magnificent columns of Caesar's Palace and Celine's gorgeous face on the marquis.

But if we had done that, then we would have missed all of this:

 

And the FOOD, y'all, oh, the food! So beautiful, so delicious, so decadent...just what two tired business owners needed to refuel, relax, and enjoy our time together.

Seeing Celine was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Celine. Does. Not. Disappoint. It was pretty cool that our hashtag (along with our faces) made it onto the jumbotron! Notice how relaxed we look - that's what a mini vacay will do for you!

 

            

This was the perfect little getaway for the two of us. We came home rejuvenated, inspired, rested, and SO READY to see our pupper dogs! It was a toss up on who was the happiest - Thoreau & Bronte or us!

XXOO,
Staci