Showing posts with label #Hosting #TheCoatsHome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Hosting #TheCoatsHome. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2018
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND | 2018
Monday, December 19, 2016
WEEKEND RECAP
My weekend started Thursday when I left the office early to go to the doctor. I had been feeling bad a good bit of the week and ended up having a light case of strep throat...ick! So I went home after that and slept most of the afternoon. Matthew picked up my antibiotic on his way home from work and some chicken noodle soup...he's THE best!! Reagan was the best little nurse, she supplied plenty of slobbery kisses and eventually cuddles.
I stayed home Friday as well and spent most a good portion of the day on the couch with Reagan. By Friday night I was feeling better and was able to clean around the house some. Thankfully we didn't have any plans until Saturday afternoon so I was able to rest even more!
We hosted my mom's birthday dinner at our house this year and I had been looking forward to it for a few weeks! It was also the first time my nanny was going to see our house, also another thing I was really excited about. Matthew and I decided on the menu a couple of weeks ago and decided to do Caesar salad, spaghetti with a homemade sauce and meatballs, garlic bread and then of course, birthday cake.
Saturday afternoon I ran a couple of errands and Matthew called me and told me our power was out. I freaked out a bit because I needed to start the spaghetti sauce as soon as I got home so that it could simmer a couple of hours. Well, needless to say the power ended up being out for about 2 1/2 hours. So everything got pushed back 2 1/2 hours, but everything still turned out well!
I decided to keep the tablescapre pretty much the same as I had it for Friendsgiving, just because I love that color combo. Gold and burgundy is my new favorite! I did however, change the flowers. I did have baby's breath for friendsgiving but decided to go pick some twigs off of our holly bush since it's Christmas time. I was so happy with how it turned out that I am leaving it set like that until the end of December. Woo hoo for free centerpieces from your front yard!
I thought about making pictures of the centerpieces after we were finished with dinner so our candles had melted down lol but I still like it!
We gave my nanny and aunt a tour of the house, thankfully it was still daylight outside so we could see since the power was still out, but it came back on at the end of our tour! So as soon as we finished showing them around I started on dinner! I should also mention that it was almost 70 degrees Saturday and very windy, so I think the wind caused the power to go out in our neighborhood and the other neighborhoods close to ours.
After dinner we decided to take some pictures in front of our Christmas tree since everyone was together.
My family! It has grown this year by two sweet puppies :)
Sisters with momma
Momma
Momma and nanny
Nanny
my dad
And since I knew we probably wouldn't get a good picture in front of our tree any other time...
my sweet little family!
After pictures it was time for cake and presents! I found the best candles for my mom's cake. For as long as I can remember my mom has always said that she is turning 29 again...and again, and again...so this year she did!
I made my mom a personalized calendar and she loved it, and so did I! I might have to make myself one, it was too cute.
We spent the rest of the night talking and before we knew it, it was time for everyone to go home. They headed home a little early because there was a storm coming and it was bringing strong winds. We were actually under a tornado watch until 3 am and then a winter weather advisory until 6 am...Tennessee weather at its finest!
We woke up Sunday to ice! I looked like snow but was definitely ice...I realized that when I slid and fell down the slope in our backyard early Sunday morning when I was taking Reagan out :) That will definitely wake you up! Also, one thing we found out this weekend...Reagan LOVES the ice. She kept going to the door all day Sunday after we got back home. She kept whining to go out and when we would take her out to use the bathroom she didn't want to come back in. Definitely surprised us since she hates the rain lol.
Sunday afternoon was spent in our pj's by the fire watching tv. The best day to stay inside since it was absolutely freezing outside. After church Sunday night we went to Zaxby's and then hit up a sale at Old Navy before coming back home and changing into our pj's as quickly as possible.
It was a great weekend and I am so excited for another short work week and then Christmas!!
My Christmas home tour will be up tomorrow...finally!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
FRIENDSGIVING INVITATION | 2016
Lord willing, we will be marking off an item off of our Fall Bucket list a month from tomorrow! We are planning on hosting our 2nd annual Friendsgiving, and our first Friendsgiving in our new home. We are so excited and have been looking forward to this event since last Friendsgiving.
Our best friends, good food, football, cooler weather, and games...it's our favorite event to host and we are counting down the days!
Here is our 2015 Friendsgiving invitation and below is the invitation that I designed for this year!
We plan on doing Friendsgiving potluck style again this year. It worked really well last year and we're sticking with it this year. Last year the weather was really chilly and I think it rained off and on throughout the day, so we're hoping for cool but sunny weather this year!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DAY OF DINNER PARTY + TIPS
This is the last post in my series, The Young Wife's Guide To Hosting Dinner Parties. I've really enjoyed working on this series and sharing everything I have learned so far, but I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to hosting!
On the day of our dinner parties I always tend to wake up even earlier than I usually do...just ask Matthew lol. I wake up ready to get started on whatever it is I need to finish up before everyone gets there. I go ahead and get my shower out of the way and just throw my wet hair up in a messy bun so it's out of my face while I finish up stuff. I will get ready and style my hair a couple of hours before our guests arrive later in the day.
Morning: I usually pop in our guest bedrooms & bathroom to make sure one last time that everything is ready for our guests (beds are fully made, extra blanket on each bed, air fresheners are plugged in, towels are on the end table and ready for our guests, our basket of extra toiletries for our guests in the bathroom is filled up, etc.)
Then I head downstairs and get started in the kitchen. I usually start prepping any dishes that I didn't get to the night before, it's usually not many but there maybe one or two. After those are finished I will make sure the dishwasher and trashcan are emptied, again, if I didn't get to that the night before. I will probably make something quick and easy for breakfast for me and Matthew.
Late morning/early afternoon: I will start setting everything up for our dinner party. Whether its the labels and prints or setting up table and chairs. I will also make sure all the pillows are straightened up on the couch, probably go on and light a couple of candles, and then make sure everything is in it's place before I head back upstairs to finish getting ready.
Mid afternoon: We usually start all of our dinner parties in the afternoon. So a couple of hours before it starts I'll run back upstairs and do make hair and makeup and change into whatever I am wearing that afternoon. How I style my hair is dependent on the weather. If it's rainy or the humidity is bad I won't try to curl it because it will just fall out. If it's nice out, and I have the time I will more than likely curl it.
- As soon as your think of your event and have a date nailed down, start planning! Pick up something small here and there every week when you go to the grocery store so you don't have one large bill the week of your event.
- Look online for ideas. Pinterest is always my #1 go-to when planning an event.
- Take advantage of free things...free prints, free labels, free banners, etc. on Pinterest/internet.
- Create a Facebook event to invite all of your guests to. That way they have all the information right in their hands.
- Ask your guests to bring a dish! Make it a potluck and enjoy the easy work load AND new recipes! If you don't feel comfortable asking them to bring a side dish, maybe let your guests bring drinks and/or desserts.
- Use what you already have. Those cute vases you have on your entryway table will make an adorable addition to your dessert table. Those cute candle holders in your bedroom? Add them to the table to add a little more to your centerpiece!
- I have one plugin air freshener in each guest bedroom and the guest bathroom. I only replace the refill when we have guests coming over. I do like to keep a couple extra handy in case someone comes over last minute and needs a place to crash for the night. I stick with a basic clean linen scent in each room and usually the bathroom. I usually add the refill 1-2 nights before our guests arrive. It smells great and helps get rid of that musky smell from having to keep the windows shut during the cold winter months and blazing summer months.
- I have this automatic spray air freshener in our entryway. I keep it on the bottom shelf so it can't be seen but the scent is still very much present. I only turn this on when we have guests coming over.
- Light a candle or two about an hour before guests arrive, not only do they always smell so good but a candle lit is so cozy and inviting!
- Make sure your refrigerator is cleaned out before guests arrive. You will want a place to store leftovers and having a full refrigerator can be annoying during this time!
- Make sure your dishwasher and trashcan are empty before guests arrive. That way when it comes time to clean up you can just load the dishwasher and not have to worry about piling dishes in your sink.
- I like to set our guest towels out in the guest bedrooms for them. I always hate going through someone's cabinet, even if it is just to get a bath towel. So I make sure to go on and place them in their rooms, but I always let them that if they need more they are under the sink
- Make sure the guest bathroom is completely stocked with toilet paper before guests arrive.
- If you aren't in to decorating and you have a friend that is, let them help you!
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: HOUSE PREP
I usually do a little bit of cleaning each day the week leading up to one of our dinner parties so I'm not running around like a crazy person the night before or day of. There are certain things that I want completely finished by the day before and some things that need to wait until the morning of. If I were a perfect human I would follow my cleaning list that I made, but sometimes life happens and we just can't get to everything like we would love to all the time. Making sure our house is clean and tidy when guests come over is a big deal to us. So below I have listed what I make sure is 100% done before our guests arrive. Matthew is always so great to help me get everything done in a timely manner. Teamwork gets the job done quicker! Here is a look at our usual checklist...
Deep clean bathrooms
- Clean mirrors with Windex
- Wipe down counters with Lysol wipes
- Wipe down shower with disinfecting spray (with bleach.) I usually use something similar to this
- Vacuum the floors and bath mats
- Clean the toilet thoroughly
- Empty trashcans and put new bag in
- Make sure all guest towels are clean and folded
- Make sure to add air freshener.
Clean guest bedrooms
- Vacuum the floors
- Mop if needed
- Dust all furniture
- Make sure there are fresh sheets on the bed
- Make sure there is an extra blanket on each bed
- Make sure each guest bedroom has an air freshener in it
Downstairs
- Dust all of the downstairs area (living room, study, dining room)
- Vacuum/mop all of the downstairs area
- Pick up/straighten up anything that needs it (fluff pillows, fold any blankets, put up any shoes)
- Add air freshener in designated areas (entry way, hall way, kitchen, study, & dining room)
Kitchen
- Sweep/mop floors
- Wipe down appliances
- Clean counter tops
- Clean microwave
- Clean our refrigerator
- Get out any dishes that I will need for our meal
- Make sure dishwasher is empty the morning of our dinner party
- Make sure trash it empty on the morning of dinner party
That looks like a lot, but really it's not at all. We usually try our best to clean our whole house every week, but like I said, sometimes life happens and things just come up. Or in these cases, when we have a dinner party coming up I am usually working on some type of decoration or planning for it that I don't get to stick to my usual cleaning schedule so I make up for it another night.
If you just break it up over the week of your dinner party then you should be good! So here is a tentative schedule at what the week of our dinner party would look like for me, cleaning wise:
Monday night : Clean bathrooms & wash towels
Tuesday night : Clean guest bedrooms
Wednesday night : We have church on Wednesday nights so I usually don't do too much, I might fold the towels and/or start washing the guest sheets, if not that gets rolled over to Thursday night.
Thursday night : Wash guest sheets and put back on the beds, Clean downstairs areas.
Friday night : Clean kitchen, make sure everything else is done and then add air fresheners to each guest bedroom and designated area. Friday night I will also do as much food prep as I can Wash/cut/mix anything that needs it. Sometimes I can go on and make a dish and then put it in the refrigerator until Saturday when it needs to be thrown in the oven a couple of hours before our guests arrive.
Saturday morning : Clean kitchen after I have all or most of food prepped/ready. Make sure dishwasher and trash are emptied. Start setting up anything that needs to be up for our dinner party (printables added to frames, any decorations, washi tape put on plastic cups, etc.)
So there is our usual week before a dinner party, We usually have our dinner parties on Saturday afternoons. Occasionally a few friends will come over on Friday night and stay the whole weekend. We love it and it doesn't phase my schedule much at all! Like I said, we love having people over and get excited planning for it! Just like in this post, planning ahead is always a game changer for me. If I don't plan ahead and make to-do lists then things won't get done in a timely manner.
To see all posts in this series so far, go here.
Monday, September 12, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DECORATING
I really enjoy decorating for our parties, but I also know that it is not completely necessary. You can have a successful dinner party without decorations. I also know that you can spend a lot of money on decorations or you can search the internet for free printables and use what you already have, and your party will turn out just as nice. It is all up to you and with what fits in your budget!
I try to keep our decorations very reasonable, if we're spending money it's usually on the food. So how do I do that? I search the internet/Pinterest for free prinatbles, or if I can't find any that I like then I make my own, and I use some stuff we already have. Like these hot dog bar printables that I made...I couldn't find anything that I liked online so I went to PicMonkey and created my own. It took a little bit of time, but actually ended up not being too bad. You will never find me spending money on invitations, labels, banners, signs or prints. It just doesn't make sense when it doesn't take much time to make them on my own (& I really enjoy it!!) So here are the decorations I usually have out for our dinner parties...
Labels: I like making labels for each dish and for our drinks. I also have a label for each section of our kitchen (depending on where the food/drinks are.) I usually have a Drinks label, Appetizers label, whatever our main course is (Hot Dog Bar, BBQ, Tacos, etc.) Sides label, and Desserts label. I will stick those in the middle of the counter or table in the designated area.
Free Prints: I also like finding free printables that I can just throw into a frame that we already own to go along with our dinner party. There are hundreds of free ones on Pinterest...and if any of those don't catch your eye, make your own on PicMonkey! You can find some free printables here!
These free printables add so much to an empty counter or area. Sometimes I will add one to our entryway table for people to see as soon as they enter our house. I think that kind of sets the theme for when they first arrive!
Banners: I love a good banner, and just like prints, I think it can add a lot. Whether I have one on our mantel or hanging in the kitchen, or even hanging on a table. I love them. Again, there are a ton of free ones on Pinterest or you can just make you own!
Flowers: 98% of the time I have artificial flowers out somewhere in our home. Every now and then when we have guests coming over for a dinner party I will stop by Kroger and pick up a few small bouquets, usually the managers special. I like to keep this pitcher on our island in our kitchen with seasonal flowers in it. It's also really easy to move this pitcher to another part of our counter when we have our dinner spread on our island. I also like to put flowers in my favorite vases on our mantel/end table. This is such an easy and inexpensive way to add color/decor for each season or dinner party we host! Hobby Lobby's artificial flowers are beautiful and there is always a coupon!
Other things to think about:
- Washi tape
We use washi tape on our plastic cups for people to write their names on. This helps guests keep up with their cup as well as adds a little pop of color!
- Paper straws
I don't always have these for our dinner parties, but occasionally I'll run across some cute ones at the Dollar Tree and pick them up.
- Napkins & Utensils
If I am using plastic utensils or colored paper napkins I always pick these up at the Dollar Tree. They are over priced at Wal-Mart/Party City/Target, cute, but over priced!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: BUILDING YOUR MENU
The menu! It's the most important part of a dinner party isn't it? Yes. The answer to that is YES. Fellowship is good and very important, but food is also up their with importance, if you ask me. ;)
After we have chosen our date, theme and notified our guests then we start on the menu. Sometimes the menu reflects our theme, and when it does, it makes it really easy (most of the time) to build our menu. To help keep the cost down we sometimes do a potluck style dinner party. 1.) It keeps cost down. 2.) It's fun to try other peoples versions of various dishes. 3.) It will help take a lot of time and effort off of you (the host)! I know some people question potluck style meals, but we love them every now and then for our dinner parties. We usually create a Facebook event when we do potluck style dinner parties so people can sign up for a dish, and we can avoid duplicate dishes. The picture below is our sign up list for Friendsgiving this past year. Don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring a dish, I know some of our guests get really excited to pick out a new dish on Pinterest to bring.
*We sometimes get to-go boxes similar to these for our guests to fill up and take home with them. That way we aren't left with a ton of leftovers.*
I'll give you a couple of examples. For our Summer Soiree we decided to do a hot dog bar. Since hot dogs are budget friendly we decided to provide everything for this dinner party. From the appetizers to the desserts. We kept it very simple and that helped keep us in budget!
Here is our menu:
Appetizers:
Loaded baked potato dip and lil smokies.
Main course:
Hot dogs with various toppings
(nacho cheese, chili, onions, lettuce, ketchup & mustard)
Desserts:
Chocolate chip cookies and White Chocolate Chip Blondies (my best friend was also very sweet and brought a cheesecake)
Drinks:
Lemonade, sweet tea, and water
- Our appetizers were very easy to make. I made the loaded baked potato dip the night before and popped in the oven (covered) about 30 minutes before everyone got there. The lil smokies I made and served in the crockpot. For both of those recipes I already had a lot of the ingredients.
- Our main course was very easy and like I mentioned earlier, very budget friendly. We bought a family pack of hot dogs and hot dog buns. I already had some of the toppings already on hand. The ones we didn't, I picked up at the store that week.
- For our desserts I decided to keep it simple. We already had a package of cookie dough and I decided to make the blondies, and again, I already had most of the ingredients for those on hand.
- The drinks are always simple for us. Since we don't drink we just always serve lemonade, sweet tea and water, and honestly I could probably just get away with serving sweet tea since that is what everyone usually drinks the most of.
My second example is our Red, White, & Blue BBQ. This was our most recent dinner party, and this one was potluck style. We provided the appetizers, BBQ and drinks, and asked everyone to bring a side. We had a great turn out and it was all delicious!!
Here is our menu:
Appetizers:
Loaded baked potato dip, and Velveeta cheese dip.
Main course:
BBQ
Desserts:
Layered Oreo pudding & chocolate chip cookies
Drinks:
Lemonade, sweet tea, and water.
- Our appetizers were easy for this dinner party (I try to keep the appetizers easy.) The loaded baked potato dip was requested, so that's why it made another appearance at another dinner party so soon. Cheese dip is very simple and everyone loves it.
- Our main course was very simple, we just picked up some BBQ and a local favorite and they provided the BBQ sauces.
- Our sides were provided by our guests! There were a few dishes that none of us have had before and ended up LOVING. Recipes were definitely swapped at this dinner party!
- For dessert I made a layered Oreo pudding and baked chocolate chip cookies. Desserts are usually fairly easy, because I usually have most ingredients on hand already.
- Drinks, again, were simple...lemonade, sweet tea and water! I do provide lemons and limes for people to add to their drinks if they want.
So there is the breakdown of building your menu. When you first think of hosting a dinner party it can be overwhelming, but if you take a little time and break everything down it's not bad. Now how I go about grocery shopping for our dinner parties. I am very much type A personality. I like things planned out and organized so I am not running around at the last minute trying to get things done. With that being said I start shopping for our dinner parties weeks in advance. "Woah Woah Woah, gettin' a little ahead of yourself there, aren't you, Shelby?!" Nope...just being prepared! It's okay if you don't like doing things this way, but this is what I have found works best for us. So if I know our next dinner party is in 4 weeks I will pick up a few nonperishable food items as well as paper products.
Taking it back to our Summer Soiree....once everything was set in stone I starting picking up things and included it in my grocery order (to see how we grocery shop, go here.) That way the week before or day before our dinner party I was buying a lot at once. So one weekend I picked up the canned nacho cheese, canned chili, and pickles. One weekend I picked up plastic cups, napkins and plastic utensils...and so on and so on. Then the week of our dinner party I picked up the perishable items, such as, the hot dogs and buns, toppings (onions, tomatoes, etc.) for the hot dogs, and chips. Thankfully our pantry at our home is a decent size so we are able to keep everything in there, but when we were in our apartment we weren't so fortunate with cabinet/pantry space. If this is the case, you can keep a small box in your laundry room or a hall closet. As long as it's sealed it should be fine!
Another example, we are planning on hosting Friendsgiving again this year. I have pretty much already planned it out and I have my list made of things we need to get. I know that this year, instead of using real dinnerware we are going to use plastic plates. Friendsgiving is planned for mid November, but I will start buying items like the plastic plates probably around end of September - early October. Friendsgiving is always a little fancier than our other dinner parties, so we will use cloth napkins. I have found a good deal on them on Amazon and I'll probably order those at the end of next month. Planning ahead and buying things ahead of time help me 1.) Save money and 2.) Not to forget anything. 3.) Saves time. Once I buy something at the store or it delivers then I cross it off my list of things to get. So when the week of our dinner party rolls around I'm not making five stops at different places everyday after work, and I should only have perishable food items left to purchase.
That was a long post! So here is a breakdown of all that up there...
Is there anything that you would add to this? Any questions? I hope this information is useful for you, I've enjoyed breaking it all down so far!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: PICKING A THEME & DATE, AND INFORMING GUESTS
When planning an event I try to look at the dates. Depending on what month it is I usually try to coordinate our dinner parties with a holiday that is that month or has something to do with an event around that time. Example: May = Cinco de Mayo, June = Summer Soiree (to kick off summer), July = Red, White, & Blue BBQ, November = Friendsgiving, December = Friendsmas. An Olympic themed dinner party would have been great for August this year.
Other themes to consider: Christmas in July, Halloween party, Outdoors movie party, chili cook off, a Valentine's themed dinner party, New Years Eve party. There are so many, just get creative!
Other themes to consider: Christmas in July, Halloween party, Outdoors movie party, chili cook off, a Valentine's themed dinner party, New Years Eve party. There are so many, just get creative!
Another idea to consider is not having a theme...WHAT?! Yep, you heard me, even though it is fun, you don't always have to have a theme. In fact we haven't had themes at all of our dinner parties. We had people over for tacos and to play a few games one night. No big theme there, just dinner and some games to play that we already had.
Next comes picking your date. We usually invite anywhere from around 8 people to 20 people. Not everyone can make it to every event and that's just the way life goes sometimes. Once Matthew and I have checked our calendars and decide on a date we throw out a date, sometimes two, to our friends in a group text to see what works best for them. A good chunk of our friend group is still in the campus ministry that we were involved in when we were in college, so we try out best to work around their schedule. I always try to plan our dinner parties for Saturday afternoons. Just so I'm not rushing home from work on a Friday to get everything prepped and ready before everyone gets there, and having it on a Saturday gives us more time to all be together! Once we have a date confirmed we move on to the next step.
This step just so happens to be one of my favorite steps of planning/hosting dinner parties. After we have confirmed our date with our guests I make invitations to mail out to them about 2 weeks before our event. Just so they have something to remind them of the date/time. I enjoy creating the invitations and look forward to finding different ideas/inspiration from Pinterest! Here are some of my previous invitations that I have made: Friendsgiving 2015 invitation, Summer Soiree 2015 invitation, Red, White, & Blue BBQ invitation, and I have already created our Friendsgiving 2016 invitation, but I'll wait and share that closer to time! If our dinner party is going to be potluck style then we usually create a private Facebook event so that everyone can sign up for a dish to bring and we don't have duplicate dishes. Also, one thing I really like about the private Facebook event, is that in case they misplace the invitation that we mail out, Facebook always sends out a reminder of your upcoming event.
Where do I make my invitations you ask? I create them in PicMonkey! The best part about PicMonkey is that it is so easy to use and a lot of it's features are free, which I love. I always make our invitations a 5x7 so that they are easy to mail off, and because you can buy the envelopes for a decent price on Amazon.
PicMonkey offers a lot of clip art on their website that I have used before, but I also search for free clip art or backgrounds if I am wanting more than what PicMonkey offers. Example: Say I am creating an invitation and I want mason jars on there and PicMonkey doesn't offer any that I like. I just go to Pinterest and search mason jar clip art...
See...so many different options...and they are cute! A lot of websites/blogs offer free downloads, so that always helps out even more. If I don't find any on Pinterest that I like then I just google "mason jar clip art" and believe it or not, sometimes I find better ones that way versus finding something I like on Pinterest!
It takes a bit of time to create our invitations, but like I said, I enjoy it! If that does not sound appeasing to you then you could definitely skip the whole paper invitation and just use group texting and/or Facebook to invite your friends.
That's it for the first few steps of hosting dinner parties! These steps are usually the easiest part, occasionally it is hard to find a date that will work for every single person, but you just have to go with works best for you and majority of your guests. If you have any specific questions regarding these topics, don't hesitate to ask in the comments or shoot me an email!
Tomorrow we'll talk about building the menu for your dinner party!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES
Hello, friends! I am really excited to start this series and share with all of you. I really love hosting events, with dinner parties being my favorite. Thankfully, my husband enjoys it just as much, and over the past year we have been fortunate enough to host quite a few dinner parties. With each dinner party I have learned a little more and I have finally found my groove with hosting and what works best for us, and I am excited to share that with y'all. When buying our home back in January our "must have list" included a dining room big enough for a long farmhouse table to seat everyone at, a decent size kitchen and living room to feed and seat everyone. Well, thankfully, our house that we bought ended up checking all three of those items off our list, and that's when we knew it was our home. But even before we bought our home I somehow talked Matthew into hosting a few events at our one bedroom apartment. We moved furniture around to accommodate a large number of friends and put up folding table to seat everyone. If there is a will then there is definitely a way! So if you have a small apartment or house don't let it stop you from hosting events at your home. Sometimes the best memories are made when you are all squished together and bumping elbows.
I am going to break this little series up into a few posts so this post isn't extremely long. I'm going to walk you through each step that I take when it comes to planning dinner parties from beginning to end. I'll share with you what I have learned, what I wish I had known, and where I get my ideas and inspiration. From food ideas to the invitations that I create, I'll try my best to share it all. It may seem a little much at times, but it is what I enjoy and a great way to get creative.
Here is a breakdown of my posts that I have planned....
And now comes your part, what questions or specific things would you like to be covered? I am always open to suggestions and would love to make these posts as detailed as possible to help any other newlyweds and/or young wives trying to find their groove in hosting!
This little series idea that I have been working on to share with you all came from Victoria's blog series that she did last year over hosting Thanksgiving. She did a great job, and although I'm not ready to host Thanksgiving myself, I loved reading her series. If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year I would highly recommend reading her series from last year. She shared everything you need to know about hosting Thanksgiving and some delicious recipes! I have had so many questions/emails asking many different things regarding hosting dinner parties so I thought I would put this series together to share with you all.
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