Nester was my roommate in Nashville at Blissdom ’09 and it was such a delight to meet her and her sister Emily, along with Melissa – in real life and for the first time (I think we were all snoring roommates = lack of sleep!) She is as darling and funny as she is in her posts.
Here’s what Nester has to share about entertaining …
When I have people over I have three goals. As you can see, I keep myself at the top of the list because we all know if momma ain’t happy, aint no one coming over for dinner.
1. Make sure I’m not stressed
2. Make sure guests feel welcome and loved
3. Make sure the food is really good
I’ve finally figured out a fool proof way to make sure all three goals are met. My secret, I serve the exact same thing whenever we have people over. Yep, you heard right, the same thing.
A few years ago we visited some friends for dinner on a Friday night. Pizza Friday at their house. She made the dough right in front of me, it smelled glorious, she was content to sit and talk as it was cooking, the kids were happy, it was delish and I knew I had to learn to make pizza dough.
So now, when we invite people over it’s on Pizza Friday. I make pizza because I’ve made it so many times I could do it in my sleep, it always turns out yummy and the kids love it. Since it’s so simple I don’t have to fret over grocery shopping and cooking ahead of time and stuff like that. I’m free to get to know our guests and focus on what really matters. I buy a bag salad, cut up some veggies and ask the guest to bring the dessert.
I’m so glad that It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to Be Beautiful or Meaningful or Delicious!
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. It says that dinner parties are attainable, they are affordable, and that they can be beautiful even when on a budget. 
