I recently got an email from my friend, Kim, who was wondering what my schedule looks like when it comes to entertaining/having people over? It’s really not as crazy and busy as it may seem. Remember, often I write about “aspects” of entertaining – and a lot about “family!”
I think it would be so interesting to hear what a “typical” month looks like for you. How often do you have people over and what “types” of groups do you have over? (Like how often is family over? how about your kids and their friends? or sports groups? How often do you have Balcony Girls? How often do you have a dinner party? How often do you have small groups or people over just for coffee / dessert?). Mostly I’m just curious, but I think it could be very interesting!
Well, just this last weekend I entertained 14 family members.
But my answer goes like this:
I do have dinner parties booked in advance – to get everyone there! (sometimes 2 months in advance, never more than 1 a month)
Same thing with family parties – we usually book them in advance to get the date on the calendar that works for everyone! (I’d say 1 every 3-6 months, since we all rotate)
Balcony Girls meet once a month.
Sport events come and go with the seasons! (Last party here was a Chili Feed in November.)
Smaller dinner parties (1-2 couples) are often more sporadic and last minute. Which I love. (These happen 1-2 times per month)
But back to my dinner party last weekend …
I’d say I do not have the flow of my kitchen down yet, but that’s okay.
With “sister power” it’s always fun.
Aunt Barb looking on, checking out the recipe with us.
Hilda kept us on “schedule” because we did get off track when our water was boiling.
Di and I tried to figure out my new oven. (Still don’t have the convection part down.)
And then the best part of the evening came. Dinner time!
Singing our family prayer around the table means we’re just about ready to dive in to a delectable dish.
And that we were. With a bit of entertainment to follow.
I would say that larger dinners that take 6 hours (we started at 3, ended at 9) definitely take planning and coordinating who’s going to bring what, and the question of whether we can all get the same date on the calendar?
And many of you who know my message already know that planning and organizing are essential to a successful evening. Especially with a large crowd and a specialized meal.
So, the question now goes back to you. How creative is your monthly entertaining schedule?
I’d love to hear about the last minute invites, pre-planned dinner parties – any kind of gathering where food is involved!
No schedule here. Mainly I would say I enjoy impromptu dinner parties with a few friends. I tend not to panic as much over the details. Strange now that I think about it.
Suzann´s last blog ..Make A Difference Monday
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Thanks for posting my friend!!! Thanks for encouraging us all to open up our homes and lives a little more! What a blessing!!
Kim´s last blog ..Homemade?
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I love to entertain. Whether it be a bunch of women and fondue, my kids friends or our friends. I just love it. I try to have some sort of gathering once a month and then stay open for last minute get togethers. I always love your encouraging posts about entertaining!! Keep it up!
Hugs
KIm
Kim´s last blog ..Friday Funnies!
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I love to have people over at least twice a month and take dinner to at least 1-2 families/month. Usually planned 1-2 weeks in advance depending on the family and if I know they keep a busy schedule. I find to make dinner plans happen it helps if I keep a running list of families I would like to have over and then work my way through the list. Once everyone has been over once I start again. I don’t really care for last minute parties because I like to make everything ahead of time so I have time to sit and relax with my friends.
Since most of our friends have a minimum of 4 children we usually have only 1 family over at a time so that we can all have a place to sit
We seems to hit a dry spell during the winter. Holidays, basketball, and the cold makes for an empty home. That is one area I would like to improve on this year.
Mimi´s last blog ..JV Basketball
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In January, we entertained 3 times – which is close to how many times we entertained the WHOLE of 2009.
We’re very new at this – so no type of schedule. Great ideas to think about!
Christi {Jealous Hands}´s last blog ..eating from the pantry challenge – week two
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One goal this year is to entertain once a month. After recovering from a hard pregnancy, bed rest and now a 3 month old, I know that I can’t do much. So we are having friends (one couple and there children) over each month for dessert. January we had home made crepes with tons of fillings. February I want to try out a Puerto Rican Flan. I love that I get to try out new things and socialize.
In the future I would love to entertain even more, but until then once a month desserts is plenty.
Nicol´s last blog ..Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?
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We have family dinner every Sunday at our house. Most weeks there are 15 of us, sometimes our son and daughter-in-law and their 6 children go to her family’s monthly birthday party.
The menu varies slightly, but there are definite favorites which we have quite often. If someone has a birthday, they get to choose the meal. I do all the meal preparation, others rally around to clean up.
It has become such a tradition, that the work does not seem bad at all. It has become easier to have other events because I am used to planning for a little bit bigger group.
We always eat on china or “good” plates, tablecloths, and have live or cut flowers on the table. I hope my example will lead my grandchildren to appreciate a nicely set table (and know one fork or spoon from another).
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Usually our get togethers with other families, whether at their house or ours, take place months in advance. Because of busy soccer and church schedules we have to do this. We often have youth or young adults over and those tend to be very impromptu and spontaneous.
Kirstin´s last blog ..Taking Hospitality to a New Level
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I host a weekly Bible study at my house which is casual and I offer some sort of baked good with tea. And then one a month I have some girlfriends over and we do PMS: Potluck, Movie, Sharing.
It’s great! We all try new dishes, and sometimes theme it to the movie! Other than that, I constantly have a random assortment of people flowing through my home. We entertain people for days at a time as they visit, and that happens at least monthly. And dinner guests sometimes multiply! I love it! It’s all about being casual, down-to-earth, and not trying to be Martha Stewart, but myself.
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It seems all of our gatherings are mostly impromptu . . . and people are always hungry. I try to keep our kitchen stocked with easy prep items and i am learning to be more concerned with the peope walking through our doors than the tidiness of the doors they walk through. (and with 6 young children – that’s a challenge.) But my husband and I really want our children to know what it looks like to live hospitality every day.
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Great ideas! We usually do more impromtu gatherings for dinners-but we have a few scheduled “meetings” with church folks several times a month. I would like to get more intentional about family dinners and planning ahead for other dinner parties. Sounds fun!
Gina´s last blog ..How to be an instant Rock Star
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Spontaneity is my first option. I rarely make it through a week with out some of that going on. Interns tend to pop in around dinner time on Mondays. My daughter and her husband and grands, 3-4 times a month for dinners. I regularly entertain a couple or two at least twice a month. This month I have had two friends visiting from out of town. One was a full on meal. Last night at 7:00 pm it was cheeses, bread, meat, and a good glass of wine. Bigger meals tend to be family holidays and special occasions or events.
Depending on my week, I love to cook a simple Sunday meal and invite church friends over for the afternoon. (1 -2 times a month)
I have always had these ambitions to have an open house with a ready to go pantry. It was much harder as a young mom for sure.
As you know I think your blog is superb. I love that you encourage so many to give it a go, by keeping it easy and giving so many wonderful hints and ideas.
a woman who is´s last blog ..What’s Blooming on Your Windowsill?
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We moved to a new town 6 months ago and decided that we were going to be proactive in getting to know people, so it has been our goal to have a family over once a week (typically Friday night). Life gets in the way, and some weeks we feel “peopled out”, so we skip those weeks, but when we do have people over, we try to plan a week in advance. We started with neighbors when we first moved in, and then once we settled in at a church, we started having couples and families over…right now we’re working our way through our Sunday night small group. We find that we can really get to know people better by having them into our home — our first impressions of people have been wrong many times and just because we made this commitment to ourselves (and really to God), we keep at it (even inviting those we’re intimidated by) and we have been pleased with how it’s gone every time.
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I have to say, since our recent move to up to the northern woods our entertaining agenda has certainly changed! Instead of having friends & family for dinner~we have them for the weekend. Not only do I have to plan meals, we try to make it a fun & happy time for our guests as this is usually a much looked forward to getaway for them. I have discovered that having everyone together under one roof for a few days, preparing meals together, taking a walk along the lake, and saying good night at bedtime has brought us all so much closer. We may not see each other as often as we used to, but when we do get together now, it’s simply the best! When they leave, even though I’m exhausted I’m so grateful for the memories that we made together. I also have a new found empathy for Bed & Breakfast owners!!! LOL
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