That’s right.
Hosting blogging friends isn’t as intimidating as you may think.
Until you actually do it …
Last night some of my beautiful blogging friends, who just arrived in Oregon yesterday and are staying at this beautiful place, came to our home for a lovely dinner. (Above photo, back row: Brenda, Brian, Heather, Matt, Julie, Aggie, Maggy. In the front: Carrie, me, Dara, Gaby. And missing Sommer because her flight was delayed. No worries, we saved a plate of food for her!) 
I say lovely, because honestly, you can have the most magazine-perfect place or table setting, but it’s the people who are “in the chairs” that make the difference around the table.
They are forgiving if something goes wrong.
Or doesn’t look right.
Or isn’t perfect.
I’ll be sharing the details of the table setting and menu later. But for now, I’m sending you over to Julie’s (Peanut Butter Fingers), who I’m honored to have met for the first time, because she did a very sweet recap of the party!
So, back to the intimidation. Yes, I was intimidated knowing 12 food bloggers were coming in to my home. I actually had this conversation with a few of the ladies last night. I had to give myself a pep talk regarding the fact that they were coming to see me and my family.
Not to inspect.
By the end of the night, my fears were gone.
And I knew that the party was successful by the love in the room (we moved inside for dessert and a little live music), and the looks on their faces.
Do you struggle with perfectionism, or what are some tips that have helped you overcome the intimidation of entertaining?
Our dinner was sponsored by Harry & David, who brought the bloggers to Oregon to learn more about holiday gifts, but as always, all opinions are my own.
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. 
I want to share with you some of my favorite places to visit in blog-land, sites that I learn from and am inspired by, and some beautiful friends that I’ve met over the years.
It looks beautiful! Glad to see you were over your fears by the end of night! I can only imagine how overwhelming it could be!
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Look how fun that is! And I jus luz those bloggers.
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i adore every.single.blogger there – and the night sounds like perfection!
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I love it when you host because I always find some great new bloggers to follow!
I’ve been a fan of Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers for a while now, she has a great fitness blog and lots of good info about blogging in general, and her dog is super cute!
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The dinner in your home was incredible. The setting, the food, and most importantly…as you say…the people. Thank you so much, my sweet friend, for your generosity and for sharing your home and your family with us! xoxo
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this is so cool! i love your site and the idea behind it. i just started my blog and reading yours is really inspirational!! thanks for the honest posts and great ideas!
would love it if you’d stop by my site. its a work in progress…just started it. i keep coming back to yours to keep me going!
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One reason I love being a blogger is because I got to follow along through Twitter and Instagram during your big dinner!! Even though I was miles away in Michigan, I felt like I was sitting next to some of my closest friends. Can’t wait to read more details of the dinner – it was absolutely gorgeous from what I saw!!
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Looks beautiful, Sandy! You are so talented.
xoxo
Hope all is well with you! Glad you had a great time; looks like a fabulous group!
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