Gardening seems to be more fun in the spring, I think because it’s fresher and more exciting and the weather is cooler. Now that summer is here we have to deal with the weeds, the heat, and it just seems like more work.

If we know we’re entertaining that night, or maybe the next day, in my home we try to get the whole family involved.

- Make a list the day before of the chores you want your kids to do
- Give them a time frame for when the chores need to be completed
- Be willing to show them how the job is to be done, especially if it’s a new job they’ve never done before
- Keep in mind that the job may not be done perfectly, and be willing to live with it
- Make it fun for the family, talk about the rewards of working together as a family
- After the dinner party is over, or the next day, reflect on what happened during the party and the benefits of everyone pitching in

One example is to make a simple centerpiece for the table.

Let the kids fill a low-line vase with water.

Snip whatever flowers you have blooming in the yard (for us we used fresh mint and pansies).

Adding fresh flowers from the yard is an excellent way to increase the visual appeal of the table!

It’s a gift that we give our kids when we teach them about hospitality and the details of how it all works. I’d say it takes passion and purpose to get everyone involved.

We’re entertaining as a family this weekend, and it will take effort from everyone to complete the chores and the yard work. (OH, what fun, but OH so worth it!)

Do you include the whole family when getting ready for a dinner party? I’d love to hear if your kids have outside chores?

Don’t forget that The Reluctant Entertainer is now available through Amazon, and soon in your local book stores! The winners to the UPrinting canvases are: Melanie Dorsey and Foodie with Family! Congrats to the winners! Stay tuned for more RE books being given away, and the opportunity to buy a signed copy right here at RE!

I’m over at The Inspired Room today sharing with Melissa and her friends. Would you join me there?

Gardening seems to be more fun in the early summer, I think because it’s fresher and more exciting and the weather is cooler. Later in the summer we have to deal with the weeds, the heat, and it just seems like more work. We love to entertain outside as often as we can and now is a great time to get started …

Read the rest of the story, HERE.

Melissa was kind enough to endorse my new book, The Reluctant Entertainer. She’s been a great friend (she also lives on the West Coast) and started blogging around the same time that I did.

The Reluctant Entertainer is my go-to guide for practical and inspiring ideas for opening my home to others. In her gracious and gentle way, Sandy helps us women move past our fears and personal hang-ups by providing the tools and perspective to make entertaining doable and enjoyable. -Melissa Michaels

Thank YOU so MUCH, Melissa, and for inviting me over to The Inspired Room today!

I was out blowing the backyard patio again … right before the guests arrived for this party. And I was wearing a dress. You think I would have learned my lesson? Last year I was a guest on Nesting Place blog, and shared this story …

I really don’t think of myself as the creative type when it comes to taking something that went wrong and turning it into something beautiful. You know, the way that The Nester would beautify something. So when I got into a battle with my backyard blower – it just made me think of The Nester all the way.

Here’s my story
Last week I was ready to go out with my husband to a casual party, and I was dressed in one of my favorite sundresses. In Sandy-style I thought I could get a “last minute” job done quickly before we left. Just one more thing to check off my “to-do” list, right?

As I was blowing the back patio, my wonderful polka-dot sun dress got sucked up into the blower.

My daughter, Abby, and her friend were in the pool and watched it happen. I turned the blower off and we all just stared in disbelief at what had just happened.

No, not my favorite dress!

As I was getting ready to toss the dress, I noticed that the material was the color of my daughter’s bedroom. So in Nester-style, my mind started twirling …

What could I do with this material?
Now I know that pink is rarely talked about in The Nester’s home, having 3 boys. And now that my daughter is almost 13, this last fall we changed her room colors from pink to green, blues and browns. We took down her pink bulletin board, which has been sitting behind her door for about 9 months now. My daughter was finished with pink. No more pink!

I cut the usable fabric from the dress and stapled it over the pink board.

I covered up the big PINK dot with a blue sticker.

Added her favorite picture of her Daddy back to the board. And hung it in her room.

Even Hobbes liked the new look.

And I surprised Abby when she got home from school. A new board, a new look, and now when I walk into her room, I get to see my favorite sun dress.

It all worked for me!

First of all, have you ever had a battle with a yard tool?

And secondly, are you creative with taking your boo-boos and Nesterizing them?

The Nester and I would love to hear your creative stories!

Graduation. A time of reflection, excitement, sadness, and hope. Hope for the future that as a parent you’ve done the right thing and the best job, in raising your kid, and he will do fine.

It’s graduation time in our household as we get ready to graduate our oldest. Luckily I was on the ball and got my announcements ordered in a timely manner.

Now I want to be able to sit down and enjoy writing out the addresses, and thinking about the families and friends who’ve been supportive to our son in his growing up years.

As I sorted through his school pictures, that I’ve stored in these binders, my friend and I discussed a cool way to display them for graduation.

Take a long ribbon.

Staple the very top of the photo to the ribbon.

And hang to display!

Do you have any graduates in your home, or any graduates that you’ll be helping to celebrate this June?

If you’re looking for a quick way of ordering your grad invitations or announcements, check out Tiny Prints today! It’s also a great idea for summer party invitations!

(This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints, a paid advertiser for this blog.)

I felt like the paparazzi as I drove around early one morning visiting my girlfriends’ houses, taking pictures of their Kelly Anderson Art, but my 2 friends both agreed – Kelly Anderson’s Art lifts your spirits! And that is why they purchased it for their homes.

The brightness and beauty of her work is stunning.

And I love how her art looks so different in each home. With different frames.

Or with no frames.

I daily look at this beauty hanging in my kitchen.

You’ll have to look back at the giveaway I held (lucky winner, here).

And the nice things that people say about Kelly’s work.

Kelly’s work is magnificent.

I love bright florals. Kelly’s work is beautiful.

I don’t seem to get into “flavor of the month decorating,” partly because I don’t have the money or time to change up my decorating style with fads, or the latest, but I do know that florals are really in right now.

I like simple and easy. I like to put my time and efforts into a meal, inviting guests over, not worrying about trends and things having to look perfect.

That’s why art on the walls is important. When your guests walk into your homes they look UP and AROUND, not down at the un-vacuumed carpet or the dust on the furniture!

With Mother’s Day around the corner, take a look at Kelly’s beautiful work at her site and then bookmark your favorite piece. Then send the email to your hubby and family and put it on your wish list! How’s that for a great Mother’s Day idea?

Kelly Anderson Art will be a cheerful gift that will lift not only your spirits, but the spirits of the guests that walk into your home!

If you live local, don’t forget the Art in Bloom in the downtown area this weekend! I bet you’ll even meet Kelly there!

(This post is linked to Those Special Touches linky party over at Imparting Grace. This is not a paid advertisement, I just really believe in Kelly’s work!)

I know it’s not quite Mother’s Day, but I was given what could have been a great Mother’s Day a week ago. That’s if you are a mom who relishes in “gifts of service.”

I scored, big time, when I drove by a yard sale and saw a big box that said “old curtains” on one side.

And “yard sale” on the other!

Inside the box were 6 beautiful, PERFECT, Pier 1 84×42 window panels!

The lady and I settled on a price of $20 and I was on my way.

You do not know how long we’ve waited for window treatments upstairs. You know, the kind that are heavy duty and would block out the sun that beats in, in the summertime. So I was thrilled. No, my kids were thrilled! (This is their hang-out area.)

This is where the handyman teenage son comes in. It was a Saturday morning and he graciously gave me his talents and time and hung the curtains for me.

Even our kitty Hobbes got in on the action. She’s everywhere … (do you have a kitty that follows you around the house?)

Two large windows now treated to block the sun. Yay!

And a happy mom who’s waited a long time for the right “deal” to come along, and who checked another “to do” item off of her list.

Do you have a running list of things that you’d like to purchase, or projects that you want to complete?

Is Mother’s Day a day where your family pitches in to help?

(4 panels were used, 2 are going in my son’s room. I looked up the prices on line and it looks like they run around $40 on sale! So I got about $240 worth of window treatments for $20. What a bargain! I went to Ross Dress for Less for the $12.99 rods. Mission accomplished!)

Now if you’re creative and want to make your own window treatments (instead of finding them at a yard sale), head on over to The Nester’s and you’ll receive all the information you’ll ever need. She’s the gal! And this post is linked to Rhoda’s Thrifty Treasures and to Kimba’s DIY DAY!!

Vases of tulips around my home keep me going into Spring, and bring me so much joy!

I love the different colors in our yard. We have quite the variety right now. Last year I posted about my $3 yard sale find, and the post is on the SC Johnson site today. If you have a minute, would you head over to the SCJ Family Economics site and leave me a comment? You can read about it over there …

Candy striped tulips coming up right now.

Brought to the front door.

We have a Costco stash of paper tulips to eat on.

And a reminder of Easter day and our Easter table.

I brought an old painting that I had stored under my bed, back to life again!

Today the light was beautiful, I couldn’t resist sharing these with you!

I had some tulips inside by the front door (which just went bye-bye),but they lasted so long! And I see baby pink ones blooming in the front yard right now. The only thing about growing tulips, or any flowers, is that I’m not very good about getting outside to dead-head them. At times I wish I had a gardener. I guess I am our family’s gardener!

Do tulips bring sunshine to your life? And who is your family’s gardener?

(This post is linked to Inspired Room’s Inspired by Sunshine post. Also check out Fancy Friday Lemon Fest today over at lovefeast table.)

When we moved into our home a few years ago, we thought its original lighting was kindof cool. The retro style fit our 1978 home. These cool round fixtures are inside the house, on the front porch, and outside on our back patio.

When Paul was on a recent speaking engagement, he ate at a restaurant which had some really cool lighting! Hey, it looks a bit familiar!

Yes! I’m so glad we left these fixtures to add to the uniqueness of our home!

Things don’t have to be perfectly new in our homes to make them cozy and warm, do they?

When we entertain, we know that our time with our friends is way more than the meal served, or even the outdated fixtures.

And I bet our guests don’t even notice!

Do you have something in your home that bugs you, that you want to change up a bit? How about changing your perspective and viewing it in a different way?

Oh my goodness, I just have to share some photos with you of Ma(i)sonry. It’s one of the coolest places ever, a place I visited during my recent Napa Valley trip. The setting goes like this:

The setting is reminiscent of a home or a private club, framing a highly edited collection of furnishings and artwork. The furnishings, ranging from 16th century to mid-twentieth century, are paired with contemporary works crafted by today’s top designers. The collections of art on display include Napa Valley favorites, the best in the Bay Area as well as some of the most respected names worldwide, all of which will be available for purchase.

Talk about some of the most exquisite pieces and art.

And unique architecture and outside furniture.

Rustic inside.

And old.

Eclectic.

Can you just see these cool doors opening up to the outside?

And a dreamy old, long table that I would LOVE to have in my backyard.

Mm-m-m, can’t you just hear the sounds of friends in your backyard? Maybe the adults would sit here.

And imagine the spread of food and a beautiful, simple tablescape on this table?

And the kids might hang out here.

We’re a big pear family, so I’d love these sitting in my backyard.

I can think of the perfect place in my backyard for this peaceful water feature, since we have a flat piece of property.

I’d love to end the evening sitting around a fire, here.

You can see I enjoyed myself. No one else was in the backyard of this incredible place, so my husband and I walked around and dreamed …

Now back to reality. I love my home. I love the people who come to it.

But it’s still fun to dream …

Are a dreamer? Do you dream of dinner parties and all of the wonderful friends you’d invite?

(If you didn’t read the French Laundry’s Garden post, you might want to take a peek! It’s amazing and inspiring!)

Don’t forget that WED. this week is Home is … Day here at RE! Link up and share about a delicious scent in your home! Check out the side bar for the weekly post ideas. You can read more details at the end of this post.

I just can’t believe my friend Rhoda. First of all, she has started a cool series every Friday called Feature Friday. This is who she featured last Friday – Trey Laird. Just look at this post.

And secondly, Rhoda has asked to feature my newly humble kitchen … and I feel so honored. So head on over to Southern Hospitality today to see what Rhoda has put together … as she features the Reluctant Entertainer Kitchen! Thank you, Rhoda!

The color green is a great accent for my kitchen. I mean, the walls are already 2 shades of green, but bringing in other shades of green adds a zesty feel. Green just seems to bring balance. I love green in the spring, summer, fall and winter, and that’s partly the reason why I chose it for my kitchen walls.

Of course I can’t get enough of Kelly Anderson’s Art – there’s a cheeriness to her art that I’ve never seen before.

And remember my $4.76 Easter centerpiece?

Apples always add a nice, healthy touch.

Keep candles near your dining table, ready for a glow.

Freshly squeezed lime! (I’ll be posting some amazing Black Bean dip using limes soon!)

Green table cloth was from Good Will – used for our last Balcony Girls gathering (and St. Paddy’s Day!)

Fresh blossoms from the outside.

Stash of napkins (I heart IKEA!).

Fresh green beans – a family favorite.

What accent color do you use in your kitchen to make it come alive?

Don’t forget to link up your post this Wed. here on RE. Home is … a delicious scent! (See sidebar.)

The winners who won 5 Secrets Great Dads Know are … Becky Dellar, Simple Homemaker, Beneath my Heart, Peggy (no blog), and Ready Go Get Set. Congrats Ladies! And if you didn’t win but want to buy the book, I linked the title for you. Happy Weekend everybody!

Oh, and since Abby has green on, I’ll leave you with a fun picture of my kids! It’s Spring Break here in Oregon!

The color yellow doesn’t always mean the same thing to each of us, but when I think of yellow I think of sunshine and friendship, and right now the daffodils blooming in our front yard. Even brightness, cheerfulness, and hope comes to mind, as it’s going to be a gorgeous sunny day today where I live. We have so much to be thankful for!

We had dinner last night with some new friends, and that makes me happy! We’re made for connection with one another, and so when you share a meal into the wee hours of the morning, it just feels right. It was a wonderful, delicious time.

The great writer, Henri Nouwen says:

A Christian community is therefore a healing community not because wounds are cured and pains are alleviated, but because wounds and pains become openings or occasions for a new vision…. Sharing weakness becomes a reminder to one and all of the coming strength. (The Wounded Healer)

Just this week I snipped some bright yellow forsythia twigs and put them on my front porch. Why? Because it needed some serious cheering up!

Snip the branches. Put in a Ziploc bag with water (way easy for clean up).

Put in front of something with height.

Or behind what you want to display. (I’ve had these Harry & David geese for years. I move them around from the front of the house to the backyard, out by the pool, or even in the garden …)

Add a bit of sunshine.

I’d say it really brightened things up! And it was a matter of using what I had and just pulling it all together – for FREE!

What does yellow mean to you on this lovely day today? And do you use what you have to create something new?
(Come back tomorrow for an incredibly generous Bush’s Beans Gift Basket GIVEAWAY!)

Years ago my friend Hoppi showed me the little inexpensive secret to a simple centerpiece: Buy wheatgrass and display! It seems to have made a comeback, I’ve noticed this spring season, as I’ve flipped through magazines. Some people add flowers or Easter eggs, but I say, keep it simple!

Just this week I purchased 4 individual pots of wheatgrass for $1.19 each.

Place on your favorite pedestal stand.

Find a ribbon in your ribbon stash that goes with the colors for Easter.

Tie around the outside.

Set on your dining table.

Don’t forget to water ever few days.

Simple, inexpensive, elegant, and beautiful.

Do you keep a stash of extra ribbon for decorating ideas?

Oh, and our kitty, Hobbes, loves to eat the wheatgrass … watch out if you have a kitty cat! This picture was taken in our old dining room (before remodel) back in 2006! I just caught her again eating the grass!

(The 2 winners to Lisa Leonard’s necklaces are: Liz (This Full House) and Sheryl R. – no blog. Congrats Ladies! And my friend, Emily (Chatting at the Sky) has a beautiful post on Glimpses of Home today. Check it out and be inspired. This post is linked to Kimba’s DYI Day – Check out A Soft Place to Land!)

This really should have been my Valentine’s post on how much I love my husband! Because look what he did for me?

When I saw the stack of leftover wood flooring from our kitchen remodel, I didn’t mean to make more work for him. No! I promise! But I couldn’t help but ask (beg!) for him to put the leftover pieces down over our ’70s tile in the front entryway. (We’ve known for 5 years the floor needed updating!)

When Fred built and designed our home, he did a beautiful job. And the tile has held up for 30+ years, but it was time for a change!

We thought we were going to have to rip up the current tile, but we planned it out and didn’t. SUCH A TIME SAVER!

Old tile.

New floor.

Ties in nicely with this floor.

If you have a small area that needs redone, ask around to some friends who’ve maybe just completed a project, to see if they have any leftover material for you!

Do you look for ways to use up leftover materials from projects?

(Don’t forget Lisa Leonard is giving away 2 beautiful pieces of jewelry. Enter today. Winner announced on Friday!)

When my decorating friend The Nester put out this cry on her blog:

Teach me oh wise decoratory friends, show me the folly of my naked top of cabinet ways. How do you decorate above your cabinets?

I jumped in and said white dishes and platters! Because they’re classy and handy!

Also, a girl can never have too many white dishes!

We were on a tight budget when we remodeled our kitchen a while back. So when Home Depot asked if we wanted our cabinets to the ceiling, or with space above, we had to save every penny and went with a “space.”

I really didn’t have a “plan” for the space until I got the actual cabinets put in, and then I knew. It was perfect for my white platters and bowls.

When my sisters and I cooked this meal, I reached for a few platters and bowls.

And recently I added some fresh daffodils from the yard!

So what to do with the space above the cabinets? Use white dishes and platters for a classy look and for simple, handy efficiency!

If you have the space between the cabinets and the ceiling or soffit, what do you fill it with?

(Speaking of springy flowers, don’t forget to ENTER the Kelly Anderson Art GIVEAWAY- winner will be announced on Monday! This beautiful print is in my living room and I’m sad I have to give it away!)

I’m also happy to announce, and honored, that Reluctant Entertainer made the Top 100 2009 Internet Cafe Devotions Blessed Aroma Awards!

Thank you RE readers for your support.

Blessed Aroma showcases favorite blogs that have encouraged with written words and examples of faith in 2008. The list consists of some of the most encouraging and inspiring blogs with 10 categories, and listed below are 10 blogs that made “The Classics” (along with RE!)

What are The Classics?
Upon reviewing the nominations, several blogs received many nominations in several different categories. It was decided these favorites needed their own category. In no particular order, the most nominations were:

Muthering Heights
Lysa TerKeurst
Money Saving Mom
Like a Warm Cup of Coffee
A Familiar Path
The Bowyers
Big Mama
Other Such Happenings
Heart of a Pastor’s Wife
Reluctant Entertainer

If you have the time, head over and check out the entire list of 100 blogs. You will be uplifted and inspired!

I was recently organizing our books and came across this beautiful set, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We bought these books for very little at a yard sale, years ago.

I like to rotate through interesting books and display them on our coffee table. You can even use books in a functional way by creating your own side table.

Build it up with some of your larger books.

Perfect for your morning coffee!

Do you have books that you rotate through for display on your coffee table?

It’s a way to stimulate creative talk! And I must say, I am getting very excited for yard sale season, are you?

There’s something about spring and the newness of life that gives me hope.

The dreariness of winter is put to rest and there’s a feeling of excitement in the air. Lately I’ve sensed a hint of spring on my early morning workouts. Several times my girlfriends and I have stopped just to smell “spring!”

We start dreaming about Spring, where I live, in February.

The crocuses have reappeared. And although I just captured this picture in our front yard, words and pictures can’t portray its beauty.

I can’t wait for this bud to be bursting at its fullest.

The garden beds that lay dormant will soon have life.

The pool will be warm and full of laughter.

We’ll soon catch a whiff of fresh cut grass.

Our animals just love sunshine.

As I dream about spring and long for the warm days of summer, I can’t help but think of the simplicity of the crocuses and bulbs popping out of the ground, and the welcoming sign of spring.

They say to me, “Spring is here – get ready!”

Do you find yourself dreaming and wanting warmer weather like I do?

I’m so happy I had a plan in 2000 to preserve pieces of my kids’ lives while they were little – their handprints! Readers recently asked if I’d share about the plates.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed, but ten years ago, in 2000, I took my kids down to a local pottery store.

I found the plates I wanted to use, figured out the colors, and had someone in the store help me with their handprints. (My kids were 8, 6, and 3 at the time.)

Later I went back to the store and finished up the writing and the outside design by myself, when my little ones weren’t running around. I’m glad I stuck with a “black” theme and primary colors because the plates still are classy and go with my kitchen design today!

The other day I read this post over at Holy Experience, where Ann shared … For He has made the life of a mother to be the forever crib, shaped the parent heart to be the host for the child soul. It’s the presence of the parent that becomes a child’s place of safety and they can always lay down in our love.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. Ann touches my life with every post she writes and shares with the world!

I appreciate little hints of “smallness” around my house, more and more. Like my oldest son who will be graduating this year, when he was in 1st grade.

A reminder of “Daddy’s” side of the sink. (Abby’s creative Sculpy!)

And “Mommy’s” side of the sink.

Seasonally, I like to hang their art.

Put memories in the kitchen window.

And poetry on the wall.

And you may remember my orange bathroom totally full of kid creativity!

All this to say, do you have plans in 2010 to preserve some of your kids’ lives while they’re still little? Or how did your parents preserve some of your memories?

It’s true, as Ann says, the season of soul hospitality never ends!

Here’s a link to some more creative ways to display your children’s artwork! And please feel free to enter the PINK Apron Giveaway, even if you don’t have a blog! Winner announced tomorrow! This post is linked to Inspired Room’s Beautiful Friday and to Amy’s Finer Things!

After dropping my daughter off at church a few weeks ago, for a long ski weekend, I stopped off at the grocery store. For $4 I was able to buy a small daffodil plant (just starting to bloom).

I took the bulbs and repotted them into my $2 celery glass vase (yard sale find last summer).

I also took these beauties and tied a ribbon around the stems, (inside of the vase).

Together these flowers really freshened up my kitchen window with liveliness and color (in January I’ll take all the liveliness that I can get!)

Whether in the kitchen window or on the counter top, I really enjoy moving flowers around to different areas of the house.

They’ve lasted for several weeks now!

Don’t forget you can repot flower bulbs from the grocery store right into your own glassware!

So when you don’t have the time to start your own bulbs, cheat and hit the grocery store!

Are you enjoying fresh flowers in your house right now?

(It looks like Richella wanted to brighten up her home a bit, with her grocery store find!)

When it was time to put my pomegranates away, I brought out the pine cones for display, to add a yummy scent back into my living room. This year I bought these cinnamon-scented pine cones on sale at Christmas time.

Earlier I added ribbon.

And then a red pomegranate.

Now a single candle. (Bulk bargain candles from IKEA.)

Mixing up the colors.

Simple is good.

Always looking for unique candles, like this one.

Or to add it here.

Pine cones in winter are a simple, easy, inexpensive way to decorate. But I have to be honest. I’m ready to put them away and bring the SPRINGY feel back into my home!

Do you still have winter decor out or are you starting to freshen it up with Spring?

An inspiring office is what we were striving for. It didn’t have to be perfect, or expensive. It just needed to be practical, convenient and fitting for my husband!

When we moved to our 70s fixer-upper-home a few years back, we needed a separate office for my husband. The house didn’t really offer that, so we looked outside the box … outside the house … and discovered our 3rd garage bay would be a perfect space for him!

This particular room already had power, and the best part was that it was “away” from the house, noise, and interruptions. In other words, my husband (who is a writer) needed a space that he could call his own, where he’d have peace and quiet! Solitude.

The first thing we did was spray the concrete a pomegranate red and the walls a sophisticated golden yellow! Paul was inspired by the pomegranate red floor in a Frank Lloyd Wright book that he saw – and the yellow was a color that he thought stirred creativity!

It’s easy to take what you have, and to use every nook and cranny of the room to benefit your needs!

Cool rugs & file cabinets from yard sales

Discount candles from Grocery Outlet

Hubs’ framed photography

Never enough white boards

Yup! Brown garage door

Cleaned out the candle cupboard

Organized clipboards hung on nails

Added sky lights

Transformed broken Pottery Barn lamps with zip ties

And always – a cup of espresso next to where it all happens!

We really try to transform and create new – and new does not necessarily mean of monetary value – but it can mean new to us! All – for a little bit of inspiration!

Do you have an eye for creating inspiration? What’s your favorite room where you’ve accomplished this?

If you’re looking for some clever home office solutions (and beautiful photos!) check out The Inspired Room. Or The Nester creates her own office space, here. And Rhoda shares about her Hubby’s new office space, here!

(Partial reposting from last year. Stay tuned for my 3-part Kitchen Remodel posts coming up! And don’t forget to enter to WIN 2 GIFT CARDS from this giveaway! Winner will be announced on Monday. This post is linked to Melissa’s Winter Home Linky Friday.)