Reach out and care for someone who needs the touch of hospitality. The time you spend caring today will be a love gift that will blossom into the fresh joy of God’s Spirit in the future. -Emily Barnes

Have a blessed Easter Celebration today, friends!

When’s the first time you heard the “Snap, Crackle, Pop?” commercial? I grew up with Rice Krispie Treats, so when my family brought these for Easter last year, our family devoured them by the end of the night. It’s hard to keep Rice Krispie Treats in our house. They are so good.

I love how Ginny kept it simple with her easy Easter decorating.

-Follow the standard recipe, HERE, but instead use a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray.

-Use egg-shaped cookie cutters.

-Don’t forget the 24 lollipop sticks or wooden ice cream sticks.

-Insert lollipop stick into each before refrigerating.

-Follow the rest of the steps.

-Frost lightly with soft Easter colors.

-Sprinkle with your favorite sprinkles on top.

So festive and fun for Easter!

Now this will bring back memories. Enjoy the first ever Snap, Crackle, Pop commercial … way back when …

What is your traditional Easter treat that you make each year?

I’m over at {In}Courage today. Do you struggle with your imperfections, especially during the holidays? … ==> more, HERE.

Easter is one of the holidays for which I love to decorate the table.

The colors are fantastic, if choosing the pastels or even the bright vibrants colors of spring.

Last year I chose a unique vase.

Using red tulips and white roses and a little bit of greenery from the garden.

You really can’t get any simpler than that.

I was looking through some books for inspiration (do you ever do that?) and to be honest, it was a bit discouraging. Books have beautiful dinner parties with elaborate centerpieces. But I always wonder what the table would look like once the centerpiece was removed. (Naked.)

And wouldn’t the centerpiece need to be removed in order to talk to your guests across the table?

I love the simplicity of a small, low-line centerpiece, candles, and a wide open space where people feel like they have enough room to stretch out and look across the table and converse.

What size centerpiece do you prefer, and do you remove it from the table as your guests are seated?

I’m so happy Easter is right around the corner! And I’ll be hosting this year–will you?

Entertaining is magical, and for me it’s the first initial spark of inspiration that is the most exciting.

Easter. Spring. New Life. Friends. Family. A real reason to celebrate.

Making that decision to host starts it off for me … and then I start getting excited about the table. This year I’m focusing on “yellow.”

Recently a reader wrote me about a “space” dilemma. What do you do when you host a dinner and space becomes an issue?

We host the family Easter Dinner every year, and even though the family has grown over the years, we have managed to fit around the table. Cozy, but we fit. This year there are a couple of other people that we want to have join us. I can’t leave them out just because it spoils my table setting, but don’t know what I’ll do. There aren’t enough kids to do a kid table (one 14, one 9.) If I serve food buffet style, I still have to find a place for everyone to sit. Do you have a magic “space maker”? -RE reader

Space concerns:

-My table isn’t big enough

-Even if I could add on more tables, there still isn’t room for the size of the group

-I don’t like the “crammed” feeling around the table, but “2″ more didn’t warrant adding another table

-The type of food I was serving wouldn’t work for people sitting around with their plates in their laps

-More people were coming and I really wanted to use my wedding dishes (12)

-Not enough chairs

This year I found 2 of the same Ralph Lauren tablecloths at TJ Maxx. I’ll be adding a table on to my existing table, making room for 15!

Easter is also a perfect time to serve a buffet-style meal, if space is your issue.

This way you can mix and match the guests, adults and children, and it’s also okay to have several eating areas.

The first thing to do is look around your apartment or house and visualize where you can put people. Think outside of the box (outside of using only the dinner table).

Using the most of your space:

-Declutter the space you choose to work with and remove any unnecessary items, including furniture if need be.

-For buffet-style, serve easy food that doesn’t require a knife to cut with.

-When your guests arrive, let them know what the plan is for the meal (IE. adults sit in the living or dining area, kids are at the “kid” table).

-Feel free to rearrange furniture.

-Borrow or rent a longer table if needed.

-Create over-flow in the garage by setting up tables or transforming a ping-pong table.

-Borrow chairs from neighbors or friends.

-Host the children in the garage or family room and the adults at the dining table.

-Add on as many tables as you can fit so everyone can sit together at the table.

-Use the stairs for the kids to sit on (or even adults).

Remember it’s worth the extra effort to plan ahead and think things through, maybe in your mind adding on a few extra “last-minute” guests. Don’t be rigid with your number because we all know that number can change.

Going with the flow for buffet-style meals is my motto for really enjoying my guests.

Creating space is important, because we all know that the “table” or “togetherness” of the group, the conversation, the love, the celebrations, connecting and encouraging — is the secret to a successful event.

What are some space dilemmas that you’ve dealt with and how did you overcome those obstacles?

Being married to an Irish man for 21 years, it’s a good thing I love green.

Green has always been my favorite color. My kitchen is green, I love to wear green, the color itself just makes me happy!

This was a fun little project that I put together for my blog for St. Patrick’s Day. I have over 20,000 photos in iPhoto on my computer (yes, it’s backed up regularly). I quickly ran my mouse over the months and pulled out my favorite green pictures to share today.

Ha! I realized how much I love spring and summer. Here’s a few things “green” that I love.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, friends!

Garden beds at dusk.

A luscious avocado.

Green napkins and plates.

Dessert served on a green heirloom plate.

My lemon tree.

Scent of chives.

Elegant green apple centerpiece.

Wearing my favorite Hip Hostess apron.

Our strawberry bed.

The swaying of bambu on the side patio.

My beautiful daughter.

A green lawn.

Lettuce from our garden.

A green tablecloth. (Accessories from Terra Firma Home.)

Daisies in the front yard.

A simple green vase.

The scent of basil.

Our pool at dusk.

Grass at the beach.

Apples ready for applesauce.

Friends who came for dinner.

Homegrown green beans.

Scrabble in the pool.

Can you tell I’m gearing up in my mind for spring and summer? It’s hard to find “pretty green” in the dreary winter months. Only a few days ago, this popped up in our front yard. I couldn’t believe it. Only ONE.

I looked around in our neighbors yards – nothing.

So I’ve been enjoying our one and only daffodil this week, and anxiously awaiting the other blooms.

We’re be on our way to Carnegie Hall, where my daughter and her violin group will be performing this next week at the Music Festival. It’s a very exciting week for us!

I’m sure NYC will be buzzing on St. Patty’s Day … don’t you think?

What are your St. Patrick’s Day plans this year?

I recently thought back a few years to a unique Valentine’s Day I spent with my husband.

I changed it up a bit and served dinner in a different room, with an intimate setting.

We sat on the floor around a small table and enjoyed a quiet evening together – no kids! Yeah! (Although I can’t remember who watched the kids? Maybe our neighbor.)

Even though my husband and I have never felt like we’ve “had to” celebrate Valentine’s Day “on the actual day,” we’ve always prioritized date nights. So important for a healthy marriage.

If you’re looking for a new idea, something you can do at home (which saves a lot of money), why not get a babysitter and change it up a bit?

How to set a table for 2 for Valentine’s Day:

-Find a unique setting in the house, with a small table

-Pull out a fresh table cloth, perferrably white

-Set the table using special or wedding dishes

-Make the setting romantic with candles

-Think of an easy menu; add touches of red candy or flowers

-And don’t forget the music. You can find a favorite Pandora station with a wireless speaker that moves from room to room, so you’ll have beautiful background music.

Restaurants are awesome, but changing it up and doing something different at home adds an element of surprise!

Enjoy being with the one you love, on the day that works best for both of you, and create a NEW unique memory.

Have you ever done anything unique for Valentine’s Day? (That you can write on a family blog?!?)

I also love this “Let’s Go on a Date” idea from Shannon Brown. I’ll do anything to encourage date nights (just ask my friends, for 20 years I’ve talked about our weekly date nights).

He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were un-manicured, calloused, and dirty.

No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party.

Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts.

- Max Lucado

I am humbled by the simplicity of how He came.

I am thankful to celebrate who He was, and is today.

And am honored to reflect and rejoice in why He came.

May Christmas be close to your hearts as we celebrate the most wonderful gift ever given to man.

Merry Christmas to my family and friends.

(In celebration, enjoy my daughter playing, “Mary Did You Know,” which is one of my favorite Christmas songs.)

We love cranberry sauce during the holidays, and our favorite use is to spread the tart, sweet flavors of cranberries, fresh ginger and orange on top of hot brie and then serve with nuts and crackers.

Oh, boy. Can you say killer appetizer?

My daughter and I were recently honored to help serve and help at a dinner party and we were asked to bring the appetizer. We whipped up a batch of cranberry sauce and brought our favorite, Killer Cranberry Sauce served HOT on brie cheese. (RE TIP: Freeze fresh ginger in a Ziploc bag!)

It’s yummy year-round, but it’s really festive and a crowd-pleaser during the holidays.

What’s your favorite way to serve brie?

The tradition of mailing out Christmas cards has changed in recent years, with the price of postage, but I still say there is nothing like going to the mailbox and bringing back a stack of cards.

To sit in your favorite place and to open them like precious gifts. (This is where I say thank you to card companies who do such a fabulous job on design, like Tiny Prints.)

I had just commented to my family that “we’re just not getting the cards this year,” like we have in the past.

But then 2 days straight there were about 8 pictures cards that came in the mail.

That’s 16 beautiful gifts from family and friends! And now more have rolled in …

Next year I have an idea of how I’ll display them, but for this year … smack-dab on the refrigerator where we can all enjoy.

On a sunny, wintery day I sat down and addressed each envelope.

It took time, but I actually enjoy writing out the names and thinking about each family.

Here are a few of our card pictures from the past. The boys.

And then their sister came along.

And then today.

Do you send snail-mail cards, email cards, Christmas letters … or how do you send a holiday greeting to your friends and family?

(Tiny Prints provided my cards but did not pay me to write this post today.)

What do you do when your table only holds 8 comfortably, and you’re hosting a large Christmas dinner?

For our family, this was our last meal to entertain for the holidays this past weekend, and my sisters and their families were coming.

I wanted all 15 of us to all sit down so we could enjoy our time together.

For large groups like this, I have several sets of tablecloths, extra tables in the garage, and I borrowed a few chairs from a friend.

Wah-Lah … a long table eating area has been created.

Every year we rotate houses for our “sister dinner.” It’s special because ever since our Mother passed away, we told each other we’d still give small gifts to each other.

Our Mom loved to give gifts, and she always picked out just the right thing.

So our giving, in a sense, was a reminder of our Mom.

I also planned out the meal and delegated many of the dishes. And we did it a little differently this year.

-We seated everyone and served the salad.
-For the main course we served the prime rib and all the side dishes buffet-style.
-Dessert came way later as we all mingled in the kitchen.

In Christmas tradition, we always take a picture of the women in the family.

And the sisters.

I’m thankful for sisters, for delegation so I don’t have to cook an entire meal for so many people, for love and gifts at Christmas, and for yummy desserts.

Speaking of desserts …

Don’t you find that sometimes it’s hard to serve dessert right after a big meal?

We decided to wait about an hour before cutting into my sister’s heavenly cake (well, it does have Angel Cake as an ingredient) that she brought. (It’s a good one because it serves at least 12.)

You’ll see how light and simple the recipe is, and elegant, too. Raspberries on the inside and just a few for color on the serving platter. Beautiful!

What’s your tradition for serving dessert after a large meal? Do you serve it right away or wait to serve it later?

When you serve a buffet you get to mingle and enjoy the people around you, and sit by the people you want to sit with. Many times buffet-style dinner means that there is no set table, and you sit around the living room, dining room, family room, even on the floor or on the stairs.

I love the casual feel.

Here are some ideas when you have a small space. You can pack in what you need … you really can!

Roll your linens and put them in an accessible place. (With a little bit of “pretty” on top, using fresh pommegranites.)

For me, a basic collection of versatile pieces and white dishes and platters are essential when it comes to entertaining.

Add warmth to the area with a simple candle.

Dollar Store glasses on an elegant serving tray. Drinks behind the glasses.

Bring out the white platters.

And white bowls and accent-colored dishes.

I don’t mess around much with fabric and stackable boxes underneath to add height. That look is just a little too “formal” for my simple home. Use pedestals and add your beautiful white dishes and bowls to bring height.

Have different sizes of plates.

The two-tier pedestal on the right can be easily used for small dessert bites.

Who needs BIG desserts when you’re serving a yummy Christmas buffet?

How will you be serving your Christmas meal this week? Buffet or a sit-down dinner?

Here’s an earlier post on setting up a Christmas buffet, that I wrote a few weeks ago.

Today I want to share a little about holiday baking and easy ways of giving to others.

The beauty of the holidays is that you can embrace nostalgia on your own terms. I try to encourage my readers to put their hesitation aside and reach out to others, by either inviting people into their homes, hosting a small dinner party or a casual get-together, or even what I call, “taking your hospitality with you,” … reaching out to others by giving small gifts of love.

The holidays can be a very emotional time for many, because our pasts creep in, creating feelings both bittersweet and beautiful.

But today I’d love to encourage you to reach deep, and to think of a fun holiday cookie that you enjoyed as a kid.

Embrace those happy memories (or create some new ones if you can’t find “happy”), and think of ways to give out this year.

I’m happy to share with you a childhood recipe that my mom made every year, as far back as I remember as a little girl, up until the year she passed away. Snowball cookies were a part of our Christmas diet. They melt in your mouth and they provide comfort.

My favorite version has a little secret inside … Dove Chocolate-Covered Almonds. Oh, boy!

A little treat inside a big treat.

Christmas doesn’t get any better than packaging up a few classy treats, and then giving them away.

It’s the thought that counts. Small, simple, inexpensive, yet festive, wintery and tasty – is what I love to give.

Ideas on how to package Christmas cookies:
Dollar Store plates
Dollar Store or Clearance baskets
Canning quart-sized jars with a cute, cut-out Christmas top (over the lid)
Decorated brown lunch bags

What was your favorite holiday cookie as a kid?

What I love about this time of year is bringing nature into the house for decorating, because it’s beautiful and mostly free.

Don’t you love rose hip branches? Pottery Barn sells them, and they are beautiful, but I bet you can find a local biz that will sell the fresh live branches to you. Or, better yet, find a local bush that you could trim some from yourself.

Nothing is better than real (I’m not a big fan of the faux red berry branches).

In our town, Pennington Farms sell the branches from their property, or Terra Firma Home in their store.

Last year I had fun arranging them in our home.

This year I bought double the amount of branches and used them in different ways.

It’s also elegant to decorate a simple table.

How about the window sill?

Little bit of dessert stylin’.

Add to your beverage area if you’re hosting a party.

One simple branch along with a curly willow branch.

Hang glass tea light vases from the branches.

Last night I took a quick picture of my kitchen counter.

I wrote about bringing the great outdoors (and greenery) in last year.

And look what my friend Kristin made and brought to my house. Beautiful. I love handmade gifts!

But this year I’m all about the rose hips.

What kind of natural items do you use for decorating at Christmas?

This post is linked to The Inspired Room’s House Tour/DIY Linky party!

Apples, Apples, Apples.

Such a simple, inexpensive, and beautiful way to decorate during the holidays.

Decorating with seasonal fresh fruit is easy, colorful and interesting. You can start with holiday greens as the base, and then mound or arrange the apples in interesting containers.

On the counter – add a wreath to a large white bowl and fill with apples.

Apples and evergreen topiary – HGTV.

Outside – my front porch.

Creative wreaths – BHG.

Make your own centerpiece – BHG.

On the mantel – my friend Melissa’s house in Seattle.

Enjoy a scented wreath – Paula Deen.

Hang from the trees – holiday cheer from Plant Talk.

Apple candle holders – BHG.

Dried apples – ambience with tea lights.

What clever ways will you be decorating with apples this holiday season?

There are so many ways to enjoy having guests into your home, and today I want to show you how simple a Christmas buffet can be. For very little work involved, if you start early by planning ahead and getting all of your dishes out, you’ll be one happy hostess!

Basically you can set up work stations around your house. I’ve used the side-table, the piano top for desserts, the desk area for drinks … use your imagination!

And the beauty is, you can do it ahead of time, complete with plates, flatware, glasses, linens, even drinks.

I set this buffet up 2 days before my event, so it would be ready to go!

-Plan ahead
-Pull out your serving platters and dishes
-Think about color schemes
-Think about napkins, candles, how to make it look nice
-Keep it simple
-Once it’s set up, it’s done. You can check it off your list!

What works perfectly for serving buffet-style is that guests can easily go back for seconds.

Yeah! We all love seconds, and thirds! (I do!)

You also get to mingle and enjoy the people around you, and sit by the people you want to sit with.

Many times buffet-style dinner means that there is no set table, and you sit around the living room, dining room, family room, even on the floor or on the stairs.

When the guests arrive–and hopefully they are bringing some dishes to share–you put it all together, relax, and enjoy your company!

Mm-m-m, so what about …

How do you commence a meal that’s random buffet?

Do people sit wherever they want?

Does someone yell when it’s time to eat?

Do you call everyone to pray first?

Do you explain the “rules” to people, so they know where they can be and not be in your house with their food?

Would you answer one of the above questions and share what you’ve learned when serving buffet-style meals?

Earlier this week I shared this yummy Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake recipe, but I didn’t tell you how I decorated the cake!

I love this quote that I recently read:

“Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.”

My Mother taught my sisters and me about hospitality from day one. She lived and breathed it.

We were raised to know in our hearts what we were meant to do.

At Christmas I do get a bit nostalgic, I must say, because we tend to think of our family–past and present–at Christmas.

I came across this Wilton stencil of a tree that my Mother gave me years ago (years ago!) It probably cost her 25 cents to buy it. For 20 years of my marriage I’ve used it off and on during the holidays.

It’s such an elegant yet simple way to decorate a cake.

And it’s what I used to decorate my Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake with.

Do you have anything, such as Christmas cookie cutters or stencils, that’s been passed down from your Mother or Grandmother?

We’d love to hear your story!

(Photos by my daughter Abigail Ellen Rose.)

If you want to drum up nostalgia, it’s not too late to take a family member’s signature and stencil it onto a plate. You can read about it, HERE.

As I was doing a radio interview earlier this week, I was thinking about my own advice to the listeners. How do we cut costs during hard economic times, yet still entertain and invite others into our homes? It’s tricky, but there are some simple strategies to keep in mind. I promise that if you choose even 3 of my suggestions, and incorporate them into your entertaining during the holidays, you’ll be guaranteed to save money.

1. Plan ahead: Get your journal out or use WorkFlowy (daily summary emails sent to you of your lists that you make on your computer – nifty!) and document the parties or dinners ahead that you will be responsible for.

2. Delegate: Plan out the menus and leave room by each entree for you to fill in a name of who will be bringing what.

3. Be prepared: Think ahead to 2-3 easy meals for unexpected guests. You’ll spend less money when you are prepared, rather than running to the store for last-minute groceries.

4. Easy options: Keep it casual–less work and less cost. Plan a buffet style meal, an appetizer “open house,” or a brunch, where your guests bring a dish.

5. Use leftovers: With a casual event, use paper products from the prior year. Don’t get sucked in to buying all-new when you already have a stash. Better yet, stay “green” and use cloth napkins.

6. Use greenery of all sorts for decoration, and skip purchased flowers from the store. Go to the Christmas tree lots forremnant pine pieces.

7. Go in together on preparations. If you want to do an elaborate dinner party, go in with another couple and share the cost and work.

8. Progressive dinner: Plan a dinner that involves 4 couples, with each responsible for just one course.

9. Put perfectionism aside: Remember the reason for the season is to celebrate and reflect with family and friends. Don’t let your cooking, the cost, dining space, how your house is decorated, or busyness steal away the JOY and memories that you’ll create if you’ll only say YES.

What one thing is standing in your way of entertaining this holiday season?

Table setting above: White wedding dishes (20 years old), paper napkins, Dollar Store goblets, fresh greenery (free), water bottles from yard sales, ornaments and pinecones. Elegant and inexpensive. Today

I’m guesting over at {In}Courage today, if you want to join me over there …

When I asked my husband what I should make for dessert for our annual Progressive Dinner the other night, he said, “Just keep it simple, Baby!”

Guys have it figured out. They’d rather make or bake something familiar, easy, and low-stress. Which, by the way, did you know that “desserts” spelled backwards says “stressed”? I think men would say, do what’s easiest and you don’t have to slave in the kitchen!

Especially during the holidays, my husband really wants low-key, since we have quite a few commitments.

I posted on my Reluctant Entertainer Facebook page, “What should I make for dessert?” and many gave excellent suggestions. (Thank you!)

But I ultimately resorted to a recipe that I’ve made for years, but one I had never served to this group.

Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake.

There are different ways that you can serve this dessert … one with whipped cream, the other with ice cream. (PS. Here’s the 4 ladies, a tradition to get our picture every year.)

Since our house was the last stop for the Progressive Dinner, I knew our bellies would be full.

I set my table, pulled out the espresso cups just in case (which we ended up not using), and baked my cake. That’s what I love about Progressive Dinners. You are only responsible for one course!

What’s your go-to dessert recipe for the holidays?

Stay tuned for step-by-step instructions on how I decorated the cake that brought back many nostalgic feelings.

(Photo credits for this post: Abigail Ellen Rose Coughlin)

Illuminate your table with holiday warmth by grouping Mason canning jars upside down, pinecones up inside, and tea lights on top.

I love the elegance of this for a dinner party.

We have several dinners coming up this month that I’m looking forward to. This idea was from a few years back, but again … use what you have to make your table festive!

Have you thought about how you’ll decorate your first “holiday” table?

Christmas … joy, peace, love, and giving.

There are so many opportunities to be kind to one another, but honestly I think the hustle of the season gets in our way.

My goal for the next 25 days is to surprise myself by giving to others, even in the simplest way.

EVERY DAY.

I’m calling it “25 Days of Small Gifts.”

Here are a few ideas:

-Buy coffee for the person behind you in line.

-Overtip the breakfast waitress.

-Write a thank you note.

-Strike up conversation with someone in the grocery store.

-Take another family a “surprise” dinner and leave it at their front door (and include the recipe!)

-Overpay your babysitter.

-Offer to help remove groceries from the cart to the car for an elderly person.

-Have your kids tape a little money to a vending machine and write a note that says, “Candy Bar on US!”

-Go to lunch with a neglected friend.

-Help a coworker scrape the frost off their windshield at the end of a long day.

-Buy lunch for the person in front of you.

-Offer to do the dishes when it’s your kid’s “dish day.”

-Give a back rub to someone in your home.

-Shovel (or blow) your neighbors’ sidewalks too.

-When playing games with your children, let them win.

-Watch It’s a Wonderful Life, together as a family or with friends.

-Slow down and prioritize a date night with your spouse.

-Encourage your kids to share musical talents with the elderly.

-Hug a person.

The list can go on and on …

Don’t you think this is a great idea to share with your family? It gets us thinking more about others, less about ourselves.

What small random act of kindness comes to mind that you can surprise someone with over the next 25 Days?

(Top photo: My daughter with her Grandpa Milt. And, HAPPY DECEMBER 1, Friends!)