Hello, my name is Sandy Coughlin and welcome to my blog, Reluctant Entertainer!
Pull up a chair and sit back and enjoy some daily inspiration, casual, simple savvy entertaining ideas, and ways to reach out and grow your hospitality.
I’m often asked: Why a blog and now a book on the lost art of hospitality? And my answer is this: Because a growing number of people across the world are realizing that something deep is missing in their lives. And that something is connection to others, often through the blessing of hospitality.
Hospitality can be a blessing to both the hostess and her guests, but for many women today, it simply doesn’t happen. Feelings and beliefs of inadequacy, unrealistic expectations, fear of failure, and a lack of time all conspire to steal the joy that comes from opening one’s home and sharing fellowship with others.
Here at RE, I often share my entertaining stories, little tidbits about my family, what’s growing in the garden or cooking on the stove, bargains and thrifting ideas, along with recipes and posts that encourage readers to put image and perfectionism aside in order to live a more authentic and connected life with others.
Why did I start my blog, Reluctant Entertainer?
My husband and I came up with this title for this blog years ago, before I even thought about blogging. We were puzzled about why people are so reluctant to entertain and invite people into their homes. It then took some courage to start my blog, Reluctant Entertainer, in 2006, as I started sharing my life and entertaining stories with others. I’m so glad that I did.
I’m also asked, “Why do I include my family so much in the blog and book?”
Because we are a normal family and we live in a normal home (noisy, cluttery, dusty, dishes in the sink, and incredibly active), which most people can relate to. I am married to the best husband in the world, Paul, who’s also a stellar, witty, fun and brilliant father to our 3 teenagers. Yes, 3 teenagers and 3 animals – 2 kitties (Filly & Hobbes) and 1 Cairn Terrier (Haggis McStitch), with personality with a Capital P! (For more information on my husband, author and sought-after men’s speaker Paul Coughlin, please click here.)
In our home hospitality is a group effort. It’s not just about me and it often takes all-hands-on-deck to pull us all together. And it’s around our dinner table is where we often have some of our best conversations about life and what it means for be truly hospitable to others. (Christmas 2009)
My kids … Then.
… and Now.
I’m also asked where do I get my photography?
All of my pictures and stories on RE are from real life, taken by us or people we know. My philosophy is that when I write about true-life happenings, it’s important that I capture the moment with true-life photography. In other words, if I write about a dinner party, the pictures will reflect that party. What you see is what you get. I never use stock photography and all photos on RE are taken with a Nikon D70.
Another common question is, “Why do I use a dollar store goblet as your icon?”
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.
Thank you, readers!
Thank you for joining me, for your comments, emails, and support! If I get an email from you, I will try very hard to get back with you right away, but it may take up to a week or so.
Contact me
At … [reluctantentertainer (at) yahoo (dot) com], or check out my contact page.
