Warm Connections {Day 25}: Find Your Own Way of Homemaking & Not a DYI Diva Giveaway!
My friend, Melissa, from The Inspired Room, just wrote her first eBook and I could’t be more proud of her accomplishment. It’s long past due and today 3 people get the chance to WIN a copy!
Melissa’s simple approach to authentic living is inspiring and catching! Through her new ebook creation, Not a DYI Diva, she encourages us to find our own way of homemaking, by not letting perfectionism get in the way.
She shows, in a beautiful way, that hospitality matters and starts with us–in our homes, in the ways we show people we care, and in our attitudes toward others in our everyday lives.
I love this! I hope everyone buys her book because it’s fantastic!
Yes, warm connections start in the home. And with or without a family, I love the thought of helping teach the next generation the importance of living an authentic life.
Today Melissa and I are giving away 3 copies of her new book!
If you can’t wait to see if you’re one of the winners, head over to The Inspired Room to purchase your copy for $3.99 and check out Melissa’s comment contest going on.
COMMENT:
In what ways do you struggle with perfectionism when it comes to being hospitable in your own home? Or, do you feel that your attitude has anything to do with being a hospitable person?TWEET:
Tweet this giveaway today (1 entry)FACEBOOK:
Become a new friend of The Inspired Room on Facebook (1 entry)
Become a new friend of Reluctant Entertainer on Facebook (1 entry)(contest ends Wednesday at midnight, 10/26/11)
Keep up with all the 31 Days of Warm Connections, HERE.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I liked Inspired Room on fb.
(I already “love” RE.)
I don’t know what “to do” with people after they come over. I loved reading everyone’s answers, too.
Sandy, love it that you are so supportive of your bloggy friends.
I do sometimes refrain from inviting people over if my house is less than tidy… and I’m not willing to do the work. Or if there aren’t the supplies (or time) to make a gourmet meal. It’s too bad, really.
I struggle with wanting everything to look perfect before being hospitable. I LOVE last week’s post about a messy house being a gift to your friends!
I definitely allow the state of my home and the fact that it is small stand in the way of entertaining. I’m great when we have out-of-town friends or family come to stay and then I get the whole house ready and leave mints on the pillows (of the bed of our over-crowded-but-cleaned-up office/guest room), but I tend not to jump on occasions for just inviting friends over for a meal, etc. That’s what I love about this topic, hoping to get myself more keen on just having friends over for the fun of it, no matter what the state of my house is!
Depending on who is coming, I sometimes feel pressure to have the entire house cleaned because so and so wants a tour…and so I have to actually find a place for the stuff I throw in the catch-all room! I’ve learned to prep my husband to not offer to give tours, and I’m learning from my friend Marci that it’s ok to let them see it all, too, just as is (but I’m learning that last lesson on a 10 year plan or something!).
I am always so worried about having people to my house. I worry that they will think the house is too dirty or the furniture is ugly. It’s so bad that I have stopped inviting people over. But I’m working on it now.
I let the fact that my house isn’t clean (to my standards) keep me from entertaining.
Once we decide to throw a party I make all of us miserable for about 2 weeks trying to get ready and then I’m too tired to enjoy the party. :(
I tend to obsess about the main living areas being clean and the bathroom being clean. Hosting a weekly bible study has helped me with both. Now straightening up, having the dishes in the dishwasher, and running a clorox wipe over the bathroom is enough for me most days.
I love to have my friends and their families in my home, but when they bring their babies and toddlers, I just see stress written allover their faces. I try to assure them that nothing in my home is priceless (if broken), but it doesn’t seem to do the trick.
My husband is the social butterfly and I’m more the reluctant entertainer. We are newlyweds, so the more often we host together, I’m getting more comfortable with it. But I still get the panicked, deer in the headlights look when he says on a Monday, let’s have some friends over on Friday night for dinner. I start to think, “but I need to plan a menu, shop, make centerpieces!”. When the reality is, whatever it is that we already have planned for dinner for that night is perfectly fine. It’s not about the perfect menu, but about opening our home to our friends and having a nice evening of good conversation.
Now that we don’t have kids at home I struggle with my house. “I think” that people assume because you don’t have children at home your house should be immaculate and dust free. The Holy Spirit and I are working through this one. Some days are good and others not so much. “He’s still workin’ on me…..” Be Blessed!
Wow, I really struggle with letting go of perfectionism. We moved into a new house in January. I was looking forward to having a newer bigger house so I would be able to entertain friends. Now it is almost November, and I still haven’t had any friends over. I am almost ready mentally, but not there yet.
I liked Inspired room on FB
I have learned to have a relaxed attitude when guests come over. My stressor is when we host guest speakers from our church and I wonder what they’ll think, or expect…
I think I struggle with food when I entertain. I think it is not as tasting as it could be. But, they do come back to visit.
I like The Inspired Room on FB.
I like RE on FB.
I tend to be a bit uptight when guests are coming over. I have been learning to have a more relaxed attitude. Things don’t have to be perfect.
Ooooh, I want the book! totes need it.
Sandy, this is so true! Such a life lesson to “be yourself” in every area of your life! I can’t wait to read Melissa’s book!
It’s difficult to be both hostess and coat taker/head cook and bottle washer/drink getter when you are single. While I don’t really like the idea of making my guests “work”, I’m learning to assign roles to willing guests. Not perfect, but it gets things done and in some ways, helps the guestst to feel at home.
I find that for me, I’m the holdup in entertaining. We do it quite a bit, and it’s always worth it. My hesitation is the fact that I am more of an introvert and to be “on” and hosting is exhausting. Again, it’s so good for me to have others over and so well worth it, but I crash afterwards. : )
I often struggle with having people in my home even though it’s not quite “complete” yet. One of the first things you see when you walk in our front door is our entire collection of books laying on the formal living room/study floor as we are finally getting ready to paint and permanently furnish the space. But last week I had my Bible study girls over for dinner and we enjoyed an evening of eating, chatting, and laughing together. It was great! And no one seemed to mind the books on the floor.
I love Melissa’s down-to-earth attitude! I struggle with wanting my food offerings to be perfect, the best they ever ate…not possible, at least, not consistently. I like your reminders to take the focus off ourselves. It isn’t about us!