TEN COMMANDMENTS to being HOSPITABLE
It’s 2007, an exciting year, and I am going to shareHospitality is not only a gift I have but a gift I give. Be passionate about it!
Organization and planning ahead: Know Thy Recipe! Have a plan! Makes lists! Experience the power of delegation!
Set the mood with your specific style of music, lighting or candles. When in doubt, ask your guests to bring their favorite music.
Perfectionism is a robber. Lower your expectations. Your guests do not expect perfection and neither should you.
Ignite conversation by planning ahead of time 2 or 3 specific questions and topics of conversation for your guests.
Transform your home or meal with thrifty ways and low-cost ideas. Make garage sales and thrift or dollar stores part of your errand ritual.
Apologizing for a perceived error in your meal just draws attention to you and pulls away from the enjoyment of the meal.
Be yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others, but create your own style.
Learning – always be willing to try new things. Use the Internet or library, along with your favorite cookbooks, for recipes and unique ideas. Try new recipes on your family first.
Expect life-changing impact! Those who feed people lead people.
In the upcoming weeks, I’ll explain each of these commandments and how they became important in the Coughlin household.
One final thought: People won’t always remember the meal that you cooked but they will remember the mood that was set.
Darling Sandy – how do you know so much about brand names? Duncan Phyffe I know, but I have never heard of any brand of table linens, much less Vent Du Sud! How do you know if something’s good when you see it? I would hate to end up with just more junk…
Wow, Sandy, that is beautiful! I need to have it tattooed on my so I won’t forget! I will definitely print it all out. I like it a lot! The photo is great too.
Jeepers, you’re ambitious! Let us know when you start your marriage retreats and my husband can come and do a session on Biblical financial management, and Miz Sandy can come and do a session on having a hospitable home!
I grew up on a dairy farm just off of I94 between Eau Claire and Black River Falls.
We drive back to the farm every summer… and my husband does concerts at churches all over.
I left for Phx. in 1977 with my best friend (only for a year) but ended up meeting Randy and I have been here ever since. I sure miss the four seasons!
We hope to buy an acre near the farm someday and do marriage retreats in the summers… write music and books… and grow old together! But live in Phx. in the winters… so my family back home has a place to escape from the cold!
Miz Sandy’s not only a great hostess, she’s also a very charitable guest….
We’re in southern WI. Where were you from and why did you leave???
OK, Barb, where in WI?
I am originally from WI!
We certainly had GREAT food when we came to visit you in WI! :)
Well, I’ve never purposely tried to poison the guests. 0:o) Guess I’ll hafta watch my words more than my cooking!
Linda, he has heard of “Truefaced” series? Said it sounds very intriguing.
Barb, guests don’t suffer .. unless you’re poisoning them? By apologizing it just brings more attention to what you don’t want brought to attention in the first place. AND what matters to people more than taste is the conversation. That is what they will walk away with.
They know another well-known author in AZ, dontcha Miz Sandy?
I need to hear about this not-apologizing thing. If I screw something up, I have a hard time not apologizing cuz I feel like our guests are suffering becuz of my failure! :o0
LOVED your Ten Commandments Sandy!
Hey, just curious… maybe your author husband knows or has heard of Bruce McNicol, Bill Thrall or John Lynch… they have authored some books… “Truefaced” is their most recent. There ministry is Leadership Catalyst (LCI) in Phoenix, AZ.
Just wondering…
They go to our church and are dear friends of ours.