As we head into summer, we are gearing up for lots of guests at our beach house. Entertaining can be pretty stressful, and I think we all pressure ourselves to "be the hostess with the mostest".
We plan elaborate parties, with fancy decorations, and worry about whether all our guests will be impressed. During our parties, we're constantly tidying up, checking on toilet paper, putting out dry towels, and making sure there is plenty of ice.
We get so caught up in our hostess duties, we forget to just sit back enjoy the party. These moments with dear friends and family will be gone in the blink of an eye. Spending precious minutes with dear ones is more important than making sure the toilet paper gets placed on the roll, or that belongings get stowed away.
Last summer, I was reminded of this while entertaining friends from Colorado. We'd had a lovely evening -- dinner on the deck (read about our crab boil here). Sunset on the beach. Movie time with the big screen. It had been a full day. Our guests were the Amber Waves Band, so they had practiced instruments earlier that day. We played games, played with craft supplies, snuggled on the sofa, went beach combing, and all in all had the best day ever.
I was standing on the deck, in the dark, starting to tidy up a bit, when I looked through the screen at the beautiful mess my house had become. My husband found me out there, cell phone camera in hand, teary eyed, taking pictures of my messy house. He asked what was the matter, and I replied "nothing, it's such a beautiful mess".
Everywhere I looked, I saw evidence of a day well-lived. Guitar cases, games, sparklers, flashlights, and blankets. Some folks were still watching a movie on the big screen.
A couple of us sat out here and enjoyed the evening for a while. Who has time to push in a chair, when your good friend is in the kitchen waiting for you with a cup of coffee?
When I walked around the deck to go back inside, I got a little teary-eyed again by the piles of sand and hastily discarded shoes I found there.
I've been stressing a bit about the summer entertaining schedule, but you know what? I don't have to. My guests would rather spend time relaxing with me than have the "hostess with the mostest." Don't forget to enjoy your own parties this summer, and to step back and just enjoy the beautiful mess.
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We plan elaborate parties, with fancy decorations, and worry about whether all our guests will be impressed. During our parties, we're constantly tidying up, checking on toilet paper, putting out dry towels, and making sure there is plenty of ice.
We get so caught up in our hostess duties, we forget to just sit back enjoy the party. These moments with dear friends and family will be gone in the blink of an eye. Spending precious minutes with dear ones is more important than making sure the toilet paper gets placed on the roll, or that belongings get stowed away.
Last summer, I was reminded of this while entertaining friends from Colorado. We'd had a lovely evening -- dinner on the deck (read about our crab boil here). Sunset on the beach. Movie time with the big screen. It had been a full day. Our guests were the Amber Waves Band, so they had practiced instruments earlier that day. We played games, played with craft supplies, snuggled on the sofa, went beach combing, and all in all had the best day ever.
I was standing on the deck, in the dark, starting to tidy up a bit, when I looked through the screen at the beautiful mess my house had become. My husband found me out there, cell phone camera in hand, teary eyed, taking pictures of my messy house. He asked what was the matter, and I replied "nothing, it's such a beautiful mess".
Everywhere I looked, I saw evidence of a day well-lived. Guitar cases, games, sparklers, flashlights, and blankets. Some folks were still watching a movie on the big screen.
A couple of us sat out here and enjoyed the evening for a while. Who has time to push in a chair, when your good friend is in the kitchen waiting for you with a cup of coffee?
When I walked around the deck to go back inside, I got a little teary-eyed again by the piles of sand and hastily discarded shoes I found there.
I've been stressing a bit about the summer entertaining schedule, but you know what? I don't have to. My guests would rather spend time relaxing with me than have the "hostess with the mostest." Don't forget to enjoy your own parties this summer, and to step back and just enjoy the beautiful mess.
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals so you won't miss any of the great articles and projects we have planned. Like and subscribe to us on Facebook, and find us on Instagram, too!