I survived!

by Jo-Lynne on October 27, 2006

And I live to tell about it. It was a blast. Really.

Despite the fact that I found myself a bit challenged in the area of, well, time management. Or I guess you could say that I had something of a Freak Out Session about two hours before guests were due to arrive, when I looked around and saw toys strewn from one end of the house to the other,

and the sink piled with dirty dishes,

and the "travel gift" yet to be wrapped,

and the ham sandwiches yet to be assembled,

and the spinach balls yet to be rolled,

and the caramel sauce yet to be made,

and the floors yet to be vacuumed,

and the tables yet to be set up for the game…

I’m sure you’re thinking, "And this was supposed to be fun?"

That was Hubby’s sarcastic response when he walked into the house 45 minutes before the guests were due to arrive and I informed him I was Losing.My.Mind.

"Oh this is just so much fun. I can see why you were looking forward to this all week," he said. All kinds of supportive, isn’t he?

Naw, really, I owe my success completely to him. He didn’t even take the time to change his clothes before he swept through the house, doing everything that needed to be done, even some things I hadn’t even thought of doing.

And somehow we did it. When the first guest arrived graciously at five past seven, giving me the benefit of a few extra moments to compose myself, everything was ready and waiting.

I was even primped and spit-shined, decked out in my favorite jeans and a sleeveless sweater. Yes, it’s October in Pennsylvania. And judging from the winter coats and scarves that my guests were sporting, I think I was a tad bit overheated from all the preparation stress.

So everyone was very complimentary of all the food I prepared and of my home. It was really nice to have a chance to entertain my neighbors, after living here for almost a year.

I took the time to snap a photo of the desert plate. I worked hard on this, copying the idea from my favorite of all my cookbooks,The Barefoot Contessa.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to get a shot of the food table with the appetizers, so you’ll just have to use your imagination for that. Suffice it to say, recipes were requested, and rave reviews were the order of the night.

Oh, yeah, and we did manage to play a couple rounds of Bunco. That was, after all, the purpose of the event, right? *wink*

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{ 7 comments }

1 Mom October 27, 2006 at 4:21 pm: Well – I am impressed! Love the dessert tray. I am sure everything was impeccable to the last detail. Only wish I could have been there!
2 4andcounting October 27, 2006 at 4:22 pm: Looks yummy. So glad you had a successful evening. I always find myself thinking I’m never going to entertain again before having guests, only to change my tune at the end of the night.
3 girlymama October 27, 2006 at 5:24 pm: wow! i’m impressed! that looks great!p.s.i am always that way before a party. remember me hanging up my drapes 20 minutes before book club? yeah.
4 sari October 28, 2006 at 12:43 pm: Congratulations! I’m glad you had a good time and it turned out well!Has anyone else had any problems with your page lately? It takes forever to load for me. I don’t know if it’s just my computer or what. I don’t seem to have that problem with any other pages, just yours.(maybe you just have too much good stuff, haha!)
5 karlanee October 28, 2006 at 10:00 pm: I know what you mean by getting overheated with preparations. I get so hot and everyone else is freezing! I love the dessert tray. Barefoot Contessa is my favorite series of books too. I just got her new one in the mail. This time, instead of buying it at a book store, I splurged and bought it directly from Ina Garten so I could have it autographed. Silly, I know. But I felt like school girl seeing my name in her handwriting.Hope you had a great time at your party and that you’ll have some time to recuperate from all your hard work!
6 dcrmom October 29, 2006 at 7:49 am: Sari – That’s too bad about my page. Is anyone else out there having that trouble????????? Karanlee – How do you do that?!?! Ina is actually going to be at my local mall next month doing book signings, but the last time she was here, I tried to go, and the line wrapped around the mall before the doors even opened. I just don’t think I like her THAT much. But to order it signed would be almost as cool.
7 The Green Family October 30, 2006 at 6:51 am: Glad everything went splendidly. The desserts looked as good as described.I am making the pumpking cheescake bars for tommorrow nights church function.Have a blessed day!