Tonight is one of the first nights in a LONG time that we've done our family dinner nights with locals. It used to be a revolving door of folks.....sometimes several tables all over the house. And then, with no planning, reason or purpose, it stopped over the last 2 years.
We started a monthly menu planning on April 1st. The kids fill in the blanks so it's AMAZING how the complaining came to an abrupt halt. I said "if you come home, look at the menu and don't like it...make a can of soup or a sandwich for yourself". It THRILLING how it takes the stress off of me on my nights that I work. No surprises. I KNOW what we're making.
We decided that Sundays need to go back to Family Dinner Nights. Packed tables. It's AMAZING how it makes Mondays SO less daunting when you laugh your head off, tell stories and share food with friends.
Tonight, our 12 year old friend made a cake...with FONDANT! I am am 40 and I still have never attempted that!
While we ate, my daughter was trying to finish a scrapbook for homework. The theme was "Memorial" and it could be about whatever you wanted it to be. Some kids did the Holocaust, some kids did Japan Quake 2012...My daughter apprehensively chose Hurricane Katrina. I had her watch an episode of Treme from HBO. She is currently reading "Zeitoun"..a non-fiction account of Hurricane Katrina from a New Orleans local business owner. Her apprehension slipped away and suddenly I watched her album take a life of it's own. She said "In New Orleans, the sense of community seems HUGE".
YES! It does!
I explained that tonight, bringing friends to our dinner table is COMMUNITY. Sharing food, breaking bread, laughing, stories...THAT is what future stories are made of...what she will pass on to her kids! It might seem "lame" and "boring" now....but this is what it's all about! My favorite part of New Orleans was that anybody would start a chat-up with you....primarily about Hurricane Katrina, but about how it changed them. Never a sob story. In 5 minutes flat you were eating dinner with a "stranger".
This weekend we also started a HUGE project in our yard. My husband's poker group came over and did the work "pre-poker". It was shocking how much they got done. My jaw DROPPED.
His friends pulled ALL the grass, laid the liner, brought up about 30 wheel barrows of gravel. They were animals!
The main goal with the back yard is to make it entertainment friendly for the spring/summers. A place we can hang out all day and night. Various garden and sitting areas. And grass free--meaning it cuts 30 minutes a week off of my husband's mowing schedule during the summer. Two extra hours a month to RELAX!
I'll tell you how well that works out for us.
Estate sales. Ug. Did I do any this week? NO! And Funky Junk Sisters is looming up! I am so mad at myself. I SAW sales, but my mind was all over the place. I don't need one extra thing in my garage until I find a few more places to sell.
Next week..I WILL post exciting finds. I WILL. I refuse NOT to!
This weekend was getting back to basics and going back to the thing we used to love. Filling the house on Sunday nights!
Hi there, I have some info to email you re: the A Vintage Gathering Sales. Would you send me your email to suesvintageworks@yahoo.com
Thanks, Sue/BirdSong
Posted by: sue hagood | April 12, 2011 at 01:56 PM