4th and friends

We had a nice, relaxing fourth of July after our whirlwind of a wedding weekend(complete with 3 hour nap-eek!). Our pastor's family had us over for their annual backyard barbeque and it was delicious! Thanks again for the great food and fellowship Childer's family!

I also included a picture from a recent Y pool trip with another one of our favorite families, the Brooks. We've enjoyed our fair share of the pool already to escape this hot summer, and this was an especially fun trip with the Brooks girls. Here is Evan pictured with his precious friend Emerson. We have since been to the pool a ton and it seems like Evan enjoys it more and more every time-a water whale he may be after all!

The lion king, and a couple of cute cubs

This past week my mom treated me to an amazing night out to see "The Lion King" at the new DPAC.

The costumes, colors, singing and dancing were all truly breathtaking, and I am so thankful for the experience! I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting from this Disney Broadway musical, but it did not disappoint! If you have a chance, I would highly recommend catching it before it ends-I really can't say enough good about it! My favorite part was the opening "Circle of Life" number-the animals were amazing to see coming down the aisles and successfully set the pace for a very entertaining show. I hope we'll get a chance to bring Evan to see it one day!

 

 

Speaking of my little cub, later on that week he had his first "official" playdate with his friend Cole, who is just over a month younger. It was super cute to see them play together and actually sort of "interact" versus just observing each other. I'm noticing more and more that Evan is really starting to leap out of his shell, engaging himself more with what's going on around him rather than just taking it in. They grow up so fast!

 Cute cubs learning to share. :-)

I had a great time catching up with friends and enjoying some fun fellowship-thanks for having us Kristie and Cole!

Hospitality and Family

When I think of hospitality, the idea that immediately comes to mind is that of an outward expression. Before reading this chapter on hospitality and family, my vision of hospitality could largely be filled up in inviting a friend or a close family over for dinner, meeting a neighbor’s need, hosting a holiday dinner party and so on. The authors open this chapter on family by saying “While the ministry of hospitality often focuses on those outside out home, it should begin from within our home. If this occurs, generosity and kindness toward others become an extension of our family hospitality.” They go on to say that extending hospitality to our own family should be of first priority. Here are some of my underlined family first principles to the point of treating your family "as good as guests:"

1. Prepare favorite foods.

2. Set the table-How often to I neglect to do this for my husband and I?! It’s so easy to take a paper plate to the coffee table but how much more does setting the table with a nice table cloth and some fresh flowers communicate to your husband/children that you have given thought to the meal and are joyful about serving them!

3. Check your appearance: The authors point out here how quick we are to change our cloths, do our makeup and hair before guests come over. Why not give our family the same courtesy? There is a short story in the book about a woman walking in to find her mother doing her hair and putting on her lipstick. When the daughter asked where she was going, the mother replied, “nowhere, your dad is coming home soon.” The authors concludes this point by saying that while we shouldn't’t be overly consumed with our appearance, maintaining care of our appearance out of love is appropriate.

4. Create a warm atmosphere-Dinner music anyone?

5. Turn off the tv and leave the phone to the answering machine.

6. Keep an orderly home-Our family should benefit from our daily cleaning and organizing just as guests enjoy our efforts when they visit. You probably spend time cleaning the house before the guests arrive, but what about after the leave? Managing the home is key to the hospitality of your family.

7. Include your children: Neglecting to include children in hospitality can plant seeds of bitterness towards it. For many women, it’s easy to give into the temptation of viewing children as interruptions when preparing to host and plan a meal. Reading this, I can easily see how ignoring my future children while wearing the hostess hat could make them resentful of people coming over, and even get in the way of them learning the importance of serving others! To avoid viewing kids as a frustration in the midst of your preparations, the authors offer some great points. First, allow yourself extra time for tasks, because face it, you know it’s going to take longer with little helpers! Also, be willing to set aside the “to do” list for the needs of your children, and proactively look for ways to include them in your preparations.

As a last note, modeling hospitality with your family is not only foundational in setting a good example for your children, but also provides a great opportunity to create meaningful memories and family traditions.

That concludes my latest lesson on hospitality, Bon Appetite!

Lessons in Hospitality

In my pursuit of learning the art of domestic engineering, I am really enjoying my new book on hospitality. So far, "Hospitality, the Joy of Serving Others" by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tadlock has proven a wonderful source of encouragement, inspiration, good recipes and witty anecdotes-and I'm only on chapter three! More than serving up ingredients for successful entertaining, Ennis & Tadlock paint a clear picture of biblical hospitality that extends far beyond appetizers, dinner music, and dare I say comfort!

Each chapter is sprinkled with great pointers and also provides a helpful concluding summary for study. It is my intent to pull out some of my favorites and share them here for future reference and practical application. Perhaps an "adventures in hospitality" series if you will. Here is my first lesson:

I really appreciated the author's distinction of biblical hospitality. Biblical hospitality separates itself from everyday entertaining as it is a demonstration of love. Entertainment may focus primarily on having a beautiful table decor or preparing gourmet food-having everything just right. In contrast, the food, table arrangements and other elements should be viewed simply as tools to express our love towards others.

This leads in to the next point of "hospitality without grumbling"-and don't we all need to hear that! Although easier said than done, it's so important to pursue hospitality enthusiastically and not with a complaining or grumbling spirit. The authors point out here that we should always be on guard for sins of selfishness, laziness and pride which can easily dampen the joy in serving others and practicing hospitality. This rings especially true for me as I think of how my own pride often cripples my hospitality. For example, our carpet was a hot mess before we put in our laminate floors. I was so embarrassed by how dirty they looked and was reluctant to even think about inviting someone over for fear of what they would think about the carpet and as an extension, my housekeeping skills!

This book is immensely beneficial for me because it's reminds me that hospitality is about serving others. Wait a minute-do you mean hospitality isn't about me(did I just write that out loud?). Not about the way I decorate my house, set my table or show off my budding cooking skills? This is not to say that providing a warm, welcoming environment and well set table for your guests is not important-rather that your time and energy should not be overwhelmed, nor your joyful spirit be exhausted in the details.Without a doubt, there are many more opportunities for genuine, enthusiastic and loving hospitality when your motivation is seated in the right place, for the joy of serving others.