I empathize so much with this. I’m never at ease hosting. The food is never quite as tasty as when I’m just cooking for the two of us, and I’m always bad at delegating and keeping a leisurely pace. As with anything, I supposed I would improve with practice!
Tell us about that gorgeous wallpaper! Love love love. We have an old house (1799) and one of my biggest regrets is that we took down the old flowered wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom. No, it wasn't original. And yes, our two then-small boys deeply disapproved of the wallpaper as it was in their bedroom. But still! It was beautiful in the way that some wallpaper gets with the patina of age. The funny thing is now one of the boys would love that wallpaper. The other one would still stage a decor revolt. Love to see this newsletter! xxJ
I just thought of something else that I should have said yesterday... 30 years from now, when you're gathered around the table with your nearest and dearest, I very much doubt that people will be reminiscing about the mythical perfect dinner parties of years past - the perfect cake or the perfectly cooked turkey, perfectly timed serving, perfect table settings, these are not the things that become burned into our memories. The 9:00 PM dinner, the paper plates, the time Fido stole the entire Thanksgiving turkey off the table and you need to whip up a batch of Mac & Cheese (maybe this hasn't happened to you YET, but...), these will become the stuff of family legends. The love, the joy, the laughter are what people will remember in the decades to come. Don't sweat the perfect hosting stuff - your guests are interested in visiting with Angie Venezia, not Nora Ephron. :)
You are very welcome. I would hesitate to refer to my comments as "wisdom," though. It's more like experience. I have a few more decades of disasters under my belt than you have. :) But I think you're correct. The great stories don't come from Martha Stewart-like perfection.
I have ADHD, so I am all too familiar with goofy mess-ups and social faux pas. It was torture in my younger years, but now I'm pretty comfortable with reality as I grow through my 60's. I don't sweat it when hosting - we only break bread with family members and good friends and they all love me despite my lack of executive function. The ADHD actually got worse when I hit menopause, but my acceptance of myself and my mistakes has improved with age. Learn to laugh at your mistakes - dinner parties are meant to celebrate friendship and kinship... nobody really cares if they have to wait until nine for dinner or if the cake is a bit on the dry side. Your guests are there because they care for you... try to learn to relax (and delegate)! There will be many more "interesting" shopping trips with your son once he approaches toddlerhood, so make sure you keep a sense of humor going. 😁
I empathize so much with this. I’m never at ease hosting. The food is never quite as tasty as when I’m just cooking for the two of us, and I’m always bad at delegating and keeping a leisurely pace. As with anything, I supposed I would improve with practice!
Tell us about that gorgeous wallpaper! Love love love. We have an old house (1799) and one of my biggest regrets is that we took down the old flowered wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom. No, it wasn't original. And yes, our two then-small boys deeply disapproved of the wallpaper as it was in their bedroom. But still! It was beautiful in the way that some wallpaper gets with the patina of age. The funny thing is now one of the boys would love that wallpaper. The other one would still stage a decor revolt. Love to see this newsletter! xxJ
JEN!!! Hi!!! I miss you. This is actually a mural in the dining room at the home of a relative. Beyond gorgeous and inspiring.
I love old wallpaper though and wish you kept it too.
Thank you for reading. <3
I just thought of something else that I should have said yesterday... 30 years from now, when you're gathered around the table with your nearest and dearest, I very much doubt that people will be reminiscing about the mythical perfect dinner parties of years past - the perfect cake or the perfectly cooked turkey, perfectly timed serving, perfect table settings, these are not the things that become burned into our memories. The 9:00 PM dinner, the paper plates, the time Fido stole the entire Thanksgiving turkey off the table and you need to whip up a batch of Mac & Cheese (maybe this hasn't happened to you YET, but...), these will become the stuff of family legends. The love, the joy, the laughter are what people will remember in the decades to come. Don't sweat the perfect hosting stuff - your guests are interested in visiting with Angie Venezia, not Nora Ephron. :)
Thanks Jeannine!! That's so true. Appreciate you sharing your wisdom. :) If things didn't go wrong there wouldn't be very many great stories.
You are very welcome. I would hesitate to refer to my comments as "wisdom," though. It's more like experience. I have a few more decades of disasters under my belt than you have. :) But I think you're correct. The great stories don't come from Martha Stewart-like perfection.
I have ADHD, so I am all too familiar with goofy mess-ups and social faux pas. It was torture in my younger years, but now I'm pretty comfortable with reality as I grow through my 60's. I don't sweat it when hosting - we only break bread with family members and good friends and they all love me despite my lack of executive function. The ADHD actually got worse when I hit menopause, but my acceptance of myself and my mistakes has improved with age. Learn to laugh at your mistakes - dinner parties are meant to celebrate friendship and kinship... nobody really cares if they have to wait until nine for dinner or if the cake is a bit on the dry side. Your guests are there because they care for you... try to learn to relax (and delegate)! There will be many more "interesting" shopping trips with your son once he approaches toddlerhood, so make sure you keep a sense of humor going. 😁