Keep it Simple with Guest Mandy Ballard
Hi gang! Don’t forget to post on yesterday’s piece if you have a decoration idea to share. So many fabulous ones have already come in!
Today, we have a wonderful guest showing us some ways to keep it simple. Welcome my new friend Mandy Ballard:
Mandy is a follower of Jesus, the wife of one very wonderful man, and
the homeschooling mama of four little ones eight years old and under.
In her “spare” time she loves to shop at thrift stores, teach
kickboxing and weight lifting classes, bake sweets, have friends over
for dinner, and work on all sorts of DIY projects around her 116-year-
old home.
You can find Mandy writing each week about faith, family,
fitness, food, fashion, and more at her blog, Biblical Homemaking.
Imagine inviting your friends over for dinner 30 minutes from now, or
even 2 hours from now.
Would you be breaking into a cold sweat? (I know there are times I
have!)
Hospitality should be natural and easy, right? These days, our must-
have-it-all-together culture has made entertaining much more difficult
than it should be.
What if I told you having people over could actually be simple?
I am, and it really can.
Being prepared for hospitality will make those spur-of-the-moment
invitations possible. Here are three ways to simplify your
hospitality:
1. Try to keep a clutter-free home.
Easier said than done right? I know! I have four small children under
8 years old. Hospitality seemed far from easy or simple when we
started inviting people over for dinner as a family with several
little ones.
Here’s what I’ve learned: having less “stuff” to clean in your main
entertaining rooms will make it easy to do a quick pickup before you
leave home, and keeping the living area and the kitchen semi-
presentable most of the time can make it easy to have others over on
short notice (and don’t even worry about the bedrooms and
closets!).
And don’t be afraid to cheat on your housework a little here or there:
wiping down the counters in the kitchen and a quick run of the vacuum
will make your house seem neat, even when it isn’t! And don’t worry
about the dishes in the sink- we’ve all seen them before, right? It
really doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things, and worrying just
makes hospitality less fun.
2. Serve simple meals.
Our favorite last-minute meal to share with others is homemade subs:
French bread, lunch meat, shredded lettuce, cheese, and a side can be
picked up in quick stop at the store. Sandwiches are so simple, and so
filling. Maybe you like to serve spaghetti, or something else-
find your favorite easy dish to make and use it as your go-to for
simple hosting.
Serving a simple dinner can actually put your guests at ease,
too. A few years ago, I invited our new neighbors over and I
decided to bring a home a take-and-bake pizza for dinner that night
instead of cooking.
After dinner, my sweet neighbor told me she felt so relieved we had
pizza because she wasn’t a cook and she’d been worried that I was
going to make a fancy dinner! The Lord knew exactly what I needed to
serve that night.
3. Relax and enjoy your time with others.
You’ve kept cleaning and serving simple, and now it’s time to relax.
Light a candle and put on some sweet worship
music. You might find you’re starting to enjoy yourself a little more!
Make your guests comfortable by welcoming them in, and if you’re still
working in the kitchen, invite the ladies to come and chat while you
work. Not being ready is okay, really!
No one expects or even wants perfection. If your friend invited
you to her pristine home and made the most delicious dinner ever, how
would you feel? :)
When your guests arrive, try to turn off the to-do list and just enjoy
being in their company! Listen to their stories, ask them questions,
and don’t worry about how everything looks and tastes. It’s not about
you, anyway, right?
Be a light to your friends by loving and focusing on them in
your time together.
Keep it simple, allow yourself to be imperfect (we all are!), and have
fun, and chances are, you will be the perfect hostess.
Thanks Mandy!
Now, to be entered in today’s giveaway, a $15 Bath & Body Works gift card for you to buy a candle for your home, leave a comment with what you have most enjoyed about the study or the book so far.
Have you snagged a new recipe, a decorating idea, a fresh perspective on some aspect of hospitality?
Do tell…
Keep it simple! Keep it simple! Keep it simple!
I love the daily reminders that I can open my heart and home to others easily if I just keep it simple.
This study has provided me with so many new ideas on hospitality and entertaining. The hardest part is to step out in faith. The rest is easy!
I am thrilled to read that I don’t have to make a fancy meal or create an extravagant evening. I get lost and frustrated in the details and go overboard – stressing me and the family out. Hearing that it is okay to be simple, really takes some of the pressure off!
I have been reminded to “keep it simple”…it is really about the fellowship!!!
I so appreciate the reminder of “keeping it simple”. I am one who tends to try to make sure everything is picked up, all of the cleaning is done and the menu is planned and prepared just right before I would have people walk through our door (even though that is NOT how we live!) Being simple and “real” is really what people would prefer to see and experience anyway!! Thanks for the study and all of the great tips, recipes and lessons. I am loving it!
Keep it simple!
Wow, this was for me. I always try make something special, that requires TIME and special ingredients. Simple takes the focus off of me. I don’t like to be stressed before company. I’m working on the de-clutter; boy is that hard!!
Although all the ideas have been wonderful, .I really like `Making Scripture the Heart of your Home` the most!
I love hearing others ideas about hospitality. I am starting to feel like I can get back into inviting others over with all the great ideas I’ve been reading. Thanks ladies – keep’em comin’.
sub idea is great. Ive found people just want to know that you care…..not all the other stuff. so a pizza with a salad or a sub are perfect, then just love on them. The reward will go both ways.
I really enjoy the HEART motivation…. :)
So many wonderful ideas and I am truly enjoying this study. I can’t list just one idea as I have gotten several. Thank you to all you wonderful ladies and for sharing your creative thoughts!!!! Blessings to all.
I am enjoyed hearing that everything doesn’t have to be “perfect”. That is my biggest reason for not inviting people to my house. I tend to worry to much about everything not being put away or dishes in the sink, etc.
I suffer from perectionism – everything having to be perfect!!! Martha, Martha!! I like your KISS idea! Three steps to keep it simple sweetie!
I don’t really have people over at my house becuase it is always a mess. I am really enjoying all the ideas. I really want to be able to entertain friends and family.
Focus on them, not me!
I loved so many of the recipes from last Friday’s recipe exchange.
I love the idea of serving simple meals. Sometimes it is so relieving to know that other families are not perfect and sitting down to four course meals every night :)
I have found through reading the book that I really an too hard on myself and that I really do offer hospitality I just didn’t see it as that because a lot of my hospitality is to children or on the road. I try to reach out to lots of people and I’m terrible about inviting people over – we just aren’t home right now with kids schedules. But I do offer a lot on the road and that was refreshing to me!
I think what I like so far is all the ideas and things that everyone is sharing problem though how can I remember all these great ideas? I need to try to write some of these down. UGH
So many great ideas, I really need to work on getting the clutter under control (feel like I am making a little progress) and keeping it simple is something I need to practice I tend to get carried away with the meals and sometimes that doesn’t leave me much time to visit with everyone.
What I’m enjoying most is seeing that i’m not alone in a lot of my fears and concerns about entertaining. Sharing ideas with sisters is a good feeling.
I have an insecure christian friend (living in a very nice area) who was so concerned with what the value of her house would look like, when a new acquaintance was invited. Lord guard us against the evil one who would have us veer from the simple and make little of the cross and Christ. So in a roundabout way, I enjoyed the mention of simplicity.
Keeping it simple…and I will just add, keeping it focused on Christ. Hosting can be fraught with Martha like worries and worldly appearances. I know the devil is on the prowl, and keeping it simple can prevent him getting a foothold in mine and others days.
I love keeping the focus on others…I struggle with selfishness and being a servant of all, so this really resonates with me.