Short-cut Hospitality with Guest Joy Forney (And idea swap & share)
It is Friday swap and share for our online study of A Life That Says Welcome. Before we share our decorating ideas and links, let’s hear from today’s guest, the lovely Joy Forney.
Here she is!
Hi! I’m Joy from Grace Full Mama and I’m so glad to be here today! I am the wife of a missionary pilot and mama to 5 and we live in Indonesia.
I love hospitality….in my head.
Early in the week, I am feeling full of energy and ready to invite people over for fellowship on the weekends.
And then…. the weekend comes and I wonder, What was I thinking?
The house is a mess, I am tired, and all I feel like doing is getting in my jammies with a good book. It’s in those moments of exhaustion that I need a pick me up both physically and mentally so that I can truly enjoy the company that I have invited!
Here are my quick tips to prepare for company, especially when you are feeling a bit run-down:
1. Prepare the day before. Is there anything I can do ahead of time to make it easier? Can I make cookies ahead or prep any ingredients?
2. Plan a simple yet fun dinner. One of my favorite go-to meals is BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Coleslaw, and Baked Beans. Just throw 4-5 chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bottle of BBQ sauce on low for about 5 hours {it will make your house smell great!}, shred the chicken, and serve on rolls. Simple and tasty!
3. Take a nap. Schedule a little down time before your company comes to rest a little so you have full energy to welcome other into your home.
4. Light some scented candles, turn on some soothing music, put some flowers in a vase, and turn down the lights! Ambience will help you as well as your guests relax and enjoy the evening!
5. Relax and have fun! Now your guests are here and you are ready to embrace them with love and welcome!
Great ideas. Thanks Joy!
Now, Joy has a giveaway for one of you; a $25 Target gift card to buy candles, music or a decorative item.
The winner will be chosen at random from one of you who shares a decorating tip today. Do you have a simple idea? A homemade craft? A link to a clever centerpiece or do-it-yourself project? A way to use old items for a new purpose?
Leave your idea in the comment section. Or leave a link with a clever idea you have stumbled upon on the web. (don’t leave more than one link per comment or my site will reject it)
Or, if you have a blog, use the link up below to showcase your blog post here with your decorating piece. I can’t wait to see your ideas!
Don’t forget to come back over the weekend for more encouragement.
We recently had dinner in the home of an older couple who had no children of their own. My three little ones were not sure how “fun” their evening would be, but when chocolate fondue was set out for dessert, you should have seen their faces. If kids will be in attendance, this is such a special treat and lots of fun. There are so many things to dip! It will be my go to dessert from now on…my girls are still talking about it.
I plant tulips, daffodils, carnations and lillies so that in the spring and summer I always have fresh flowers I can cut and put in a vase or lay in a basket. They”re fragrant, pretty, fresh and always bring a smile to my face and a reminder that we are Gods garden. He is always planting new seeds into our spirits and as we seek Him those seeds grow into new blossoms that bring change and growth into our lives. Just as the petals sometimes wilt, our days/lives may seem wilted but if we look to Him< for all things, we will see the blessing and the beauty of the life He has given to us.
Clean floors and clean counters. Keep things SIMPLE.
& be calm, content & yourself! :)
I love candles and and soft music when guests come over.
I print scripture passages and put them in beautiful silver frames around our living areas. I try to focus on those that speak to whatever may be going on in our lives at the time.
I have a solar fountain at my entrance. It creates a nice peaceful sound as people approach the front door. I also attract birds by feeding them outside a window where they are visible to guests. They bring a lot of joy to everyone that comes in,young and old. It is wonderful to know that God takes delight when we appreciate his creation.
I like to serve simply and tasty finger foods, have some great coffee brewing, and have the house at least de-cluttered so others (and myself!) can just relax. And attitude is everything!
No time to buy or even cut flowers from the garden? I put a small pot plant in a pretty container in the middle of the table It immediately ‘lifts’ the table. Other than that? Clean, uncluttered surfaces, a kettle of hot water and a huge smile of welcome.
I like to take an old picture frame and put cute scrapbook paper in it. Then, I write a scripture on the glass with a dry-erase marker…..that way I can change what scripture is on it. In my guest bathroom, by the sink, I have one with Numbers 6:24-26 “May the Lord bless you and keep you…” on it and I also have an encouraging scripture in front of my kitchen sink.
I think decorating walls or table tops with family photographs is a simple and economical way to decorate. These selected photos show what matters to your family, and are great conversation starters when guests arrive.
I am not real big on decorating. . . just don’t have the touch! But one thing i CAN do is light candles! I love the “comfy” feeling burning candles give!
I think clean beats decorated any day. I also appreciate simple and uncluttered. Inviting people into your everyday is the hospitality I am aiming for.
I encourage my kids to bring their friends home after school. I always have easy bake cookies or brownies warm from the oven ready. They count on it. I pretend to have lots of dishes to clean so that I can listen to all they are talking about while they are snacking. Then I pull out a plate of fresh fruit and put it on the table so they stay even longer munching from the plate. I have learned so much about things going on at school and in circles just by serving! My kids are boys in middle school.
I like to use fun tablecloths (usually plastic) for entertaining. I keep a large glass container on my table filled with seasonally colored stones and a large candle. When lighted, the candle adds atmosphere and a pleasant scent.
Joy, I LOVE the idea of using my crystal bowl, which I have on the counter anyway, and filling it with colored stones to match the season! Then i can add anything else that comes to mind for a seasonal centerpiece! Great idea!
Candles are my favorite! It’s almost the only time I use them because I have small children, and I have a huge box of them where I used to have Candlelite Parties. They are pretty and make your house smell wonderful.
Are all these fresh lemon, rosemary and vanilla or essential oils?
I absolutely love fragrant smells when I enter a home and especially a bathroom. I have the perfect scents to be used for both home and bathroom. Using just our pure fragrance and water with a small vase along with our patented mineral stone wicks you will have the best static fragrant room ever! And you can decorate it up with some twigs and flowers too! Choose your own personal favorite from our list! Just take a look at all the options on my website at http://www.iscentu.com/April Let me know what you think and which ones you like!
2 simple meal ideas where the guests do some of the work:
1. Crepes. Make a whole stack and set out whatever toppings/fillings you have: fruit, creamcheese, powdered sugar, syrup, etc.
2. Calzones. Make or buy pizza dough, set out fillings (sausage, cheese, tomato sauce, veggies) and again, let everyone create their own.
I have found that people enjoy making their own and it makes less work for me!
I’m wondering what I’m missing in order to feel like I can have others over and truly feel like they will enjoy being in my home? I’m wondering how Joy, with 5 kids, can “take a nap before company comes”? I only have 4 kids, and there is no way this can happen at my house (unless I could hire a babysitter!) Or create atmosphere by “dimming the lights or playing music”? It just doesn’t seem very realistic for a mom with young kids. “Relax and enjoy”–it’s all I can do to get a healthy meal on the table each night for my own kids (my hubby is away a lot for his job). I’m not trying to be sarcastic, I just feel like this is an impossible dream for some of us!
light a candle, I need help with decorating
We have lots of potted plants which add a nice touch and when possible we have fresh cut flowers from the garden or wildflowers in vases. I also like to simmer spices and orange or apples on the stove for a homey scent.
Living at the Beach hospitality….
For guest baths, I use large spiral (conch like) seashells and put scented soaps and roll small hand towels with cute ribbons in them…
Also I fill large clear fish bowls with different size seashells and starfish with a little of real beach sand scattered in!
I just love having a clear large hurricane glass for the center of the table that I can easily change out for seasons and holidays. Like for Easter I use jelly beans and a spring candle in the middle. It adds so much to the decor and is inexpensive and easy to do.
This time of the year my yard is blooming with different kinds of flowers. I cut a bunch and put them in some iced water in my vase (it seems to keep the flowers fresher longer). I use the vase with flowers as a centerpiece, and also light a fresh smelling candle on the counter (right now I have cucumber and lemon scented candle).
I keep floral foam, small rocks or stones, and glass beads like you buy at Hobby Lobby in the closet. Then, on my visits to the dollar store I pick up different silk flowers or plants that appeal to me. Then at the beginning of each new season, I get everything out at start arranging. I also have several different size wire cutters. I almost never keep a flower stem of mixed flowers together. Just separate them with the wire cutters. Also, I look carefully at the proffessional arrangements in craft stores, and then try to replicate them, although sometimes only by color. I keep a few good quality green silk floral large picks as the base, and usually arrange the cheaper dollor store things around it. You can even do a Christmas arrangment from a good green silk base, like a fern or ivy. I almost never buy fresh flowers. I rely on good potpourri spray to spray into the arrangments for a nice scent. Finally, my house is always fresh looking because I take the time to redo all my silk flower arrangements because if you do have silk floral arrangments in your home, they can quickly go out of style just like your shoes or a dress.