Matt and I hosted my household for Thanksgiving once more this yr. It was great, and we had such a very good day. For the second yr in a row, we opted to have a Thanksgiving brunch as an alternative of the usual turkey and dressing dinner. Fairly actually, all of us a lot favor breakfast and brunch meals to turkey and dressing, so it really works out completely. This tater tot casserole has change into a favourite for us, and this yr I made these canned cinnamon rolls with a twist that had been completely wonderful! However sufficient about meals. This isn’t a meals weblog. ?
I’ve come to utterly LOVE internet hosting folks in our residence. I’ve by no means been one who is of course gifted within the space of hospitality. In actual fact, after we first began internet hosting our Wednesday night time church group, I discovered myself in these first couple of weeks feeling a bit uptight and anxious as folks truly sat on my new velvet couch. ? Add a number of plates of meals in our front room to that equation, and I used to be initially feeling like I had made a mistake in opening up our residence for use for these gatherings.
Nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for me to recover from that. I in a short time (after about two weeks) realized that the enjoyment of our residence truly getting used and loved by others far outweighed any potential negatives like meals being dropped on the couch. Sofas will be cleaned, however even when I needed to stay with a meals stained couch, relationships with different individuals are a lot extra necessary than issues. And I like that our house is getting used to construct these relationships and create enjoyable reminiscences.
I actually attempt to preserve that mindset of gratitude for what now we have, and thankfulness that Matt and I can use it for functions past simply the 2 of us. I actually hope to do extra of that in lots of extra methods sooner or later. Whereas hospitality isn’t my pure gifting, I’ve come to actually take pleasure in studying the best way to be extra hospitable, and the best way to be a very good hostess. I’ve received a protracted technique to go, I’m positive. However I like that it will get me out of my consolation zone and stretches me in areas the place I should be challenged and develop.
However talking of difficult me… ? . I’ve to confess that I’ve grown a bit bored with having to do that…
Since Matt and I don’t have a eating room for the time being, I pushed the entire furnishings again in the lounge and put a folding desk (with a tablecloth) and chairs in the course of the room so we may eat. As soon as we had been completed consuming, we moved the desk to the aspect by the home windows and used it to place out our finger meals that we snacked on for the remainder of the day. (After which it received piled with containers from deliveries on Friday.) Then I introduced within the two recliners from the sitting room…
…after which I introduced the TV from our residence fitness center into the lounge and set it up on the mantel.
So my fairly little front room that usually seems to be all put collectively like this…
…turns into this after we host Thanksgiving.
And whereas it seems to be fairly a bit completely different after we host our Wednesday night group (since we don’t want a TV for that), we do have to maneuver furnishings round to make room. The couch will get pushed again in opposition to the credenza, identical to you see within the images above. Matt’s recliner will get introduced in. The 2 purple chairs get pushed again. The aspect desk with the lamp by the couch will get moved out of the room. After which further chairs (stacking chairs) are introduced in.
All of that to say that I attempt to preserve my angle of thankfulness for what now we have. I wish to be content material with the place we’re proper now, as a result of at any second, one thing may occur to utterly derail our plans for including on to our home. And if that had been to occur, I don’t wish to be devastated. I don’t wish to put a lot hope into issues that I’d let my pleasure of internet hosting and being with folks be stolen as a result of I’ve to go on indefinitely being a little bit bit inconvenienced every time we host folks in our residence.
On the similar time, I discover myself eager for that addition that may permit us to have a everlasting eating room, a a lot bigger front room, far more room for extra folks, and a a lot bigger bed room (with very secure and handy egress in case of emergency) for us.
It’s difficult dwelling on this in between area — the area between gratitude for what now we have and eager for extra and higher. And typically I really feel responsible after I discover myself eager for extra and higher after we’ve been so blessed and have been given a lot as is.
So the place are we on the addition? Ready. We’re nonetheless ready. After I met with the architect a few months in the past, I knew I’d should get on the finish of the road identical to everybody else, and it might be a little bit of a wait. I feel he’s lastly engaged on our plans, so it may nonetheless be a few weeks earlier than they’re completed. So…we wait.
After which after that? We’ll most likely should get on the finish of extra strains and do an entire lot extra ready. And that brings me proper again to gratitude and contentment…and persistence. I’m attempting! I actually am. ? However some days are tougher than others in that space. Within the meantime, I’ll proceed to seek out pleasure in internet hosting folks in our residence, sharing our residence with others, seeing folks sit on our couch with plates stuffed with meals, and pushing furnishings round as wanted to make room for folks.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You’ll be able to study extra about me right here.
