Clean Up’s A … Watermelon

So, I just finished officially cleaning up from the party.

Saturday night’s party. (It’s Wednesday.)

I just swept up the crumbs and hand-washed the last two pieces of china. (There were kind of a lot of dishes.)

Every bit of the party had been clearly planned, delegated, and executed upon…except for the clean-up. I wasn’t billed as a hostess for this party…it was Matthew, Joanna, and Phil giving a party at my table, so I assumed they had an clean-up plan as well. Joanna and Phil kept up with things in the kitchen during the party, and Matthew did several loads of dishes on Sunday and Monday. Even the babysitter who came over Monday night sent a load through the dishwasher! (Yeah, she’s a keeper.) But there was just SO MUCH CLEAN-UP.

(The aftermath Saturday night)

Matthew noticed yesterday that there was a funny smell in the kitchen, so he took out the trash and thought that got rid of it.

Today, I decided to just jump in and finish it myself…and I found…well, here’s part of the email I sent Matthew earlier today:

Behind all the dishes, someone left half a watermelon out. It rotted and leaked mushy liquid all over the counter, under all the dishes, and last night, over the front of the cabinets and onto the floor. It turned brown and sticky as it dried. THAT was the horrible smell in the kitchen. The cats tracked it onto the window sills.

It mightn’t have been as bad if we lived somewhere hotter, somewhere with central air in every building, somewhere that the AC just runs from May through September. As a given. Here, we have window units and try to do without as much as possible, partly to control the electric bills and partly so we don’t risk blowing the circuits in this old house. So it’s September 1st, and 95 degrees, and we had the windows open. And it was hot.

And the watermelon didn’t like that.

So, that’s what I spent my afternoon doing. How was yours?

Lesson learned: next time we have an event, we’re going to clearly delineate whose job it is to finish all the cleaning. And throw out the watermelon.

Tastes of Summer Dinner Party Tonight

I’m making up the menu cards for a Tastes of Summer dinner party my husband is giving tonight with his friend Phil. I can hear the early arrivals in the kitchen doing food prep on this group-effort dinner. I’ll be live Tweeting pictures and commentary through the six courses at @miller_schloss.

Here’s the menu:

Antipasti

Build-a-Fruit-Salad with Champagne Drizzle

Ambrosia Sauce

Tropical Dip

Yogurt & Honey

Vegetable Summer Rolls with Chile-Lime Dipping Sauce

Primo

Ode to Tomatoes

1. Tomato Gazpacho Shooter

2. Caprese Salad

3. Tomato Sorbet

2009 Triennes Rosé

2009 Bastianich Rosato

Pasta

Orecchiette with Marinated Eggplant,
Burrata, and Chile

2007 Chateau Bianca Pinot Noir

2008 Selvapiana Chianti Roufina

Intermezzo

Skewered frozen red and green grapes

Secondi

Halibut in Cartoccio: Halibut Filet cooked in parchment with shallot, lemon, artichoke,
roasted tomato, and white wine

Ricotta-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

2009 St. Supéry Oak Free Chardonnay

2008 Ferraton Père et Fils Saint-Joseph

Dolci

Crème brûlée with fruit

Espresso

Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine

Poli Traminer Grappa

Dinner at the Hampson Estate / Using Serving Trays

We went to the new home of our friends the Hampsons for dinner on Saturday night. This was our first visit to their new-ish home overlooking the Jamestown and Newport bridges. They’ve finished restoring an 1899 historic inn. The ProJo featured the home as the House of the Week in 2006, which is how the Hampsons happened upon the property.

The home has a ginormous wraparound porch overlooking the bridges, and the Hampsons took advantage of the cool evening to hold dinner al fresco on the porch. Besides the beautiful views and lively company, my favorite thing about the dinner was Ann’s use of serving trays. If I had to transport various aspects of the dinner from the kitchen to the porch, I think I would have tried to juggle things in my arms and then arrange them on the tables. Ann used some lovely serving trays to compartmentalize and carry appetizers, drinks, and dessert, and to clear the table after dinner. It made everything feel organized and tidy.

She served cold soup made from their own garden veggies:

And brought out drinks and cups on a tray. Then we had a big summery dinner of grilled meats, corn on the cob, and garden salads.

We had brought dessert. (Price Rite had Ben & Jerry’s on sale for $1.99 a pint. How you can pass that up?)

So I didn’t:

Ann arranged the ice cream, spoons, cups, and toppings on a tray. They had all survived the trip from Providence to North Kingstown intact…except for the whipped cream, which had had an unfortunate incident in the car on the way over.

Noise: Pfffhhhwewwwhhh…

Matthew: What’s the noise?

Becky: I have no id…oh, frick. I stepped on the whipped cream can.

(Which reminds me…I still need to clean the floorboard of his car.)

After dinner, the Hampson’s son Josh (about to return to school in Scotland) gave us a tour of the house.

“This is our Harry Potter cupboard,” he said.

Oh, why, yes. Yes, it is. (I laughed very hard.)

There may have been lengthy and animated discussion about using their home to hold my EPIC Harry-Potter-party-I’ve-been-planning-for-two-years at their home in November…details as they develop.

And … rarely in my life has my mouth dropped open. But it did when I walked into this room:

Having just read this that morning…I climbed the ladder and sang “I’m the King of New York.”

So. Even if you don’t have spectacular views of the bay, a four-story historic home with a library, an under-stairs cubby, or an expansive veranda, you can still use Ann’s ideas for serving trays when you’re hosting dinner at your home.

Hosted By My Own Guests

A couple weekends ago, I planned a very full schedule. Friday night: arrived home from the youth camp where I’d spoken, went straight to Matthew’s company BBQ. Saturday: day in Boston with college friend Rebecca who had come from North Carolina to visit a mutual New Hampshire friend. Sunday: speak at a local church. Then crash, exhausted.

I’m sure there were gaps where more events could fit in … oh, and I found one! Saturday night: invite 9 people over for dinner, our friends the Thomases.

Knowing I would be pressed for time, I decided on a meal that would be simple to prepare. Inspired by one of the dinner at camp, I planned a Baked Potato Bar with a Brownie Bar for dessert. Matthew asked his sister for household help while I was away, so I texted Joanna a grocery list, and she picked up all the ingredients.

I baked the potatoes and brownies Saturday morning before leaving for Boston. All I would have to do when I got home was set out the condiments and toppings. And make some chili. And straighten up the house, because the kids had “unpacked” the suitcases from our trip all over the place. Okay, so I was cutting it close.

After an Italian lunch in Boston’s North End and cannoli at Modern Pastry, Rebecca decided she wanted to try a Duck Tour. I was able to order tickets from my iPhone, and we started walking the Freedom Trail toward the USS Constitution. We found out there had been a problem with our ticket order, and we would have to take a later tour to get enough seats. I knew it would REALLY push things for getting dinner ready, but I went for it rather than lose our tickets.

It definitely stressed Matthew out, but he took over valiantly. (Him: “You need to come home right now!” Me: “Um. I’m in the middle of Boston Harbor.”)

One of the Thomas boys came over early to help Matthew straighten up. By the time Rebecca and I and my kids rushed in from Boston, everyone was sitting around eating ice cream and popsicles. “Your husband serves the best appetizers!” said mom Monica Thomas.

They all jumped in to help set the table, make the chili, and set out the toppings: cheese, sour cream, bacon. (I forgot to get out the chives.) We had so much fun around the table.

After dinner, they helped clear plates and set out dessert: brownies, whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, walnuts, chocolate syrup.

When I left with Rebecca to drop her off with our friend, my amazing guests finished cleaning up before Matthew took them to Waterfire in downtown Providence. I came home to a spotless kitchen!

The whole thing was a blur, but it was a lot of fun. I felt like I was hosted in my home by my own guests. Thank you all so much…you’re welcome any time!

I’m sure you will be more organized and timely when you host guests at YOUR home, but if you ever know you’re going to be cutting it close:

• plan food that is easy to set out
• plan food that can be mostly prepared ahead of time
• don’t leave the house messy thinking you’ll have time to clean it later!
• invite gracious guests : )

Things to Avoid for a Great Party: Edition 3

Matthew thought these comics from Zach might be too offensive for the site…but I think this is an important topic to discuss. I hate to get all serious on a Humorous Wednesday post, but seriously…what is UP with some of the things people say in social settings?!?

Consider this your warning: these comics aren’t kid safe.

Let’s talk…what is the worst thing you’ve heard (or worse, SAID, if you’re brave enough to fess up) at a social gathering?

Hospitality Q & A: The Sassy Cousin

My friend Kristy Miller (no relation) asked yesterday, “I need hospitality advice before tomorrow! A very special cousin of mine is coming for one night Tuesday and maybe part of Wednesday. I’ve never hosted her, so I don’t know her likes / dislikes. She is fun, very sharp, and sassy. I really want to make her comfortable and spoil her a bit.”

My first response was to laugh – Kristy and her family hosted us last summer in an emergency and made us very comfortable. I should be getting hospitality advice from her! My family went to Charlotte, NC, for a convention, and we arranged last minute to visit Kristy and her husband, Nate, briefly before heading to Ashville to stay with other friends, the Linikers. Our car broke down and had to be repaired before we could leave Charlotte, so we ended up staying with the Millers for a couple days. They gave us their own bedroom and Kristy slept on their futon while 7 months pregnant! They fed us delicious barbecue and other amazing food, connected us with their mechanic, let us do laundry, and made some important professional connections happen for us. I told Kristy she would have no problem making her cousin feel right at home.

Kristy had decided to put her cousin in the girls’ room because there is a double bed, and the room is right next to a bathroom. Great idea – proximity to a bathroom is a nice thing for guests.

Here were my suggestions to her:

• Cook food that is regional – visitors to North Carolina often want to enjoy NC’s famous barbecue,
• Be aware of food allergies – if you don’t know a guest’s allergies or preferences, avoid common allergens like peanuts and shellfish,
• Make up a gift basket to welcome your guest – local food or gift items make great gifts. Burt’s Bees products are made in NC, and the Linikers gave us Burt’s Bees products and local goodies when we visited them in Ashville.
• Guests sometimes feel awkward asking if they can raid your kitchen. Stocking their room with a few snacks lets them eat if they get hungry.
• Put a clean towel on the pre-made bed so your guest knows which towel to use in the bathroom. Kristy said she had bought a special new towel for her cousin.
• Give your guests downtime when they arrive. Often traveling leaves people tired and feeling rumpled. They might want to rest or freshen up.
• Have a list of possible interesting things to go and see, depending on what your guest feels up for.
• Create lots of casual time for conversation. Especially on a short visit, don’t run around so much that you fail to really connect with your guest.

Kristy said she makes a great banana pudding, which is a Southern specialty. And she said she likes to bake as guests arrive so the house smells welcoming. So we talked about how she could have dessert and coffee ready when her cousin arrives so they could sit down, relax, and catch up.

What suggestion do you have for Kristy?

Things to Avoid for a Great Party: Edition 2

More hospitality funnies from my brother Zach.

How to Host Radio Show Callers

So, I called in to a radio show for the first time tonight. It was a live podcast called Stubborn Facts Radio, and I found out a half hour before it was on that Jon Acuff of Stuff Christians Like was going to be interviewed tonight. I am a huge fan of Jon and SCL, so I called in. You can listen to the recording of the show here.

I felt a little awkward doing it because I’ve never called in to something like that before. I wasn’t sure how I would know when it was my turn to ask a question or how all that worked. As an introvert, I kind of hate the phone anyway, and knowing it was going to be broadcast live was intimidating. I didn’t know how I would be able to hear the show while I was waiting and if I would have to mute my computer once I got on so there wouldn’t be a delayed echo.

(I think I overthink way too much.)

But as soon as I called, the recording said to press 1 if I wanted to get in the queue to talk to the host. Easy! Then it immediately put the show on the phone line so I could hear what was going on.

The host noticed callers in the queue but wanted to ask his questions first, so he asked the callers to hold on, which was nice. The queue showed the area code, so when they put caller “area code 401″ on, I got to talk.

The show hosts and Jon were all very gracious and hosted the conversation well. Hosting a call-in show takes a lot of skill at conversational ping-pong. It’s like:

-identify caller
-welcome caller
-caller says hello to host or guest
-host/guest greet caller
-small talk
-host knows the right moment to ask the caller for his/her question
-caller asks question
-host/guest answers
-follow up back and forth for clarification if needed
-host lets caller know when to hang up

If any of those things does not happen, it gets awkward very quickly.

The show invited Jon on after they read his CNN article about Christians being jerks online. They wanted to talk to him about politics and Christianity. I got to ask about pro-life stuff. And unicorns.

Jon is very kind…he mentioned how I wrangled 19 children to Holden, MA, to hear him speak last month and then plugged my blog on the show! That is so gracious. I want to be all about promoting other people as much as Jon does.

Thanks to the hosts of Stubborn Facts and to Jon Acuff for doing a great job hosting the podcast. Again, you can listen to tonight’s show here.

How to Host a Guest Speaker

I am honored to be one of the speakers at a teen camp in Wisconsin this week. This is the first time I’ve been flown somewhere to speak, so I’m still not sure what to do with this!

At the end of June, I spoke at a national teen convention in Pennsylvania, where I connected with my friend Joleigh. One of her camp speakers dropped out at the last minute, so she asked me to fill in. In just two weeks, she pulled together my travel plans and I pulled together my presentations (well, sort of – I got mostly ready before traveling out here, but I am currently up at 2:30 am finishing my PowerPoint for a session tomorrow).

I have felt so much hospitality from the whole camp team this week. They’ve done an amazing job of making me and my kids feel welcomed. If you are planning an event that involves speakers traveling in, here are some great hospitality lessons you can learn from Joleigh and her team.

1. Issue the invitation

Give as much detail as you can up front so the speaker can decide if the event fits in with her schedule and priorities. For example, “We would love to have you speak at our camp. It’s July 11-16. We could fly you in and cover all your costs during the week. Your children would be welcome to come with you. My camp team will be happy to help take care of them.”

I had to clear the timing with my boss and check the family calendar with my husband before I could commit, so I took a few days to decide. Joleigh followed up just enough to remind me to make the decision in time for flights to be purchased, but not so much that it was annoying.

2. Make travel arrangements

I’ve never had someone schedule my travel for me before. It was amazing. She checked flights from my airport to hers and offered me several flight times to choose from and made sure I would return home on Friday in time for a commitment that night. I HATE searching for flights. This made the process so easy. She also arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport and drive me to the camp. It was a relief to not have to worry about any of the transportation details.

3. Plan for their preferences

Joleigh thought of all kinds of details that made me feel welcomed. Particularly, she remembered that I like to run, so she connected me ahead of time with camp team members who are runners. I was able to check mapmyrun.com and scope out routes before I got here. I had a fantastic trail run with one of the high school camp team girls today on a woodchip trail at a local park. She also checked food preferences for me and my kids and bought special snacks for us. Thoughtfulness like that takes hospitality to the next level.

4. Take care of their kids

Knowing my two small children would be welcome with me made it easy for me to say “yes” to the invitation. Joleigh went above and beyond and arranged for one of the camp team girls to bring carseats and a pack-n-play from her house when she picked us up, so I didn’t have to travel with any of those bulky items. The camp team has been amazing to play with Joshua and Katherine so I could prepare for sessions, speak, nap, and run.

5. Get them settled in

The camp staff has been wonderful too. We had two rooms side-by-side set aside for us, which was really nice. I love co-sleeping with my babies, but once they become toddlers, we all sleep better in separate rooms. We arrived in plenty of time to allow for naps and unpacking before we had to do anything or be anywhere.

6. Give gift baskets

There is something so welcoming about a gift basket. They’re never expected but always appreciated. Joleigh had put together a gift bag for me with magazines, a mug, candy and cocoa, and other items that showed she knows me and knows what I like. Being observant of your guests and noticing little things they like and then acting on those likes shows great hospitality. She also had toy totes for K and J with age- and gender-appropriate toys and craft items. AND she had made them mini-camp-t-shirts to match the big kids!

7. Feed them well

I have relished not having to cook or wash dishes all week. We’ve eaten excellent, healthy meals and snacks, and there’s even a section of the walk-in fridge designated for the camp team with “special” foods and snacks. I got a free pass to the coffee shop all week and the kids got a free pass to the candy store.

8. Welcome them into your culture

I think this is the most important point. The camp team has shared their inside jokes with me, let me in on their late-night planning sessions, and let me join in teasing them. Joleigh says it’s important for the speakers she picks to be “campatible.” I think the reverse is also true, and camp is quite “patible” with me.

Things to Avoid for a Great Party: Edition 1

My brother Zach and his wife, Hannah, are great at hospitality. They’re also really funny. Zach and I got talking about my blog last week, and he offered to share some tips about things to avoid to make your parties awesome (complete with illustrations). He got on a roll and sent me a whole slew of fantastic party comics. I’ll be sharing these every Wednesday for the next few weeks.

First Edition of Things to Avoid for a Great Party: