Dinner with Friends

Yesterday.

Yesterday was a combination of fun, frustration, and realization. I had planned to have a dinner party. 8 people had RSVP'd and two had said that they didn't know if they would be able to make it, but might stop by. So, brilliant me, I spent Friday night installing a ceiling fan, and did none of the cooking or the cleaning. I also had agreed to watch my student's baby boy while he and another student raked my yard. Now, mind you, I'm used to watching Jane's son, who is very low maintenance 95% of the time. I'm also used to my Nephew who, while not low maintenance, is at an age where he can be entertained by the task you are working on. So, while I had anticipated not being able to get very much done, I had not counted on not being able to get anything done at all.

I think the problem lies in the "child of teenage parents" arena. He can't fall asleep unless someone's holding him, and he wants to be held almost 24/7. If you set him down in his playpen--screaming. If you set him on the floor--screaming. I'm not talking baby crying that's a little hard to take because they sound so heartbroken. I mean are-the-police-going-to-stop-by-any-minute-to-see-if-I'm-abusing-him screaming. So, I literally got nothing done, and my arms hurt from holding him for 3 hours straight.

Then I fed the boys. After they were done eating, I thought they'd leave. Noooooo. They sat in my house and chit chatted like they were Mabel and Petunia down at the local feed store. I thought they were never going to leave. So, by two o'clock, I still had to vacuum, clean the bathroom, wash and dry the tablecloth, and do all of the cooking. I was stressed.

I'll tell you, I was beating myself up in my head. Why did I even decide to host this stupid dinner party? Why didn't I just tell the boys to rake next week when he didn't have his baby? Why didn't I do more before they came to rake? Friday?

Thank goodness for Jennifer. She really was a lifesaver. She came in and started doing the time-consuming task of chopping. Now, I didn't get done on time, and my kitchen looked like a miniature tornado had hit it, but we had dinner by 7 pm, and they had been sitting and eating appetizers and drinking wine for the hour that I worked on the pork chops and finishing the salad.

Here was the menu:
relish tray with hummus and cilantro dip
apple and goat cheese bruschetta on french bread (get the recipe from me...you'll love it)
12-hour salad
Maple and mustard glazed pork chops (oh my god, yum)
prosciutto wrapped asparagus with mock hollandaise sauce
Jane's trifle with home-picked blackberries

Even though there were only 6 of us, it was so much fun. First of all, everyone loved my food. If you don't know this about me already, I love to cook for people, and there are very few things that make me feel better than watching someone enjoy a meal I've cooked. They also loved my house and the planting I had done. Betty and Jennifer found out that Jennifer's brother was one of Betty's college students, and one of her favorites. Small world, huh? Everyone was joking and having a blast, and nobody wanted to go home when they decided they had to.

Now, it's Sunday morning, and Flylady is beckoning me to do my dishes. I just couldn't last night. Not even my stove top got cleaned last night, and I never leave that dirty. I woke up aching from the top of my head down to my heels. I'm just going to have to do the dishes 15 minutes at a time.

I shoule have more weekends like this. Well, almost like this.