Three days away

When Mick and I redesigned our house back in 2006, we put a lot of thought into the changes that would accommodate large group gatherings. Spaces were widened, traffic patterns considered, etc. We joked that the contractor probably thought we hosted massive soirees every other weekend. The fact is, we have had very few large-scale get-togethers since we added on. With busy schedules and a larger-than-normal family, it would be easy to say we just can’t find the time, but I have to admit to having some anxiety and self-doubt about my hosting skills. (I’d like to blame genetics, but then there’s Exhibit A: Mom and Exhibit B: Kelly proving that there is some exceptional hostess blood that runs in my family.) I fret about the weather, about having enough food, making sure no one feels left out, having enough seating, hoping no one notices whatever doesn’t get dusted, whether the kids are entertained, etc.

In spite of that, when we started planning Rachel’s Graduation Open House, there was never any doubt that we would host the party here. Parks are nice with their playgrounds and wide open spaces; churches and other rental places offer the convenience of preparations without having the stress of needing to get (and keep!) your house cleaned. But this is exactly the type of thing we had in mind when we added on – a big celebration in the comfort of our home.

So now here we are, three days away, and we’ve been working like crazy to get things cleaned up and ready. And then there are the extras that always seem to be thrown in at the last minute of a big event. Rachel and Trent had doctor appointments scheduled this week (on two different days), Claire has been going to Princess Camp every morning from 10-12. Courtney, Erica and Sarah have been helpers and Miss Hume asked me to take pictures and, well, how can you say no to Princess Camp? The girls are just darling and it’s been challenging but fun to get some decent pictures. One of the little princesses referred to me as “The Picture Girl” today.

We also celebrated Claire’s 9th birthday this week, with our usual special birthday meal with Grandma and Grandpa. Thankfully, the birthday girl ordered fish sticks. Can do!  In all the other craziness of this week, did our girl feel rushed or slighted during her birthday celebrations? I’ll let this picture answer that:

Mick took 3 days off to help get things ready. He put the last stone in on the stone path this afternoon. He’s been working on it almost non-stop for days, taking several forced breaks for rain, sleep and to run up to Menards to get more bags of concrete. Of course, he got down to the last stone and, you guessed it, one bag short! So, one more trip to Menards.

Hopefully it’ll all pull together somehow and we’ll give our 2015 graduate a special day to cap off her years of study in our little homeschool.

Yes, Rachel volunteered at Princess Camp, too.

 

P.S. For those of you who follow me on Pinterest, pay no attention to my “Graduation Open House” board that I’ve been pinning fabulously creative ideas to for the past few months. It’s just not gonna happen.  :-D

Happy New Year 2015!

One of my school friends and her husband traveled to New York City a few days ago to take part in the famous New Year’s Eve countdown in Times Square. She posted a short video of the countdown and the midnight celebrating, complete with Frank Sinatra crooning “New York, New York” in the background. It gave me a pretty amazing eye-level feel for what it must’ve been like to be there at that moment. She and her husband were having the time of their lives, singing along with everybody else. It was fun to watch!

Lots of crazies in NYC.  Lots of crazies here, too.

(Trivia: One of the balloons popped right before the camera went off for this picture.  :-D )

Things were a little different at the Worley homestead at midnight. Lights dimmed, fire in the fireplace, Christmas tree still up and on (we always leave it up past New Year’s Day), glo-sticks being held and worn, about 40-50  balloons scattered on the kitchen and dining room floor. Yes, very different from my friend’s celebration – but pretty much perfect. Sure, there was a teenager with strep throat, but other than that – perfect. ;-)

We spent much of the afternoon working on the food: Breaded Chicken Fingers, meatballs in barbecue sauce, Twice-Baked Potatoes, my friend Brit’s Mexican Cheese Dip, fruit plate and homemade brownies. I also roasted 2 chickens (and Mick de-boned them) for the White Chicken Chili we planned to have on New Year’s Day. The girls helped with the food and dish-washing, while Erica and Sarah put together a photo album of pictures from 2014. I don’t know why this is, but it’s so nice to be able to hold and look through an actual photo album, rather than just digital images on a screen. It just seems more relaxing.

Late in the afternoon, Sarah blew up nearly all the balloons for the balloon drop by herself. I don’t know how she did it without hyperventilating! She said she felt a “little dizzy” toward the end. HA! Meanwhile, after a phone call to the doctor’s office, Mick had to make a quick run to get some antibiotics for poor Rachel; she spent most of the evening on the couch. :-(

Us looking sad because Rachel was sick.  I love Claire’s pose! 

After we ate dinner, interrupted by toast after toast (I think someone toasted to “toasts” :-D ), we played “Big Boggle” (25 letters instead of 16), the dice game and charades. Always fun to play charades with kids; the ever-helpful Trent told us what he was going to be before he acted it out. Ha!

The countdown, as always, ended up with lots of rushing around at the last minute, trying to get the glo-gear unwrapped and assembled. Some of those things were pretty complicated!! So, we ended up counting down about 10 minutes after we intended to. HA! Oh well – the balloons still dropped and everybody was happy. :-)

 

Happy New Year to all!

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