Well, I'm home sick this week, but this does not stop me from trying to be productive in my silly kind of way. For example, if I study Hebrew for an hour then I will reward myself with 2 episodes of "Once Upon A Time "...plus chocolate. If I get through the laundry then I will gladly give myself a handful of chips after taking my nose spray and prescribed throat lozengers. Silly, right?! On to more news. I am very excited about our open house party on May 19th!
I have wanted to throw an open house party for sometime, but it seemed like we couldn't find a good date. Either our bathrooms were under-construction or there were exams to prepare for or we needed to attend some function. But now, all our construction is finished and we've brought home the last purchased piece of furniture! I really love our home and am thrilled to see people feel comfortable when they visit. Truly, I am blessed, as my husband is the one that bought the home before I even came into the picture. He kept everything simple until we married and now has given me much freedom to suggest and implement changes. Now, we want everyone to enjoy our home as much as we do. So, where do I start in planning such a party?????
We've decided to have a late afternoon/early evening party - 4-7pm on a Saturday afternoon (so Motzi Shabbat). I'd like to create an atmosphere of fun with a "laid-back" type of attitude. I say this because I'm such a planner that I would normally plan out every hour of any event I host.
{Sidenote: When I was a child, I always had a fear that my friends would be bored when spending the night at my house. I wanted them to have a good time and of course, I wanted them to like me. I think adults are the same way. I want people to enjoy our Open House and of course, I want people to like my husband and myself. I've since learned that I can't force or make people like me and in fact, it's not the most important things in life - whether someone likes you or not. Reality is some people like you and some do not. THAT'S OKAY. Back to our party...}
How do I fuse fun + laid-back? I think the answer lies in a buffet! Yes, maybe I can cover our table with buffet style finger foods. I'm also thinking about something that people can participate in - maybe a platter for people to sign or maybe planting seeds in a flower box...not sure. We're also thinking about hanging a new mazuzah at the front door. My dad and stepmom gave us a beautiful mazuzah in the shape of a tree, which is very fitting since our last name means "oak tree" in Hebrew. These are just a few of my ideas...we'll see what happens.
One last secret to the reason I want this party. I feel bad that we have not invited more people over for Erev Shabbat meals. We've hosted a lot of our single friends, but not as many of our married friends. I'm still learning how to mix the two groups, as it's a big goal for us. Yoni and I both feel strongly that it's important to have multi-generations involved in our lives. As my new saying goes, "We want to be Passionate for People." Community is important and I want community in my home!
I have wanted to throw an open house party for sometime, but it seemed like we couldn't find a good date. Either our bathrooms were under-construction or there were exams to prepare for or we needed to attend some function. But now, all our construction is finished and we've brought home the last purchased piece of furniture! I really love our home and am thrilled to see people feel comfortable when they visit. Truly, I am blessed, as my husband is the one that bought the home before I even came into the picture. He kept everything simple until we married and now has given me much freedom to suggest and implement changes. Now, we want everyone to enjoy our home as much as we do. So, where do I start in planning such a party?????
We've decided to have a late afternoon/early evening party - 4-7pm on a Saturday afternoon (so Motzi Shabbat). I'd like to create an atmosphere of fun with a "laid-back" type of attitude. I say this because I'm such a planner that I would normally plan out every hour of any event I host.
{Sidenote: When I was a child, I always had a fear that my friends would be bored when spending the night at my house. I wanted them to have a good time and of course, I wanted them to like me. I think adults are the same way. I want people to enjoy our Open House and of course, I want people to like my husband and myself. I've since learned that I can't force or make people like me and in fact, it's not the most important things in life - whether someone likes you or not. Reality is some people like you and some do not. THAT'S OKAY. Back to our party...}
How do I fuse fun + laid-back? I think the answer lies in a buffet! Yes, maybe I can cover our table with buffet style finger foods. I'm also thinking about something that people can participate in - maybe a platter for people to sign or maybe planting seeds in a flower box...not sure. We're also thinking about hanging a new mazuzah at the front door. My dad and stepmom gave us a beautiful mazuzah in the shape of a tree, which is very fitting since our last name means "oak tree" in Hebrew. These are just a few of my ideas...we'll see what happens.
One last secret to the reason I want this party. I feel bad that we have not invited more people over for Erev Shabbat meals. We've hosted a lot of our single friends, but not as many of our married friends. I'm still learning how to mix the two groups, as it's a big goal for us. Yoni and I both feel strongly that it's important to have multi-generations involved in our lives. As my new saying goes, "We want to be Passionate for People." Community is important and I want community in my home!
"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
"Charity begins at home, but should not end there."
~ Thomas Fuller
