Thanksgiving was quiet and peaceful. It was just the five of us and a neighbor who's family has gone to Canada to care for his mother-in-law while she is very ill. We enjoyed lots of pie and gab and a movie or two. The rest of the weekend included lots of downtime with just the five of us, a little black Friday afternoon shopping and lots of leftovers!
We started December off with a bang... a small and quiet one, but a bang just the same. I had decided last summer, before being called to serve as Relief Society President, that I wanted to get to know the widows in the ward a bit better. That was one of my favorite things ever in our old home and ward, getting to know the senior singles. So, I hosted a dinner for a dozen widows. I did this not as Relief Society President. It was from Doug and Sophia and Zeej. We had a such a fun evening. It's interesting. This neighborhood, in it's day, was filled with doctors and lawyers, and many of them are still members of the Country Club. I have to say that I was a little intimidated on the day of this dinner because I thought that these women really know how to entertain and have done so for fifty years!
That night, if it could go wrong, it did, with my meal. At the last minute, I realized that I had forgotten to take out two pieces of chicken and prepare them gluten-free for the ladies, so I sent Doug to the store for a rotisserie chicken. I forgot the salt in my rolls, which I've made without a recipe for 40 years. At 6:25, the chicken cordon bleu was still raw in the middle and the potatoes were not baked yet. I was horrified! They arrived on time at 6:30 and we visited until 7, when everything was baked and ready. Doug and Zeej served the meal in our beautifully tablescaped and decorated den. Cute friend, Diane, blessed the food and said, "Please bless it that it will be "okay". We all had a good laugh. I told them that we would order pizza if it wasn't! This was so not my norm for entertaining! I'm usually great at it! I think that I overthought things! They were gracious and kind and we had the best evening! In the end, the food was wonderful, albeit a bit later than expected, but it gave us extra time in the front room to enjoy each other's company.
These women were delightful! I do mean delightful! Our tabletalk was filled with stories of their childhood Christmases. Some were raised on farms and dirt poor. Other's were raised with luxuries in life. Several were doctors' wives and we discussed their husbands, who have all passed away but they are still well remembered in the valley. One had delivered the children of several women in the room and was known for his fun ties and matching socks. The stories they told! I learned about chocolates that I've never heard of, traditions that were most unique and we just laughed a lot!
The highlight for me, was hearing them speak of Reed and Betty, who'd built this home sixty years ago, and for whom, many had sat in this very room and played cards with them, at this very table for decades. I received thank you cards with several comments that said, "I could just feel Reed and Betty's joy at seeing the home that they loved so much filled with such love and beauty." That meant the world to me! I have loved loving this home and every time that someone tells me they would have been so tickled to see their home being cared for and loved so much, I just want to love and care for it even more! Have I mentioned that we love this home!?
ANYWAY, that was our December kick-off! A lovely, quiet, fun holiday party with some absolutely wonderful women who make me laugh everytime we are together! This was something that we wanted to do to kick off our "Light the World" experience and it was probably the highlight of my month! Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!
Loving all these posts! Your decor is beautiful.
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