Help anticipating party pitfalls . . .
l pinkmountain
2 years ago
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bbstx
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Do you anticipate compliments on your gardens?
Comments (22)Compliments are always nice of course. I remember the first 'real' garden I started from scratch in the first house we bought (had built) over 40 years ago. We had little money so most of the limited budget went toward the load of soil, seeds, and started plants for the backyard veggie garden. So my flower beds in the front had annuals and the naturally sandy soil was only amended slightly. However my plants flourished with daily watering so when our neighbors (who had a gorgeous garden) commented favorably I was very happy. Perhaps they were only being nice but I put a lot of work into that garden and I was proud of it. My current garden is not visible from the country road we live on so the only people to see my garden are friends, relatives, and the occasional visitor. I've had lots of compliments, which I always appreciate, but primarily garden for myself and my DH. My DH always tells me how good it looks after all the weeding is finished (most of which he does) while I do the moving and planting....See MoreIt's fall and the orchids are having a party
Comments (7)Thanks for the replies! I moved all the warmer growing ones inside for the weekend and moved them back out for this last week of warmth while I get the house ready for the seasonal move-in. Carol - how many growths did yours have before blooming, and how large are they generally? Mine p bulbs seem healthy at around 4 inches in length. Also, do they tend to bloom right after the growth has matured, or is there a sort of delay period? And finally - what kind of sun do they get? Airier mix, eh? Maybe I'll try that next spring - it is in straight moss right now, but only because my house is incredibly dry. It looks a lot ickier in the picture than it is actually is - it just rained. :)...See Moreplease help us plan birthday/anniversary party
Comments (6)Just a follow up on the "no gifts please" issue, because it is something we all always agonize over, isn't it? It went as we predicted. Our very closest friends got me birthday gifts (in groups of 2 or 3). These are the people with whom we are so close that we give each other gifts for big occasions, party or no party, so we ignore "no gifts, please" if there is a party, because just as we aren't giving a gift because of the invitation, we aren't refraining from giving one because of the invitation, either. Our very, VERY closest friends also got us anniversary gifts (one from a group of three couples, one from one couple) -- same circumstance. Most people either brought a bottle of wine, amaretto, or champagne, a small birthday and/or anniversary gift (about like you would give for a hostess gifts -- candy, a funny little purse mirror, etc.), or nothing. Several (whether or not they could attend the party) made contributions to various charities. Another factor that may have made a difference was the gift my husband gave me -- the best ever. It is an album of stories and memories he asked people to send. Not only do I love it more than anything else he could have thought of, I like the idea that that would help people feel like their contribution to the album WAS a gift -- and they are right! Anyway, the bottom line is that I think that whether or not you put "no gifts, please" on an invitation doesn't make much difference; those who would anyway will anyway, and others might bring something small, but about the size they would probably bring as a hostess gift anyway. The real function is for the hosts to avoid feeling embarrassment about giving themselves a party for a gift-y occasion. So I guess in the future I will stick to no reference at all to gifts, EXCEPT where we are both hosts and also the guests of honor. I still feel, also, that people LIKE giving gifts to their friends. And I'll close with a funny story to that effect from this birthday: one day, about 11:30 am, a couple of weeks before the party, I called my friend G, on her cell phone, to see if she wanted to go to lunch. No answer, so I called A. No answer, so I called N. No answer - !!! "Why don't my friends take my calls," I thought, feeling very unpopular. So I called C, and she and I went to lunch. The next day, G called me, laughing. She said, "Sorry I didn't get back to you until today. I bet you wanted to go to lunch. I was out with A and N, shopping for your birthday present!" They had figured it out and wanted to share the laugh with me. (Good thing I had tried all three of them, eh?) They had fun shopping together, and I love the gift (it's a glass necklace) because it makes me think of them having a good time because of me....See MorePlanning for Holiday party yet?
Comments (16)Hi kissthecook! Thanks for joining in the revelry! :) I am thoroughly intrigued by the open house idea and for the past 2 years, I have been trying to work up the guts to try it out! With a current guest list of over 100 (probably only 75 will show), the idea of staggering arrival times seems ideal. How much time do you allow for people to visit? Do you say something like 4pm-8pm, come when you like? Or do you "assign" arrival times to make sure the house isn't stuffed to the gills? I haven't done our invitations yet, but they will go out the same time as yours, so there's still an opportunity to change things up. I get the feeling, though, that "open houses" are much less common in SoCal, but I could be wrong. The only downside I can see is that we are planning on serving dinner-type food, not heavy hors d'oeuvres. The hot food items will be in chafing dishes, however, so do you think that could work? What is on everyone's menu? I am so loving your hot cocoa/chocolate giveaways. That's another thing I need to try--gifts in a jar: hot cocoa, brownie mix, cookie mixes, etc. One day I'll get to do these things! I would defnitely try out Alton's recipe before giving away, but I'm sure it's good. Here's another giveaway that's really a nice souvenir of the evening: I once went to a party where the host took a snapshot of everyone as they arrived. Sometime during the party, she (or her husband--I never figured it out) printed out these little pictures and put them in 2" x 2" frames. Then all of the sudden, they magically appeared on a tabletop tree! Each set of guests got to take theirs home with them when they left. Probably too much work for almost 100 people, but it might work really well for a smaller party. Another alternative is to take the pictures and send them in Thank You notes if you send those after the party. Lastly, I am extemely jealous of your old Victorian. They are gorgeous dressed up for the holidays! You just can't buy that charm, you know? Anyway, keep the ideas coming and I can't wait to hear how everything's going! It would be great to see pictures of the fruits of our labor at the end of the year (or beginning of the next), too!! :)...See Moreeld6161
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