Properly, I did it. I hosted my very first Thanksgiving, and it was successful! (If I do say so myself. š ) And I realized lots about internet hosting, and about what Iāll do otherwise subsequent time. However total, we had a good time, nice dialog, a lot of laughter, a great deal of meals, and a really enjoyable day collectively. What extra might we now have requested for?
Right here are some things that I realized from internet hosting my first Thanksgiving:
1. My New Home Cleansing Plan Makes My Life So A lot Simpler!
Just a few days in the past, I shared with yāall that I had lastly found the key to retaining a clear home. In the event you missed that submit, you can click here to read it. Internet hosting my first Thanksgiving actually put my plan to the check.
Iām naturally a really messy individual, so earlier than instituting my home cleansing plan, if I had been to volunteer to host one thing in our home, I must spend at the least two strong days doing nothing however cleansing the home, and thatās along with another issues that wanted to be completed, like making ready meals. These days of home cleansing would typically embody staying up actually late the night time earlier than in a frantic effort to get all of it completed, and generally even waking up early the subsequent morning (on the day that the gathering was deliberate) to complete up. Speak about hectic!
Final week, I had none of that. I needed to dedicate exactly ZERO days to cleansing the home. There have been no frantic, last-minute efforts to get the cleansing completed. None of that! It was already clear!
I used to be so calm and stress-free that within the couple of days main as much as Thanksgiving day, I had at lteast two moments of panic, pondering to myself, āOH MY GOSH! Iām absolutely lacking one thing!ā However all that was lacking was the stress and exhaustion that I’d typically really feel earlier than having folks in our dwelling earlier than implementing my new plan.
These terrible emotions had been utterly gone, and it was such a tremendous feeling to know that Iād be internet hosting folks in our dwelling, and but I felt completely no stress from an enormous checklist of issues I wanted to get completed, and no exhaustion from late nights in a frantic effort to get the home presentable.
In the event youāre the messy sort like I naturally am, I canāt even specific to you the peace of thoughts that my new house cleaning system has introduced me. That feeling of peace and calm is actually indescribable, and it makes me much more decided to by no means return to my previous messy methods.
2. I Desire A Non-Conventional Thanksgiving Meal
Am I the one one who doesnāt actually like turkey and dressing? Itās my least favourite a part of Thanksgiving.
Properly, this 12 months, we determined to do one thing slightly totally different. Since my sister-in-law works nights, and he or she obtained off of labor very early within the morning (round 6:00am), we determined to have a Thanksgiving breakfast/brunch fairly than laying aside our meal later within the day and power her to remain awake simply in order that we might eat at our common lunch time.
And breakfast/brunch meant no turkey and dressing! I used to be very okay with that. š So as a substitute of Thanksgiving lunch, we met at 9:00am for Thanksgiving brunch, and we had a menu of breakfast casserole, bacon, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, fruit, orange juice, espresso, and so on. We ALL agreed that it was a tremendous meal, and that we preferred it a lot that this was going to be our new Thanksgiving custom.
Just a few days earlier than Thanksgiving, my mother despatched me a bunch of recipes and requested me to slender down the menu. So after going by way of the entire choices, I made a decision on this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole from The Pioneer Woman, swapping out the bacon for breakfast sausage. (I desire to eat my bacon plain and complete on the facet.)
I child you not once I say that this was the most effective breakfast casserole that Iāve ever had in my life. Iām typically not an enormous fan of breakfast casseroles as a result of I discover them to be both too dry or too eggy (or each). This one was neither of these issues. It was absolute perfection, and this shall be my āgo toā breakfast casserole sooner or later.
I prepped all the pieces and put all of it collectively within the casserole dish the night time earlier than, coated it and put it within the fridge in a single day. Then on Thursday morning, I obtained it out of the fridge about 7:30am and let it sit on the countertop, after which popped it into the oven round 8:30. By 9:30, it was baked to perfection, and after letting it ārelaxationā for ten minutes, we dug in.
3. I Love That Our Home Is Being Used!!
I canāt even specific to yāall the quantity of pleasure and satisfaction Iām getting out of our home lastly being USED! I put so a few years of exhausting work into this home, reworking and adorning each space myself (typically with assistance on the massive initiatives that I couldnāt do solo), and to now see it getting used and loved by others does my coronary heart good.
And I imply, issues are getting used. Since we donāt have a eating room proper now, and I wasnāt actually positive what weād do after we ate, I ended up pushing the lounge couch again in opposition to the entryway credenza, shifting the facet desk out of the room, and establishing a folding desk and chairs in the course of the lounge for our meal.
We truly sat on the desk for hours, speaking and laughing and having nice dialog. However afterwards (round mid-afternoon once we all obtained drained from our massive meal), we pushed the desk over to the facet home windows to set out some snacks, and I introduced the 2 sitting room recliners into the lounge, and in addition introduced our massive TV into the lounge and set it up on the espresso desk in order that we might watch a film, chat extra, loosen up, and even snooze a bit.
Right hereās the aftermath that I woke as much as the subsequent morning, after I had already put the TV again in our bed room and shoved issues round only a bit. (And for individuals who have requested prior to now, sure, these ottomans that stay within the entryway do get used.)
Right hereās the view from the opposite finish of the roomā¦
All the pieces was moved and raveled, however what? I completely LOVED IT! I really like having folks in our dwelling, and I really like seeing them comfy and relaxed in our dwelling. I donāt care how a lot I’ve to rearrange furnishings to make that occur.
By the way in which, should youāre new right here, that is what these areas typically appear to beā¦
4. A Totally-Useful Toilet Is A Should!
Our hallway rest room has some points, and when itās simply Matt and me in our dwelling, I are inclined to overlook about them. Iāve simply realized to stay with them.
Iāve already explained the toilet issue here. And since I completely hate the thought of changing a rest room as a result of issues that ought to be cheap and simply replaceable (however are usually not even accessible, and subsequently, arenāt replaceable in any respect), Iāve delay changing the bathroom. So for over a 12 months now, each single time that rest room is flushed, I’ve to take away the tank lid, jiggle slightly factor to get the water operating into the tank, after which make sure that the flapper is protecting the outlet by way of which the water goes into the bowl.
Once more, when itās simply the 2 of us right here, that looks as if a non-issue. Iāve turn out to be so used to it that itās simply second nature. However when I’ve a home full of individuals, and Iām continuously having to keep watch over that rest room to see if itās getting used in order that I can go in after each single use and āresetā the bathroom for the subsequent use, itās not nice.
So take my recommendation. In the event youāre DIYing your method by way of your property like Iāve completed, and also youāre to the purpose the place you wish to begin internet hosting friends, simply ensure that the lavatory is totally useful. You donāt want an attractive eating room (a folding desk and stackable chairs are nice), and also you donāt want an ideal household room. However you do want a completely useful rest room.
Iāll be heading to Dwelling Depot this afternoon to get ours taken care of in order that I can begin being totally current when we now have folks in our dwelling, fairly than feeling like I’ve to babysit the lavatory. š
5. I Actually Canāt Wait To Construct Our Addition!!
Whereas I completely beloved hosing Thanksgiving, and was glad with our present association, and Iām completely glad to maneuver furnishings round to make folks really feel comfy in our dwelling, I need that addition extra now than ever.
Oh, I dream of the day that I can have my eating room (which is at the moment getting used as a short lived sitting room for Mattās profit) again as a useful eating room. And once I can have a big household room with tremendous comfortable furnishings and a big TV that lives completely in that room.
Iām extra motivated now to see simply how rapidly we will make that occur. I actually donāt know what Matt will say (he holds the purse strings and governs the timeline in relation to the actually massive initiatives since heās the finances man), however I hope to plead my case that we have to try this ahead of later, after which hope that he sees it my method. š
So total, I completely loved being the host for Thanksgiving this 12 months. Iām so glad Iāve taken steps to make internet hosting simpler and stress-free, and I believe with just a few tweaks, it is going to be even higher subsequent time!
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
I hope youāll be a part of me on my DIY and adorning journey! If you wish to observe my initiatives and progress, you’ll be able to subscribe under and have every new submit delivered to your electronic mail inbox. That method youāll by no means miss a factor!
