Keep it Simple with Guest Mandy Ballard

Hi gang! Don’t forget to post on yesterday’s piece if you have a decoration idea to share. So many fabulous ones have already come in!

Today, we have a wonderful guest showing us some ways to keep it simple. Welcome my new friend Mandy Ballard:

Mandy is a follower of Jesus, the wife of one very wonderful man, and
the homeschooling mama of four little ones eight years old and under.

In her “spare” time she loves to shop at thrift stores, teach
kickboxing and weight lifting classes, bake sweets, have friends over
for dinner, and work on all sorts of DIY projects around her 116-year-
old home.

You can find Mandy writing each week about faith, family,
fitness, food, fashion, and more at her blog, Biblical Homemaking.

Keeping Hospitality Simple

Imagine inviting your friends over for dinner 30 minutes from now, or
even 2 hours from now.

Would you be breaking into a cold sweat? (I know there are times I
have!)

Hospitality should be natural and easy, right? These days, our must-
have-it-all-together culture has made entertaining much more difficult
than it should be.

What if I told you having people over could actually be simple?

I am, and it really can.

Being prepared for hospitality will make those spur-of-the-moment
invitations possible. Here are three ways to simplify your
hospitality:

1. Try to keep a clutter-free home.

Easier said than done right? I know! I have four small children under
8 years old. Hospitality seemed far from easy or simple when we
started inviting people over for dinner as a family with several
little ones.

Here’s what I’ve learned: having less “stuff” to clean in your main
entertaining rooms will make it easy to do a quick pickup before you
leave home, and keeping the living area and the kitchen semi-
presentable most of the time can make it easy to have others over on
short notice (and don’t even worry about the bedrooms and
closets!).

And don’t be afraid to cheat on your housework a little here or there:
wiping down the counters in the kitchen and a quick run of the vacuum
will make your house seem neat, even when it isn’t! And don’t worry
about the dishes in the sink- we’ve all seen them before, right? It
really doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things, and worrying just
makes hospitality less fun.

2. Serve simple meals.

Our favorite last-minute meal to share with others is homemade subs:

French bread, lunch meat, shredded lettuce, cheese, and a side can be
picked up in quick stop at the store. Sandwiches are so simple, and so
filling.  Maybe you like to serve spaghetti, or something else-
find your favorite easy dish to make and use it as your go-to for
simple hosting.

Serving a simple dinner can actually put your guests at ease,
too. A few years ago, I invited our new neighbors over and I
decided to bring a home a take-and-bake pizza for dinner that night
instead of cooking.

After dinner, my sweet neighbor told me she felt so relieved we had
pizza because she wasn’t a cook and she’d been worried that I was
going to make a fancy dinner! The Lord knew exactly what I needed to
serve that night.

3. Relax and enjoy your time with others.

You’ve kept cleaning and serving simple, and now it’s time to relax.
Light a candle and put on some sweet worship
music. You might find you’re starting to enjoy yourself a little more!

Make your guests comfortable by welcoming them in, and if you’re still
working in the kitchen, invite the ladies to come and chat while you
work. Not being ready is okay, really!

No one expects or even wants perfection. If your friend invited
you to her pristine home and made the most delicious dinner ever, how
would you feel? :)

When your guests arrive, try to turn off the to-do list and just enjoy
being in their company! Listen to their stories, ask them questions,
and don’t worry about how everything looks and tastes. It’s not about
you, anyway, right?

Be a light to your friends by loving and focusing on them in
your time together.

Keep it simple, allow yourself to be imperfect (we all are!), and have
fun, and chances are, you will be the perfect hostess.

Thanks Mandy!

Now, to be entered in today’s giveaway, a $15 Bath & Body Works gift card for you to buy a candle for your home, leave a comment with what you have most enjoyed about the study or the book so far.

Have you snagged a new recipe, a decorating idea, a fresh perspective on some aspect of hospitality?

Do tell…

212 Comments

  1. I loved watching you were very inspiring and wise … Would love to see come back
    Sincerely
    Polly

  2. Revealed: Secret to Reducing Air Conditioning Costs

    Certain results indicate how each American household pay an estimate of $1000 for both heating and air conditioning systems
    every year. Indeed there are very good ways to cut down on these expenses without
    sacrificing the benefit of air conditioning during hot
    summer days in any way. The true secret to reducing
    Air Conditioning costs lies in your maintenance activities and making the right purchase of air conditioner units based on your
    needs.

    Currently, there are 3 common kinds of air conditioners,
    central, freestanding and window on the US market. Each
    kind has its own pros and cons. Before purchasing any air conditioners for
    your home, there is something that you need to understand.

    Not all the types of units on the market require the same kind of
    maintenance. 

    Think about the possible utility and maintenance costs when you
    purchase your unit. What is the cooling coverage that
    you truly need? It may seem easy to install a centralized
    system for your entire house. But the question is whether it is necessary. 

    Apart from the high expense of purchasing
    this system, there are the possible high costs of repair and maintenance.
    If you only want cool air in certain rooms because they are
    the hottest in your home during a hot summer season,
    then opt for the window or freestanding kind.
    The key difference between the freestanding type and the window
    type is in terms of mobility. You can move a freestanding air conditioner from one
    room to another easily enough. 

    Buying this type will be a great idea if you intend to rotate
    the usage of the unit in different rooms. But if your mind
    is fixed on having a few units in specific rooms, then the window type might be a good option. Since the window type would be up on the wall, it would not take up
    space in the room like how the freestanding type would.

    When it comes to the window type, you have the choice of selecting one that
    comes with or without duct. 

    Apart from being compact and small, the ductless
    kind is rather easy to install on any wall. Compared to the
    one that comes with a duct, it is also more energy saving.
    A good way to cool the temperature in the other rooms that have no air-conditioners is to
    use oscillating fans. Another smart way is to purchase a few 5 ton air conditioners to cover the space for your entire house instead
    of buying a centralized unit. 

    But this depends on how large your home is. Apart from the cost of purchase, there is the expense for maintenance.
    Normally, the cost of maintenance of a centralized air conditioning system is much higher compared to
    the freestanding or window types. To reduce maintenance costs, think about performing simple maintenance activities on your own.

    For example, you can take a look at the filter and change
    it if it requires changing. Normally, the frequency for changing or
    checking the filter will be mentioned in the air conditioner manufacturer’s manual.
    Some findings show that changing the filters can help in reducing monthly
    utility costs by 10 to 20%. 

    Though it is fine to carry out a simple maintenance task such as
    changing a filter, it is best to leave the more complex maintenance or repair tasks to Air Conditioning Experts.
    Now and then, call them up to check on the state of your air conditioner units and do what is necessary
    for their optimum working condition – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

  3. I’d agree with the poster, Carolyn B! The three C’s have served me well. The best thing to “put on”? A SMILE!

  4. The biggest thing I have gained over the course of this study is perspective. And I really enjoyed how today’s post nailed it with its not about me. Showing hospitality means humbling yourself, realizing you’re not perfect, and that that’s okay :)

  5. I have SO enjoyed this study…. The simplicity of just BEING in the moment with others and giving them your heart is what I have really come away with…. It’s not about me either, that’s the BIGGEST lesson.

Leave a Reply to kelly Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *