Some "New" New Years Resolutions!

Hi there!

I'm the "Home Girl!"   I set up this blog to kind of chronicle my own journeys through life and making my home a place that feels like home for friends (when I entertain), family (with my wonderful husband, two amazing kids and naughty but adorable dog) and faith (where the Lord is welcome in my home and in my heart, and those who enter can feel His love for them!).  

I'd also love to hear about you!   What some of your traditions are, what are your tips for keeping an organized home, what are your favorite recipes, what are your tips and tricks for creating an "effortless party!"  I'm hoping this will become a great conversation, instead of me just rambling on all the time in cyberspace!

I hope we "Home Girls" can help eachother with our fun ideas, recipes, life tidbits and tips, and more. I am really just learning here myself, and I'm also hoping that with this blog, I can look back and see how much I've grown in all of those above areas!

A little about me...My husband and I moved to South Florida in 2008.  We found a wonderful house that was pretty close to being my dream house.  It was in a great neighborhood, it had a great backyard and pool and it was also just the perfect house for entertaining.  The only problem was...I had NO idea how to "entertain"!   We started making some great friends and in 2009 we hosted our own Super Bowl Party for some of our friends from church...and invited anyone to come who didn't have their own Super Bowl plans.  Well, they all came, AND some of them also told other friends about it, and asked us if they could bring friends who didn't have any plans and wanted to meet new people from church. (we go to a big church)  We had over 50 people at our home and I was a WRECK!   I LOVED having people over and seeing everyone having fun together, but I felt like I was always in the kitchen or getting someone something I had forgotten to put out.  My friends were so nice of course, but I knew I needed some help with how to entertain.  I was SO EXHAUSTED after that party and I didn't want to be that way!

Luckily, some of my wonderful new friends were GREAT at entertaining!  They had mastered the art through years of trial and error and just plain ol' "party smarts".  When we'd go to their gorgeous house for get-togethers, they'd have like 50+ people, and I noticed how everything was just so smooth....the hostess actually had time to TALK and laugh with her guests...she wasn't frantically running to get one thing or another for people.  Everything we needed was already thought about and provided ahead of time!  They seemed to have it all figured out!   So I talked to her...and asked her how she does it!   She gave me some pointers and I tried again.   We had our married couples ministry party at our house....it went a little better....there were still some things I forgot, but overall, it was a lot better and I also had time to talk with people a little more. 

Life changed for us after our two children came into our lives last year (we adopted two of the most wonderful children through foster care in March of 2012 and a sweet doggie from a rescue in April of 2012), but now that they are settled in and doing great, I have been getting the itch to begin to host more things at our house.  Maybe not 50 people every week...haha...but I really believe we have this lovely home for entertaining for a reason...not just for us to enjoy, but also for others to enjoy!

2012 was also the year I found another love...PINTEREST!!!   Oh dear, I can not even TELL you how many hours I have spent on Pinterest, looking up adorable ideas and beautiful party decorations, great recipes, etc!   I just LOVE it!   It has also inspired me to re-think a few things regarding how I entertain...to kind of "kick it up a notch" and take some time to try and create beautiful tablescapes for our dinners and get-togethers!

So...In 2013, I decided to forego the "usual" resolutions I have  (lose weight, exercise regularly, etc.)  because I choose those every year and by January 9th or so, I break them...haha!   I decided to make one of my 2013 New Years Resolutions the following:

"To master the art of entertaining family and friends in my home by hosting more events where people can come and enjoy eachother's company in a beautiful setting."

Sooo..this means some changes are happening at our home.  I'm getting rid of all our old, "not so pretty but functional" dishes and opting for some pretty,  themed white dinnerware that is versatile as well as elegant.   Then all I have to do to set up any dinner or meal, is just change around the colors in the accents! 

I found some charger plates at a great price at Walmart for the Christmas Holidays, so guess what!  I stocked up on silver, gold and red!

I started pouring over Pinterest to see how others decorated their tables for their guests.  There are some REALLY GIFTED decorators and hostesses out there!

I started scouring our local thrift stores to find some color-coordinated themes I could use to create some of these lovely tablescapes for MY guests and have found that I don't have to spend a FORTUNE on really lovely pieces...I've found some really amazing deals on some really nice decorations and dishes!

I'm trying to stay frugal, while realizing that what I'm buying is an investment in my entertaining prowess...haha.  I'm trying to keep it cheap, but I don't want it to LOOK cheap.   I will try to post pictures when possible of my tablescapes and where I got what I got, because, especially these days, it's nice to know that creating something really beautiful doesn't have to break the bank!   =)

Thanks again for stopping by.  I'm hoping we'll see lots of eachother.  Come back soon, where I hope to have some fun contests, some "virtual cookie exchanges" where we post pictures and recipes of our favorite cookies...."tablescape talks"  where we talk about our favorite tablescape pieces, and just have some fun with the "HOME GIRLS!"