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Sunday Love List

August 27, 2017

Pizzazeria’s new entertainment book has me swooning.  Beautiful photography and great inspiration.

 

2.    

Land’s End’s new scalloped loafers are the perfect accent to a cute outfit.  From casual friday to school drop-off, you’ll look super cute in these.  Now to decide which color(s) to grab….ummm.

 

3.  

Anyone that’s known me for a while knows I’m fascinated with Seth Godin’s writing.  He doesn’t disappoint with this blog post.  Click here to read it.

4.

Are you looking for an easy and delicious appetizer or weekday lunch recipe?  This is your answer!  My recipe for sundried tomato crostinis are del.i.cious. Seriously, make this your got to appetizer for potlucks and you’ll become the queen of the party!

 

5. 

Emily Ley’s new Simplified Planner will soon be released and I plan to be in line to order mine. Last year I switched to the Simplified Planner from my longtime planner and I was very happy I did.  The handy size, superior paper weight and super, simple design make the SP easy to use and fun too!  If you’re in the market for a new planner for 2018, check it out!

Summer Etiquette Series: Can I ask for leftovers?

August 9, 2017

I’m back with the summer etiquette series and today I’m tackling a situation I’ve run into many time over my years in the hospitality industry; is it okay to ask for leftovers at a cookout?

As a hospitality management major I started my hospitality career as a server for banquets before becoming a catering assistant, a catering manager at a college and eventually owning my own catering business. I cannot count the number of times a guest has come to me and asked, “can I take a plate to go?”  In the beginning it was the little old ladies who dared to even bring their own aluminum foil but then it became just about any guest who enjoyed the meal or didn’t want to make lunch the next day.

So is it okay to ask for or expect leftovers when attending an event?  You should follow the lead of the host or hostess.  If the hostess offers leftovers then by all means, take advantage of the offer if you’d like.  If there is no offer, consider that there could be a number of reasons why one wasn’t extended. You should not attend a party with the expectation of taking home tomorrow’s lunch. I’ve also seen guest ask to take plates home for relatives who didn’t attend and this is not okay especially if the relative was invited and didn’t attend.  It is not the hostess’ job to feed them.

As a hostess I’m always obliged to give a guest a to-go if they ask since it’s my job is to be gracious and accommodating whenever possible. However, there have been times when I did that at the detriment of my plans for the leftovers.  If you are not inclined to be overly gracious as a host, it is perfectly okay to thank the guest for their compliment and politely decline the request because you already have plans for the food.

The goal is considering the feelings of others.  In most cases the host would LOVE to unload extra food so they don’t have to store them or eventually throw them away.  BUT, if they don’t offer, do your best not to ask and put them in an uncomfortable situation and for goodness sake, please don’t ever attend a dinner with your aluminum foil and bowls in tow!

 

Kindly,

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Iowa Friendship Brunch

January 1, 2016

I’m finally getting around to sharing the pictures of the friendship brunch I mentioned in my last post.  To recap; my client Betty’s friend Susan passed away unexpectedly this past summer.  Her birthday was in November so Betty wanted to bring together a group of Susan’s closest friends to celebrate her memory.  The three requirements for the brunch were:

1)  Use the color yellow and incorporate yellow roses

2)  Make the decor fit in with the Christmas decor already in the house

3)  Add a bit of sparkle

I shared the inspiration board in my last post and here are pictures from the actual event!

brunch picture1

Friendshipbrunch4We were able to use my client’s heirloom china for the event which I was thrilled about;  it added such a special touch.  The silver and white china coordinated with the overall color scheme and looked very classic.

friendshipbrunch2As a placeholder I took the picture of the rose from Susan’s funeral and printed a copy for each guest with their name on it.  After the brunch, each lady was able to take her frame home as a reminder of her dear friend.

friendshipbrunch3Fresh garland and ornaments added the hint of Christmas we needed to tie the table in with the rest of the house which had just been decorated for the holidays.

It was a pleasure working with Betty and I had the added delight of meeting all the ladies who attended the brunch when Betty invited me to join them just before the brunch ended.  I can see why Susan had them all as friends, they were such a lively and fun group!