Up and At 'Em!

I have GOT to get back into the groove of waking up with the alarm clock and responding appropriately. Apparently hitting snooze and rolling back over is not the appropriate response, especially when Hubby has decided he needs to be at the job site extra early some days! I know my lazy days of summer are slowly coming to an end as the Postal Job is creeping forward. Yes, recent communication assures me that I should expect a start date within the next couple of weeks. Sooooooo, I have to get back in the habit of getting UP when the alarm sounds.

Today I have a nice TO-DO list. It's going to be a FUN TO-DO list. Ordinarily cleaning and cooking would not necessarily inspire and entertain me but we're having friends over for dinner and I'm excited for this! As many of you know, Bruce and I are going on a mission trip in December to Costa Rica. We are going with THESE AMAZING PEOPLE. Jeremy and Colette are pretty special  and we have been delighted to get to know them on a deeper level in the past few months. I can only imagine how the mission adventure will further us along!

But, that's not all! We also invited our dear friends Terry and Alexandra of  SOR Missions to join us. Full time missionaries in Honduras, they are home on furlough and not only do we cherish the time we can spend together while they are here, we are looking forward to introducing them to Jerry and Colette. We figure they have more than a little bit in common..... both have started their own non-profit ministry with Central America as their focus.

By the way..... It is sounding more and more like Bruce will travel to Honduras in the near future, leading a small mission team!

So, despite the sleep-cobwebs clouding my eyes and the rain washed skies outside my window, I have things to do and I must get Up and At 'Em!

Sunday Dinner

The smell of roast chicken wafts through the air of our home as we prepare for Sunday Dinner with friends. There is something special about sitting down for a full course meal with loved ones after church on Sunday.

We used to do this EVERY Sunday growing up. Mom would put the pot roast or the chicken in the roasting pan before we left for church and when we came home she'd put the potatoes which had been diced before hand and left in water, on to boil. Homemade rolls, green beans or peas would round out the meal. Gravy for the mashed potatoes, raspberry jam for the rolls... wonderful. and afterwards, with our tummies satiated, we would drift into the second best Sunday afternoon activity: the NAP.

Our Sundays are pretty lazy most weeks. So it feels like a holiday when we invite company over for Sunday Dinner. Makes me think we should be doing this more often.

Welcome to Burke's Cafe; a real hole-in-the-wall establishment

Recipe for laughter and fun: Take 5 couples of all ages and various stages of life, add a potluck supper and misc. board games and mix well. Serve with lots of laughter in an open room. 

Last night we were able to do something we have talked and talked and talked about doing. Something we could NOT have done a week ago. We invited some friends over for a potluck supper and game night and watched the crowd spill across the room from dining to living room with ease. That hole in the wall made it possible.

In the past we would have been divided up between rooms making real connections between the couples more challenging. In times past we would not have invited that many people to our home!

well, Okay, we might have had our family over and that would have been a large crowd and at that point the walls dividing some of us would have been needed and much appreciated. LOL.

"no matter where I serve my guests, they seem to like my kitchen best"

 I like that we could even set up a card table for some folks and still feel connected to the group around the dining room table.

serious chatter happening here

 And even with everyone congregating in one area, it didn't feel tight and claustrophobic.

After dinner it was into the living room for a rousing game of Taboo.

Good times. Good people.