31 days of hospitality

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 17 Readying the Hearth with prayer

October 18, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 22 Comments

This is day 17 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

When we were rebuilding our house after the fire, we decided to salvage of few bricks from the old house to use around our hearth.

Because suffering remakes us and we didn’t want to forget the winter grace.

We may look finished and even beautiful on the outside but we’re all a mess. If you look close at the bricks, there are burn marks that time won’t wash away.

But the scars remind us to pray. They remind us that we are vulnerable and needy and poor and that we must hold tight to the one who burns us with His love but doesn’t consume us.

And they remind us to pray for each other too. To see beyond the neat exterior to a heart that longs to be known and loved.

I couldn’t have seen it at the time but when He is binding up the brokenhearted, He is teaching the brokenhearted what it means to be loved and how to show that love someone else.

And prayer is the perfect way to love someone in advance: before they come, while you’re making the food and as you fluff the guest room.

You will learn to love them by praying for them. You will see them differently. You will sympathize with their struggle. You will see clear through and you will tread with reverence on this holy ground.

So, ready the house, yes.

But don’t forget that all the important work happens just beyond our sight.

Prayer for the Home:

Lord God, our home is among the most precious gifts we receive in this life.

We realize this all the more as we remember our Lord Jesus. He set aside home and family. Having no place to lay His head throughout His ministry, he chose to sojourn among those He came to save. We prayerfully invite Him to dwell in our earthly abode even as He continually invites us by Word and Sacrament to dwell forever in our heavenly home, which He prepares for us.

Make us ever grateful for this shelter from life’s storms.

Keep this house always the home of comfort, joy, peace, and forgiveness.

According to Your will, protect this home from the spiritual assaults of Satan, but likewise make our home a fortress against the calamities of nature and the wickedness of sinful man.

Grant us the virtue of hospitality, the joy of harmonious living, and the blessing of gathering around Your Word and bringing our families’ prayers before You.

May all who dwell in our home be blessed by Your presence and Your peace,
and may all who go forth give thanks for the grace they receive from You, through us, Your dear children

We receive Your loving kindness in our home as a reminder of the eternal home we inherit through Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.
Amen.

from the Lutheran prayer book

“Give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light.”

31 Days of Hospitality::Day 16 Hospitality the size of Texas

October 16, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 33 Comments

This is day 16 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

I ain’t gonna lie. I’ve got an unhealthy obsession with Texas. Maybe it stems from watching too many Dallas Cowboys’ football games with my brother as a child. Maybe it’s because I subscribe to the motto, “Go big or go home.” Maybe it’s cowboy boots, or George W, or Todd Wilken, or Friday Night Lights.

Whatever the reasons, I pledge my unfailing love to all things Texas.

So when this wonderful group of Lutheran ladies made me part of their fellowship and invited me on a trip to Texas, I couldn’t pack my boots fast enough. This quaint little cottage is where we made our home for 3 days.

And what was so wonderful about this whole thing is that I wasn’t in charge of anything. These amazing women invited me, sent me THE coolest pre-trip goody bag/itinerary, booked the room, arranged the food, planned the shopping, did EVERYTHING and all they asked me to do was show up. I don’t know if I’ve ever been treated so royally in my whole life. Sometimes this kind of serendipitous change of perspective is so timely. I’m usually on the ‘arranging’ end of the equation. The cooking and planning end. The ‘figuring out the details’ end. And what a joy to be so cared for by someone else, who’s gone to so much trouble to make sure everything is perfect. It makes me a little verklempt just to talk about it.

And travel is not really my forte so I was a little nervous about the trip. I don’t like leaving my girls. Stevie’s been known to stalk me on Twitter when I’m gone. I miss my bed. I miss being the one who’s showing all the hospitality. And that morning, I missed my flight. It was a shaky start for an already anxious momma. But when I finally got to Texas, to my girls, I knew I was home. Kellee, Lauren, and Adriane had planned an awesome stay at home dinner with Texas brats on the grill. We talked and laughed and drank wine and did in home pedicures. And then talked some more and ate some more. Then we coveted DeAnn’s new iPhone 5 and tried to resist stealing it from her!

The next day we had so much fun at the very eclectic shops of Fredericksburg. Most of the shops we visited had the same security policy….

There was such a great mix of modern and antique shops—-what a little gem of a town.

And there were a lot of hats and boots for sale. Of course.

Heather and I had so much fun shopping. She’s the cutest pyrex hoarder you’ve ever seen. And she tried on a Texas sized hat to match her Texas sized personality.

It was so amazing to finally meet these girls after emailing and Facebook stalking them for a year. I hope I didn’t overwhelm them with all my squealing and ‘y’all-ing’ and hugging. I was the only Southerner in the group but you’d never know it by the way these girls plan a trip. They thought of everything. Kellee (the oldest of the Dorr sisters) and Lauren did so much to help Adriane with the trip and I loved watching the sisters interact. I WANT TO MEET THEIR PARENTS. How do you raise girls that grow up to be women like this? I’m on a need to know basis. And it needs to be quick. Mine aren’t getting any younger.

The girls included a little trip to Wildseed Farms in our itinerary. We strolled through beautiful gardens while we talked theology and cooking and kids and husbands and boots. You know, the regular stuff.

We visited a local winery with our resident wine expert, Gretchen. Have I told you how much I love and admire her? Well, I do and I do. See, she’s the one who pitched our story to BHG. She is a brilliant thinker/writer/content strategist and just happened to be my roomie. Besides being a great mom, wife, and cook, she’s also wife to my former pastor. As a side note, in this group, there are 3 Lutheran pastors’ wives. And as much as I LOVE Lutheran pastors, I think I love their wives even more.

But I digress. Back to Gretchen.

She interviewed me this week for the Better Homes story and oh my word is she good at what she does. I hope she’s makes me sound smarter than I am because I felt like a bumbling idiot in our interview trying to describe my style and why I do what I do in my home. She is one gifted woman so I’m sure she’ll work a miracle.

We took a lot of pictures which always happens when you’re traveling with bloggers. My multitasking skills come in handy sometimes. I’m sure I instagrammed that moment right after capturing it on 12 cameras.

Then, there was the obligatory boot photo. Jan (who has 6 kids and home schools them and is the coolest little momma ever) has promised me that she’ll move to Bean Station so we can raise our kids together. She lives in Denver but whatevs. Bean Station not a mile high but it is a mile long. Doesn’t that count for something? Isn’t she SOOO completely adorable? Yes, yes she is. Jan was standing nearby when my girls texted me on Friday morning with their burning question of the day:

“How do you make biscuits and gravy?”

It makes a momma proud.

Forget Latin and Greek mythology. These girls need to learn to make a Southern breakfast. Now Jan keeps asking me to make her some biscuits and gravy. Which I will be MORE than happy to do if she’ll hightail it down here.

We finally gave everyone their boots back and dressed up in our best Texas wares and drove to Luchenbach, Texas. With Waylon and Willie and the boys.

(I couldn’t resist.)
Adriane, Kellee, Lauren, DeAnn, Gretchen, Jan, Heather and yours truly.

It was the coolest one horse town I’ve ever seen. The sign said, “Luckenbach, population 3. ” And that ain’t no lie. The town consisted of a dance hall and a bar. We drank beer and watched the most adorable old people dance. And that’s when I decided that Stevie and I need to retire in Texas. We could two step every Friday night in some local dance hall and I could tease my hair and wear red lipstick. Either that or Bean Station needs to get a dance hall.

I want to say thank you to all my new friends. You showed the most wonderful Texas hospitality to me and I’ll be forever grateful. I loved getting to meet you. I loved hearing your stories. I am changed by your love and kindness. Your hospitality to me was such a gift. Mwahhhhh! I hope you’ll all visit me and let me return the favor!

Then there’s the most adorable Lutheran bachelorette of all time—-the brain child of this whole operation—whose wedding I’m now prematurely planning on Pinterest, should you want to follow along. It’s gonna be epic. I’ve appointed myself the official line dance coordinator. I promise to be the most gracious line dance hostess of all time.

I dearly love you my friend. And I think we both shoulda been cowboys.

And for all you folks that aren’t from the South, hurry on down! Time’s a wastin’.

Texas forever.
Amen.

31 Days of Hospitality::Day 15 All they really need is you

October 16, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 20 Comments

This is day 18 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

There’s no doubt that I love beautiful spaces. When we surround ourselves with truth and beauty, it changes us.

It brings me joy to create spaces that make people feel loved. I am purposeful about making a home that is joyful and whimsical and even sultry.

But when I’m making these rooms for my family and friends, it’s easy to forget what’s really important.

What they really need is me.

And there’s no substitute for that–no amount of money or gadgets or gifts or beautiful rooms.

My children don’t really care about their vintage iron beds.

But they need a mother who really listens and who treats them with kindness and understanding.

My husband could care less about our custom upholstered antique sofa. But he does need a wife who loves and respects him.

We must repeatedly ask ourselves, “Does this help me serve my family and friends?”

Why are we doing what we do? To serve others or impress them.

Do I want my guests to be wowed by my impeccable hospitality or do I really want to offer my heart to them?

Absolutely none of this matters unless it helps us give ourselves away to others.

It’s the Mary/Martha conundrum.

Mary chose the better part.

She chose relationship.

And so should we.

Know what the people in your life really need you to give to them?

Yourself.

Your time and love and your willingness to open your heart.

All they really need is you.

Hospitality is just that simple.

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 14 Welcome Gifts

October 15, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 14 Comments

This is day 18 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

So, now that your guest room is well-appointed and your guest bath is well-stocked, let’s talk welcome gifts.

I like to leave a little welcome gift by the bed along with a brief little note.

It’s a simple touch that goes a long way in making people feel at home and loved.

My hospitality board on Pinterest is full of ideas but I’ll share a couple of my favorites. Don’t go overboard. This is a small, simple token of friendship and love and need not be expensive or overly formal.

via (this one may well get diy’ed by my girls very soon!)

via

I tend to go in cycles with gifts but for the last year or so my favorite has been the Tervis tumbler. It’s perfect for guests that are visiting here because they can use it for hot drinks (fill up with coffee in the morning before antique shopping) or cold drinks (fill with ice water before heading out on the boat). You can fill it with packets of propel powder of crystal light tea mix and then attach a cute little welcome note to the bag. These even make good gifts for men, especially when they have an orange power T on them!

Most importantly, keep it simple and look throughout the year for little things that would make fun gifts so that you’re not stressing every time someone comes to visit.

True story:: I bought the Tervis tumblers you see above for our July 4th house guests. I found them two weeks ago in the closet. I’m awesome like that.

Maybe they’ll all come back next year and reclaim their rightful tumbler.

Also, I’m so mad at myself for not taking a picture of the awesome welcome gifts that Adriane, Lauren, and Kellee left at our bedsides in Texas. I’m doing a whole post on Texas soon but suffice it to say, these girls thought of EVERYthing in the welcome gift. They even gave us baby swimmies to pack our wine in so we could take in our luggage. The best item of all? The picture frame signed by Todd Wilken and President Harrison. I’m still giddy! Thank you ladies. I’m pretty sure you may be part Southern!

Now, the best part of the post—-where you tell me what you like to give for welcome gifts!

p.s. Contrary to the above welcome note, my internet password is not ‘Honey Boo Boo Child.’ I just thought I should clarify 🙂

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 13 The Well Stocked Guest Bath

October 13, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 9 Comments

This is day 13 in a 31 days series on hospitality. (What was I thinking?!?!?!?) Start from the beginning here.
the well stocked guest bath
Now, y’all know already that this is my master bathroom but it’s the only one roomy enough to get a decent picture. Bathrooms are notoriously hard to photograph!

Remember this summer when we hosted 25 people at our house for the week of July 4th? I knew that with that many people (8 of them being our kids) we’d need well stocked bathrooms so I went on a bathroom stocking spree. The great thing about stocking your bathrooms well is that when you need something, you can always shop the house before having to shop the store.

I like to start with great smelling soaps and lotions. I almost always shop at TJ Maxx because they have great brands at a fraction of the cost.

Inexpensive glass jars make great storage for cotton balls and Q-tips. I have these in all my bathrooms.

I also like to have either a basket well stocked with various toiletries that my guests might need. You could store the basket under the sink or on the counter if it’s small enough. I also try to keep an extra robe in the guest bathrooms and plenty of towels and washcloths. It may seem redundant to stock things that *may* or may not be used but I’m always grabbing things from these bathrooms until I get to the store to restock them.

Here’s a list of things I like to keep on hand for guests:

-extra toilet paper

-paper towels

-soaps and lotion

-pads and tampons

-toothbrush and toothpaste

-motrin and tylenol

-visine eye drops

-extra contact cases and contact solution

-bandaids and first aid creme

-nail clippers and basic manicure set

-deodorant

-cotton balls and Qtips

-body and face wash

-chapstick

-small sewing kit

-white terry robe

This list isn’t exhaustive but it sure comes in handy to have the things you need without having to ask your host for every item you might have forgotten. I think it serves to give your guest some sense of control when they are out of their element and away from home. These items would be great to stock in travel sizes and to buy as you see them on sale.

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And you can imagine my delight when this One King’s Lane holiday flyer came in the mail with a whole spread dedicated to the guest room and bath. So cool and who wouldn’t love to be a guest in this room?!? If you haven’t shopped at OKL, you’re missing some great deals. I buy almost all of my art from them! Follow this link to sign up!

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 12 A Well-Appointed Guest Room

October 12, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 25 Comments

This is day 12 of a 31 Day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

Let me start out this post by saying that everything I ever learned about making a guest room comfortable, I learned from my friend Susan. As a matter fact, almost everything I learned about everything was from her. She is the essence of Southern hospitality and I hope to be just like her when I grow up. Because of her stellar example, I’ve gotten much more intentional over the years about my guest spaces.

Here’s my list of the top ten items that every well-appointed guest room should have. This is the ultimate goal but collect things here and there as you can, within your budget. I mostly ‘shop the house’ when I’m having company. I mosey around my rooms and look for pretty and cozy things to add to the guest room to make it more inviting and comfortable. Sometimes they make it back to their rightful homes and sometimes they become permanently attached to the guest room. Look around and see what you have a first and then do some shopping if need be.

1. A comfortable bed.

Most of us can’t afford to buy a high quality mattress for the guest room so I’m a huge fan of a thick mattress pad on the bed to make it more inviting. It’s often hard to sleep in a strange place and an uncomfortable bed only adds to the difficulty. They’re not that expensive and make a huge difference in comfort. Those high thread count sheets from Tuesday Morning come in handy here too!

2. Extra pillows

I try to store 2-3 extra pillows in the guest room closet.

3. Fresh towels and washcloths.

I like crisp white towels for company and I will often buy a couple new ones when company’s coming. It’s a fairly cheap way to freshen up a room and who doesn’t need a few more white towels?

4. A luggage rack

I’m completely in love with luggage racks. They’re so practical and vintage, all at the same time. You can often find them at antique stores but some retail stores still sell them. Trust me, get one. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Or your guests will.

5. A cozy throw

I don’t know about you but I use throws ALL.THE.TIME. Every room needs a throw. I’m looking around and can see three in my living room at the moment. I’m a throw-hoarder among other things. TJ Maxx has great ones on the cheap and you can find them in great colors and patterns. They are cheap, instant style. My black and white striped one was less than twenty bucks from IKEA.

6. Fresh flowers

If I don’t have time to pick up flowers and there’s nothing blooming in my yard, I’ll snip a fresh magnolia leaf or something from the yard. I think more than anything, this tells your guest that you were thinking of them before hand—that you care—-that they are important. Fresh flowers add instant life and beauty to a room and make everyone smile:)))))

7. Water pitcher

There’s nothing wrong with handing your guest a water bottle but a pretty water pitcher and a piece of beautiful glassware add such a nice touch. Almost all my glassware is thrifted and I’m always on the lookout for beautiful pieces. And this is where you don’t need a whole set of matching glasses. Next time you’re thrifting, look for a few pieces for the guest room.

8. Stationary

I leave pens, pencils, paper, stationary and even stamps in my guest room. This comes in especially handy if your guest has trouble sleeping. Besides, writing hand-written notes is such a lost art! If you don’t have a desk in your guest room, consider thrifting one and repainting it. Most people travel with electronics and it’s nice to have a desk to work from. I’ve also been hoarding extra chargers to keep in my guest rooms, which has come in handy more than once already.

9. Books and Magazines

Decorating or art books, poetry, and books with essays are great to leave in your guest rooms. And I even change mine out depending on who’s gonna be staying with me. I try to think of who I’m entertaining and then put a few books and current magazines that match their interests. I just shop the house because heaven knows I have a book or two.

10. Snacks

I usually make sure there’s some good chocolate, mints, cough drops etc. I just keep a drawer full of goodies and stock up when the goodies are on sale.

And for my guest room fragrance (and the one I use in the workroom!), I use Archipelago’s Stonehenge diffuser. It’s divine!

Hope you enjoyed the list. Did I miss anything that you would add? I’ll tell you how I stock my guest bathroom tomorrow and if you were worried about the robe—it’s on tomorrows list!

And if your children just so happen to place a small lego man on the plate wall for fun, you should leave him. He can keep your guests company. Like a little guardian angel.