I forgot the ice cream and my house wasn't perfectly clean and that's just really okay.

This has been one of the best weekends I can remember having in a long time.

It seems as the years go on I get more and more comfortable with entertaining.  It's gone from Josh inviting people to our home so I would have to clean it, to me inviting people over but panicking that I wouldn't make the right food or something would go wrong, to me inviting people over and fussing over everything and never allowing anyone to help, to this weekend:

Saturday I had a certain someone's fourth birthday party to get ready for.  Her party was at three.  I rode my bike with friends from 8 until noon, came home, decided it was a good a time as any to make the cupcakes and set out the paper plates, napkins, etc.

Amber showed up early (of course) and she helped me frost the cupcakes.  10 minutes til party time and I realize I don't have candles or ice cream.  Um.  Oops?

We run to the store.  And when we get back to my house everyone had beat us there.  Seven of the eight children and the men were outside at our redneck swingset and soon the 23 of us packed into the living room, singing to a sweet birthday girl.  My sister and Amber dished ice cream and cupcakes.  I mingled.  Made sure everyone was happy.  Enjoyed family.  Friends.

Instead of wanting to open gifts Spice asked to go back outside to play. This is where if I hadn't carried her for nine months and birthed her I'd wonder if she was mine, because hello, birthday = presents.  NOW.

Everyone headed outside where children were pushed ridiculously high on the swing, adults and children raced from one end of the pasture and back, while others played in a freezer box.  It's always the box that's the hit at a party, is it not?

Birthday girl decided it was time for presents and we all headed back in.

Half our guests left around 5 but my sister, BIL, niece, nephew, Trevor, his fabulous wife, Megan, and their boys and Amber and her girls stuck around.  I pulled meatballs out of the freezer earlier in the afternoon in case anyone wanted to stay for dinner.

So, we all worked in the kitchen together getting things prepped.  Josh entertained kids, Trevor made drinks and then he and I peeled potatoes, my sister and Amber and I got meatballs going, Trevor cut up the potatoes for the stove, Megan poured everyone an amazing wine, Amber's girls set the table and we laughed and sang and danced.

And enjoyed the company of friends.

I loved having everyone close by.  Either sitting at the bar and talking or squeezing by one another in the kitchen.  It didn't bother me that I hadn't done all the work ahead of time.  And I realized my friends were enjoying themselves by getting to be a part of dinner making.

This morning I saw Josh's brother and sister-in-law at the gas station after church.  They live about an hour away.  We said goodbye and then I realized, heck, why not invite them over for lunch?!  I told them I was making a new recipe but they were more than welcome to come over to my still messy from yesterday's events home and be my guinea pigs.  And so they did.  And my kitchen was messy from yesterday, my living room too.  I just didn't care.  I just wanted them there.  I just wanted to make them lunch and have fun.

It's taken a whole lotta years for me to realize that having company over doesn't have to be a stressful time, I don't have to do all the work myself, my house does not have to be in tip top shape (heck, I still have a billion areas of my house that are just drywall without mud, tape or paint) and I don't have to remember every last detail.  It's about the food, the laughter and most importantly, the togetherness.

All of that to say, don't wait until you feel like you have the perfect house, the perfect menu, the perfect set up for company.  Your friends, your family - they don't care about that.  They just enjoy being invited over.  They enjoy food.

They enjoy you.

Relax, and enjoy them.