10.07.2010

Dinner that was a party.

Tonight was a first at our house.  We had a dinner party, and it was so much fun.  If I do say so myself- it was a success. 
I am sure you are all wondering what we ate (since my cooking skills are seriously lacking).  We had pulled pork sandwiches (which consists of putting a hunk of meat in a crock pot with some spices and adding BBQ sauce right before it is served).  We served it on rolls, with coleslaw.  So Yummy.   Then, the secret to a great dinner party, we had everyone bring a dish.  How perfect is that?  It was a great group, and we would be happy to have another dinner party sometime soon.


I even decorated the table.
Those little paper boxes are filled with M&M's.  Cute idea, right?



 Since I was already taking pictures, I thought I would throw in our other decorations.  During the time I was taking these pictures, Thomas was making mischief.

   

















Aren't the sparkly pumpkins adorable?


You see, Thomas knew about the M&M's.  He had his eyes on the prize, and was waiting for the right opportunity.  He certainly found it.
Right after I took these pictures, he took his M&M hands and grabbed the white table cloth.  I was really frustrated, and almost cried.  Our guests were arriving in about a half an hour.  I called Ben, and he was trying to be as nice as could be and asked if I had time to wash the table cloth, but I did not.  Instead, I just put the hand print at Ben's place.  It worked.

Since I am now an expert, here is my advise for a successful dinner party:
  1. Use a crock pot.  It is really hard to mess up.
  2. Have everyone bring a dish.
  3. Schedule a cleaning lady to come the day of the party so when people want to see your house, it is not embarrassing.  Maybe the day after too, but I didn't think of that.
  4. DO NOT let your one year old chocolate lover know that there are M&M's on the table.  He will stop at nothing to get them.
  5. If your one year old happens to get said M&M's, DO NOT reuse them. 
  6. Enjoy the company and the conversation.
Happy Fall!


P.S. For those of you wondering, I really do like to cook, but when things don't turn out it makes me frustrated.  When it does work out, I hold onto it forever, and it brings me joy.  I usually need simple instructions, preferably with pictures.

11 comments:

A Daring Adventure said...

Oh, congratulations!!!!! Congratulations on your first dinner party!

I hear you about wanting to cry over the table cloth fiasco. I would have been beside myself. But the second I saw that picture, I thought to myself- "Just LOOK at those adorable little legs!" I mean, seriously. His little baby legs are the cutest things!

I have never made bbq in a crock pot. Can't even imagine how one would go about such a thing! Way to go, you!

Bfiles said...

good for you! It's such a good feeling when you pull off a great get-together.
And Thomas, oh, man. I can totally imagine your reaction after you fixed the table so beautifully. But ADA is so right, he is so cute!

Daniela Swider said...

Yey, you did a great job (even with the little tablecloth mishap). The table looks gorgeous and I bet the pulled pork was delicious. I am going to have to try making that in a crock pot. Thanks for the idea!

Lisa said...

The table was beautiful! I'm glad your dinner party was a success. You know you're a great mom when you can roll with the chocolate handprints and spilled M&Ms to pull off a wonderful evening.

I'll Take Mine... said...

You're table looks so nice. I'm glad you had a party, and that it went so well.
Sorry about the little hands... glad all went ok though. Good ole Dad gets the chocolate handprint - love it!

Regarding your comment on my blog: That's funny that you spent time in Rochester and Buffalo. You TOTALLY get it. Grey and snowy. ugh.

Jen said...

Love the decorations and the handprint idea was great!

Just US said...

You did a great job decorating for the party!! It looks so festive and fun!! Glad to hear things turned out great even after Thomas ate the M&M's! At my house it would not have been the 1 year old causing the disaster but the other 4 siblings! :)

Janalu said...

Wow wow wow! It looks great. You really channeled your Martha Stewart! Way to keep your composer during the m&m fiasco. Very professional!

Tracy said...

Have you ever checked out Pioneer Woman's blog? She posts a lot of recipes and gives step by step instructions with pictures. I love it because you pretty much can't mess it up since you know exactly how it should look while you are making it. Here is the link to her recipe blog: http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/

Jessica said...

Looks like fun! And I like the sparkly pumpkins. I used to invite people over for dinner more but it has been too much of a stress for awhile. So instead, I am willing to invite over for games and dessert. Less pressure on me.

Jill said...

hooray hooray for a lovely looking dinner party. so glad you had so much fun!

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