This post is sort of a re-post of  what I wrote during the Christmas holidays.  As I thought about Mother’s day and entertaining in general, I’ve decided to  post it again. Entertaining at home is what it is, entertaining at home. The same etiquette stands no matter what the occasion. So here it goes…

“Gee, this year the Butterfields and Hamburgs are coming. I must put my best foot forward. You know everyone will be talking about how lavishly I entertain my guest. Have to make a grand-slam first impression! Oh, I almost forgot; I must pick up those silver candlesticks at Bloomies while they’re on sale.”

Wow. What happened to the hospitality in entertaining? Here’s what I wrote on my fan page wall yesterday: (yesterday was actually back in December)

Don’t ‘dress to impress’ with your home’s decor this holiday season.That’s comparing your home with another; trying to measure up to or exceed. 2 Cor.10:12 admonishes that when we measure ourselves by another and compare with another, we are without understanding. Ouch!

I want to leave something with you that will have an indelible affect; Something that you can carry-over through the years and use over and over again. Many if not all of you will be celebrating Mother’s Day, during this season. You’ll be entertaining your friends and family in some format, whether at your abode or theirs. So along with that I thought it was appropriate to share with you my Kingdom blueprint for successful entertaining all the time with peace of mind, which is nothing short of good ole hospitality.

Friends and Family: You are Always Welcomed Here

I’m reminded of what Apostle Peter wrote:

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

1. Everyday Life at Home. Paul tells us in the book of Romans to practice hospitality. Generally, we take this as referring to guests in our home. But begin to practice hospitality at home by first living hospitably with your family. Do special things for them not only during holidays, but find ways to be a blessing any time.

2. Entertaining and Hospitality Home and home life is a gift from God. So there’s no need to become over-dramatic and stressed out thinking everything must be perfect before you practice hospitality. I used to feel this way. By the time my guest arrived, I was so tired and sometimes irritable from trying to have everything perfect that I couldn’t enjoy my guest. It is never about us or what we have, it’s about blessing others with what we are given to share.

3. Peace of Mind: Preparation. When I was growing up, my grandmother was always prepared for an impromptu meal because guest would drop by without calling. (That was the norm in the southern community where we lived). She always had a baked pie and/or cake in the refrigerator. She was prepared to share a meal with our unexpected guests. She would entertain her guest from a heart and love with hospitality. Staying prepared for an impromptu meal or an unexpected guest is simple. Keep simple things on hand like hard and soft cheese, crackers, fresh or frozen fruit, baby spinach, red peppers, green olives, nuts, a bag of linguine or noodles, etc. to prepare a quick and easy dish. Get the idea? Also, practice placing cloth napkins at the table setting even with a quick brunch or late lunch. This sends the message of hospitality to your family and guests that they are special. I prefer using cloth napkins over paper napkins because it practices Green Living and being a good steward of the Earth God designed for us.

4. Home Living: Be Creative Hospitality is also for you and your family, so live creatively at home with your beautiful things. My grandmother and mother would never use the good china and crystal-ware unless guest were coming. I admire them for the desire to share their cherished things with guest, but what they didn’t know is hospitality is the Kingdom way of home living. Use what you have in creative ways. Take a crystal glass and fill it with candy or mints. If you don’t have crystal, china or silver, there still are beautiful things you can pull out of your closet or pantry and use. A bowl or dish that you cherish can serve as a beautiful center piece filled with Christmas ornaments. After holidays are over, fill this same bowl with fruit, candles, nuts, potpourri, your favorite flowers or chocolate kisses.

Take the time to lovingly prepare for your guest, but seek to enjoy the relationship while communing and sharing together. Refresh your guest with yourself. Don’t allow what you don’t have to stop you from being hospitable and a blessing to family and guests. It is not about you, but those He places in your life that your hands can touch for Him. You never know when you may be entertaining angels unaware.

Sharing my passion,

Deana

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article in
 its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is a dynamic speaker, award winning author and a conscious home and

lifestyle expert who has been helping people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle, and approach life’s design in view of Spirit and family relations.She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,

Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

She has also appeared on HGTV and Fine Living.

It amazes me how the drama unfolds when I visit some kitchens. Oftentimes, there’s no rhyme or reason to how it functions. Today’s kitchens are generally the heart of the home. They can be simple and still pleasingly functional while environmentally friendly and large enough for cooking, eating, and entertaining. The kitchen can be masterfully planned and delightfully personalized. Efficiency and an open floor plan allows two cooks to share the work area, visit with company while they cook, and move in and out of the kitchen easily. So I want to share with you four quick ways to get the best mileage from your kitchen and love it.

1. All Aboard! Destination: Function

My main component of function is safety. A well-planned layout allows traffic to flow with ease and saves steps and time while cooking. Kitchens aisles should be at least 42 to 48 inches wide to allow people to move around easily and for appliances to open with ease.

• Think about who will do the cooking. How many cooks?
• Think about what you like to cook.
• Think about why you like to prepare it.
• Think about the importance of seeing and talking to your family while you’re cooking.

It is important to make this space comfortable as possible because it’s the hub of the home and a lot of time is spent there. This means the kitchen should be specific to your needs.

2. Next Stop: Practical Appliances

Look at the practical side when choosing appliances. If there are two cooks in the home, talk this over and be specific and explain why certain appliances appeal to you. Let’s talk about these choices.

• The Blanco sink with two bowls — one large, one small and a drain board. The smaller sink has a built-in colander that doubles as a flatware drainer, and the larger one has a knob that controls the stopper, allowing you to drain it without putting your arm in dirty dishwater.

• A functional cooking appliance: The Frigidaire Professional Series stainless steel 30″ Slide-in Dual-Fuel Range with 4 Sealed Burners & EvenCook3 Convection System Self-Cleaning Oven with Auto-Latch Safety Lock comes with an Easy Set 510 Electronic Oven Control with Keypad Entry and Integrated Warmer Drawer Control.

• The Fridge: Most people look at the larger, wider models but think about conserving the real estate in the space with an intelligent layout energy efficient design by B & O designer/artist David Lewis. The fresh food section is at eye level and the freezer is on the bottom. The condenser and cooling tubes are built into the walls of the unit, with the back sealed to keep dust out of working parts. This sealed design allows for quiet and ultra-efficient operation. With two efficient compressors you have control over the cooling of each compartment.

3. Necessity Lay-Over: Install Proper Lighting

Lighting should be adjustable and from multiple sources. Recess fixtures overhead, specific task lighting over the counters, sink, stove and islands plus additional lighting above and under cabinetry will illuminate shadowy areas while adding depth and drama.

4. Last Stop: Organized Storage

So you have lots of cabinet space huh. But this doesn’t necessarily solve your storage dilemma when you aren’t thinking “usage” or “comfort”. Yes the kitchen is a place where comfort and ease are paramount, which is none short of functional. Cooking essentials must be organized. Think in these terms:

• Keep it simple dishes with dishes; food with
food; utensils with utensils

• Keep it handy: house cooking equipment near the stove; dishes near the dishwasher; everyday uses within easy reach; less often uses in back shelves or top cabinets; aluminum foil, plastic wrap and bags beneath counter

• Keep it flexible: Roll-out shelves and bins; lazy-susans; pull-out appliance shelves and pantry units makes easy accessibility and keep countertops free for food prep

• Keep it neat: Tupperware and plastic containers are easily accessible and visibly organized when placed in a drawer

• Keep it a kitchen: Food, food-like stuff, utensils, and the like belongs in the kitchen. Cleaning supplies, tools, pet food, batteries and light bulbs do not.

• Keep it versatile: The pot rack floating from the ceiling over an island provides a lot of storage, does not block cross-views, and is an attractive accessory.

• Keep it real: Let go of what you haven’t used the past 12 months or so.

A fully serviceable kitchen should contain all the needed appliances together with plenty of organized storage and ample working surfaces, and must be none short of comfort and function for every member of the family.

I hope you were encouraged to get the best mileage from your kitchen. As always, thank you for stopping by and reading my posts.
I encourage your comments.

Sharing my passion,

Deana

© 2010 Deana Murphy • All Rights Reserved

Along with listing and writing Christmas cards is the list of guest we’re inviting over during the holidays. “Gee, this year the Butterfields and Hamburgs are coming. I must put my best foot forward. You know everyone will be talking about how lavishly I entertain my guest. Have to make a grand-slam first impression! Oh, I almost forgot; I must pick up those silver candlesticks at Bloomies while they’re on sale.”

Wow. What happened to the hospitality in entertaining? Here’s what I wrote on my fan page wall yesterday:

Don’t ‘dress to impress’ with your home’s decor this holiday season.That’s comparing your home with another; trying to measure up to or exceed. 2 Cor.10:12 admonishes that when we measure ourselves by another and compare with another, we are without understanding. Ouch!

I want to leave something with you that will have an indelible affect; Something that you can carry-over into 2010 use over and over again. Many if not all of you will be celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa during this season. You’ll be entertaining your friends and family in some format, whether at your abode or theirs. So along with that I thought it was appropriate to share with you my Kingdom blueprint for successful entertaining all the time with peace of mind, which is nothing short of good ole hospitality.

Friends and Family: You are Always Welcomed Here

I’m reminded of what Apostle Peter wrote:

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

1. Everyday Life at Home. Paul tells us in the book of Romans to practice hospitality. Generally, we take this as referring to guests in our home. But begin to practice hospitality at home by first living hospitably with your family. Do special things for them not only during Christmas or holidays, but find ways to be a blessing any time.

2. Entertaining and Hospitality Home and home life is a gift from God. So there’s no need to become over-dramatic and stressed out thinking everything must be perfect before you practice hospitality. I used to feel this way. By the time my guest arrived, I was so tired and sometimes irritable from trying to have everything perfect that I couldn’t enjoy my guest. It is never about us or what we have, it’s about blessing others with what we are given to share.

3. Peace of Mind: Preparation. When I was growing up, my grandmother was always prepared for an impromptu meal because guest would drop by without calling. (That was the norm in the southern community where we lived). She always had a baked pie and/or cake in the refrigerator. She was prepared to share a meal with our unexpected guests. She would entertain her guest from a heart and love with hospitality. Staying prepared for an impromptu meal or an unexpected guest is simple. Keep simple things on hand like hard and soft cheese, crackers, fresh or frozen fruit, baby spinach, red peppers, green olives, nuts, a bag of linguine or noodles, etc. to prepare a quick and easy dish. Get the idea? Also, practice placing cloth napkins at the table setting even with a quick brunch or late lunch. This sends the message of hospitality to your family and guests that they are special. I prefer using cloth napkins over paper napkins because it practices Green Living and being a good steward of the Earth God designed for us.

4. Home Living: Be Creative Hospitality is also for you and your family, so live creatively at home with your beautiful things. My grandmother and mother would never use the good china and crystal-ware unless guest were coming. I admire them for the desire to share their cherished things with guest, but what they didn’t know is hospitality is the Kingdom way of home living. Use what you have in creative ways. Take a crystal glass and fill it with candy or mints. If you don’t have crystal, china or silver, there still are beautiful things you can pull out of your closet or pantry and use. A bowl or dish that you cherish can serve as a beautiful center piece filled with Christmas ornaments. After holidays are over, fill this same bowl with fruit, candles, nuts, potpourri, your favorite flowers or chocolate kisses.

Take the time to lovingly prepare for your guest, but seek to enjoy the relationship while communing and sharing together. Refresh your guest with yourself. Don’t allow what you don’t have to stop you from being hospitable and a blessing to family and guests. It is not about you, but those He places in your life that your hands can touch for Him. You never know when you may be entertaining angels unaware.
Let’s talk.

Sharing my passion,
Deana