Delicious

Last night we had neighbors over for dinner. They are such nice people, and it is a joy to have people like that in our home. Of course, we didn't know in very much detail what they were like until we had them over. I am so grateful that we did.

I get really nervous having people over. I stress about all the details that someone could judge me on. I take a close look at every place I haven't been able to get a stain out of grout or give something a new coat of paint or sew on the pillow cover straight. In fact, I obsess over these things before I do the basics: put on a tablecloth, sweep and mop the floors, wipe down the bathroom, air the house. If I can say one thing I'm proud of this time around, I did make the food before obsessing about the things I couldn't change in time. I also did the basics halfway through the obsessing instead of half an hour before company was scheduled to arrive.

Still need to work on being patient with the kids and husband while preparing for guests. If my kids aren't sitting perfectly still, they are most likely messing up something. But really: do I want them to sit perfectly still all day while I clean around them? That does not sound healthy.

I am proud of my family for being so welcoming. They are always happy to say hello and invite people into our home. Xander had a great time playing with his former classmate. Nick giggled after he got a chance to tickle the baby's feet. Erik is good at doing things guests will enjoy because he sees the big picture instead of the stain in the grout. They set up such a nice atmosphere.

Today's plan is to get Xander going on his Grace Week list (yesterday, he told Erik that "I was able to get quite a few of the things done already," which is true) and then take them to the library for preschool story time. I am going to be slowly but steadily but calmly working on tasks around the house.

One of the women who watches the siblings in the preschool playroom while the preschoolers are in "school" mentioned that Xander was so smart and imaginative. She recommended that I check to see if he could test for and take advantage of any of the district's gifted program. He does have a magnificent imagination. He also has a large vocabulary. He uses multi-syllable words, the kind you don't usually expect to hear out of a six-year-old's mouth, and he uses them correctly. He doesn't know he's doing anything unusual. Nick is coming along in the same way. He hears these words from his parents but also from his older brother. For him, foods are "delicious," not "yummy." Not that there's anything wrong with using the word yummy. I like to have words of many lengths and levels of formality at my disposal. :)

Here are some pictures of our simple fall decor. When I start to decorate, simpler is better, believe me.

our Thankful Tree; on it we hang construction paper leaves where we've written something we're thankful for