7/6/08

Don't Forget the Men! (July 4th Party)

Stop!

Hold it right there!
I’m saying.

We need to include the men in this picture!

Last night as we were taking our traditional picture of the female cooks at our 4th of July party – truth became known.

Not all the women in the picture had really done the “cooking” that night – how could we forget the men?

So the men who contributed to the meal also jumped into the shoot. Can you tell we had some fun?


Honestly, I love how our friends mix and match their cooking. You never know when guest show up if their contribution is cooked by “him” or “her.”

I must say we do have some exceptional male cooks in our group of friends. None of them are shy with their culinary skills. In fact most of them, when going to their homes for dinner, make you feel like you’re in a restaurant!

I think sometimes we isolate hospitality and entertaining to make it more of an “art” for the women. Or when we think about what the man contributes, one word comes to mind: BBQ.


I loved the mix of our group last night. We had some new families and some old. We set our tables using garage sale tables & chairs, Dollar Store tablecloths and plates, and delegated garden flower arrangements. We played lively music, and even when our teenage son asked if he could play “his” CD (that could be scary!), we said “sure!” We entertained almost 40 people, and realistically - we had room for more!


We watched the kids swim and play badminton; we ate burgers (beef, turkey and salmon – take your pick!) and Polish dogs – and a beautiful array of mouth-watering salads.


Topping it off with homemade ice cream and Texas Sheet cake (a true crowd pleaser that feeds just that – a crowd!) we snuggled outside on the patio for hours and laughed and enjoyed our friendships, while the little kids ran around with sparklers, sparkling our view.

Yes, our 4th of July dinner party had CELEBRATION written all over it.

Thank you ladies for the wonderful food!

Oh, and we can’t forget the men!

16 comments:

Jen said...

I wish I lived close to you....we would have so much fun. I so hope you are doing well...this party seemed wonderful.

Anonymous said...

it looks like you had a wonderful time, and the flowers are gorgeous, more great ideas, thanks

well I entertained this weekend thanks to your blog, it was great, I was apprehensive beforehand, the perfectionist did loom, but once they were here it was fun and I thought about giving the gift of hospitality which really is what it's all about oh and I enjoyed the the table decorating, something I've missed

thanks for the inspiration..Im going to blog about it today

Sarah

Anonymous said...

Oh! I saw those star plates at our dollar store! I almost got them too... but I thought my husband would think I was crazy for coming back with all the different finds! Ha. Too fun. I did decide to get some sassy coasters that I can re-purpose... check it out on my blog! :) Take care... love reading your blog... inspired me for my Fourth with my family!

Tammy said...

What a fabulous 4th of July celebration!

I think since you said you had room for more, my family and I should have popped right over! LOL Well, we DO live in the same state...just a bit of a drive, though! ;)

I love how you mentioned that the table settings and furniture is not expensive, encouraging all of us who stick to a budget that entertaining need not cost a fortune but can still look nice!

Blessings,
~Tammy

Nadine said...

That's great. You can't forget the men.

I know that my hubby loves to cook. On the 4th after the fireworks at the park across the street from our home, he whipped up some pasta and chicken for about 15 drop in guests - all on the fly. It was a great time.

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

That sounds so fun. I wish we could entertain outside like that. My husband just finished a beautiful deck out front but this time of year the mosquitos eat you alive. So I guess we'll have to wait until Decemberish!
Blessings,
Kim

Anonymous said...

I really looks and sounds like you had lots of fun. So great to hear the men contributing to the food! Love the flowers too.

Happy belated 4th of July.

Anonymous said...

The men do contribute so much more than we give them credit for! It sounds like a fabulous party where everyone got involved and had a wonderful time. And thank you for reminding us not to forget those guys!

david santos said...

Hi, Sandy!
Good posting. Good persons. Good food and nice colors.
Have a nice week.

Wendy said...

Looks like a great weekend!

GiBee said...

Your party looks beautiful. We had one too, but... it poured and poured and POURED.

My poor husband was a drowned rat by the time he got all the grilling done!!

Elizabeth said...

The food makes me really hungry!

I was looking over your group and realized that everyone was so nicely dressed. As far as I could see, there were no sloppy jeans and T-shirts on the women. Everyone took care about their appearance. I wish more people would do that.

Stop by my new blog sometime:
homemusings.blogspot.com

Take care
Elizabeth

Mrs. Darling said...

Yummy ! It all looks fabulous!

ellen b. said...

Fabulous! My kind of fun party! I'm enjoying being in your neck of the woods right now (Seattle area)Well it's kinda in your neck of the woods :0)
blessings....

Holly said...

Oh Honey, While I do appreciate all of your party plans... I can't help but LOVE the outfit you have on! Entertaining in a white skirt... gracious and brave! ;-) You guys make for a handsome group! Looks like you had loads of fun.

Donnetta said...

My husband is becoming more and more involved in the planning and prep... and I LOVE it! :-) It's so nice to have the sense that we are doing this together!