Pondering Again

So I'm continuing to ponder the issues surrounding being a hostess and a guest. So now I'm browsing etiquette pages to try and find answers. Hmmm. Last night I was a dinner guest at the home of people I didn't know personally, only through others. I was nervous and uncomfortable to start but meeting the hosts helped, and of course time. When I left I had questions circling my brain again & again like airplanes waiting to land in the fog. Did I thank them for the invitation? Did I complement the cook? Several people offered to hold the baby - did I accept their offer graciously or did I come across as an overprotective mom who won't let anyone hold the baby? (Although I did let several people help.) One thing I know I want to train my children is to properly RSVP. Right now I try to respond the day I get an invitation or, if I truly don't know, set a reminder in Outlook for a week before the date. Since I started setting reminders I haven't forgotten to call. So something works.
Hmmmm. Pondering, pondering. I'm throwing a party later this week & I'm already nervous about being the hostess again. I have a to-do list and a to-buy list and I hope I don't forget something. Cake, citronella candles just in case it's nice, card/gift, drinks, utensils, atmosphere, clean the house, etc. It's the etc. that is bothering me. Last minute things will happen and are unavoidable. But I like to try!
This one was fun: http://www.etiquettehell.com/

New Pictures

Here's a little project for Renne' and Malinda: whose feet are who's?










Just trying out the picture function...

Here's a clue: Amanda, Nancy, Jenny, Nichole, Fara, Meridee, Kwi Hyung, Patty & Kim are your options

Non-Dairy main dishes

Since having Nina, I have been on a non-dairy diet. It's healthier for me (I have a milk sensitivity anyway) and she is less fussy. But it's been really hard to give up a lot of the main dishes I used to make. Many of them were a white sauce or called for a cream of ** soup. So, as a reminder to myself that there are other dishes out there, here they are...

Burritos or Tacos (build your own, so cheese is optional)
Pork fried rice/Chicken fried rice
Tuna sandwiches
Teriyaki chicken & rice
Sweet & Sour anything & rice
Spaghetti
Pancakes/Waffles
Omelettes (again, they're individual so those who want cheese can have it)
Chicken Italian Wrap (chicken caesar salad with a twist)
Barbecued chicken with rice pilaf
Oven-fried or baked chicken with baked potatoes
Chicken Kiev also with baked or mashed potatoes

I'm kind of out of ideas right now. Most recipes I usually like for the crock pot have cream cheese or milk. My husband's favorite is a simple hamburger casserole with cream of mushroom soup & tater tots. Oh well, no can do. Pizza, our absolute favorite, is also just about impossible to do without cheese. If anyone has some good ones, I'd love to hear it.

Houseguests

I've had a string of houseguests for the last two months. Some were relatives, some were friends. Some were a joy to have and hardly any work at all. Others were, hmmm how to say this nicely, a drain to me and my husband and it was work to "entertain" them all the time.
Let me skip to two recent guests, I'll call them A & B. Both are very old friends, both are fairly close. A asks if they can do anything before they do it and then washes the dishes right after they make anything. B does nothing until we ask if they want something and then gets waited on. B will "hang out with us" in the living room until we go to bed. A will go to bed at their usual bed time or even sense that we're tired and just go. B doesn't say "please" or "thank you", apparently thinking that the initial "thank you for letting me stay here" does it for several days. A says "please", "would you mind if", and "thank you" for almost everything they do. It almost gets annoying but it is nice that they notice the extra lengths that we are going to for them. Both are familiar, but I enjoy A's familiarity and I feel taken advantage of with B. While I can't do anything right now it brings up questions for me to answer. What kind of guest am I? Do I come across needy, haughty, ungrateful and inappropriately familiar? Or do I enjoy the benefits of familiarity while expressing gratefulness in both word and deed? Is there an inbetween or is A the perfect houseguest? Some of it is definitely personality and I don't think I can completely copy A's manner of making themselves at home and still communicating gratefulness all the time. But B just drives me crazy. By the second night I almost couldn't speak to them because I was so tired (of their company, from my day, of entertaining...) I'd like to put a few questions out there, maybe someone else has a suggestion or maybe I'll discover the answer.
1) what is too familiar?
2) how often should one express gratitude?
3) can I tell a guest that they have worn out their welcome?
4) is it okay to do dishes at someone else's house?
5) what am I teaching my kids, or what WILL I teach my kids?
6) do I have to confront B & tell them (next time) why I don't want to host them? Or can I get away with a "it just doesn't work for us right now" cop out?
Just venting and working it all out as usual....

Welcome

Welcome, welcome to the very first post at Niks Piks. I really don't know yet what this blog will become. One idea is for this to become my idea spot, a place to share ideas for becoming a better wife and mother. Cooking, sewing, cleaning, childcare philosophies or much more? Another idea is for this to be the beginning place to launch Niks Piks, an online gallery of my very best digital photography and images. Who knows? Right now I just have to get more comfortable with this format. Thanks for visiting!