TATT Has Returned!

First of all, a happy, happy birthday to my mom! I won't say her age, but you may remember that last year, we surprised her with a party for her 80th birthday. If you can't do the math, I can't help you. (This is true for math in general, by the way.) Happy birthday, Mom! Sorry we didn't throw party, part B this year!

(Yes, we had 80 actual fires on that cake.)

If you've been hanging around the blog for a while, you might remember that last year, we started a new tradition called Tuesdays at the Table. Our intention was to stop using the words we need to get together sometime and actually get together. We started it in the fall and continued until about Memorial Day, but we gave ourselves a break for the summer. People are so busy during the summer anyway, we figured it would be hard to make plans.

Our hope for Tuesdays at the Table was that it would give us a chance to open our home, practice hospitality, bring friends together, and share a meal with them. No ulterior motives. We're not selling anything. We don't have hidden agendas. We just genuinely want to share the blessing of time and food with friends.

We really grew to love those Tuesday nights. It was fun to plan menus, spruce up the house, and welcome people in for a few hours. Nothing was ever fancy. I didn't pull out gourmet cookbooks and offer multi-course meals in plated perfection. Simple dinners, often served buffet style, and coffee on the couch when the meal ended.

We ended up hosting eleven families throughout that time (if I counted right) and we've picked it back up again for the fall. We had to move it to a different night, since we're teaching a Bible study on Tuesdays now, but thankfully there's another T-day in the week, so Thursdays at the Table commenced last night.

(Our guests weren't big picture people, so we don't have one of them to share, but I can share about the joy and the food!)

I was grateful to come home to this project after a chaotic morning of errands. Phoebe didn't understand all the fuss, but it was so nice to straighten the house, set the table, and create a meal with only her little feet pattering about the kitchen. Quiet home and quiet heart. 

I brought out the "guest book" to be signed...

...and kept watch over the food.

It was the perfect night for good, old-fashioned chili.

I threw in a few options in case a plain bowl of chili really was too boring for company:

I made the Dashing Dish cornbread, which I have found to be a very lovely recipe. (And I feel much better about my homemaking skills when I'm not serving boxed cornbread.)

Even though I don't ever want our guests to feel compelled to pitch in with the meal, this crew wanted to bring dessert and came bearing the most delicious peanut butter pie!

We sat around the table, with Phoebe curled up at my feet (hospitality is not her first gift, apparently) and talked over our meal. We wrapped up with pie and coffee and the evening came to an end.

We're excited for more chances to open our home. Let Thursdays at the Table begin!