i got it from my mama.
no, not my bootie (although thank you for that too mom), but my love of hosting.just let me show you all what my parents house looked like when Mister Man and i arrived to dog- and house-sit during this thanksgiving week:
fresh flowers in every room. INCLUDING THE BATHROOM. my mom is the barefoot contessa's biggest competition. if anyone wants to get her a cooking/entertaining/hosting show, the angle could be, "mother of five who never ages does it better than the barefoot contessa". i can firm up the pitch if you want, but i think that's enough to sell it, don't you? (if any of you reading are food network producers, you can find my contact info here.)
there is nothing like walking into a clean, homey house, with your puppy waiting for you to make you feel better about your first thanksgiving in cold minnesota weather without your family. it turns your whole perspective around, i tell you.this is my goal as a human being: to make people feel at home when they come to mine; to have people associate warmth and welcoming with me and my family. i'm only about 1/8th of the way there in my opinion...i am definitely not up to my mom's level when it comes to this stuff. i mean, good Lord, it's all i can do to do the laundry and stop at trader joe's for cheese and crackers when people are coming over, nevermind cleaning the whole house and leaving fresh flowers before the housesitters come over! mom and the barefoot contessa are still just idols to be admired for me.
but i will get there someday. because i got it from my mama hools, which means that perfect host is inside me somewhere, just waiting to be let out. and you can all hold me to that. because i'll be taking photos the whole time, of the failures and successes.now if you'll excuse me, i'm off to plan our first dinner party. i've got the itch!
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