We were out shopping for things on Friday night until very late (gotta love Ikea midnight madness), I was cleaning all day Saturday (well, Matt was golfing, but he did a lot when he got back), and we went grocery shopping at 9pm on Saturday night. We were up early on Sunday to finish cleaning, putting things together, cooking, organizing, etc. We were still running around a bit when family arrived, but luckily they all were nice enough to help out with a few things hear and there so we could play host and hostess too. We would have had more done if it hadn't been for finishing up those rooms, but it all worked out in the end anyway!
We had everyone over at noon, so they could travel home before the dinner hour and have Sunday night to themselves. I know that all I can think about is work the next day if I am out for dinner on Sunday or travelling around. I like the regroup and relax before the night is over so I'm ready for the work week ahead. Everyone got the tour of the new house, with lots of "oooohs" and "ahhhhs" and general congratulations which was nice. We worked really hard and were definitely showing off our work! We served some appetizers and drinks (I even made real iced tea!), and everyone sat outside in the backyard. We have two bistro tables (one from my parents' house that matches our own), plus we brought out the 4 dining room chairs, and Matt's parents brought some folding chairs as well. I bought some decorative pillows for outside, and left the food mainly inside because of all the bugs and nature that generally exists outside in our neighbourhood.
One thing I'm glad we did was have disposable plates and utensils. I know - not great for the environment, but it really saved us a lot of work. I probably still spent half the time washing dishes, because we don't have a lot of counter space! If we had a giant kitchen, we could just leave everything until the end, but we don't, so I had to wash and dry and put everything away as it was used. I used a lot of serving trays - thank goodness for wedding gifts is all I can say. I NEVER thought I would use them all! Again, all the family helped out so we still got to see everyone and catch up.
Matt made homemade burgers from a Men's Health recipe which were raved over, so I'll post a link to it when I find it.
We also had some salads, grilled veggies, sausages, and desserts. Jessica made a cake called "Triple Ripple" which was incredible - definitely Google the recipe - so good.
We got presents too - it feels like we're getting married all over again! We got a grilling rack for veggies for the BBQ, a juicer, some incredible fresh pasta and sauce, and other wonderful house things - not expected, not necessary, but greatly appreciated! All in all a great afternoon, and we still had the evening to recover, tidy up, and relax! Perhaps it will be an annual tradition?
The look confused...
BTW - this picture made me think "wow, I really need to hit the gym"
PS - look at Meg's expression - LOL - priceless