The Day After the Party

I have a stack of questions that need answering, some pressing, but I don't feel like answering any of them. I've got that "day after the party feeling". You see a few days ago I had a luncheon with important guests. I had to not only prepare the food and table, but also have my entire house presentable. All the preparations, cleaning, flower arranging, shopping, ironing, and baking kept me busy and motivated for days.

The lunch went well, I'd call it a success. But now, I have no motivation. Why should I make my bed and clean up the toys? No one is going to see it. What's the point in having my summer drapes freshly hung if no one stopping by will notice? I don't need to be shopping for new summer table linens, again, who will be there to appreciate them? There are no menus to plan and baking is definitely out of the question. (diet.) If happiness is having something to look forward to, than that explains it all. In short, the day after the party feeling is a case of the blahs.

In an effort to cheer myself up a little bit, here are a few pictures from the lunch party. Note: they are not the best pictures. When you are the (hurried) host and your husband has (kindly) taken the boys to the beach, that leaves little time to pause and take photos.

The Table.

A place setting. My silver pattern is "Melrose", in case you want to buy me a shiny present.

The important guests. In order of importance, (kidding, clockwise): cousin Becky, my Grandma that you've all heard about, Aunt Bethanne, Aunt Gayle, friend Jan, and my Mom, Judy-tunes.

Here's the great and scary thing about my Grandma E.-she notices everything. She takes in and notes every detail of your house, appearance, food, you name it. She has what we in the biz call "a good eye". This might make you nervous, thinking that she's re-hanging your drapes in her head or questioning your choice of artwork. And if it needs improving, she probably is thinking it. She's usually right and she freely shares her opinions. What's so great about this is that none of your efforts are wasted. And just like the praise from a critic, it means so much more. This also gets most of us scurrying before her arrival. For example, my cousin frantically bought new furniture in anticipation. I like that kind of pressure, it gets me moving. Maybe she's softening with age, but pretty much everything she has to say is flattering. Also, it's not like the rest of you will notice that I polished the butter dish before placing it on the table.


It wasn't till we were half-way through dessert that someone said "we should take a picture of this" and I slapped myself because it was an attractive menu. Here's what I served and try to act surprised if I have you over for lunch and serve the same to you in the near future, should you be so lucky:

Chilled Watermelon and Ginger Soup
Salmon Salad Nicoise, with lime-aide and bread
Pavlova with fresh berries and flowers

Don't you like how I balanced feminine and masculine with this arrangement? Kidding. I can't tell you how much I love these flowers. Besides the lavender horn that I knew I should have pulled out but couldn't make myself do, this is one of my all-time flower arrangements. It's even better in person because the hydrangeas were more blue than purple and the smell. Oh the smell. The flowers came almost entirely from my friend Audrey's garden. She came to my rescue at just the right moment.

This post did cheer me up a little bit. Just so you know, this happens after most parties are over and cherished guests leave. The feeling of being lost afterwards, what now? I'll make do by throwing a few small lunches this summer. They will be more practical, my guests won't comment much or discuss dish patterns with me, and they certainly won't return the favor and have me over to lunch later, but I'll enjoy it.