Guest post: How to host a big family gathering

Today I'm featuring a guest post from reader Arianna. She's sharing some tips for hosting a big gathering, inspired by watching her sister seamlessly host their extended family. I thought it might be useful for some of you with Easter coming up. Hope you enjoy it!

It’s rare to get the majority of my family in one place. A few months ago, my sister hosted a huge family get-together.  Normally I get nervous planning for such a large crowd, but my sister made it look easy. I made sure to take notes on how she made it work so well. Here’s what I learned!


“X” marks the … cup?
You know the scenario – it’s a dinner party, there are a lot of people, and there are a lot of different cups floating around the room. This results in three things: people not knowing where their glass is, people pouring multiple drinks for themselves (dirtying more cups), or accidentally drinking someone else’s drink! My sister found the perfect solution with this cute DIY project with chalkboard paper to label disposable cups. Her guests could easily locate their drinks and cleaning up was a breeze!

Do it buffet-style
Normally I set the dining room table for when company comes over, but I loved that my sister set up a buffet! It got rid of the hassle of setting the table and the juggling act of passing around heavy dishes. She broke up the longest counter in her kitchen into mini “stations,” with the buffet organized by appetizers, sides, meats, and desserts. We could choose what we did and didn’t want, and customize our portion sizes.

Fine-tuning the timing
My sister didn’t want to still be in the kitchen when her guests were arriving, so she prepped the appetizers and desserts the night before, while the main dish was simply “heat and eat.” She laid out what could be served at room temperature and warmed up the other things while she got ready. When guests arrived, she was ready to mingle!


The Best Tip of All
Enjoy your family! Remember that it’s rare to have everyone in the same space for a weekend, so don’t get stuck in the kitchen. Instead, make sure you have time to focus on making memories!

Arianna is a full-time mom and a fashion-lover, world traveler, animal lover, and family woman extraordinaire. She loves to cook and bake, travel to new places, share great fashion finds, and spend time doing crafts and projects at home with her kids. She’s got a crazy busy life, but she wouldn’t have it any other way! Follow her blog at http://ariannaknowsbest.blogspot.com/ !

St. Patrick's Day party

What with the whole me-being-eight-months-pregnant thing, we decided to keep things pretty low-key for the First Annual Barber Family St. Paddy's Day Party. Our friends said they were bringing desserts and booze so we decided to only provide "real food" instead of the excess of sweets I normally make for parties. Frank made delicious ham and cabbage, and I copped this "fruit rainbow" idea from Pinterest.

I learned how to cut a whole pineapple and cantaloupe melon for the first time, and added a vanilla yogurt "cloud" on one end and a "pot of gold" on the other. It was my masterpiece. :) I also wildly overestimated how much fruit we would need. Frank and I will be eating fruit salad and smoothies for the next week!

The real highlight was a gift from our friend John. He is a master beer brewer—like, the man teaches classes at breweries—so he and his wife Anna brought a keg of their home-brewed Irish stout and homemade Irish cream. They were a huge hit!

Giedre, Theresa and I decided we needed a picture together... which turned into an impromtu goofy photo shot.

Despite our St. Patrick's Day pride, none of us three are Irish!

I turned around to see Frank doing what he does best, deep in a discussion of Irish history. I snapped a phone photo to remember it. He was having so much fun.

This picture makes me so happy, blurry as it is. I remember how I felt when I first found out we would be moving to this little apartment. Although I tried to put a brave face on it, I was dismayed to be moving somewhere so tiny and so far away from the "cool" parts of Chicago. I derisively called the apartment "the mouse house" because it was so small. I was sure that I would never like living there, and I looked forward to finding a bigger place and moving out.

Now fast forward 10 months later. Frank and I have spent hours and hours decorating our place "just so" and customizing it to fit perfectly with our needs. We go in for ambiance in a big way and fill the place with candles and mood lighting. Our home is still tiny, but instead of being cramped like I feared, it feels like a perfectly curated little "jewel box" with everything arranged just the way we want it. Best of all, our friends come to us from all over the city, and we never need to worry about not living as close to them as we would like. I have grown to love the little "mouse house" and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Frank and I decided that this was our best-planned party ever, small and simple as it was. We had a super easy time with clean-up and had the whole apartment ship-shape less than an hour after our last guests left. I'm so glad I married a man who loves having people over as much as I do!

And now one last thing. Frank and I found an Irish Shop down the street from our birth class, and last week he insisted we get there early so we could spend time browsing the shop before class. We found something there that we both agreed I absolutely had to have...

It says, "Pray for me... I'm married to an Irishman." Too great.

Frank's Goodbye Party

Wow—thank you, dear readers, for all your kind comments on my last post. Every bit of advice and encouragement was so helpful. It made me feel a lot better about this somewhat scary move!

I threw a little goodbye party for Frank on Saturday night before he moves this weekend. Nothing fancy—just a few close friends, lots of food and drinks, and some Chicago-themed decoration.

I themed the party "Hello Chicago!" because Frank and I refuse to say goodbye to all of our friends here in the District. Instead, we want them to come visit us in our new Windy City home!

I told our friends at the party, "Frank and I have committed as a couple to only buying couches that are pull-out beds, because we want to be able to host visitors all the time!" That got a good laugh, but I wasn't even kidding. :)

My friend Helen kindly made this banner—I don't know if you can tell, but it says, "Hello Chicago." Thank you to Ruffled Blog for the gorgeous printable!

Most of our friends were able to make it out for the party. We hadn't seen many of them in a long time, what with the holidays and Frank's schedule during finals. We were overjoyed to catch up with everyone. I especially liked making connections between friends who hadn't met before—pretty much my favorite pastime.

One of Frank's sweet friends from the law school brought the most amazing mini cupcakes. We still have some left over and I'm slightly addicted. My only regret from the party was that I didn't get to spend enough time talking with her and Frank's other law school friends who I don't know very well. Frank suggested I get together with them on my own after he leaves. Hmm... should I brave it or not?

I think Frank's goodbye party might have been my favorite I've ever thrown (and that's saying something, because I love every party I've ever thrown). We kept it small and only invited people who have had a big impact on Frank's time in DC. I also kept the food super simple (pre-made appetizers from Trader Joe's) and relied on friends to make the decorations, which reduced my stress in planning. It really was a perfect night. Best of all, Frank said he loved it and had a great time. That's what matters most of all.

Now I need to figure out a way to survive the next few months without Frank around. As sad as I know I'm going to be, there is a silver lining: something tells me sleepovers with my girl friends are going to become a lot more frequent. I'm definitely looking forward to that. :)


Yesterday was the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and we sang Christmas carols at Mass, so it's not too late to have Christmas decorations up (says my procrastinating side)! If you've posted about yours, please feel free to link to it here... and no, I still haven't taken my Christmas tree down. ;)

My Favorite Kind of Party

When I first moved to DC, I used to throw lots of parties -- and BIG parties too, inviting everyone I knew.

But that changed when I started dating Frank. Now my parties are few and far between.

My friends tease me about it. On Saturday Lee said, "It's been noted that you threw tons of parties when you first moved to DC, and now that you're engaged you've stopped."

I had to laugh because it's kind of true. Last year I was new to the city and I wanted to make friends (and, yes, meet a boyfriend). Now I have lots of friends, and I have a fiancé. I don't feel the need to throw big getting-to-know-you parties anymore.

But I'm still a bit of a social butterfly (Frank would say "extremely extroverted") and I love seeing my friends. So what do I do instead?

Throw small, intimate, and very laid-back celebrations for just a handful of people at a time. It's perfect! I can relax, take it easy as a hostess, and really spend time talking with every guest.

On Saturday night, I threw a "s'mores party" for about 10 friends. 

First, I bought lots of s'mores-making supplies.

I live for store-brand groceries

I tidied the living room and pulled out some board games, just in case we needed something to get the evening started.

And I took a picture because I loved the way it looked. Don't Christmas lights give such a warm, homey glow?

Then I asked Frank if he could build the bonfire, and I sent out an email inviting a few friends ... and that was it!

On Saturday night, we gathered around the fire pit on chairs and blankets. My girl friends brought cookies and snacks to supplement the s'mores, and my guy friends brought beer.

We were blessed with perfect weather -- it was so warm I didn't even need a coat!

Everyone roasted marshmallows and had a s'more (or three).

We talked and told stories for hours and hours. The conversation flowed so easily -- we didn't even need to pull out the board games. :)

Frank had a final on Saturday afternoon, so I think he especially liked the chance to do something more laid-back.

Law school finals are just the worst. Poor Frank has been a hermit for weeks because of all the studying he has to do. I'm so glad he only has to take finals one more time after this semester!

Lee and Conor had no interest in posing for a picture, but they kept us laughing all night -- the perfect comic relief.

Finally someone noticed that it was almost 1:00 in the morning. Whoops! Time flew. The party moved inside, and the girls left, but the guys stayed til 3:00 a.m. They ostensibly wanted to talk over some matters of the heart with a girl, but I think they really just wanted to hang out a little longer in a warm, happy, nicely-decorated home.

There is just something about sitting around a bonfire - you know the feeling? It makes me feel happy and relaxed and peaceful.

Saturday night was just the kind of party I like - a handful of close friends; easy set-up and clean-up; and time to relax, unwind, and really enjoy spending time together. What could be better?

I hope you had a great weekend too!

My Oktoberfest Housewarming Party!

Ever since getting settled in, I had been dying for an opportunity to have a great big party in my new house (you know how much I adore throwing parties).

Especially after Frank and I finished decorating the house with pumpkins and mums, I was looking for a chance to throw a fall-themed bash. I started planning it a full month in advance, and everything finally came together on Friday night.

We combined the party with a fundraiser for a DC charitable organization - you can see the poster and basket for donations on the left, next to the desserts table.

First... let me walk you through the food. I had so much fun getting everything ready - I was baking up a storm all week.

I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...

The most amazing homemade oreos (these were so much fun to make! Now I'm a little obsessed and I can't wait to try making homemade versions of all my favorite foods).

And finally, the piece de resistance. I wanted to make something extra special for all my gluten-free friends, so I combined this delicious recipe for Symphony bar brownies with gluten-free brownie mix...

They came out amazing. I can't even tell you how fast they flew off the plate.

Frank bought a beautiful big fire pit for the backyard (but first he asked, "Would you sit in the back yard this fall with me around it?") and he used it to grill burgers, bratwurst, kielbasa and chorizo. We also had oceans of Oktoberfest beer, pumpkin ale, and hard cider.

I had decided early on that the party would be based around three main principles: meat, desserts, and alcohol (I strategize for my parties like generals prepare for war). The desserts were on the inside table while the meat and alcohol occupied the back porch.

By the way, at work I've been editing a lot of books about military history lately, so all of my analogies in the past few weeks are about Grant and Lee and Patton and Churchill. It's pretty hilarious. I never imagined I would know so much about all these military things.

Anyways, the party! Frank strung up "fairy lights" and Japanese lanterns on the back porch.

They were beeeauuuuutiful. One girl told me, "I was driving past the backyard and I thought, 'Wow, that party looks like fun!' Then I realized it was the house I was going to! I was so excited!'" That comment pretty much made my night.

One of the nicest little things about the night was that John and Eileen turned up, since they were in town for their cousin's wedding. They are old friends - John and I went to London and Israel together while we were students at Notre Dame, and Eileen and I met on a trip to Rome almost four years ago.

I was so happy to see them.

Frank's good friend from law school, Dean, and his wife Morgan came too. Morgan broke her arm a few weeks ago and this was her first social event since the injury. I was honored that she picked my party to come to!

Dean and Morgan are planning to enter the Catholic Church this Easter. We are so happy for them, and so grateful that we were able to help them learn about our faith as they reached the decision to convert.

Frank used to work as a barista at Starbucks (in fact, years before we met, he served me drinks at Starbucks - but that is a story for another time). He whipped out dozens of salted caramel hot chocolates for everyone which were quite the hit.

As the night wore down, my friends and I crowded around the bonfire. A few people roasted s'mores. We sat there until after 2 a.m., talking and laughing and warming our hands, and just being with each other. It was a good night.

The next morning, I went to the back porch to see how much beer and cider we had left. The following sight greeted my eyes:

Dang. And that's after the party.

Moral of the story: if you want to multiply your supply of alcohol exponentially, just throw a party and tell people to bring drinks.

I think we should be set til Halloween. :)

My Home Decorating Motto

Maggie's Bridal Shower

Frank and I had a big scare Friday night because tornado warnings in DC caused our flight to Chicago to be rescheduled to Saturday afternoon. We managed to switch to a flight out of Baltimore Friday night, which meant we had an hour and a half to catch a plane in an unfamiliar city an hour away, all while driving in drenching rain and bad traffic. That was one heck of a tense car ride! I was afraid we would miss it and have to drive to Chicago through the night. (I wasn't afraid we would miss the bridal shower because that was never an option in my mind). But I prayed a Rosary in the car and found out our flight was delayed, so we made it to the airport in plenty of time. I love when Our Lady pulls through like that.

Frank and I stayed up late on Friday night helping my mom cook for the shower. We also printed up score cards for a fun game of Bridal Shower Bingo and hand-dipped several dozen chocolate-covered strawberries. On Saturday, Frank was worth his weight in gold while we were setting up. Every time someone had to reach something high up or lift something heavy, we would call "Fraaaaank!" and he would come over and take care of it. He helped me fold napkins and set the tables, carried the pianist's keyboard around, lugged tables and chairs back and forth. Then he bowed out just before the guests started to arrive to go fishing with my dad and brother.

The bridal shower was absolutely dreamy. I don't even have the words to tell you how lovely it was so I'll let the pictures do the talking. And keep in mind that my mom and Lillian did 95% of the prep for this celebration. Frank and I each did half of what was left, so I'm only responsible for about 2.5% of what you see here.

For decorations, Maggie's sisters (she has 4 sisters and 3 brothers) brought photos of her in lovely frames. We placed them on all the tables and scattered throughout the party. The one below shows her fiance holding her hand with the engagement ring on it.

You can see the pretty pastel napkins that Frank and I folded in the background. Lillian made the centerpieces using stuff we already had around our house: Mason jars and little bowls. She bought the flowers and pastel candies plus ribbon to decorate.

Caroline was the designated photographer. She snapped pictures of everyone and everything.

We borrowed dozens of glass champagne flutes from friends who have a catering company. We mixed at least 40 mimosas in those babies!

My mom and Maggie's mom made all the appetizers. Lillian and I recruited our little sisters and their friends to walk around serving appetizers to the guests. They were very good little waitresses and we were grateful for their help.

Frank in one of his many helpful roles before the shower started... opening up all the champagne bottles as Maggie fixed Lillian's hair. Mum put a string across the doorway to discourage guests from going into the kitchen, which was a good idea since the kitchen was abuzz with activity!

 Maggie's oldest sister, Hope, looked like she had just stepped off the pages of an Anthropologie catalogue in the prettiest lacy pink dress, wedge sandals, a fun mix of jewelry and her gorgeous red curls.

 Maggie's aunt Kelly came with her newborn 12-day-old baby girl... her tenth baby. The oldest is 22. That little baby was the life of the party. We all begged to hold her and she was passed from person to person.  Her mom hardly held her at all.

Several women commented that it was so nice to have a baby at the shower to remind us what marriage is really all about. Maggie's mom declared that "Every bridal shower should have a baby at it!" and we all agreed, as you can tell from our happy faces. We couldn't get enough of that sweet little girl.

The guests gathered on our back deck to mingle and chat. Fortunately the weather was perfect.

Me, my sisters and Maggie's sisters all gathered by the front door to greet guests. As soon as a guest arrived, we would hand her a mimosa and direct her out to the sunny garden.

The self-appointed greeting committee:

A few old friends from high school came too. It was a delight to catch up with them and introduce a few to Frank after the party.

 Caroline, hard at work. She took her photographer duties very seriously.

 My sister Cathy, waiting for guests to arrive.

Finally it was time for lunch. We gathered outside and Maggie's mom led us in the noontime Angelus prayer and thanked Our Lady for the beautiful day. Then the ladies lined up inside for a French-themed buffet: chicken crepes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, fresh baguettes and a fruit salad. My mom cooked almost everything and it all turned out delicious.

The ladies gathered in the garden just before lunch.

After lunch in the garden (and I can't believe I don't have pictures of the lovely table settings with the napkins Frank and I folded!), Mum put out a selection of tea, coffee and desserts.

Maggie's mom and sisters made most of the desserts, with the exception of the cake in the middle. That one is a white chocolate mousse from our favorite local bakery. Maggie and I have always talked about featuring that cake in our weddings because it's both delicious and very pretty. Since her wedding will be in Nebraska (in her husband's hometown), we had to have it for her bridal shower instead.

Her mom and sisters made delicious lemon bars, Bailey's truffles, strawberry mousse and chocolate mousse cups, and the most exquisite chrysanthemum cupcakes. Seriously, those cupcakes. 

Each one was individually decorated by her sister Meredith, who runs a small baking business. Those cupcakes tasted better than they looked, if that's even possible - light as a feather. If you're in Chicago and need a baker, I definitely recommend Meri!

Here is a close-up of Mrs. Whitten's delicious strawberry mousse. That stuff was addictive and very light and creamy - perfect for a garden party shower. 

On the other table you can see the chocolate-covered strawberries that Frank and I hand-dipped the night before. We had a great time doing it, especially eating a few extras.

Frank decorated some of the white chocolate ones with milk chocolate squiggles. They came out looking so elegant. 

As the ladies left the party, each one received a favor of floral-scented hand lotion wrapped in a white flower pot with a bag of truffles (made by Maggie's sisters) tucked underneath. Lillian purchased all the supplies from Hobby Lobby and the dollar store and assembled the favors herself. She did a spectacular job and they were a big hit.

 Finally, after the party was over, we collapsed on the couch. Three best friends - one bride and her two Maids of Honor. We were overflowing with happiness at how well everything had gone.

During the party, I overheard one lady say, "This is the quintessential bridal shower! It's the prettiest one I've ever seen." I'm sure she was flattering us but of course I had to repeat the compliment to Lillian, Maggie and my mom, which made them all smile. Almost every thing at the party was homemade, hand-made or borrowed for the day. We had perfect spring weather and everything turned out beautifully. We were so happy that the day went so well for our Maggie.