Comments on: Tightwad Tuesday: Toss Perfection to the Side While Entertaining

By: Angelsong

Angelsong — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:48:10 +0000

If you wait for perfection, it will never happen in this life. Be sure to take a lot of pictures, and put them in an album. Next year and following years, add more pictures. It will be fun to follow things as they change. For me, it’s less about perfection than it is about the people.

By: Chloe

Chloe — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:52:26 +0000

We remodeled a house several years ago while living in it. We hosted a 50 people Christmas Party and the guest bath was halfway done. Thankfully the toilet and sink worked but wallpaper was half stripped, shelves removed and cabinet partially painted.

We strung xmas lights everywhere and and put up a sign crooked where the mirror should have been that said “Work Zone – Under Construction” Guests thought it was funny and great.

By: looby

looby — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:01:13 +0000

This is so true, we just had Thanksgiving here in Canada and went to my friend’s apartment- they had mis-matched place settings and one person was balanced rather precariously on a broken chair, but we had a fabulous afternoon of great food, even better company and lots of laughs, and that’s what we’ll remember.
Of course in my house you are as likely to end up with a cushion on the floor as you are a seat on the couch so maybe I just try not to hold others up to standards I’ll never meet!

By: Lynnae

Lynnae — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:12:53 +0000

@Stephanie – I don’t have switchplate covers on either. I’ll be adding them before the birthday party, though.

By: Marci

Marci — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:40:23 +0000

@Stephanie – if any of your visitors are little ones, I would definitely recommend getting the switch plate covers on… or cover them all with something else, such as painter’s tape or such. They can be dangerous if little one’s stick their fingers in them.

From a Grammi who had painters tape and electrical tape outlet covers for a long while :)

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:08:49 +0000

Thanks for this post! We just bought a house and are having a party with 30-40 people this weekend. I REALLY needed to read your words because I’m overwhelmed with trying to achieve perfection. We don’t even have switch plates on the outlets! Eek!

By: Marci

Marci — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:03:25 +0000

Enjoy all your construction entertaining! It will work out just fine and you will enjoy it and have very fond memories of it later on!

Last Thanksgiving I had only had water hooked up in the kitchen for a week due to remodeling, was walking on subflooring, the counters had just put in but no countertops yet except the bare plywood, and the living room was sheetrock dust and sawhorses. But it was still exciting to have my family in my new home for Thanksgiving. We all made due and had a good time and mostly we have fond memories of it. This year, the house is still not finished, but it is down to only the living room is still sub floor, and none of the interior doors are trimmed nor painted, but none of that matters! What matters is the hearts of those who fill the room! Enjoy the time and the people!

Think of it as just a big camping-out party, only inside! :)

By: Pokeberry Mary

Pokeberry Mary — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:03:17 +0000

Oh gosh! That’s a separate issue. If folks would not only encourage the value of not worrying about what other’s say–but also of not saying things that are rude!

I know how it feels. I have some family that used to say stuff about my housekeeping back when I had 4 kids under 6 in my house. kind of rude. The thing is though it doesn’t make for good relationships and eventually I think comes back to haunt them.

By: Molly

Molly — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:26:53 +0000

Ouch, you nailed me!

I have lived in my house for 3.5 years and it is a wreck and will continue to be a wreck. I realized that only my parents and my sister have seen the inside of my house and I can probably count on one hand the times.

It is my perfectionism as much as theirs-I think I know what they will say when they leave, I have heard it before.

However, that isn’t any reason to keep OTHER people out.

Thanks for the post!

By: Pokeberry Mary

Pokeberry Mary — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:00:32 +0000

Oh how I wish everyone would teach that value to their kids!
I remember when were young we’d go to relatives homes and nothing was perfect. It is only the past 25 years or so that this nutsy perfection thing has taken over in America. Hopefully a dose of hard times will knock some of our stuffyness out. :)