A Successful Weekend With Friends

It's all in the details really. They laughed when two weeks ago they received the "agenda" which laid out the plans for the upcoming weekend. They laughed when I said that they should bring their sense of humours in case the plans went awry because of "inclement weather" (soon to be the phrase of the day). They laughed when I "assigned" them each a meal to bring. And they laughed when I said I would just be a "few minutes" setting the table.  But in the end, it was the details that made this past weekend such a success.

Giving your guests an idea of what to expect from their visit, what to pack and how to help out makes it less stressful on everyone. Each of my friends was given a specific task - Sandy brought appetizers for dinner Saturday night, Helen and Maryke each brought a breakfast for the mornings. For me as hostess all I had to do was provide a simple dinner Friday night and a nice dinner to celebrate Helen's birthday on Saturday.

It was the annual Blue Hat Weekend here in Tillsonburg. My three best friends Helen, Maryke and Sandy (along with their wonderful, handsome, patient husbands) arrived Friday night and the party started right away.

this photo was taken last September at a previous Blue Hat Weekend

It was a simple plan to spend the evening with guests arriving at various times, followed by a barbecue of sliders - those lovely little hamburgers. We had beef, chicken and salmon and a variety of toppings. Then it was off for a walk around Lake Lisgar before heading back to the patio for self-serve sundaes - simple ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, some nuts and fruit and of course, whipping cream and maraschino cherries to top them off.

There's always time for one quick chore: adjustments to the pot fountain

Saturday - it was divide and conquer as the men headed off for a round of golf while we ladies spent the afternoon backroading to a variety of local spots. We had an amazing lunch of herb infused tea sandwiches, iced ginger lime tea and fresh salad with basil balsamic dressing at Heritage Line Herbs.

Outside tea room at Heritage Line Herb Farm

Then it was a short drive down the road to Shades of Green, hosta specialists. With over 1000 varieties of field grown hostas, 300 varieties of daylilies and 80 varieties of ornamental grasses, I was positively plantgasmic! Holding back and only taking pictures of the most desired hostas, I did succumb to two Japanese painted ferns on sale for an incredible $5 each!!.

Smaller varieties filling out before being transferred to pots for sale.

We finished the afternoon off at Steed & Company Lavender Farm just south of Aylmer, Ontario. Unfortunately the lavender wasn't in bloom quite yet. I did manage to purchase some lovely linen spray - something to calm and relax you as you lay your weary head on a lavender scented pillow.

Then it was home for a magical dinner under the big old maple tree. Planning is the key to a successful dinner like this: made ahead ratatouille lasagna, fresh lettuce from the farmer's market and some frozen baguettes hot out of the oven made for an easy dinner. As the sun set, we lit some candles in mason jars, settled in with a glass of good wine and enjoyed the summer evening along with some good food and fabulous friends. We even finished off the night by dancing on the lawn to the sound of Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" - the birthday girl's favourite.

After a relaxing Sunday morning, we headed down to Port Burwell for a walk along the beach and a late lunch of Lake Erie perch.

The inclement weather held off, the towel supply lasted, the dishwasher didn't blow up even though it went most of the weekend and the men even had fun. So they can laugh at my agenda, at my uber-planning, super efficient hostessing. But when a weekend visit is well planned and everyone pitches in to make things run smoothly, eight people in the house for three days CAN and did work.

Next stop for the Blue Hats? DISNEYWORLD!!!