Sometimes the very best way to say, I love you, you are important, you are valued? is to simply feed them! Nothing shows gratitude like a night set aside to eat and visit!
Gathering people, whether they are your people or new people, gathering them together for an afternoon or evening of food, and where there is food there is conversation and where there is conversation?there is relationship.
How often do you gather people in your home? Once a week, once a month, rarely, never? What keeps us from hosting? I have found that there are many excuses but it boils down to two reasons, obstacles.
Time or money?
I don?t have the time to gather people. I have a secret… lean in and listen closely. Everyone from the most famous to the most unknown has the exact same amount of time. Just 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (except for every fourth year when we have leap year). It is not about having enough time, it is about the use of time. I get it, gathering people seems like a big time consuming activity. Make the calls, clean the house, cook the food, and clean up ?
At Mary & Martha we so believe in sharing life together that we have come up with products that help you Welcome, Connect & Serve your people! And we would like to help you run over, through or around the obstacle of time. So here?s how? first contact your Mary & Martha Consultant and pick a date to host a Gathering.
Next: Call, text, FB, PM or email a few friends. Ask them to pop over on a Thursday night (or whatever you day and date is) from 7-9 to rediscover sharing life together. Tell them your Mary & Martha Consultant will be bringing some great products with meaningful messages and she will be sharing ideas on how to gather your people.
Now to prepare?
Preparing the house in 4 steps
- Get a big laundry basket and collect all things out of place and put it (read: hide) in the garage. Each member of the family can go and claim their items from said hidden laundry basket. Some of us will need two or more baskets.
- Take a cleaning cloth (Clorox wipes or a paper towel and 409) and wipe down the sink, counters and toilet of the one bathroom you will make available to guests.
- Kitchen: load the dishwasher or place all dirty dishes in the oven (after you cook the brownies).
- Light a candle in the area you are hosting the Gathering.
Preparing the snack?1 hour (can be made the night before, unless you have brownie thieves)
Soccer brownies (under $5.00 and a fan favorite)
Bake a 9×13 pan of brownies (use a mix)
Frost with creamy peanut butter
Place in freezer for 10 minutes
While you wait, make chocolate frosting in a small saucepan on low heat
- 2 tbls butter
- 2 tbls milk
- 2 tbls cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
Once the ingredients are melted, add powdered sugar (about 2 cups) until frosting consistency. If it gets too stiff add some milk, too thin add some powdered sugar.
Pour this over the peanut butter covered brownies and cool.
Preparing yourself
Take 5-10 minutes to rest and ready yourself for your people!!!
We will do the rest and you can enjoy your people and earn free and half price products. But the best news?
You will see that you do have time to gather your people.
So what about the money obstacle? Meet me back here on April 24, 2015