“Hospitality sitting with gladness.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We love having dinner guest, but because we live in a small house we have to be creative how and when we invite people. For us having outside gatherings with 2 or 3 families at a time seems to work best, the only thing is we have to wait until the weather is somewhat enjoyable.

Because most of our friends have large families it can be a bit challenging to have all of us eating ‘together’. My Mr. Wonderful, is good about gathering up tables and chairs; he’s built a few benches that really come in handy, especially for squeezing several little kiddos in. He lines it all up under our big tree.

I am big on table cloths and cloth napkins! Most of them are bought at the thrift store or yard sales, you can get really good quality that don’t stain easily there for just a few dollars. I also try to keep with one or two color schemes: beige/tan/brown and then white for special occasions, this way of you have to line several tables together the colors will flow together.

You can make an outdoor table look so nice with a few greens and wild flowers from your yard, herbs from your garden or pot and a few simple nick-knacks from your house. Here we have some rosemary on the napkins (the silverware is tucked inside) and a few glass birds.

Because most of our friends have large families we try to keep our home and yard kid friendly.

One tip about outdoor gatherings, be sure to have some bug repellent.

Spending time together with food and laughter is a big part of binding hearts together!

Using table cloths, cloth napkins and real dishes is a lot of extra work, but our guest are worth it! Usually we will leave the washing of dishes until the next morning so we can really enjoy the fellowship with our guest. I know it may sound a little crazy, but I love the look of a bunch of empty dishes after we’ve had a crowd!

Here is my post for some great tips to help you prepare and serve More than a Few Dinner Guest.

What memories are you building with family and friends around your table? I’d love to hear your ideas! Please link up if you have a post about fellowship around your table, or leave a comment sharing your best ideas!