Matt and I spent the majority of our time between Christmas and New Years doing stuff to the house that we should have done six months ago when we first moved in. I'll post some updated photos of that stuff soon, but a more timely post is about why we finally got motivated to decorate...
We decided to host our first party!
We are not natural party-throwers and I particularly have trouble staying up until midnight, so we figured having friends over for a low-key shindig would be a great way to warm the house and ring in 2015.
(Spoiler alert: I managed to stay up until 1:30!)
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| Kendall checks out the spread: various cheese dips, guacamole made from the avocados in our backyard, bacon-wrapped-dates, pasta, meatballs, etc! |
Of course there was plenty of food.
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| Kendall made these amazing champagne-and-strawberry gluten free cupcakes! |
We sat around and relaxed out on our lanai, played some Cards Against Humanity, and turned on Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper just before midnight.
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| Alan, Ben, and Kendall await Justin's judgment. |
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| The guys look really excited about their hats. |
We had perfect weather for our outdoor setup! We kept a fire going for ambiance only.
I had my concerns about staying up until midnight but we never even had to put in a movie! Midnight arrived sooner than expected, which I guess is a sign of a successful party.
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| Cheers! |
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| Champagne and a champagne cupcake? Perfect combo! |
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| Happy New Year! |
One weird tradition my family follows is eating sauerkraut at the new year...It has something to do with eating something sour so the rest of the year is sweet. Anyway, I bought a giant jar and encouraged everyone to have some.
Matt ate one piece, but at least he put up less of a fight than last year. Ben had never had sauerkraut before and said it wasn't bad. Archie refused to taste it. I personally love it!
I bought crackers for everybody to open at midnight. Inside were paper crowns, silly jokes (the box said "fortunes" and I was pretty disappointed!) and noisemakers.
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| Double-crowns ftw. |
It was really nice to have people over. I guess one of the perks of owning a house is really feeling like the space is yours. I'm excited to host more get-togethers! The house feels so much happier with people in it!
Here's to 2015 and all it has in store!
How did you celebrate the new year?
Would you rather be a host or a guest at a party?
Do you have any New Year traditions?
ABK
I definitely nodded my head when you said that you and Matt are not 'naturally party throwers.' I feel the exact same way and would much prefer to be a guest! Matt and I headed to a greek restaurant and then fought to stay awake until midnight. We were in bed by 12:06...no lie..lol. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteIf we hadn't had people over, Matt and I would have been asleep by midnight I'm sure! It helped to have guests lol.
DeleteYour house looks so homey- especially with the fire and patio. :) I love your sparkly skirt too! I love to host game nights. I have my standard food I make and people bring alcohol so it works. I did not want to host on NYE though because I didn't think I wanted to stay up until midnight. We met Paul's cousin for sushi and then came home, played a game of Jeopardy on the xBox, and I want to bed at 10pm. Paul stayed up let though cause that's how he rolls!
ReplyDeleteWe used to do game nights pretty often...we're hoping to start again. I just bought a new game I'm excited to try!
DeleteA great way to start the new year and new home! Kathy and my boyfriend Anderson are the only way to go, loved her mink coat and the story that went with it. You all have plenty of time to be fuddy duddys like your 'rents--party while you're young!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Well, it was a very low-key party. Right up our alley for nearly-30s!
DeleteHow cute!! It's fun to host get-togethers in the home. I hope to do more of these in the coming year. Those cupcakes look so tasty! I wish it was warm enough here to sit outside by the fire! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteSome of our guests are recent transplants from Michigan and they were really enjoying have a warm new year!
DeleteMidnight seemed to take forever to get to this year. I am a party animal! Then, last night, I got really into my knitting and realized it was past midnight. I guess all I needed to do was knit and New Year's Eve would have gone by in a flash! It looks like you had an amazing party. And I LOVE sauerkraut. It's incredibly good for you too.
ReplyDeleteKnitting as a way to stay awake...that definitely says something for where you are in life right now! lol!
DeleteI'm glad sauerkraut is healthy because I LOVE it!
Yes, inviting people over is the prime motivator to work on the house! But we love having people over at least a few times a year. This year was our best New Year's ever since we could invite our best friends to spend the night with their dogs - that meant they didn't have to leave in order to take care of the dogs and we didn't have to leave their place to get the boys to bed.
ReplyDeleteI also love the sparkly skirt!
Also, sauerkraut is one of the best things in life.
DeleteIt sounds like your New Years was a great meeting-of-the-minds!
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