![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
1. The guest list had a big, consuming interest in common. MAN did people talk. I think this alone made the party a success.
2. We had enough wine. It is really handy that I had a bunch beforehand.
3. The cats didn't try to escape. They were actually quite social.
4. Tablecloths that drape close to the floor can hide a multitude of clutter-related sins.
5. The furniture layout with lots of room to move around worked very well. (We'd done a fair bit of rearranging.)
6. The trash and recyclables containers were sufficient and were well-marked enough that people found them with no trouble.
Not So Good:
1. Amount of food was way too much. This contributed to...
2. My feet. Food prep is not a sitting-down activity, and a lot of it is not stuff I could do ahead of time. By the time guests arrived I'd been on my feet for eight hours. I was in way too much pain to be a "good hostess" and mingle, bring people drinks, etc. I tried, but not very hard.
3. White wine was pulled from the fridge too early, so it warmed up too much. Keep extras in the fridge longer. On the flip side, the soft drinks can be pulled out into ice chests much earlier. (Fridge space management was a huge issue.)
4. (minor) People asked for permission to open wine. Next time we could put up a "feel free!" sign. We had signs on everything else!
2. We had enough wine. It is really handy that I had a bunch beforehand.
3. The cats didn't try to escape. They were actually quite social.
4. Tablecloths that drape close to the floor can hide a multitude of clutter-related sins.
5. The furniture layout with lots of room to move around worked very well. (We'd done a fair bit of rearranging.)
6. The trash and recyclables containers were sufficient and were well-marked enough that people found them with no trouble.
Not So Good:
1. Amount of food was way too much. This contributed to...
2. My feet. Food prep is not a sitting-down activity, and a lot of it is not stuff I could do ahead of time. By the time guests arrived I'd been on my feet for eight hours. I was in way too much pain to be a "good hostess" and mingle, bring people drinks, etc. I tried, but not very hard.
3. White wine was pulled from the fridge too early, so it warmed up too much. Keep extras in the fridge longer. On the flip side, the soft drinks can be pulled out into ice chests much earlier. (Fridge space management was a huge issue.)
4. (minor) People asked for permission to open wine. Next time we could put up a "feel free!" sign. We had signs on everything else!
no subject
We have a Costco but I don't have the magic card you need. Back when I was in the military I automatically qualified to join but I don't know what you have to do now (except work at The Right Places or bank at The Right Credit Unions). Some day I'll go see about that.
Not much of note. Busy at work, busy with party. *hug*!
no subject
Costco is the best of the warehouse clubs, but I don't have one close enough to make it worthwhile to buy a card. We're going to get one, but they haven't even broken ground on the new shopping center yet, so it's going to be a minimum of two years (maybe longer) before it actually opens.
Walmart wanted to open a Sam's Club, but this hoity-toity county wouldn't let them put one in. They almost didn't get approval for the regular Walmart store, but they said absolutely NO to an adjoining Sam's Club. (On the other hand, when the mall was expanded and two new anchor stores were being added, the residents clamored loud and long for a Lord & Taylor and a Nordstroms, so that's what went in. Tells you something about this community.
Right now the only one within reasonable range is a BJ's. It's my least favorite warehouse store, but I suppose it's better than nothing. I discovered that if I let my membership lapse for a few months they'll send me an invitation to join with three extra months and a $5 discount off the regular rate, so that's what I'll probably do again! (I do bank at a credit union, but I don't think they have any requirements except paying for the card. The whole idea is a sham anyway to make it seem like an exclusive privilege so they can charge you to shop there, an idea which I find rather outrageous!)
no subject