A few weeks ago I mentioned that we were hosting my husband’s staff and their families for our annual Christmas party. This is something that we do every year and I had planned on sharing a whole post about the party like I usually do. I love to share what I made and what everyone liked, but instead this is going to be a keeping it real type post.
Our office party went great. We had lots of great food and everyone seemed to have a great time. But here is where I admit that I took no pictures of the office party or the food I served. This means I have no pictures of the wonderful bacon cheese dip recipe that I had planned to share. The only picture I have is the one at the top of this post that my fourteen year old daughter took right before the party, at least one of us was thinking about pictures that night.
You see the night of our office Christmas party real life took priority. Blogging and my website were the last thing on my mind. Yes, I am a food blogger and yes I was mad at myself for not taking pictures, but on December 2nd, real life took over.
You see I had a crazy busy day on the day of our party. We usually plan the date of our office party six to eight weeks in advance and it is almost always the first Friday of December. We know this is a little early for a Christmas party, but it usually works out well for us and for all our staff. This year however it ended up being a bit of a crazy time.
The day before the office party my sister and her family came to visit. They had been visiting her husband’s family in Texas for Thanksgiving and wanted to come see us for a few days before they headed back to Washington state where they live. I don’t get to see my family often, so I was glad they could come. I warned her ahead of time that it was the weekend of our office party and that I might put her to work helping me. She was fine with that and decided to come.
The craziness of the day though was not my sister visiting, it started when my daughter ended up needing hand surgery and it was scheduled on the same day as the office party. My daughter broke her finger last spring and has had to have two minor surgeries since then. We knew she needed another surgery, we just had no idea it would fall on the same day as our office party.
The office party had been planned well in advance and I did not feel like I should change it. My daughter was in pain and was ready to get her surgery done, so I did not think I should pass up the surgery date of December 2nd, since that was the earliest that they had an opening.
So, we went with it figuring we would just make it work. And we did make it work.
My sister was here and she helped me prepare some of the food and helped with the set up and clean up. My fourteen year old helped me make most of the desserts ahead of time. And for the first time since we have had our office parties, I bought some premade meat and cheese trays from a local meat shop/restaurant.
My daughter’s surgery ended up being early in the day, so it actually worked out quite well, except for the fact that my mind was not fully on food, taking pictures, and sharing recipes. It was more on my daughter, giving her pain medicine at the right time, and focusing on hosting a party. Thus, the reason I totally forgot to take pictures, and did not even realize it until several hours after the party.
So, for those of you wanting a post full of party pictures and new holiday food recipes, I am sorry, I don’t have any for you.
I almost did not share about the party at all since I really do not have much to share, but I decided to turn it into a keeping it real type post.
You see behind every blogger is a real life. We are real people. We have busy, and sometimes crazy, schedules just like everyone else.
Behind all those beautiful pictures of perfectly decorated homes and delicious looking food is often chaos, sometimes a lot of chaos. And all too often real life and family collide with blog life and real life and family has to win out.
Sometimes perfectly plated food and picturing taking has to take a back seat and that is exactly what happened to me the day of our office party. Real life took priority and I hope you all understand.
I will try to make the delicious bacon and cheese dip again soon so that I can share the recipe, because really it was so good. And I need an excuse to make it again anyway, because really it was that good.
Thanks for letting me keep it real!
The food looks delicious even with the one picture you have there!!
I love these types of post…it brings things into perspective. That’s how I feel when I have a long day or no time to cook and have to throw a frozen pizza in the oven or stop and grab take out b/c I didn’t have a homemade freezer meal on hand. I used to feel guilty about that but then realized sometimes it just is and I’m a busy mom too. It makes me realize I’m not the only one and sometimes life just happens!
I hope your daughter is feeling better!!
I bet everyone had a great time, even though you were rushed and had to order a cheese platter. People appreciate the love and fellowship they received when they came to your house, more than they would having you ignore your daughter. I hope you had time to enjoy your sister too 🙂
Thanks for keeping it real! 🙂
Thank you so much! As a mother of a 4 month old & 3 year old it is so hard to be the wife & mom I see in my head and long to be! Sometimes it’s 4:30 and we are still in our pj’s… Haha…. With company coming in 30 minutes! It’s nice to know that everyone has chaos from time to time… It allows us out here to take a breath and know we aren’t terrible wives, moms & entertainers! Bless you and your family an enjoy the season… 😉
Thanks for keeping it real. Life happens!
As much as I love seeing your pictures and hearing about what happened and having your recipes – life happens. We all understand and if not well they will get over it. I’m glad that your daughter had her surgery and hopefully is feeling better and no longer in pain.
Thank you! And my daughter is doing better, thank you.
And we all love you because you DO keep it real!!
And, just for fun ~ post the recipe anyway ~ someone will, I’m sure, send you a picture or 2(hundred)!!! 😉
glad your daughter is feeling better, too ~
thank you for taking the time to blog and share all your wonderful recipes and your life. merry christmas to you and your family.
Your “keeping it real” voice makes your blog worth reading. Yes, there are glorious, poetic food bloggers out there, but their lives don’t seem at all like mine, but rather like some sort of unattainable fairy tale. Yes, it’s fun to read them, drool over them and try a recipe of theirs here and there, but a real-life, real food-I-can-find-in-my-supermarket blog like yours inspires me more on (in?) a day-to-day feeding my family way.
I hope your daughter’s hand continues to heal well and hand therapy progresses as it should.
Thank you that really means a lot. And my daughter is feeling better, not quite back to normal, but she is getting there and overall doing much better. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
I would hope everyone of us would understand, real life happens to everyone. Of course you had to concentrate on your daughter, family has to come first every time! Just be sure to share the dip recipe and all will be good, LOL!!!
Lynn,
I think you are one fo those REAL people!! I like real people, who struggle, suffer, get mind boggled, yet still press on. This is life!!! The Lord never promised us anything easy or fun or that we would be happy, none of that is ever mentioned in the Bible, but JOY is and I can see joy in your post, you enjoyed getting ready for your special party and you enjoyed the company, that is all that matters. Hope your dd heals up quickly and that this will be the end of finger problems.
Merry Christmas,
Moe
Swift healing to your daughter, and kudos to all of you for keeping things in perspective and managing to have a good day in spite of the chaos and drama!
Glad to hear that your daughter is healing well. I am sure that the party was wonderful, and I am sure that the food was wonderful too. I only follow blogs with “real” people because I can relate to them.