Yesterday sure was busy. I cleaned like a mad woman and although we'd moved almost every toy out of the downstairs for the occasion, I still was constantly picking up plastic bowls, dish towels and things like that.

I really didn't know how it was going to all come together, but it did. The house was clean. We had chairs for everyone and lots of food. We served buffet-style with a line snaking from the dining room around the counters of the kitchen. We'd cleaned off all the kitchen counters for serving and I sure wish we didn't have to put anything back on them, they look so nice. However, I also like having a toaster oven and some of the things that went into hiding.

Knowing now that we can seat almost 40 people for a meal makes me feel pretty confident we could easily have an appetizer stand-up sort of party for 50-60 in our house. I'm not sure what I will do with that information, since I rarely entertain on a large scale, but if the occasion arises, I'll keep it in mind.

One of our guests last night ask if I was bothered having so many people in my house at once. Honestly, the answer is no. I freak out a bit for the 24 hours before hand, but having a big gathering is fun as long as everyone goes away after a few hours. I also love that entertaining requires me to clean house. Otherwise this place can get pretty bad. There's nothing like the impending arrival of guests to make one finish some of those little things that never seem to get done.

I must add though that I had two ladies who came in the afternoon to help me set up, vaccum and all that stuff. Without them and without Justin, who got the turkey ready to stick in the oven before he went to work and who came home early to help do all the little necessary tasks, I'm not sure it would have been half so successful. Always take any help that is offered -- a lesson it took me a long time and three children to learn!