Cate's Diary

LaMaria said:
Anxiety doesn't care about shoulds. I think a lot of people get a little nervous before hosting, especially when it's a larger gathering, and if it's been longer than normal (due to covid, for example) that'd make me even more anxious :grouphug:
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Anxiety takes no notice whatsoever of shoulds. We have spent most of today cleaning & getting ready so I no longer feel anxious. I do, however, feel exhausted, but in a good, productive way. Sitting outside now having a glass of Pinot Grigio. Spring has sprung & today was warmish- 20? It was lovely.
Marsia said:
Nice you took care of you and didn't go see the golf ladies when you weren't feeling social. I always feel a little nervous about people coming over for a gathering, so I don't have good advice except that almost never do things go the way I picture them in my head, and usually things go better than my nervousness suggests. What's the AF on your checklist with the green check beside it?
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Social gatherings of any sort I get nervous about I must admit, but 9 times out of 10 they work out better than I expected.
AF is alcohol-free. I'm aiming for 2 days out of every week to be AF.
 
Cate said:
Sitting outside now having a glass of Pinot Grigio. Spring has sprung & today was warmish- 20? It was lovely.
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Sounds lovely. I'm looking forward to a wine-y fall.
 
LaMaria said:
Sounds lovely. I'm looking forward to a wine-y fall.
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It is lovely. Our Summers are not usually that hot, so I really enjoy them. It's so nice sitting outside again. I have missed it.
I must say that I thought I could have given up on the forum, but I am so happy that it's back & that we have a say in how it will be.
 
I used to spend way too much time in the forum & thought that time might have been spent better. With the new setup I think it will actually be better & less time consuming.
 
I'm not sure if I actually will spend less time here in the end but it was probably good for me to be forced to taked a break and realize just how much time I was wasting.
 
Cate said:
We have spent most of today cleaning & getting ready so I no longer feel anxious. I do, however, feel exhausted, but in a good, productive way.
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NIce that the anxiety faded with the cleaning up and getting ready. I do find doing physical stuff often helps, and since it also helped prepare for the guests, that woud be a perfect fit :)
 
Hi, LaMa, Liza & Em. Our family lunch is today & we both feel really prepared & are sitting in our dressing gowns sipping our morning coffee. G is reading a book & I'm in here of course. Now that the forum is back running again I'm getting back into my old routine. This is how I usually start my day.
I'll come back later after they have all gone xo
 
I'm really glad the forum is still here, too, though I was oblivious that it left! Ditto what LaMa said - hope you have a lovely time!
 
LaMaria said:
Hope you guys had fun and stress was minimal!
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We did, thanks LaMa. It was good.
Marsia said:
I'm really glad the forum is still here, too, though I was oblivious that it left! Ditto what LaMa said - hope you have a lovely time!
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We did, thanks Marsia.
It’s always lovely to clear up afterwards & put your feet up. I felt exhausted 4 hours ago, but I have my feet up & am sipping on my third Sleepytime tea, in my PJ’s & I feel relaxed again.
 
Cate said:
Hi, LaMa, Liza & Em. Our family lunch is today & we both feel really prepared & are sitting in our dressing gowns sipping our morning coffee. G is reading a book & I'm in here of course. Now that the forum is back running again I'm getting back into my old routine. This is how I usually start my day.
I'll come back later after they have all gone xo
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that sounds so relaxing!
 
LaMaria said:
Glad to hear it. And I'm guessing it won't be your turn to host again for a while, right?
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It was only once a year, but we are making them more frequent as M is not expected to live much longer. He was looking good yesterday & still had lots of spark. We had a lot of laughs.
liza said:
I'm glad the hosting went well Cate. Sipping on tea in your pj's sounds a nice ending to the day :)
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It's my favourite time of day, Liza.
misty22 said:
that sounds so relaxing!
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It is. I tried to stay awake during the evening but still dozed off a couple of times. I slept so well last night still.

We're having a home day today as we both feel a little bit tired. I'll have a day without wine I think & that will be my second for the week. I should be able to fit in another by the end of the week that way.
 
I love hosting, but can certainly see where a bit of stress or anxiety can come in. I think the part I like best is cooking for people. I'm no chef, but I would say that I'm better than fair in the kitchen. I truly enjoy prepping and cooking for people (even if it can get a bit crazy timing things out right). I love the intimacy of sharing something I created with friends, family etc.
 
I’ve worked many years in the past in restaurants cooking. I still have it in me to host dinner parties and not only cook but serve plated meals instead of having people fix their own plates. The less people I’m cooking for the more fancy I get.

I once invited a married couple over for dinner who are good friends of mine. Unbeknownst to them I had set up a table for two in my dining room. I played the part of host, server and chef and gave them a surprise date night.
 
Cate said:
M is not expected to live much longer. He was looking good yesterday & still had lots of spark. We had a lot of laughs.
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Oh, my gosh, sorry I forgot who M is, but I am alarmed that someone in your family is that ill. Glad you are taking it well though, and glad you had a good visit and nice time recuperating!
 
It´s sad that he´s not expected to live much longer but how wonderful that you as a family are making sure to celebrate life while you can.
 
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