Decorating and Hospitality 101

 

                               

     The first area that the Lord began training me in was beauty. Whether through fragrance, lighting, floral and furniture arrangements, colors, fabrics, decorative items, room themes, music or cuisine, He was teaching me how to create beauty within the home. As the Lord began giving me an abundance and wealth of ideas, (whether through TV, books, magazines,  my very special friends, family, shops I visited or just within my spirit), I began to implement and be creative with all of my new concepts and lost all fear and hesitation, as I began to ardently create and truly became quite the free spirited decorator around our little cottage home. Quickly it became my passion and the Lord and I had so much fun together. It seemed that all I was engaging in during this season was to create, dream, imagine and then create some more! (I am telling you that if our dog 'Patch' at that time did not already have a name, I would have dreamed up some out-of-the ordinary name using my new creative juices and there would have been no telling what that would have been!)     

     With the art of fragrance, God gave me ample ideas, each one bringing forth into existence a specific mood for the occasion and season. Whether something yummy  simmering on our stove top or from the oven, the smell of fresh baked breads, hot fudge brownies or the simplicity of garlic, onions and butter warming in the pan, fragrances enhance our very souls and create a sense of coziness, warmth and that wondrous 'feel-good-factor.' Fanciful Yankee candles, potpourri, and scented oils became my new best friends. In the chilly autumn and winter seasons, I bought Pumpkin spice, Cinnamon stick and Apple pie. In the soothing spring and sultry summer periods, I purchased Lavender, Gardenia and French Vanilla scents. The ambiance and mood in our home was always inviting, sumptuous and august.

     Next was music. The Lord  began showing me the idealistic music for every gala event we hosted. For the ladies luncheons the music was Victoria Secrets London Classics by Request.  For our dinner gatherings we debuted melodies from The Secret Garden and Jim Brickman's piano collections.  Our Christmas parties?  Placido Domingo, Ying Huang, Harry Belefonte and lastly  for birthday celebrations, James Galloway and Andrea Bocilla's Opera. I can't tell you how many of our guests would call us and ask or inquire at the end of the evening; "What was that music you were playing... It was so beautiful?" The blessing for us was that the Lord would tell us what to play, all of the ideas were His and it was so touching to sit back and watch our guests enjoy. It was amazing to see just how much music and delightful fragrances could touch another soul.

     Though the rooms in our tiny abode were already in the making with wondrous fragrances accompanied by soothing melodies, I learned that the lighting of a room makes a very big impression. The Lord began showing me how to create the mood in our rooms through illumination. My presentation and themes of each gala event could actually be displayed through a creative variety of lights. Glistening firelight, flickering candles of all colors, shapes and sizes dispersed throughout every room along with an abundance of twinkling white lights glowing from within my Dickens's Christmas village atop my mantle all created a magical, enchanting ambiance. I entwined miniature amber lights in the garlands of ivy and grapevine draped around my hutches and throughout all my trees, (both large and small),  and our home was beginning to turn into a winsome fairytale atmosphere. For an amorous mood, I used soft, dim bulbs within all of our lamps as well as lovely Victorian embroidered linen napkins placed over the shades to create an even more romantic lighting.

     As the saying goes; "Looks can be deceiving, it's eating that is believing," as well as "great food is all about expression," the Lord began showing me that our guests at His retreat home would enjoy the finest of menus and scrumptious cuisine. Do you know that in Italy  the Italians love to celebrate every holiday with large quantities and a bountiful variety of food? When they run out of holidays to commemorate, they celebrate with food itself. They serve their guests and family with the finest pasta's, wine, fresh baked breads, olive oil, meats and pastries. Dining is a time to gather together, break bread and fellowship. The Lord placed in both of our hearts, (as this part of the 'training up', Kit really enjoyed),  a passion to begin learning new recipes and enlarging our reservoir of menus for our household. We began to research books, magazines, old family recipes, cooking shows, dishes from our favorite eateries as well as  collect secret recipes from friends. We learned an abundance of what foods go together, health and nutrition, tips on barbecuing and many new dessert creations. Each time we took on the challenge of a new invention and conquered it, we became a little more daring in our cooking adventures. Every pie, cake, casserole, grilled meat, savory side dish or exotic salad we served always received rave revues from our guests, blessing Kit and I as we knew God was teaching us how to bless our guests with rewarding, delicious and comforting meals. Some of our favorite creations to this day are crab casserole, (my southern heritage) salmon with dill and rice, chicken enchiladas, (Kit's southwestern Arizona heritage), brown sugar and mustard pork chops, Chicken Scallopini, Chicken Florentine, BBQ Meat loaf, Steak Diane and our infamous Bread pudding with whiskey sauce  topped with real whipped cream!

     Decorative items! This was one of my very favorite aspects of creating as the Lord taught me so much. He instructed me how to make something beauteous out of nothing. (Hey, that is something He does everyday.) I learned how to make topiary trees, floral arrangements, flower baskets, wreaths, (with help from one of my dear friends who was a 'Martha Stewart' if I ever met one),  and to paint ceramic homes to add to our Victorian village upon our mantel. He began teaching me how to arrange furniture to bring out the potential of each room. Also, color combinations that would bring vibrant life to every room through pillows, throws, candles and decorative items such as bears, bunnies, angels, picture frames as well as antique plates. The Lord even taught me how to bring vivid color into our home with confidence and a boldness as I began painting each room anew. I tried techniques of all kind, faux finish, stripes, sponge painting, stenciling and stamp painting. Yes our little cottage was an experiment in creativity in the making. Not only did it turn out stunning, but God blessed Kit and I as well as each guest who came to visit with an abundance of beauty.

     Before we knew it, color and life was spilling over into each room of our home. It was truly one of the happiest seasons I have ever shared with the Lord as I learned how to express myself freely and create beauty for the soul. The Lord even revealed to me through this time that one of His favorite things to do is to create. Some of His most awesome handiworks being the stars, moon, sun, ocean and vast rivers. He revealed   how all of the trees , flowers, fish in the ocean and birds in the air, were all created for our pleasure. It pleased him as well. He wanted to bless us, his children with His beauty. He showed me His heart to bless each guest we would have at our tiny cottage in Arizona, as well as the guests He would bring to our one day, 'King's Tavern', with beauty, joy, peace and restoration through a lovely ambiance.

     Lastly but certainly not least, gift giving! The Lord Himself is the greatest giver of all gifts. He gave us His son freely. In Jesus, He gave us eternal life, salvation, grace, peace, liberty and victory over our enemies. In everything, He gives to us abundantly. Why would I be surprised that He would also want to teach me this for the King's Tavern? He began to show me that with every gala at our our home, I was to bless each guest with a gift. Not only did these gifts make our guests feel special and delightfully pampered but these tokens created a sense of anticipation and excitement as they would arrive and see a place setting with their name on it along with a beautifully wrapped gift awaiting  just for them.

     Thank you Lord for imparting to me all of these wonderful gifts to bless others with...I pray within all of these ideas you have placed within my heart and spirit,  You will be known and glorified.