You don’t need fancy tableware or a perfectly styled tablescape to host the party. Use the mismatched plates. The wrinkled linen napkins. The cups you’ve collected over the years. Clip flowers from your garden. Scatter fruit down the center of the table. Make do with what you have. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be a gathering place. Three summers ago, I turned this little space between our garage and back entryway into an outdoor hosting spot. Before that, it was an awkward in-between area of our home that felt unused and purposeless. But one afternoon I set up a few folding tables, draped old painter’s drop cloths over the top, and added whatever I could find around the house. And somehow, it became something I never expected. What once felt like wasted space became a place where women from so many different seasons and circles of my life have gathered. A place to celebrate, to cry, to laugh until our stomachs hurt, to share meals, stories, and pieces of our hearts. And every time I look at it, I’m reminded that so much beauty comes from simply starting before everything feels ready. So consider this your sign to host the dinner party. The people won’t remember whether your plates matched. They’ll remember how they felt around your table. 🤍 - GatherAroundTheTable IntentionalLiving HospitalityAtHome KindredHomestead SlowLivingLifestyle