Dinner Guest #5 - Ms. S.

The voice of an angel and a personality bubblier than the bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider.  This Sunday we invited pure happiness over for dinner.

That’s how I describe Ms. S. 

A voice teacher by trade, she agreed to sing for a ladies-only Christmas party I coordinated at my church last December.  I honestly had no idea what to expect, but WOW, her solo of “In the Bleak Midwinter” gave me chills that night.  She has a gift.

It seems that my children always want to tear my home apart 15 minutes before our guests arrive, so I often send them off to guard the front door (and stay out of my hair).  They are the official watch dogs.  They look through the peep hole, open and shut the door to check for approaching cars, and wait for the knock.  Tonight, unfortunately, the watch dog assignment backfired a bit as Kate (7) enthusiastically opened the door right into Rock’s foot.  Ms. S. was greeted by Rock (3) screaming and Bakugan toys spread all over the front entry rug.  I tried calming Rock with an ice pack on his foot but couldn’t get him to stop screaming until I offered him a Life Saver.  Candy is powerful stuff.

Ms. S. was easy to cook for because like my daughter Kate, she eats GLUTEN FREE.  After living the last six months relatively gluten free, it has become easy to avoid wheat and use substitutes.  Tonight I prepared grilled chicken, potatoes au gratin, sweet potato casserole, sautéed broccoli and cauliflower, and gluten free blueberry muffins.  Ms. S. brought yummy grapes.  For dessert, we pulled out the cotton candy machine my children got for Christmas and gave it a whirl.  After several batches, almost everyone’s teeth and tongues were light blue and Rock had a blue, sticky candy beard.

My guests frequently offer to wash dishes.  Honestly, it’s a little uncomfortable for me to watch someone wipe the plates, soap up the serving dishes, and scrub knives differently than myself.  A little voice inside of me wants to yell out,

“You’re doing it all wrong!”

Ms. S. washed all my dishes while I loaded the dishwasher.  My inner voice stayed quiet and was not at all uncomfortable.  From her sink-side manner, I could tell Ms. S. has obviously had a lot of experience.

After five dinner guests, I’m a little sad that I set a goal to invite a different guest each Sunday.  Without fail, each guest has been interesting, and enjoyable, and made me wish I could have them over again soon.

I may have to break that rule—especially for Ms. S.