Happy Friday everyone.  Let's get right down to business shall we?  I suggested we talk about how to serve outside and keep the clean up down to a minimum.

FIRST-Get over the trash/recycling thing for the moment!  I'm am known as MS. Recycle in our house, but during this latest heat wave and dust bowl, I'm relaxing a bit.  It's also much safer to use disposables for outdoor service.

Case in point-the grandkids (ages 1-1/2 and 2-1/2) were over and both were enjoying the yard, but must have used their crazy cars to ram into the table about a dozen times during the course of an hour-and-a-half.  I might have been a nervous wreck if I had brought out the regular dishes and silverware. (Visions of forks going through eyes, and plates dispersing into shards and entering their limbs comes to mind)  But since I used disposable dinnerware-the worst thing that happened was Auntie Sam's iced tea wound up all over Sunshine.  

SECOND-Organize and carry things out on a large tray or plastic carry-all.  I literally walked 3 miles to get dinner in and out of the house when the grandkids were over, but it would have been twice that had I not used the stack and carry method.  I used my biggest cookie sheet, piled it with place mats, dishes, boxed plastic ware and plastic cups, BBQ sauce, serving utensils and a plastic tub filled with ice.  I used the cookie sheet to get the pork chops off the BBQ and bring it to the table and the empty sheet was then used to keep the bugs off the food.

THIRD-Speaking of bugs-I'm about to go invest in some of those "OFF" candles.  We hate eating and fanning off the flies-I'm sure you do as well, so keep those on the table and ready for use-all the time.

And last, but not least, think cold and refreshing for dinner.  I know I've mentioned serving berries and cool whip and such-but be creative!  My grandsons loved that we served sno-cones after dinner.  Honestly, so did Uncle Adam, Auntie Sam, Grandpa and Grandma.  I can tell you for sure-Grandma finally got some relief from the hot flashes that have been way too prevalent the last few weeks.

Now, if only I could use this knowledge to get my contractor to finish even one bathroom?