Help Yourself Hospitality - Breakfast!

Mornings come too quickly.

Especially during the holidays.

Especially if you've been up talking with relatives,

drinking decaf,

watching holiday movies,

wrapping presents,

or reading a good book.

It's just hard to be up-and-at-'em early in the morning,

especially with a house full of early-rising old,

I mean experienced, people.

I like to have things out and ready, so if I am not out in the kitchen,

they feel comfortable

Helping Themselves.

Start with one jar of regular rolled oats, for those healthy on-a-diet kinda' guests.

Add one jar of Trader Joe's lowfat vanilla and almond granola.

Add one tub of instant oatmeals.

I try to find ones that are low in sugar,

but it can be a challenge.

Take jars from your craft room, wash, and fill in with healthy

 mix-ins for the cereals.

(L to R) I have dried cranberries, dried apricots diced into small pieces,

raisins and slivered almonds.

Mix together on a tray and you are almost ready for breakfast.

These three jars are always on my counter filled with cold cereal.

I was tired of having so many opened boxes in the pantry,

spilling and getting stale,

so this was a pleasing solution  for all of us. 

This is another standard always on my kitchen counter.

In our early years of marriage,

someone gave us the wise advice that it's cheaper to eat healthy,

than to pay for a doctor.

The bread basket is also a company staple. 

I fill it with good breads, bagels and English muffins,

so my company has a lot of options for

Helping Themselves

in the morning.

A lot of women get up and make wonderful breakfasts for their company.

I get up.

Living through years of cancer has changed my view on life

and my definition of what is being hospitable,

and I accept my limitations.

If I have company that hasn't stayed overnight in my home before,

I casually let them know that if I haven't slept well,

I won't be up early.

They are shown where everything is in the kitchen,

the bathrooms and the linen closets,

so that if I can't meet their needs,

they can

Help Themselves.

Cancer has taken much from me,

but I can't allow it to take hospitality.

I am feeling healthier and stronger than I have in years,

but I have learned to PACE not PUSH.

If there are three meals in a day,

and I know I can't give them all 100%,

I choose where to put my most energy.

So, I help myself,

by allowing my guests

to

Help Themselves to Breakfast.

Help Yourself Hospitality - Hot Drinks

I have a big family.

I come from a big family.

My husband comes from a big family.

When family isn't around and we are lonely,

we invite a lot of friends over to fill up the house.

In other words,

there can be a lot of people underfoot at my house,

at any given time.

We love having people around,

and love making them feel at home enough to

Help Themselves.

I started with jars of mini-marshmallows and red hots.

I added festive tubs of hot chocolate and hot cider mixes.

I added one pretty hot pot.

Mixed all together on a metal tray,

and you have a

Help Yourself Hospitality Center for Hot Drinks.

We normally don't drink a lot of either,

and certainly don't give my kids  marshmallows to eat,

but at the holidays,

there are some rules that are meant to be broken.

Of course, the coffee pot is always on.

Regular coffee until evening meal, then we switch to decaff.

I didn't want to confuse you,

but the evening meal is called supper if you are from farm country,

because lunch is called dinner,

and lunch is the meal you bring to the fields between dinner and supper.

Anyhoo...

Good ol' Norwegians drink a lot of black coffee.

Nothing  is added to the coffee,

no milk and no sugar,

we drink it black,

because you dunk your cookies in it.

My Mom calls cookies and coffee,

"A Norwegian Breakfast."

I love being Norwegian.

The generations that have lived through the Depression make

their coffee so weak, you can see the bottom of the cup through the coffee.

My brothers call this "Lutheran Church Basement Coffee."

Norwegians that know the Depression is over,

make their coffee strong.

Whoever was up first to make the coffee in the morning,

determines if I add a little hot water to mine.

In the mornings,

I feel no pressure to get up and rush out to the kitchen,

because I have established the ability for my guests to

Help Yourself.

I don't have to get up,

until I smell the coffee.

(Tomorrow I'll show you what I do for Help Yourself Breakfast.)