Fresh flowers and Waffles.

We had guests over for dinner yesterday evening, and we had waffles.  I think waffles are the unsung hero of casual suppers with friends.  You can make up the batter ahead of time (just don't mix the wet and dry until you're ready to cook them) and that alone saves you from spending all your visiting time in the kitchen.  Unless, unlike us, you have a kitchen that's all open-concept.  That sounds like entertaining bliss to me.  And then all the 'toppers' for waffles, like diced fresh fruit and whipped cream, can all be prepared ahead of time, too.  And people love seeing bowls of stuff come out of a kitchen; I think the love of 'create your own dish' style meals goes back to the sundaes of childhood.

One guest brought me roses from her garden.

I love fresh flowers in the house but can't have them because of the cats, who will knock them over and eat them, spilling water all over the place.  David, however, brought me some fragrant, summery carnations the other day.

Samuel adores them.  He can't stop asking to smell them and touch them.  Finally I asked him if he'd like a flower of his own.  Samuel's carnation is being over-loved as I type.  It's been moved all over his bedroom in the search for the 'perfect spot' for it.  It's been tipped slightly to see if the water really will come out of the glass, sniffed and sniffed again, and the petals will undoubtedly be gone before bedtime tonight.