cookies and flowers

[hos·pi·tal·i·ty (noun): the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way]

For my entire 22 [almost 23] years, my poor dad has graciously shared a birthday week with the baby of the family [that's me]. He's been a great sport when his birthday cake always read, "Happy Birthday Meagan!" written boldly in the center with a little "and Don too!" over in the bottom corner. Amazingly, my sister married someone whose birthday falls on one of the two days that bridge mine and my dad's birthdays. What are the chances, right?

This has given us three reasons to celebrate and three reasons to be together during the last weekend of January. This year, the fam are all on their way to our little apartment!

It might be one of the last times we host a crowd for a weekend in this quaint place of ours until we pack it up and move north [though we welcome any others any time!]. With the five of them heading our way, it has me thinking on the command of hospitality. 

[...seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13b]

I am challenged by this command, ideas I've read, ways the Lord has taught me, and how I've experienced this from others. I desire to make anyone who is here feels comfortable, to feel as though they were remembered and planned for. And when its a surprise visit, I still want to be prepared. Beyond that, I definitely don't think that hospitality requires stuff. At all. I believe the most important thing to be making them feel safe and warm and considered. I agree with Maya Angelou she said, "People may not remember what you did or what you said, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.

I love to feed people, and I love flowers. Those two passions are often how hospitality is shown tangibly on in my life. So for my fam - cookies and breakfast menus and flowers - what more could you want? More importantly, I know them, and I know they'll like it.

Remember the cookie cutters I wished for? I finally got to put them to good use. They get strong reviews in my book! They're easy to use and give those of us no longer in school a little brain teaser to be able to get all the letters in the right way so that they'll mirror correctly when cut. It was a challenge, y'all. The only change I would make is the addition of numbers and punctuation. I'm somewhat of a explanation point user. And I'm afraid my cookies read a little apathetic. I think they'll understand. 

Recipe here.

After the addition of flour and some time in the over, my turquoise and sunshine yellow cookies turned into a little more like jade and a 1970's harvest gold.

Some don't know this, but I have big big florist dreams. Flowers, more than any other non-animate worldly thing, bring me an incredible amount of happiness. Especially pink ones. 

Obviously, I need some direction. But even the practice is fun!

So here's to loving cookies and flowers. And here's to not letting the excuse of only having an extra twin bed or tight apartment or small budget dictate our hospitality. And here's to celebrating January birthdays with the greatest, God-given family!