lotr party #1: fellowship of the ring

some have been asking, wide-eyed, how we managed to cram 21 people into our living room to watch the fellowship of the ring on saturday.
this pic doesn't show everybody, but does give some idea of the setup. (please pardon the icky-nastiness iso 1600 in these pics.)
(there are 4 boys behind josh on that couch.)

of course, it helped that during breaks we would overflow into the kitchen and make yummy things like homemade hot chocolate and brownies...
i'm pretty sure that the subjects of this photo are most of the reason that joel had to make an emergency pop run halfway through.
we'd like to think of the party as an educational event - lindsey whipped cream for the first time. :)

i love having a house full of people. i love the energy and warmth it instills in our little home; i love how a little creative hospitality can blossom into happy memories, peace, and communicate love. a friend recently gave me one of the most wonderful compliments i've ever received - she said, "it feels safe here." what higher aspiration can a home (or homemaker) have?

we're having two more lotr parties for cyt-ers (gotta finish the series) and i can't wait!