Hostess With the Mostest

No one would ever mistake me for Martha Stewart.

My cakes, while tasty, are typically lopsided and unattractive. My homemade cards look like one of my kids (and not the artistic one) made 'em. No where are my shortcomings more evident than entertaining.

I prefer small gatherings — just a family or two. It gets way too hard with lots of people. It wasn't always this way. BK (Before Kids), it wasn't a big deal to host a bunch of people. Now cleaning the house and doing all the prep work is just debilitating. So you can understand why — with a big Sunday gala looming — I am not so chipper. It's a fundraising event for a good cause and it's smack in the afternoon, so no one really expects much, right?

Which is good. Because I am not a fresh-flowers-on-the-table and cute, custom-made napkin rings kind of girl. In fact, my plates and plasticwear are usually all just mismatched from previous gatherings.

These things are my idea of fun entertaining.
• Pick Your Nose Cups ($5.95). These are a hit with kids and adults.
• Big Lebowski coasters ($12). Honestly, these don't even really resemble Jeff Bridges, but I can't resist a "Big Lebowski" reference.