I don't know if this is common, but I have a complaint about my SIL. Whenever she entertains, she doesn't serve us a meal until hours after the invite begins.
It was her DD's first communion. The invitation said, "Mass at 11, celebration immediately following at our house." Okay. Cool. So we go to the Mass (that's a whole different rant on its own...unruly children and apathetic parents....grrr
) and it goes as scheduled. By noon the misbehaving toddlers, er I mean Mass, is over and DH and I knock each other over sprinting for the church exit and head to their house, which is about a mile away.
MIL is there setting up appetizers in their barn (yes, I said barn...which is ANOTHER rant, but don't get me started). DH and I help set up the appetizers and wait for the other guests. Meanwhile I'm starving and I gorge myself on cut veggies and spinach dip.
We all have to pee. Don't know why. But we do. Must have been the ceremony or something. And while we can make ourselves as comfortable as we wish in the barn, we're not THAT comfortable because there is no toilet in it and we do not have keys to the house and therefore have no place to urinate. Well, I guess we could go behind the barn, but we are civilized and choose not to do that. Also it was raining. And muddy. Oh god, this rant could go in so many directions.
So people start to show up (and thankfully, the SIL shows up with the keys). Our bladders are relieved, and the appetizers are getting eaten. And eaten. And eaten. Dude, we're like hungry and stuff. So I go in the house and SIL is preparing...you got it...more appetizers. Wow. Sam's Club had a sale or something. That's cool. Okay, I'll bring them to the barn and trudge through the mud to get them there. Anything to ease up on your duties so you can start thinking about, oh I don't know...actually feeding us something of substance. Did I mention I was wearing a suit while trudging through the mud? Well that's because we came from church and didn't think we would have to endure the rain and mud and very full bladders and hours of waiting.
Oh god I am digressing again.
So around 2:00 I ask the MIL..."Any idea when we're eating?" And MIL says "Four."
"FOUR O'CLOCK??? That's not for TWO HOURS." Like she can't add. But it was all for emphasis, you understand. And my blood sugar level was dropping, I was dreadfully tired of appetizers, and I was getting kind of crabby. Yes, I said kind of crabby.
MIL took it in stride and said (pleasantly, may I add) that she would see what she could do about hurrying it up. Unfortunately, MIL had little impact on that decision and we ended up eating at four, anyway.
Here's the scenario now:
Some people left before dinner.
Some people starting getting their food WHILE IT WAS BEING PUT OUT because they had to leave.
The rest of us patiently (or not so patiently, in my case) waited until it was time to grab a plate and get in line for chow.
Now it's five and we're finished eating. Dude, what about the cake? How long are you keeping us prisoner here? So thankfully DH has some sense about him and he rounds up the children and tells them it's time for cake. He brings them to the area and leads them in song, "Happy first communion to you" to his niece. As soon as the song was over, he runs to the cake and immediately starts serving it. Meanwhile SIL is sitting at the table and smoking. She apparently did not take the hint that it was time to move things along.
So we eat the cake (which is NOT a topic of rant, BTW, that was some goooooooood eatin') and thankfully...mercifully...the niece opens up her gifts.
Wouldn't you know it? The last present is opened, the niece thanks all of us for the gifts, and POW! the guests are off, sprinting for the barn door. Like my SIL waved her cigarette at them, granting them permission to leave the grounds on good behavior.
So it makes me wonder...is this a common thing? Serving a meal 4 hours after the service when the invite promised us a "celebration immediately following."
Also makes me wonder if they offer Entertaining For Dummies, or Social Gatherings 101 for people like my SIL.
Okay, that was my rant. Strangely enough I feel better.
It was her DD's first communion. The invitation said, "Mass at 11, celebration immediately following at our house." Okay. Cool. So we go to the Mass (that's a whole different rant on its own...unruly children and apathetic parents....grrr
) and it goes as scheduled. By noon the misbehaving toddlers, er I mean Mass, is over and DH and I knock each other over sprinting for the church exit and head to their house, which is about a mile away.MIL is there setting up appetizers in their barn (yes, I said barn...which is ANOTHER rant, but don't get me started). DH and I help set up the appetizers and wait for the other guests. Meanwhile I'm starving and I gorge myself on cut veggies and spinach dip.
We all have to pee. Don't know why. But we do. Must have been the ceremony or something. And while we can make ourselves as comfortable as we wish in the barn, we're not THAT comfortable because there is no toilet in it and we do not have keys to the house and therefore have no place to urinate. Well, I guess we could go behind the barn, but we are civilized and choose not to do that. Also it was raining. And muddy. Oh god, this rant could go in so many directions.
So people start to show up (and thankfully, the SIL shows up with the keys). Our bladders are relieved, and the appetizers are getting eaten. And eaten. And eaten. Dude, we're like hungry and stuff. So I go in the house and SIL is preparing...you got it...more appetizers. Wow. Sam's Club had a sale or something. That's cool. Okay, I'll bring them to the barn and trudge through the mud to get them there. Anything to ease up on your duties so you can start thinking about, oh I don't know...actually feeding us something of substance. Did I mention I was wearing a suit while trudging through the mud? Well that's because we came from church and didn't think we would have to endure the rain and mud and very full bladders and hours of waiting.
Oh god I am digressing again.
So around 2:00 I ask the MIL..."Any idea when we're eating?" And MIL says "Four."
"FOUR O'CLOCK??? That's not for TWO HOURS." Like she can't add. But it was all for emphasis, you understand. And my blood sugar level was dropping, I was dreadfully tired of appetizers, and I was getting kind of crabby. Yes, I said kind of crabby.
MIL took it in stride and said (pleasantly, may I add) that she would see what she could do about hurrying it up. Unfortunately, MIL had little impact on that decision and we ended up eating at four, anyway.
Here's the scenario now:
Some people left before dinner.
Some people starting getting their food WHILE IT WAS BEING PUT OUT because they had to leave.
The rest of us patiently (or not so patiently, in my case) waited until it was time to grab a plate and get in line for chow.
Now it's five and we're finished eating. Dude, what about the cake? How long are you keeping us prisoner here? So thankfully DH has some sense about him and he rounds up the children and tells them it's time for cake. He brings them to the area and leads them in song, "Happy first communion to you" to his niece. As soon as the song was over, he runs to the cake and immediately starts serving it. Meanwhile SIL is sitting at the table and smoking. She apparently did not take the hint that it was time to move things along.
So we eat the cake (which is NOT a topic of rant, BTW, that was some goooooooood eatin') and thankfully...mercifully...the niece opens up her gifts.
Wouldn't you know it? The last present is opened, the niece thanks all of us for the gifts, and POW! the guests are off, sprinting for the barn door. Like my SIL waved her cigarette at them, granting them permission to leave the grounds on good behavior.
So it makes me wonder...is this a common thing? Serving a meal 4 hours after the service when the invite promised us a "celebration immediately following."
Also makes me wonder if they offer Entertaining For Dummies, or Social Gatherings 101 for people like my SIL.
Okay, that was my rant. Strangely enough I feel better.
I'm glad the cake was good, at least.
Wendy
