Bad Manners and Brimstone

Sounds perfect.  I will never use communal salad dressing after shadowfoxs experience.  Ya gotta wonder about someone who licks a communal ladle.

You were a good hostess ensuring as many guests as possible left happy that they won something.
 I always will remember a gathering with games where one man won three games of chance.  At the 2nd win I thought he should have given the prize back for someone else.  At the third win his wife publicly scolded him for not returning the prize.
Glad to know the shower was a sucess.

Husband and I don't attend lots of diner parties.  At weddings I would be upset if we were not seated together.  Holiday meals we tend to sit next to each other. Other events--sometimes we sit together and sometimes yes it is a break to talk to other folks.  My mother was brow beaten to marry in later life to someone who would have said he needed to protect her by sitting next to her.  In reality he was an abuser who never gave her a moment of privacy.

" is there a polite way to say please have your gift sent to DD#1 and DH at their home address? "  A few years ago I was at a local Bridal shower for out of town bride.  I was shocked to learn hostesses returned all the gifts (mostly from Bed Bath, Beyond) & sent credit slip to bride who then re bought gifts at her local B,B,B.

My personal opinion, and probably it won't be popular, is that if I had to pay to ship a gift I would be buying a smaller gift.

Congrats again on upcomming Grandmahood

Let the dill shine with the sourdough alone and use it for savory sandwiches like cheese and lettuce.  Or something with tomatoes.  Wouldn't dill bread taste good dipped in oil as an appetizer?

Oh my, no responses.  All I can think of is when DH & I have Bar B Qs in the summer we serve chicken breasts.  After the 1st time and I saw how much was actually tossed out uneaten  I cut the breasts into small pieces.  Everyone could have as much as they wanted but not to throw out good food.  I am NOT saying for you to serve chicken with Bar B Q sauce but rather small pieces.

I don't eat a lot of meat and the ravioli you described sounds scrumptious.

Another idea--what about ground chicken turned into meatballs with the ravioli?  And a brightly coloured toothpick in each one?

Donna reached out to you without telling you who she was or any details of her current life.  She finally wrote " how are you?" without any details of her current life.  Hmmmm someone has to yell chicken first. Maybe she just wants to say 'I'm thinking of you and how great it was being your friend 20 years ago'?  Either give her a quick summary of yourself or let it go  because it doesn't seem like she wants to take a rekindled freindship further.

FWIT a collage freind of a freind reached out to me after 20 years---with a genuine greeting card and newsy letter.  We now send cards to each other in Dec with a recap of the past year and no expectations for more.