I'm 32, married, and soon to be a new mom. I love spending time with friends, particularly when there is food involved. I love comfort food and making a nice hearty meal for my hard-working hubby. Sunday dinners at mom's. Learning new things from seasoned relatives. Our friends have a blueberry farm. One August, I spent weeks perfecting my muffin and pie recipes. It was fun trying different ingredients and amounts to come up with a personalized recipe. Taste-testing them was fun, too. We received a last-minute invitation to a very important retirement party on the same day we had invited friends to our home for dinner. I was making a potroast in the crockpot, which turned out fine, but I had begun the side dishes before we left for the party, then finished them quick when we returned home. The gravy was sticky, the pasta was tasteless, and a lot of the side dish flavors fell short. I thought the meal was terrible and our polite guests arrempting to compliment me just made me feel worse. I knew it was bad and would have preferred everyone just admit it. Had I known the schedule would be so hectic, I would have chosen more forgiving dishes. I will never try to do 2 things at once again!