Homemade VS Store Bought… Does Anyone Really Care?

Today is April 1.  The day my husband pins on his new rank. I’m so excited for him and want this day to be very special. However, there are a few reasons this won’t be your “traditional” promotion.
First, he isn’t in an Army unit. He is a student at the Naval War College and there won’t be a normal promotion. On the good side, we can kind of do what we want, as long as someone the same rank or above does the promoting. 
Secondly, I’m partially laid up, because of my foot surgery, and can’t throw the kind of party I’d like to. My idea was to cook some amazing food, have a great bar set up and lots of delicious snacks sitting around.  Instead, I’m ordering barbecue and setting up a buffet.  I’m making two desserts, because I just can’t stand not to, and one side dish. If I keep thinking about it, and if I didn’t have Nick here to hold me back, I’d be doing more and would suffer for it later tonight. I can tell when I’ve overdone it, I go to bed early, with a pain pill and swearing I will never do it again.
So, here’s my question;  does anyone really care?  Will our good friends and neighbors, who love us and support us really think less of me because my dinner is being brought in from somewhere else?  Or, are they just here to celebrate the day with Nick and me and have a good time?  My head tells me it’s the latter, but my southern raising and the hostess in me wants to do more. I know, it’s ridiculous.
The plan for tonight was to go out in our backyard around 4:30 tonight, before dark, and have a small promotion ceremony out there. Our friend Jim would do the actual promotion and pin on one rank while I do the other. (we’re going with ACUs instead of the class B so it will be Velcro, not a pin) while our friend Dave reads the orders. We are having Alex and Dave’s son Andrew hold the flag in the background. BUT… the weather is completely nasty outside. It’s cold, windy and raining. Not a good situation for anything outdoors. It looks like we’ll do it right here in our living room and that’s fine. I am chilling champagne so we can drink a toast to the new Colonel.
For dinner, we will have chopped barbecue pork, (to make sandwiches) a three bean bake (it’s delicious, I HAVE to figure out how to make this) and Cole slaw.  I am making a potato casserole for the kids, a peach cobbler because it just goes with BBQ and a red velvet cake for the man.  He loves red velvet and I like the idea because of it being “Engineer Red”   I am using a box mix today… don’t judge!
So, to answer my own question;  nobody cares about the food tonight.  They are our best friends and are truly only interested in celebrating this great day with Nick and me. I’m very excited and I’m so proud of my Soldier. I will post photos this weekend.
Happy Friday everyone!!