Steph's Pick - Be Our Guest

For those of you who know us well, our home has become very similar to that of a popular bed and breakfast. We love having guests stay with us and always welcome visitors any time of the year (hint, hint). Because of this we've learned that when it comes to entertaining out-of-town guests, it's important to go the extra mile in making their stay with us as warm and welcoming as possible. We all know that it can often be awkward staying in unfamiliar quarters, so making sure the guest room and bathroom are well stocked is important. Below you'll find just a few things that I have either done in the past or plan to do in the future for our visitors.

Guest Bedroom:
- Prepare the guest bed, futon or couch with lots of pillow options and soft linens. Nothing is better than slipping away into a comfortable bed with super cozy linens. This will make a huge difference in your guest's sleeping experience.
- Bedside Table Essentials - Be sure to include an alarm clock, lamp, bottles of water and some reading material. I like to keep various magazines by the guest bed for those guests who may like to read a little before closing their eyes for the night.
- Extra pillows & blankets. Everyone has different body temperatures (Alan & I have quite opposite temps). It's important to make sure your guests feel comfortable while sleeping and just by providing a couple different options you might make their night just that more comfortable.
- Make sure the window treatments keep out the morning sunshine so your guests can sleep past 6:00 am.

Guest Bathroom:
Keeping the guest bathroom well stocked is important so guests don't have to ask for any necessary items - which could be embarrassing for some. Here are a few ideas:
- Soft Towels & Wash Cloths (display in a prominent location)
- Extra Toilet Paper (I found a cute extra toilet paper roll basket at Walmart)
- Tooth Paste
- Shampoo & Conditioner
- Cotton Balls
- Disposable Razor
- Tylenol
- Body Lotion
- Hand Soap
- Feminine hygiene products


These are just a few ideas of what you might want to consider doing to prepare for your next house-guests. What are your thoughts? Are there any special things that you do to make your guests feel especially welcome? Or maybe a host or hostess has done something especially wonderful for you that stands out in your mind?