Guest User 11/23/21 Guest User 11/23/21

How to Prepare Your Home for Guests: Southern Hospitality

Are you excited to open your houses and have guests for the holidays again? We sure are! It’s been a while so here are some great reminders about bringing a little Southern Hospitality into your home. This year will be exciting as guests finally get to come to visit so let’s get ready!

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Southern hospitality is definitely a thing down here in Louisiana! We relish in being “extra” as my daughter would say. So, no matter if you are having family or just a few friends, here are some extra special touches to making them feel welcome.

"There are no strangers, just friends we haven't met yet."

A small vase of flowers in the guest bath or just around your home in general.
A small gift bag with local, trial size products. I love to give a trial size Tabasco sauce, small Community coffee and a locally made praline. What can you get locally that they might not be able to get where they live?
Be aware of their food likes and dislikes, or allergies. (Not everyone can tolerate our seafood.) Sure hope they like Community Coffee because there is no compromising on that!
Don’t forget to offer them something to drink! Nothing says welcome like a glass of sweet tea or a mimosa!
Be sure to greet your guests and put them at ease. This year, this may include, having masks available in case they forgot theirs. It also might include having hand sanitizers spread around your home.
Anticipate their special needs and be accommodating to them. Do they need a place to make bottles or prefer privacy to nurse a baby? Will they need a place for a baby to nap? Will they need the Wi-Fi password?
Let them know it’s an honor for you to have them as your guest, not a burden, by having a beautiful tablescape and using your finest dishes and glassware (Grandmother’s china and crystal is always a welcome sight for the holidays!). Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a tablescape!

Need help getting your home ready for guests? We would love to help!

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Guest User 11/11/21 Guest User 11/11/21

How to Prepare Your Home for Guests

Are you as excited as I am to be celebrating the holidays in person again? What really struck me is this is the first time many of us have had guests in 2 years! Let me give you a quick refresher on tips for having guests!

Are you as excited as I am to be celebrating the holidays in person again?

I’m currently in the airport waiting to board a plane to Austin for an organizing convention but on the way, I forewarned my hubby that when I get back….game on for Holiday decor! I can be thankful and joyful at the same time!!!

What really struck me is this is the first time many of us have had guests in 2 years! Let me give you a quick refresher on tips for having guests!

Guest bedrooms –Southern Style

YOU WILL NEED CLEAN AND COMFORTABLE BEDDING FOR THE GUEST BEDROOM.

Clean being the more important of the two! Make sure all bedding is washed and the bed is made neatly. Yes, they might mind the Louisiana Catahoula hound hair on the pillow! Make sure to have enough pillows and an extra blanket if needed. Here is a link to “How to Make a Bed,” in case you need some help.

CLUTTER FREE SPACE IS IMPORTANT.

Of course, they want to see the 72 photos of you and your kids at the Saints game displayed on the nightstand, but they’d also like a space to rest their own personal items. Make sure the bedside table is clear enough for them to have space for their phones, ipads, laptops or other personal items. Be sure to have a spot for their luggage. Maybe just 1 photo of Drew Brees hanging on the wall will suffice? Having a little hanging space in the closet is considerate too. Move the debutante dresses to the other closet!

HELP ENTERTAIN YOUR GUESTS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT SLEEPING HABITS THAN YOUR FAMILY BY PROVIDING SOFT LIGHTING, WATER, SNACKS AND ENTERTAINMENT.

Lamps, books, Southern Living, Garden and Gun magazines, local brochures for nearby attractions as well as a Wi-Fi password provided for late night or early morning reading are a just few nice touches. Water and snacks like pralines, Satsuma’s or Zapp’s chips help a guest feel cozy and may make them forget that it’s 90% humidity outside on Thanksgiving Day. Did I mention they might need hair ties? Do they need space for a C-Pap machine, medications, baby to sleep or nurse?

Guest Bathrooms

PLACE A CLEAN BATH TOWEL, FACE TOWEL, AND WASHCLOTH ON THE GUEST’S BED SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO GO SEARCHING FOR WHAT THEY CAN USE.

In my house, I like to designate certain towels as guest towels so that my family members don’t use them to wash the dog or clean up the mud on the floor (Can you relate?) My guest towels don’t look like the others. They are actually white, for one (not dingy white and well loved). I have put these in baskets, tied them with a ribbon or just stacked them nicely. Any of those options makes the guest feel welcome.

A NICE BASKET OR CONTAINER OF TRAVEL SIZE TOILETRIES IS HELPFUL IF YOUR GUEST FORGOT AN IMPORTANT ITEM.

This basket can include but is not limited to shampoo, body wash, conditioner, toothbrush, razor, mouthwash, toothpaste, dental floss, comb, hair ties or bug spray (mosquitos are like hawks, y’all). If your guests have small children, include toiletries geared for children as well.

MAKE SURE THAT THE BATHROOM IS CLEAN.

This is especially important if your guests share the bathroom with my children. Uhm, I mean children. Any children.

All of these tips can help your guests feel relaxed and pass a good time while staying in your home. They let your guests feel that they are wanted and welcome. But be careful, if you are too kind, they might not leave. And as my Mother-in-law likes to say, company and fish stink after about 3 days!

Most importantly, y’all have a good time, cher! Laisses Bon Temps Rouler!

DOES PREPARING YOUR GUEST ROOM FOR COMPANY SEEM OVERWHELMING? LET US GIVE YOU A HAND!

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Guest User 12/10/20 Guest User 12/10/20

Christmas Card Clean Up

What do you do with the Christmas card clutter? 🌲🎅🏼🤶🏻Here’s 3 ideas…

What do you do with the Christmas card clutter? 🌲🎅🏼🤶🏻

Here’s 3 ideas.

🌲Use them as the contact photos in your phone! Then they are saved! (And you can toss them after the holiday.)

🌲Punch a hole in the top. Use a ribbon and hang them on your tree.

🌲Tape them to a door frame so they are displayed during the holidays. Take pictures of the ones you want to “keep” and add them to a photo file on your computer. Then toss at the end of the holiday.

Spend 2-3minutes per day to attend to the cards. Don’t forget to toss the junk mail before it even enters your house!

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Guest User 11/17/20 Guest User 11/17/20

Life is Short, Use Your Crystal

Whatever your “fancy” holiday dishes may be, it’s time to bring them out and enjoy them. Here is a guide on how to set the table and some inspiration for a beautiful holiday table!

If 2020 is anything, it’s a reminder that life can change on a dime. It’s important to remember those “things” that you are saving, well, saving for what? Who could be more important than your family?

Maybe china and crystal aren’t your thing? Whatever your “fancy” holiday dishes may be, it’s time to bring them out and enjoy them. For me that means my Great-Grandmother’s china is front and center. You may have opted for something more contemporary, less formal or even less breakable, which I completely understand, but having my china on the table reminds me that life is fragile so enjoy it. No matter if you are having a formal event or a casual one, your decorated and well-set table can make the event feel more festive and your guests more welcome. Your centerpiece might be a mason jar of camellias from the yard or a fancy floral arrangement, either way, having a centerpiece brightens up the table and changes the mood from an ordinary dinner to a celebration! So, pull out the fancy, put on a smile and enjoy this time with the people you love.

Here is a guide on how to set the table. It’s really important to know and certainly a job that the older kids can do for you if you are busy in the kitchen.

Here are some other places that we found inspiration for a beautiful holiday table! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g634/thanksgiving-table-settings-1108/?slide=6

https://www.livingwithlandyn.com/2016-11-3-chic-thanksgiving-table/elegant-and-easy-thanksgiving-table-settings