This is sort of part two to this post, “Getting Ready for a Guest, or How I Pulled a Guest Room Out of My Bum.”

Now that my dear friend Meagan is safely on her airplane, I can tell you about the other things I did to get ready for her stay.

But… I’m going to write it like I’m telling you what to do, because that’s how I roll. You know, I make a recipe for the first time or pull a craft idea out of my back pocket, and then I act like the authority on it and you all listen to me, and then I get a mini-power-trip off of that.

And I’m also going to ask you to forgive my pictures… my camera has been getting blurrier and blurrier and I’m not sure why. It’s not the lens being dirty, and it’s not the settings (because I know how to use them). So maybe the camera is just dying.

So, I present to you…

A list of things you should always do when you are playing hostess to an out-of-town guest

1. Ask your friend what foods she’d like to have around. Buy them. Have them around. Also, read your friend’s mind and buy some things you know she likes and strategically place them around the house in bowls. See: M&Ms.
   
2. If it’s possible, clear out a closet for your guest’s clothes. If not, at least provide some empty drawers. Make sure there’s a place for her to rest her suitcase, a place for her dirty clothes, some reading material, and a mirror. Always provide 2 towels for ladies (we like one for our hair too!) along with a hand towel and a washcloth.
   
3. Put clean pretty bedding on the bed. I tried to fluff out the wrinkles in the dryer, but since the comforter is new, it didn’t want to do that… Make sure there are lamps by the bed, for night-time reading.
   
4. Make sure you have an alarm clock, kleenex, and a trash can in the room. If you want, you can add fresh flowers, a live plant, and some candles.
5. A box of goodies never hurt anyone. Make sure to include things your guest might forget, like toothpaste and lotion, a razor, soap, anti-frizz hair gel (hehe) for humid climates, lip balm, and a pad of paper and pen. Other fun things to include are fancy soaps, a loofah, room spray, and season 5 of Scrubs. Seriously.
6. Hope that your friend likes Gerbera daisies as much as you do.
   
7. Also, freshen up the bathroom, put some flowers in there, stuff like that. And when your guest arrives, go with her to McGuires Irish Pub, drink margaritas, and relax, because no one likes a hyperactive-anxious hostess.