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Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest

I got the idea for a guest book from my friend, Lindsey. I went to her house one time and she had a journal on the nightstand in her guest room with a pen. She had written a message in the front of the book welcoming her guests and inviting them to write in the journal. I loved the idea.
I went home and bought a cute journal that matched my guest room décor. I wrote a “welcome” message in the front, got a pen and put it on the bedside table in my guest room. Julie was the first and only person to write in that particular book.
It was Christmas time and she and the rest of her clan were at our home in Byhalia to celebrate the holiday with Daddy & Connie. When I went to Fort Smith for Christmas, a few weeks later, she had a special handmade gift for me. It was a new journal for my guest room.

It was the sweetest thing! I took the same “welcome” message out of the other one and used it in the new journal. I did not have any visitors in Byhalia after she made that book because we moved soon after that, so I brought it to our new home in Jonesboro. I have had 12 overnight guests since unpacking it in August! 4 of them have been my sister.
Last night she stayed the night with me. She has a love/hate relationship with the book. She made it, but she hates the, “Abby, your house is so pretty, Oh, Abby, you are the hostess with the mostess. Oh, Abby you are perfect”. “Abby and Randall the meal you prepared tonight was incredible.”… You get the drift and now you want to gag a little, I know. (Melissa also had a fun time with the book when she visited in September. I in fact peed my pants over her reaction to the book.)
So, last night Julie wrote, “Abby, I am here again writing in your book. Lovey, Julie” I was sitting on the bed next to her when she wrote it and had no clue what she was writing. I knew it was not much because she wrote it so quick. I am used to her writing a novel in that thing, telling me how much she loved the visit, etc. She then shares with me what she wrote and we laughed really hard. She then kicked me out of the room and made me go to sleep. I will always love that entry/memory in my guest book. I love guests, especially my sister.

Blurry on purpose though I think if you look real hard you can make everyone out :)
I got the idea of the guest memory board from an article in a magazine a few years ago.
I place pictures of that guest, their family, us together, etc…on the board. I always have a picture of Randall and me in the center. It is fun to go through my box of pictures that have not been put in scrapbooks and use them on the board. They are usually "not the best” shots, new pictures that have recently been developed, or old pictures that have not been scrapbooked yet. It is fun for my guests to look on the wall and have a laugh, share a memory, etc. It actually excites me to have guests because I love fixing up the zebra memo board.

So tell me, what fun things do you do to welcome your overnight guests or are you laughing at me because I do these things?
Abby

Comments

Trish said…
I think that is an awesome idea! As much as we have traveled (which isn't too much) I realize the importance of hospitality. I think the book and board are great and probably make people feel special and welcomed. Great Idea. BTW- the times I have done something here is what I did. Once I had gifts lying on the bed upon their arrival. Another time I had made a box of goodies for the arriving guests. Other than that....I clean my house...haha
I like your style, girl! I am a big fan of fresh flowers on the nightstand. I also have a "hospitality basket" that I pull out for the bathroom. It's full of basics that someone might need or have forgotten (ie: toothbrush, toothpaste, chapstick). All new stuff, of course.

I too have a guestbook, but just a general one for the house ala Jan Taylor. I like both your ideas! I haven't really pulled out my guest book since we've been in Mississippi, although we have had many guests. You're inspiring to get on my "A" game (punn intended) for my next round of visitors.

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