How I Prepare For Guests: The Bedroom

Happy Monday, ya’ll!

If you read my post two weeks ago, you’ll know that this is part two of that series! If you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, you can click here and get all caught up!

After I have the guest bathroom all stocked and fully loaded with the things to make my guests’ stay a little better, it’s on to the bedroom. When I’m getting the guest room together, I always try to think of little ways to make it comfy, cozy, and inviting; a place I would want to stay in.

First things first: the bed: I’m a big believer in fresh sheets and plenty of pillows!  There are normally at least four pillows on the bed, not including decorative ones. This way our guests have plenty to use if they want, or the extras can just go on the floor.

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Depending on the season determines what kind of comforter or duvet cover is on the bed. In the colder months, it’s a little ticker and warmer. Right now, I have a white duvet cover that has an almost woven like texture to it on the bed.

There’s a mirror and a small hutch in the corner of the room, but other than those and the bed, there’s not much else in the ways of furniture. The guest room isn’t big by any means, so less is definitely more in this case!

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Little touches you’ll also find are a letter board with the Wi-Fi information, extra blankets in the hutch, and hangers in the closet.

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What little things stand out to you the most when you stay at someone’s home? Let me know in the comments below!

XOXO,
Leah

My #1 Packing Hack

It’s the most wonderful time of the year; my whole little family gets to travel to our home state for the holidays!! To say we’re excited is an understatement, and I may or may not have a countdown going! Someone once said that “there’s no place like home for the holidays”, and they could not be more spot on.

In anticipation of all the traveling happening around this time of year, I’m sharing my number one hack when it comes to packing! So, weather you’re going for a long trip or just overnight getaway, your bag(s) will be all set to go!

With my husband being in the Army, I’ve mastered the art of rolling clothes. Everytime he goes away for training, our living room floor turns into a clothes rolling station! Not only does this help us save so much room in our suitcase, but I’ve also noticed that our clothes don’t seem to wrinkle quite as much this way which is a definite plus! I don’t know about you, but I’ll do anything I can to not have to iron something.

For things like shirts and sweaters, you’ll start with it laid out on a flat surface.

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Next, you’ll fold the bottom of the shirt until you have a band that reaches about the middle of the shirt. I’ve really learned that this is a trial and error step since the thickness of tops varies, but halfway seems to work with most!

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Fold the sides in about halfway, and then start rolling from the top of the shirt down towards the folded part.

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Once you get to the top of the folded part of the shirt, you’ll stop rolling and unfold the bottom of the shirt so it is now wrapped around the rest of it. This will leave you with a nice and compact shirt. It’s also nice because, if your bag or suitcase is deep enough, you can stand things up so they’re easy to tell apart when you go to get dressed!

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Even our socks get rolled up! With Ailey constantly wanting to “help” us pack, our socks can sometimes get unmatched or one will go missing altogether, but with them rolled up we never have to worry about only being able to find one!

For these, you’ll just lay one sock on top of the other but slightly lower.

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Then, you’ll start rolling from the toes of the socks.

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Once you get to the top of the first sock, fold the top of the second sock over the roll!

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What’s your tried and true hack for packing for a trip? Do you use the rolling method too? Let me know down below!

To follow along with our road trip and adventures back home in the snow, follow me on Instagram at @alongftride!

XOXO,
Leah