THANKS4COMING

Whoever coined the phrase, "house guests, like fish, start to stink after three days" must have had dirty friends! With family flying in from the west coast this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to do a little something to guarantee their visit doesn't stink! While Martha Stewart would paint her guest room to compliment the skin tone of her visitors and create a special mouthwash made of expensive champagne, my approach is a little more realistic for our beer-budget. While clean sheets and bath towels are a given, I've added a few personal touches that will hopefully bring a welcomed surprise.

A BED OF ROSES:

To make our guests feel more comfortable I've added a few little things to their bedside stands. Instead of giving away over-sized (or ill-fitting) clothes this summer I saved sweatshirts for the "guest pile," so if anyone forgot to bring one I have a drawer with varying sizes of sweatshirts, turtle necks and gloves. A month ago I started collecting little things from our area that I thought our guests might want to see: maps of the local farmers market and all-important outlet mall, subway maps and maps of New York city, restaurant and store coupons, Starbucks gift cards and ear muffs tucked into fresh towels I'll leave on their beds next to bottles of fresh water. It's just a little something I hope they'll appreciate upon arrival to help them enjoy their stay and hopefully make them want to come back soon!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Thirty minutes

COST: Under $20.00

STRESS LEVEL: Making guests feel welcome: LOW