Make Yourself At Home

"My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring." -Prince William

A powder room is an odd little place.

Even the name is a little goofy. Powder room.  I sincerely doubt that much actual powdering goes on in there. 

What I mean, of course, is our first-floor bathroom. Rather distant from our bedrooms upstairs and sporting a sink and toilet but no bath or shower, it belongs to none of us, per se, but presents itself for the convenience of our guests. 

Certainly we use this bathroom when we are not in the frame of mind to run upstairs, but for a long time, I never thought much about storing necessities down here. 

Until I started teaching math at the Braggs' house. 

Stopping by their powder room from time to time, I was greeted with what I've come to think of as a full-service power room.

All the necessities were at my finger tips: soap, towel, air freshener, and a box of Kleenex.

I also discovered some lovely extras:

Hand cream.

Body lotion.

Extra towels.

Extra soaps.

Whenever I stepped into that powder room, I felt as if my friend had anticipated my visit, and laid out just what I might be needing. I felt cared for, cozy, and very much at home. 

This hospitality and thoughtfulness made a powerful impression on me. 

Since then, I've been hard at work on my own powder room.

Though the space is tiny, I found room to squeeze in a set of small shelves and that has made all the difference. By setting the smaller necessities out in plain sight, I hope that serves as ain invitation for guests to help themselves. 

Top shelf: two tins of hand salve; a tiny painting, brass owl, and flowers.

Middle shelf: marble jar with Carmex, Tiger Balm, and a pair of nail trimmers; extra towels.

Bottom shelf: air freshener, hand creams galore, and a vase of eucalyptus.

Inside the vanity (not shown): extra toilet paper and Kleenex, hand gel, travel size Kleenex and hand gel, cough drops, Band Aids, first aid gauze, Bayer, Advil, Tylenol, Tums, Benadryl, and a few extra bars of soap. My go-to is Sexy Peel from LUSH

It is my heart's desire that any guest in my house who finds themselves in need will root around in my powder room until they come across just what they're looking for.

And when they find whatever it is they may need, I hope that my guests too will feel cared for, cozy, and very much at home.