What her apartment lacks in extra space, Girlawhirl tries to make up for in charm. But when a guest is on the agenda, she does her best to sweep away any unnecessary cutter in the living room, where her guest will enjoy the comfort of her foldout couch. She then puts an oversized basket out so her friend can feel free to throw her own clutter – magazine, alarm clock, even eye drops and other small things – into it. Girlawhirl finds that this really does minimize the mess of forcing her living area to do double duty.

Truth be told, Girlawhirl knows that some of her friends cringe when she invites them to stay. Sure she lives in an expensive city – in a fabulous location, natch – and the savings on a hotel should put a smile on their faces. But who smiles at the thought of sleeping on a foldout couch? After one night Girlawhirl's guests do, because she recently upgraded to a sleeper sofa from Room and Board. What makes it fabulous is that instead of a typical foldout couch mattress, it came with an air-coil mattress, which combines the comfort of an air mattress with the support of one made with coils. Guests wake up with a smile on their face instead of a backache.

Nothing makes a guest feel more unwelcome than no place to put their things. And in Girlawhirl's overstocked bathroom, that's always the case – she has no room for her own things! But when guests come to stay, she makes a point of clearing off a spot on the shelf to accommodate their kit, toothbrush and other toiletries. She dreams of the day when she'll have an extra bathroom and bedroom for guests, which she'll be sure to stock with fabulous bath and shower items, fluffy towels and all kinds of goodies.

Usually when guests come to her city for more than a weekend, they have their own agenda to attend to, whether it's a list of places to see or even a day's worth of work or appointments, which Girlawhirl always appreciates since it allows her to get through her work week without having to take too much time off. She's always prepared however, with an easy to follow – purse or pocket sized – map, a transit card and extra set of keys for her guest so there's no need to worry about coming and going.

And of course, once the weekend rolls around, she plans a few events, invites her guest to meet her friends, and makes sure that everyone – including herself – has a great time.

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when she's a houseguest, girlawhirl follows these simple rules to make sure she gets a return invitation . read full entry

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