A Hope Chest for your Daughter-in-Law-( for my readers)

Along with having a lot of things I want to remember to say to my future daughter-in-laws, there are also a lot of things I want to remember to give to them- things that have impacted my life that I hope to share with them as well.  I don't have a chest yet, and mostly only have ideas of what I want it to contain, but over the years I hope to collect a variety of things that will be not only sentimental but helpful.


Here are just a few ideas of things that you could include in a hope chest for your future daughter-in-laws:

• Special books that you have enjoyed or found helpful (such as The Love Dare)
• A special or homemade tablecloth & napkin set
• A cute, handmade apron (this one I plan to make once I meet her someday so it fits her style!)
• A vintage floral vase
• A journal for her to write letters to her future daughters or daughter-in-laws
• A family cookbook (okay- so this one will be covered by my blog, but you could also do a nice handwritten version, or a nice box of family recipe cards)

Obviously, this is just scratching the surface- there are so many more ideas I am sure you can all come up with!  As I think of things I plan to put them in the sidebar so you all have ideas always at your finger tips (right over there --------->).  I would also love if you would share some of your ideas with me (and the rest of my readers) in a comment!

The Best Morning Gift! (TYA)

Alright you guys- this one goes for you and your spouses!  Do you know what the single best gift you can give yourself every night before bed is?  Well, I will tell you (and by the time you are reading this it is hopefully already engrained in you if you have been living with me up till now!)!

Empty your kitchen sink!

Clean before bed...

You will be amazed how dramatically different this can make your mornings run!  I can wake up to a train wreck of a house, but if my sink is empty and shiny all the rest of the mess seems, some how, so much more manageable!  I don't know all the psychology behind it, but it works!

... morning bliss!

Do I always manage to do it?  Well, no.  But if I don't, for whatever reason, in the evening (like being exhausted... or wanting to blog) I always regret it in the morning!  So, do yourself a favor, and just do your dishes!

Want another little tip?  Clean as you go!  If you wake up in the morning with a clean sink, try to keep it that way all day!  Just rinse your dishes off as you dirty them and even as you cook.  This way your dishes are much easier to clean than if you wait to do them all before bed AND it is much more manageable to throw 2-3 dishes in the dishwasher right before bed, when you really don't want to, than having to attack an entire sink-full (and sometimes counter-full)!

And boys, if your wife is especially tired (or you just want to show her how much you love her)- DO THEM FOR HER!  Don't do it as though you are trying to show her she has failed in some way though.  Make it clear that you love her and appreciate what she does so you genuinely want to give her a break!  Make me proud boys!

And you can all thank me in the morning!  :-)