Mr. Handsome
“New” Couches
We had a visit from the in-laws last weekend. Mr. Handsome’s parents and four of his six younger siblings stopped by on the way to a conference. Everyone stayed in our two-bedroom rental house, which made for very close quarters, but we enjoyed being together.On Friday night, Mom and Dad slept in our spare bedroom, while the kids spread out in the living room, where we had a twin air mattress and a three-seater couch. After much disagreement over who had to sleep on the floor, my mother-in-law decided we needed more space for hosting guests and began browsing Craigslist. Before long, she found two gently used couches for $300.
It just so happened that one of Mr. Handsome’s brothers was preparing to move into an apartment and needed a couch, so the plan was to give him our three-seater couch and purchase two new ones for us.
Much to our surprise, Mr. Handsome’s parents also offered to pay for the couches, using the money they had saved on hotels over the weekend. They also happened to be driving a 15-passenger van and sizable trailer. Something tells me they had been planning this couch swap all along, but I sure won’t complain.
By the end of the day on Saturday, we had two comfy, “new to us” couches in our living room. That night, only one kid had to sleep on the floor.
Couch number one seats two people.
And couch number two seats three people. This one is Mr. Handsome’s favorite because it is long enough for him to stretch out.
We shared this saga with our Bible study last night, and another newlywed told us that she and her husband had recently hosted her family in their three-bedroom house. Then she proceeded to tell us that she has 10 younger siblings. Makes our story sound a little less dramatic.
Pinterest-Perfect Wedding Shower
Anne and her sisters wrote cute sayings on bulletin boards covered with chalkboard paper. This one says: “Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue; 44 Days ‘Til They Say ‘I Do.'”
Anne created a crossword puzzle with facts about Mr. Handsome and me and handed out prizes to the people who could fill in the most answers.
Guests were served refreshments and cheese cake. (My mother-in-law even provided special snacks for our gluten free guests.) The sign in this picture says “Have Tea with the Bride-to-Be.”
On one of the walls in the living room, my in-laws hung pictures of us from our childhoods. They also had a station where guests could address an envelope to themselves (genius idea!), which made thank you notes a whole lot easier.
Then, of course, there were gifts. My mom folded all the wrapping paper and tissue paper so I could start off with a good supply as a new wife.