Alison Sweeney’s House Rules—Make Yourself at Home (but Please, Remove Your Shoes First)

While Hallmark star Alison Sweeney was born and raised in Los Angeles, she’s recently made the move to Arizona with her husband and teenage children. The move has been more amazing than they could have ever dreamed, Sweeney says, partly due to the lush rose garden that came with the home, which has sparked a new gardening hobby for her.

Hosting is another of Sweeney’s favorite activities, so it’s no wonder she makes it such a treat to be a guest in her home. The actress, producer, director, and author spoke with Better Homes & Gardens to share her hosting must-dos, how she creates a home while away on set, and her next movie on Hallmark Mysteries.

A rule that Sweeney says takes precedence over all others: Take your shoes off when you enter the house. “My daughter and I are always at the stables visiting horses, so our shoes cannot be trusted to come inside,” Sweeney says with a laugh.

Besides this simple common courtesy, Sweeney says that guests should only do one thing: Feel at home in their house, no rules applied.

“We want our guests to think we’re super cool and normal [laughs], so we try to not have any rules for our guests,” she says.

Read on for more of her must-dos while hosting (or being hosted) in the Sweeney household.

I always love a bottle of wine, that’s what I bring as a gift when I’m a guest. Being from California, I’ve been exposed to some great wine. My friends and I have traveled to lots of vineyards, and I love a wine that tells a story. My friend Chad Melville has a winery and makes amazing wine. I love pulling out the wines that I’ve tasted at his vineyard and sharing them with my friends when they’re visiting.

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be chicken tortilla soup. It’s so warm and