diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20145ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Operating system
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Editors and IDEs
+.idea/
+.vscode/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+
+# Logs
+*.log
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aea2550
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Family Hoppe
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9241fb8..468232a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,25 @@
-# personal
-personal repository for Family Hoppe
+# Personal Repository (Family Hoppe)
+
+This repository is the shared personal space for Family Hoppe projects, notes, and small experiments.
+
+## Purpose
+
+- Keep family-related project files in one place
+- Track changes over time with Git
+- Provide a clean base for future additions
+
+## Current Status
+
+- Repository initialized
+- Basic documentation in place
+- Standard ignore rules and license added
+
+## Getting Started
+
+1. Clone the repository
+2. Create or update files as needed
+3. Commit your changes with clear messages
+
+## Notes
+
+This repository currently contains baseline files only and is ready for content to be added.