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The Home Place

At the end of her last visit, my daughter instructed me never to get rid of my old couch. I had qualms about that sofa when we first moved here. It is full of cabbage roses. The cushions and pillows…

The Bowls are Here

The bowls arrived yesterday. Lots of bowls. I’ve never counted – Fifty? Seventy-five? Their sizes vary like watermelons, from big enough to hold spaghetti for 20 to small enough for a child’s Cheerios. Made in the Twenties, Thirties, and Forties, the…

Live With What You Love: Waterway Art Association

Spruce up your space with artwork from the Spring Art Exhibit and Sale. The Waterway Art Association is hosting its 32nd annual event from April 24th through April 29th at Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, North Carolina. The show is…

The Gingerbread House

My dream house: a large Victorian trimmed in ornate gingerbread and painted in a palette of earth tones. It would have too many nooks and crannies to count; sunshine would flood the turret windows brightening the rooms within its reach;…

Charmed

I am certainly not a frou-frou kind of girl. I hate carrying a purse. I buy my shoes at outlet stores and have far fewer of them than most of my girlfriends. I hate dressing up in formal attire and…

A Jewelry Box Full of Memories

I couldn’t wait to get my ears pierced. I counted down the days until my “double-digit” birthday and the moment I woke up, I was ready to be transformed into a glamorous earring-wearing 10-year-old. Mom wasn’t moving quite fast enough…

Silly Socks

I’ve never been one to keep up with the latest trends. If I see a dress or cute top I like, I’ll save up and buy it. Sometimes my tastes fit the modern crazes, sometimes I’m going against the grain,…

Shopping with My Teenage Daughter…Lessons Learned

As a precocious seven-year-old, whenever my daughter was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer was always the same. “I want to be a teenager.” A cute, funny, and charming response from a pigtailed little…

Sometimes I Talk to Myself

I have a longtime Southern friend, a superb fashionista, who thinks that people who wear tee shirts with sayings on them look… tacky. So, when I’m around her, I wear flowery prints and don’t follow my natural instincts. Most of…

heeled sandal on top of magazine

Finding Your Fashion Muse

What fuels your fashion finds? What inspires and guides your fashion journey? Some have an actress they emulate or an influencer on Tik Tok, while others still peruse fashion magazines. Navigating a world of playthings as a child, my mother’s closet…

Living Well at Any Age

When I rounded an aisle at Walmart, nearly colliding with a man’s overflowing cart, I heard, “Dad, you almost ran over that little old lady.” “I’m not old,” I objected, laughing good-naturedly. But later, I thought about the girl’s comment. I’m…

poached egg with vegetables and tomatoes on blue plate

A New Kind of Balance

Once upon a time, I ate chocolate and cake, and ice cream by the pint or a partial dive into a gallon. Purchasing two bags of chocolate chips, one for baking and the other for snacking, was normal. Frito chips…

Georgia Beaver: Self-love is Self-care

Growing up in a very traditional household, Georgia was told she had two options for her future as a woman; to become a teacher or a nurse. Fortunately, nursing led her in the right direction to living her best life.…

brown wooden blocks on white surface

Ross It!

It’s no secret; life is overwhelming, especially in this post-pandemic climate where a simple trip to the grocery store swallows almost an entire paycheck, a hearty gulp of the gas tank, and a major chunk of your precious time. Whether…

Tripping the Light Fantastic

My husband asked me recently, “Do you like yourself these days?” “Not my crooked teeth, droopy eyelids, and flabby belly. Do you like yourself?” I probed. Aware that Bill’s milestone decade birthday was hitting him hard, I said, “We sure…

Talents Differ

Everyone needs a hobby. If people find what you do creative and beneficial to them, that’s a bonus. Yet, as long as you enjoy what you’re doing, it benefits you no matter what accolades you receive or don’t. You still…

The Art of Becoming an Artist

When I was just an infant, sitting in my highchair, I somehow got ahold of my bowl of plum baby food and proceeded to smear its contents all over the wall. My father walked in on me, laughed, and yelled…