Dads raise confident women

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 29, 2018 /

My dad’s been sick, and for the first time, on Father’s Day, I had to feed him. A spoonful of soup, a bite of chicken, then a sip or two of water. It was the worst Father’s Day I can ever remember. Of course, you can imagine I was heartbroken, but when two different friends…

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Grace that is greater than all our sins

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 25, 2018 /

Grace that is greater than all our sins   There needs to be a word to describe the specific feeling you get when you are simultaneously furious with your child, yet still want to hug them till they melt in your arms. I thought of this when my husband told me, “All the boys in…

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Jule’s 99th birthday party – with pork rinds

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 2, 2018 /

The Fairhope Writer’s Group met to celebrate our darling friend Jule Moon on the occasion of her 99th birthday. Jule (pronounced Julie, but far too cool to spell it the expected way), is the anchor of our group of writers and has a lifetime of stories to tell. Born in Atlanta and raised in Mobile,…

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No fake news, I saw a panther! #freakingout

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 27, 2018 /

*I told AL.com Environmental Reporter, Ben Raines it was too bad the housewife/mom/Junior League columnist had this experience instead of him. He would have known exactly what this thing was. But now I know for sure my heart surgery was a success, since I didn’t fall over dead when I saw this beast! I actually…

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The Summer we know and love

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 14, 2018 /

Summer, Autumn, Winter (“Winnie”) and Spring are friends of my sons. Two are adorable, one is a tart, and the other will be a beauty someday — as soon as she grows into her teeth, bless her heart.  With absolutely no connection to these young ladies whatsoever, and thinking only of the calendar, I have…

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15 Alabama books to take to the beach

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 12, 2018 /

This story by Michelle Matthews appeared last week in the AL.com newspapers — and guess who was included? Yippee! What a nice surprise to be grouped with these amazing authors from Alabama! If you want to read the story at the AL.com site, click HERE. 15 Alabama books to take to the beach this summer…

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Old letters to grandmother

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / May 22, 2018 /

Some of you with sharp eyes and a curious mind noticed my tray I was using while gobbling up those great meals my friends brought me while I felt puny a few weeks ago. Well, let me just fill you in. This wonderful tray was created one day several years ago when  I was in…

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Fill The Plate Luncheon

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / April 30, 2018 /

  Prodisee Pantry was packed out for their Fill The Plate Luncheon last Thursday. I’ve been feeling much better since my heart procedure, but the morning I was supposed to speak at the luncheon, of course, something was wrong.  — What’s a girl to do? I hate to ever, ever, go back on a commitment,…

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Bless your heart, it’s a good thing!

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / April 11, 2018 /

“Bless your heart, darlin’!” Elinda Lou was so sweet when I told her of my ailment. Since we live in a fast-growing area of Alabama, it doesn’t surprise us anymore when we need to explain ourselves to friends who have moved here from far away, and this was no exception because Tina from Toronto was…

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The sister act

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / March 11, 2018 /

Although I never had a girl, my two boys have grown up with the large presence of a sister. We’ve never seen her, because she’s totally imaginary, but she’s helped my boys in many real ways. When I was a teen, I knew several families with boys-only, and while a few of their mothers had…

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