The Gulf Shores & Orange Beach project

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 1, 2016 /

Several weeks ago I told you I was working on a big project with a deadline. I’m happy to say I’ve completed the assignment and enjoyed every minute of it. My task was to write the copy for the 2017 Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Convention and Visitor’s Official Vacation Guide.   At around 100…

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Go to church or the Devil will get you

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 29, 2016 /

Yes, it’s a real sign in Alabama on private property. And we all pretty much have grown up seeing it every time we go to Grandma’s house or the beach.  Living in a state that literally has a sign on Interstate 65 that says, “Go to church or the devil will get you,” has often…

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(Not) The greatest generation

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 21, 2016 /

T-Anna and I were making floral arrangements for our Ladies Circle luncheon when her daughter, D-Anna called in a panic. Apparently, the 25 year old college graduate was experiencing great angst because she couldn’t assemble a new bookcase. “There’s a nail with little swirls around it and a plus sign on the end, and I…

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Which comes first, the column or the blog post?

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 15, 2016 /

Well, usually, the column comes first, then I share it here on the blog. But this week’s article for al.com came about a bit backwards.   My column appears in the Sunday edition of The Mobile Press, The Birmingham News and The Huntsville Times and after it appears on the al.com web site, I finally…

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Pretty (big) ‘ole blueberry pie

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 11, 2016 /

What to do with all these lovely blueberries from Robertsdale? Hmmm. I think I’ll make PIE! The recipe itself isn’t important. You can find any blueberry pie recipe on the internet. (There’s a link to the version I based this on at the end). I wanted to do something really pretty for my family’s 75th…

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Zucchini: the gift that keeps on giving

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 7, 2016 /

Southerners are the givin’est bunch of people you’ll ever meet. Anytime we visit one another, we always want to “take a little something.” And even though the “little” is often quite small, it’s truly the thought that counts. Unless of course, it’s zucchini.   No one wants to look out their window and see you…

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Time to choose the gift wrap

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 1, 2016 /

I realize we’re celebrating Independence Day, but as a good Southern woman, I have to get my act together and decide on a wrapping paper theme for this coming Christmas. Last year, I foolishly believed my husband when he offered to take care of wrapping the gifts, and as God is my witness, I ended…

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To be 16 in the summer

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 28, 2016 /

Summer in the South for a 16 year-old consists of parents who bother him more than the heat, and days filled with friends, food and future adventures waiting just around the corner. Too old to stay home with his mama, but not yet old enough to be set totally free, it’s a summer for finding…

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True love found in the cafeteria

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 24, 2016 /

My college son returned home for the summer and I could tell he’d found a new love back at Samford University. It was a shock to realize he’d actually become quite fond of not one, but several ladies on campus. It’s true. The cafeteria staff has stolen my son’s heart.   It’s difficult for me…

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A Father and a (Southern) Gentleman

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / June 14, 2016 /

If your father is a gentleman, consider yourself blessed. And if he’s a Southern gentleman, you won the big prize. But more frequently, we’re seeing a new kind of Southern daddy. One who migrated here from parts unknown.   I was introduced to a regular, run-of-the-mill gentleman when I was in my twenties and first…

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