The two-bite rule

“Hey! He didn’t leave any broccoli for me!” “You already had lots of it, now give me some!”  My two boys were the only children I knew who would sit at the dinner table and fight over steamed broccoli. While they had one friend who would only eat macaroni and cheese and another who refused…

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Our kitchens and Pantone

This story is included in my book, Exploding Hushpuppies – More stories from home. We can thank the “color-ologists” at Pantone for giving us a new reason to look forward to January. At the beginning of every year, they’ve announced their official, “Color of the Year.” It’s a very big deal for decorators and designers,…

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When a Southern lady enters the room

She walked into the room, impeccably dressed in a blue and white patterned top with matching navy skirt. Her jewelry sparkled and her hair was perfect. Her bright smile was greater than the Mona Lisa yet less than Miss America. Her final, yet essential accessory, was the hint of mischief in her eyes, which instantly…

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Rush Boutique

You know how I love “follow your dream” stories, so of course, I’m wild about Rush Boutique. It doesn’t hurt that the owner and I have a special connection! This is Jennifer Warren, the owner of Rush Boutique. Jennifer grew up with a Mom who was a home economics teacher and knew the clothing industry…

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Moving on — 25 years!

I can’t thank you all enough for the beautiful condolences you’ve sent regarding the death of my father. It has been a terribly difficult time and with the addition of sending my youngest son to college, it seemed like the world was unraveling. Months ago, when things seemed perfectly normal, Bob and I planned a…

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Good Gravy

It was difficult to understand him, but through our tried and true method of hand signals, pantomime, clicking sounds and eye blinks, I finally understood that my northern born husband was trying to tell me his New Jersey Great-Grandmother Donatoni made something she called gravy, but it was actually spaghetti sauce. Now, doesn’t that beat…

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