This past Monday was Veteran’s Day and I feel that thanking Vets for their service to our nation only one day in the year is not fair in contrast to what they have given us. I know that our lives are busy and that times are hectic, but I want to do better. I am always striving to be better than I was the previous year and I think this year I’m going to add this to the list. I am going to try to go out of my way to thank Vets for their service. I feel like supporting our troops is something that

With the holiday season right around the corner, its that time of year when everything starts to blur together for me. I have trouble keeping the holidays separated in my mind. Of course, part of that problem might be the fact that department stores want you to open your Christmas presents while you eat your turkey and dressing and wearing your Halloween costumes! I wish that the holidays were like they were when we were kids. Just a little more space between them. I can’t really say anything th

Veteran’s day is always a hard day for me to describe. I have family that have served in our military, but I never have. When I was in high school, I was required to take the ASVAB. We weren’t given any warning about it. Just one day during our junior year we were brought into the auditorium and there were several men in Air Force uniforms handing out test booklets. I scored remarkably well for a woman and was instantly on their radar. They wanted me to become a linguistics expert. Even then I

Building a home is stressful. We know. It’s tough on everyone. Don’t worry, we’re all in this together. If you’ve never gone through the process, it can be even more stressful. There are so many things that need to get done and it seems like the stages either come together too quickly or take way longer than it should. All of this just adds to the stress. And then there is worrying that everything is going to be perfect for your dream home. You’re investing more than money into your new home. Yo

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I think it has a lot to do with pleasant memories from when I was a kid. I loved dressing up on Halloween. I was never very popular in school. So getting to dress up and pretend to be a princess or another magical character was something that made me feel like I was as special as the kids that were popular. Halloween was also a lot of fun. I got to stay out past dark, which my parents never let me do, and eat tons of candy, which my parents also

I love Halloween. It is my second favorite holiday. I don’t love it for the typical reasons. I love that kids get to be kids on this day. They get to use their imaginations and pretend to be anyone they want to be. My youngest is dressing up as Elsa from Disney’s Frozen this year and she insisted that I paint her fingernails “ice-blue" last night. What can I say? She’s a bit of a diva. Besides the nail polish, she had to save her sister from a frozen heart about fifteen times before bed. That is

This morning as I drove my girls to school, the sky was a cool iron-grey. You know that weird blue-grey color where the clouds are heavy and there’s a light drizzle. This color only appears in this area when its cold. During the summer, rain clouds are dark and come on suddenly. When its cold they seem to creep in almost like fog. I hope it doesn’t affect the game tomorrow. Tomorrow is Arkansas State University’s homecoming game. Its kind of a big deal around here. ASU is one of the biggest coll

Everyone has a different memory of their hometown. For me the memories are of driving around and laughing and joking. Of Friday night football games and Saturday afternoon movies. For some their memories surround their school and the activities that they were in. Everyone is going to have something different that inspires nostalgia. No matter what your memories are about or what inspires you to remember them, your hometown will always have a special place in your heart. And of course, the home t

You’ve probably heard somewhere before that the South is serious about football. Well, its true. Many of my memories from high school revolved directly around the game. Now that I am older, I don’t get into the whole experience as much, but I still get nostalgic about those days. This week is Arkansas State University’s homecoming week and that got me to thinking about what makes me love my hometown. It’s not something that can be just rattled off in a couple of sentences. It’s the whole experie

This is the time of year when people start traveling more. Or at least it seems that way to me. Summer may be the traditional time to travel with the kids being out of school, but my family always did the longer trips in the fall and early winter. It was just easier to travel then. Remember, the South has that awful oppressive heat until mid-October most of the time. So, when the weather starts cooling down is when we actually want to get out and about. This time of year is also when we start pl

One of my favorite parts of fall is the colors that the leaves turn this time of year. We usually go to a pumpkin patch or farm this time of year and we end up spending at least a few hours in the car traveling. This is when we really get to enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage. Arkansas may not be known for it’s landscape, but in the area we live, it is absolutely gorgeous. On one side of us is the Delta with its rolling fields of cotton and wheat. The cotton looks like fields of snow and the w

One of the best things about fall is the leaves turning. It is always something that seems to start slow and then suddenly every tree is covered in this crown of gold, orange, and red. It always amazes me. I may be a grownup but the changing leaves and the piles of them in the yards just make me feel like a kid again. I love being able to look out the rear of my home and see the fall foliage in all of its glory. I have a lovely little deck on the back of my house and it is just perfect for sitt

The last week or so it seems that fall has really hit the mid-south. Last week we were battling temperatures in the high 90’s. This week its only going to get up to the high 80’s right before it plunges again. I’m not a huge fan of colder weather, but I love curling up on the couch and watching tv with my family. (Anyone else obsessing over The Masked Singer?) Having a comfortable great room is a must for me and my family. We love to gather up and watch tv together. We aren’t that family that ju

So, the promised cold front came through this weekend. And, oh my goodness, it is nice! My kid is saying that she’s freezing, but I’m loving it! Now time to break out the hot chocolate mix, the scarves, gloves, and get all cozy and comfy. What? It’s going to get back up in the 80’s by the end of the week?! Crap! Well I can at least pretend while its nice. So, let’s look at some comfy, cozy things for your dream home. Cozy Additions to Great House Plans So, one of the things that I love to do th

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