Life & Culture

life • cul·ture

/līf/   /ˈkəlCHər/

Every experience we walk through that affects our very existence; the external influences of the world we live in that shape us and impact our thoughts, actions, and daily routines.

29 Life-Changing Books for Your Reading List

January waltzes in, dreamy and ambitious. Whispers permission to shred your list of what you haven’t finished, haven’t even started, from last year. She’s a bright new start and welcome friend. Me? Just a girl who loves books, like you. I’ve handpicked my favorites from my bookshelf and I offer to you 29 of the most wonderful books sure to change your life. Let’s meander through my color-organized stacks and stop at these: 29 Life-Changing Books to Add to Your Reading List This Year 1. For the one holding her breath, walking faster, feeling the pressure to do more, balance it all, let no one down: Permission to slow and savor and grow. Growing Slow: Lessons on Un-Hurrying Your Heart from an […]

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How to Eat Vegetarian Without Making it Weird

How to Eat Vegetarian Without Making it Weird

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Venison steak, and fried chicken—as a Midwest gal, I grew up with these hearty dishes. Savory emanating from the floor boards like the smell of beef chili on game day. Baskets of carbs and real, salted butter. Tall, frothy glasses of milk. Fireworks of bouillon. Moats of gravy. We never thought to eat vegetarian. Don’t even get me started on dessert.  I love food and it’s always loved me. My closet proves this. I have pants that range a handful of sizes. Depending on the season and the frequency of my workout routines, what needs covering melts away like an ice cream cone in summer or swirls into a nice peak and expands like homemade whipping cream. Thankfully,

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If You Want To Get Healthy Do These 5 Things

If You Want To Get Healthy Do These 5 Things

For a girl whose dietary and lifestyle choices once included generous amounts of Cheez-Its, menthol cigarettes, and energy drinks mixed with vodka, doing a massive overhaul on my (not-so-healthy) habits was overwhelming at first. I’m not going to lie… it was downright hard. I wasn’t sure what foods my body would benefit from, so I tested popular diets and eliminated trigger foods. I wanted to find cost-effective ways to incorporate more organic produce to get healthy. So I found good deals and discounted products I could add to my recipe rotation. I began exercising on a consistent basis, and instead of automatically reaching for my former go-to substances during times of stress, I explored spiritual practices that seemed to calm my mental

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Instagram-Envy-During-the-Holidays-Beware-of-the-Pitfall

Instagram Envy During the Holidays: Beware of the Pitfall

Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words; other times, they are total liars. So before we fall victim to Instagram envy during the holidays, let’s look at things a little more realistically. Yes, photos can capture the most beautiful moments in one’s life. Sometimes they are spontaneous, and sometimes they are planned with color-coordinated outfits and contoured faces. I’m reminded of how wildly popular the mall-based Glamor Shots used to be before selfies and filters made that business obsolete. One year I was gifted this experience and now have too many photos of myself in a Blossom-style denim vest and floral floppy hat. (For those of you who weren’t stylistically influenced by this 90s sitcom character, you dodged a bullet.) My point

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There's Hope for the Holidays After Divorce

There’s Hope for the Holidays After Divorce

That Christmas, the first one without my kids, the first one that I had to pack them up after opening gifts and send them off to visit their father, is one I will always remember. Especially the moment I sat on a wooden chair in a dimly lit hallway with the phone to my ear. Handly holidays after divorce wasn’t something I had ever expected. I was perched between a family gathering in the next room and my kid’s laughter funneling through the receiver. I couldn’t understand how I ended up here, the place of shattered dreams, of holiday disillusionment. It was as if I held the blueprint for a magical, memorable Christmas, but was unable to build anything tangible from it.

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How to Pick the Perfect Shade of Red for Every Skin Tone

How to Pick the Perfect Shade of Red for Every Skin Tone

I work part-time at a clothing store, and when I use the word “red” with “shirt” or “dress” in the same sentence while suggesting a stylish article of clothing to try on, some women’s eyes bug out, and they start to frown. They don’t believe there’s a perfect shade of red, even for them. I don’t even think they realize it! In short, they have an internal freakout. When I mention the color red, many women instantly picture a bright, candy red, as you can see in the pictured color palette below (courtesy of Digital Synopsis). However, as a color fanatic, I love any shade of red. So my two-part goal in this article is: 1. to expand your shades of red

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10 Women Share Christmas Memories that Will Warm Your Heart

10 Women Share Christmas Memories That Will Warm Your Heart

Each Christmas usually arrives with the same lineup of gifts: the big-ticket item you really wanted, some poorly constructed but heartfelt crafts made by your children (macaroni ornaments, anyone?) and the random pairs of socks that someone decided you needed. But occasionally, there’s that one gift you never forget. It might have made you laugh or even cry, but whether you still physically have it or not, it’s never left your mind. Some of Grit and Grace Life‘s staff and writers share their favorite Christmas memories and gifts: When I was 18, I had my first “real” boyfriend. I worked at the mall at the time, and I remember he came in to say hi and then went off to shop. A

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Stuck in a Toxic Work Culture? 6 Ways to Make it Better

Stuck in a Toxic Work Culture? 6 Ways to Make it Better

Several years ago I left a job I loved with a team of people that I adored to pursue an opportunity that looked like an amazing next step for me. The new role would stretch me and I was certain I would grow from the challenge. While I learned a lot, it was not the exciting endeavor that I had dreamed of. It turned out to be one of the most difficult seasons of my career. The work itself wasn’t the issue. The fact that my husband and I had relocated and were adjusting to a new community, while challenging, wasn’t the worst. The agony was that I had catapulted myself into a toxic work culture that was draining the life out

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man pouring wine into a glass on a holiday dinner table, a potential dilemma for those needing a sober holiday survival guide

Your Sober Holiday Survival Guide

The holidays can be stressful, especially for those of us in recovery. Whether that is recovery from substance use, food addiction, co-dependent relationships, or pretty much anything at all (I believe that we are all in recovery from something), the holidays can put a stress on our recovery journeys. Even good stress can be challenging. Because of this, I wanted to create a resource that can help guide your journey in recovery through the holiday season—or any season—you might find yourself in. In these pages, you will find a quick sober holiday survival guide that will walk with you through the challenges of the season. In this guide, you will learn to: Understand your holiday triggers  Respond in 4 healthy ways Support

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7 Unique Holiday Traditions to Share With Your Family

One of the very best things about the holidays is not the calorie-heavy, “guilt-free” food intake, the gifts, the family gatherings, or even the “you have outdone yourself” decorating. It’s the holiday traditions you create for your family and then repeat each year, ensuring lasting memories in the hearts of all you love. Looking to start some family traditions? Here are a few to get you started: 1. Fill a jar from Thanksgiving to January 1 with special notes for each family member. Write one note a week to tell them something about them you treasure. On January 1, each member takes the notes written to them to begin the new year knowing their worth. 2. Decorate your tree with ornaments purchased from

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Celebrating Advent as a Family

This Is My Favorite Family Tradition: Celebrating Advent

For children and adults, the anticipation of the holidays is always exciting. Much of the joy the season brings is in the waiting and anticipation of Christmas morning. Advent is the season leading up to Christmas morning. “Advent” is defined as “the arrival of a notable thing, person, or event” or “the coming or second coming of Christ.” It’s in the waiting that we can find hope and joy. This is metaphorical for any time or circumstance in our life, but a tangible example is the way that we wait and prepare for Christmas.  I want to create a great sense of anticipation for something beautiful in our home. With so much pain in the world, it fills me with hope to

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10-Life-Lessons-From-Christmas-Classics-That-Will-Make-You-Think

10 Life Lessons From Christmas Classics That Will Make You Think

Being an English teacher, I always look for the meaning behind the words. A song is not just a song, and a movie isn’t just a movie; it’s a script dripping with images and symbols to represent something deeper and is written to reveal something tender to the heart of the author. It drives my husband and students crazy! “Why can’t the wall just be yellow,” they might ask about a story. Nope. For me, there is always a reason. Even the authors of the most anticipated Christmas classics had a goal, a purpose. We can learn a thing or two from these 10 Christmas classics! The Santa Claus: A story of forgiveness and second chances. Divorced dad, Scott, has custody of

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Thank-Sarah-Hale-(One-Strong-Woman)-for-Thanksgiving-Day

Thank Sarah Hale (One Strong Woman) for Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving became a national holiday at the height of the Civil War—a most unlikely time to set a day aside for reflection and proclamation of one’s thankfulness. Yet President Abraham Lincoln did exactly that. Indeed, he was a brave man to declare this celebration in a season that seemed to have very little to be thankful for. But what is often overlooked is the woman behind the effort to make this a holiday worth celebrating. As is often true in life there is a “behind the scenes” lady of persuasion, a humble yet determined crusader of a concept. Sarah Josepha Hale’s Pursuit of Education Sarah Josepha Hale was born in 1788 to Captain Gordon Buell and Martha Whittlesay Buell. Having been educated

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feeling stressed out? 5 tips to stay calm

Feeling Stressed Out? Here Are 5 Tips to Stay Calm

What are the life events that can leave you stressed out or assessing your life as a whole? Presently for me, it’s the milestone birthday quickly headed my way. It has caused me to dwell on the concept of time and the warp speed at which it seems to be running. Based on recent conversations I’ve had with others on the cusp of milestones or new seasons, I know I’m not alone with this realization. It makes no difference if we’re referring to the actual seasons of the year, a particular age, or the seasons by which we categorize our lives (think of labels such as singlehood, parenthood, empty nester, divorce, illness, etc.). A by-product of living in our modern age are seasons that are fluid,

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woman dabbing lotion on her face after a shower as one of the recommended skincare hacks for women

Want to Look Younger? 5 Skincare Hacks for Women of Every Age

My son looked up from his car seat, legs like noodles. “Mommy?” “Yes, sweetheart?” “What are those bumps on your face?” I looked in the rearview mirror and touched my cheek and realized that I had broken out. Yes, I still get pimples in middle age. It’s one of the many hideous things no one tells you about until you are living it. Similar to perimenopause (please look this up), forehead 11’s (also look this up if you are under 35), and any number of physical things that happen as we age. Since turning 40, I’ve become obsessed with skincare hacks. Still not sold on the whole “medical spa” thing, I’m relying on other methods to get that youthful glow back along

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brunette woman in front of a christmas tree holding the perfect gift

22 Gift Ideas for Every Woman In Your Life

Giving the perfect gift isn’t always an easy endeavor, we know. Usually, the best gifts for women are ones that meet us where we’re at in life and help make our days easier, smoother, or just more comfortable. That’s why we asked our team of writers to give us ideas for things they would love to receive based on their current season of life. So, check out the ideas we’ve curated below to find something that makes the lady you cherish feel cherished! Merry Christmas from us to you! For the Active Woman This sports bag has room for everything she needs to rock her workout. Filled with pockets (every woman needs more pockets), this duffle has space for it all. Shoes,

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9 Easy Holiday Recipes for People Who Hate to Cook

9 Easy Holiday Recipes for People Who Hate to Cook

We all love the holiday season. It’s filled with fun, friends, and family. Oh yes, and food. We all love the holiday food. But what happens when you get an invitation to a party that says “Bring a Dish to Share” and you hate to cook? Sure, you can just run by the grocery store and grab a quick pre-made vegetable platter. It’s always an easy and pain-free option, but it’s also not the tastiest or the most festive, is it? Lucky for you, there are some amazingly simple and delicious holiday recipes out there for even the most reluctant of cooks. And to ease the pain of adding one more thing to your to-do list this busy holiday season, here at

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