Life & Culture

As Fixer Upper reveals its final season, we shed a tear and smile with all the memories shared and tips learned from the reigning farmhouse king and queen, Chip and Joanna Gaines. HGTV sucked me in as a pre-teen and I’ve done my fair share of binging on homes being transformed into perfection by talented individuals (back when you had to catch a marathon), but the Gaines are different. Not only do they captivate us with a renovation to reveal, but with their personalities and honesty as well—and now they’ve topped our wildest dreams by creating a home and lifestyle brand exclusively for Target! In honor of their new line, Hearth & Hand, and the 5th and final season of Fixer Upper, we’re sharing what it is

Back in the day of “blah, blah, blah,” women sometimes found a struggle when it came to discovering an appropriate and willing sounding board for their ideas, aspirations, advice, and so on. Now in the days of blogs, blogs, blogs, it can be difficult to discover the ones worth watching and following versus those that are still filled with mostly blah, blah, blah… I’ve become an avid “listener” online recently as I dive deeper into my digital marketing masters certification course, and have begun to follow—and weed-out—all sorts of content. I have become a loyalist to a few brands that I have found so inspirational that I simply must share them with you, as a fellow woman of grit and grace. Here

Hurry! The clock is ticking and you need to binge watch the first season of This Is Us before the show returns on September 26! In case you’ve somehow missed NBC’s top-rated dramedy, let me give you a quick premise of what it’s about: “This is real. This is love. This is life. This Is Us.” Yes, it’s that simple. It’s about life—real life—with messy people who do their best to love one another and find their way on this crazy, twisting road. And it’s that simple yet intricate storyline that has made Dan Fogelman’s creation capture the hearts and attention of both viewers and critics alike (winning two Emmy Awards this year). The plot follows five individuals who all come together in a much bigger way.

My husband and I shoved as many of our valuables as we could into our compact car after the majority of the space was claimed by our 2-month-old baby, year-old Goldendoodle, and an essentials bag for each of us. It was a split-second decision, but as the eye of Irma drew nearer our confidence buckled. We were afraid to face her toe-to-toe. We evacuated. We were planning to stay. We had taken necessary precautions. Water: check. Non-perishable foods: check. All of our laundry was washed. Baby bottles were sanitized. We were going to stay in a structure built to withstand a category 5 beat down, so we felt confident in our safety. Until we didn’t. The hurricane analyzer’s spaghetti lines started to move,

It’s all over media these days…we have, apparently, reached the limits of civility. The end. No one knows how to be kind, graceful, or socially correct. Polite society as we previously knew it has ended. Or so some would have us believe. But is it really the end of civility? Have the American people really completely transitioned into an impolite and bullish bunch? Perhaps it’s time to revisit simpler times, the days of chivalry, manners, and, as the French say, la politesse. Join me as we journey to the bygone world of all things polite, appropriate, and well, just plain nice. It begins with words. Think before you speak. Are your words true, necessary, and kind? Do they speak life and affirmation? The

Foreword: One of fellow #gritandgracelife contributors recently wrote an article about why it is important to share your story. My 20s helped shape me into the woman I am now–a woman I am proud of, although I took some tumbles and falls and made hard choices to get here. So with that said, I’m sharing 10 lessons I learned in my 20s… Age 20: You can “go your own way…” As an undergraduate in my junior year at Appalachian State University, I was catapulted into my twenties with a new fervor for life. The first few years of my college experience gifted me many life-shaping experiences that helped mold me into the adult I was becoming. The road was a little messier than I had