When Maggie Smith delivers her lines on Downton Abbey, the world stops to take in every tiny word. As the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey, she has stolen the hearts of people all over the world by delivering her lines in a most witty way. Don’t you just love her? Backing up, when Downton Abbey premiered no one could believe …
The response to the Easter perm was so wonderful. I loved reading your responses and hearing your stories very similar to mine—great stories and memories. As I was thinking about women and their hair, I remembered another spring hair moment that I thought I would share. It was a beautiful spring morning many years ago, and I was making my …
My mother has always been the live wire in our family. If there is mischief going on, she is at the center of it. Humor is a gift she has and uses frequently…you just don’t want to sit with her in church as she will always get you tickled about something. I often joke and say that my Dad raised …
There are people that come into your life that make a real impact and leave you with wonderful memories of special times together. Such was my experience with Dixie Carter. She is most fondly known for her role as the sassy Julia Sugarbaker in the television show Designing Women. I met her several years ago at Southern Lady Celebration, an …
The beauty of spring takes my breath away. I am sitting here looking at the most gorgeous dogwood tree laden with white flowers while my tulips and violas are making a show on the terrace. I planted my bulbs then planted violas on top of them. The tulips nudged their way through the tiny purple blossoms and together they create …
Some of my favorite childhood memories are of the Easter dresses my mother would make for my sister and me. It was the spring ritual that we loved. But along with our beautiful dresses came the ritual we didn’t love: getting a permanent in our hair….ugh. That is the worst curse for a child, getting your annual Easter permanent so …
Flowers have a powerful effect on people. I marvel that simply putting one blossom in a vase on my desk changes my outlook. I try to keep a flower or flowers on our breakfast table all the time. I became inspired to do this as Neal and I traveled around our beautiful country. We are always drawn to the gardens …
My first tea party changed my life. On the menu was a pot of Prince of Wales Tea, Walkers Shortbread Cookies with lemon curd, and wonderful conversation with my best friend. In my mind, it was equivalent to being in the Royal Family! We knew absolutely nothing about the proper way to have tea, but we were off to a …
I have a passion for blue and white, a color combination that brings excitement to any room. I especially love blue and white china. My grandmother Norton had a beautiful oval Blue Willow vegetable dish that was present at every meal; she always served her prized peas and beans in it. I was the lucky one in the family to …
I have been an Alexandra Stoddard fan since my friend, Barbara Cockerham, and I found a copy of her book Living a Beautiful Life in Rizzoli bookstore in Williamsburg, Virginia. We have a custom, when we travel together, of sitting at the end of the day with a cup of tea and reading aloud from a magazine or book. We …
