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“You just don’t…look like someone from Texas,” some people can’t help but inform me when I tell them I was born and raised in the Lone Star State. “But, people,” I respond, with a bless-your-heart smile, “I’m from Houston.” The implication of my un-Texan-ness, even in appearance, used to bother me, but now I relish the chance to enlighten those who have come from other places. By many measures, Houston is one of the most ethnically diverse major cities in the country—something obvious to anyone who has tried the food....

Having curly hair can sometimes be like dealing with a naughty three-year-old. Try as you might, they’re impossible to contain. They’re wild, energetic, and almost always leave you feeling exasperated. But, just like that unruly three-nager you once thought would never outgrow her wild antics, one good day makes it all worth it. Suddenly your frizzy, fluffy, and all-around hard-to-manage locks become bouncy, shiny, and angelic tendrils of pure gold. Of course, these dreamy days are sometimes few and far between—particularly when living through a humid Southern summer—but we wouldn’t trade our signature spirals for anything....

Four U.S. female speed skaters approach the red starting line. Their strong bodies wrapped in black rubber skinsuits and poised for takeoff. The starting gun goes off and within seconds, one skater explodes into the lead position. Her long braids and baby pink extensions flow behind her while the tips of her white gloves caress the ice through every turn of the 500-meter race. Her powerful legs push her through the final lap and she crosses the checkered line for the win....

Blooming, flowering dogwood trees celebrate spring’s arrival in the South. These native beauties can grow up to 20- to 30-feet tall and wide and have spring blooms, called bracts, in white, pink, or red. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) continues its beauty through the seasons, filling out with leaves in the summer that can turn shades of bright scarlet to deep crimson in the fall and produce bird-loving, brilliant red berries, and come winter, the more-bare looking tree’s horizontal branches create an elegant sculpture....

There’s just something about the smell of line-dried laundry. Is it just nostalgia—say, for grandma’s house or beach towels in summer—that gets our olfactory glands going, or is there actual science behind the fresh smell we love so much? One group of environmental chemists endeavored to find out. They examined line-dried towels at the molecular level and shared their findings in a paper published this year in Environmental Chemistry. The research was led by Silvia Pugliese while she was a master’s student at the University of Copenhagen....

There’s something extra special about your first married Christmas. Outside of being the one time in your life when you can use the phrase “Married Christmas” on your Christmas cards, it sets the tone for holiday traditions that will last a lifetime. On my first married Christmas, I admittedly went a little crazy with the seasonal activities. Despite the fact that my husband and I had spent the previous four Christmases together, this one was different....

Here’s a house you’ll instantly want to call home: the Lowcountry Farmhouse (Plan SL-2000). This 2,754-square-foot charmer stays true to its title by combining Lowcountry design with farmhouse style. It might be a new build, but it looks and feels like a timeless coastal home. This house plan (one of our most popular in 2018) was designed by Court Atkins Group, based in Bluffton, South Carolina. (See how designer Sarah Bartholomew brought the interiors to life with a soothing, sophisticated palette....

The holidays are here and it’s time to swap Ballet Slippers for gold sparkly nails and muted lipstick for a festive swipe of bold red. As always, beauty giant Sephora is here to help you look your best (and as mama always said: When you look good, you feel good). As PureWow recently shared, the makeup empire will offer free “party-ready mini makeovers” running every day now through New Year’s Eve....

For the second year in a row, Nordic Ware is making it easy to showcase your love for baking (and eating!) in your holiday décor. Every Southerner knows that Christmas and bundt cakes go together like peas and carrots, which is why we couldn’t be more excited to trim our trees with cute little bundt pans—no sugar or flour required. Nordic Ware’s 2022 limited-edition Bundt Ornament is created in the Heritage Bundt style....

Want to know how to be a good mother-in-law? Any wife will tell you that learning to hold your tongue is job one. Yes, MIL, we KNOW you have so much valuable experience and wisdom to share. And your boy has grown accustomed to being cared for in that special way that is your personal signature. Surely DIL would benefit from your tips on home care, skin care, wardrobe, hospitality, child rearing, cooking, gardening, community involvement, penmanship, charity work, the grandchildren’s academics, and overall personal style....

Our 2022 Idea House, designed by William Court, is a current take on a timeless Southern coastal home. The Great Escape (SL-2082), a 4,125-square-foot home, is complete with an extensive wraparound porch as well as an inviting two-story front porch. The Great Escape redefines the idea of an open concept floor plan with thoughtfully connected spaces for gathering while also providing plenty of distinct areas to enjoy. The dining room is centrally located with easy access to the screened porch, living room, and kitchen from each side....

The short-sleeve T-shirt has an effortlessly casual look and loose fit that drapes over the body. Modest shoppers appreciate that the V-neck design doesn’t dip too low and that the rolled sleeves cover a decent amount of the arm. It even has a functional breast pocket for an extra touch of style. Says one reviewer, “Every woman should own one of these shirts!” Buy It: $18.99; amazon.com Expecting moms who were looking for a shirt that provides “room to grow” are happy with this one....

An exchange student from Birmingham (England, not Alabama) came to stay with my family for a summer when I was in high school. While she was amused by Southern biscuits (as opposed to the British variety) and laughed the first time she asked for tea and was delivered a tall glass of the icy cold sweet stuff, she was terrified every time we had to get in the car. Growing up in England, she was used to cars driving on the left and the experience of riding on what she saw as the “wrong” side of the road, simply scared her to death....

Planning a Smoky Mountains getaway? In addition to the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park and Dollywood, you’ll want to make sure Anakeesta, the outdoor adventure hub, is also on your must-visit list. This year the theme park will welcome the arrival of a new observation tower, slated to become the tallest point in downtown Gatlinburg. “Our iconic tower will be the crowning element on top of Anakeesta mountain,” Anakeesta co-founder and co-owner Bob Bentz, who also designed the tower, said in a company press release....

Sometimes, it’s been one of those days and no other foods will do but a spoonful of Marshmallow Fluff. (We confess, on occasion, we may swap “spoonful” for “bowlful.”) Well, what if you supercharged your fluff fixin’ with berry-filled goodness? As we recently discovered from a piece that made it onto our radars from Taste of Home, Strawberry Fluff is in fact a product, and its delectable uses are as diverse as its original counterpart....

Is it time for the Magnolia Network to debut yet? Sigh. We’re all eagerly anticipating the launch of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network, which has been moved back to 2021 amidst the coronavirus pandemic. But Chip and Jo haven’t let the delays prevent fans from getting an inside look on the forthcoming television network, thanks to a new digital series titled “On the Road to Launch” with stars from the network....

You know the stuff: rectangular bottle, silver pump, pale yellow in color. It’s one of those products that instantly brings you back. You might remember when your mama gave you a sample you cherished forever after; when in fact, it probably came as a gift with her lipstick purchase. After all, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is basically a rite of passage. Things change though. In the years since we were first introduced, we’ve added serums, eye creams, sleep masks, and toners to our skincare lineup....

There’s something very special about fresh, locally-grown produce. There is nothing we love more than spending a morning wandering around our local farmer’s market, hand-picking the perfect heirloom tomatoes to go into our tomato pie. Unfortunately, buying fresh and local means working with the constraints of the season. And while the wintertime yields a wonderful bounty of its own (we can’t get enough of butternut squash and hearty greens), there are certain things that you just won’t find—like gorgeous fresh tomatoes....

Kitchen gadgets can pile up. Just ask anyone who got an Instant Pot, air fryer, immersion blender, or juicer last Christmas. Single-use tools and fancy new machines all promise to make cooking more fun, but they also make opening your kitchen cabinets a legitimate hazard. Your tangled utensil drawer could easily be whittled down to the most practical items, and at the top of that list we’d put a wooden spoon....

Dole Fresh Vegetables recently recalled several varieties of bagged garden salad sold in 10 states after a sample tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections. No illnesses connected to the recall have been reported to date. However, the FDA is urging citizens in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia to check their refrigerators for the recalled items....