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Big on the home renovation beat right about now? Before you pick up that paint brush, HGTV’s Home Town star Erin Napier has some advice for you: When taking on an exterior paint project for your home, it’s a must to take the time to paint some swatches on the side of your home before committing to a color. Napier gave us a friendly reminder over on Instagram, writing, “Paint tip: if you’re painting an exterior, never skip swatching!...

Millions of packages were delivered to families across the globe this holiday season, but none were met with quite as much excitement as the one that arrived at the Leis family’s front door in Panama City Beach, Florida, last Wednesday. The special delivery arrived on New Year’s Eve for nine-year-old Sawyer Leis. Sawyer was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism around the age of two. Though he’s not conversational, Sawyer has always made sure he communicates one thing loud and clear: his love for FedEx....

Press-on nails have come a long way from the drugstore variety of decades past. Now they’re stocked in a plethora of colors, shapes, and designs to suit the demand for an always on-point manicure—even if it means pressing one on at home. Many of the choices out there are pretty bold, if we’re being honest. But the classic-inclined among us can find French nails, rose-colored nails, and even beige nails with just a hint of pink between the matte finishes and glitter statement makers....

I have been known to say unkind things about Texas-style smoked brisket likening it to kudzu in its seemingly unstoppable spread across the South. But now another invasive barbecue species is threatening to overrun native regional varieties, and it’s not a form of beef. It’s pulled pork. Earlier this month, Martin Cizmar asked in Kansas City Magazine, “Will classic KC pit ham disappear amidst the rise of pulled pork?” For decades, he explains, the two most common forms of pork at the city’s famed barbecue joints were ribs and ham, the latter being cured city ham given an extra dose of smoke on the barbecue pit....

Chef Wesley True of Montgomery, Alabama’s True shares his Easter secrets. Rack of lamb is actually pretty simple if you remember three main points. Home cooks often want to marinate lamb, but I’ve never seen that in a restaurant. Seasoning only with salt and pepper lets the flavor of the lamb come through. You want the skillet smoking hot. Put the lamb fat side down in the skillet and leave it alone for a minute until it’s brown....

Curling your own hair is no simple feat. There are many things at risk: burnt fingertips, crimped strands, Shirley Temple ringlets, heat damage, split ends, and wasted time. If you’ve figured out a way to easily and consistently wield the curling wand, our hat’s off to you. If you haven’t, don’t sweat. Turns out, you can learn how to get bouncy, beachy curls without even picking up a hot tool....

It’s half past ten o’clock on a breezy Saturday morning, and the San Antonio River is seeing her first visitors of the day. Runners zoom along the curved waterside path of the River Walk, their burly dogs tugging at leashes as they attempt to sniff one of the many flower beds that frame the walk. Couples languidly amble along, some hand in hand and others pushing strollers or clasping celery-topped Bloody Marias....

As counterintuitive as it may seem, the more you wash your hair, the more you need to. Daily shampooing actually strips your hair of healthy oil, which causes frizz, split ends, and—maybe worst of all—the overproduction of sebum (or your own natural oil). The sebum is what’s behind that urge we get to wash our hair. Don’t worry, you can break the cycle by “training” your hair to be less oily....

Whether you are making a potato salad for a picnic or creamy mashed potatoes for a weeknight supper, you know there is a type of potato for every job. For crispy roasted potatoes, you want one that isn’t too starchy but isn’t too waxy, either. An all-purpose potato, such as Yukon gold, red, or fingerling, is a good choice, but the russet potato, usually reserved for baking, will do in a pinch....

For those of us who live down South, we know Southern food is so much more than fried chicken and biscuits. Within the whole of our region there are distinct cooking cultures influenced by generations of people from all backgrounds and access to different resources. We asked five writers to team up with their favorite chefs to pick one dish that represents the culinary traditions in their corner of the South....

Gift giving is a tricky business. Whether you’re the giver or the receiver, there’s a whole list of dos and don’ts that can be applied to nearly every situation. Thankfully, any awkwardness can quickly be thwarted if armed with the etiquette know-how to see you through. That even applies to the question that strikes more fa-la-la-la fear in the hearts of holiday revelers than running out of spiked eggnog on Christmas Eve: “What do you want for Christmas?...

It’s a tough week for the country music community, mourning the death of Grande Ole Opry house band guitarist, Jimmy Capps at 81-years-old. As Billboard reported, the masterful guitar player was both a country session musician and a longtime Grand Ole Opry house band guitarist. Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the talented musician had an impressive career that included collaborations with Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, and many, many more country greats....

Cary Bone comes by his love of woodworking honestly. “I grew up on a “mini farm,” by today’s standards,” says Bone. “And all the homes on our farm were built by my uncles and grandfather. It’s kind of been in the blood.” A few years ago, the New Market, Alabama, native decided to embrace his inherited love of woodworking in a more serious way, crafting pieces like cutting boards and workbenches....

Evergreen azaleas are so ubiquitous in Southern gardens that no one could blame you for thinking they evolved here. Still, you’d be wrong. They hail from Japan and Korea and first appeared in the U.S. around 1800. Native azaleas (aka deciduous azaleas) were here all along. Unlike their Asian cousins, native species lose their leaves in winter and grow open and upright rather than forming dense mounds. Flowers are spectacular. Long stamens and sweet fragrance earn them the nickname, “wild honeysuckle....

As a beauty writer, I test beauty products regularly. Discovering the best ingredients and new innovations in the beauty space is a responsibility I don’t take for granted. With so many products at my fingertips, you would think that finding a great face moisturizer for my dull and acne-prone skin would be simple, but it wasn’t. I was constantly disappointed in moisturizers that promised exceptional results only to let me down a few weeks later....

Two Missouri police officers who never had the honor of meeting are connected forever through the gift of organ donation. On June 9, 2020, Officer Mark Priebe—a husband, father of two, and a 21-year veteran of the Springfield Police Department—was paralyzed after being intentionally struck by a vehicle. A year later he learned that his kidneys were failing, and he began dialysis this past July. A few months later, on September 15, 2021, nearly 200 miles away, Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans was shot and killed in the line of duty....

There are plenty of houseguest etiquette mishaps Southerners (hopefully) know to avoid. Not leaving your things strewn about and showing up with a thoughtful gift for your hosts are no-brainers, but what about the trickier, stickier houseguest etiquette situations? What if something you think is a sign of perfectly good manners is seen as a burden by your host? That’s the precise conundrum houseguests find themselves in when asking the question: Should you strip the bed or make it up at the end of your stay?...

How long would you wait for a Whataburger to open in below-freezing temperatures? For Chris Miller, the answer is four days. Miller, a Florida native who later moved to Lubbock, Texas, and now lives in Larkspur, Colorado, stood vigil for the better part of a week so he could be first in line when Whataburger’s premiere Colorado outpost opened in Colorado Springs on Saturday. “I love it. Ten out of 10; it’s a 10, for sure,” he told The Gazette....

Even the Royals love Christmas cookies. And while you may picture them indulging in uber-fancy gold-flake-covered treats, one of their favorite holiday cookies is actually a reasonably understated star-shaped cinnamon cookie. “The Royal pastry chefs are excited to share their recipe for ‘Cinnamon Stars’ with you to enjoy over Christmas,” the official British Royal family Instagram account posted alongside a video of chefs whipping up a batch of the delectable star-and-moon-shaped dessert....

A secluded home nestled in the trees overlooking a peaceful lake sounded like the ideal getaway for a Nashville resident who envisioned escaping bustling Music City on the weekends. The homeowner found the perfect piece of land on the banks of Wilson Lake in North Alabama and tapped architect Scott Torode to create a dream waterside hideaway. Torode designed a 2,300-square-foot cabin (with an additional 415 square feet of breezy porches) that he says, “easily accommodates guests or children but doesn’t feel uncomfortably empty when they are not present....