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Living in a neighborhood has a lot of advantages. Someone always is willing to keep an eye on your house when you are away. You can find like-minded gardeners happy to share landscape ideas and pass-along plants. Most importantly, there is the opportunity to develop deep and lasting friendships with the families on your street. Many responsibilities also come with living in a neighborhood. Keeping those relationships positive requires respect and concern for your neighbors and their property....

There are a lot of good reasons to write a one-star Yelp review. Maybe a restaurant served you a raw burger or a moving company dropped your piano. But to use Yelp to criticize a national park for something as absurd as being boring or having too many gray rocks? Honestly, we can’t help but laugh. And we’re not alone. Upon discovering a smattering of hilariously poor national park reviews, artist Amber Share of Raleigh, North Carolina, felt inspired....

Guests who head to Sea Island, a privately owned island and luxury resort on Georgia’s Southeastern coast, are in for a treat. On any given day, those treats may include, taking a sea turtle night walk, going salt marsh kayaking, or pampering yourself with a treatment and the eucalyptus-infused steam room at the spa. Every day, we hope one of those treats includes their beloved corn muffins, studded with cheddar and flecks of bacon....

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our country, so many individuals—from every day people to celebrities— are stepping in to help those who may be suffering as a result of the crisis, whether physically, financially, or emotionally. In recent weeks we’ve been blown away by so many country music stars doing their part to pitch in. From Brad Paisley’s free grocery store in Nashville offering free delivery and groceries to senior citizens to Dolly Parton pledging an $1 million donation to Vanderbilt Medical Center to help fight coronavirus, it seems that every day there’s another instance of a country singer doing something wonderful to aid others....

Sure, Blake Shelton may be proud of his Oklahoma roots, but that doesn’t mean he won’t pitch in to help someone from the neighboring state of Texas. Such was the case recently when the country star surprised Mrs. Gressett, a first grade teacher in Texas who Tweeted for some assistance from Shelton when it came to knocking off items on her school supplies list for the upcoming school year. Amazingly, Blake wrote back the next day saying “I’ve had a few drinks....

Bojangles may be 44 years old, but the beloved Southern chain isn’t settling down. The chicken and biscuits purveyor has just unveiled a brand-new chicken sandwich that could blow away the competition. The new Bo’s Chicken Sandwich features a marinated chicken breast coated in a crispy buttermilk breading, dusted with the Bojangles’ secret mix of bold spices, and served on a toasted and buttered bun with a layer of zesty mayonnaise and thick-cut dill pickles....

French hydrangeas are prized for their globe-like blooms, popping off like fireworks shows in gardens throughout the late spring and early summer. Mopheads are typically pink, blue, or white, but can also be manipulated to suit color preferences–if you’re willing to get your hands dirty. What color blooms your hydrangeas will deliver is dependent on the pH-level of the soil in which it’s planted. The higher the acidity (pH less than six), the bluer your blooms, while more alkaline soil (pH greater than seven) typically results in pinkish flowers....

The world of TikTok cleaning hacks can be exciting and even controversial. Dishwasher hacks and how-tos alone have clocked millions of views on the platform. With viral videos on how to shine up silverware with aluminum foil and the little-known fact that many machines have an adjustable second rack, it seems there is always something new to discover. A recent TikTok video, viewed 1.1 million times, makes an interesting claim about the proper place to put dishwashing detergent pods, and it sparked many “I never knew that!...

A Louisiana dog is being hailed a hero after he protected his family’s daughters for hours when they went missing in the woods last month. Abigail, 7, and Cecilia Bourg, 4, were playing with their golden retriever, Artemis, in the backyard of their Folsom home on the evening of November 29, when he ran into the woods. The sisters followed him and were soon lost. More than 100 volunteers joined the search, and local law enforcement agencies deployed drones, ATVs, K-9 officers, and a helicopter....

Hey, if Queen Elizabeth II can celebrate two birthdays, us regular folks deserve a shot at double the fun, too. Well, reigning co-queen of the TODAY show’s ever-peppy and delightful fourth hour, Hoda Kotb, also toasts her daughter’s birthday twice a year — for a very special reason. As she discussed in a recent segment with her co-host, Jenna Bush Hager, her adopted daughter Haley Joy enjoys twice annual celebrations in her honor: “Haley has two birthdays,” said Kotb — who’s also the mom to 22-month-old Hope Catherine — to Bush Hager....

Unless you’re like my great-grandmother, who was a genius in the kitchen and never needed to consult a recipe for her inimitable biscuits, baking is something of a science. With cooking, you can throw in a pinch of this or add a splash of that, and it’ll usually come out fairly tasty, or at the very least, edible. Baking, however, is a whole different ballgame. Forget the yeast, and your bread won’t rise; don’t incorporate the baking soda into your dry ingredients properly, and eating pancakes turns into a game of Minesweeper, with unpleasant little bitterness bombs hidden throughout....

Eight years have passed since chef and farmer Matthew Raiford and herbalist Jovan Sage met and started a life together. But it’s still easy to catch them in an adorable, winding cycle of recollection. Was it he who approached her? Was she the one who invited him for coffee? Forget about determining who made the first move; theirs was a quick match. The auspicious meeting place was Turin, Italy, at Terra Madre, the Slow Food International biennial gathering....

Earlier this month, Krispy Kreme announced the launch of Mississippi Mud Pie, Banana Pudding, and Coconut Cake doughnuts. Oh, how our Southern hearts swooned. But just when we thought things on the Krispy Kreme front couldn’t get any better, the North Carolina headquartered doughnuts empire shared some more amazing news: For the first time in the company’s 80+ year history, they’ll be packaging their doughnuts for customers to buy at Walmart or online at grocery....

Picture it: Your hair is crimped, your brows are plucked into submission, your foundation is at least one shade too light and matte to the point of powdery, and your lips. Oh, your lips. Brick-brown lipstick, frosted purple lipgloss, or ultra-dark lip liner are hitting harder than Gwen Stefani’s hairsprayed punk pompadour. The 1990s were a wild time for trends, and many have come back mainstream in 2020. Fanny packs, high-waisted Levi’s, bucket hats, and Dr....

There is no shortage of show-stopping, praise-getting foods that make appearances during the holidays, from towering layer cakes to perfectly glazed ham. However, the more that I’ve cooked and contributed to the family holiday meals and parties, I’ve come to realize that, most times, the simplest recipes make the biggest mark. It hasn’t been when I’ve spent hours in the kitchen that I’ve raked in the most compliments, nor my most complicated dishes that have been the subject of “can I have that recipe?...

Finding the perfect Christmas tree can be tough—you need a tree to be the right size, height, width, and fullness. It’s hard to find a tree that checks all those boxes, though, so sometimes you have to compromise on certain aspects. But if you ended up with a tree that looks a little Charlie Brown-ish, there’s an easy way to spruce it up a little—add these artificial pine branches to your tree....

It’s no secret that the members of our Custom Builder Program are some of the best home designers and builders in the country, and Todd Wilson is no exception. For over a decade, Todd and his team at Wilson Design & Construction have been a part of our program, constructing dream homes and bringing Southern architectural charm to the Valdosta, GA area. Photography by Laurey W. Glenn Lucky for us, Todd and his talented colleagues recently finished building one of their gorgeous showcase homes, and from now until January 23rd it’s open to the public for tours....

These days, we’re amazed by all the people stepping up in big ways and small to help people amidst the coronavirus pandemic. From a Maryland first grader on a mission to deliver care packages to his elderly neighbors to Dolly Parton donating $1 million to Vanderbilt Medical Center to help fight coronavirus, celebrities and everyday people alike have been doing what they can to make a difference during these trying times....

Nashville’s Eakin Elementary School sits in the shadow of Vanderbilt University. “You can literally see the athletic facilities from our library window,” executive principal Eric Hartfelder tells Southern Living. “When there are football games we have parking at our school. They’re our neighbors.” But the school’s prime location has its downfalls. Chief among them: traffic. Recently, Hartfelder noticed that gridlocks were causing more and more students to show up late for school....

Nicole Burke has a cause. She’s championing the revival of kitchen gardening: raised beds for growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs at home year-round. For Burke, it all began with zippy chives. She became a self-taught gardener in her backyard, where through trial and error, she learned how to cultivate fresh organic produce to feed her family—starting with things like herbs and lettuces, and then working her way to vegetables and fruits....