One of the most fabulous ways to celebrate the arrival of spring is with fresh cut flowers. I always see bouquets at the market and most times I do pick up a bundle. Sometimes they are prettier than others and much of that is due to being crushed in transport. As many of you...
It’s really amazing how time flies. It seeps away with days passing into months and months passing into years. Forty years to be exact. Yes, as I look at myself in the mirror each morning and see a fading version of my mother and a transformation of myself that even I have disbelief that...
March is full of promise and hope that Spring will soon be sprung! From the looks of all the grey weather we’ve been having I for one can not wait! With the weather warming it’s time to order much and turn over all the beds prepping them for annuals. A hearty annual that I...
Of course out was going to happen again….it seems like it is becoming our norm and that scares me. It should scare you too! What I am referring to is the latest massacre at the High School in Florida. At what point are we going to find the answers to the questions of...
Dear Auntie: I am teaching a young girls group and we are working through basic etiquette. They have enjoyed learning how to properly set a table and basic manners on the phone. I wanted to add more tips for them socially and was wondering if you had any advice or tips that I could...
If you love collards…now that we have had some cold weather its time to throw a few seeds into some tossed...
Where’s your happy place? Mine is the beach…which is where I am right now…in my mind! If you desire to find peace and quiet on a daily basis, one way is to take something very special to you that reminds you of your special spot and to make a place for that in your...
Did you know that there are many birds that mate for life? One day a few years ago I was startled by a very loud and persistent chirping outside my bedroom door. I opened the door to find a slightly injured brown color cardinal and her husband screaming from the bird feeder at her...
Ask Auntie A February 2018 Q. My daughter has always paid attention to her looks and I suppose that is hopefully because of my teaching her to bath daily and make sure she has on some clean underwear! Lately though as she has entered her teen years she has become...
I think one of the very best compliments that I have ever received was from my clients and my spouse regarding my home and it’s design. Firstly, when he was asked about our space and how if he could do it differently he stated without hesitation that “our home reflects who we are and...
Q. My daughter has always paid attention to her looks and I suppose that is hopefully because of my teaching her to bath daily and make sure she has on some clean underwear! Lately though as she has entered her teen years she has become quite slack about her hair and perhaps the most...
Q. My son has a friend that his parent’s allow him to play video games all the time and he has become very self absorbed. As the boys are entering high school my son has lots of homework, projects and sports and his friend seems to have very little discipline or guidance. I want...
The holidays always present some challenges for most families. For some, each holiday the peacekeeping is just a matter of taking a deep breath and walking into the next room. After all, we do not choose our families and because of that tempered tolerance is necessary. These are people we are related to and...
Q. I am a father of three with my children ranging in age from 2-8. I have been teaching them manners ever since they were very little and sometimes they still forget the basics! What are in your opinion, the top 10 best manner practices for parents to teach their kids? I want to...
Q. My daughter has been a part of a girl scout group ever since she was 8 years old. As the girls have grown, one of her friends has announced that she no longer identifies with being a girl and has begun to transition herself into a male gender identity. My daughter at first...
Q. My son is very nervous about going to “big boy” school. He has been at a small Montessori school ever since he was 21/2 and now we are off to kindergarten! I have tried to make this transition sound fun and painless but he is whining and complaining of a stomach ache and...
Q. I have a daughter that from day one has been headstrong. As an infant she would scream until whatever demands she was making were met and now as a toddler she will not listen to me at all. I have asked her repeatedly not to rip the pages in her books and she...
June HFM “GOOD TIMES” Q. Recently my daughter had a birthday party and she received quite a few gifts. Although she personally thanked each of her guests that day at the party, I have asked her to write each person and send a thank you note. I asked her a second time and she...
Q. I am a new mother and of course I appreciate “helpful advice” from both my mother and mother in law but at every corner I feel like I am getting a lecture on what to do or even what I am doing wrong. This “advice” is putting a strain on my relationships. Do...
Well my friends, it’s January! With the beginning of each year most of us want to access things, improve ourselves in someway. That’s where all the resolutions come from right? Organizing I have found is either something one does oneself or something that you hire for others to do for you. It’s one...
