My Favorite Rambling Hikes in the Blue Ridge

Refresh your spirit and reinvigorate your mind with a good long rambling walk. My 4 favorite rambling hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The rustle of grass under your feet, The sound of stones skittering down the path, The smell of cool, piney air, The sun on your face, The freedom to go and turn and wander with no road map, The connection to nature… This is what lures me on long rambling hikes in the Blue Ridge…

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2 Clever Ways to Repurpose Grocery Store Wine Totes

Repurpose grocery store wine totes as storage caddies to organize your closet, bathroom, and suitcase!

Repurpose grocery store wine totes as storage caddies to organize your closet, bathroom, and suitcase. No crafting, sewing, or gluing necessary! We love…LOVE wine here at the Medlin household! We are not very picky or snobbish about our wines either. As a consequence, we’ve accumulated quite a few grocery store wine totes. You know the ones…

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2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Check off every name on your Christmas list with Pender & Peony's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide! These 7 curated gift guides cover every personality from the globe trotter to the Southern lady.

Check off every name on your Christmas list with Pender & Peony’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide! Hands down one of the best ways to avoid holiday stress is to accomplish your Christmas gift shopping early! No one wants to wade through hectic stores and wait in check out lines Christmas Eve. This applies to online…

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Currently Reading…My Southern Journey

Rick Bragg's book My Southern Journey will make you laugh out loud and cry until your eyes are bleary. Every Southerner should own this incredible work. I recommend reading this with a glass of bourbon on your favorite porch.

Let Rick Bragg take you home with My Southern Journey… This book takes me to places familiar: It takes me to lazy evenings rockin’ on my grandmother’s porch. It takes me on truck rides down back country roads on misty mornings. It takes me to oyster bars in Charleston and a barstool in my favorite…

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Secrets to Make Breakfast Smoothies Fast, Filling & Tasty

Use these 3 secrets to make breakfast smoothies fast, easy, filling and tasty. You'll be hooked on their healthy goodness just like me!

Use these 3 secrets to make breakfast smoothies fast, easy, filling and tasty. You’ll be hooked on their healthy goodness just like me! I love breakfast smoothies! I really, really love them, and actually I’m starting to feel just the tiniest bit addicted. I literally want a smoothie for breakfast every morning. Now brunch…brunch is…

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Our Adventure to Grandfather Mountain

Experience the wonder and adventure of Grandfather Mountain with breath-taking vistas, alpine hiking trails, and rugged mountain scenery.

Experience the wonder and adventure of Grandfather Mountain with breath-taking vistas, alpine hiking trails, and rugged mountain scenery. If you haven’t been to Grandfather Mountain, then you need to go. Go! Go now! Not only is it a unique natural landmark of North Carolina, but its mile high bridge, mountain scenery, and thrilling hiking make…

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5 Laundry Hacks You Need to Know

Learn how I take proper care of the fabrics in my life from clothing and sheets to handbags and shoes with these 5 laundry hacks. They will keep you and your home looking impeccable and help your clothing last longer.

Learn how I take proper care of the fabrics in my life from clothing and sheets to handbags and shoes with these 5 laundry hacks. Alright, let’s be honest…no one enjoys doing laundry. It is just one of those essential life tasks that we all have to suffer through at least until we become rich…

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Life is Better at the Lake

Did you know that you can rent a cabin in a lot of state parks? This is a totally new discovery for me, but two weekends ago S. and I did just that to celebrate our four year wedding anniversary. We rented a little cabin on the lake at Big Ridge State Park, and it…

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Morimoto Restaurant Maui

Eat @ Morimoto This was probably the most romantic, luxurious dining experience I have ever had. Surrounded by 180 degree ocean, beach views and seated under the stars, S. and I relaxed back and let the chef’s 8 course tasting menu lead us through the evening. Morimoto restaurant is the namesake of Chef Masaharu Morimoto (yes of…

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The Mill House

Eat @ The Mill House As the main restaurant on the Maui Tropical Plantation, the Mill House is the ultimate in farm to table dining. At the helm of the culinary experience is Executive Chef Jeff Scheer who is creating a unique and timely menu with ingredients that are literally grown yards from the kitchen. If the food…

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