Nikki Woody - IslandHome Cabinetry

It's All Pink

Home Girls of the Lowcountry

Nikki Woody - IslandHome Cabinetry

What’s your favorite thing about being a “Home Girl” of the Lowcountry?
I love the cultural authenticity of the South. The Lowcountry has its own design characteristics, and I love helping people achieve their own look, whether it be relaxed Lowcountry, bright coastal or modern city. Helping clients find joy and peace in the ambiance of their home brings me great pleasure.

Hope Blooms

Elizabeth Skenes Millen

Local Breast Cancer Memorial Garden Gets a Glow Up

Hope Blooms

The Plant-it-Pink Garden, located across from the main hospital entrance at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, was established in 2010 by a team of volunteers from The Avid Gardeners Club of Hilton Head Plantation. These gardeners had a mission of bringing year-round breast cancer awareness to the community.

Hopeful Horizons—Leading the Fight Against Violence, Rape and Abuse

Edwina Hoyle

40 years of Offering Help Started with One Rape Victim

Hopeful Horizons—Leading the Fight Against Violence, Rape and Abuse

Hopeful Horizons is the local children’s advocacy, domestic violence, and rape crisis center. They strive to create safer communities by changing the culture of violence and offering a pathway for healing. Hopeful Horizons is celebrating 40 years of making a difference this year.

From their humble beginnings in 1983, the organization has evolved and expanded through mergers between the Rape Crisis Center (later called Hope Haven), The Children’s Advocacy Task Force and Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse (CODA), and the Children’ Advocacy Program. Hopeful Horizons' CEO Kristin Dubrowski has worked in the victim service field since 1999 and has served the organization for 19 years. Kristin said, “There is a strong, unified organizational culture, and we use a holistic approach in serving our clients.”

Spooktacular Halloween Goodies

Lindsay Gifford

Sprinkle a Little Spooky Magic with Wilton

Spooktacular Halloween Goodies

Trick or treat? We choose treat! This Halloween, Wilton has everything you need for a spooktacular celebration. One of the best-known decorating and bakeware companies in the U.S., Wilton has everything from cookie cutters to devilishly delectable decorations. Not to mention ghoulishly great recipes. Visit wilton.com for more fun fare, and sprinkle a little spooky magic on your Halloween haunts!

Be a Change-Maker By Being in Charge… of Yourself!

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

Be a Change-Maker By Being in Charge… of Yourself!

Healthy lifestyles don't just happen, the way dust balls do. It's up to you to carpe diem, to let go of old habits so you can dance with new ones—two steps forward, one step back—until the new ones become a juicy and joyful part of your life.

It all begins and ends with you, your readiness, your determination, your support system, your willingness to do something as silly sounding as keeping a journal.

River Life

Elizabeth Skenes Millen

Lowcountry Living— Idealized

River Life

Amelia Warner had no idea she was manifesting her dream home into
her life each day when she went to work in Raleigh, North Carolina.


She and her husband, Michael Warner, knew they wanted to be in the Lowcountry with access to the river but finding that perfect location seemed to elude them. When they bought a lot in Palmetto Bluff with hopes to build one day, Amelia walked to the bank of the May River and snapped a photo with her phone. The view spoke to her soul so much she had the photo blown up and hung it on the wall across from her desk in her office back in Raleigh. (See photo below.)

TEDX HiltonHead to feature Charlie Clark

Ellen Linneman

A “Behind the Curtain” Look at the World of Media Relations

TEDX HiltonHead to feature Charlie Clark

Hilton Head Island has received spectacular media coverage through the years helping to draw people to its picture-perfect location and earn a spot as a top vacation destination and residential community year after year. The media has been a powerful tool in giving consumers a taste of what makes this area so special, and the woman behind that great media coverage for the past 21 years is Charlie Clark.

South Carolina Born and Bred:

Lesley Kyle

The Little Brown Swamp Dog

South Carolina Born and Bred:

A Boykin Spaniel named Hatch stole Gina Altman’s heart in 2006.

Gina and her husband, Keith, first had two golden retrievers and later took a break without a family dog for several years. In 2006, they attended the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston and were immediately attracted to the Boykin Spaniel. The couple wanted a puppy in time for Christmas for their young children, Garrett and Miley. After searching for a breeder, they tracked down an upstate pup that would be available just in time for Christmas. “My sister lived near the breeder, and she went to check out the puppies for us. We ended up with the best dog,” said Gina. “Hatch was both an awesome family pet and a fantastic hunter.” Garrett trained Hatch in the family’s yard, and Hatch was happiest spending time in the field with Keith and Garrett.

The Science of Going Small: Start With Your Sacrum

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

The Science of Going Small: Start With Your Sacrum

When we humans imagine ourselves “exercising,” we tend to focus on playing sports, working out on machines, going for a 30-minute walk. Yes! All great ways to boost your energy and give your body the juiciness and joy it deserves.

But don’t limit your exercise routine to these big-picture pursuits. There is the outer game—played out on tennis courts and treadmills—but there’s an inner game, too, going on inside every nerve, cell, muscle, and bone of your body. And if you’re not playing in that arena of body awareness, you’re missing out on a wonderful, almost magical, opportunity to improve your well-being.

New on the Bookshelf: The Girl from the Red Rose Motel

It's All Pink

A Review & Invitation

New on the Bookshelf: The Girl from the Red Rose Motel

Author Susan Beckham Zurenda taught English for 33 years to college and high school students. Her debut novel, Bells for Eli, received several awards, including first place for Best First Book—Fiction in the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards. A life-long South Carolinian, Susan lives in Spartanburg, and we are delighted to welcome her second full-length novel, The Girl From the Red Rose Motel, to our must-read bookshelf.

As such, we would like to share Tim Bazzett’s review from Amazon, noting Susan has no personal ties to him:

Women in Real Estate

Ellen Linnemann

Lowcountry Women are Leading the Way … and Moving the Industry Forward

Women in Real Estate

A lot has changed in local real estate over the decades both in terms of the housing market itself, as well as the real estate professionals helping homeowners navigate the sale and purchase of homes here in the Lowcountry.

This year, as Hilton Head Area REALTORS® (www.hhrealtor.com) celebrates its 50th year in the community, is a perfect time to look back at the growing role that women have had in the local real estate industry and how today they are not only thriving in an industry once dominated by men but have also become some of the true leaders in the market.

Unconventional Fitness: Squeeze Your Butt, Raise Your Grade

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

Unconventional Fitness: Squeeze Your Butt, Raise Your Grade

I offer up three ideas—three luscious summer fruits—to move you toward better health, greater happiness and an organic chicken in every pot.

Just to remind you, lifestyle change is a step-by-step kind of thing. No one can do it for you, not even your mother. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back. And that’s OK, because every day you can begin again, eating smarter, moving instead of sitting, mindfully releasing the stress and heebie-jeebies that come from watching the news.

Steel Magnolia

Tricia M. Boland

Awaking My Inner Child

Steel Magnolia

Inside every woman lives a child. A sensitive little girl who desires fairness, kindness, and respect. If she was fortunate, her parents prepared her to walk that fine line, that fragile path between being a gentle and accommodating female and a hard-hitting woman who can hold her own.

In relationships, marriage, or career, at some point. every woman’s inner voice has cried. No matter her age, her inner child has silently screamed at injustice, arrogance, and rudeness of the few who would deny her the respect she so rightly deserves. Hearts have been broken, promotions denied, and relationships destroyed as a woman's inner child fights to survive.

College Students Have I Got a Plan for You!

Mary Hunt

Everyday Cheapskate

College Students Have I Got a Plan for You!

All around the country, newly minted high school graduates will be heading off to college this month. They'll be taking a lot of things with them, but statistics tell us that financial literacy is not likely to be one of them. If I could spend a little time with these awesome students, I'd attempt to cram the basics of money management into their heads and then pray that they penetrate their hearts.

A budget is your friend. That means ...
1. You have a written plan for how you are going to spend and manage money.
2. You use that written plan like you would a road map, consulting it often.
3. You use a site like Mint.com or a pencil and paper to record how you spend every nickel.
Sallie Mae has a monthly budget worksheet you can print out to help you estimate your costs and keep expenses under control.

Finding Balance:

It's All Pink

Meal Prepping Tips & Tools for Busy People

Finding Balance:

Truth or Myth?
Meal prep doesn't have to be stressful or time consuming.

Truth! When approached correctly,
with simple methods and planning, meal prepping reduces stress and saves time and money.


As a weight loss and lifestyle coach, I help busy men and women find that elusive balance in their life so they can reach their goals in a way that is not only sustainable but also actually fits their schedule, preferences, and lifestyle. As a full-time mommy, wife, dental hygienist, and entrepreneur, I'm never really off the clock. Something always needs to be done, and I'm often working from sunrise to sunset. Sound familiar? I couldn't get half the things on my to-do list accomplished without proper sleep, nutritionally dense meals and a little bit of movement each day. As a fellow busy woman, you can probably relate to the rat race and recognize that a healthy lifestyle plays a huge part in your success.

Stop Soldier Suicides

Edwina Hoyle

Mission Accepted by: Navy Veteran Lisa Beddie

Stop Soldier Suicides

“I strongly believe in doing a better job of caring for those who have served our country,” said Lisa Beddie, a Navy veteran and Hilton Head Island resident. “I feel a connection with people in the military.”

Lisa has a new mission: To support both veterans and active duty military by helping to prevent soldier suicides. Lisa spoke to a Navy friend in California who inspired her to become involved. He told her he completed a ruck march last year to raise money and awareness through StopSoldierSuicide.org, and suggested she accept the challenge this year. Lisa checked out the Website; she was instantly committed and began training for her ruck march. Rucking is the basis of military training, and rucksacks are weighted packs filled with food, water, and any necessary gear. Ruck marches are a test of physical ability and mental stability. 

The Biggest and Best Thing You Don't Know About Well-Being

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

The Biggest and Best Thing You Don't Know About Well-Being

Let's pretend we're sitting down, face to face, and after some easy chitchat, I put on my reporter's hat and ask you this one dizzying question: What is the single most crucial factor when it comes to living a happy, healthy life?

Take a breath. Reflect. Have a glass of something.

The número uno most important factor.

Exercising daily? Very good guess. Eating well? Nice try.

But it's not the answer that can change your life in unexpected and remarkable ways.

"The most important factor in a happy and healthy life is a positive sense of connection with others," writes best-selling author Michael Gelb in his smart and entertaining book, "The Art of Connection."

Biltmore Estate

Elizabeth Skenes Millen

The Magic of Europe Only Five Hours Away

Biltmore Estate

It’s obvious we are all ocean people. After all, we live and/or vacation here in the Lowcountry, where salt runs through our veins. However, even ocean people want to escape occasionally, craving a change of scenery.

What if I told you in less than five hours you could feel as though you’ve been transported into the majesty of Europe surrounded by opulence and beauty so great it takes your breath away? I took a trip to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, last month and that is exactly how I felt. It was exactly what this ocean girl needed—the powerful beauty of the mountains, the nostalgia of days gone by, the formality of excellence, and the fairytale of a faraway land yet I barely crossed over the South Carolina border.

Longtime Home & Garden Gals Janet Fanning & Lisa Kiggans

Lesley Kyle

Work their Passion at The Greenery

Longtime Home & Garden Gals Janet Fanning & Lisa Kiggans

“Let the Beauty of What You Love Be What You Do.”
-- Rumi
--


Janet Fanning and Lisa Kiggans are part of the staff at the employee-owned Hilton Head institution, The Greenery. Combined, the two of them have enjoyed going to work each day at that beautiful spot on William Hilton Parkway for nearly 40 years. Janet and Lisa are passionate about their work, but they are also enthusiastic about sharing their talents, knowledge, and experience with residents and tourists alike.

What to Do When You're Too Tired to Cook

Mary Hunt

Everyday Cheapskate

What to Do When You're Too Tired to Cook

If money is leaking out of your household and you aren't quite sure where it's going, I have an idea: fast food. Busy households mean tired parents, and that can easily result in getting takeout two or three times a week. Does anything here sound familiar?

The last thing you need is for someone to tell you to get a grip and plan ahead! So I won't. Instead, I'm going to tell you what worked for me when I was in somewhat your situation (two boys 17 months apart, self-employed, debt-ridden) and a few things I've learned since.

Shake, Shuffle and Slide: Your Brain Loves to Dance

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

Shake, Shuffle and Slide: Your Brain Loves to Dance

It's one thing to lose your keys, your phone, a wallet filled with credit cards. It's wildly upsetting, but it's all stuff you can get back. But losing your mind? Losing your memory? Your thoughts, in mid-stride, so you have to double back and ask yourself where was I going with that story about the guy I met in yoga class who has the apricot-colored poodle?

It happens to everyone—kids forget stuff, to—but I don't like it. And one reason is that I know the mind is like a muscle. Use it or lose it. Back in the old days—maybe 40 years ago—neuroscientists thought the brain was fixed, not fluid, and the older you got, the more senile you became.

Get into the Beat

Elizabeth Skenes Millen

Of World Heart Rhythm Week

Get into the Beat

World Heart Rhythm Week is the Arrhythmia Alliance's annual week to raise awareness of arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are abnormalities in the heart's rhythm which can lead to complications like palpitations, fainting, stroke, and death. The most common sustained arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which affects two to nine percent of people in the United States.

The heart normally pumps 60-100 times per minute to circulate blood throughout the body. An electrical system inside the heart stimulates the heart muscle to pump with each heartbeat. Abnormalities in the heart's rhythm can result in extra or missed heartbeats, or the heart pumping too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia).

What is a Book Worth?

Tamela Maxim

To Some Children in Africa... A Whole New World

What is a Book Worth?

As an Army brat, travel and adventure have been a big part of my life. We moved every two to three years, and much of my childhood was spent in Landstuhl, Bad Kreuznach, Stuttgart, and Munich, Germany. I also lived in Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina, graduated from high school in Hawaii, attended the University of Maryland in Munich, followed by a year at the University of Stuttgart, and came home to Savannah and Bluffton in the 1970s. I’ve traveled to a long list of countries, but until now, I’ve never been to Africa. All that would change when local Roy Austin entered my life.

In September 2018, Roy Austin took a five-week safari to five countries in East Africa which inspired him to form the non-profit Libraries for Kids, International. About one year later, I agreed to serve as a board member. The first e-newsletter arrived in my email box on that October 20 and began: “Hi Tamela, Imagine your life with no internet access and no books. If you want a school, you build it yourself. The government supplies a teacher and some textbooks and little else. But your children are eager to learn.”

Art Scene: Half-Way Home

Debi West

Art Exhibit to Benefit Sea Turtles

Art Scene: Half-Way Home

To know Richard Grant is to love Richard Grant! It’s really that simple. From the moment we were introduced via our art connection, I knew I had met an authentically kind human being. And Richard is sharing his kindness with the Lowcountry in July. He is preparing for the Art League of Hilton Head’s Sea Turtle Patrol Exhibit and Raffle entitled “Half-Way Home,” scheduled for July 18-20, 2023, at the Art League Academy on Cordillo Parkway.

Now let’s learn a bit more about Richard, a 54-year-old from Chicago, Colorado, and California, who currently lives with his wife Susan on Hilton Head. They’ve been here six years, with his presence known via his mini art turtles. You can find his turtle paintings at any of our Island’s free “Mini Art Galleries.”

Surprise! The President Will Address You Now!

Jennifer Megliore

Hilton Head’s ArtWare Lady Goes to Washington as the S.C. Small Businessperson of the Year

Surprise! The President Will Address You Now!

When I got the call I had been chosen as the Small Business Administration (SBA) delegate for the state of South Carolina my mind went blank, and I couldn’t feel my teeth. I was honored to be chosen as South Carolina Small Businessperson of the Year by the US SBA but I had no idea what a treat I was in for.

I heard Washington, D.C., Waldorf Astoria, pay your own way….luckily, a following email provided the details I was lacking. Mark, my husband, and I would be going to Washington to represent South Carolina. That same month brought lots of uncertainty for us. His father had been diagnosed with cancer, and we were caring for him at home with the help of hospice. We wouldn’t dream of leaving his side. His struggle ended quickly, and we decided to attend the event. You have to take the highs with the lows in life.

Pack Up All Your Cares And Woes ... Here We Go

Marilynn Preston

Energy Express

Pack Up All Your Cares And Woes ... Here We Go

Spring cleaning isn’t just for crowded closets and messy garages, and it’s certainly not just for the women folk.

It’s something we all do because it makes us feel so satisfied when it’s over, and spring is the perfect time to take it on. In fact, I’ve read about communities that spring clean together, meeting in little groups, moving from one home to the next, talking, laughing, making the un-fun more fun because everyone is pitching in together. I’m pretty sure adult beverages are involved.

Garden Lovers Unite!

Lindsay Gifford

Enjoy Gorgeous Gardens on the 34th All Saints Garden Tour Saturday, May 20th

Garden Lovers Unite!

“Through the beauty of a garden … A gift to the community.”

Spring has sprung and the Lowcountry is in full bloom. With mild weather and wonderful ocean breezes, it’s the perfect time to get out enjoy all our slice of paradise has to offer, including gorgeous gardens! As you begin to dig in your own soil, it’s a great time to take advantage of this opportunity to see ideas and gain knowledge about gardening in the Lowcountry.That’s just what the All Saints Garden Tour has in mind. A local tradition in its 34th year, the annual tour is sure to impress with this year’s lineup: six distinctive gardens, all new to the tour. This unique tour has something for everyone: mature gardens of various sizes; stunning water views; and unique designs, many of which are lovingly created and maintained by the owners. There are fascinating gardeners to meet and plenty of opportunities to be inspired!

“After a harsh winter, it’s inspiring to see how these stunning gardens have rebounded. They’re beautiful and bountiful! Tickets are selling quickly so get yours soon!” said co-chair Nancy Jenner.

High and Mighty

It's All Pink

Patty Wagstaff: The Aerobatic Pilot

High and Mighty

“She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you
would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” - Mark Twain

Mark Twain would be surprised to know Patty Wagstaff, who uniquely redefines refined and unrefined. Not only does she have a parrot, but she takes it flying with her. And she is not a passenger, rather she is an award-winning, upside-down, barrel-rolling, low-flying, nose-diving aerobatic pilot.

To Patty Wagstaff the sky represents beauty, freedom, and challenge. A six-time member of the US Aerobatic Team, she is the first woman to win the title of US National Aerobatic champion and one of the to few win it three times.

Celebrating National Poetry Month—Locally!

It's All Pink

Celebrating National Poetry Month—Locally!

Exciting things are happening in the world of poetry here in the Lowcountry! Not only is April National Poetry Month, a time dedicated to celebrating poets and their craft, but a Poetry Trail is in the making on Hilton Head. The trail will provide a creative way to immerse your soul into the beauty of our environment and the talents which abound. To celebrate and get in a poetic mood, here are the works of local poets for you to ponder and enjoy.