Summer is always the best time of year to dive into a trilogy and best selling author Mary Alice Monroe has touched the hearts of readers, once again, with her heartwarming third entry of her Lowcountry Summer Trilogy. She take readers on a journey to Sullivan's island, showing off our picturesque Lowcountry and charming way of life. Grab all three books for wonderful insight into Mamaw's summer girls—Dora, Carson and Harper—and explore their individual lives and their ever-changing plans for the future as summer comes to a close. Be careful, you may not be able to put the books down!

From bangles to bucket bags, fedoras to flatforms, it’s time to pack it all in and escape—even if it’s to your own backyard or the little outdoor cafe down the street. Lighten up your wardrobe and lighten up your attitude. Here are 10 hot picks to chill out in this summer:

Carolyn Trosdal died July 10, 2014, but she is still very much alive in the hearts of Nancy Golson, Mary Vaux and Patsy Hodge. “Now, you know we’re not her only friends,” said Patsy. “Lord knows, she’s got so many friends,” chimed in Nancy. “And her family, y’all, you can’t forget to mention her family,” asserted Mary.

There’s something special about the relationship a man has with his chair. Curiously, we wanted to see some of the chairs our local Beaufort County men are attached to, and therefore, went looking for a few good men. We did a good job finding them, and not only did they have a favorite “chair,” creative as it may be, but a lot of heart as well!

In fact, it’s 250 pounds of flesh. That is the combined weight loss of Rose Carlin (100 pounds) and her daughter Annie Carlin Emison (150 pounds) since this mother-daughter team decided to “change their minds and change their lives.”

If you were asked, “What is the one thing you would change to feel more confident at work?” what would you say? One of the most common answers I get is, “to be less emotional.” I can’t help but say, emotions are good—they are your friends. Our emotions are what enable us to connect with and feel each other. But for many women in the workplace this doesn’t feel true.

It was a damp February day. The atmosphere, however, inside a Hampton Lake home buzzed with excited conversation and warmth. Pat Roth, Carolyn Day, Barbara Hege, Mary Blake and Darice Ahrnsbrak, all retired business women, were ecstatic. After an extensive search, they discovered an astounding way to quickly raise funds to award local charities. The answer—100+Women Who Care.

At Healthy Lifestyle U, The Juiciness of Play is one of our most popular courses, especially in summer, when everyone’s looking for a reason to play hooky. 

When a new fashion season arrives, chances are a new handbag is on your shopping list. But before you snag a bag that’s all wrong for you, check out these do’s and don’ts for wearing the all-important accessory that goes everywhere with you— day in and day out.

Acacia Woodley is a 7^th grader in a public middle school in Palm Bay, Fla. Nicknamed “Tiny”, she is the founder and leader of Tiny Girl, Big Dream, Inc., which she started in 2012 at the age of 10. Her company creates colorful custom Friendship Benches, which are finding their way to schools across America and Canada. Acacia said, “I wanted to create a place where a child can go if he or she is being bullied or having a bad day, and others can come sit on the bench to show friendship and support.” Her big dream is to place friendship kits and benches in schools around the world.

Close your eyes and recall an image of Wonder Woman. Beams of light flash from her bracelets as she combats an unruly miscreant. Next, imagine a young girl in a wheelchair. Her eyes glow with the promise of youth as her body battles a villainous opponent like leukemia. Lastly, visualize a mother caring for her ailing child. Her love for her daughter radiates as she fights to keep hope. Each one of these images depicts a hero, and though the first is fictional, the second two are very real. Thankfully, one local organization is giving these brave warriors a supercharged week in Hilton Head.

Ruthie Edwards remembers riding in a car as a young girl with her grandmother and mother and when either one would see a sign reading ANTIQUES they would do an immediate U-turn in the road to go in. “I was indoctrinated at a young age,” jokes Ruthie in her bold southern voice. Years later Ruthie and her husband Berry were driving down a road just outside of Ridgeland and another antique stop was made. This time it was for a circa 1873 church building with a sign that read, “For Sale.” The Edwards bought the church for $600 and had it barged to Hilton Head Island—which was quite a sight!

May is an exuberant celebratory month. It brings us spring flowers, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day and the always-anticipated Southern Living “Idea House.” This year, home tour fans will discover something completely new!

The lights go down. The play begins. The drama unfolds. You notice you’ve leaned forward in your seat, alert and engaged. The people around you are hushed and intent. This is the live performance experience the new Lean Ensemble Theater is bringing to the Lowcountry.

Buying a pair of shoes for a new fashion season is one of the best ways to instantly put some spring in your step.  Shoes can transform any outfit as fast as you can say - "Aah, what cute shoes!"

In the debut of opera at the Savannah Music Festival (SMF), Sherrill Milnes and Maria Zouves’ Savannah VOICE Festival has teamed up with SMF to produce two one-act works by famed opera composer Giacomo Puccini: Suor Angelica (a tragedy) and Gianni Schicchi (a comedy) from Il trittico. Sung in Italian with projected English translations, this lavish production will come to life in a virtual set designed and directed by Joachim Schamberger. This special co-production is in honor of Sherrill Milnes’ 80th birthday and will take place on opening weekend of the 2015 Savannah Music Festival. 

Our great room really lives up to the name—it’s nearly 30 feet long and 20 wide. There’s a large fireplace on one long wall; the other is all windows. How should we arrange the furniture in such a large space?

Have teens? Are they always hitting you up for money? The next time they come sweetly beseeching you for cash, place this book, The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of, in their hands. These financially savvy authors, creators of the award-winning site Fool, came up with this hip, funny and right-on book. Unlike their other great reads, though, this one is geared to teens.

Elena Rosemond-Hoerr is a photographer, cookbook author, and Southern food writer. A native of Durham, N.C., Elena created her food blog Biscuits and Such (biscuitsandsuch.com) to celebrate the unique food culture of the American South. She currently lives in Wilmington, N.C., with her husband and pups. 

“Attitude is contagious, so make certain that yours conveys a love of healthy food, the ability to choose food wisely and pleasure in mealtime ritual.” 

—From The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution

This is an easy sewing project perfect for this time of year. It repurposes used dryer sheets to make pretty sachets in which to fill your drawers and closets. These sachets will fill your home with the delightful aromas to match the freshness of spring. Perfect as gifts, this quick project can be made in assembly line style. Just sew, fill, staple and tag!

As a new season slowly begins to peek out from the chill and the daffodils and closets get prepared for sunnier days, it’s time to separate the classics from the trends. Think about new ways to take those basic pieces that we return to year after year and mix them up for a whole new lease on fashion life.

Spring is here. So we didn’t spend a long, sub-zero winter shoveling show (Isn’t that what so many left behind?) or grumbling over heating bills. But that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating the season when flowers bloom, days get longer and the resort area we call home is just weeks away from hitting its summer stride.

Dealing with death—your own, a loved one’s, the death of a child— is a required course at the University of Wellness, Ballet and Refrigeration.
No one gets out of here alive. This we know. What we don’t know is everything else. Death is the biggest mystery of all, leaving many of us clueless when it comes to comforting someone who’s lost a loved one.

Large, charitable events, often on limited budgets, require immense creativity and collaboration to achieve their fundraising objectives.  The upcoming Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton (BGCB) biennial gala, Reach for the Stars, at Belfair on May 9, is a shining example of this challenge.

The classic wrap dress—a vintage favorite—was introduced by Diane Von Furstenberg in 1972.

Susan Boyer likes to say she grew up wanting to be like Nancy Drew. And that day has certainly arrived.  Now a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author, Boyer’s lifelong love for mysteries and solving puzzles has evolved into her distinctive series of Liz Talbot novels.

Red and green peppers dancing up a lattice in a wooden box. A terra cotta pot bursting with ripe, juicy tomatoes. Small clay pots sprinkled with budding pole bean plants. All of these and more are examples of the wonderful art known as vegetable container gardening. And the diversity and simplicity of this much loved practice is what makes it enticing to everyone from master gardeners to those with just a hint of a green thumb.

Are you looking for a new and totally different adventure? If so, this is the destination for you! A little off the beaten path and just a short road trip away lies the Ashantilly Center in Darien, Ga. As you drive onto the 18-acre property, you can’t help but feel transported into another era. Ashantilly was built circa 1820 and was the mainland residence of prominent antebellum planter Thomas Spalding. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1937 and has been somewhat restored by William G. Haynes Jr., its last private owner.

It’s a common scene at any daycare, playground or birthday party: a crying child clinging to a parent who is desperately trying to convince the child to let go and join the fun. Almost all children have some aspect of separation anxiety during the first six years of life. Separation anxiety should not be feared or even wished away, as it is the most obvious and identifiable sign of your child’s love and trust in you.