Blog
The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Kids
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the most magical holiday experiences you can have with your family—but it does require some thoughtful planning, especially when attending with kids. After braving the 2019 parade (a year that set a record for cold...
My Favorite Facts About American Presidents
History was never my favorite subject. I remember struggling to stay awake during high school history lectures. And I never did the required reading. But lately, history has become a passion of mine. I especially love learning about the US Presidents. My US President...
Sammy’s SuperNola: Spring/Summer 2024 Orders
I'm Sammy, an entrepreneur living in Greenville, South Carolina! I make the yummiest homemade granola and I take orders each month. I have two sizes, large ($12 for 8 ounces) and small ($6 for 4 ounces.) Follow me on Instagram! I regularly participate in the Young...
An Update on My Swap Project
It took Demi Skipper 28 trades and 18 months for her to get from bobby pin to house. I was so inspired by her story that I decided to conduct my own swap project in 2022. As I shared back in January, I started the year with a Chickfila nugget platter. It seemed...
How to Start an Elementary School Running Club
This post contains affiliate links. If you use those links to buy something I may earn a small commission. Thanks! Looking for a way to get students moving, learning healthy habits and setting them up for academic success? Our public elementary school has a very...
Hey Greenville! Join Me for Financial Peace University
The week before our wedding, my husband and I got free tickets to Financial Peace Live with Dave Ramsey. The timing seems odd, but it couldn't have been better. My husband and I spent a lot of time on our honeymooning planning how we would get out of debt. It aligned...
An Amazing Milestone for Crowdsourcing Kids
Eight years ago today I was returning home from a life-changing trip to India with Set Free. Although that trip opened my eyes to some horrific atrocities, it also created a resolve in me to do something to be part of the solution. On World Water Day 2018...
Swap Project: Starting with Chickfila Nuggets
I'm embarking on a swap project. Did you hear the story of the lady who started with a bobby pin and kept trading it for bigger and better items until she ended up with a home? It took Demi Skipper 28 trades and 18 months for her to get from bobby pin to house. (She...
My $4,000 Complete Bathroom Renovation
Our house only has one bathroom, so I knew I wanted the bathroom renovation to be really great. But because of my commitment to being debt-free, it was also very important to me that I spent as little money as possible. I just didn't want it to feel that way. Plus,...
Media Coverage of Our Fixer Upper
We have been so encouraged by the amazing response of our episode of First Time Fixer on Magnolia Network. If you haven't checked out "Taking On a Carolina Clunker", check it out! You can score a free 7-day trial of Discovery + and stream it right now! We've heard...
What It’s Really Like to Be On a Home Improvement TV Show
Wondering how to get on a home improvement reality show or what it’s like to be on Magnolia Network? While I’m certainly no Joanna Gaines, Erin Napier or Leanne Ford, I can tell you how I landed on Magnolia Network’s First Time Fixer, and what the experience was like....
Watch My Family on Magnolia Network’s “First Time Fixer”
Chip and Jo Gaines’ Magnolia Network officially launched July 15 with shows centered around community, home, garden, food, wellness, entrepreneurship and design. And after nearly a year of keeping one of the biggest secrets of my life I finally have the greenlight to...
Talk Magazine: 25 Most Beautiful Women in the Upstate 2021 Honoree
I didn't make the cut for the T.A.G. (Talented and Gifted) class in elementary school and I'm still kind of bitter about that. (I mean, aren't ALL children talented and gifted in their own ways?? What a terrible name for an "elite" group of kids!) And in high school...
My Favorite Thrift Store Finds of All Time
I love writing about my thrift store finds almost as much as I like shopping at thrift stores. I'm planning to do posts on my favorite dumpster/garbage day finds, my favorite clearance deals of all time, and my favorite Habitat ReStore finds. Maybe I'll even do a post...
My Top Tips for Paddle Boarding
Paddleboarding is one of my favorite pass times. Nothing beats the feeling of floating along the water of a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains. It checks all the boxes for me: Paddle boarding involves beautiful surroundings. It's peaceful. It's a great workout....
Confession: I Hated Drinking Water, But Now I Don’t
I have a confession to make. For the vast majority of my life I have hated drinking water. This is a little ironic since I run Crowdsourcing Kids, which raises money to drill wells in Africa and India. I've spent the last decade working to help others get access to...
Another Crowdsourcing Kids Well Drilled!
Thanks to the power of compassionate kids we have given the gift of clean water to 11,955 people since we started just three short years ago.
Do the Little Things Like They’re Big Things
The story of how we became debt free isn't very sexy. There was no big windfall. No lightning bolt moment. It was saying no every day to buying something we didn't really need. It was clipping coupons to save a dollar on cereal. It was always ordering free ice water...
Launching Round #6 of Crowdsourcing Kids: Bringing Clean Water to Another Village
It started with an idea that I wasn’t even sure was very good. In fact, I was so skeptical I kept it to myself for months. But then God gave me a sign (in a thrift store of all places) and I knew I had to bring it to life. Here’s the original idea: create a...
Serving Up Chat, Laughs and Chicken: The Story Behind My Chick-fil-A Fan Podcast
This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Belle Magazine, where I serve as the Features Editor. “You should start a Chick-fil-A fan podcast,” my husband said. We were sitting on the granite dome of Table Rock Mountain, relaxing after our rigorous...
My Dream House Looks More Like a Shack
Some ladies dream of mansions. I dream of fixer uppers. The Real Housewives want palatial estates. I want a modestly-sized income property. The Jones’ rack up debt to keep the appearance of wealth. I want to have actual wealth. Earlier this year my husband and I...
How a Friendship Tradition Landed Me on The Today Show
This article originally appeared in the August, 2011 issue of Belle Magazine. It recounts my experience of appearing on The Today Show. After college I didn’t have any close friends. At least not geographically speaking. I had four great ones strewn across states and...
TED Talk: My Big Idea Worth Spreading
In 2018 I was honored to be chosen to share my big idea worth spreading at a TEDx salon event in Greenville, South Carolina. In case you’re not familiar, TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity. My TED...
My Mornings on HIS Radio
I’ve worked in many forms of media: television, magazines, podcasting, and radio. I spent five years working on HIS Morning Crew, the morning show on HIS Radio. HIS Radio is a Christian radio station that airs across the Carolinas and coastal Georgia. What It’s Like...
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