Mom, author, Halloween nut. https://elizabeth-harrell.com/
Hendrix College: Liberal Arts (With a Dash of Hogwarts)
My daughter and I stumbled onto the grounds of Hendrix College one late afternoon in June. We had an uncharacteristically schedule-free day, and as we drove past the campus, my daughter pointed out the window...
Coming Home: Buying a House During a Pandemic
After living in New York and New Jersey for five years, I found myself moving back home to Arkansas. The northeast offers so many wonderful things. New York had fantastic restaurants, ethnic and cultural diversity, and the courage-building bonus of navigating subways and busses...
Succulents: The Easiest House Plants
When I was growing up my mother grew plants all over the house. She still does. To say that she has a green thumb is an understatement. Some say that the term “green thumb” has roots in the old English proverb about millers and their “golden thumbs” stained yellow from constantly handling wheat...
Display Art in Your Home
What is art? T.S. Eliot thought art was an escape from personality, and Jean Cocteau called it science. I was raised by an artist, and if I asked my mom for some lofty sentiment about her craft she would say pragmatically, “I’d rather make art than expound on it.”
I don’t have the answer to that question...
Skip the Reno: Working with What You Have
In an era of “tear it all down and start from scratch” home renovation culture, those of us who don’t relish ripping everything down to the studs (or even something as simple as painting) are left shrugging our shoulders...
Exterior Spring Maintenance
As the weather warms (and our surprisingly arctic winter weather becomes a distant memory), it’s time to take stock of our homes and do some exterior spring maintenance. Springtime is a season synonymous with spring cleaning, but those needs apply to the outside of our homes as well...
Trendy vs. Timeless Home Decor Choices
Recently, after moving into my new house, I bought a new chair for the living room. It’s green velvet and I am in love with it. A well-meaning social media friend messaged me on Instagram and...
10 Solutions for Paint Color Conundrums
I’ve always believed that when it comes to picking out paint colors for our homes, there are two kinds of people...
10 Creative Storage Solutions
I’ve been obsessed with all things neat and organizational since I was old enough to say, “Hey, who moved my color-coordinated sippy cups to the wrong shelf?” From college dorm rooms, small rental houses, an apartment in Queens, and now living with two small children and their various accoutrements, I’m no stranger to bins, labels, and...
Arkansas Namesake Naval Ships
My grandfather used to make miniature ships. I remember him sitting at the breakfast table in my grandparents’ 1960s era kitchen, carefully crafting tiny bits of wood, paper, and paint into WWII-era naval ships. My grandfather served in the Navy during WWII, sailing in the South Pacific on a ship named the U.S.S. Swearer...
Out-of-the-Way Arkansas
Summer days call for a different way of life, a different pace, and more opportunities to enjoy our beautiful state. From poolside barbecues to kids running around yards with popsicles dripping down their arms, to (hopefully) more time off work, the warm months and longer days present great opportunities to explore Arkansas...
Catholic History in Arkansas
Did you know that Mother Teresa once visited Little Rock? Or that Catholicism is the oldest form of Christianity in the state of Arkansas...
The Newton House: Where Southern Memories Live
Old homes are one of my greatest loves, and I’ve toured many of them. From sea captain homes on the west coast, to colonial homes in the east, to antebellum mansions in the south, they all have their own special styles and histories...
El Dorado Promise Scholarship: Creating a College Culture
While students in the United States struggle to meet the rising costs of higher education, and most of them spend their high school years working extra jobs, counting pennies, applying for loans, and hoping their parents have enough money to help them go to college, the students at El Dorado High School have a different experience...
Mount Holly Cemetery: An Arkansas Who’s Who of the Hereafter
When I first moved to Little Rock, I drove back and forth beside Mount Holly Cemetery’s lovely iron fence on West 10th Street, the one covered in lush climbing roses, and never thought much about what was on the other side. One day, I stopped at the Sonic on Broadway and stared at the fence...