Southern Lady October 2018

“WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS WOMAN? FOR HER PRICE IS FAR ABOVE RUBIES.” PROVERBS 31:10 October is an absolute joy (and not just because it’s my birthday month). The main reason? Autumn leaves! Mother Nature puts on the best show this time of year—as long as I live, I’ll never tire of watching the massive oaks and graceful old maples don their seasonal finery. The colors brighten and deepen week to week, and on every leaf-peeping walk around my neighborhood I spy new visual treats. One of these days I’ll get ambitious and bring home a few handfuls of fallen foliage to create an indoor display, or even press and preserve for later. Here in Alabama, late October brings our first hints of chilly weather, and I welcome the chance to slip…

When my son was little, his preschool hosted an annual October pumpkin patch, piled high with gourds of all shapes and sizes and decorated with adorable artwork and crafts by the kids. Preschool parents signed up for shifts to help out, and I always looked forward to my turn. Outdoors amid the colorful leaves and soft sunshine, catching up with friends and helping customers find the perfect pumpkin, it felt like the finest days of fall had truly arrived. So many happy remembrances stem from this glorious season, and even ordinary routines take on the sense of a special occasion. Mild weather beckons us for morning coffee on the porch—or even better, a relaxed alfresco brunch with a few favorite ladies (page 89). A cozy autumn supper becomes enchanting when served…

Get a glimpse of the beautiful images our social media friends have shared with us, capturing their own inspiration from the pages of Southern Lady. Top row: @anitadiazdesign snags rolling hills ablaze in fall’s vivid colors. Steaming espresso and creamy macarons satisfy @everydaylivingblog’s sweet tooth, while a front porch perch is ideal for @txmbirdie to savor homemade jam with her best buddy. Middle row: Pale pumpkins await carving and display by @kbkisses. As the sun sets, @mleewest enjoys an autumnal evening made cozy with a plaid throw, inviting fairy lights, and a welcoming fire that’s perfect for toasting marshmallows. Bottom row: Spiced tea and recipes from our November/December 2017 issue create the quintessential lazy Sunday for @pliskodariia. Shared by @cookevilletn, @muddypondofficial showcases the season’s beauty as mist floats over a…

As Susan Spicer’s culinary career approaches a 40-year milestone, her award-winning food continues to delight diners in a city where chefs and memorable meals reign supreme. Her fourth restaurant is set to open this fall; but life for Susan and her husband, Chip, has slowed to a relatively relaxed pace, allowing them time to explore and support their beloved stomping ground and smell the roses flourishing in their own backyard. For 28 years, Susan’s flagship French Quarter restaurant, Bayona, has enchanted patrons seeking an internationally inspired menu paired with the inimitable allure of New Orleans. Mondo and Rosedale, both located in the Lakeview area, round out Susan’s trifecta of popular Crescent City haunts. Showcasing global flavors with distinctive Louisiana flair, Mondo’s second locale will be inside the Louis Armstrong New Orleans…

Since their marriage nearly five decades ago, army wife Lynda Jameson Henglein and her husband, Bill, have moved 26 times. Many places they’ve called home are scattered across the South, but the Hengleins also spent several years living in Germany and England. It was during their stints in Europe that Lynda fell in love with the art of monogramming, a passion she never imagined would burgeon into a jewelry business just a few years shy of her 70th birthday. Born and raised in Dallas, Lynda was well acquainted with the tradition of embellishing items with decorative initials, a custom long treasured in the South. “In Europe, they are very prominent. There are royal monograms on buildings, on gates, and the Danes have been putting monograms on their coins since the 1500s,”…

After a 20-year career as a broadcast journalist, Lee Marshall walked away from the news desk and embarked on a journey to enhance the lives of underprivileged children. “I was always an advocate and a voice for foster children, and I was looking for what that meant on a bigger scale,” says Lee, who was born into foster care in Tennessee and was adopted at age two. Drawing on her media experience and connections, Lee spearheaded a weekly television segment that spotlights Tennessee Valley children longing for a forever family—the catalyst for her successful and ever-growing charity, Kids to Love. Since the early 2000s, Kids to Love has directly benefited more than 225,000 foster children living in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia. Volunteers are the lifeblood of this privately funded nonprofit,…