The Yummy-Scrummy, No-Bake, No-Fail, Holiday Dessert That is Really Really(!) Bad for You…But Still…

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, Southern Cooking Leave a Comment

I’m writing from the road this week, and feeling a little scattered…stalking random hotspots for free wifi and trying to post before my blinking orange battery symbol turns red…(this is all really just my excuse for being a lousy cook and giving you the easiest, no-bake, no-fail recipe ever invented). That said, this Christmas, if you’re looking for a quick, …

Making Christmas Meaningful

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, Southern Faith Leave a Comment

In our family, we have more Christmas traditions than we can count. But one of the ways we stay focused on the spiritual center of the holidays is by lighting a candle on Christmas Eve and reading the nativity story aloud together.  We take turns, reading around the room, until the complete story has been told. There are many simplified …

Write What You Don’t Know

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, southern fiction Leave a Comment

When it comes to novels, many teachers say, “Write what you know.” I’m a rule-breaker by nature, so of course I did the opposite. I’ve always relied on writing as a tool to help me process the world around me. I especially love to accept freelance assignments with topics that are completely foreign to me. Whether medical articles for healthcare …

A Year of Thankful Thoughts

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, Southern Memories Leave a Comment

2012 has been a big year for our family. It’s also been a hectic, no-second-to-spare whirlwind trip around the sun, so it’s nice to pause for a moment and count our many blessings. Let’s take a glance back across the months. January: My daughter turned 14, and my son turned 11. I’ve seen too many loved ones lose children at …

Fall for Mississippi

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, Southern People and Places Leave a Comment

 This week, the Belles are writing about autumn. I’m guessing many of you think autumn is the best time of year, and I’d love to hear what you love most about this magnificent season. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of autumn here in Oxford, MS is harvest. October and November are filled with the …

Drum Roll… Meet The New Belle Wednesday!

Rachel Hauck Julie Cantrell, Southern People and Places Leave a Comment

Hi everyone!  Happy Wednesday!  We’re taking a break from this week’s topic for something very special.  We know that all of you on the porch have been waiting and wondering… who in the world could POSSIBLY fill the empty glass slippers of our departing Belle Wednesday? Who could step confidently onto the porch and keep the mid-week conversation going?  Who …