bluegrass redhead
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Why I’m saying goodbye to Gone with the Wind

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In 2nd grade, I developed an obsession with Gone with the Wind. I don’t remember the first time I saw the movie, but I do remember watching it compulsively. I could recite every dress Scarlett wore in the order she wore them. I knew all the details of her life and started collecting Gone with the Wind memorabilia.

I dressed up as Scarlett for Halloween. I named the little black gerbil I received for Christmas Prissy, an incredibly embarrassing personal factoid I have only told a handful of people up until this post.

In high school, I finally read the book. I remember loving the novel even more than the movie and reading the 1000+ pages in a couple of days.

What I don’t remember at any point during my love affair with Gone with the Wind was racism.

The Marshmallow Test: The Amos Version

In the late 1960's, psychologist Walter Mischel led several experiments on delayed gratification involving four year olds and a bunch of marshmallows. The premise is simple and I explain at the beginning of the video.

The characteristic these experiments test - basically self-control - has been to be a fundamental predictor of success in life. I've always said I'm going to test all my children in when they reach four years old - not because I want to see how successful they will be as adults, after all to think one can truly predict that is hopeful at best and ridiculous at worst. 

Basically, I just wanted to see which children I might want to keep a close eye on. I tested Griffin at four and now it's Amos's turn!

Would you ever perform the marshmallow test on your child? Or do you already know what they will do? How important do you believe self-control to success? 

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A Paducah Summer List for ADULTS

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Today I'm on HerKentucky with a brand new section called HerPaducah! We've already talked about the fact that Paducah is having a MOMENT and we decided it was time to highlight all the fabulous things happening in our town. So, look forward to posts highlighting new businesses, delicious foods, and exciting art and music events. To kick it off, I have a summer list for ADULTS. I've talked about fun things for families to do but sometimes a summer evening just needs an adult beverage or grown up fun!

Summer is a perfect time of year to go exploring so we're going to kick things off with a summer list for ADULTS. We've made a list with lots for little ones. Inspired by You Are My Fave's "How to summer" categories, this list is for the big kid inside us all.  Click here to download a copy!

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To see the rest of the list including things to MAKE, DO, and EAT visit the new herPaducah!

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Celebrating #PaducahProud for my blogiversary

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When I launched bluegrass redhead two years ago, I knew writing about my small town life in Paducah, Kentucky, would be a huge part of the blog. We gave up so much six years ago to leave our life in Washington, D.C., and move back to my hometown. Since that time, my passion for Paducah has never wavered. 

I knew Paducah was something special, but it was always hard to explain to other people. Maybe I only loved Paducah because she was my home?

Since moving home, however, I have watched Paducah change and grow and I am now confident proclaiming.

Y'all, Paducah is having a MOMENT.

Pictli: My NEW way to give the perfect present

Since I started blogging professionally in 2011, I have gotten A LOT of emails. Emails asking me to try out this great new product ... or app ... or book ... or all the things. I rarely open them. I VERY rarely reply.

Lucky for all of us, I just happened to open an email I received from Frank, the founder of Pictli.

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#SeedlingSummer - the Paducah Way

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As you know from my summer list, we take summer seriously around these parts. Simply put -summer days are in short supply and I want to make the most of them.

Recently, The Other Sarah from Salt & Nectar joined the awesome team at Seedling, where they also take the fun of the summer season pretty seriously. TOS sent the boys a sampling of Seedling's all-in-one activity kits and asked me to share what summer looks like in our neck of the woods.

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Unique birth announcements for boys

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When Griffin was born six years ago (SIX!??!), beautiful photo birth announcements had only recently become available to the masses. I spent a half an hour getting the perfect shot while he napped and ordered my sweet little birth announcement from Tiny Prints. 

By the time Amos arrived two years later, I wanted something a little more unique. I fell hard for the "Hi, I'm...." design on WestWillow and had my friend Emilee take the beautiful shot of Amos. 

Fast forward three and a half years later and the Hi/Hello motif is EVERYWHERE. I wanted something unique and something that spoke to Felix's third brother status. After months of searching, I finally decided to design it myself! So, the beautiful photo was taken by Brad Rankin and the announcement designed by your's truly!

Did you send birth announcements? Got a great source for unique designs?

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How to talk about religion and politics on Facebook

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At least once a week, I get the same message on Facebook. It is some variation on “I don’t know how you do it!” Usually, these messages come from my more progressive friends who express astonishment at my ability to share my thoughts on very controversial topics without losing my cool. 

My response is almost always the same. I share my honest belief that if we cannot even TALK about important subjects such as religion and politics with respect then that there is no hope for taking any sort of meaningful action towards change. 

I believe that. I do.

However, the reason I can talk about religion and politics and stay calm is a little more complicated than that. 

 Read the rest of the post in Irreverin on Patheos.

The online home of Sarah Stewart Holland