{Giveaway is Closed} The winner is Susan from NC!
I’ve met so many fascinating, talented and creative women since I started blogging all those years ago. One of them is Leslie Anne Tarabella, who is as Southern as I am and lives in Fairhope, AL. I’m trying to remember when we first met and it’s been in the last 4 years, I think when she came here to Georgia for a visit and we got together with another mutual friend (who Leslie Anne introduced me to via email, if I remember right). She was longtime friends with Rachel, who I’ve shared here on the blog with her beautiful Victorian house off the Marietta Square, the Trammell House. I’ve shared the Trammell House two times, so check this one out too. Leslie Anne lived in Marietta for many years with her husband and then they moved closer to home in Fairhope, AL.
{the 3 of us 4 years ago touring another local house: me, Leslie Anne, and Rachel, 2 of the most charming Southern girls I know!}
So, back to when I first met Leslie Anne online. She used to use a fake name when she left comments on my blog, because she was nervous about putting her real name out there. She started her blog, Fairhope Supply Co. several years ago and when she would visit from the blog and leave a comment, I think she called herself Hope. I thought that was hilarious once I found out her name wasn’t really Hope. It wasn’t until years later that she finally started using her real name and I got to know her as Leslie Anne. She’s so cute and witty and a great writer. I’ve met up with her in Marietta and Fairhope and always have fun with her. It’s no wonder that her book is entertaining and funny too, since Leslie Anne is such a happy positive Southern gal!
Leslie Anne has been writing her blog for over 5 years and she’s also a contributor to AL.com and her blog is filled with her Southern stories about home, family, church, and more. Leslie Anne says she’s an accidental author after her blog was discovered and she was asked to be a newspaper writer. The book is a compilation of her most popular blog posts and columns, with witty stories and fun anecdotes.
On a side note, I have to ask her though if she makes up these Southern names woven through her stories. Southerners are known for their 2 name handles, but some of hers are a little suspect. There’s Great Aunt Vina-Mae, cousin John-Jack, Rosie Belle, Billy Mac, and many more. I have to get to the bottom of these Southern styled names! Are they for real? I honestly don’t know anyone with names like this. But Leslie Anne has a fun way with words and you’ll enjoy her short stories.
Leslie Anne and her rescue dog, Doug. Go read the Doug story, it’s cute! She has another dog, a beagle named Lois Lane.
There’s a whole section on Our Charming Southern Ways….oh how fun these are! I relate so much to these Southern ways, since my family is Southern to the bone too. From Are Southern Women Prettier to Humidity Threatens our Crowning Glory, these humorous Southern anecdotes will have you chuckling along and nodding your head, especially if you’re Southern too.
The other book sections involve our Precious Southern Families, Our Darling Southern Manners, Our Delicious Southern Food, and our Divine Southern Churches. And by the way,Leslie Anne married a guy from New Jersey and calls him her Yankee husband.
If you’re Southern (or even if you’re not, you’ll enjoy Leslie Anne’s cute and witty book. She does have a Fannie Flagg style of writing, with humor and hilarity. It’s definitely a feel good book that will have you smiling as you’re being entertained with words. She reminds me a bit of the old newspaper columns here in Atlanta and two of my growing up favorites, Lewis Grizzard and Celestine Sibley. I loved reading their columns in the newspaper when I was young and looked forward to their columns every single week. They are both gone now.
From Leslie Anne’s blog….Although my viewpoint is from my life in a small Southern town, I’ve learned that people everywhere love their families, dogs, good food, God and a good story . . . not necessarily in that order, of course.
If you’re in Birmingham, Leslie Anne will be signing books at Barnes and Noble at The Summit at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feburary 17th, so mark your calendars!
Here’s a little snippet from the book about being Southern:
Some folks call themselves Southern just because of where they were born or where the moving van dropped them off. Others know they are Southern because the South lives within them. You can see the sparkle in their eyes when they see a friend walking they way or someone mentions a fish fry with hushpuppies and grits or suggests, “Let’s go out and sit on the porch.” The answer is never “I’m watching my cholesterol,” or “It’s too hot.”
Rachel and Leslie Anne’s friend, Beth, hosted a really nice book signing party in Marietta before Christmas and Mark and I went. It was so fun to meet Judy (above right) who is a faithful reader of Leslie Anne’s and my blog. Hi, Judy, great to see you that night. She was so sweet!
Rachel set out a beautiful spread of food in her dining room and it was such a fun night. You can see I was noshing on the goodies in this pic.
Back to the book….you’ll also hear a few Bless Your Hearts along the way. I also see on Leslie Anne’s blog that she’s not a fan of sweet tea either…just like me. I get the strangest looks when I tell people I don’t drink sweet tea. Like how in the world could I possibly be a real Southern girl?! For some reason, when I was growing up in a house that had sweet tea in the fridge at all times, I just never acquired a taste for it and never did drink it. I see some of you mentioned peach tea and oh my yes, I love some peach tea. Totally different flavor!
Today I’ve got an extra copy to give away of Leslie Anne’s book, so please leave a comment below and I’ll choose a random winner in a week to send the book to.
Tell me where you are from and if you are Southern or Northern (or Midwestern or from the West Coast) and what do you all think about the South? If you’re Southern, I know you’re proud to be a Southerner, but it’s fun to hear what the rest of the country thinks! And while you’re answering, do you drink sweet tea?
Leave a comment to be eligible to win the book!
If you’d like to order the book, you can find it here:
I was born in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. After finishing college I got married and moved to Indiana. I still consider Kentucky as my home even though I no longer go back there to visit. I don’t drink sweet tea ; I am a coffee drinker. I would love to win her book.
I love living in NC and am grateful God transplanted me here from the Midwest. I would love to win a copy of Leslie Ann’s book.
I am definitely southern! Born, raised and still living in NC. I grew up on a farm, worked in tobacco and watched my grandmother make quilts by hand. I love sweet tea! I married a Bostonian. He has lived in North Carolina for 23 years but still has the northern accent. When poeple ask where we are from I always tell him to let me answer because I have the southern accent.
I was raised in West KY which is very Southern. In my maternal side of family, I have 18 first cousins and the escapades of the family could be a sitcom. I am working on a family e-book and cookbook after I found my Granny’s handwritten strawberry pie recipe in the family Bible. We have a family group on FB we use to keep in touch and notify everyone of any events. i remember huge family events and peeling peaches with my aunts. On the other side, my grandmother is present daily in my dining room (I have her furniture) and my two favorite words are ‘estate sale”. I think the depth of the family ties are what makes us the Southern genre. I did drink sweet tea until I was pregnant with my first child – doc took sugar away. I do make the House of Grace (West Ky thing) for special occasions. And jam cake (Cissy Gregg’s recipe). I also wanted to be a majorette soooooo badly and practiced twirling.
I am a Westener (California) for now. We did live in Auburn, Alabama while my hubby was at Auburn for his Masters. We loved the South and plan on retiring in Alabama or Georgia. And no we did not like sweet tea either – but I love plain black ice tea (plus I don’t need those extra calories – I’ll save those for the cheese grits 😋)
Tea for grits. Smart woman!
I am a midwestern girl with a southern heart! When at our vacation home in a South Carolina, I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. My family agrees that people are just nicer in the south!! Southern manners really do exist. Leslie Anne’s book is definitely on my “must read” list and I’m going to check out her blog, too. She sounds like a fun girl!
Born in Louisiana and raised in Chicago. Consider myself a little bit of a spicy Midwesterner. I love sweet tea and Gumbo but also a good deep dish pizza.
I love Chicago and think you have the best of both food world with you!
I was born in Louisiana, lived in Georgia and grew up in Mississippi. Mississippi is where I’ve lived, married and raised our children. I’ve always told our boys just remember you can’t go very far without being related to someone or relative in the south. If you are not related, why we will just say you are the third cousins down the line. You can’t outgive our southern hearts and hospitality. All of our mamas taught us to always stretch that meal so that we could set another plate at the table. We take our tea sweet here, with some mint leaves. I would love to read this book. Yes, I have a double name, Lenora Jane but known to family and friends as Sissy.
As my ‘moniker’ tells all – I am Southern through and through. Currently the husband and I live in a mid size suburban community outside Birmingham – where I was born – but I have also lived in Florida and Georgia. I think the South is ‘where it’s at’ and seems many Yanks are discovering this every year. I drink sweet tea on maybe a special occasion – because my standards are way high – and most sweet tea is just not that good. My dear, late-mother in law made the BEST sweet tea and once she passed – I have never found anyone who could match it!
Come see me in Birmingham February 17th! High standards are a sign of a good mother!
I am a northern girl born and raised in Minnesota but lived in Raleigh NC for about 7 years. Fell in love with the South and hoping to get back down there to live. I am not a sweet tea drinking but my husband loves it. He was born in Alabama and spent many summers down there.
I was born and raised in Memphis, TN (but have never been inside the gates of Graceland). I love my tea (or as a Chick Fil A worker said, your southern water) to be half unsweet and sweet with a slice of lemon please. Looks like a wonderful book to read. The south is truly a remarkable place. My son in law was born and raised on the west coast. It took him some time to embrace our southern ways and how everybody knows everybody and their business and how we cook our green beans to the lilting stage lol. He loves it now. I bought him some socks that say Hi Y’all for Christmas.
Molly, I think you mean you cook green beans for a long time but what did you mean by ‘lilting’?
I am from South Carolina and I don’t drink sweet tea either. I married a man from Europe and I always say he is a Yankee lol. My southern roots are buried deep within me.
Hello! I faithfully read both of your blogs and I’m from Missouri, so the Midwest. I’m a fair weather fan of sweet tea. Occasionally it sounds good, but often it’s too much! Thank you for this contest. Amy
Hi Rhoda, your post today brought back so many memories! My parents were raised back up in the ‘holler ‘ of Franklin North Carolina. My grandmother was wonderful at teaching me to make biscuits with baking powder, none of this self rising flour! We cooked with fat back and lard and oh was everything so good. Sunday church was a favorite of mine. I ended up playing the church organ for 31 years at a little Baptist Church south of Atlanta, in the country. Being that organist, brought me to many “Funeral Dinners”. All that food and seeing long lost cousins or friends held so many memories, you would ponder on for days. I would love Leslie Anne’s book! I would sit on my sun porch and read it with my unsweet tea and think with fond memories of How blessed I am that God chose me to live in the South.
Hey, Sara…oh, Franklin, TN and all the memories that place holds for me and my family. My maternal grandfather retired up there from FL with his siblings and they all bought land on the side of a mountain and built little cabins to live in and the summer months were full of all the relatives coming and going to Franklin. Such good memories for all of us!
Rhoda, Sara said North Carolina.
I live on the Georgia/Alabama line and have lived here all my life (War Eagle). I love sweet tea and grits. Remember Lewis Grizzard well and miss him. Would never want to live anywhere else. Melears in Fayetteville and Union City had the best sweet tea and I really hate that they closed. Look forward to reading the book.
I am a Southerner thru thru… with roots in south Georgia!! Both of my parents were raised on farms in South Georgia… and even though I was born & lived my whole life thus far in North Florida.. I love my southern heritage… the charm.. hospitality… food (yes)… ( Florida is such a melting pot… would it be considered the deep south ??? … lolol) I do enjoy sweet tea… but these days I tend to drink it un sweetened!! Can’t wait to get my hands on this book !!! Thank you for posting Rhoda!!
Born and raised in Maryland, so technically below the Mason-Dixon line! My family is from North Carolina and Mississippi, so I am well versed in all things southern! My husband and I are hoping/planning to move south in a few years when he retires.
I am a southern girl born and bred. I’ve spent my 58 years in Raleigh, NC! This book sounds delightful!
I was born in and spend most of my life in Biloxi, Mississippi, but currently reside in Houston, Texas (I consider it spicy southern!). Most of my family is from South Alabama, and I am a tried and true Auburn Tiger (as is my husband – War Eagle!). We have a few southern names in our family – my grandmother Miree (no middle name at all – I called her Little Mama), my great Aunt Addie Lou, my husband’s grandmother Virginia Lee, my best friend from college Mina (pronounced My-na) Molliann. And I have a sweet tea James Avery charm on my charm bracelet! I read all of Lewis Grizzard’s books when I was in college and was very sad when he passed. I love Fairhope! It is on my list of places to which I could retire! I’m looking forward to reading Leslie Anne’s book!
I was born and reared (as they say in the south) in Huntsville, Alabama. I love the south for its caring, charm, and civility. Plus, I think we have the best food. However, I don’t like sweet tea!
Yes ma’am, I am as Southern as they come! I have grown up and lived in NE Alabama all my life. There is nothing more than I love than living here in AL. From the North side of the state, we have the beautiful mountains and then at the lower end, we have the beautiful beaches. Not to leave any area of the state out, we have one beautiful state that I am very proud of. We have the greatest hospitality of any Southern culture someone would want to experience.
Of course, fresh sweet tea is always in the fridge and ready for a good gossip session! Y’all come over and join us!!