01 Mar 2025 Home is where the Hope is

March is the most hopeful month of the year for me. After months of brown landscape and leafless trees, green shoots begin growing and we see daffodils, crocus, tulips and flowering bushes and trees dotting the lonely landscape. The thought always strikes me: I have survived another winter!

My hopeful attitude led me to marry in early March. Each year when the world begins to turn green again, I begin mentally planning what I’ll plant in containers and flower beds around my home — after the final freeze associated with Easter, of course! I also look through home and garden books, walk through my home and plan cleaning, painting and décor updating projects. You can imagine how much this annual to-do list excites my dear husband!

Planning this issue is timely because it includes inspirational articles. Our “Home and Garden” issue is one of the most beautiful magazines we publish annually. Whether you want to add furnishings, repaint rooms, add a fence or buy your first home, you’ll find expert advice in this issue. Warmer weather is an optimal time for people to move to smaller or larger spaces, and our advertisers share the benefits of their respective housing options. Spring also marks many celebratory events, from weddings to proms to graduations, and our writers will steer you toward current trends. 

A few years ago, many Arkansans became interested in growing and/or raising their food. A wonderful resource for us all is the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service. Writer Judy Riley shares an article about two women who teach online and in-person classes, one of which is titled “Growing Your Own Groceries.” Through online classes and teaching gardens directed by Master Gardeners throughout the 501, learning to grow veggies is within your reach at a nominal cost.

We also explore some beautiful homes and vacation rentals that will inspire you to freshen up spaces in your home or apartment, or even to repurpose an area for a new use. I encourage you to sit down, relax and turn (or click through) the informative articles and lovely images our expert team has assembled. Within these pages you can daydream and find hope, inspiration and a to-do list!

Stefanie Brazile
Owner/Publisher