Amy Barnes

Get half off that viral veggie chopper, $50 off a new outdoor rug and more during the Amazon Big Spring Sale.

For as low as $4 these alternatives to Pottery Barn, Zappos and other name brands save you money while enjoying the look of more expensive options.

From the standard two-strap to clogs, here are some great shoes that look like Birkenstocks but won't empty your wallet.

The winter holidays are a time for gift-giving and celebrations. Southern hospitality is at its best with homemade goodies and personalized gifts. While you’re buying for friends and family, you might wonder about giving or exchanging gifts at work.
To keep workplace gift-giving easier and clearer, we’ve taken a look at some things to check on and questions to ask before making purchases. Gift-giving at work during the holidays doesn’t have to become expensive or stressful.

Why it’s never too late to put up your Christmas tree.
On Christmas Day, a tiny decorated tree appeared at my grandmother’s house. Carefully-wrapped presents were stacked underneath it. I never expected her tree to be up the day after Thanksgiving or even the week before Christmas. There was something magical about the petite tree with its strand of bubble lights and homemade ornaments.

Moms have had their share of parenting fails, mostly tied to holidays. What parent hasn’t looked under couch cushions for Tooth Fairy money or made a mess on behalf of an Elf on the Shelf? This year it’s time to file a complaint with the Childhood Mythical Character Department. Apparently, the Easter Bunny has co-created Peeps Pepsi without any thought to parent supply-chain issues by giving all the Peeps to Pepsi. There are usually sixteen different flavors and colors of Peeps, but now it lo...

Square in shape but not in appeal.
Think about the back of sit-com couches or the couch in your grandma's house. What is almost always folded neatly on the sofa back, or stacked in linen closets and hope chests? A granny square afghan.

Today’s kids are online and on their phones day and night. Because of this, they’re potentially exposed to a wide range of age-inappropriate and dangerous materials. They can also spend too much time online overall. How can you protect your kids and guide them toward a more balanced online experience? You may be considering a parental control app to monitor their usage, online exposure, and location, but choosing the right parental control app can feel overwhelming–you want to track your kids, but not be too intrusive.

Some cooks love their seasoned cast-iron pans. My kitchen favorite tool is a well-seasoned… loomed pot holder. Each loop holds memories of meals gripped in hot pans.
When I was a kid, my grandmother gifted me her heavy red metal pin loom and a bag of loops. I was hooked (or looped) and made pot holder after pot holder, weaving the brightly-colored material in and out into rainbow-colored squares. The pot holders became gifts for friends, family, and neighbors, and ultimately, my kitchen drawe...

Not a platform to leave anything along, TikTok has made flavored pickles a new sensation with entries like Ranch Pickles and Kool-Aid Pickles. So we decided to venture into easy pickle enhancement, too. As fast as you can say Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pesto Pickles, you can create this combo of jarred pickles and jarred pesto.
It's Easy Being Green
Why pesto with pickles? Pesto lends an earthy, garden-y flavor (from its spinach and basil) with a hint of nuttiness (from the cheese and nuts)...

I first tried Millionare Bacon at a local brunch spot and loved the slightly-spicy, super-sticky bacon. I left with that taste in my mouth and questions: What is the origin of Millionaire Bacon? Will you feel like a millionaire when you eat it? Why does it cost several dollars a slice in restaurants?
As with many recipes, the Millionaire Bacon's origins are a mystery. It’s probably closest to bacon candy or candied bacon. The key difference is that hint of spice from the cayenne pepper. Wheth...

Dolly Parton’s Tennessee house is five minutes from mine. There are tour buses parked out front most days. My son always thought she was sending his Imagination Library books directly from her house to him. Knowing her altruism, he may not have been wrong. I didn’t correct him as he yelled, “Thank you for the books!” out the window when we drove past her house. It was a sad day after he turned six and the books stopped coming. Fortunately, it replaced by a new book reward: his own Pizza Hut p...

The old-school favorite is back and trending.
It’s summertime in the South, the eating (and living) is easy. While picnic goers, hikers, campers and sports fans are nibbling on food; bugs are too. My grandmothers had the perfect solution for perennial picnic pests: the outdoor food cover. The old-school favorite is back and trending, and it should be no surprise why—inexpensive and portable, an outdoor food cover is a tent solution that’s easy to use and brings back childhood memories.
I reme...

I grew up in the Midwest with only sun tea and "sweet" tea, which was really unsweet tea and an inch of sugar in the bottom. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get my tea sweet enough.
When I moved to the South as an adult, I was introduced to truly sweet tea—steeped and sugary throughout from sugar syrup infused in every sip.
That wasn’t my only new Southern sweet beverage. I soon discovered another Southern menu staple: Fruit Tea.
At Nashville-area restaurants like Legends Steakhouse, Puffy M...

And how can you know when to stop?
You've enjoyed a restaurant dinner, made too much lasagna, or are meal planning with leftovers. After packing the extras in the fridge or freezer, you think ahead to the week's meals and wonder what you can make with those leftovers—plus how long they’re good for. Considering how many times you can reheat those leftover is crucial, too.
To get to the bottom of food safety rules (and that lasagna pan), we went to the sources for food safety guidance: the Unit...