January - February - March 2026
A Word From The Publisher
When I began planning this issue, one theme kept resurfacing – cozy blankets. Not just the throw featured on the cover, but the idea of warmth, texture, comfort, and the small thin...
Winter Has Plans For You
The Town of Wake Forest will offer something for everyone in 2026, so grab your calendars and let’s start planning for the year ahead. They have an amazing array of events schedule...
The Art of Cozy Cooking
There’s something almost magical about a cozy dinner – the kind that wraps around you like a soft blanket, fills the house with irresistible aromas, and turns an ordinary evening i...
Financial Focus
Your smartphone buzzes with an alert. Your budgeting app has spotted an unusual spending pattern and suggests transferring $50 from your savings account to your checking account. L...
A Fresh Start at Home
There’s something special about the start of a new year. The house gets quieter after the holidays, the days feel clearer, and suddenly we’re ready to refresh the spaces we spend t...
Style Simplified
Every January, it feels like the fashion world tells us it’s time for a “fresh start.” New trends, new colors, new clothes ... basically, a whole new wardrobe. But honestly? Most o...
Gardening Guru
I stand at the window, peering out over my back garden and the woods beyond, and I know it is winter. The bleakness – gray sky, leafless trees, the whole dramatic winter landscape ...
Stirring Up Romance
Whether it’s ringing in the new year or celebrating Valentine’s Day, this time of year tends to set our hearts aflutter. As the owner of a cocktail lounge, I’ve had the privilege o...
Chunky Knits
If winter has a signature texture, it’s the chunky knit. Soft, substantial, and instantly comforting, these oversized stitches are the season’s overachievers, showing up on sofas, ...
Driveable Destination
Few places showcase tradition quite like Seagrove, North Carolina. Better known as the “Handmade Pottery Capital of the United States,” this small community celebrates deep Souther...
Cooked in Tradition
There are dishes you learn to cook, and then there are the ones that simply anchor your winter – recipes so familiar that you never think to ask when they first appeared or who sta...
A Stage For Everyone
On Thursday, November 29, 2018, a young, virtually unknown singer/songwriter stepped onto the stage at the Wake Forest Listening Room (located beneath Sugar Magnolia Café at the ti...
Understanding Dementia
When someone begins to experience memory loss or changes in judgment, families often wonder whether it’s simply part of getting older or if it may be something more. Dementia is ...
The Winter Workhorse
Winter doesn’t offer many plants willing to do the heavy lifting. Most perennials are dormant, shrubs are resting, and color is in short supply. It’s the season when garden beds fl...
Winter Insurance Gaps
Winter in North Carolina may not bring deep snow or long freezes, but it does bring surprises, especially when it comes to insurance. Every cold-weather season, I see homeowners ru...
Spice Up The Season
Winter cooking naturally leans toward fuller flavors – the kind that stand up well to cold weather and complement the proteins, produce, and pantry staples we rely on this time of ...
Good Reads
One of the perks of owning a bookstore is getting to read books before anyone else. It’s like being handed early tickets to all the best worlds. And let me tell you, this winter’s ...
The Winter Reset
Does your self-care routine ever feel like a chore – an endless list of products, trends, and routines you’re not sure are even working? Do you ever stop and wonder why you’re doin...
Color That Carries You Through the Season
As the new year unfolds, many homeowners feel the irresistible pull to refresh their spaces – a symbolic reset that begins with color. But paint is far more than a decorative flour...
Eye Myths Busted
If you grew up hearing warnings like “Don’t sit too close to the TV,” or “Eat your carrots if you want strong eyes,” you’re not alone. Eye-related myths have a way of passing from ...
Winter Ready Pets
When the temperatures drop and winter settles in, many pet owners assume that grooming can take a back seat. After all, with thicker coats and less outdoor activity, it may seem li...
Bronzed Vs. Blackened
There’s a moment in every serious cook’s life when a perfectly seared piece of fish hits the table and the entire room goes quiet. The exterior is audibly crisp, the inside still p...
Sweet Solutions
Nothing could be sweeter than expecting a baby. However, according to the American Diabetes Association, gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) can affect up to 9% of pre...
Sedation Dentistry
For many adults, dental fear began decades ago. Maybe it was a difficult visit as a child, back when dental offices felt louder, brighter, or less comforting than they do today. Th...
Local Gem
Dorothea Dix Park has welcomed many visitors over the years, but nothing quite like this. As of this past October, five giant wooden troll sculptures now live throughout the park, ...
New Year, Fresh Start
A new year can inspire big changes, but it doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire life. Instead of setting resolutions that feel restrictive or overwhelming, consider small, ...
A Head Start on Spring
North Carolina winters come with surprises – stretches of cold followed by those unexpectedly mild days that pull everyone outside for an hour (or an afternoon). Those windows of g...
Our Heritage
The Calvin Jones House is the oldest surviving building in the Wake Forest Local Historic District and a symbol of the town’s origins. Over the course of two centuries, the house h...