In October I’ve been focusing on table manners in order for us all to “up our game” during the holiday season which is right around the corner. As is typical during the season, we all are hosting and being hosted at one another’s homes more frequently, so now we should be ready to be on their best behavior at the table.
Today’s lesson isn’t about table manners, but more about honoring your host when you’ve been invited to someone’s home for dinner or a party. Bring a gift. It can be …

For todays Manners Monday, I’m going to cover a variety of table manners – answering a few questions plus throwing in some others. For this reason, I won’t go as in depth on each item. If you’d like more clarity, let me know in the comments and I’ll add to it.
- Pass the salt and pepper together, even if a guest only asks for one. It prevents having to search for the lost shaker the next time someone needs one.
- Napkins: In the lap as soon as you sit down, …

There are some table manners that should go without saying: napkin in your lap, no elbows on the table, don’t chew with your mouth open (which means don’t talk while you’re chewing). There are others that are less well-known.
One that my mother was religious about instilling in me (as one for ladies) is about eating bread. While I was taught this as a rule for women, it doesn’t hurt for men to follow it as well. Break bread into bite-size pieces to eat, and butter your bread one piece at …

Today is part two of October’s series on Manners Monday :: Table Manners. (Last week we Set the Table.)
When having dinner around a table, no one should begin eating until the person who has provided the meal (i.e., host or hostess) has been seated and has lifted his or her fork.
Let’s look at the practicality (since etiquette, at its core, is practical) of this first. Meals are meant to be enjoyed, together. If people begin eating as soon as they sit down – particularly with a buffet – it is …

Wolfe may be right that you can’t go home again, but re-reading Erskine Caldwell’s Tobacco Road took me right back to Dr. Hitchcock’s Southern Lit class at Auburn. Caldwell’s 1932 novel portrays the life of a poor, white sharecropper family near Augusta, Georgia (which happens to be very close to my mother’s people’s land), and at the same time lays the thematic foundation for a genre that will follow.
The Lesters’ lives are intrinsically tied to the earth, so much so that the patriarch, Jeeter, can’t consider the opportunity that could afford …

I can’t resist this opportunity to say that I love Apple. Steve Jobs was a creative genius that will be missed, especially by those of us who use his products every day. He pioneered technology that we all now take for granted.
I know many of you are like me, and the very first computer you touched was a Macintosh – part of the “Apples for Schools” program. I always thought that was a brilliant marketing strategy. Put Macs in schools and ensure future generations consider you their first love.
I’ve worked …

Welcome to the October series of Manners Monday where we’ll hone our table manners in preparation for hosting and being hosted at numerous holiday gatherings for the next two months. And while I’m sure I’ll reference her many times, I’d be remiss if I didn’t go ahead and mention in advance my mom. Everything that I know and love related to entertaining is straight from her heart – as she is the quintessential hostess. So, thanks Mom. This is for you.
As Maria said in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start …