Scrumptious and succulent is what’s on the menu this season as we gear up for special times, cool  sunshine and good friends. Enter vivid color— the star of this spring’s soirees. It’s the perfect  way for your dinner party or brunch to bloom and fill the room. Get creative and have fun setting your table to blossom with vibrancy, burst with texture, and come alive with the assistance of Mother Nature’s tiny works of art. Here are a few wares we gathered to say hello to sensational spring.

Class is in session. Today’s topic isn’t the sexiest, but if you’ve ever had a muscle cramp during sex, you know how it can snap the brain to complete attention. Cramps happen at other times, too.
You’re running across a tennis court when suddenly, someone is jabbing a fork into your calf. Or you’re blissfully swimming along and for no reason, your toes get stuck in a vise. Or you’re asleep in bed hours after a vigorous walk— nighttime cramps are very common—and you’re jolted awake with a piercing pain in your thigh.

So much for the problem. Let’s talk solutions. Though it’s still a bit of a mystery why some people get cramps—aka charley horses or muscle spasms—there are lots of things you can do for prevention and relief.

Take time for a deep breath. Then take a stroll down the spice aisle, inhaling the exotic aromas—from pungent turmeric to zesty pepper to fresh sage—that have inspired the colors of a spirited fashion season. Here’s a list of the newest spicy hues to add to your clothes rack this year.

Not-so-mellow yellow. A current culinary favorite, turmeric, is a favorite color with the fashion crowd. The yellows this spring range in shade from amber to mustard to curry to gold. Wear variations of this color palette from head to toe for an ultrasophisticated look.

My first recollection of being bitten by the wanderlust bug was in high school. Gazing out the window in the middle of a Latin class, I found myself daydreaming about what life must have been like in the early days of Roman language development. How did people communicate, live, meet others, and date? What did they do for fun? I had no idea at the time what a wealth of worldwide opportunities awaited me; I just dreamed about them.

After I graduated from college, my sister, Diane, and I went to Europe on a tour of England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. This was back in the day when young women traveling abroad wore shirtwaist dresses and virgin pins. I didn’t care what I had to wear; I was fascinated by the countries, cultures, cuisines, and people.

We’re past the the first month of the new year. What have you got to show for it? Of course, I mean that in the nicest possible way.

> Are you physically active at least three times a week as you promised yourself when your favorite jeans mysteriously shrunk two sizes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s?

> Are you working smarter and getting more accomplished because you’ve been meditating every morning and limiting your screen time interruptions to a modest 15 times a day?

Even though most of us are still wrapped up in our puffer coats, the fashion winds are blowing in the balmy trends for a new season.

And it’s time to loosen up and go with the flow of breezy designs, tropical prints and, yes, even bike shorts.

Here’s the shortlist of the spring runways’ latest trends:

Frilly dresses.
In the softest of fabrics, such as chiffon and satin, the dress is all dressed up this spring with feathers, ruffles, ruching and bows. The short babydoll dress is back! It’s time to feel like a princess again and give these frilly dresses a whirl.

Thirty years ago, three women met at a weaving class sponsored by the Coastal Alliance for the Arts at the Island Art Center on SSI. Mary Egle, Kim Merck and Jean Sucher soon realized their common interests in other fiber arts techniques. We decided to see what community interest there might be in forming a group dedicated to various fiber arts, so we placed a December 1988 meeting announcement newspaper ad.

To our surprise, over 60 interested folks showed up, many with examples of their fiber arts works! It was decided at that inaugural meeting to form a Fiberarts Guild for the Golden Isles.

Have you heard about self-care?
Merriam-Webster defines it as “care for oneself,” and the concept of making your physical and emotional wellness a priority is really taking off. It’s not selfish to take care of yourself and your well-being.

“Self-care is vitally important because if you don’t take the time to stop and care for yourself, your body will stop you,” says Canadian mental health advocate Mark Henick. “If you never let your foot off the gas, you won’t keep driving forever—you’ll either run out of gas or crash. The same is true for the body and mind.”

Henick says self-care is a choice to re-balance your internal resources so you can bounce back from stressors.

From all-over shimmering cocktail frocks to glittering skirts and jackets—even glittering leggings and twinkling toes—there are show-stopping ways to sparkle in sequins. But before you leave a trail of shiny discs behind you, here are a few things to keep in mind when buying sequined clothing.

Check the care labels.
Many of you may not have taken a shine to sequins for this very reason: They can be intimidating to clean. After years of owning all kinds of “embellished” clothing, I heartily recommend hand-washing with baby shampoo. While many pieces can be laundered on the gentle cycle in the washing machine, just as you would delicate lingerie, it can be tricky. Just make sure you turn the garment inside out and place it in a mesh bag. Never place in a dryer, but rather drip-dry over a towel and then lay flat.

What? You’ve already thought you may fail to keep your New Year’s resolutions?

Of course you have. Welcome to human nature. And don’t feel badly. Zillions of your fellow Americans are also failing to give up nachos, sleep seven hours a night, bicycle to work, defend their souls against time-sucking small-screen devices. Great intentions, depressing results.

Why is the new-habit failure rate so high? Because changing behavior—as in developing new habits—is a skill. Like shoeing a horse. It’s something you need to learn how to do, so when you decide to do it, your chance of success will skyrocket.

Dear Readers,
I talk a lot about setting financial goals, primarily because I believe in them. Having an idea of what you want to achieve is the first step in actually doing something. That’s particularly true when it comes to money. And what better time to focus on your financial goals than the start of a new year?
To me, setting goals can actually be the fun part of getting on top of your finances. Why? Because it’s a chance to evaluate your priorities and maybe dream a little. For instance, what are the most important things you’d like to achieve in both the near and distant future? Do you dream of buying a house, or starting a new business? What’s on your travel bucket list? Do you imagine switching to a less lucrative but more fulfilling career path?

On behalf of the New Year, Pink Magazine welcomes you to 2019! We are incredibly excited to see how the coming year will unfold for us and what new stories it will bring! We’re not making resolutions at Pink this year; we want to start 2019 on a positive note, and we hope you will choose to do so, too. To help spark your fire, we thought we’d have our staff share with you their “IT” for 2019 and what they most want to get started in the New Year. We believe every woman is strong, beautiful, and has the power to identify her IT and get started, too. We're here to help. Pink would be honored to be a part of your tribe, standing in your corner, encouraging you to strap your goals and dreams for 2019 into the passenger seat and drive into the future! A true dream team! We hold our mission high and stay true to it. Together, we can change the world! Let's get IT started by together changing ourselves.

Safety Around Water is the YMCA’s aquatic’s initiative to help ensure children learn essential water safety skills. This course is taught by certified YMCA swim instructors and teaches children basic water safety and swimming skills to reduce the risk of drowning and build confidence around water. The Golden Isles YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia have partnered in this initiative, and everyone is all smiles.

This is a huge undertaking and it’s working! The staff of Golden Isles YMCA knows our community and its many swimming pools, lagoons, ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, ocean, and other watery geographical features that put children at risk for drowning. Their vision is to prevent drowning by helping kids and their families learn to be safe in and around water.

Americans are known around the world for eating too much, but when it comes to time, we are starving ourselves. It’s called “time famine”—an unpleasant, uncomfortable feeling that we have too much to do in too little time. Social scientists have been studying it for more than 20 years.

“I’m behind before I get up!” my mother-in-law used to say. Sound familiar? It’s that existentially endless to-do list that keeps us feeling rushed, hassled, busy-busy-busy, the opposite of “All Is Well.”

Sadly, I don’t have the time necessary to explain all the reasons why “time famine” is overwhelming so many of us and why “time affluence,” the blissful sense of having plenty of time, is so elusive. But you can bet your favorite digital device that it has everything to do with the crush of modern technology and what sociologist Simon Gottschalk calls “the oppression of speed.”

Time to get cozy! Sweater weather is sending chills down our spines
and right into our toes. This season, the best knit hits are bold and beautiful,
in colorful patterns and chic shapes. Here are five sweaters to collect now:

The Sweater Jacket. This all-purpose knit bridges the gap between heavy coats and light cardigans...perfect for transitioning into winter wardrobes. This fall, sweater jackets are statement pieces in multipatterned florals, plaids and stripes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the new oversized trend. A little extra room allows for more warmth and layering.

Are you worried about how much you worry? Bravo.

Uncontrolled anxiety is a giant obstacle to personal happiness. No surprise. Worry causes stress, and stress saps our strength, disturbs our sleep, fries our brain and constantly undermines our best efforts to stay healthy, relaxed and optimistic.

And yet there’s so much to worry about these days. Is Alexa really recording everything I say? Why is our air more foul, our food and water more toxic? What do we do when all our online 24/7 connectivity only increases people’s loneliness and isolation?

Thankful and Blessed: It’s easy to take blessings for granted each day. So the Pink team decided it’s time we “spread the love” to highlight the spirit of the season, our #Blessed theme and mission to empower women. Cut out the blessing cards below and surprise your friends, family, co-workers or even a stranger with kindness. If you’d like even more blessing cards (we hope you do), you can print more online at www.itsallpink.com. Gratitude is great and so are you!

Good Golfers Better People The First Tee of the Golden Isles (TFTGI) chapter, now in its third year, is looking to engage and empower girls to start thinking about their futures: To grow and succeed, develop confidence and create a positive environment to promote self-esteem. They’re on a mission to change the face of the game—#littlegirlsbigdreams

Slip out of those slides and scoot into the hottest footwear trend of the season: boots. From cowboy classics to laced-up Victorians to tough-chic hikers, there’s a boot for every day of the week and then some. Here are the best ways to reboot your shoe wardrobe this fall >>

On the Western front. Because designers at Fendi and Celine start walking cowboy boots down runways, you know these shoes are going to be moving up on the trend lists. And while some hardy souls have worn them all their lives (“meanwhile, back at the ranch”), many of fashion’s elite have not experienced the old-school comfort of a broken-in pair of these leather wonders. Frye boots have been my constant companion since my high school days. They have lasted long after the bell-bottoms were stashed away. Expect to see them on the best-dressed list next spring, too.

A blessing in today’s terms can be perceived as a gift that arrives just at the right time. Others may see a blessing as a gift from God—a favor from heaven. Of course, the greatest blessing is life itself! Therefore, you are a walking, talking blessing upon this earth filled with light and energy.

Now, before I get super woo-woo, hear me out. You see, blessings are not one sided; it’s a two-way street in the world of blessings. I invite you to step into the blessing you are, the blessing you can become, and/or the blessing you will receive. 

Dear Carrie: My wife and I just had our second child. We already have a 529 plan for our 21/2-year-old son. Can we continue to make contributions to our current plan and distribute the savings to both of our children’s college funds? Or should we have separate 529 plans for each child and make contributions to each plan? —A Reader

Dear Reader: The tax advantages of a 529 plan make it one of the best ways to save for a child’s education, so congrats on getting a jump on saving for your son. Now that you have a second child, I can understand why it might seem easier to manage a single 529 and just divvy up the money as the kids need it. But while that’s technically possible, having one 529 rather than a separate account for each child actually complicates things. Here’s why:

Vivian has a story to tell,
and it is a story about life,
death, and a simple comma.

Brunswick Actors’ Theatre is set to perform Margaret Edson’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize winning play, WIT on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons October 13-28. WIT is a play that is told through the fourth wall, directly to the audience, by Professor Vivian Bearing, played by Amy Lovin. Professor Bearing is a professor of 17th century literature specializing in the Holy Sonnets by metaphysical poet John Donne.
The action begins with Professor Bearing proffering a greeting to her audience and letting them know right away that she would have preferred a play about her to “be cast in the mythic-heroic-pastoral mode,” but instead, as she states, the facts that conspire against her are, “most notably, stage four metastatic ovarian cancer.” From there she takes us into her past and present with wit and humor and the poetry of John Donne. The journey is transformative, both for her and the audience.

Coco Chanel may have famously said “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory,” but this fall, she might rethink that advice­­—and tell us to just pile more on! Big and bold clothes that are all the rage on the runways call for bigger and bolder accessories. So don’t be afraid to go the extra fashion mile this fall with these top accessories.

Oversize jewelry. The trendy buzzword for fall ready-to-wear is “oversize,” and the jewelry shows up larger than life, too. Go for the gold in chunky chain necklaces, dangling earrings and sculptural cuff bracelets. Mix with silver metals for even more of a modern touch.

“Empowered Women, Empower Women”—YES. WE. DO. We support each other through thick and thin and through diagnoses, especially the one called breast cancer. We provide care and sustenance, we’ve “got your back”, we help each other maintain and often lift each other up. Women help each other with funding, upkeep, advocation and with words—encouraging, meaningful words and phrases we share to let each other know, ‘You are loved and very special to me.’

We asked women diagnosed with breast cancer what the best advice they received while fighting the fight. They've spoken. Turn the page to read on.

Dear Readers: Often when I talk about the importance of a financial plan, I see people start to squirm. There’s something about the topic that makes them uncomfortable. When I dig a little deeper to find out why, two reasons regularly come up: Either people don’t think they have enough money to warrant a financial plan or they think a financial plan costs too much. And no matter how often I try to debunk these myths, it’s hard to change someone’s preconception.

It’s a challenge for sure, but I’m such a firm believer that everyone needs a financial plan that I’m going to give it another try by showing you how you can actually be your own financial planner. It doesn’t require that you have a lot of money—and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny. If you’re willing to spend a little time, you can actually do it yourself. Here’s how:

It’s time for a Spooktacular Halloween! We’ve got enchanted Pillsbury recipes
for your guests to eat, drink and be scary; DIY projects for a bewitching and
Boo-tiful Halloween evening! Don’t forget to tell your guests to BYOB—Bring Your Own Broom.

We are fortunate to have Jane Fraser, President and Spokeswoman for the Stuttering Foundation of America so close to the Lowcountry. She recently opened a St. Simons Island, GA branch of the 71-year-old foremost nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping those who stutter.

Focused on basic research, causes, treatment, and prevention for nearly three million people world-wide who struggle daily with this complex disorder, Jane shared the foundation’s simple goal, “To provide effective and accurate materials, up-to-date training, and hope to those who stutter, their families, and the dedicated therapists who help them.”

You may still be flip-flopping around in pool slides, but it’s the perfect time to step out in a new pair of shoes and be the first to kick off the fashion season ahead...yes, even with a killer pair of boots. Start checking out the latest shoe scene now.

Check out the new architectural heels.
This is definitely the year of the “heel,” and they’re the good kind. Look for sculptural angled heels to geometric cylindrical spikes to woodsy blocks to sparkling crystals. And don’t forget the ‘80s disco platforms...for all those “Mamma Mia” fans out there. Here we go again!

Golden, thick, and sweet, honey is a staple in many of my favorite dishes. I’ve recently learned about the variety of flavors and healthy benefits that make raw, hand-poured honey a nutritional superstar. Little did I know, honey has a mysterious counterpart that many healers have been using for centuries—bee pollen—and it’s becoming all the rage. So, I headed over to my favorite honey shop, Capital Bee Company (CBCo) in Savannah, to find out why it’s all the buzz.

What Is Bee Pollen?
It’s one of the richest natural foods ever discovered. Bee pollen is a granule created from pollen dust of flower blossoms. The incredible nutritional and medicinal value of pollen has been known for thousands of years and is known as nature’s most complete food.

Before I was a walker, I was a runner — a slow, lumbering, back-of-the-pack runner. When I discovered racewalking, I found my sport. And since then, I’ve become a ferocious fan of every style of walking: all ages, speeds, styles and sexes. (If only walking were, somehow, a sexier sport.)

I could fill the rest of this column and several more spelling out all the wonderful things walking will do for your body and your mind. It’s great for your brain, your strength, for every cell in your body, for calming yourself mentally and boosting your energy physically.

It’s also the perfect antidote to the crazed, stepped-up pace of life today, when too much technology walks all over our human need to slow down and ... how can I put this ... think.