One of my earliest childhood memories is waiting outside of my dying grandmother’s bedroom while my parents stood at her bedside. She battled breast cancer long before we knew about early detection and cancer typing. In my early 20s, I had three benign breast tumors surgically removed. One of my sisters, at the age of 40, was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast … [Read more...]
Sweet Sixteen: Antiques at The Gardens Never Goes Out of Style
By Donna CorneliusFrom furniture built long ago to designers whose aesthetics are shaping modern sensibilities, Antiques at the Gardens is a showcase for timeless beauty.The 16th annual event, hosted by the Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, kicks off Sept. 29 and runs through Oct. 2. It includes 12 speakers, 22 dealers and about … [Read more...]
Comfort and Joy: Designer Alex Papachristidis Loves Making People Feel at Home
By Donna CorneliusWhen Alex Papachristidis arrives for this year’s Antiques at the Gardens show, it will be the noted designer’s first visit to Birmingham. But chances are he’ll feel right at home.“I think that I was Southern in another life,” he said. “I have lots of friends who are Southerners, and they all have a wonderful sense of hospitality and are so welcoming. I … [Read more...]
Rescue Mission: Mountain Brook Honors Vestavia Teen Who Saved Woman in House Fire
By Anne RuisiA Vestavia Hills High School senior is being hailed as a hero and was honored with the Medal of Valor from the city of Mountain Brook after saving an elderly woman from a house fire.John Michael Chandash, 17, not only managed to wake the 87-year-old woman sleeping on her couch by banging on a locked door and getting her out of the house, he gave her … [Read more...]
Food of Their Ancestors: St. George Food Fest Offers Middle Eastern Fare, Culture
By Anne RuisiAnnette Ritchey remembers visiting her grandfather’s homeland of Greece at 13 and watching people stomp grapes on one of the islands.Years later, on a recent Saturday morning, she was in the parish hall of St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church on Birmingham’s Southside working with other church volunteers to use another part of the grapevine to make … [Read more...]