Skirt January 2015

Augusta, Aiken & Evans

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

A new year brings a fresh start, a blank

slate, a beginning, a chance to write your

beautiful story all over again. Out with

the old, in with the new. Throw out the

resolutions and count the blessings instead.

Wish for more. More love, more light, more

harmony, more peace. This is the year to

stop saying “maybe” and say “yes” to all the

potential good the world sends your way.

Choose your own theme for the year: Peace.

Love. Wonder. Miracles. Choose a new mot-

to: Right now is more important than later.

Choose a new mantra. C’est à moi! (It’s my

turn!) Look forward instead of back. Stop

focusing on failures and love the life lessons

they give us. Ring out the losses, the setbacks,

the obstacles, the stumbles and the falls.

Ring in the the wins, the happy moments,

the adoration, the fortune, the charmed life.

Reserve judgment. Make positivity go viral.

Hand out compliments like you’re getting

paid to do it. Receive them graciously. Buy

that pricey pair of heels you’ve had your eye

on forever, call them your happy shoes, and

wear them until they go from broken in to

broken down. There’s another pair waiting

right around the corner. Kick up those heels

like you don’t have a care in the world and

toast to a carefree 2015!

january/february

f r e e

E s c a p e t h e o r d i n a r y .

®

www.skirt.com january/february 2015 3

4 january/february 2015 www.skirt.com

Features

Spinsters Rock Jeanette Bouchie ................................8

Write Now Dean Lofton .........................................9

The Reluctant Cook Ananya Bhattacharyya .................... 18

In Every Issue

Letter from the Editor .....................4

He’s So Original ...............................25

Skirt of the Month ...........................29

Product ...............................................13

Meet ....................................................26

I’ve found this time of year can be overwhelming with potential, or just plain over-

whelming. If I’m feeling positive, the next 365 days all in a long, uninterrupted stretch

are thrilling and inspiring. If I’m not, it just reminds me that another year has arrived

and I still don’t feel like a pro at life. The women in this issue have a comforting

message for those of us who have goals, but don’t quite know how to proceed. Liz

flodstrom started her PrettySweetLife blog even though she didn’t “know how.”

Alison Smith took a leap and opened her own retail store. Lisa Hill picked up and

moved across the country to start a new business closer to family. The end results

they have today are because they took that first beginning step. As this year pres-

ents itself, let’s focus on the positive ways we can chip away at our own goals, no

matter how small the steps may seem.

Gracie Shepherd

[email protected]

SKIRT! THIS MONTH

Like to see your ad in skirt! Magazine? 706.823.3702

january2015

Cover Art: If you’re an artist

and would like to submit your work, please send

a link or low res artwork to [email protected].

The Kick Start Issue

The way to get started

is to quit talking and begin

doing.”Walt Disney

FounderNikki Hardin

Creative Director Caitilin McPhillips

[email protected]

Market ManagerKate Cooper Metts

[email protected]

Contributing Editor Gracie Shepherd

[email protected]

Sales DirectorLisa Dorn

[email protected]

Sales ExecutivesDoressa Hawes

[email protected]

Lisa Taylor [email protected]

Maidi McMurtrie Thompson [email protected]

Mary Porter Vann [email protected]

CirculationJessica Seigler

[email protected]

PhotographySara Caldwell

AdvertisingSales: 706.823.3702

Fax: 706.823.6061 1.800.622.6358

skirt! is published monthly and distributed free throughout

the greater Augusta, Aiken & Evans area. skirt! reserves the right to refuse to sell space for

any advertisement the staff deems inappropriate for the publication.

All content of this magazine, including without limitation the

design, advertisements, art, photos and editorial content, as well as the selection, coordination and

arrangement thereof, is Copyright © 2014, Morris Publishing Group,

LLC. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this magazine may be copied or

reprinted without the express written permission of the publisher.

SKIRT!® is a registered trademark of Morris Publishing Group, LLC.



www.skirt.com december 2014 7




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Liz Flodstrom | Pretty Sweet Life

Through her blog PrettySweetLife, Liz shares her sense of style and zest for living with her readers. Whether it’s modeling a fun outfit or review-

ing beauty products, her blog is like that cool friend who doesn’t mind you asking where she got that coat or what moisturizer she swears by.

“It’s my girly outlet,” she says. Liz started the blog about five years ago, just as a creative outlet for herself. “I didn’t really know what to do with

it when I first started, it was just for fun.” Her readership steadily grew, and now she works with brands and artists to review items and host

giveaways. As she’s learned the ropes, connecting with fellow bloggers through the Southern Blog Society has encouraged her to venture farther

out of her comfort zone. If there’s anything Liz could tell herself five years ago or other aspiring bloggers, it’s pretty simple. “Have confidence

in yourself and just go for it.”

january2015


Over-The-Calf Peddies socksEquine Divine

126 Laurens Street SWAiken

803.642.9772

Curry in a Hurry trail mixWatanut

1118 Jones StreetAugusta

855.928.2688

Healthy Me!

S’Well water bottleSOHO

435 Highland AvenueAugusta

706.738-6884

Our new favorite tech-savvy way to change up our workouts: The Jump Rope

Workout app is like a pedometer for jumping rope. It attaches to thigh, waist, or arm and accurately measures rope jumps

(with or without rope!). You can share results on social media (or not), but it’s fun to keep track of your progress either way.

Free for iOS in the iTunes store.

january2015



Emma Watson—for her speech

advocating for gender equality at

UN headquarters.

Roger Federer—for

holding the #2 spot in men’s

tennis worldwide and still

modeling for Rolex...and us.

Diem Brown—for allowing her

courageous cancer battle into

the public eye.

Robin Williams—for too many

roles to list here that we’ll never

forget. Goodnight, Genie.

Joan Rivers—for giving us

laugh after laugh.

Maya Anjelou—for her legacy of

wisdom and �ght for civil rights.

Jamie Anderson—for snow-

boarding her way to a gold

medal at the Sochi Olympics.

Sheryl Sandburg—for being the

face of gender equality in the

workplace.

Zoe Sugg—at 24, on track to

becoming the most successful

British writer since J.K. Rowling.

Diana Nyad—for swimming the

110-mile distance from Cuba

to Florida at age 64, her �fth

attempt.

good

bye


(A. A. Milne)

hello

A month free of mandatory socialization.

A windowsill full of paperwhites.

A brand new day planner (we still love handwritten lists).

The NY Times Sunday Style section.

Breakfast in bed. Breakfast for dinner. Breakfast.

Letting go of the old and inviting the new.

Not waiting for sleep to dream.

Finding things we thought we’d lost.

Tomorrow being a blank page.

Poor memories and clear consciences.

(A. A. Milne)

hello

A month free of mandatory socialization.

A windowsill full of paperwhites.

A brand new day planner (we still love handwritten lists).

The NY Times Sunday Style section.

Breakfast in bed. Breakfast for dinner. Breakfast.

Letting go of the old and inviting the new.

Not waiting for sleep to dream.

Finding things we thought we’d lost.

Tomorrow being a blank page.

Poor memories and clear consciences.


Start your New year at

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hen people come over for a meal, I often catch myself apologizing preemptively for the food I’m about to serve. If and when guests praise the food on their own, I �nd it hard to believe they aren’t simply being polite. My cousin once told me that I should stop behaving in this strange manner. Why not handle the situation with calm grace, her expression implied.

I came to the United States from India on a spouse visa, and we ate Subway sandwiches for dinner the �rst night. Then, once groceries were done the next day, I realized the man I had married expected me to start cooking. This was a role I had somehow failed to envi-sion for myself. I remember making choco-late fudge by following the recipe on the label of the Nestle condensed milk can very exactingly as a teenager, but that is as far as my actual cooking expe-riences went. Prior to my marriage, I worked as a journalist in Mumbai, where I ate meals cooked by men from Kerala at the working women’s hostel I lived in, or else at restaurants offering wholesome yet cheap South Indian meals.

The privileges of Indian middle class existence—where cooks and maids are affordable, and food is relatively cheap—combined with my belief that I was a feminist (and the one feminist act I had under-taken was to not change my last name upon marrying), meant that household tasks held no appeal for me. Simo-ne de Beauvoir says: “Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day.” And that feeling fully resonated with me.

t bothered me that the man I had married didn’t understand that being thrust into the role of housewife—after having lived a carefree, indepen-dent life—was a struggle for me. He too must have resented me for not being more like his mother, who seemed to enjoy what I couldn’t: cooking,

feeding her family, and eating. This is not to say our mar-riage broke down immediately because of this. We must have had an argument or two, after which I realized that since I couldn’t work because of my visa situation, it was only logical for me to be doing the housework. So I did it. But I didn’t enjoy it, and resentment, all the more potent for being unexpressed, simmered within me.

WMy husband taught me how to make a few dishes, and I

rotated them through the week, cooking every other day. Indian cooking is labor-intensive—one must chop onions, fry spices, and simmer curries—which requires involvement and passion. For me, doing the same thing over and over again, week after week, was like Chinese water torture. And any experimentation or adventure I ever undertook in order to make the process interesting was unacceptable to him. I couldn’t have gotten away with cooking pasta, for instance.

t is to be expected perhaps that when someone doesn’t enjoy an activity and feels coerced, the re-sult will not be great. And the fact that my husband didn’t believe in positive reinforcement made things worse. Sometimes he would cook huge meals over the weekend so that he could eat good food ev-

ery once in a while, he said. When people came over, I would get everything ready for him, and he would heat up pans and throw ingredients together with �ourish. As guests ate and praised the food, he would acknowledge that he had made the meal. The guests would call me lucky, for marrying a rare entity: an Indian guy who cooked. I attempted to try to think the same thing, but there was one obstacle: food wasn’t the center of my existence.

While my passion was in the intellectual realm—books and �lms—my husband’s family was all about food. When my in

laws visited, trips would be made to the Bangladeshi store to buy frozen Hilsa �sh, which would then

be elaborately cleaned, scales �ying in every direction. Tiger prawns were brought from

Costco and simmered in coconut curry. Ducks’ eggs would come from the Asian store, to be boiled, then made into a curry with tomato and onion. As one meal was being consumed, plans for the next meal were being carefully plotted. Since I was the non-insider, they insisted on regaling me with stories about restaurants they had been to and meals they had cooked,

again and again. I felt overwhelmed but kept my feelings to myself.

n retrospect, it is clear that we were a terrible match. While ours wasn’t an arranged mar-riage, the culture of arranged marriages we had grown up in allowed us to think it was

a good idea to marry without really assessing our com-patibility. Phone calls, emails, and letters were the foundation

on which we expected to build a life-long relationship. While I knew others who had made similar hasty decisions and had ended up lucky, we certainly hadn’t.

We were together for seven years before our marriage end-ed. It ended because of other reasons. Yet, when I think about the marriage, what I remember most is cooking unhappily, for a man who complained about my cooking, even though by no means was I cooking all the time; I went to graduate school and began to work part-time.

After we separated, I continued to cook. By then I was a mother. Eating out all the time was neither affordable, nor healthy. So I’d create spartan creations, balancing all food groups; a typical meal might be: brown rice, sauteed black beans, steamed broccoli and eggs. Little wonder our once-a-week trip to Chipotle was so exciting.

The Reluctant CookAnanya Bhattacharyya

...I realized the man I had married

expected me to start cooking. This was a role

I had somehow failed to envision for myself.”

I

I

I
























I

I

I

Ananya Bhattacharyya

(@AnanyaBhatt) is an

assignment editor at

the Washington Indepen-

dent Review of Books.

Her articles have

appeared in

The Guardian, The

New York Times,

The Baltimore Sun,

The Washingtonian,

and Northeast Review.

nd then, about a year ago, I heard my son refer to me in passing as a good cook. I stopped what I was doing. I made him repeat

himself. Apparently he hadn’t suddenly transformed into a sarcastic nine-year-old. He was being earnest. He actually believed I was a �ne cook. Ignorance is surely bliss, I thought, smiling.

However, as I contemplated his words, I came to realize that, indeed, a shift had taken place. First, after spending 14 years in the United States, I have come to appreciate the fact that housework is a necessary evil. America is egalitarian in some important ways. I came to realize that what had allowed me the sort of existence I had in India was systemic poverty and inequity. And my own attitude toward housework had been that of an entitled person’s.

Second, I have started experimenting in the kitchen. While the skillet shepherd’s pie, for instance, was a disaster (the meat at the bottom was burned, the potato slices at the top were uncooked), there have been other successful dishes: quinoa with peas and cashews, simmered in coconut milk; grilled salmon marinated in tequila lime seasoning; pasta with Gruyère and walnuts. I have a repertoire of eclectic dishes that taste pretty okay!

ne of my son’s friends came over for a play-date the other day, and I made Thai-style fried rice for lunch. The little boy asked for a second helping. As I served him, he said, “This is so good. I can eat this 24/7.” I laughed. And in that moment it felt as

though his over-the-top praise had yanked me out of the stew of culinary self-doubt, for good.

...when I think about the marriage,

what I remember most is cooking unhappily, for a man who

complained about my cooking.”

“ Ignorance is surely bliss,

I thought, smiling.”

A

O

























I

I

IAnanya Bhattacharyya

(@AnanyaBhatt) is an

assignment editor at

the Washington Indepen-

dent Review of Books.

Her articles have

appeared in

The Guardian, The

New York Times,

The Baltimore Sun,

The Washingtonian,

and Northeast Review.

nd then, about a year ago, I heard my son refer to me in passing as a good cook. I stopped what I was doing. I made him repeat

himself. Apparently he hadn’t suddenly transformed into a sarcastic nine-year-old. He was being earnest. He actually believed I was a �ne cook. Ignorance is surely bliss, I thought, smiling.

However, as I contemplated his words, I came to realize that, indeed, a shift had taken place. First, after spending 14 years in the United States, I have come to appreciate the fact that housework is a necessary evil. America is egalitarian in some important ways. I came to realize that what had allowed me the sort of existence I had in India was systemic poverty and inequity. And my own attitude toward housework had been that of an entitled person’s.

Second, I have started experimenting in the kitchen. While the skillet shepherd’s pie, for instance, was a disaster (the meat at the bottom was burned, the potato slices at the top were uncooked), there have been other successful dishes: quinoa with peas and cashews, simmered in coconut milk; grilled salmon marinated in tequila lime seasoning; pasta with Gruyère and walnuts. I have a repertoire of eclectic dishes that taste pretty okay!

ne of my son’s friends came over for a play-date the other day, and I made Thai-style fried rice for lunch. The little boy asked for a second helping. As I served him, he said, “This is so good. I can eat this 24/7.” I laughed. And in that moment it felt as

though his over-the-top praise had yanked me out of the stew of culinary self-doubt, for good.

...when I think about the marriage,

what I remember most is cooking unhappily, for a man who

complained about my cooking.”

“ Ignorance is surely bliss,

I thought, smiling.”

A

O


We will not be making

homemade foot cream.

We will not be making

slow cooker hot chocolate.

We will not be taking

the 1000 squats in 20 days

challenge...Nor will be doing

the 3 moves that give our

ta-tas more va-va-voom.

We will not make time to

watch the the 25 super cute

hair tutorials and we would

never dream of making

bacon cheeseburger soup.

We will skip the make your

own bar cart instructions and

the tutorials for the 32 things

you must have for your child’s

bedroom. We just want them

to go to bed on time.

We’re not doing family meal

“projects” that involve more

than three ingredients.

dear

“Simplicity is the ultimate

sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

When you stop fighting things and just live, breathe and try your best

to treat people right, life just flows.

It’s that simple.”Dau Voire

48 january 2015 skirt!magazine

We won’t be making our own

ironic cardboard mounted deer

head, painting it, or hanging it on

our wall. We will not be learning

how to cut our own bangs at

home. We did it in high school

and it did not turn out well.

We love the inspiration that

we get from Pinterest and our

boards are full of “to-dos,” but

this year we’re giving ourselves

a little break from being perfect

at everything.


“We’re fantastic just as we are.”

“Simplicity is the ultimate

sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

When you stop fighting things and just live, breathe and try your best

to treat people right, life just flows.

It’s that simple.”Dau Voire



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She’s massaged athletes and celebrities in Miami’s South Beach and Laguna Niguel, California, but when Lisa found out she was going to be a

grandmother she picked up and moved to North Augusta. “I’m a baby groupie,” she says. A licensed massage therapist since 2001, Lisa was drawn

to the practice by curiosity initially but quickly found it to be something that fit her nurturing personality and that she was good at. “I became

a full-fledged believer in massage therapy,” she says. She opened North Augusta Massage Studio in 2013 with her daughter, best friend and busi-

ness partner, Brenna Mceowen, who has a background in spa management and administration. Their space on West Avenue exudes tranquility

and both women’s genuine care for their clients. Over the time the studio has been open, Lisa has built quite the list of loyal local customers.

“We just need to get them in here once and they’re hooked,” she says. “I think people can tell when someone really enjoys and is passionate

about what they do.”

janurary2015

Lisa Hill | South Beach to North Augusta


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Alison grew up working in her family’s business, Ladybugs flowers and Gifts, and now her daughters are helping her. She and her husband opened

Crickets Dry Goods in October, featuring clothing and gift items from local and regional artists and makers. “retail is in my blood,” she says.

Whether it’s a crowd favorite like Bird Dog Bay bowties or hand-forged jewelry by Beaufort artist Juli Mills, Alison has curated an impressive

array that includes something for everyone. “I just really want to support local, creative people,” she says. In the three months Crickets has been

open, Alison says she’s been blown away with the support she and her family have received from family, friends and perfect strangers. for an idea

that only started about a year ago, Crickets has flourished at a whirlwind pace. “It’s scary, but it’s mine,” Alison says with a smile.

janurary2015

Alison Smith | A Family Affair


He’s So Original | Matt Franklin | Makes History Come Alive

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Whether it’s dressing up like a hippie for Decades Day, showing his students music from each era they study or teaching by storytelling instead

of textbook reading, 4th grade social studies teacher Matt franklin makes certain there’s never a dull moment for his students at Belvedere

elementary School in North Augusta. “That’s how the kids really remember,” he says. Matt hails from Pittsburgh, but moved to North Augusta

more than 20 years ago and has taught at Belvedere elementary since 1991. Before teaching, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and credits

that training with preparing him to roll with to whatever the school day brings. “In education, you have to be willing to adapt,” he says. “You just

never know what’s going to come out of a kid’s mouth.” In a community the size of North Augusta, Matt gets to see former students from time

to time and it makes his day when they tell him that his class had an effect on them, from choosing a career path or just an increased love of

history. “You never know what kind of an impact you’re having on a kid after they walk out of these doors,” he says.

january2015


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Freely give, forget about the Joneses (why keep up with them anyway?), love

without limits and never stop learning.

jan

uar

y

Jessica Hayes MorrisDeputy Chief of Staff for

U.S. Congressman Jody Hice

six oF My FavoriTe THings:six words THaT describe Me:

1. Performer

2. sweets addict

3. reader

4. Friend

5. writer

6. Multi-Tasker

1. Hanging with my girls

2. exploring new restaurants

3. sleeping in

4. washington, d.c. & nyc

5. Piña coladas at the beach

6. a brand new book

2015



Illus

tratio

n by

Mon

key

Min

d D

esig

n. m

onke

ymin

desi

gn.e

tsy.

com

Caroline’s Boutique151 Laurens Street SWAiken803.644.5606

i dreamed i packed my skirt and my bikini and

headed to Miami for my much earned 76 degree day on

the beach.

WHEREWill Your Skirt

take younext?


january2015

See you in Febraury for the XOXO issue!

A N D S O M E N I C E P E R F U M EA N D E N D W I T H T H E K N OW L E D G E T H A T


Har i son Memor i a l Go l f C l a ss i c

A Great Day f o r Go l f

58_62_AROUNDTOWN_JAN2015.indd 63 12/12/14 3:55:23 PM







Skirt January 2015

Documents

time of year

new mot

new mantra

rainer maria rilkea

year presents

new business closer

p e t h e o r d i n

fresh start