Hi and Welcome! I’m Lori! Lori Nell of Southern Nell’s Gracious Living. I’m a broken, stumbling, grace loving, follower of Jesus. I’m forever thankful for the “new mercies” God grants every morning, and I make a full effort to keep Him front and center in my life.
I LOVE home–home decor, home styling, home staging, home for the holidays, the comforts of home–EVERYTHING home! I’m also not afraid to tackle a good DIY project! You can feel great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment when you complete a project on your own.
I’m also an avid deal hunter! In our home you’ll find antiques mixed with transitional pieces, thrift finds along side family heirlooms and everything is peppered with undeniable southern appeal.
If pressed into a design corner, I suppose I would call my colorful eclectic style: Chinoiserie Chic Transitional Traditional Vintage Southern . OR as I’ve learned the kids call it Grandmillennial.
My closet is not quite that tricky! Like a true southern woman, I do love a good monogram, gingham check, seer-sucker, twin-set, classic pearl choker….and if any of the items are vintage…..now, that’s perfection! Fashion sense is most assuredly personal and wide-reaching! Almost anything goes, as long as it’s befitting a southern lady!
Then there’s the necessary evil that takes place in the kitchen. COOKING! I missed out on all the opportunities to learn at the side of one of the very best southern cooks who every donned an apron, Jackie Dawn (aka, Momma). I was far to busy playing ball, or at play practices, or decorating and re-decorating my bedroom. However, when I was diagnosed with celiac in the early 1990s, I had to fast track my cooking skills. My son was also diagnosed not long after me, and feeding a growing boy was a huge priority. (I did a great job, as he’s now 6’4 and 200 pounds!)
So, though my cornbread and biscuits, cakes, cookies and pies, and even basic meals cannot meet Momma’s cooking, they are healthy, simple, and gluten free. There will always be a little something southern thrown in the recipe.
You see, I was born smack-dabbed in the heart of the great, southern, volunteer state, Tennessee! Her gentile, laid-back “howdy-do”, yes ma’am, bake your neighbor a pie for no reason (okay that one didn’t stick), manner is evident in my home and in my fashion choices.
Gracious Living is simply living in a kind and appreciative way! Can we all agree that the world needs a profusion of that approach to life? This blog will chronicle my “Life on King Lane”! You’ll find posts and pages of my faith walk, family, fashion, friends (at least the ones who aren’t camera shy), occasional Gluten Free Recipes, and a heaping spoonful of how to keep your home gussied up.
Tom the Great and I share our home with our son T.J. and our daughter Annalisa. Now, when I say share, I don’t mean that they are full time residents. Although the doors are always open, both my chicks have nests of their own.
Again I say welcome. I’m just so glad you’re here!