December 2020

Gift Ideas

Editor’s note: Prices and availability of items may have changes since this article was first published.  GIFTS FOR THE BABIES & TODDLERS IN YOUR LIFE Who doesn’t like to shop for this age group? Keep an eye out for educational items — such as this book that explains why grandparents can’t hug during the COVID-19 […]

La Fata Serves Up Grandmother’s Italian Recipes

On Saturdays, the line of shoppers forms early and extends throughout the morning at the Pasta La Fata booth in the Columbia Farmers Market. And for good reason. The delicious Italian cookies and handmade pastas that Shelly La Fata and her crew of five  omen have prepared during the week have gained an appreciative and […]

Crumb One, Crumb All

First-time franchisees Beverly and Chad Davis have brought a taste of Utah sweetness to Columbia. Crumbl Cookies opened in the Broadway Market Place in November. The Columbia location will offer more than 120 specialty cookies, staple favorites and a recent new venture for the brand: Crumbl (ice) Cream. While many of Crumbls’ cookies are served […]

Cold-weather Comfort

This time of year, probably more than ever, you need something warm and comforting for dinner. Chicken and dumplings hits the spot. Depending on where you grew up, it may be more of the epitome of comfort food, passing up even mac and cheese and pot pies. There are several variations using a whole chicken, […]

Unique Antique

As a former art history professor, and now adjunct at the University, Julie Plax has a great appreciation for the ancient and the antiquated. It was this love that led her after many years to purchase one of Columbia’s oldest homes — and discover the personal connections the home seems to weave together throughout time. […]

Making Old Things New

HOMES TELL STORIES ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THEM — their struggles and their triumphs. They tell of quiet moments and loud celebrations, of dreams that come to life and others that are lost without warning. OUR HOUSE — specifically our new addition — tells all this and more. Its story is one of […]

Inspiring in Nature

Gloria Gaus Draws on a Lifelong Love to Launch Her Second Act Art Off the Trail, Gloria Gaus’ new studio and art gallery, is — as the name implies — only a few blocks from the Katy Trail in Rocheport. She can be found there on Fridays and Saturdays, when she opens her studio to […]

Winter is Coming

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR INDOOR WORKOUT. For outdoor exercisers, the concern isn’t White Walkers. Instead, hikers, bikers, runners and the like need to watch out for freezing temps and slick surfaces. If you’re one of the many folks who has spent the last several months staying fit outside, you may be […]

Jaunty Jammies

A Columbia family continues a toasty tradition. While you may think it took some convincing for us to get Battle High School Head Football Coach — and former Mizzou Defensive End — Atiyyah Ellison to model holiday jammies for us, rest assured there was no bribery, blackmail or bartering involved. Ellison and his wife Jessica, […]

Home School

This summer, when parents were forced to realize that the coronavirus pandemic would derail Columbia Public Schools’ status quo well into the fall semester — if not well into 2021 — they were faced with a practically impossible task: Get their children educated without the everyday infrastructure and built-in resources of a classroom. Any parent […]

Dueling DJs

When it comes to a traditional buffalo style wing there is no other option in Missouri than CJ’s hot wings in downtown Columbia. If you don’t think they have the best wings in CoMo than one has never touched your lips. Once you’ve had CJ’s, no other wings will do. Each wing is lathered in […]

Finding Humor in Aging

JILL ORR’S NEWEST RELEASE EXAMINE INTERGENERATIONAL ALCHEMY. Jill Orr, formerly solely a mystery-genre writer, decided to step out of her comfort zone this fall and launch a new humor non-fiction gift book, How Not to Be Old (Even if You Are). Orr’s first foray into the world of humorous books explores how those across different […]

Winter Blues?

For years, I’ve wanted to visit Lamar Valley in the winter, especially to see wolves. Located in the remote northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park, the Lamar Valley is America’s version of the Serengeti. Or soI’ve read. And Montana Highway 212, the only road that’s open to vehicular traffic during Yellowstone’s winter season, just happens […]

Holiday Spirits

Editor’s Note: The featured cocktails may not be on the menu at these local spots anymore, but you can still create them at home! Since March, bars and restaurants have been scrambling to pivot their food and drink offerings into pandemic-friendly options. One such “invention” is the to-go cocktail.You can go to your favorite restaurant […]

Shop Local

Shop Online and Still Shop Local

It may seem counterintuitive to promote online shopping, but if done through local stores, the benefits are the same as going into storefronts, (although it may be a little easier to click rather than walk away from that sweater you don’t really *need*).