Enjoy two high energy bands this week at The Rooster's Wife/Poplar Knight Spot in downtown Aberdeen.  This is live music that will warm you up during these frigid nights!

The Gravy Boys, Thursday Feb. 11th @ 7pm. 
Doors open at 6pm for Soup n' Songs.  Soup available till it runs out!

Angel Band, Sunday Feb. 14th (Valentine's Day!) @ 7pm

 For more info about local music & events, visit our calendar at sandhillsDig.com!

I recently added an important phone number to my contacts – 910.944.8188. This number is for Rockwell Towing located in Aberdeen. There will come a time when you or someone you know will need a little help getting your stranded vehicle from one place to the next.

In my case, I needed my car towed to Bill Smith Mazda for some much needed service. I called Brenda at Rockwell and she was very helpful, communicating to me a plan to get my car to Bill Smith. Scott showed up on time, in the pouring rain (with a great attitude), and loaded up my car. Relief!

I will be honest with everyone, I am not a painter.   Every good paint job begins with deligent prep work and I just so happen to despise that blue tape. However, a visit to Aberdeen Paint & Wallpaper before I begin any home project helps me to relax and figure out exactly what I need. The friendly staff at Aberdeen Paint has walked me through their Benjamin Moore color chart and also suggested what type of paint finish I would need for my recent home projects.  Our kitchen is now "Soot," the dining room "Wythe Blue," and the living room the perfect shade of "Stonington Gray."  Thank you Benjamin Moore for your beautiful paint colors.  Thank you Aberdeen Paint & Wallpaper for helping us amateurs out.

Soup season is here. Whether you are cold, sick, feeling a little down or just plain hungry, soups seem to do the trick. Anna is not feeling well today so I have been on a soup search. Here’s what I’ve found so far…

Hearty soup specials

The Villager Deli in Pinehurst serves up hot and hearty chili 365 days a year in addition to a different homemade soup everyday of the week:

• Monday - Cream of tomato with sherry
• Tuesday - Chicken gumbo
• Wednesday - Pot luck (Koley keeps you guessing)
• Thursday - Baked potato
• Friday - Clam chowder
• Saturday - Lobster bisque

Not your ordinary chicken soup

Mexican Chicken Soup - San Felipe in Aberdeen on 15-501 has a flavorful chicken soup made with rice, tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro & lime (pictured).

When it comes to decorating, I’ve been practicing what I call “holiday minimal” for years. Here’s how it works: If you’re going to do less, do something fabulous that can last through several seasons.

Last week, I went to Aldena Frye Floral Designs in downtown Aberdeen for a “November to March” table centerpiece. I took some blue porcelain balls I already had as the inspiration for the design and explained that I was looking for something “woodsy” for Thanksgiving but able to transition to the holidays and carry through the winter. Aldena wrote this down (along with my budget) and voila: 

I’m especially pleased with the feathers and berries – both work well for winter and Thanksgiving. For Christmas, Aldena suggested nesting some sliver ball ornaments into the moss. 

Now that my dining room is set for the seasons, its your turn. Take Aldena a picture of your room or even just an idea and you’ll end up with something fabulous too.

She’s even offering sandhillsDig.com readers 10% OFF through the holidays, so print this post and take it with you!

Recently we noticed our water developed an odd smell. Our dishes smelled terrible after going through a cycle in the dishwasher and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Yes, this was bad news but I knew whose number I needed to pull up on my Blackberry. I quickly called Ray's Plumbing Service in Aberdeen. “Boz” and the team from Ray's was able to come that day, diagnose the problem (an old and faulty water heater) and got my water supply back to normal...clean and odor free. From toilets, to tubs, to leaky pipes, family-owned Ray's Plumbing has been servicing the Sandhills for over 30 years and always focuses on satisfying its customers – that gets a thumbs up from sandhillsDig.com!

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