CREAM OF THE CROP

PALETTE HOUSE + PLUME

One of this season’s biggest trends is crop tops and jackets. Pair a cropped jacket with a high-waisted jean, or layer looks to achieve a seasonal flair. These styles from area boutiques are definitely the cream of the crop.

Photography by Kelly Moore Clark Model: Kennedy Allen

SOUTHERN GLAM BOUTIQUE

ELEVEN 26 BOUTIQUE

DUSTY & COMPANY THE NUDE NOMAD

BY DELIA SIMPSON, CRAFT BRAND MANAGER, CHOICE BRANDS, INC.

Terrapin Beer company began as a daydream between founders John Cocran and Spike Buckowski, who met while working for a microbrewery in Atlanta. The two recognized that they had something to contribute to the brewing industry in the southeast and began crafting recipes. In April of 2002, Rye Pale Ale made its first appearance in Athens, GA. Only a short six months later, Rye made it to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, where John and Spike took home a Gold Medal for the beer in the American Pale Ale category.

What started as two guys and a 25-barrel brewhouse has grown into what is affectionately known as the Terrapin Tribe. The Tribe starts with the brewery employees, the distributor partners, the folks that sell the beer, and of course, each and every person that has supported Terrapin’s growth as a brewery by drinking delicious beers!

Sustainability is important to all of us. Terrapin is doing their part to protect our planet. Can I Recycle This (CIRT) is teaming up with Terrapin Beer Co. and Marine Debris Tracker (Debris Tracker) to keep valuable recyclables out of landfills and our environment. The partnership will bring CIRT’s technology, to millions of Americans, helping to inform their purchasing decisions, and answer the often-asked question, “Can I recycle this?” Through the circular materials management expertise of CIRT, the partnership will develop a sustainable, data-driven, and end-of-life focused design and supply chain for Terrapin’s products and packaging. Debris Tracker offers the longest standing and most respected data collection tool for litter, while empowering companies, groups or individuals to collect data on what they find or clean up from our environment. Over 3 million items have been logged with Debris Tracker since its inception. The Terrapin partnership ensures that CIRT’s consumer facing waste reduction and recycling education platform reaches millions of people, tightening the circularity of their products and packaging.

Terrapin Beer Co. has a strong commitment to utilizing packaging that is valuable and recyclable, namely their early adoption of infinitely recyclable aluminum cans - leading by design at the forefront of protecting our planet from waste and pollution. The partnership commenced January 2021.

Terrapin dedicated the month of January to recycling awareness as a part of their Terraprint initiative in Athens and throughout their distribution footprint. Terraprint, Terrapin’s environmental sustainability and community outreach arm, aims to minimize the impact on the environment while maximizing impact on the community.

Available Year-Round in 6 Pack Cans

Hopsecutioner is a killer IPA that earns its title by being brewed with six different hops to create an aggressive yet exceptionally well-balanced beer. Look for notes of pine and grapefruit balanced by caramelized malt.

Seasonal Availability in 6 Pack Cans

Cryosphere IPA packs in huge amounts of hop flavor and aroma while minimizing bitterness. This is achieved by using a state-ofthe-art hop product called Cryo Hops in both the brewing and dry hopping of this beer. By highlighting the unique cryogenic process, these hops are truly the star of the show.

Available Year-Round in Variety 12 Pack Cans

Survival Kit contains four different IPA’s from Terrapin. Hopsecutioner (details above), Luau Crunkles, RecreationAle, and Cryophonic. Luau Crunkles (ABV: 6.5%, IBU: 38) is jampacked with tropical flavors of passion fruit, orange, and guava. RecreationAle (ABV: 4.2%, IBU: 34) is specially formulated to accompany you on all your adventures. Packing in just 99 calories so it won’t weigh you down, this full-flavored “LoCal” IPA will keep your feet moving on the trail of life. Cryophonic IPA (ABV: 5.5%, IBU: 45) hits all the notes by using four varieties of Cryo hops. These cryogenically processed beauties ensure a beer with a smooth tonal balance and wide dynamic range.

Be sure to like Choice Brands on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with new product releases. Feel free to message us for information on where to find your favorite brands. Find us at facebook.com/choicebrands, twitter.com/ choicebrandsinc, and instagram.com/choicebrands.

ABV= Alcohol by Volume, IBU= International Bitterness Units

by ERIN SHARPLIN LOVE | erinlove@panachebyerin.com

Is it just me or has this year flown by? When I think about what I have accomplished so far, I am happy, but there are still things I want to do. With that in mind, I decided to begin a refresh so that I can optimize my potential in work and in life. Then I thought you may be interested in doing the same thing and here we are. We are going to do this together! I cannot wait to see what you do!

How do you want your home to feel for you and your family? Have you ever put it into words? Recently I asked myself that very question. And when I did, the answer put everything into perspective and helped me create a happy and organized home. I discovered that creating a workable environment revolves around a family’s special wants and needs. However, every “home mission statement” will not be the same.

So, with that said, let’s get started on creating your “Home Mission Statement.” To help you, here is mine:

The Love home will be a welcoming and friendly place for everyone who enters. There will always be a fun and happy vibe that will encourage us to make memories for ourselves and our friends. We will be tidy and organized, but not stuffy and rigid. I will create routines and habits that will help make daily tasks and appointments easy and stress-free. We will get things done in a timely and organized manner. Pets are welcomed in the Love family home. No harm will come to any that are in our care. I will teach everyone the importance of manners and etiquette so that they are able to navigate the world with ease and confidence. Finally, there must be a way for everyone to enjoy his/her own hobbies and interests. The perfect space will be created for each family member, and that space will be honored and respected. Selfcare is an important part of growing into the person you are meant to become.

As moms, we play a very valuable role in our families. So valuable in fact, that our influence greatly determines the emotional and physical environments of those that live in our home. And, you know what that means – if you are disheveled, overwhelmed, and stressed, everyone else will be, too.

Now, I am not saying that I can tell you exactly how to run your home, but as a professional organizer and mom, I can give you some tips that can help you to find the perfect flow for you and your family. Let’s get started.

YOU ARE A MANAGER - Think about it. You are basically a manager of your own home. You manage the property and the resources. You manage the health and nutritional needs of those in your care. You manage parties and events for special occasions. and, you manage transportation and scheduling for your little ones. Whew! Sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? With that in mind, you need to develop a system that meets your neverending responsibilities. This system includes the categories of time, property, food, friends, finances, special events, and self. Breaking each responsibility down helps create a system that works for you and your family.

My number one tip: view time in minutes instead of hours. You will be surprised at how much you can accomplish in the mere snippets of time that you have between responsibilities. In fact, I get the most done in those snippets because I work smarter and faster. I know the same is true for you.

My second tip: preparation is the key to success. Do everything that you possibly can ahead of time. Try to foresee the future and plan for the upcoming day, week, and/or months activities. For instance, this is something you can do in those “snippets” of time that I mentioned earlier. You must do three things: 1. Identify your priorities. 2. Create a control center. 3. Build your time management skills.

Let’s take these one by one.

IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITIES - Every manager sets guidelines and decides what is most important based on their values. The rules for managing a home are no different. You must set clear goals and boundaries per each category of time, property, food, friends, finances, special events, and self. You have already written a general mission that will set the values for your entire household, so take a cue from that to gauge your priorities. If you want things to change, today is the perfect place to start. Begin incorporating tricks and tactics into your life now. You can do it all if you prioritize, preplan, and prepare! Below are a few reminders to start you on the right track: • Relationships are more important than things. • The more “things” you have, the less “time” you have.

• There is no such thing as perfect. • You can’t do it all by yourself. • Children shouldn’t remember how clean the house was. They should remember how much fun mom was. • Disorder causes chaos. Make sense of routines and tasks.

CREATE A CONTROL CENTER - Every manager has a base of operations. Whether yours is a desk, a countertop, or an entire office, it must be a place where you can organize and track your family’s schedule, make lists, check emails, and manage your daily life. This place is where you will become more efficient and create more time for you and your family. Here are some tips for creating a control center: • Choose a location that has some free counter space or a desktop. A central location is best. • Hang a family calendar • Make sure a trash can is in reach • Stock the area with pens, pencils, highlighters, and notepads. *Hint – give each family member his/her own color so that notes and appointments are easy to find. • Place family “in-boxes” in the area for mail, papers, and other documents that need to be within easy reach.

BUILD YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS- This is the final step in creating a happy and organized home. As a professional organizer and mom, I can share some time-tested tips with you. • Write it down! Do not trust your memory. I like to write things down and check them off as I go. • Do not procrastinate. If it takes one minute or less to do a task, do it now! For instance, put the toothpaste cap back on and place it back in the drawer. Or put the dirty dish in the dishwasher not in the sink or on the counter. • Start everything five minutes early because you know there will be traffic, lost shoes, misplaced keys, etc. • Know when you work best. Are you a morning person, or do you prefer to get things done in the evening? • Schedule everything! If you want to make sure it gets done, put it down on the calendar.

Check out these tips for scheduling appointments: • Print and complete any paperwork before the appointment. • When possible, be the first appointment of the morning or the first one after lunch to cut down on wait time. • Schedule yearly doctor visits into one visit. For instance, take everyone to the dentist on the same day. • For the first visit, keep the address with you for quick directions.

Remember when I said that preplanning is one of my top tips? I couldn’t stress it more. I truly believe I would be an out-of- control mom if I did not preplan! Here are my best tips: • On the first of each month, look at your calendar and schedule the things that need to be done. I also clean my refrigerator, make a grocery list, clean out my purse, and reorganize my car at the first of every month, too. • Lay out all outfits the night before. If it is something you have never worn, try it on first. • Menu plan. • Pack backpacks, lunch boxes, and lay out breakfast the night before school Don’t wait until morning. • Put a list of things that need to be done the next day in your purse or in the car. • Reorganize your desk before leaving the office. • Keep an extra change of clothes in the vehicle for emergencies.

Also, assemble a first aid kit and toiletry bag for any spills and messes that may happen.

I can go on and on with preplanning tips, but I don’t want to overload you. Follow me on social media for more tips and tricks: @erinlovedesigns and @panachebyerin

As you become a better manager, you’ll begin saving hours. And every hour saved is an hour added to your life and family!

THE DICTIONARY DEFINES STYLE as “a distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed.” Often times, we think of style as clothing and items in our wardrobe but our home can reflect our style as well. From furniture to finishes, local interior decorator Jan Strickland helps her clients find their style throughout their home. “When it comes to my personal design aesthetic, I treat my home like my fashion,” explains Jan. “You have base pieces or staple pieces like a neutral sofa. Then you can swap out items like pillows and throw blankets to add pops of color.” She suggest investing in main pieces like a sofa, table or lighting and accentuating with accessories, just like you would an outfit.

And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a different look. “You can use pieces you already have and just use them in a different way,” said Jan. “For example, you can move artwork around your house. Instead of hanging it on the wall, you can set it on a mantle.” She also suggests using accessories on tables and built in bookshelves. “It is a good idea to get some staple pieces for a built in bookcase that can be out year round and accentuate with seasonal decor.” Another tip she shares is using coffee tables as decor. “Coffee table books are very interesting and they have beautiful colors, designs and pictures on the front so you can use them as a design element. I have even used copies of BayouLife Magazine on coffee tables because the covers are always so beautiful!”

Plants are another great way to add some style to the rooms in your house. You can place a small succulent in a windowsill, a large fiddle leaf fig in the corner of a room or the ever tenacious ZZ plant on a side table. Having greenery in your home can not only add a sense of style, but a sense of life. Some studies have even suggested that plants boost your mood, productivity, concentration and creativity, giving both a practical and aesthetic purpose.

While it may still be warm outside, it is already time to start thinking about the holidays. Now is the time to prepare your home for hosting. “In light of current events, items have had shipping delays, especially when it comes to custom orders,” explains Jan. If you are wanting to get a bigger table to fit the entire family this holiday season or just want to have updated furniture pieces when its time to trim the tree, Strickland Interiors can help! She offers Interior Decorating and Consulting Services, paint color consultations and even online decorating consulting. She can help you find your home’s style and make sure it is reflecting throughout the house!

LABOR DAY IS SEPTEMBER 6TH, TO make sure you’re celebrating now and not early summer 2022, it may be time to schedule your vasectomy. Vasectomy is a medical procedure in which two tubes (the vas deferens) that carry sperm from the testicles to the urinary tract are tied and sealed. This prevents sperm from passing into the seminal stream and fertilizing a woman’s egg. Although it is permanent, it is surgically reversible in most cases. Reversibility is dependent upon time elapsed since the vasectomy.

When it comes to forms of permanent male birth control, a vasectomy is the ideal permanent surgical procedure available to men. The procedure carries a very low risk of complications and is available to be performed as an outpatient procedure with localized anesthesia. Dr. Marx performs a nocut technique, which is the least invasive. The patient is sedated and local anesthesia is used in order to achieve a painless procedure.

Prior to a vasectomy, patients may be asked to prepare by: • Washing the scrotum to prevent infection • Not shaving the area • Bringing a pair of tight-fitting underwear or athletic support to the surgery to support the scrotum and minimize swelling • Arranging for transportation home to prevent extraneous movement • Avoiding anti-inflammatory drugs prior to and following the procedure, which thins the blood and can cause excessive bleeding

After the vasectomy is completed, patients are advised to rest for two days in order to reduce swelling and allow the vas deferens to heal. Discomfort may last for up to a week after the procedure. If pain persists beyond one week, an anti-inflammatory may be used. This can happen, but Dr. Marx usually refers to this as being “tender and touchy up to 6 weeks.” Patients are encouraged to avoid heavy lifting, straining or squatting for 1 week. If you do any of these activities for work, you may need to take off work or arrange for light duty. Dr. Marx can give you an excuse. Patients are also advised to keep the area dry for a week in addition to other care instructions.

If you are considering a vasectomy, call today to discuss your options with Dr. Marx.

Robert D. Marx, M.D. is this community’s hometown urologist. He was born and raised right here in Monroe, Louisiana. He graduated from NLU, now ULM, and graduated from medical school and completed his residency at LSU Shreveport. He has been in practice for over thirty years and conveniently operates at Glenwood, Monroe Surgical and P&S.

THE WELLSPRING WOULD LIKE TO take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to our Bowl & Bling 2021 sponsors. Although we made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s live event due to the recent COVID-19 surge, our sponsors have been steadfast in their support of our mission and the programs and services made possible by Bowl & Bling. The Wellspring and the individuals and businesses listed below care about your health and wellbeing and we are committed to keeping our community safe during this difficult time.

Although we will miss gathering to bowl strikes, spares and gutterballs, our online raffle sales continue! We have some amazing prizes including two beach vacations, a fivenight stay at Lake Bruin, dinner and lodging at Champions Bistro and Lodge, golf packages, art by Emily Caldwell, a leather handbag from Kelly Moore Bag, a LSU package and MORE! You can purchase raffle tickets by visiting wellspringofnela.org/bowlandblingraffle. We extended tickets sales, so you now have until Friday, September 3 at 12 p.m. to get your tickets. The Wellspring will go live on its Facebook page for the drawings which will take place September 7-10.

All proceeds benefit The Wellspring. Since 1931, The Wellspring has served as a community leader in bringing people and partners together to address some of the greatest challenges of our time: violence, homelessness, sexual assault, poverty, mental illness and children facing adversity. The Wellspring also serves as our region’s only accredited Sexual Assault Center, and the lead agency in the Family Justice Center of Ouachita Parish. Come join the FUN and partner with The Wellspring to change our community, one life at a time!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

• Trinity Diamonds Direct

• Serv Pro/318 Construction • Thomas H. and Mayme P. Scott Foundation

• Ashley & Dom Pere’ • Entergy • Graphic Packaging • Jim Taylor Auto Group • Origin Bank • Paramount Healthcare • Vanguard Realty

• Copeland Electric • Cross Keys Bank • Estates by RC • Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office • Judy & Charles Bell • JVA Trucking • Mutual of America • St. Francis Medical Center

And of course we love our Lane Sponsors: Bruscato Law Firm, Creed & Creed, Eagle Bank, Floorworks, Jane and Jerry Brandon, Laura Wood State Farm Agency, Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union, Rain The Salon + Day Spa, Reeves, Coon & Funderburg, Robertson Produce, Sango Buick and Sheriff Jay Russell.

As a 501(3)(c) charitable not for profit corporation, your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

TIMOTHY J. MICKEL, MD, FACS, CERTIFIED, AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY

Go raise the banners high in air, And spread the tidings round! Let drums and trumpets boom and blare, For I have lost a pound! - Dorothy Parker

IF DOROTHY PARKER, THE POET laureate of witty verse were alive today she could have celebrated the loss of inches of fat not just pounds. Fat removal using liposuction has been a body-contouring mainstay for decades. In trained hands, liposuction has gotten safer, more consistent and less physically demanding on patient and surgeon than ever before. So, all things considered, my bias as a board certified plastic surgeon is that the best and most powerful option for fat removal and body contouring is liposuction with or without the surgical removal of saggy skin. However, I am also a realist, and my observation over the past decade or so is that patients want less invasive procedures, preferably done in the office, with lower cost and little or no downtime. About ten years ago, the FDA cleared a new technique called CoolSculpting that gently chills the fat layer and has been clinically proven to reduce localize bulges of unwanted fat, without needles, without incisions and most importantly without downtime. If you think this sounds too good to be true you’re not alone. So did I – until I tried it myself. I went back to work immediately after the procedure, went to a function that evening and swam half a mile the next day!

CoolSculpting uses an ingenious concept called cryolipolysis developed by researchers at Harvard Medical School. The device delivers precise, even cooling to the fat layer causing fat cells to rupture and slowly release their contents. The fatty material is picked up by the lymphatic system and processed just like a piece of cheesecake or a Krispy Kreme donut. Studies of hundreds of patients who have undergone CoolSculpting treatments have shown no significant increase in serum cholesterol or lipid levels. Improvement is gradual and progressive, peaking at three months. Patients in the initial studies experienced a 20-25% reduction in the thickness of the fat in the area treated as measured by ultrasound. The procedure is repeated at four to six week intervals. We have found that three treatments of each area are usually needed for optimal results. With the new CoolSculpting Elite system the treatment cycle takes about 35 minutes and two areas can be treated at one time – so treating both love handles takes about 40 minutes. No sedation is needed, no compression garments are necessary after the treatments and you can literally return to your normal activities, including exercise, immediately.

Of course the procedure is not for everyone. If you are morbidly obese, you need bariatric surgery. If you are moderately obese, you need a disciplined program of diet and exercise and may eventually require liposuction and surgical body contouring for an optimal result. But if you are reasonably fit, close to your ideal weight, yet in spite of Body Pump, Spin Classes and half marathons still have localized areas of unwanted fat, then CoolSculpting may be right for you.

If Dorothy Parker were still here she might write: Go, raise the banners high in air, I’m happy to the bone, Let drums and trumpets boom and blare, For I have froze my pone!

We were proud to be the first plastic surgery practice in the region to offer this exciting technology, and our experience with hundreds of patients has been very encouraging. It was the first – and still the best – way to non-surgically remove unwanted fat. Call Mickel Plastic Surgery at (318) 388-2050 and schedule a consultation to see if CoolSculpting is right for you.