3 minute read
Four St ates Living
PUBLISHER
Dr. Robin Rogers
EDITOR EMERITUS
Suzy Turner
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Shane Darby
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Victoria Herman
I am the person who opens the refrigerator and can’t decide on a Diet Coke or a Diet Dr. Pepper. If you saw my closet, you would think I am a decent dresser; I have nice clothes, great shoes, and cool handbags, yet I wear Four States Living t-shirts every single day. In my mind, if I ever win the lottery, I’ll hire someone to come get me dressed every morning and fix my hair and makeup.
I bought a house about 18 months ago. I had loved this house for years, but it needed a bit of work, including an exterior paint job. My realtor and friend, Tessa, said I should paint it black. I thought that was crazy at first because the house had always been red, reminding me of a little red cabin that was sort of out of place in our residential neighborhood. Yet, as I debated for several months, hammering big paint samples onto the side of my house and studying the colors, I kept returning to Tessa’s professional opinion. Finally, on a wing and a prayer, I hired the painter and decided on black. Who would have guessed the number of black paint swatches out there on Pinterest? (Black was the right call, by the way: it’s both cozy and sleek.)
I also needed to renovate a bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible. For that project, having learned my lesson with the paint-color debacle, I hired a contractor and told him to make all the decisions. Of course it turned out better than I could’ve imagined.
In my heart, I want to be a DIYer. I want to remodel the kitchen after watching a few episodes of “Fixer Upper” and sew my own wardrobe after a “Project Runway” marathon. But the truth is, most of us need to stay in our lanes and leave the hard stuff to the professionals.
In the future, I will offer to help with a shower, not host it; somebody else is better at making those executive decisions. And, I will never try to pick a shade of black again; I will just pay a decorator.
I’ll stick to making decisions in my realms of expertise: advertising, publishing, and business. If you need advice or support promoting your venture, please reach out. After almost three decades, I know that this is the lane where I belong. I’m confident in my skills to help people get their businesses seen, heard, and noticed. It’s hard to stay in business if people don’t know you exist. After being in advertising and promotion for this long, that is about the only statement I know that needs no debate. We all need to promote our businesses. I know I said I don’t dress for success, but maybe, just maybe, I wear a Four States Living shirt almost every day intentionally. Who really knows?
Enjoy this great issue, full of the best in our area pertaining to Home & Garden. And as always, thanks for reading FSLM.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Lindsey McMillan
Ellen Orr
Kelsey Rankin
Katie Stone
Lisa Porterfield Thompson
COLUMNISTS
Velvet Hall Cool
Reese Langdon
Four States Living Magazine is published the first business day of every month. © Copyright 2023 by Four States Living Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Four States Living Magazine is distributed free of charge. Direct mail subscriptions are $40.00 per year. Reader correspondence and editorial submissions are welcome. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material contributed.
Do You Have a Story or a Photo?
We welcome information regarding topics of interest for future publications. If you have a story or photos that in some way depicts living or visiting in the Four States area and would be of interest to our readers, we want to hear from you. Call 903-792 -2262 or write: Editorial Department, Four States Living Magazine, 4104 Summerhill Square, Texarkana, Texas 75503. Comments are also welcome at our e-mail address: info@fourstatesliving.com
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On The Cover March 2023
Functional, livable and comfortable, the modern cottage-inspired home of Suzy and Kyle Osburn creates the perfect space for them and their three children, River, Zimri and Zailee. The exposed raw white oak beams in their kitchen enhance the organic feel of the room while quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and streamlined cabinets add to the modern feel.
INSIDE : THE CALM AFTER THE STORM
After a devastating house fire destroyed her family home in 2021, Felicia Horn and her daughter, Kennedy, rebuilt. And even though it’s all new, it still feels like home. See story on page 10.
