By Emily Schilling Hoarders take note! Decluttering our homes is all the rage thanks to Marie Kondo, a proponent of living more sparsely, simply and, ultimately, stress-free. Kondo says you should get rid of everything that does not “spark joy” in your life.   You might have seen Kondo on television in shows like Good… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling I’m not one to typically order a burger and fries when I go out to lunch — I’m more of an Italian food type of gal. But sometimes, especially after seeing an ad featuring a sizzling patty on a grill on TV, I get that gnawing junk food craving. And it won’t… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling As any new parent will tell you, selecting the perfect name is not easy.  Of course, naming a child and naming a magazine are not quite the same thing. But both scenarios usually involve hours of debate, input (both solicited and sometimes unsolicited) from numerous sources, and a long and often ongoing… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Sometimes, the best way to get something off your chest is to put it on your chest.  Imprinted T-shirts can say things you’d never have the nerve to utter yourself. They can give others a glimpse of who you really are — or who you’d like them to believe you are. You… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Back in 1969, when Johnny Cash sang about A Boy Named Sue, listeners laughed about the improbability of anyone saddling their son with such a scandalous (for a guy) name.  Fast forward a half century and unusual monikers are not so unusual anymore. In fact, nowadays it’s more unlikely that your name… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling One of my favorite quotes about Christmas comes from anunlikely source: our country’s 30th president, Calvin Coolidge.He said, “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.” I perpetually plan for Christmas. As soon as Dec. 26 rolls around each year, I’m already thinking about the following Christmas… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling It’s fitting that in this issue before Thanksgiving we provide an update on Project Indiana. Through this initiative, created by Indiana’s electric cooperatives to empower underdeveloped countries, we can change lives in so many ways. In the last six years, linemen from electric cooperatives throughout Indiana have traveled to remote impoverished areas… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Regular readers of my column won’t be surprised by this revelation: I like to dress up for Halloween. If I’m confident enough to show 274,000 readers what I look like in clown makeup (see August issue), of course I’m game to wear a silly costume to work! For years, the Electric Consumer… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Some shop because they have to — their shopping list rarely strays from just “the necessities.” For others, shopping is a hobby — something to do to while away a free Saturday.  I, though, shop for the thrill of a bargain. Show me a 70 percent off sign, and I’m off and… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Looking back, I’ve done some pretty interesting things so far in my life. I’ve judged a cooking competition and a scholarship pageant. Not only have I flown the friendly transcontinental skies in a 747, I’ve been sky high in a hot air balloon. I’ve buzzed around the Charlotte Motor Speedway in a… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Summertime and the songs heard endlessly on the radio then go together like burgers on a barbecue grill. The right catchy melody can put you in a summer vacation mood even in the dead of winter. For me, the early 1970s oldie “I Saw the Light” conjures up a lazy summer vibe… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling It’s fitting that in this issue — which celebrates the Best of Indiana — I acknowledge the 40th birthday of a true Hoosier icon: Garfield the Cat. The original “grumpy cat,” who loves lasagna and lounging around as much as he loves terrorizing Odie the dog, was created by Indiana’s own Jim… Continue reading.