Ah, the memories of prom. The beautiful dress, the lovely corsage, and of course, the handsome date. Was it all you dreamed it would be? A nightmare come true? Or just not that big a deal? We want your stories — the funny ones, romantic ones, and yes, even your horror stories. Let’s give this year’s prom goers a few tales as they gear up for their own big night in the next few weeks. And we want pictures! You can email your prom photos to producer Fran Jeffries at fjeffries@ajc.com. We’ll share them with our readers.

Continue reading Tell us your prom stories »

TIME magazine just released its list of the all-time 100 greatest toys — ranging from the 1920s with the Radio Flyer Wagon to the 2000s with Bratz, also known as the poor man’s Barbie doll, and lots of playthings in between. The list is a sweet walk down memory lane, a way for us to reminisce about a more innocent time — but also serves as a reminder of how old we’ve all gotten (seems like just yesterday we were doing the Care Bear stare).

Some highlights:

• No great toy list is complete without mentioning the Cleveland, Ga.-born Cabbage Patch Kids, which became such a phenomenon over the 1983 Christmas season that more than 3 million were sold by New Years Day. There was also the inevitable Cabbage Patch backlash in the form of the Garbage Pail Kids the following year, but the little dolls that could are still doing brisk sales, especially amongst collectors, according to an AJC profile a few years back. They might have faces that only a mother could love, but for …

Continue reading TIME releases 100 best toys list – anything missing? »

Valentine’s Day will be here in a proverbial heartbeat. And we at ajc.com are in the mood for love. Send us photos of your sweethearts and tell us how you plan to show them Valentine’s love.
Email photos to producer Fran Jeffries, and I’ll include you in our Valetine’s galleries.
Our Unvent readers have gotten a head start. Unvent is our place for positive thoughts, inspiration and just pure happiness. Here are some of the special sentiments Unventers have expressed recently about their loved ones.
I “always hold my wife’s hand when we are walking. Let’s the world know she is mine and proud of it.”

“Our secrets include Faith, Hope and Love; Trust; Help one another; Care for each other; Have fun; Be romantic (continue to date!); and lots more. See the poems on Love and Marriage in the book The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.”

“My wife and I have been married for 38 years. We were always honest with each other, communicated with each other and ALWAYS said ‘I LOVE YOU’ before we …

Continue reading Show off your sweetie for Valentine’s Day »

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. It’s time for to start putting some thought into what you’ll give your sweetie. Perhaps something sweet, you think. But a recent article says that while candy is dandy, flowers have power as a Valentine offering. Not just roses, mind you. We’re talking hydrangeas and cyclamen and the likes.
If you aren’t wowed by flowers, perhaps something here in our Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog on inexpensive — but heartfelt — gifts might suit you better. Her suggestions include attending a couple’s fitness class, creating a home spa or doing chores for the one you love. So have you thought about what you plan to give or what you’d like to receive on that romantic of days. Will flowers or candy do it for you, or is your heart set on something else? Tell us about your plans and help your fellow love buds who may not have a clue — yet.

Continue reading Flower power on Valentine’s Day »

It’s been a rough few days. Very few can work. Some haven’t been home since Sunday. Others are working nonstop. But we’re still hearing uplifting stories about people helping people. And we want to hear from you. Please comment below on good stories you’ve heard or experienced or send stories for publication in this blog or in the paper to Fran Jeffries at fjeffries@ajc.com. Please include your name and contact information. We’ve included one story to get it started.

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“Need a ride” - Mark A. Waligore

As someone who grew up outside Philly, lived in Pittsburgh and spent the longest winter of my life in Illinois, I’ve never had any problem getting around in the ice and snow. For the past three days, I’ve been trudging back and forth from the newspaper’s office to a hotel down the street. No problem. After all, I know how to do this: Follow the footprints. Step in the crunchy snow. Avoid the ice at all costs. By Wednesday morning, though, my ice-walking skills were useless. Even …

Continue reading Atlanta weather | Stories of kindness »

Many of us are stuck home again today. No school for the kids.

How do you cope with cabin fever?

What do you do for fun inside? How do you keep the kids occupied?

Send us your best ideas. And keep it clean; it’s a family website.

Continue reading Another snow day »

MARTA’s trains may be the most successful mode of transportation today as snow, sleet and ice slam metro Atlanta.

If you took the train this Monday, tell us about your experiences. Was it packed, did you have to wait long? Transportation writer Ariel Hart (ahart@ajc.com) would like to hear from you directly, too. Please email her with contact information so she can call for an interview.

Continue reading Are you using MARTA trains today? »

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is up to nearly $240 million for the New Year’s Eve drawing. People will be buying tickets like crazy. They’ll be using their personal strategies and superstitions in hopes of winning. What about you? Will you buy just one ticket or a multitude? Will you play birth dates, anniversaries or other dates that are special to you. Or will you simply let the machine pick your numbers ‘randomly’, which is how I plan to win. Tell us how you pick your numbers. We promise not to use your methods, except for maybe this one time.

Continue reading How do you plan to win the $240M jackpot? »

Charsign Raymond of Clarkston was visiting a friend’s apartment just west of downtown Stone Mountain when he saw a mysterious streak pass across the sky around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 28. With his video camera handy, he was able to capture the streak of light.

Take a look at his video, below. What do you think? Is it a plane? Does it look extraterrestrial? Did you happen to see something like this on Nov. 28?

Continue reading What do you think it was? »

It’s the busiest time of year for that jolly old elf we all know as Santa. For example, the venerable Phipps Santa, expects to visit with 16,000 kids this holiday season. Have you or your kids been to a local mall to sit on Santa’s lap? Send in your photos and help us get in the holiday spirit! Please include your name and city and any other information you’d like to add. Please e-mail your photos to Ajc.com Producer Fran Jeffries at fjeffries@ajc.com.

Continue reading Send us your Santa photos »