Grocery Shopping Re-Invented at Lowes Foods

Let’s be honest, grocery shopping is not high on the fun things to-do list. Add a few kids to the mix and it ranks near the bottom. It’s a need. We all need food, so we grudgingly push our cart up and down each aisle until the basket is full. What if I told you that grocery shopping could be fun, engaging and even purposeful. I know it’s a stretch of the imagination, but I have seen it with my own eyes.

Lowes Foods. Yes, you heard me right. The locally-owned and operated grocery store in North Carolina, listened to their customers, their needs, their wants, and even their whiny kids and re-invented grocery shopping. I had the privilege of experiencing and learning about all the Lowes Foods Originals that stores will be offering. Customers will be greeted on The Front Porch (customer service and cashier lines) with genuine Southern hospitality. The little details that went into creating the front porch atmosphere is amazing. Check-out lanes are named after local streets, for example; High House Rd and Crabtree Crossing. The floral department is inside an open-air greenhouse structure, and local products are displayed in the front.

My favorite feature is the Pick & Prep station within the produce department. Customers pick fresh fruits and vegetables, take it to the Pick & Prep counter, and select how they would like their fruits and veggies to be sliced, diced or chopped. It’s like having a personal sous chef, and you can continue shopping while your produce is being prepared. Think about all the time you will save when preparing your meal at home. I just get intimidated when a recipe calls for something to be diced. I’m so excited to try new meals that once looked too complicated. They also have a refrigerator section with already prepared Pick & Prep items. Last week, I purchased a container of already sliced strawberries. I took them with me when I visited my son at lunch. It was a fun snack with zero prep time.

My kids are going to love the Chicken Kitchen. Lowes Foods took their customer’s favorite deli item, the rotisserie chicken and made it the star of the show, literally. Rotisserie, fried or chicken salad; Lowes Foods has it in their kitchen, but you’ll also find a walking, dancing chicken shaking his tail feather to the chicken dance.

The 21-year-old and older set will enjoy the Beer Den. Taste and learn about the local craft beers on tap from the Den Master. Purchase a $4.99 Growler, a 64-ounce (one half gallon) glass jug filled with beer fresh-to-order. Return the jug during your next visit and only pay for the beer itself.

The Community Table brings all the Originals together.  Similar to your dining table at home, it’s a place of gathering, tasting foods, trying new recipes, and sipping wine and beer. Each table has a story. All of the tables are made from reclaimed wood from either a farm, factory or train station in the South. Just like the people at your table, you have a story to share, a joke to tell or a savings tip to pass along.

I had the opportunity to tour the Preston Corners Lowes Foods store which is still in the midst of construction. Their Re-Grand Opening date is set for September 17.  The Holly Springs store is complete and ready for your visit. While not all the stores are under-going renovations this year, you can still enjoy these wonderful features: Lowes Foods To Go, Digital Coupons, The Carolina Crate and Back 2 Schools.

Sometimes busy moms can't make it inside the store, so Lowes Foods offers the Lowes Foods To Go Service. Register below and you can win a free month of this service ( a $16.95 value). It's like having your own personal shopper.

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Simply...Sunset Beach

I have been vacationing at Sunset Beach, NC, since I was 12-years-old. It started with long weekends with my parents that stretched into an annual week at our favorite house to weeks with my own family and children. We've always had a good time, but for some reason this trip was special. We actually thought of trying a new beach this year, but our favorite spots and familiarity with the area lured us back.

It began when we arrived at our rented beach house. The kids and I excitedly got out of the car, finally after nearly three and half hours of "are we there yets". The aggravation of the car ride seemed to blow away as I inhaled the salty air. It was if the sea was welcoming me back. We hurried up the stairs and opened the door to be greeted by green and blue walls that reminded us of the water nearby. The boys picked their bedroom with blue and white striped walls, and the room adjacent to the boys' made a perfect master retreat with a brightly colored comforter and curtains. I put our bags down. I was ready to relax.

Sunny days, warm nights and an occasional thunder storm, we were blessed with amazing weather. Our days began with leisurely breakfasts followed by making sandwiches, applying sunblock and heading down to the beach. A short walk to the beach filled with beautiful sites. Sunset Beach prides itself on it's protection of sea life and dunes. We walked over a wooden bridge surrounded by trees and flowering green plants. We walked through a mini jungle until the trees parted and the dunes emerged leaving us standing on the white sandy beach. It was an "awe" moment as we stared across the surf and off into the horizon where the sea meets the sky.

Nearly every day we experienced the sand between our toes as we built sandcastles and jumped waves. Between our beach romps, we enjoyed North Carolina seafood at our favorite restaurant, Dockside. It is a quick drive to the small town of Calabash which is nationally known for its seafood restaurants. Broiled or fried; it's served fresh with complimentary hush puppies. Afterwards, it's a tradition to walk on the dock outside the restaurant and look at the shrimping boats. It's another reminder of how fresh dinner was as we catch the scent of fish and salt water.

No beach vacation is complete without gift shopping for t-shirts, shells and fudge, and once again Calabash is home to Callahan's Nautical Gifts. The store stretches over a block with a Christmas shop on one side to kitchen accessories on the other with all the trinkets you expect to find at the beach in middle.

Diets tend to take a vacation, and so instead of my regular Greek yogart stand-by, I splurged and enjoyed ice cream and a little candy. Sunset Beach offers two fun spots. A newer place, Candy Island, that my son refers to as the bubble store because it's almost magical bubble blower fills the parking lot with bubbles and all around the brightly colored candy store with an assortment of candy plus Sunset Slush classic Italian ice. Our long time favorite How Sweet It Is is a delightful ice cream shop

located next to the "old bridge" which is fun to explore with an ice cream cone in hand.

It was a wonderful trip, and I savored each moment whether playing on the beach, eating ice cream or just enjoying a quiet moment. I feel like I left a piece of my heart on that sandy beach, and I can't wait to go back and watch the sun set again.