If you’re throwing a baby shower for a relative or friend, creating a suitably festive atmosphere is part of the fun.

Dear Mikey,

With nods to nostalgia, exotic motifs and tailored contemporary looks, the fall season in decor has lots to inspire home decorators.

While just about everyone else in America is getting wrapped up in the Missy Franklin story from London, Amy (Wagner) Haley has had trouble embracing the United State’s swimming wunderkind.

Jordan Bachynski must have been quite the sight.

One of the principles of the J. Robinson Intensive wrestling camps is accountability.

Norris Vaughan and Dan Hinds are different types of coaches and found success their own way.

Have you ever dreamed of living is Europe? Waking up every morning to the delightful European breakfast of the fresh crusty rolls, soft boiled eggs, a variety of cheese and sausage, sounds great doesn’t it? Well, I had that experience with my husband; I was “The American in Warsaw.” We had an opportunity to live in Warsaw, Poland, for my husband’s job; this was before we had children, so we took the chance and moved. My husband had worked and lived overseas previously and was excited to join his European colleagues once again. I was thrilled with the ability to tour around Poland as well as other European countries. We experienced many things, visited many places and gained a lifetime of memories all within 1 1/2 years.

It doesn’t take long to lose your religion at work, does it? You might be asked to bump up a grade to ensure a star athlete gets to play. Or sell at your company’s highest prices when you could steer your customer toward a better deal. Or gossip about a colleague, engage in an “innocent” email flirtation with that cutie in accounting, pad an expense report, or slander your competition to a prospect.

(Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series that takes a look into the proposed 50-mile transfer rule).

A.W. Tozer once said, “Next to the Holy Scriptures, the greatest aid to the life of faith may be Christian biographies.” I agree. While I love reading about the lives of heroes of the faith from the Bible, I can often relate better to someone’s story who lives in a more modern time.

The selection of a jersey number can come from a variety of avenues such as simply being assigned to the athlete or choosing the same numeral as their favorite player.

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series that takes a look into the proposed 50-mile transfer rule).

There’s not a lot of room for Ed Henry to make a style statement. The Fox News Channel chief White House correspondent pretty much has to stay in the box that is your TV screen.

The 64th Annual Primetime Emmy nominees are to be announced on July 19. As a memo to Emmy voters, here are my personal selections for the 10 best drama and comedy series of the past television season.

The Ahwatukee Little League had one shot left Wednesday night of making it to the finals of the District 13 tournament after two defeats in the semifinals already in the books.

Phoenix resident William David has decided to turn self-published author and novice painter in his retirement. His first novel, “Gunplay: Beauty Redeemed,” addresses contemporary ideas, and its structure reflects the everyday use of technology.

It is clear that Deborah Busby, Ahwatukee resident and author, likes hand-written mementos.

‘Ted” follows a similar formula to other buddy movies of its kind. There are two major things that distinguish the film though. For starters, “Ted” is a really funny movie, producing just as many laughs as “21 Jump Street” from a few months ago. Secondly, one of the buddies in question is a living teddy bear. The teddy bear is not merely a product of someone’s imagination like in “Calvin and Hobbes.” He’s literally a walking, talking stuffed animal that has been casually accepted into society.

Jaysie Chambers Sheppard has been all over the world while playing basketball, but part of her never left the Bay Area.

Commitment. A word we hear often in many contexts — relationships, war efforts, diets, and even insane asylums (we all know a couple of people we think ought to be committed). According to Dictionary.com, “commit” comes from the Latin “com + mittere” meaning “to send, give over.”

For Melissa Martinez, the timing couldn’t be better for a show about family.

Dear Mikey,

Hey, Mr. Mom.