Guest Type: Your coupled friends Make the most of a gorgeous summer evening by taking a casual dinner party outside. Create an intimate space in the corner of your yard with a patio table, and dress up plastic chairs with small pillows for added comfort. Keep the area lit with string lanterns (leave them out all season long!), and set the table with single-stem flowers in tinted glass vases. Guest type: Book club members Want to host a simple summer soiree?...

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Clean the interior twice a year. No need to unplug the refrigerator—that will waste energy. But do move the food to a cooler. Wipe the walls and the shelves using a cloth and a mix of dish soap and water, says Varun Rajasekaran, an engineering manager at Kenmore refrigeration. Rinse and dry thoroughly. To clean the door seal, wrap a credit card in a cloth, dip it in soapy water, and glide it into the grooves....

Care package ideas are great if you’re packing up a whole box to send your far-flung buddy, and flowers or food are traditional gift ideas for people who are sick or injured. But some of the best gifts for sick friends can be practical, comforting, and home-focused: You want to encourage your friend or family member to stay home, rest, and get healthy again. Even if you can’t be there to give them a hand, these gifts can really help them out....

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Editor’s Tip: To make this arrangement last longer, place flowers in a vase of water that fits snugly within the gourd. Editor’s Tip: To press leaves, place them between layers of newspaper and under a heavy stack of books. Let the leaves dry for a couple of days. Then, to enhance their color, iron the leaves between pieces of waxed paper, using a pressing cloth to keep the wax off the iron....

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Pottery Barn is known for releasing a variety of timeless pieces and more modern ones, too. With ideas for every room in the house (plus the front porch!), we expect to see these trends all over as peak holiday season quickly approaches. This is why we expect to see a move toward faux wreaths and garlands. No cleanup is required, and to make matters even easier, many wreaths, garland, and other greenery from Pottery Barn come pre-lit....

Recently, I’ve realized there’s a way to keep the buzz alive all evening long: By swapping my glass of vino with an espresso-spiked cocktail. Coffee and booze are a match made in heaven, seriously—the perfect blend of caffeinated warmth plus spirited spice to power you through the any season. Whether you want to spruce up your wintery brunch with a cool mug of Irish iced coffee, cozy up with a classic coffee Old Fashioned, or end the day with a smooth espresso martini, there’s something here to quell your craving....

“Exercise can also improve blood circulation, reduce or prevent high blood pressure, improve heart function and decrease the risk of developing diabetes,” he continues. “Moderate to high intensity aerobic activity can increase the benefit and this might include hiking uphill or carrying a heavy backpack.” Dr. Reisman also says hiking offers different perks than traditional cardio, since it reduces stress, while improving our mood. With all of these perks combined, he says our risk of an acute heart attack is significantly less....

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1. Determine Landscape Needs and Wants Make a list of needs and wants. Do your kids need a play space? Do you want to grow vegetables? Would your family enjoy gathering on a patio? Do some very rough sketches of the yard with thoughts of where you want to place things; it’s a great organizing principle for landscape design for beginners. They don’t need to be master plans (they can just be ideas), according to Marianne Lipanovich, author of the Big Book of Garden Designs....

Don’t fret if many of these tasks aren’t already on your cleaning schedule. Once you start prepping for another summer of swimming, grilling, and chilling, you’ll be glad you had the foresight to give these items a good scrub. Plus, the better care given to these items, the longer they’ll last. Not having to unstick mower blades coated with grass and dirt after more than half a year in the garage is a bonus....

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One five-star reviewer who has a busy household, was having issues with their dryer not heating up wrote, “I absolutely love the deep clean results I got from this brush set! I should’ve worn a mask because so much lint came out I had to clean out my nostrils afterward!” To avoid unwanted contact with dust, wearing a mask or gloves is recommended when using the brushes to clean out trapped lint....

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Handcrafted with a plant-based rubber foam and encased in soft organic cotton, Huggets deliver maximum cozy vibes and help reduce stress. They come in three sizes: The 4-inch small is a palm-sized stress ball that “massages reflex zones” and can easily travel with you, the 8-inch medium is gently weighted and reduces anxious fidgeting, and the 11-inch large size weighs 3 pounds and “activates pressure points to deliver therapeutic sensory relief,” according to the brand....

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