Choose Seating with Staying Power First and foremost, make sure there is enough comfy seating available to encourage friends and family to kick back, relax, and linger after hours. Cozy furniture that feels like it belongs indoors, such as a pair of armchairs and a sofa (like this five-piece Better Homes & Gardens set, $1,396, Walmart), gives off a family room aura and can be arranged in a semi-circle to keep the conversation flowing....
Whether you are wandering the frozen aisle for fruits, vegetables, or a microwaveable entrée you can make in minutes after a long day at work, there are certain things you should always keep an eye out for, both in terms of what to avoid, as well as what’s good for you. “Frozen food gets a bad reputation, but frozen produce can actually be a healthy staple to add to your grocery list!...
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On This Episode In this episode, Stefanie talks to a listener who is the first in her family to live, work, and build her wealth in the United States, and learns about the impact that has on her relationship with both her money and her family. Personal finance author Berna Anat weighs in with how to manage the unique financial considerations for immigrants and first- and second-generation Americans. Meet Our Caller “Vanessa” is a 23-year-old listener based in the Midwest, who came to the United States by way of Brazil....
But there’s more! Depending on the type of hair you have—thickness, texture, and length—the way you should approach the act of brushing is different. We tapped in hair professional Anthony Cole, hairstylist and Sebastian Professional International Artist, to get some expert answers. For added volume, Cole recommends spritzing a volumizing spray, like Sebastian Professional Volupt Spray ($20; ulta.com), at the roots before brushing through gently. RELATED: These 8 Trusty Hair Tools Are Must-Haves for Curly Hair “Boar bristles are perfect for detangling coarse, thick hair....
1. Nails and Screws Nails are sized by their length, designated by a penny, or d, size. Gauge, or diameter, increases as the penny size increases; a 16d nail is both longer and fatter than an 8d. Common nails, used for general framing, have large heads and thick shanks. They hold well but are hard to drive and may split the wood.Box nails, thinner than common nails of the same size, reduce splitting in 3/4-inch or thinner stock....
Vacuum Upholstered Furniture Often Our number one cleaning tip is to vacuum your upholstered furniture often. Dirt not only affects the appearance of your furniture, it can also wear away fabric fibers. Use a clean, dry upholstery attachment, or any stiff-bristle brush, to loosen dried dirt and debris. Use the crevice tool for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Use Baby Wipes to Clean Furniture Baby wipes are surprisingly effective for quick DIY upholstery cleaning (although you should always test first on an inconspicuous area to make sure they won’t damage the fabric)....
We’re here to coach you through all of your options for cooking bacon, including how to cook bacon in the oven, how to cook bacon in the microwave, how to cook bacon on the stove, and even tricks for cooking bacon on the grill. We’ll also dish on how to select and store your pork for the best results. Prepare to pig out—you’ll want to add strips to every meal after mastering all the best ways to cook bacon....
1. Choose the Right Site for Your Rain Garden Take a good look at your yard: Do any low areas in it have a little standing water after a heavy rain? That could be a natural place to start a rain garden. You also want the site to be in full sun to part shade and at least 10 feet away from your house. Finally, locate your rain garden down a slope from a downspout, ditch—or other outlet for water—running off hard surfaces on your property....
Today, party planners love how easy it is to customize popcorn balls with food coloring, candies, and nuts to suit any holiday or party theme. Read on for tips to make the best popcorn balls you’ve ever tasted. How to Make Fresh or Microwave Popcorn Balls We’ll go through all the steps here to make old-fashioned fresh or microwave popcorn balls at home using this basic recipe. Once you’ve got the classic recipe down, you’ll be able to customize the sweet treats with add-ins, too....
How Many Cups in a Can of Pumpkin, Really? Fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin is just shy of 2 cups (16 ounces would be 2 cups). By comparison, a 3-pound pie pumpkin will likely give you enough puree for a recipe that calls for a can of pumpkin. After cooking and draining a pumpkin, this is about what to expect from a typical cooking pumpkin transformed into fresh pumpkin puree:...
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This rainforest native requires constant warmth and high humidity, so it can be tricky to grow this spice outdoors in many regions of the United States. Cardamom should be brought indoors to overwinter, and it can work as a houseplant, however, it rarely flowers when grown in a container, therefore it won’t produce flavorful seeds indoors for your culinary creations. You’ll also need to give this plant plenty of space—it can grow from 6 feet to 16 feet tall....
With blooms coming in beautiful shades of sky to navy blue, it’s easy to see why larkspur is a classic. Blue is a hard-to-find color in the flower world, and larkspur has it in spades, along with other colors. The plant is available in single and double varieties, some of which have so many petals, they have a pom-pom appearance. The foliage of larkspur is a great addition to the plant (and the garden!...
In general, the reliability of reblooming iris declines as you go farther north. Gardeners in Zones 3 and 4 may see little or no reblooming. In most types, the reblooming cycle is set off by cooler weather, so if your temperatures are tropical year-round, you may not see a second bloom. Also, some varieties won’t start reblooming for a couple of years. Where to Plant Reblooming Iris Plant reblooming iris in a sunny spot that gets shade later in the day....
If hose bibs are not properly winterized, the water trapped inside the pipes can freeze. When ice forms, the water molecules take on a six-sided crystalline structure, which makes ice less dense than water. However, due to this configuration, the volume of the water increases, forcing the ice to expand outward. This expansion exerts force on the interior of the pipe, valves, hose bib, and any accessories, like hoses or spray nozzles....
If you’re planning to refinish an existing floor, pull up a floor register to make sure you have enough wood for another sanding. Standard hardwood strip flooring can be sanded several times, but if your floor is only slightly more than 1/2 inch thick, consult a professional. The same goes for engineered flooring. It can be refinished, but its top layer is quite thin. Take inventory of the existing floor, and mark and repair popped nails and damaged areas....
Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design at The Home Depot, advises sticking with the basics. “Some of the most successful projects for beginners are the simplest, such as painting, landscaping, and installing blinds,” she says. “Limiting the scope of your projects at the beginning will help build confidence and knowledge before you take on more complex DIY projects.” It might be tempting to get out the sledgehammer and demo those kitchen cabinets on your own but, unless you know what you’re doing, even prep work can damage your bottom line if you wind up making a costly mistake....
Keep in mind that these tips for stretching shoes work better on natural materials such as canvas and leather—shoes made of polyurethane and other synthetic materials tend to shrink back to their original size over time. How to Stretch Shoes Tip: Apply a little leather conditioner after you stretch your shoes to help keep the leather in tip-top shape. RELATED: How to Make Any Type of Shoe More Comfortable To use a shoe stretcher, start by spraying the parts of the shoe you want to stretch with a shoe stretching solution, which can help relax the fibers of the leather or canvas so they can expand....
