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Easy Ways to Conserve Energy at Home Eco-Friendly Remodeling Find the meters atwww.safehomeproducts.com For more information visit the Honey well website Recycling Tips

Know your USDA Hardiness Zone. Use it as a guide to avoid planting trees, shrubs, and perennials that won’t survive winters in your area. You’ll also get a better idea of when to expect your last frost date in spring, so you know when you can plant vegetables, fruits, and annuals outside in your area. Not sure when to prune? Prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, and large-flower climbing roses, immediately after the blooms fade....

Buy It: Crock-Pot 4-Quart Cook & Carry Slow Cooker ($50, Bed Bath & Beyond)

The ceramic dishes come in four shapes, and according to the online listings, are meant to hold candy. Over the last few weeks, folks on Instagram have been posting photos of their candy dishes filled with succulents instead and it’s inspired us to do the same. To re-create these looks at home, you’ll have to act fast because some of the candy dishes are already sold out. There are only two styles listed on Target’s website: The 10-Inch Ghost Candy Bowl, $10 and the 10-Inch Pumpkin Candy Bowl, $10 are still in stock....

No matter which outdoor task you’re working on, it’s important to follow best safety practices when using ladders. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 500,000 people are treated for ladder-related injuries each year. Falling from any height could result in broken bones, head injuries, or skin lesions, and DIYers need to be especially careful. Hanging outdoor lights or cleaning the gutters tend to be solitary jobs, meaning no one is there to help you or break your fall in the case of a ladder accident....

About Fleas and Ticks Many people make the mistake of thinking fleas and ticks are in the same family. Fleas are insects while ticks are arachnids, more closely related to spiders. Fleas are noticeably smaller than ticks, but both can be difficult to spot on the skin. Unlike ticks, fleas are known to cause home infestations. Both pests feed on blood and cause an irritating bite that leaves behind a red mark on the skin....

As cut flowers, hydrangeas completely steal the show in any vase. Besides their beauty, these blooms have a few unique characteristics that you can use to enjoy your hydrangeas more. Try these simple tricks to change the color of your hydrangea flowers, revive them when they wilt and dry them so you can always have them around, even in winter. 1. Change the Color of Your Hydrangea Flowers If you’ve got a pink-flowered bigleaf hydrangea that you want to turn blue, or perhaps vice versa, then a little chemistry can help you achieve the hue you desire....

Test Kitchen Tip: Regardless of cooking method, test for doneness using an instant-read meat thermometer ($15, Target) toward the end of cooking time. How to Choose a Filet Mignon Cut First things first: buying your filet mignon steak. You can have beef filet mignon cut fresh for you at a supermarket meat counter or butcher, which allows you to specify the thickness you like. When buying filet mignon steak, or beef tenderloin steaks, look for cuts with even edges that are about 1 to 2 inches thick....

Editor’s Tip: Face DVD or video game spines outward so they are readable at a glance.

Choose your own adventure with this North African-inspired feast. The chicken, chickpea, and veggie stew can be made on your stove top in a Dutch oven, or you can hit fast-forward with a pressure cooker or go low and slow with a slow cooker. Using either of these methods will treat you to a healthy meal on a budget that’s low in calories, high in protein, and nicely spiced with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne....

Affordable housing challenges aren’t the only factor driving the ADU boom. From a personal finance perspective, these units when used as rentals provide an incredible return on investment, according to industry experts. This is thanks to today’s steep rental prices and intense demand. In some places, it’s possible to recoup your investment in an ADU in less than 10 years. Even using an ADU to house a family member, which has become popular amid the realities of COVID-19, can be a financial win given that the cost of a monthly construction loan payment is likely to be far lower than rent on an apartment....

Editor’s Tip: If stickers don’t come in the right sizes, use construction paper and tape to make your family ears. Editor’s Tip: To secure the vase—and to make it more festive—fill it with glass pebbles, decorated eggs, or Easter candy (just don’t plan on eating the candy). Editor’s Tip: To create an interesting arrangement, choose vases of various sizes and colors.

Editor’s Tip: Try drizzling your finished cake pops with blue or red candy coating to create patriotic pops! Editor’s Tip: For single-serving treats (that will help guests steer clear of any battles over the largest slice), bake in eight 3 ½-inch tart pans instead of one 9-inch round. Editor’s Tip: Bake the cake up to a day ahead and chill, unfrosted, until just before party time. Editor’s Tip: Get a jump on party prep by baking and freezing the cake layers up to a month ahead....

Editor’s Tip: If you’re planning to eat the eggs, use whipped cream—simply substitute a packaged whipped cream for the shaving cream. Whipped cream eggs should be safe to eat. Editor’s Tip: It’s easiest to start by applying one larger piece to the center of the egg, then using smaller sections to fill in. To create gold flecks, lightly press the sponge into gold acrylic craft paint. Working in sections, carefully dab paint onto half of the egg, then allow it to dry for 20 minutes before repeating the process on the other side....

“There are many different types of arthritis, but we can use the same healthy arthritis diet foods for all of these conditions to help ease inflammation and relieve some joint pain associated with arthritis,” says Rachel Fine, a registered dietitian and the owner of To The Pointe Nutrition in New York City. (So you’ll notice a lot of overlaps in our best and worst foods for arthritis and our top anti-inflammatory eats and inflammation-triggering items, respectively....

1. Nuts (and Natural Nut Butters) We know you’re probably used to leaving your nuts out on the counter or tucked in the pantry, but if you want them to last, it’s better to keep them in the fridge. The oils in nuts can go rancid over time, and storing them in the refrigerator will help prevent that. You can still store nuts on your countertop for a couple of months, but if you have any that you want to save longer, pop them in the fridge....

Tip 1 New paint rollers leave loose bits of fluff behind, and old rollers collect dust between uses. Eliminate these streak-causing conditions by lint-rolling your paint roller before each use. The sticky, disposable paper attracts residue and fuzz, leaving your roller fluffy, fresh, and ready for paint. Tip 2 Paint trays can be a pain to clean up. They take forever to rinse out, and you waste so much paint!...

What your rose-colored glasses might not be able to foresee, however, is your sump pump backing up, your dishwasher leaking, or a storm leaving you with water dripping from the ceiling all the way down to that fabulous dining room pendant lamp. When disaster strikes, you might have the urge to lower repair costs by asking around for a cheap contractor. We’ve been where you are, and we wish we hadn’t done exactly what you’re thinking of doing....

Dairy-Based Sour Cream Substitutes Per 1 cup sour cream, substitute one of the following: Crème fraîche: Literally meaning “fresh cream” in French, crème fraîche is similar to sour cream in that it has bacterial cultures in the mix, but the result is thicker (and has a higher fat count). It can be used as an equal substitute for sour cream. Buttermilk: While not the same texture as sour cream, buttermilk can still provide that irresistible tang to dishes....

It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything fancy; start by designating one flower bed for growing your favorite perennials and annuals for cutting. Then, if you find that you’re using more flowers than you can grow in one season, you can always expand later on and plant a larger bed or multiple cutting beds. You’ll have cut flowers whenever you want, plus a full, gorgeous garden! How to Start a Cut Flower Garden Starting a cut flower garden is as easy as planting any other bed, but the location is a little more important because you don’t want all those chopped-off stems front and center....