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These included the reality that life is fleeting and that money can’t necessarily buy happiness. Or more to the point, wealth accumulation is hardly what will matter most in the end. You can’t take all that money—or that fancy house, or the shiny car—with you to your grave. The pandemic also disproportionately impacted women, eliminating their jobs or causing them to leave the workforce to care for loved ones—all of which set women’s progress back a generation, and made clear just how quickly some things can be reversed....

What is shoulder season? Shoulder season is the period of time (a few weeks or a month) between a destination’s low and high seasons of tourism, says Victoria Zindell, a luxury travel advisor for Protravel. Planning your vacation during shoulder season comes with plenty of benefits: more desirable pricing, fewer people, better access to attractions, and beyond. “Traveling during this ‘in-between’ period typically affords a greater value, so it really does provide for a more optimal travel experience,” Zindell says....

If you’re at all familiar with the bright yellow citrus fruit, you know that it is similar to a lemon in both appearance and taste. However, what sets yuzu apart from lemons and other similar citrus fruits is its distinct flavor profile and accompanying aroma. “Fresh yuzu has a distinctive tart, fragrant, and sour taste that almost resembles grapefruit, mandarin orange, or lemon,” notes Min Kim, the executive chef at Mizumi at Wynn Las Vegas....

The primary goal of zero waste is to send no trash into a landfill. (Among other things—the EPA has a list of how communities around the country define zero waste.) The idea is to reduce usage of everything (including non-compostable items like plastics, reuse anything possible (turning old t-shirts into cleaning rags, for example), utilize alternative methods of zero waste disposal, and recycle anything remaining. Ideally, though, as little is recycled as possible, because most single-use containers and plastics have been reduced and reused so well....

I couldn’t tell you what the award was for (or even the principal’s name), but what I do remember is the unreasonable amount of tension I felt from being in front of so many people. This experience is forever etched in eternity in my family album, wherein a photo shows my irritated, busted lips that I was picking the entire time I was up there. My Excoriation Disorder Diagnosis Not long after, I was diagnosed with excoriation disorder, an obsessive-compulsive condition that causes the repeated urge or impulse to pick at my own skin....

But what’s the story behind the song? And what’s with all the birds? Get all the answers to the Twelve Days of Christmas mystery you’ve probably been seeking. What are The 12 Days of Christmas gifts? There have been some variations over the years (at first, the calling birds were sometimes canary birds or colley birds, meaning blackbirds), but the current common list of gifts are: Day 1: A partridge in a pear treeDay 2: Two turtle dovesDay 3: Three French hensDay 4: Four calling birdsDay 5: Five golden ringsDay 6: Six geese a-layingDay 7: Seven swans a-swimmingDay 8: Eight maids a-milkingDay 9: Nine ladies dancingDay 10: 10 lords a-leapingDay 11: 11 pipers pipingDay 12: 12 drummers drumming...

Trees with Spiky Seed Pods If you’ve encountered some round, spiny balls under a tree or maybe still on the plant, and you’re wondering what it could be, it’s likely one of several options: buckeye/horsechestnut (Aesculus), chestnut (Castanea), or sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua). All are common landscape trees and produce spiky pods around their seeds. The spines help protect the seeds from being eaten by critters like birds and squirrels. Here’s what each of the pods looks like....

“While they may get a bad rap as a cocktail of a bygone era, I actually have a soft spot in my heart for white wine spritzers,” says Christopher Hoel, the founder of Harper’s Club and wine curator for Wine Insiders and Martha Stewart Wine Co. “They’re fun, light, easy to tailor to your taste, and you can pre-make them in big batches before pre-portioning them out for friends and family....

Sound familiar? “Drinking makes many women feel like we can do the heavy lifting in an ever evolving, complex world,” says Ann Dowsett Johnston, the Toronto-based author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol. “There’s this feeling of “I’m doing it all—why shouldn’t I have something for myself?” " Two-thirds of American women consume alcohol regularly (having at least one drink within the past week), with most citing wine as their beverage of choice, according to a 2013 Gallup poll....

Here you’ll find smart vacuums that work on carpets and wood floors, reusable food containers for produce, grains, and meats, and compact clothing irons for travel and beyond. These items are designed to give you back time in your day by working simply and efficiently. There won’t be a ton of guesswork or manual reading with these products, nor will there be mishaps or disappointments. Among the hundreds of cleaning and storage picks spread throughout these pages, we found 10 that stand out....

Gather four boxes or bins and label them Keep, Trash, Recycle, and Donate. Use our list as a starting point, work on one category at a time, and enlist the help of your family. As you finish each category, take action and put away the items you plan to keep, place recycling or trash in bins, and put the donation items in your car for delivery (no stashing in the garage!...

Unfortunately, it seems like at least the bargain hunters may have to wait until Black Friday to do their shopping (or do it online from the comfort of their couch). As online shopping has become even more important since the pandemic began, many retailers have stopped opening their physical locations on Thanksgiving Day. Best Buy, Apple, and Foot Locker have already announced that they will be closed Thanksgiving Day. But if what you need is a little more flour, you might be in luck, as many grocery stores have Thanksgiving hours to help you make your Thanksgiving dinner perfect....

1. Space-Efficient Cleaning Closet Utility items that are usually relegated to the garage fit neatly inside a cleaning closet if they can be collapsed flat for storage. Arrange items like a collapsible bucket ($13, Target), a folding stool, and a floor sweeper on the inside of your cabinet door, then hang low-profile hooks to hold each item. Store supplies like mop pads and cleaning solutions on nearby shelves to make everything easy to retrieve....

Whether you’ve got company coming over or you’re just craving something basic and boozy, one of these easy recipes will do the trick. We made the instructions and ingredients as pared down as possible so you can keep them in your back pocket for future entertaining endeavors—and if you already have some of these committed to memory, even better. We’d bet you can mix up most of them with what’s already on your bar cart (read: no egg white foam or blood orange reduction required)....

“There’s been a huge growth in the meatless set. These new iterations of products are really going after the flexitarian customer,” Amy Gaston-Morales, one of the chain’s category managers, said on a 2021 episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast. “As people are looking for ways to have a healthier lifestyle and improve their overall general health … they are incorporating meat-free days.” To that end, it’s no surprise that Trader Joe’s has come out with everything from vegan butter and ice cream, to meat-free takes on bolognese-style pasta sauce and its ever-popular Mandarin Orange Chicken....

I’m sure I’m not the only one who answered a resounding “yes” when the society antics of Lady Whistledown finally returned to Netflix in season two of Bridgerton. The period drama romp, an instant hit that exploded in popularity after launching on Christmas Day 2020, has inspired a legion of fans not only for Regé-Jean Page’s Duke of Hastings, but also for the styles and decor of early 19th century England....

Another biggie: Give a heads-up on attire. Shorts? Tank top? Sundress? Give guests a sense of the vibe: “You wear the flip-flops; we’ll flip the burgers” or “Bring your swimsuits!” RELATED: The 15 Best Places to Buy Outdoor Patio Furniture Online Renting can be another surprisingly cheap way to go. Folding chairs start as low as $2 each. (You may also be able to rent coolers, speakers, tableware, and a bigger grill....

Plus, you might notice that some of the markdowns you saw on Friday have an even steeper discount right now. Just think of this Cyber Week as your last chance to save loads on all the things you need for your home as well as clothing and beauty items ahead of the big holidays. So if you missed out on Black Friday, you’ll want for nothing after this sale. Best Overall Cyber Week Deals Apple AirPods Pro Wireless Earbuds, $229 (was $249) Keurig K-Supreme Coffee Maker, $100 (was $160) TCL 50-Inch 5-Series 4K QLed Roku Smart TV, $400 (was $700) Madewell The Zip-Top Medium Transport Tote, $107 (was $188) Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus Hot Air Brush, $40 with coupon (was $70) Safavieh Brentwood Collection Medallion Area Rug, $135 (was $560)...

Early Black Friday Fall Dress Deals BerryGo Wrap V-Neck Velvet Cocktail Maxi Dress, $48 (was $65) Blencot Floral Long-Sleeve Evening Maxi Dress, $39 (was $80) Amoretu Long-Sleeve Wrap Ruffle Mini Dress, $40 (was $46) Zesica Batwing Wrap Knitted Sweater Dress, $45 (was $56) PrettyGarden Satin Tie-Waist Cocktail Dress, $41 (was $51) Db Moon Casual Long-Sleeve Empire Waist Dress with Pockets, $25 (was $46) Btfbm Casual Wrap Floral Midi Dress, $43 (was $54) Auselily Long-Sleeve Maxi Dress, $32 (was $37) Kirundo Pullover Knit Sweater Dress, $37 with coupon (was $70) Simplee Ruffle Floral Midi Dress, $39 (was $46)...

Its Work Revival section has tons of comfy clothes that are so good, you won’t feel the need to immediately shed what you’ve been wearing all day at the office once you get home. There are more than 4,100 featured items from Nordstrom’s back-to-work style section with picks that would fit both casual office wear and something more business formal, and we’ve narrowed it down to 14 styles that you and your return-to-office routine both need; some of them are even on sale....