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And why not? Following the moral imperative that is social distancing means increasing the distance between yourself and other people, which includes friends, loved ones, and members of your community. It’s not just better for your personal health, it’s for the benefit of all of society. Practicing social distancing is one of the key ways we can slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Whether you’re under quarantine or not, this does translate to spending a ton of time inside....

We’re left with a simple question: Do candles expire? Or can we save all the candles we just bought for next year? The short answer is that candles can expire. But the long answer is a little more complicated than that. Here’s what you need to know. Typical Shelf Life A candle’s lifespan can vary a lot based on its ingredients. For example, a paraffin candle with synthetic oils can last for years, while a candle made with vegetable wax and essential oils is best used within a few months....

Supplies Needed Two-way garden hose connector (1/2" faucet hose fitting)Irrigation timerPressure regulatorMainline drip irrigation hose (1/2" poly drip irrigation tubing)Plant containersTape measureTapePVC pipe cutting saw, or a PVC cutting tool (for cutting the poly tubing)Poly tubing end capHammerIrrigation micro tubing (1/4" vinyl micro tubing)Drip irrigation hole punchDrip line connectorsDrip hose goof plugs (to patch holes that are mispunched)Potting soilPlantsIrrigation drippers with spikes, one for each pot Step-by-Step Instructions You can opt to pick up the list of supplies from the hardware store or use a pre-assembled drip irrigation kit ($42, The Home Depot)....

How to Make a Milkshake with Ice Cream If you’re planning to use ice cream as the base for your milkshake, the steps couldn’t be simpler. Just combine ice cream with milk in a blender (the less milk you add, the thicker the shake will be), and blend until smooth. For a one-serving milkshake, plan to use about one cup of ice cream with a quarter cup of milk. If you want the shake to be a little easier to sip through a straw, adding extra milk will help thin it out....

In baking, buttermilk does wondrous things. When used alongside baking soda, it helps batters and doughs rise by creating carbon dioxide. It also helps tenderize baked goods, giving them a soft, fluffy texture, and not to mention that irresistible, yet subtle tang. Buttermilk is also often found in savory marinades, as the acidity in buttermilk helps tenderize meat. How to Make Buttermilk at Home If you find yourself ready to bake a recipe that calls for buttermilk and your refrigerator is sans a quart of it, don’t fret....

Step-by-Step Alfredo Sauce from Scratch It’s hard to believe that just four ingredients (plus salt and pepper) can result in such a wonderful cream sauce. 1. Gather the Ingredients We’ll walk you through how to make Alfredo sauce as explained in the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book 17th Edition. ButterGarlic, mincedWhipping cream (or heavy cream)Salt and freshly ground black pepper Freshly grated Parmesan cheese You can use pre-shredded Parmesan cheese in this Alfredo sauce recipe, but it won’t have the pronounced, intense fresh flavor that you grate just before using....

Fortunately, it’s easy enough to make pumpkin purée yourself. The final result retains its health benefits and color and is made without shelf stabilizers or flavor additives. Bonus: Roasting the pumpkin adds a warm, autumnal scent to your home—no candle required! The puréeing process is quick, and one pumpkin (depending on its size) yields enough purée for at least two pumpkin pies. Here’s how to get started. Ingredients While any pumpkin can be puréed, culinary professionals prefer certain varieties for various uses....

As its name suggests, this savory dish takes more than half a day to make. This sounds intense, but the viral 15-hour potato is pretty easy to prepare, and there’s very little work involved. The recipe for this carb-loaded creation was first shared by British cookbook author Poppy O’Toole, who goes by @poppycooks on TikTok. How to Cook TikTok’s 15-Hour Potato The key to the 15-hour potato is thin, compact slices and plenty of resting time in the refrigerator....

Regularly checking email is an everyday task that’s impossible to avoid, and no matter how diligent you are in hitting “reply all,” managing a mounting email inbox is easier said than done. And if you’re less diligent—as in, you’re more prone to letting your emails pile up unaddressed—that lack of inbox organization (and the anxiety of being in email debt) is likely affecting your productivity more than you realize. Luckily there’s a way out of the chaotic inbox hole....

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the gig economy, with freelance and gig marketplaces like Gigsmart and Upwork both reporting increases in their users. Some projections show freelance workers will account for half the U.S. workforce by 2023. In January of 2021, Statista published results from a survey conducted in 2018 showing 27 percent of full-time gig workers had no money saved for retirement. While the flexibility and autonomy of self-employment can be appealing to many, the lack of employer-sponsored 401Ks, fluctuating incomes, and insufficient financial guidance can make long-term financial planning difficult and daunting....

Moonflower, devil’s trumpet, jimsonweed, and thorn apple are just a few of the many common names for this self-seeding annual. As the name “moonflower“ suggests, many varieties open at night. Long, white petals slowly unfurl as the evening comes. When morning arrives, the flowers curl up, reverting to their closed form. While the nocturnal blooms of moonflower are certainly breathtaking, the gray-green tropical-looking leaves are another attractive feature of this plant....

Perhaps the person who knows this ritual best is Sandra Lee, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, founder of SLMD Skincare, and pimple popper extraordinaire. You might have heard of her more popular nickname: Dr. Pimple Popper—yes, the same one who pops people’s enormous pimples on YouTube, and even has a television show dedicated to it. For someone who has built her entire brand on popping, she’s adamantly against the idea of at-home extractions (one wrong squeeze can damage your skin), but she does think there is an ideal moment to pop one, a window where you have the lowest risk of infection and scarring....

You can propagate succulents any time, but to increase your odds of success, consider trying it in the spring or summer months, when light—your plant’s most important resource for growth—is most abundant. “With most plant-related maintenance, the best time to propagate would be during the ‘grow season,’” Stephanie F.R. Horton, an Alabama-based interior plantscape designer and owner of Botanical Black Girl. “However, if the conditions in your region allow, you can propagate successfully year-round....

However, with a bit of meal planning, and most importantly, food safety precautions, you can have perfectly fluffy rice at-the-ready for curry dishes, chickpea spiced rice, fried rice, coconut rice pudding, and all your other favorite rice recipes. Simply cook it in advance, store it properly, and refrigerate or freeze it for later. We’ll walk you through the best way to reheat it in the microwave, on the stovetop, and stir fry-style so that it doesn’t come out dry or tough, too....

If you’ve made the switch to an artificial tree, it’s important to know how to store a Christmas tree once the big day is over. Follow these easy steps to ensure your tree stays in good shape year after year Step 1: Take the Trimmings Off the Tree While not as fun as decorating a Christmas tree, consider putting away decorations like unpacking after a trip: it’s something that has to get done....

Keep It Shelved The best way to keep ground coffee or whole beans fresh is to store the coffee on a pantry shelf in an opaque, airtight container. It should be away from light, heat, and moisture, says Scott McMartin, who has tasted more than half a million cups of coffee as a member of the Starbucks Green Coffee Quality group. (If you don’t have a canister, close the top of the bag with a rubber band, then put the bag in a resealable plastic bag....

Why It Happens “The mid-afternoon slump is common for many people and is due to our natural circadian rhythm,” explains Marvin Nixon, MS, NBC-HWC, certified health and wellness coach. “The common circadian cycle has the body increasing energy from right before we wake up (that’s what wakes us naturally), and then there’s the first peak at late morning. The cycle then begins to dip, and generally between 2 p.m. and 4 p....

“We’re a fickle society,” says Scott Sidler, founder and editor-in-chief of The Craftsman Blog and a licensed Florida contractor who has been restoring historic buildings for more than 20 years. “Painted brick might be cool today, but in 20 years, it’s like you’re peeling carpet off hardwood and going ‘Who did this?’” Drive down any suburban block, though, and you’ll likely notice that plenty of people have already bought into the painted brick look....

Enter Riche Holmes Grant—host and designer of the Telly Award-winning TV show, Home Upgrade, produced by Better Homes & Gardens and REAL SIMPLE magazines, and streaming on PeopleTV—who was ready with some smart strategies for Christina to DIY a stylish multipurpose room that suited all her needs. Holmes Grant chose a bold green color for the walls and the ceiling to help the room feel larger and the ceiling higher—and a bold accent wall with a tropical mural to highlight the room....

According to an announcement from the United States Food & Drug Administration, consumers alerted the agency to this issue after spotting metal shards in some products, though there have been no reported illnesses to date. A list of the recalled candies, which were manufactured by a third party, can be found below. Consumers can find the 10-digit manufacturing code on the back of the package. The first three digits in this code are included below....