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Advent Activity Suggestion: Share a favorite holiday memory from childhood with your own kids. Advent Activity Suggestion: Read a favorite Christmas story with cups of hot cocoa and stovetop popcorn. Advent Activity Suggestion: Go sledding! And afterward, warm up with a cup of hot cocoa. Advent Activity Suggestion: Write a holiday note to five special people, such as a friend you’ve lost touch with, someone who made a difference in your life, or a long-distance relative....

Buy It: USA Pan Pro Line Nonstick Loaf Pan, $14.99, Crate & Barrel

Buy It: Wilton Bake It Better Non-Stick Large Loaf Pan ($6, Walmart) Buy It: Lodge 10-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet ($19, Walmart) Buy It: Nordic Ware Nonstick Popover Pan ($45, Williams Sonoma) Test Kitchen Tip: For the best taste and texture, wrap and store quick bread overnight before serving.

Buy It: Hamilton Beach Food Processor ($59, Target) Buy It: Expert Gas Grill ($148, Walmart)

Name: Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ Growing Conditions: Part shade in moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter Size: Up to 18 inches tall and wide Zones: 3–8 Buy It: ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera ($18, Etsy) Name: Athyrium niponicum pictum Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter Plant Size: Up to 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide Zones: 3–8 Buy It: Japanese Painted Fern ($14, Etsy) Name: Pulmonaria Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in moist, well-drained soil Plant Size: Up to 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide Zones: 3–8 Buy It: Pulmonaria Diana Clare Lungwort ($16, Etsy) Name: Lamium ‘Purple Dragon’ Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in moist, well-drained soil Plant Size: Up to 8 inches tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 3–8 Buy It: Purple Chablis Dead Nettle (Lamium) Live Plant ($18, The Home Depot) Name: Senecio cineraria Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Plant Size: Up to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide Zones: 7–10 Buy It: Dusty Miller ($17, The Home Depot) Name: Melianthus major Growing Conditions: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil Plant Size: Up to 10 feet tall and wide as a shrub and up to 3 feet tall and wide as an annual Zones: 8–10 Buy It: Melianthus Major ($5, Etsy Name: Helichrysum italicum subsp....

Editor’s Tip: Keep your jack-o’-lantern fresh with our must-have tips for making your pumpkins last longer. Editor’s Tip: For crisp, clean edges, outline noses using a marker and flexible ruler. Editor’s Tip: Use battery-operated tea lights ($10 for four, Pottery Barn) to avoid the risk of fire.

Top Pantry Design Ideas Get more ideas like this in our Storage Newsletter! See 25 more ways to keep your kitchen drawers organized. A DIY Trick For Storing Spices

Test Kitchen Tip: Cut costs when making desserts that call for purchased cereal by opting for a bulk bag of a generic variety. Buy It: Sur la Table Platinum 9 x 13 Cake Pan ($33, Sur la Table) Test Kitchen Tip: Cut the cinnamon sugar cookie bars into diamonds, squares, or sticks to make your cookie platter stand out.

So out went the front yard’s clipped lawn, along with shrubs and overgrown vines in the backyard. In their place, Eischeid arranged plants in drifts as they might grow in a prairie, a move he has learned during his time working with Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf. Eischeid also put techniques from school into practice, such as tightly packing plants to prevent weeds. Eleven years in, the garden overflows with grasses and flowers and has become a retreat for Eischeid’s parents....

To prepare the dough: Mix 1/2 cup of salt, 1 cup of flour, and 1/2 cup of water until sticky. Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch-thick sheet and cut out snowflake shapes with cookie cutters. Use a skewer to make a hole for hanging. Bake for 4 hours in a 200˚F oven.

To make these spooky Halloween cupcakes, use purchased red icing to pipe red zigzags atop white-frosted cupcakes. Place circle gummy candies on top of each Halloween cupcake, using white frosting to secure. Dip small doughnut holes in melted white chocolate or icing and place on top of gummy candies for eyes. Use icing to attach small chocolate candies to the tops of doughnut holes for the pupils. Frost each cupcake with chocolate frosting and cover with chocolate sprinkles....

1. Plant Trees for Shade The Department of Energy recommends tall shade trees as the best way to protect your home from solar heat and from those cold blasts in winter. Evergreen trees are best in the South because they shield your home all year long. Deciduous trees are better in Northern regions because they let the warm sun through their bare branches during the colder months. Where you plant your trees is just as important as the type you plant....

“Consuming certain foods and beverages in excess may create a pro-inflammatory environment. These foods and beverages include: refined carbohydrates, sugar-sweetened beverages, excess alcohol, processed snack foods, sugary desserts, fried foods, trans fats, excessive red and processed meat intake, and refined oils,” summarizes Michelle Hyman, R.D., a registered dietitian. “Foods and beverages that help reduce inflammation include non-starchy vegetables, whole fruits without added sugar, plant-based fats, omega-3 fatty fish, spices, and unsweetened teas....

1. Tune Out Temptation A hungry stomach is a suggestible stomach. And a typical fast-food environment—with poster-size images of fried chicken and promos for super cheap combo meals—can bring out your worst impulses. Don’t let it. Step back and read the entire menu. Mentally eliminate items described as crispy, deluxe, or double (never mind triple). Most chains offer at least a few relatively wholesome options—such as grilled chicken—that can help you make it happen....

1. Start plants from seed When you start your plants from seed, you can completely avoid plastic pots. Most seeds come in paper packets that can be recycled or added to your compost pile. You can reuse items around the house to hold your seedlings, make your own biodegradable pots out of newspaper or paper towel rolls, or use biodegradable pots that can be planted right in the ground. If you are saving seeds from your own garden, keep them in tightly sealed glass jars....

1. Clogged Gutters What you’ll need: Wire brush, gloves, hose It’s recommended you clean your home’s gutters twice each year—once in the spring and once in the fall. This helps prevent the buildup of leaves, sticks, and other debris. To clean gutters, remove debris from gutters by hand while wearing gloves. Use a wire brush to loosen stubborn accumulations. Rinse gutters with a hose to remove remaining dirt and leaves....

Fall Color in Many Forms Flowers, foliage, fruit, and seed heads all lend color and interest to the fall garden. Here are some of the best late-season performers recommended by Paulat and Pinson. A yard that’s as densely planted as this one needs some structure to break up the foliage. Paulat and Pinson used a series of trellises to do the trick. They also planted in repeating groups to help tie the garden together....

“Fall is a time for coziness, for slowing down, and for reconnecting with friends and family,” says Lauren Meichtry, founder of the home accessories brand Elsie Home. To help refresh your home for the season ahead, we talked to a few designers about the fall decorating trends they’re most excited about this year. 1. Fall Porchscapes Designer Margarita Bravo predicts porchscapes are going to be the hottest trend of the season....