Thursday, January 31
Fastest manicure ever!
Sally Hansen (if such a person actually exists) is a woman after my own heart. As much as I like to look good, life is too filled with other more compelling possibilities than sitting for upwards of 20 minutes to have my nails done.
Rest easy after finding your insomnia source
Sixty-seven percent of women have sleep problems on a regular basis, and 46 percent say they have trouble getting shut-eye almost every night. The key to getting quality rest on a regular basis is figuring out what's causing your insomnia right now.
Eco Undies, Sustainable Socks, Roses and Chocolates
Switching to clothes made from organic cotton can be a challenge. Most mall stores still don't carry much, and ordering online can be a hassle if the clothes don't fit and you need to return them.
Tasty recipes give Year of the Potato ‘mash appeal’
This year is one long potato party. The United Nations has declared 2008 the Year of the Potato, with hopes of raising awareness for how the tubers can play a major role in feeding the poor around the world. In announcing the potato focus late last year, Jacques Diouf, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said potatoes will be key in responding to the world’s booming population.
Here is your fresh content for Thursday
From "eco undies" to the world's fastest manicure to finding the source of your insomnia, we've got the info on these and more today. Click below for previews and links to everything new.
Flashback of the day
Taking after Mary Martin ...
Wednesday, January 30
Fresh stories for a wonderful Wednesday
Get 50 tips for living the "green" life, ideas for eating well within your budget, a profile of a real housing innovator and more, today on the site. Read on for details and links to whatever moves you.
Eating well without breaking the bank
Many people loathe grocery shopping, and it’s no wonder — a plethora of products, busy lifestyles and increasing food costs can make the task overwhelming and very expensive.
50 simple tips from a year of living the green life
Photovoltaics on the roof. Geothermal heating under-ground. Spiffy dual-flush toilets all about. This wasn't the nature of our eco-mania.
Weak market creates brisk business for renovation specialist
Ilene Techner founded her renovation business seven years ago when her frustrated family threatened to leave her if she didn't stop moving them. Techner, 55, has a knack for renovating. She's redone all seven houses the family has lived in.
Boomers go back to college
Downsized and depressed, Leigh Hoes was approaching 50 and wondering what to do with the rest of her work life. Then one day, as she leafed through a course catalog that had arrived in the mail from Richland College in Dallas, the idea came to her.
Tuesday, January 29
A B&B in Boston’s Italian North End
The North End is still a very cool area of Boston and, unlike NYC’s Little Italy, it remains the place where many of Italian heritage still choose to live. That’s its charm. Narrow streets, lots of little Italian restaurants, neighborhood folks coming and going, a neighborhood school.
Your party play-by-play
It's just days (or hours) until Sunday's big rumble in Super Bowl XLII, and your better half has just invited a slew of folks over to watch the game. Like any winning coach, you need a game plan — quick!
A product with real staying power
It all started with a gray sweater. Marni Bumsted was struggling to keep the fabric between two strategically placed buttons on her stretchy cardigan to stay shut over a bra. When her friend Jennifer Kouba saw her dilemma, she grabbed the double-stick tape she uses in her job as a Los Angeles set stylist and closed the potentially embarrassing opening.
The weather itself has chills and fever
Here's a quick guide to why winter weather is the culprit for more than just panic pillaging of milk and bread - and what you can do about it.
Topics and talking points for Tuesday
From a great B & B in Boston to tips for a superb Super Bowl party to a product that will hold your wiggly parts together, we've got those stories and more today. Click below for highlights and direct links to the new content.
Monday, January 28
How good are you at differentiating various types of sheets?
Cy DeVries of Bloomington, Minn., stood bemused in the bedding department at Bed, Bath & Beyond. "Higher thread count is better, right?" he asked.
Bringing your own wine to a restaurant? Watch your corking etiquette
The last time I went to visit family in Texas, I faced a dilemma. My brother and I wanted a restaurant with a great wine list. My sister, a vegetarian, wanted a menu with more than a couple of choices for her entree. We decided to compromise and go to an Indian restaurant and take our own wine.
What’s new for cruisers in 2008?
This is it. The year you finally get off the couch and take that long-awaited cruise. Which brings a rookie cruiser to her first question. Is a bigger ship better?
Enterprising retirees work on the Web
As people retire earlier and live longer, many are going back to work to pass the time or pay the bills. Some are making that work fun, starting Internet businesses based on hobbies.
Cruise into Monday with us
From travel tips for cruisers, to bring-your-own wine restaurant etiquette, to a semi-retirement trend that's worth checking out, we've got all that and more today. Read further for highlights and links.
Flashback of the Day
Just watch out for them on the carpet.
Sunday, January 27
Antiques give space character
By their age and rarity, garden antiques add a unique character — an aura, really — to the spaces they define. Finding them is fraught with problems, however, and placing them can be just as tricky. But the quest can be a lot of fun and the payoff priceless.
Glorious gadgets
No matter how many gadgets or tools we have in our kitchen, there are always more - so many more that if we added them all to our kitchens, we'd have to rent space to actually do a little cooking.
Timetable for 'getting life back' can be longer than we think
Dear Susan: I’m 55 and my husband died 2 years ago of cancer. We lived in South Carolina, and I was very happy there for many years. But after two years of caring for him, during which I lost touch with most friends, and really missed family, I moved back to Kansas six months after he died.
Here's what is fresh this fine Sunday
Antiques for the garden, gadgets for the kitchen, advice for a new widow and a new Pat Detmer blog. It's all here for the picking. Click below for details and fast links.
Saturday, January 26
Stories for a sensational Saturday
Ease into the weekend with our stories about brilliant beauty inventions, yummy waffles, make-up that doesn't make the cut and decorating with stars! Click through for links to whatever piques your interest.
I'm returning this product!
I love the look of lip gloss. I admire it on others, but in spite of many trys I've not used it on a regular basis myself. True, it looks great when I put it on, especially if I take the time to line my lips first.
Hot off the griddle, waffles are the star
Let's say you got a waffle iron as a holiday gift. Or, let's say you did not get one; this might be the ideal time to go out and acquire one on sale.
Homeowners get starry-eyed
A gold star in the window might mean a son's death in a war. A star on the American flag signifies a state. And a star stuck on a student's work celebrates a job well done. So what is the meaning of those five-point metal stars that hang on house exteriors, sometimes above the garage or up near the gable?
An off-the-wall hair idea
Anyone who has ever tried to style his or her hair by wielding a blow-dryer in one hand and a brush in the other knows that it can be an exasperating juggling act. The challenge of an at-home blowoutis what inspired Laurie Coleman to invent the Blo & Go, a hair-dryer holster.
Friday, January 25
Root vegetables add heft to hearty soup
A lot of people are complaining about the weather, but I don’t mind a few weeks in the dead of winter when the high temperatures never break out of the low 30s. This is turtleneck-sweater, curl-up-by-the-fire weather.
'Sweet Potato' monarch's flamboyant approach empowers women
More than 20 assorted crowns decorate a corner of Jan Hubbard's office at Walsh College, where she's director of corporate relations. That's her real-life title. For fun, she's the Royal Cove Queen, so named for the street she lives on in Shelby Township, Mich.
He has a hand in everything
Diary of a January handyman. I go to change the lightbulb and the lamp cord needs fixing. While replacing the lamp cord, I decide to repaint the front door.
Students traveling, but so are parents
My friend Betsy called me from in front of her stove, where she has been cooking for her four children for too many years to count. "What's wrong with this picture?" she asked. "I have one child headed to Colorado, another child headed to Israel, another one on her way to Mexico and the fourth is planning a trip to Norway."
Topics for TGIF!
From a long list of great gardening books to a hearty beef and barley soup recipe to the latest from the Sweet Potato Queen, we've got it and then some on the site today. Click through for quick links.
Plan for spring by the book
What better way to daydream through these late winter months than with a good book? And what better topic to whittle away a sunny, brisk Sunday than a book about gardening? Let’s discover some of the most provocative reading material for gardeners to get inspired.
Thursday, January 24
Great book for a grandmother
This week’s book would be a great gift for a grandmother or a grandmother-to-be. My sister, Darlene, gave it to me awhile back.
'Auntie Anne' richer now in a life of helping others
Her name is as familiar and cozy as the hot pretzels and cold lemonade she used to sell. Auntie Anne. So easy to imagine her in an apron, arms open for a hug. From Buffalo to Bangkok, Anne Beiler built her fortune, kiosk by kiosk, food court by food court, on a deceptively simple recipe.
Comforting rituals can help heal relationships
Are you feeling lots of tension in your home? Is there an overall lack of peace between you and your spouse? Or, do your kids quarrel for no apparent reason.
Fresh content for Thursday - get it here!
From advice on how to avoid looking old, to a profile of "Auntie Ann" the pretzel maven, to the perfect book to give a grandmother...we've got these stories and more for you today on the site. Read on for direct links to what you want to read right now.
Flashback of the day
A reign of terror ends
Wednesday, January 23
More than willpower
Mary Dike, 58, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., remembers the moment 10 years ago when she decided to quit smoking. She was “dressed to the nines” and huddled next to a Dumpster smoking a cigarette. It was the only place to smoke outside the party she was attending.
Are icicles causing damage to your home?
Many of us love the look of icicles hanging down in front of our windows during the winter, but few realize that the ice dams on the edge of the roof may actually be causing structural damage to our home, and/or negatively be impacting our home’s indoor air quality.
'Buying outright' a growing trend in clothing resale
When J. R. Robinson lived in Seattle, she didn't need a double shot of the city's famed coffee to give her a charge. She would simply drop by one of her favorite trading companies. "I'd be trading almost every day, bringing in some boring old clothing and trading it out for something new," says Robinson, 44, a hairstylist at Studio Girault in Maitland, Fla.
Here is what's up this Wednesday
Meet a beloved mystery writer who's returned to her roots. Learn how to prevent icicle damage to your home Save money with a new trend in fashion resale ... and more, today on the site. Click below to get quick links.
State of belief
‘Bleeding Kansas’ author Sara Paretsky tackles Midwest mores in latest novel
Sara Paretsky, 60, came up with the idea for “Bleeding Kansas” when walking the prairie while both of her parents were ill a decade ago. The scenario for the book: Two farming families with long-standing roots are continuing their generations-old feuds over how to raise children and how to properly pray.
Flashback of the day
Feel the earth move under our feet ...
Tuesday, January 22
Healing after a broken marriage
Divorce Boot Camp offers women opportunity to help each other recover, heal
It’s been seven years since Teresa Dillon’s divorce was final, and she hasn’t dated anyone since then. She might have reason to be depressed, given the breakup of a 30-year marriage. But she remains hopeful.
Topical matters for Tuesday
From boot camps for the newly divorced to a woman who counsels sex offenders to more fallout from the "meanest mom on earth" story, we've got it and more today. Read on for highlights and links to what interests you most.
Counseling career has taken woman into criminals' minds
When Shari Julian opened her counseling practice, in the mid-1980s, she thought she would talk to depressed housewives twice a week and raise her three sons the rest of the time. But it didn't turn out that way.
Breakfast nutrition takes back seat to sweet tooth
For at least 30 years, I have embraced the adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’m not sure when the epiphany occurred, but at some point my body or common sense persuaded me that breakfast was necessary enough that I prepare and eat it every morning before I leave the house.
To pour right-size cocktails, make some clear choices
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names, an ancient Chinese proverb says. So let us begin: A martini is served in what is correctly called a cocktail glass.
Flashback of the day
You bet your bippy!
Monday, January 21
Lots of snow: How’s your back holding up?
Although 15 minutes of snow shoveling benefits a healthy heart, most people don’t understand that the initial attempt at shoveling, especially if the snow is wet, can be like picking up a set of heavy free weights, since one shovelful of wet snow can weigh as much as 25 pounds.
More for your money in London
Americans visiting London these days might feel as destitute as the young Oliver Twist. And with $400-a-night hotel bills, $80 cab rides and $8 Tube tickets, they won't need Fagin's band of pickpockets to empty their wallets.
How does your cubicle grow?
We spend what, eight, 10 hours a day in our grim-gray cubicles at work? They're all alike, with their faded fabric dividers affording no privacy and dirt-brown carpets darkened with hints of soup and soda.
With help from our experts, resolve to protect your biggest investment
Your home is your biggest investment, and it only makes sense to maintain it. We have all heard that if we keep up with the small stuff, we can often prevent larger problems later on. But is that really true?
What's on tap this Monday
Shovel smart, protect your biggest investment, travel wisely in London, create a more productive cubicle. Learn how today! Click below for previews of these stories and a new "Home Alone" blog.
Sunday, January 20
Fresh content for a relaxing Sunday
Is your high school senior acting stranger than usual? Do your interiors need a little sprucing up? Get explanations, suggestions and more on the site today. Click below for all previews.
Senior year syndrome?
Dear Susan: My son is a senior in high school and has always been a really good kid. But just in the last few weeks he has gotten more distant and almost disrespectful. In some ways it’s like he’s six years old: not bringing his dishes to the sink, not doing chores, really mouthing off. His academics are fine, and it seems to be behavior just at home. He got early admission to a college out-of-state just before Christmas, and he had a mixed reaction to the letter. Any ideas?
A living space infused with old-world charm
While Zoe and Lorne liked the layout of their new house, they disliked the previous owners' style and color choices (let's just say there was a whole lot of pink to paint over!) and were hoping to inject some traditional, European style and sophistication into their adjoining living and dining rooms.
Jewelry designer Tiana Wages sparkles with her 22-karat designs
At 62, Tiana Wages has long intertwined her aesthetic visions. She was raised in Belgrade, capital of the former Yugoslavia, today Serbia, and was introduced early on to a multicultural world thanks to summers spent in Italy and Paris. Even today, she's able to speak six languages.
Freshen up the indoors with cut flowers
A splash of color during this monochromatic time of year brightens our spirits as well as our homes. And what better way to add a fresh splash of color than with some colorful tulips, Alstroemeria or daisies?
Saturday, January 19
Creatively hide your knitting stash
January is the time to make your New Year's resolutions and to get organized. Maybe this is the time to finally try to make sense of your knitting stash too.
Chilling out with cookies from the fridge
Finding a stash of cookie dough in the refrigerator (OK, even if you put it there yourself) is like discovering a spa gift certificate in your Christmas stocking: It promises near-instant gratification and delicious enjoyment.
How healthy is your medical credit score?
Mortgage lenders aren't the only ones showing more interest in your credit score these days - the health industry is creating its own score to judge your ability to pay.
How to be brow beautiful
Maintenance routine is key
If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the eyebrows are a welcome mat, albeit often poorly maintained.
Your stories for Saturday
From the tastiest refrigerator cookies to tips on organizing that mountain of yarn to the scary concept of a 'medical credit score,' you can read about them here today. Click through for links.
Friday, January 18
Paint it on!
Testers give hands up to hot polish shade
Every season, there's an "It" shade of nail polish. Sported by celebrities, it becomes an instant hit, sometimes selling out before mere mortals like us can get our mitts on a bottle.
Mac and cheese fit for winter comfort
When the weather is cool, my appetite gravitates toward comfort food, which tends to be tasty, filling, fattening and unglamorous. And so it was that I decided a couple of weeks ago to indulge a craving for homemade macaroni and cheese.
Here's what is fresh this Friday
From shopping "green" and winter comfort food, to hip, new nail colors and pre-Spring cleaning, our content runs the gamut today. Read on for previews and links.
Clean sweep for new year
January always brings out my inner Martha Stewart. I think it's a chemical response in my brain to bright blue skies, sunlight spilling 15 feet into the living room because of the sun's low angle, and gradually lengthening days.
Shopping for "green" spring clothes
Buying clothes can consume a big chunk of your budget - especially if you have kids and teenagers. New clothes also take their toll on the planet, given how much water, pesticides and energy it takes to produce cotton, polyester and other fabrics. Meanwhile, "out of style" clothes can end up in the trash even though they still have a lot of life left in them.
Thursday, January 17
‘Mean Mom’ sells son’s car
Last week, she was the meanest mom on the planet. This week: the coolest. Jane Hambleton, 48, gained a worshipful parental following when news of a classified ad she’d placed in the Des Moines Register was picked up by the Associated Press.
All the workout; none of the gym
I went to my "ladies" gym today and found it closed/out of business. I joined about three years ago, and have done three days a week there on the circuit machines. Here's my question: What can I do at home to strengthen my legs and upper body the way the machines used to do? I have a balance ball and a hula hoop, two flights of stairs and an easy neighborhood for walking. I'm 66 years old and in pretty good shape overall. I don't want to lose muscles that I worked pretty hard to get, but I also don't want to join another gym.
Plastic surgery: Parents' discretion
With all the emotional issues — including a betrayal of genes and a resistance to aging — that a nip or tuck can stir up, it's no wonder that cosmetic surgery causes frown lines in a family. So much so that some parents are now keeping mum about their procedures.
Top 10 food & wine & life pairings to try
After some rigorous winter sport, heat up a big mug of mulled plonk to enjoy while roasting hot dogs by a roaring bonfire. Sip and munch and laugh. Save the S’mores for the hot chocolate
Introducing...your stories for Thursday!
A new wine column, exercises to do at home, a Rock 'n' Roll Grandma blog and that "mean mom" from Des Moines. All await you on the site today. Click through for quick links.
Wednesday, January 16
Baking ready-made doughs — one step further
Cookies in the past were homemade by Mom with real butter in a KitchenAid mixer and baked until they "smell done." Today, baking homemade cookies often means rolling dough from a package into balls, or placing pre-formed cookie shapes onto a baking sheet. If the house smells like cookies, then you've made "homemade cookies."
Minding the medicine cabinet
Sometimes I look in the medicine cabinet and find some medicine whose expired-by date is printed in Roman numerals. So, do I blithely open this container and take II tablets IV times quaque die and call my physick in the ante meridiem? NO!
Simplifying life isn't simple
As the academics point out, retirement is a fairly new, post-World War II concept fueled by Social Security and pensions. Today, pensions are being eliminated and Social Security is usually not enough to sustain anyone. Is this why more boomers are working?
Here's how to bring some order to the family den
We all hope to fulfill New Year's resolutions, and an organized home could be the key.
What's happening this Wednesday
From helpful hints on organizing your living space to guidelines for disposing expired meds from Dear Crabby to another hilarious dispatch from the Hollywood writers' strike, it's here for you today. Click through for quick links.
Tuesday, January 15
Sauna into the New Year
I wanted to start the New Year symbolically ( as opposed to my usual symbolic start of cleaning out a closet). I’d heard of the thermal baths and saunas at Bad Kissingen. Giving my body a true day of rest seemed the right symbol. At almost 58, the tired body is ready for a little nurturing.
Cheese 101: Like wine, this dairy delicacy is increasing in number and variety
At a wonderful upscale restaurant, my husband and I were enjoying our last sips of wine when a waiter offered a cheese tray. It was loaded with ripe cheeses, hard cheeses, creamy goat cheese, blue cheese — a real wonderland with maybe 20 different varieties.
8 simple rules for a healthier 2008
You can't control genetics or the guy on the bus who sneezes on you, but many factors that affect your health are well within your control. Here are eight simple and surprising ways to improve you and your family's health in 2008.
Do research before leaving group health insurance
If you are too young for Medicare but considering leaving a job that offers group health insurance, it pays to do some research.
Topics for a frosty Tuesday
From shingles vaccines and vitamin D, to resolutions that are easy to keep, we've got the scoop and more on the site today. Read on for highlights and links.
Monday, January 14
'Service Gap' irks boomers
If you're over 50, you've probably had this experience: You're standing at a checkout counter, ready to pay, and the twentysomething behind the register is talking on her cell phone. So you wait, and wait, and wait, and when the clerk finally finishes her conversation, she offers not an apology, but a grimace that suggests you've interrupted.
Think before you take a walk toward a new treadmill
We've all heard the jokes about that piece of expensive home exercise equipment that now serves as a coat rack. As usual, there's some truth in the cliche, but one type of home exercise machine is less likely to be gathering dust in a corner. Treadmills are the most popular form of home exercise equipment -- accounting for one-third of all exercise equipment sales -- and also the most likely to be used and not abandoned.
Make 2008 a vintage year
Have a variety of wines on hand so you're prepared for any occasion. This week, we recommend a half-dozen wines representing the six so-called "noble grapes" (plus two bonus sparkling wines) you'll want in your wine rack to meet virtually any food-pairing challenge.
Caregiver's work keeps connection to ill mother alive
It is difficult to know when or how or where a person will find his or her life's purpose, the thing that makes being alive about more than just getting out of bed in the morning.
5 things you didn't know about ... driving while drowsy
Ambien, the nation's bestselling prescription sleeping pill, is showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later say they were sleep-driving and have no memory of taking the wheel after taking the drug.
New week, fresh content!
It's Monday, but we don't mind! We've got plenty of new stories to keep everybody happy. Read on to find out what's fresh on the site today and get links to whatever interests you!
Sunday, January 13
Identical beauty, same time, greener garden
Are you trendsetter or do you merely follow what others do? Here's what's in, what's out for `08 and some of the products that make it happen.
Implant combines cochlear implant with hearing aid
Carol Munsch remembers when she got her first set of hearing aids 11 years ago. "I hated them," said Munsch, 46. "All they did was make everything loud."
10 things sex cures after 50
We always knew that sex is fun. Now we find out it's also good for what ails you. Print this out and tape to your medicine cabinet.
Zero percent real advice; 100 percent funny
Wendy Molyneux finally has a platform to tell women what the media have been pussyfooting around for so many years: Everything is wrong with you.
Look what's fresh this Sunday
Sex for whatever ails you....need we say more? OK, how about what's in and out for gardening, a hot new book, and a high-tech solution for hearing-impaired boomers? Read on for the right links.
Saturday, January 12
Key to finishes is to avoid abrupt changes
Do all the metals in my home - door knobs, cabinet pulls and knobs, ceiling fans, faucets, etc, have to be the same color or can there be brass in one area, silver in another?
Threads of a story
Decades of learning have turned an artist into a master of her craft
When Jacque Hart tells the story of how she first learned to weave on a loom, it sounds like a training montage from “The Karate Kid.” “I worked at weaving every day, sometimes all day, for about two years.”
Which shampoo/conditioner combos pamper our tresses?
Shampoo and conditioner are as ubiquitous as toothpaste in our daily lives: We expect them to be the unglam workhorses of our grooming routines. So when they promise us a little something extra, we'll take it. More volume? Less frizz? How about longer-lasting color for those of us who are slaves to the dye?
`Ghost Whisperer' consultant speaks out loud
Mary Ann Winkowski says she sees dead people. More specifically, make that "earthbound spirits." The "ghostbuster-for-hire" also claims she can talk with those spirits telepathically ("In my mind"), act as a bridge between them and their survivors ("I find a lot of missing keys to safe-deposit boxes") and assist them to cross over to the other side.
Here are your Saturday stories
From women who weave and write to quick ways to update your kitchen and bath, we've got them - and more - today on the site. Click below to get details and quick links.
Friday, January 11
Roasting Winter Vegetables
With the bounty of summer vegetables a fading memory and spring's offerings too far away to imagine, it's time to embrace winter vegetables. Don't consider these hardy fellows second choice.
Company finds employee wellness is good for business
When Beverly Herbert first started working for Automation Service Inc. six months ago, she had no clue what came with her job as a silk screener. Previously an office manager and a truck driver, Herbert described what sounded like just another gig.
Fascinating fare for Friday
Delicious roasted veggies, health-conscious corporations, books for the foodie, a new craft gallery and a fresh "Shift Happens" blog. They're all new and ready for your review. Click on for links.
Glutton for a good read
Good eats and good reads: What a fabulous combination. Here are a few foodie books to curl up with this winter. Let the gluttony begin!
Thursday, January 10
Skin savers
Experts say healthier diet supports complexion from the inside out
If you’re looking to diet this year for the sake of your waistline, there could be an added bonus. Eating healthy can help the way your skin looks, too.
5 things you didn't know about cataracts
Cataracts, which are a clouding of the lens that affects vision, are very common in older people. In fact, people can have age-related cataracts in their 40s and 50s, but most are small and do not affect vision.
This just in for Thursday
From healthy ways to improve skin tone to a new fitness Web site that will take you around the world to a hilarious blog on VPL, we've got those and a lot more today. Read on for highlights and links.
Shopping on the fringes: Big feet? Small chest? Find right fit
Whatever women have, they usually complain about it. Short-legged ladies want longer legs, long-legged girls want shorter ones. Big-busted women want smaller breasts; small-busted women want bigger ones. It's not just about vanity or self-image. It's often about the hassles of trying to find clothing to fit a not-so-average body.
New site tracks fitness progress step by step
Former KU women's basketball coach hopes to get people fit
Marian Washington has motivated hundreds of college athletes to get moving during her long career. Now, the former KU women's basketball coach hopes to inspire everybody to get active with her new Web site.
Wednesday, January 9
Cancer diagnosis? Get 2nd ... 3rd ... 4th opinion
Kathy Madsen lay flat on her back, prepped for radiation to treat pancreatic cancer. She had been shocked to learn, at 54, that she might not live to her next birthday. But she hoped she could beat the odds. Maybe chemotherapy and radiation could shrink the mass so it could be removed surgically.
Rocks can add harmony to garden
Oftentimes when we start a landscaping project, one of our first inclinations is to rid the earth of all the rock that impedes our way to fertile flower beds and plentiful patios. But in doing so, avid gardeners miss an opportunity to build a gorgeous textural landscape in the dormant days of winter.
Organized kitchen helps family function
It's an annual ritual. We make promises on Jan. 1. And within a week, our resolutions look as promising as the discarded gift boxes. But there's a secret to making your resolutions stick, according to Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers and owner of Things in Place, an organizing consulting company in Massachusetts. Make organization your top priority, she says.
He pursued, she resisted: A family love story
He was handsome, with a broad forehead and hair parted in the middle. He worked in a bank owned by his family and tended toward seriousness. She was petite, with a long neck and blue eyes. A schoolteacher, she could be flirty but had a mind of her own.
What's fresh this Wednesday
Romantic reads, help for the cluttered kitchen, solid gardening advice, a "Home Alone" blog and more. It's all yours for the asking today. Click on for previews and links.
Tuesday, January 8
The Bumblebees
I don’t know about you, but it’s so easy for me to focus on the limitations of my body instead of the power of my spirit. Too often I allow myself to be grounded by negative thoughts and beliefs, and by the judgments and opinions of others.
Experience Wine weekends in Georgia, or Jumeirah Essex House
Think culinary pleasures in a wooded sanctuary that would be the perfect setting for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Now fast-forward to wintertime in the 21st century and add a penchant for wine and you'll arrive at The Lodge at Smithgall Woods. North Georgia's premier destination for the discriminating traveler has three big reasons to make the just-over-an-hour-trek north from Atlanta.
Poor etiquette on the rise, workplace experts say
If you've ever overheard a co-worker's loud cell phone conversation, noticed underwear peeking from the tops of his or her pants, or become nauseated watching one talk with a mouthful of food, you are not alone.
Take the long view on New Year resolutions
Dear Susan: It is January 8 and I have already blown all my New Year’s resolutions. I feel like such a failure. I made a list of all the changes I need to make in each area and tried them all, but already I’ve blown it. What now?
Here are your Tuesday topics
From advice on rescuing your resolutions, to an inspiring tale of sisterly encouragement, to a hilarious blog about post-Mary Tyler Moore traumatic syndrome, we've got those and more today. Click through for links.
Monday, January 7
Healthful beginnings
2008 may truly be a year of "new beginnings." Some believe the number 8 - as in 2008 - signifies beginning again, commencement or "new firsts." I like that.
Divorce and the tax man, part 2
Based on questions from our readers, we continue to share with you some common taxation mistakes that you should avoid when you divorce.
Daughter continues mother's legacy at soul food restaurant
Tricia Davenport had been in the mortgage industry for 20 years, dodging six different layoffs. But this past June, she finally was laid off. In retrospect, it was a blessing that set her on her next career.
Make 2008 the best financial year yet
The new year is upon us, and with it comes the potential to improve your financial situation. While that goal may seem easier said than done, there are steps consumers can take to make 2008 a better financial year than 2007 - steps that will help you save money, improve your credit score and pay down your debts.
Here's the line-up to start the week
The first full work week of the year is here, but don't worry: we've got articles and blogs to liven up your day. Click through to see what's new!
Sunday, January 6
A bright idea: Try CFL bulbs at home
Compact fluorescent light bulbs ranked high on Monique Tilford's holiday gift list. Tilford, deputy director of the consumer group Center for New American Dream, gave a package of CFLs to an elderly aunt and included an offer to install them for her.
Winter garden gets pick-me-up
Suzy Bales gardened for 20 years before she discovered winter didn't have to be gloomy. There can be interesting things to look at, even in the coldest months.
Sail into Sunday
We've got new stories to brighten your winter weekend — either through new light blubs in your home or new plants in your garden. Plus, find a blog from our echo boomer and a look at osteoporosis in men. Click through to get details.
Osteoporosis affects men, too
It is no wonder that most consumers and many doctors consider osteoporosis a "women's health" issue: More than 8 million women in this country suffer from it. But more than 2 million men have osteoporosis, too.
Saturday, January 5
Turning a new leaf
Use dormant season to grow unusual plants
With all of the variety in the world, we are a species that still gravitates to what we know best: the familiar. Well, maybe we should shake off the bowlines this winter and dive headfirst into the odd and peculiar by growing some plants that are way off the beaten path.
7 ‘deadly’ gift ideas
New year novelties come designed to embrace, stave off sin
The start of the new year is the time when we plan to be better people — nicer, skinnier, more careful people. Sure, self-help books and service magazines offer a lot of lists, but you might want to check yourself against something that has stood the test of time: the Seven Deadly sins, a popular topic in art and drama of the Middle Ages.
The future of our food
Culinary trends for 2008
Americans are getting increasingly intimate with their food, and 2008 likely will see the relationship deepen. That’s because two forces — the proliferation of foodie culture and its obsessive desire for provenance, and growing worries over food safety — have combined to create a whirlwind of information about food and drink.
Let the weekend begin!
We've got hot food trends, winter-defying plants, New Year novelties and do-it-yourself wine cellars today. Read on for previews and links to whatever sparks an interest.
Friday, January 4
Tackle your single biggest problem in 2008
It's time for New Year's resolutions. Like most people, you probably have at least five or six items on your list. However, make sure you tackle your biggest issue successfully this year. That's how you'll really improve your life.
Bring some novelty to your New Year fitness routine
Dear Crabby: I'm looking for something new for my exercise routine this year. What can you recommend? Bored in Baltimore
Lost and Found
When good books go out of print, alert publishers figure out ways to repackage them, and now my friend Jane's book is about to reappear. I’m glad it’s back because it’s a wonderful book, but I find myself somewhat bemused by the repackaging.
Too much salt will damage plants
Horticulturists usually wait until symptoms appear in the spring to talk about salt damage in the landscape. So why am I bringing it up now? Because we can prevent the injury: The de-icing salts that we apply to our sidewalks and driveways are the source of much of the damage.
Fare for a fantastic Friday
Dear Crabby returns to the Health page, Judith Roitman is back on the Spirituality page, and Polly Newman sends her love (for a fish) from Paris! Click below for all this and more!
Flashback of the Day
Aiming for the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.
Thursday, January 3
Incorporating dates into diet is easier than you think
It’s not every day that the UPS guy drops 11 pounds of dates on the front porch. But that’s exactly what happened at my house the week before Christmas. This bounty of palm fruit was a gift from relatives on the West Coast, who thought a product of the California sunshine might liven up our snowy Midwestern holiday.
A touch of diabetes
We've heard it called "borderline diabetes" or "a touch of sugar" - when blood tests reveal higher than normal blood sugar levels that haven't quite reached the threshold to be called "diabetes."
10 tips to start the year with a kick
Well, it’s January again, and we’re all wondering if we can really stick with those New Year’s resolutions. If getting in shape and staying there is one of yours, here are my Top 10 Tips to help you ward off decrepitude.
Here's what is on tap for Thursday
A review of kinder, gentler beauty products, a primer on pre-diabetes, advice on making your fitness routine last and a Pat Detmer blog... we've got it all today. Read on for previews and links to whatever interests you.
Foggy windshield?
From the classroom to the glovebox
Treat your skin to health for the New Year
I know all the products I'm addicted to using on my skin and especially on my eyes enhance my looks, but every once in a while I wonder what havoc all those chemicals may be causing. My eyes in particular tend to sting and tear.
Flashback of the Day
A turning point for the GOP
Wednesday, January 2
Brain is body part worth sweating over
My brain is getting soft - and so is yours. When I was a kid, I was taught the stuff in my head was hard-wired, came at birth and stayed that way until death. Now we know better.
Having ethnic hair in corporate America
Despite warnings from her family that an ethnic hairdo might hurt her career, Melissa Theodore of Huntington, N.Y., an accountant at Ernst & Young, wears her hair in long, thin braids with burgundy highlights that cascade past her shoulders.
What's on your hearth?
The mantel often is the showpiece of a fireplace. Family pictures and treasures may sit atop it. Sometimes mirrors or other home decor items are placed on it. But areas below it - the hearth and the surrounding space - usually are forgotten or sparingly decorated.
Divorce and the tax man
Based on questions from our readers, we will share with you some common taxation mistakes that you can avoid when you divorce.
Claim the space over your toilet
Even in small bathrooms there's space for organization — you just have to know where to look.
It's a wonderful Wednesday ...
From being yourself in corporate America to increasing the fitness level of your brain, we've got you covered on the site today. Read on for highlights and links to the fresh content.
Flashback of the day
Farewell to the Skipper
Flashback of the Day
Conserve that gas and drive a bit slower.
Tuesday, January 1
Hope and Healing: Couples try to recover after adultery
Adultery. It's such an ugly, stark word, much worse than "an affair" or "having a fling." And like a stone thrown into water, it can create years of rippling consequences spreading out to many people.
Here's what's new for the New Year
Shake off that champagne hangover with new stories on our Passions, Food, Love and Retirement page, including a BoomerGirl with a new twist on "bowl week". Read on for details and links AND the name of the December "You Deserve It" giveaway winner!
Where it's always bowl season
Ann Ehringer is a modernist at heart, but today in her sleek Santa Monica living room, she is holding a link to ancient history. In her cupped hands is a small wood bowl. Behind her, displayed like fine china on glistening white shelves, are 150 other hand-turned vessels.
Women, too, face retirement identity crisis
It's been years since I identified myself simply as Steve's wife or Tom's mother. Almost 40 years, in fact. Instead, I have identified myself as a reporter, a journalist, a writer, a book author, a television host, even the founder of a nonprofit group for women at midlife.
Time to raid the spice pantry
Sometimes it's easy to know when it's time to replace that dusty carton of ground nutmeg or cinnamon. Um, the fact that it's dusty is one clue. Another is a price tag on the bottom that reads "19 cents" (ah, the good old days) or perhaps you have a vintage picture of your great-grandmother holding that tin while she's doing the Charleston.
5 New Year’s Resolutions for wine lovers
My theory is: if you going to drink less wine, you can afford to drink better wine! And, I know from my own experience that when I drink really good wine, I do slow down and savor every sip.
Flashback of the day
A monumental mistake.