Sarah Wesley Lemire Has The Last Word: Happy Brothers Day

Love Notes Column: Opposites Attract, But Don't Expect Changes

Scandinavian Design: The Beauty Of Nordic Simplicity And Minimalism

Tag Sale Savvy: 10 Tips For A Top-Notch Yard Sale

Carolyne Roehm's Sublime Garden In Sharon Is One Of Four On Trade Secrets Tour

Players: Meet Some Of The 'Best Of Hartford' Winners

CT Seniors Keep Living At Home Thanks To 'Money Follows The Person' Program

Cut The Clutter: Start Now To Help Parents Sort Through Keepsakes

People often say that they are dreading the task of going through their parents' house after they pass away because of all the stuff tucked in the attic, basement and garage. Likewise, older clients frequently mention that they wish their children would take the time now to look through old boxes...

You Can Take That Rug Outside: Today's Carpets Give Plush Look To Outdoor Spaces

At the mention of "indoor/outdoor carpeting," most of us think of a stiff, dark-colored rug that's good for taking a bit of abuse from wet boots, soggy pets and dripping umbrellas in a home's entryway. Not much to look at, right? What a difference a few years — and a few new manufacturing materials...

• Pictures: Indoor-Outdoor Rugs

Plant To Please The Pollinators: Home Gardeners Can Make A Big Difference

Walking around her yard in early February, Nancy DuBrule-Clemente spotted honeybees feasting at her witch hazel plant. December was so mild that the Middletown resident's asters were still blooming, serving up a banquet for native bees. Local garden clubs, land trusts, the state legislature and...

• Pictures: Plants To Nurture Pollinators

State-Of-The-Art Style: White On White And Painterly Prints

Designers have fashion down to a fine art this season. The artistry starts with the serenity and infinite possibility of a plain white canvas, or to be more precise, white-on-white designs. White has always been a warm weather classic, and the newest options are sweet and pleasing. A white lace...

• Pictures: State-of-the-Art Style

Sleek And Petite Wallet Designs To Stash Just Your Cash And Phone

Women's wallets are shrinking. No, that's not a metaphor for the amount of money they're toting around. Their physical wallets are getting smaller. They're slimming down because women are buying more compact handbags, and because they don't have to lug around as many cards or thick wads of cash....

• Pictures: Itsy-Bitsy Wallets

Activewear: High-Energy Colors And Prints Will Invigorate Your Workouts

You're getting ready to take a run, jump on the elliptical trainer, lift some weights, head to the barre studio or hit the gym. What to wear? Multiple choice here: 1. Those baggy old sweats. That could mean just another same old, same old, dreary day of grinding it out. 2. Or high-energy colors...

• Pictures: Bold Geometrics And Rainbow Prints Energize Activewear

Sleep Deprived: A Third Of Us Don't Get Recommended Seven Hours Of Shut-Eye

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published its first national survey of sleep for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In many respects, it's consistent with our image of ourselves as bleary-eyed insomniacs downing triple espresso shots and melatonin pills as we stare...

Detoxing From Smartphone Addiction: Devices Can Make Us Obsessed, Depressed

Every year, my husband and I take our kids on a two-week trip that differs from our other vacations in one significant way: We completely unplug from the Internet. No iPhones, no email, no Facebook. We don't even check the news. At first it's hard. I feel twitchy, unsettled and panicky. After a...

Positive Thoughts About Aging Enhance Health And May Help Ward Off Alzheimer's

In a country where senility and incontinence have become tropes of aging, at least for Hollywood and Madison Avenue, it's no wonder many people are stressed about the prospect of aging out of a younger, livelier in-group as we all must someday. A Yale researcher says people who embrace those negative...

Worth The Wait: Why Some Newlyweds Put Their Honeymoon On Hold

Under a shower of rice and cheers from the crowd, the bride and groom duck into a waiting limo before being whisked off to the airport and jetting to some exotic destination with palm trees and umbrella drinks. It's the kind of stuff that dreams are made of. However, as romantic as it all sounds,...

Therapists Advise Couples To Bring Up Issues Before They Take Their Vows

Let's be honest. Stories that begin with "Once upon a time" and end with "happily ever after" are rarely more than fairy tales. And though most couples go into their wedding day hoping that their life together will turn out like one, chances are that it won't. The truth is that marriage, much like...

Wedding Parties Mix It Up: Bridesmen, Groomswomen, Even Dogs And Babies

The wedding party used to be a slew of bridesmaids, including the maid of honor, attending the bride and an equal number of ushers and a best man standing up for the groom. Couples have gotten more creative lately. Brides are asking their best guy friend or favorite brother to take the place of...