Living-Home

PHILADELPHIA Six years ago, when Barbara Melera bought the venerable D. Landreth Seed Co., it had been decades since Landreths were at the helm, and the company no longer specialized in the vegetables and flowers that had built its fine reputation.

Black walls aren't just for Goth kids and heavy metal fans anymore. They're popping up in upscale shelter magazines, hipster design blogs and just about everywhere in between. Witness the black dining room at the Benjamin Moore paints Web site, where "Black Satin" is one of the featured "Colors for Your Home, 2009."

No matter where you live in the country, there is a season when snapdragons will absolutely steal the show in your landscape. In zones 7 and warmer, many gardeners plant them in the fall as pansy partners. They are planted in late winter to early spring in colder areas where they give riotous colors almost all summer.

Q: Are some children more prone to get head lice than others? It seems to me that it's more of a problem with girls, but maybe it just seems that way because it's so much trouble dealing with long hair.

This is one of my foolish annual exercises. I call it providing information on shoveling snow, from buying shovels to rearranging your snowfall without breaking your back or giving you a heart attack.

A GUIDE TO HOME ENERGY SAVING STRATEGIES (Part 3 of 3)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Clint and Lacey Loumaster of Lenexa, Kan., met in an advanced calculus class. But the husband and wife share more in common than a prowess for complicated math.

Q: I want to paint several rooms in my house this winter and would like to use paint that is healthful and safe for the ecology. How can I be sure I am getting that kind of paint? -Maryann

WHAT'S NEW: TOOTHBRUSH IS SELF-CLEANING

MILWAUKEE - In a bark burl at the bottom of a woodpile, Paul Bobrowitz saw a mask with a wise man's face. In an old sewing machine case, he saw a handy computer printer table.

DALLAS "Beyond this place there be dragons," reads the sign over a courtyard door, visible once you've walked across a drawbridge, over a moat and passed through ornate iron gates. Let it be known there are talking trees and fairy woods, too.

I was hesitant to place furniture in a room other than where it was intended to go - until I fell in love with a nightstand that complemented my living room sofa. I wonder if I broke the rules.

When your fourth-grader complains about homework, it's not just empty whining. Homework for fourth-graders is more difficult.

DETROIT A couple who own Madonna's childhood home in Rochester Hills, Mich. - severely damaged in a fire last summer - are to be in court Thursday for a hearing on bringing the home into compliance with city ordinances.

Sharing your home over the holidays is what the season is all about, but it can also be trying, especially if you're busy and unable to be the most attentive host. Here are some easy tricks, from Woman's Day magazine, to make sure your houseguests are as comfortable in your home as you are - or even more so - without feeling like you have to go overboard.

Renters needn't depend on simply turning down the thermostat to reduce home-energy costs. Even though most energy-saving tips are written for homeowners, there are many ways renters can save money without making major home modifications.

Think you have to shell out serious bucks to take your kitchen from blah to great, guess again! For the price of a few tools, some key materials and a little sweat equity, you can rehab the main surfaces of your kitchen and transform your space for next to nothing. Here are four favorite kitchen-upgrade projects from the editors of Fresh Home magazine:

CHICAGO We are a nation of nomads, traveling from house to apartment to condo to townhouse, searching for that comfort we call home.

Ralphie's house is getting the Griswold treatment.