March 1961

It's NEWS to met!

IDEAS IN ACTION

SMART COOK . . .

The Smart way to add living to your home

Four years ago, a Long Island, New York, family decided to enlarge its 1½ -story home in a development of $15,000 houses. The family had lots of plans: finish the attic, enclose the breezeway, move out one wall and add a garage.

The Colonel is a flower arranger

IN 1957, the most revered flower arrangers of Japan, for the first time in the history of their art, invited an Occidental to attend the "hundred-man exhibit"-- the greatest honor an arranger can receive. He was Norman J. Sparnon, above, a former Australian Army Colonel and Japanese language expert who, only 13 years before, had served with American combat units through the bitter island-hopping campaigns of the South Pacific.

Parents and children live together in peace

We all love our families-- but not buzzing around us every single minute of the day and night. That's why we selected this house as our Five Star Home for March. It gives both children and parents the option of being together or by themselves. And, this works both inside and out.

Blooming borders don't just happen-they're planned!

FOR MORE ENJOYMENT of your garden and outdoor living areas, plan now to have a full season of flower borders in bloom. You will get as much pleasure out of planning and planting the flower border as an artist docs in painting a landscape. And, you can see exciting results just in a matter of weeks from the time you start. Plus-- you'll have a parade of flowers month after month, year after year.

HANG IT ALL!

The Plain Dirt Gardener tackles his spring lawn

Every spring, I always seem to find patches of grass that failed to come through the winter. Even after a good fall raking, some leaves remain to smother the grass, and in years of heavy snowfall, snowmold always seems to creep in.

This is quite a kitchen!

It just radiates happy living! So why not copy our ideas to make your kitchen warm and wonderful, too. Yes, Better Homes & Gardens editors planned every inch of it to show you how you can combine comfort and convenience in a kitchen your whole family will enjoy.

THESE FOODS ARE NEWS!

Beans and franks in tomato sauce. The franks (tiny, cocktail size) partner with flavorful baked beans in this combo. Here's a meal-in-one that's as easy as opening a 1-pound can!

Special occasion tables for spring

Keep your laundry cart busy!

When you need an extra pair of hands to carry the lightweight but bulky loads, roll out your laundry cart. Save time, steps, and extra reaching and bending. Today, many laundry carts adjust to your standing, sitting, or kneeling work height; some have handles, larger wheels for stairclimbing. Removable muslin or plastic liners add versatility, rinse clean in sudsy water. Whether washing, cleaning, or gardening, your laundry cart is your able assistant.

LOOK AND COOK

ULTRASONICS

Tonight a housewife in Fresno is washing her supper dishes in a most unusual manner. Holding each plate by the edge, she dunks it into a sink full of clear, no-suds water. After a few seconds, she pulls it out and sloshes it gently through plain water in the adjoining sink compartment, then stands it in a rack to dry.

Where does your child learn about sex?

Never before in our history has there been so much school and public sex education. Never before have children been so thoroughly "instructed." And never before has there been so much teen-age sexual delinquency; as much teen-age cynicism and amorality; as much aex experimentation; as many premaritally pregnant teenage brides; as many young unmarried mothers; as much venereal disease; and as much open promiscuity among children.

Your baby's wonderful hands

When your baby, at about 8 or 8½ months, picks up a tiny morsel of food by forming a pincer of his thumb and index finger, you may not realize it, but this is a milestone in his development. It represents a highly precise use of his hand and a fine degree of co-ordination between the nerves and muscles that control his fingers and the nerves and muscles that control his eyes.

How to get plans for FIVE STAR homes

Five Star Home 3103, shown on page 48, is one of a monthly series for which you can buy complete plans with the following features:

Get more miles from your tires

Hiring home improvement

Before you make an alteration or addition to your home, you must do some advance planning. The major part of any planning program is deciding exactly what you want. The feature beginning on page 39 of this issue will help you do that.

Get personal help at a Better Homes HOME PLANNING CENTER PERSONAL HELP IN FURNISHING YOUR HOME

Look for this seal when you're looking for ideas to help make your home more comfortable and attractive. It identifies stores which feature, at no charge, personal counsel in furnishing and decorating your home. Visit the Home Planning Center near you soon.

DECORATING NEWS worth noting

Recent trend -setting decorating shows have emphasized the old-world "Mediterranean look" in furniture, color schemes, and accessories. Traditional styles, like Louis XVI and French Empire, are becoming more and more popular with our country's designers and decorators. Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian decorating influences are equally evident, along with a good representation of English, Early American, Far East, and Victorian decor.

When BABY starts to crawl

When your baby takes to all fours during the last quarter of his first year, he's not only getting where he wants to go, he's also doing exercise that's wonderful for his back, leg, and arm muscles.

HEDGES: planting, choosing, placing, and using

IT'S PRUNING TIME!

Out, out carpet spots!

the man next door

Spring is gradually burning through winter's ice, and I'm glad. After all, you can stop a lawn mower, lie down on the grass, and rest till your wife revives you. But you can't do that shoveling snow.