September 1997

Between friends

Of all the temptations I've faced and all the crazy ideas I've entertained, running away to join the circus was never one of them. But if it had been, you can bet your life I would have become a lion tamer before I'd think about a high-wire act.

Add-On Architecture

Even if your home wasn't blessed with great bone structure, you can give ordinary rooms a quick facelift with these simple woodworking projects.

To the Letter

Nothing stamps a room with your personal imprint better than a monogram. Once reserved mainly for clothing and table and bed linens, monograms are now appearing in less predictable places in the home. Etched onto mirrors, fashioned into door banners, and appliquéd onto slipcovers and decorative pillows, monograms take away all guesswork as to who lives here.

The New American Neighborhood

Mosey down the street in the new town of Celebration, Florida, and you're likely to meet the Hancocks-- unless, that is, you're driving. At least once a day, Cynthia and David and their two children, David and Candace, take their dog Robie (short for Robespierre) for a leisurely stroll. They also walk to the grocery store, the cinema, the ice-cream shop, the city park, the post office, the church, the doctor's office, and to all their friends' houses, all of which are just a short stroll away. In fact, about the only workout the family car gets is a daily commute to David Sr.'s office in Orlando. "We love the small-town atmosphere here," says Cynthia. "It reminds me of the town where I grew up."

Welcome To My Island

Imagine the serenity of island living. You're lounging in a sea of contentment surrounded by vast expanses of water, basking beneath an azure sky, enjoying wild fruit that grows so abundantly, and warming yourself by a campfire. Life has become a leisure pursuit. Now, imagine you have one of the kitchen islands shown on the pages ahead. Your fantasy comes true with flowing water, skylights above, and a full complement of contemporary cooking appliances. Enjoy your mango.

Finally--money advice that fits your life

If you're like most people, you struggle with money, financial planning, and all the mumbo jumbo surrounding it.

Digging in the Digital Garden

BHGLive, the award-winning Better Homes and Gardens magazine Internet site, isn't the kind of place you can just dash through once and say, "Been there, done that." Because like a garden, there's always something new sprouting up, and-- like a favorite garden-- you'll want to visit it again and again.

When Kids Drive...

The whomp of a car door slamming and the shout, "Mom, Dad, I'm home!" can be the sweetest sounds a parent will ever hear.

Carpet Safeguards

Recycling the Heat

Fridge checkup

A Kinder, Gentler Drive

Sport/utility vehicles based on cars have nicer manners than truck-based types.

Stroke

Gregory Byrd sees a lot of things in his rural Virginia medical practice, but he says the day he helped save a patient from a stroke is the closest thing to a miracle he has seen.

Coping With Hair Loss

We love hair. Throughout the ages in all cultures, a full head of luxurious, thick hair has been associated with youth, sex appeal, health, and power. Even Julius Caesar felt the need to hide his hair loss. Legend has it that the ancient Roman ruler began wearing a laurel crown 24 hours a day to hide his receding hairline.

New Weapon to Fight Cold Sores

Here Kitty, Kitty

It Makes the Medicine Go Down

Children hate the smell and taste of medicine. Some parents literally have to wrestle their kids to get them to take it, leaving adults to wonder how much actually went down.

An Option for the Terminally Ill

Putting the Squeeze on Fruit Juice

To Thine Own Self, Give Blood

How Do You Clean Your Lenses?

Be A Lunch-Box Hero

Break out the brown bags and Hercules lunch boxes, the kids are heading back to school. Packing healthful lunches for your pride and joy needn't be a hassle. A few simple, yet creative, tactics will make your job easier while getting the kids involved in the lunch-making process.

Peonies

Beauty will blossom in your garden if you plant the Peony Collection inspired by our garden feature on pages 137 to 144. The varieties we've chosen are not identical to the varieties shown in our story (some of which are difficult to obtain), but the collection can be a "starter set" providing a nice range of both vibrant and subdued colors.

Venting Session

That feeling has been building up all season. Now it's finally time to clean out those dirty interior vents and registers. If you do the job right, you can avoid stirring up a lot of dust and trouble.

Power-Packed Planting

After 16 years in an apartment, Mark Henry had some gardening to catch up on. Looking at his new and stuffed-to-the-gills garden, you might think Mark is overcompensating. Because when he isn't relaxing over coffee in his rose garden, he is very busy-- as is his landscape. But look again: His garden isn't wild. It's wonderful.

Your Home's Fall Checklist

Just as we move winter clothing back into closets in preparation for cold weather, so should we prepare our homes to withstand winter's frosty bite.

LOOKING GOOD

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Pink Puffs and Red Rockets

A Spreader Stopper

Rediscovering peonies

Surely your grandmother grew peonies. Seventy-five years ago, when Better Homes and Gardens first began publishing as Fruit, Garden and Home, everyone grew these fragrant wonders. Now peonies are enjoying a renaissance of sorts, as today's too-little-time gardeners rediscover peonies and incorporate them into their home landscapes-- and find themselves rewarded with long-lived, no-fuss flowers reminiscent of another era.

Rural Routes to Style

For the Fasseus family, reconnecting to the past means trading their high-rise lifestyle for one rooted in nature and simplicity. It means exiting the fast lane-- if only on weekends-- for the slower pace of a winding country road and their 160-year-old farmhouse. It also means settling in with a decorating style that can put any house in a country-casual mood.

Playing dress-up

Some people go to thrift stores and see only junk. Mary Mulcahy sees orphans in need of new clothes. A photo stylist for catalogs such as Pottery Barn and Neiman-Marcus, Mulcahy gives old upholstered pieces new life with slipcovers made from fresh but inexpensive fabrics. Read on for tips on turning your own junk into treasure.

Home of the year

Seventy-five years add up to a lot of changes since Better Homes and Gardens debuted in 1922, but our Home of the Year for 1997 embodies a spirit that's reassuringly familiar. Here is a forward-thinking house that sums up seven decades of great design-- while drawing you back to a quieter, simpler time.

Nutrition Information

With each recipe, we give important nutrition information. The calorie count of each serving and the amount, in grams, of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein will help you keep tabs on what you eat.

Back to School

Make sure you're ready when the big yellow bus rolls down your street this month. On the next few pages you'll find tips for a smart start to your family's best year yet. Climb aboard!

The Best CD-ROM Encyclopedias

It's 7:30 Thursday night and panic is setting in. Your daughter's report on whales is due tomorrow, and she's in tears. As you look over the dry collection of reference books she's assembled, you wish you had time to run to the library. Suddenly, you recall, "Didn't our new computer come with an encyclopedia on CD-ROM?"

Spook-tacular Pumpkins

Here's a project for the birds: It's a bird-house version of our Home of the Year (pages 167 to 181). The overall size is about 12x5x8 inches and includes a bird compartment about 5x5 (sized for wrens and chickadees).

Inspired by the Home of the Year

The Shopper's Mart

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order with comfort and convenience from your own home.

The man next door

Our daughter Rosemary thinks her college's new rule that all students carry photo I.D.'s for security reasons is archaic. She and her roommate think it'd be much more hip to simply tattoo their names on their shoulders.