August 2006

You'll find a swath of the outside inside this August issue

Naturally, it's full of wonderful gardens, floral delights, and plenty of carefully cultivated ideas to get the most from your backyard haven. Be sure to take your kids (and yourself) on the happy romp through the marigolds that begins on page 167. Even our featured houses are full of fresh-air sensibility, with spirited summery colors, soaring ceilings, and broad expanses of glass that blur the distinction between exterior and interior-- design elements we definitely love.

SHARE YOUR FAMILY'S SILLY PET FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $1,000

GRILLING MADE EASY

CUSTOMER SERVICE ON BHG.COM

WINDOWS WITH WOW!

Endless Summer

Lengthen the season with these beach-inspired ideas.

Dishing up a beautiful life

Open the door of R. Wood Studio and you'll encounter mounds of red Georgia clay, hot kilns, stacks of glazed ceramic dishes, and a talented group of artisans crafting the singular pieces for which the studio is known. And at its center, you'll find Rebecca Wood-- founder, resident earth mother, and the spark that fires this offbeat operation.

SAVED BY GRACE

An old farmhouse slated for demolition becomes the jewel of its Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood, thanks to two people who believed in its promise.

LIVING ON THE PORCHES

A Houston family takes relaxation outside-- on two levels-- giving friends and guests ample room to lounge, chat, and enjoy the balmy breezes.

A Handle on Color

Wonder Soap

CHEESE, U.S.A. STYLE

Smoke Signals

IT'S A WASH

DON'T BUG ME

French Flair

Meet the Mini House

Lavender Fields Forever

LURE OF THE WATER

A claustrophobic 1940s kitchen does a dramatic sea change. It's now a light-filled hub that gives this water-loving family the feel of endless summer.

DOUBLING UP ON FUNCTION

Careful planning and clever design give a southern California couple a roomy home office that moonlights as guest quarters.

THE JOYS OF TRANSPLANTS

One couple reinvented their lives-- and a lonely slope of land-- when they bid good-bye to San Francisco and moved to the suburbs.

5-MINUTE FLOWERS

There's no need to visit a florist for high-priced bouquets when you can create these stunning, and super easy, arrangements from your backyard.

PRESERVING HERBS

When summer fills your garden with more herbs than you can use, freeze or dry them to keep the fresh flavor.

Back to School Stylin'

The essential guide to outfitting kids for class with class.

BOOKING IT Across THE Country

Take a road trip through literary America with an itinerary that offers fun, knowledge, and memories as indelible as ink.

Before THEY GO abroad

As more students plan studies in other countries, setting ground rules can help keep them safe-- and ensure that they call home once in a while.

Celebrate THE milestones

Approaching your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, or older isn't a time to dread but to celebrate. Do what these women did-- revel in your life.

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN'

You're on a scenic weekend drive in the family SUV when you round a bend in the road and see a small group of couples enjoying the day on motorcycles. You turn to your husband and say, "We should try that sometime."

SLICES OF SUMMER

LAVENDER BLUE LEMONADE

BORROWER'S PARTY

HOME IN A TOTE

Get away for a week or a weekend at a mountain cabin or beach cottage.

THE ART OF SLEEPING IN

RUSHING TO CLASS, RUSHING TO FIRES

Putting a smile on style

The Language of a House

After living in a Spanish-Mediterranean-style home in the heart of Los Angeles, he was ready to get back to his roots. He missed the open spaces of the Arroyo Seco-- one of California's most beautiful canyons and the playground of his youth. And he missed the open spaces of his family's midcentury modern home. An admirer of the post-and-beam-style house, Rod began scouting the Pasadena area for one he could call his own. "When I walked into this house, I was absolutely silent," says Rod. "The real estate agent asked me what was wrong, and I said, 'Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out how quickly I can buy this house.

A Seamless Start to School

The transition from the lazy days of summer to the craziness of back to school can be a real stressor.

THE WAITING GAME

Keeping Kids Hydrated

Because of their higher metabolisms, kids get hotter than adults. And they get dehydrated more quickly. In the high heat of late summer that has consequences ranging from fatigue to heat stroke.

YOUR OWN SPORTS DRINK

Buzz FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO QUIT

Q&A

ADVENTURE IN A JAR

Grab-and-Go Bag

If you and your family had to hightail it out of your house in an emergency, would you be prepared?

REBLOOMING BLUE IRIS

A Navy Wife's dream house

Yesterday, the four walls of the cramped cottage that my Navy lieutenant husband and I call home closed in on me so badly that I shrunk into the shell of my imagination. I didn't come out until I had designed the most adorable and comfortable house imaginable (and the beans boiling on the stove began to scorch).