In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are highlighting AAPI owned businesses in the month of May to share their voices and recognize their influence on the Asian community. In 2020, Erica Luo and Mark Fuqua visited a close friend at his home. He burned incense as a way to pay homage to his Egyptian heritage, and, when the couple went back to their apartment, they began to question why their own home didn’t smell like their cultural heritage....

Here’s a flock of birds and their feng shui symbolism. You can incorporate bird imagery into your home and life to express the qualities you want to cultivate. Some of our favorite ways to include bird symbols into the home are: WallpaperArtworkPhotographsCeramics Decorated vasesSculptures Figurines P.S. They don’t need to be Asian-inspired in style, but can be—only if you like it! Origami cranes are a fun addition to your home....

Depending on the variety, their height ranges from 6 inches to 5 feet. In spite of the astilbe’s need for abundant moisture (dry spells will induce dormancy), some drainage during the winter months is necessary. Astilbes are heavy feeders, so regular soil amendment and fertilizer is important. The plant is vigorous without being invasive, and if you wish to propagate it, you can easily do so by layering. Layering is started by taking a branch that’s still attached to the plant and gently bending the middle down to touch the earth, covering it with soil....

Plant flowering tobacco in the spring after the last frost in your area. The plant is toxic to humans, and toxic to pets. Other than that, it is a very easy plant to grow that also makes an excellent annual for containers. Light Plant your flowering tobacco in full sun to part shade. At least six hours of sunlight on most days is ideal. In very hot climates, provide your plants with shade from hot afternoon sun....

While foamflower requires little maintenance, snipping off the spent flowers after the bloom will give the plant a neater appearance. Light Foamflower needs part shade to full shade. If there is any sun, it should be only morning sun. Soil Plant foamflower in soil that is rich in humus and organic matter. The soil should be equally able to retain moisture and drain well because foamflowers do poorly in wet soil, which can cause root rot....

Everyone has smelly areas of their house, and instead of breaking out the aerosol air freshener spray when your bathroom or trash can starts to smell, it’s often more efficient to use an odor-eliminating product like the popular Fresh Wave Odor-Removing Gel. This odor eliminator is made from all-natural ingredients, and it claims to remove odors from the air not just cover them up. We were curious if a product made from natural ingredients could hold its own against tough odors, so we tested the Fresh Wave Odor-Removing Gel for several weeks in some of the smelliest spots we could find....

Mid-March can be quite cold in many parts of the country, so bundle up and bring blankets under which to sit. It doesn’t hurt to bring a Thermos of hot cocoa, either (consider flavoring it with a minty syrup). Shamrock shakes and green smoothies are more options for green, kid-friendly beverages to enjoy! Encourage your child to entice the leprechaun with gold (rocks painted yellow?) and leave a trail of glitter or shamrocks to prove that the magical little man came by....

How Do You Know If Your Garden Has Rabbits? Rabbits that are common in the United States range from the house cat-sized jackrabbit to its smaller cousins, the cottontails and brush rabbits, which are about 12 inches long. The jackrabbit tips the scales at a hefty three to seven pounds, while cottontail and brush rabbits weigh about two pounds. All have brown to gray fur with varying tints. Even if you don’t see a rabbit, you can see evidence that it was there, because rabbits leave behind coarse, circular fecal “pellets,” which are about 1/2-inch in diameter....

This required protection can be provided either by a GFCI circuit breaker or GFCI receptacles. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, depending on the installation. Also, keep in mind that the local electrical code—the rules you must follow to pass electrical inspections—may have specific requirements for how to provide GFCI protection in your jurisdiction. Basically, a GFCI circuit breaker does the same thing as a GFCI receptacle, so making the correct choice requires that you weigh various advantages and disadvantages of each....

Characteristics Gibraltar azalea plants produce clusters (called “trusses,” technically) of funnel-shaped, bright orange flowers with ruffled petals in May (in a zone 5 garden). Flowers precede leaves. Plants can achieve a height of five to six feet after 10 years if not pruned to minimize their vertical growth; with their upright growth habit, the width tends to be less than the height. Planting Instructions These bushes are suitable for planting zones 5-8....

Where to Use Glass Blocks Bathrooms Showers Front hallways Foyers Entrances Basements Bedrooms Pros Glass block is used in place of conventional clear glass exterior windows at the front of the house or on bathroom windows. It is also used as an interior non-load-bearing wall alongside foyers or in bathrooms. Privacy is the top reason this material is installed. While lounging in the bathtub, you can get a reasonable amount of natural light filtering through an exterior glass block window, but it is impossible for anyone to look inside....

Hens and chicks are also very shallow-rooted, which means you can grow them in very small, miniature or shallow containers. They are drought and neglect tolerant to the extreme and are also cold hardy to zone three which is a whopping -35 F. They are also hardy in the balmy climate of zone eight. A critical thing to keep in mind with these succulents is that they need good drainage....

Why Add a Runner? There are a number of reasons for adding a runner to a staircase. One of the most common and perhaps obvious reasons is safety. Wood or tiled stairs can be quite slippery, which can present a danger, especially when there are children, pets, or people with mobility issues in the home. Adding a runner reduces the danger by providing a safe place to walk on the stairs, not to mention the added comfort of the soft carpet underfoot....

By the time my son turned 1, we had accumulated many toys—and yet, there were only a select few he reached for on a daily basis. I wanted to make sure he had really great options that kept him engaged as a curious and busy toddler. That’s what led me to the Hape Pound and Tap Bench. I was intrigued by the different functions of the musical toy and loved that it wasn’t made with plastic....

There are several Hepatica species, and the genus is part of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). The most common species is Hepatica nobilis, referred to as Liverwort or Liverleaf. They get this name because their foliage has three lobes, just like the human liver. These herbaceous perennial plants most commonly have dainty little flowers that come in shades of blue. They can also, however, be found in shades of pink and white....

Cordless vacuums are lighter and less cumbersome than full upright or canister vacuums, making them perfect for smaller jobs and spot cleanings. The downside to cordless models is they aren’t typically as powerful as their full-size counterparts, but there are some exceptions. Hoover says its ONEPWR Evolve can pick up dirt and pet hair as well as a full-size vacuum. Since it’s specifically designed to eliminate pet hair, I put this vacuum to the test in a household with two dogs....

How a Front Load Washer Works There are certainly similarities between top-loading and front-loading washers. Both use a stainless steel inner drum as well as an outer washtub, a motor, control system, drain pump, and rotational spinning to remove water from the clothes; and there the similarities end. Front-load washers work by filling the bottom of the inner tub with a small amount of water and using the rotation of the tub and gravity to move the clothes through the water....

Despite being very distinct, however, this raptor’s features can easily be confused with different types of hawks and eagles. Knowing how to identify ospreys properly can help birders better distinguish many birds by understanding what field marks to look for quickly to identify raptors, whether they are perched, flying or hunting. Perched Osprey Identification A perched osprey is easy to confuse with many brown hawks and eagles. Watching for these field marks can help you decide which species you’re observing....