Getting them to visit is as simple as hanging a bee house outdoors in the sun. The right structure for native bees looks like a birdhouse ($12, Home Depot) or a honeycomb, with lots of small tubes packed tightly together. The bees lay their eggs in the tubes and will continue to return all season long. To keep the bees happy, you’ll need to do a little leafcutter or mason bee house maintenance, so the house stays clean....

Before Getting Started Cleaning a toilet starts with removing any visible dust, dirt, or other grime. It’s important to clean the area before you disinfect to make sure the disinfectant can effectively eliminate germs on the surface. We’ve developed a few tricks to make cleaning a toilet easier, many of which utilize household ingredients and require little to no touching of the actual toilet. You should plan to clean and disinfect your toilet about once a week, depending on the frequency of use, or more often if someone in your household is sick....

Types of Lentils Three common varieties of lentils are shown above and described here, but there are other varieties, too, including yellow, green, and black lentils. Black Lentils: Also called beluga lentils, these legumes make a hearty addition to salads and vegetarian dishes. In addition to being rich in protein and fiber, black lentils contain anthocyanins, which are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Brown lentils: These are inexpensive and easy to find in most grocery stores....

How to Grill Tomatoes Though you can enjoy tomatoes year-round, they’re at their peak in summer. It’s only natural to toss them on the grill the next time you’re hosting a cookout! Step 1: Prep Tomatoes Preheat the grill. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half and brush with olive oil. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper, or other seasonings as desired. Step 2: Grill Tomatoes Place tomatoes on the grill rack directly over the heat source (for a charcoal grill, grill tomatoes directly over the coals)....

Construction is the easy part. Careful planning ensures the design’s success. A dry river bed may be as large or small as your yard permits. Look for the natural lay of the land in your yard and watch how water flows during a heavy rainfall. Before digging, make sure you understand elevations and which way you’re directing water, especially if the dry creek will be near existing structures. Drain water away from the house and direct runoff into a landscape drainage system, such as a French drain, swale, or channel, on your property....

How to Cut Leeks If your leeks recipe calls for slicing whole leeks into rings, follow these directions: What Part of the Leek to Use While the whole leek is edible, primarily just the white and light green portions are used. The top leafy part is tougher to eat but still has flavor. If your recipe doesn’t use the leek’s dark green tops, save them for homemade veggie stock. How to Slice Halved Leeks Another popular way to use a leek is to slice it in half lengthwise, all the way through the root end, with a chef’s knife....

Toss down small throw rugs, for example, on either side of a bed, to break up the beige and add color and function.Delineate a conversation area using a medium-size rug.Pull the eye to the center of a space with the use of a larger area rug. This solution allows beige carpeting to disappear into the background Keep the Rest of the Room Bright When your decor feels dull, a good policy is to simply brighten things up....

Additionally, there are so many ways to remove blood stains, and many of the methods are quite unconventional. You might have heard a dancer tell you that spit is the way to remove blood stains from the ankles of tights or recall your grandfather making a paste of meat tenderizer to slap on a blood-stained pillow. But which methods actually work? Do Home Remedies Work for Blood Stain Removal? A tricky thing about blood stains is that there are so many solutions that people swear by, from crushing up aspirin to make a stain poultice, to soaking a blood-stained item in milk....

No matter the method, it’s important that the ground circuit provides an unbroken path to the earth. Ground wires must be firmly connected at all points. And if conduit or sheathing is used as a ground path, connections must be tight. If you’re not sure if your outlets are grounded, a receptacle analyzer will tell you. We’ll show you how to install grounding in outlets, fixtures, and switches. These tips will help you properly ground electrical wires to help keep your home safe....

You will notice one difference, however, between a mortared path and a mortared patio. When building a paver path, you don’t have to start in the center and work outward. All brick walkways start their paving in a corner. You’ll want to be sure to lay the base materials in layers and compact one layer before adding the next one. This is especially important if your walkway will be subjected to frequent or hard use, such as the movement of garden equipment....

What You Need Polymer clay: white and two contrasting colorsClay roller or rolling pin for clay use only (do not use with food)Circle cookie cutter at least 4" in diameterBaking sheetParchment paperAcrylic paint: goldArtists paintbrush Step-by-Step Instructions This craft is easy to do with our simple craft instructions. Once you have the hang of it, make sets to give as gifts to your friends! Step 1: Roll and Shape Clay Roll a 1" diameter rod using white clay and a 1/2" diameter rod with each contrasting color of clay....

How to Make the Unicorn Valentine’s Day Box Supplies Needed Cardboard boxCrafts knifeScissorsHot-glue gunCrepe paper or wrapping paperMetallic gold cardstockAssorted felt sheetsBlack cardstock Step-by-Step Directions Follow these easy directions to make an insanely cute Valentine’s Day card box for a kid’s classroom valentine exchange. You can totally make this valentine holder last-minute—the project takes only 45 minutes. Step 1: Cut and Cover Box To cover the box, use a large sheet of crepe paper to wrap the box just as you would wrap a gift, securing the edges with hot glue at the back and on the bottom....

What You Need Three 4"x4"x8’ cedar postsChop sawSandpaper1 quart clear stainClean cloth1/2" MDF 4’x8’Construction adhesiveMetal cleatScrews to attach cleats Step 1: Cut Wood Cut 4x4-inch wood posts into 1-inch-thick pieces using chop saw. If you cut all three posts, you will be left with more slices than you need, but this gives you the option to choose which slices you like best. Lightly sand edges. Step 2: Stain Wood Stain wood slices according to manufacturer’s directions, and let dry....

Making bread cubes is a cinch. Plus, it puts you entirely in charge of flavors and cube size. Enhance the sweetness of your bread pudding by using cinnamon-swirl bread. Or add heartiness to your Thanksgiving stuffing when you use pumpernickel bread. The options are as endless as the bread aisle. So cut your bread into cubes, dry them in the oven, and get cooking. How to Make Bread Cubes It makes no difference if you need to know how to cube French bread, sourdough, challah, or another type of bread....

While these confetti Easter eggs require a bit more hands-on time than plain dyed eggs, you shouldn’t be intimidated by the DIY process. They’re simple to make.

Step 1: Coat the Chicken with Liquid For tender, richly flavored chicken, use buttermilk for your coating. (You can also use regular milk or eggs if that’s what you have on hand.) In a resealable plastic bag placed in a bowl, combine buttermilk, coarse salt, and sugar. Cut chicken breasts in half crosswise. Add chicken pieces to the buttermilk mixture; seal bag. Chill 2 to 4 hours. Drain and discard buttermilk mixture from chicken; pat chicken dry with paper towels....

¼ cup canola oil 2 tablespoon packed brown sugar 2 tablespoon lime juice 2 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon plum sauce 2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon ground ginger

The simplest upgrade to an existing door is to paint it a fun color. Add an unexpected pop to your kitchen by giving the pantry door a couple of coats of a bright hue. Looking at a bold blue or a sunny yellow door is sure to make you smile every time you make dinner. Take a simple door from blah to beautiful by adding reclaimed wood to one side, or for a thinner and low-maintenance look, try vinyl wood flooring....

Get ready to steal these tricks for creating effortless style and for making a home light, bright and livable. 1. Be Consistent Hillary converted the chopped-up floor plan in her 1940s Charlotte home into a free-flowing layout. She then rolled out a cohesive palette—using the same shade of white on all walls, the same light oak floors, the same style of cabinetry, and even the same style of brass fixtures—allowing her vintage furnishings to shine....