Wow Home Idea

"Oh hey, mind if I use your bathroom really quick?" The panic. The sinking dread. The cold sweat. For such a simple question, posed by a friend kind enough to drop me off at home who simply needs to answer the call of nature and would like a little act of generosity repaid in kind, my response is one of sheer incapacitating terror. "Um." "You know what, it's fine, don't worry about." Guilt. "No, no, no, of course, come in, of course you can use my bathroom." What kind of person am I? The kind who hates — hates — cleaning. It's not that I think other people love cleaning. (False: I have at least two friends who really, really , like to clean, but it's kind of an OCD thing for them.) It's just that, of all of the many, many things I can choose to do with my time, cleaning will come dead last. "But everyone feels that way, it's just something you have to do!" I know. I know! But when I think about how I co...

Getty If you think letting your kids catch caterpillars is as innocent an autumn activity as jumping in leaves or picking pumpkins, you might want to think again. Despite their cute and fluffy appearances, white hickory tussock moth caterpillars, which originally hail from Canada, are showing up in the state of Pennsylvania with some very dangerous consequences. Hiding in their fuzzy hair are black spines that contain poisonous venom they use to ward off predators. And if a human comes into contact with them, their skin can get highly irritated. Such was the case with Joseph Bentz's unsuspecting young son. Within minutes of touching one, he broke out in a rash. "There have been many reported cases; none of them fatal, but all strange, new, and concerning," Bentz, a doctor with MedExpress told WJAC. "They don't mean to do it, but it is part of their defense mechanism against large predators and toddlers." The good news? According to Bentz, the rashes ar...

Getty 1. You sleep in cycles. A full sleep cycle takes about 90 to 120 minutes, says psychologist Lisa Medalie, a behavioral sleep specialist at the University of Chicago. You go through four stages, starting with the lightest one and ending with rapid-eye movement (REM). "Usually people wake up for a couple minutes after each complete sleep cycle," she says. 2. You become a cold-blooded animal during REM sleep. During dream-filled, REM sleep, your body isn't its own furnace. "We lose the ability to thermo-regulate ourselves," says Mark Mahowald, professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. But that's fine because REM periods typically last only 20 minutes or so, though they can be as short as two minutes or as long as 45, says sleep researcher Ursula Voss, a psychology professor at the University of Frankfurt. 3. You get less REM sleep when you feel uncomfortable. "When you feel unsafe or cold in your sleeping quarters, you...

Getty In the Northeast, we wear our traditions like a badge of honor. We did have the first Thanksgiving, after all, and we're darn proud of it. But even though it's basically our duty to keep things classic on Turkey Day, we're also not afraid to add a few twists that only New Englanders would understand. Here's how to tell that you're having a Yankee-approved gathering:  1. There's a Box O' Joe From Dunkin' Donuts on the counter. Dunkin' Donuts You wouldn't dare to start cooking before drinking some of this stuff. And even though everyone will probably stop for their own DD coffee on the way, you still have a box ready anyway. (Okay, and there are probably donuts, too.)  2. There's at least one Market Basket pie on the dessert table. Honestly, there are probably two because you know whoever brought it got more for their dollar. But your grandma is so old sch...

Courtesy of Estately When a professional architect designs his own residence, you know you're in for something special (not to mention a sturdy structure). Richard Leitch built this Altadena, California home back in 1954 and it's a stylish definition of mid-century modern.  Still, the interior decor looks like something straight out of  That '70s Show, but with a modern twist. We're looking at you, concrete floors and stone countertops. Both were part of a recent renovation, along with European-style cabinetry, new fixtures, and mosaic tile showers. But it's the clerestory windows that surround the home — and make you feel like you're in a tree house — that add the most style and bring in the tranquility of the surrounding oak trees. The green beams throughout the home almost blend into the leaves in some of the rooms, while simply adding a statement co...

When Oscar-nominated actress Juliette Lewis brought in party stylists and lifestyle bloggers Twink + Sis to design her birthday dinner party, the duo immediately knew they wanted the event to capture the romance and magic of summer. The theme: Summer solstice. The mood: Ethereal, which planners Laurén LaRocca and Marlan Willardson achieved with a sumptuous purple palette, amethyst crystals and rich gilded accents. Lewis's backyard, with its abundance of greenery, provided the perfect summer backdrop. LaRocca said she and Willardson were thrilled with the final product, but most importantly, so was the birthday girl. "Juliette loved it, which was most important," she said. "When we host and create parties for people, the thing we care most about is that the whole experience creates a big impact on the guest of honor. We want them to feel special and that the event is very unique to them." To complement the items LaRocca incorporated from Twink + Sis's per...

Courtesy of IMGUR/KEVENTURE In this modern age of digital dating, a good profile photo is key. And when you're a single guy in a sea of eligible bachelors on the notorious dating app Tinder, photos are an even bigger deal.  (If you're like "What's Tinder?" here's a super-quick primer: It's a dating app for smartphones that prompts users to "swipe right" when they like a person's photo, and "swipe left" when they'd prefer to dismiss it. Yes, that's what all those young 'uns  at the office have been talking about this whole time.) Photos rule on Tinder, which makes them a ripe opportunity for a little creativity. So Imgur user Keventure and his friends headed to IKEA to snap a few creative profile pictures that, if nothing else, are seriously great conversation starters. The guys posed in several different display rooms and looked quite serious, but as soon as you notice the price...

Getty + kathietranphotography 2009 It's common knowledge that chocolate can be harmful to dogs. But chocolate's nothing compared to another ingredient found in many foods that's 12 times as dangerous to your pup — and you probably have never heard of it. The Wall Street Journal reports that xylitol, a low-calorie sweetener found in chewing gum, toothpaste, mints, gummy vitamins, melatonin pills, and some peanut butters, is causing an uptick in emergency trips to the veterinarian. In 2004, vets reported 82 xylitol poisonings; in 2014, there were 3,727, with at least 11 dogs dying from the chemical. When dogs eat xylitol, their insulin levels spike, which can cause seizures, brain damage, liver failure, and sometimes death. Usually your dog will be okay if you get it to the vet in time, but it depends on how much xylitol your pet has consumed. It's unclear how cats react to it, but it's actually...

Courtesy of Hometalk/Patty Smith We're going to file this father-son duo under "world's best family." Why? Because the pair spent five weeks of the summer building a she shed from scratch for the lady of the house, Patricia Smith. The salt box-style garden shed (which we spotted on Hometalk) is located in their Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin backyard and cost about $,500 to make. And lucky for us, Smith captured the step-by-step process along the way so we can see how all their hard work came together. First, they started by building the floor, which is 8-by-12 feet. Then the pair assembled the studs and walls. Here you can see them lifting up the last wall and securing it in place: Courtesy of Hometalk/Patty Smith But the rectangular trusses were perhaps the most impressive feat of the project, which they built by hand to provide support for the arched ceiling: Courtesy of Hometalk/Patty Smith After they completed the ...

Any lavender lover knows at least some of its many uses. But the fragrant plant also has an interesting history. 1 Lavender is a perennial in the mint family. Getty Images Its genus name is lavandula , and the color lavender is actually named after the species lavandula angustifolia, the most widely cultivated species of the group. "Lavender" comes from the Latin word "lavare," which means "to wash." 2 The Romans used lavender to their bath water, their bedding — and even their hair. Getty Images They also used the plant for medicinal purposes, too. 3 Lavender buds are covered in tiny hairs. Getty Images They hold the essential oil— which lavender is most commonly grown to produce. 4 Lavender is drought-tolerant and can thrive in high temperatures. Getty Images It enjoys the sunlight and relatively dry soil, much like these other drought-resistant plants. 5 It doesn't take long to dry it. Getty Images In just two or three weeks, you can have a lov...