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The History of Putting Angels at the Top of Christmas Trees It turns out, this practice comes from the original Christmas story. Angels play a significant part in the first Christmas: Angels visited Joseph and the Virgin Mary about the upcoming birth of Jesus, and on the night of his birth, angels appeared in the sky over Bethlehem to announce his arrival to the world. Because angels appeared high in the sky on the first Christmas, people began placing angels high on the top of their trees as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus....

¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar For an Asian spin, use 3 tablespoons peanut oil and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil for the olive oil, lime juice for the lemon juice, and rice wine vinegar for the white wine vinegar. Want a French Vinaigrette? Add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard and 1 tablespoon minced shallot. Want a heartier flavor? Use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar....

How to Make Foil Packs Use these three steps as your master plan for making all kinds of foil packs for dinner. Entrées, side dishes, and even desserts all follow these basic guidelines. 1. Precook if Needed Cooking hobo packs on the grill is easiest when you choose ingredients that require the same amount of cooking time. That way you can wrap all ingredients together and toss them on the grill....

Persimmons are easy to grow in milder climates. Once established, they’re very low-maintenance trees. Along with their disease resistance and drought tolerance, persimmons make excellent trees for small gardens. What’s more, persimmons can easily be grown from seed and will begin to set fruit within six years. Types of Persimmon Species You may be most familiar with the East Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki) aka the Japanese Persimmon, which is sometimes sold in groceries stores....

Gather Ingredients and Prep Your Space The four ingredients you’ll need to create this stunning dessert topper are: Hazelnuts (8-16, or as many as you want to create)1 cup sugar1/4 cup water1 Tbsp. light corn syrup To make these candied hazelnuts with their dramatic length, you’ll need to do a bit of setup: Set a heavy cutting board or 15×11-inch baking pan along the edge of a counter. (Skewers will wedge under the cutting board while candied hazelnuts set....

The real solution involves the installation of furring strips—either wood or resilient channels. Find the lowest spot on the ceiling and shim all the furring to that point. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. The procedure shown here is a systematic method for locating the lowest spot on a ceiling, then installing the furring strips. You may need a good number of shims to complete the furring strip installation, but you can easily make them at home from scraps of plywood and hardboard....

How to Make Oversize Black Crepe Paper Flowers Supplies Needed Black cardstockScissorsPrintable petal templateBlack crepe paperAssorted colored crepe paper (we used burgundy, gray, and tan)Fringe scissorsHot glue gun Step-by-Step Directions Use our detailed instructions to create your own spooky Halloween wall decoration. These bold paper flowers look great hung behind a bar cart or above a mantel. Step 1: Prep Base Cut a circle from the card stock as the base of the paper flower....

Here’s what you’ll need: About 3 feet of 6-gauge copper wire Vise grip pliers Glass water bottle with a screw top Spool of 20-gauge copper wire Ornament Jewelry pliers Soda-bottle feeder attachment Birdseed

These DIY ornaments also double as thoughtful homemade gifts: Grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other family members will cherish this sentimental gift idea. How to Make a Handprint Christmas Ornament Supplies Needed 2 cups flour1 cup salt1 cup warm waterFood coloringRolling pinPencil or strawRibbonScissors Step-by-Step Directions Use these simple how-to instructions to make your own handprint or footprint ornaments. You should be able to mix the dough and create a set of ornaments in under 30 minutes, but you’ll need to allow three hours of baking time....

Let’s walk through the steps of creating the perfect pecan pie using this classic Pecan Pie recipe. Step 1: Prepare Crust The pecan pie begins with making a pie crust and rolling out the dough to fill a 9-inch round pie plate. Although making pie dough takes a little time to put together, start this aspect of the recipe early because it helps to give the dough some time to rest....

Polish your best serving platter and grab your favorite pita chips, crackers, and other dippers, because you’ll want to start savoring these cheese balls immediately. How to Make Apple-Shape Cheese Balls Presentation is important, but it’s really all about the cheese. Before you start decorating your fall cheese balls, make sure you have a delicious cheese ball recipe to use as a base. We love these bacon cheddar cheese balls (you can never go wrong with bacon), but there are dozens of options to choose from....

How to Make Ranch Water The beauty of ranch water is there’s no exact science to perfecting this drink, so feel free to adjust it to your taste preferences. If you want a spicier take, try the aleppo-pepper and salt rim featured in the batch recipe (serves 8!) on our sister site, MarthaStewart.com. Ingredients 1½ to 2 ounces of tequila ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice 4 ounces Topo Chico (You can use another sparkling mineral water brand here, but Texas natives will argue nothing else compares....

12 More Outdoor Bar Ideas What You Need: 1×10 pine, 3 pieces cut to 50 inches1×4 pine, cut to 50 inches1×2 pine, cut to 50 inches100- and 200-grit sandpaperExterior white latex paint2-inch finishing brushes (2)StainExterior polyurethane30-inch barstools (2)Straight-side wood trayLevel18-inch ruler1-5/8-inch screwsScrewdriverVintage soda boxes (2) Before You Begin: Sand and Prep Sand all board cuts. Cover one 1×10 board, the 1×4 board, and both barstools with two or three coats of paint....

The best part about this timeless kitchen trend is two-tone cabinets let you play with color without going all in. Splash a daring hue on the island or one wall of cabinets. Layer neutrals on top and color on the bottom. Or choose two complementary neutrals and bring in color with appliances or accessories. Here are a few ideas to integrate two-tone kitchen cabinets into your cooking space. 1. Strive for balance....

There are some precautions you can take to preserve your pumpkin before you even start carving, as well as care techniques to follow when you’re finished to ensure that your pumpkin will be looking fresh until October 31. Before You Start… Let It Dry When cleaning out your pumpkin, make sure that the inside is completely free of guts. Before taking carving tools to your pumpkin, let the cavity dry out; moisture inside the pumpkin, paired with more air exposure from cuts, will lead to faster rot....

1. Propagating Succulents from Leaf Cuttings Many types of succulents will grow tiny versions of the parent plant from its fallen or cut leaves. Try this method with varieties of Echeveria, Crassula, and Kalanchoe. Simply start by cutting off a few leaves from a grown plant. From there, place the leaves in a pot filled with damp perlite ($11). Roots and tiny new leaves will grow within a few weeks. Then, you can move these sprouted leaf cuttings out of the perlite and into their own pots filled with a cactus potting mix ($18)....

What Is a Frost? When weather forecasters issue a frost advisory in late spring and early fall, that’s your heads-up to protect annuals and other vulnerable plants. You might think temperatures have to get to the freezing point (32˚F), but a frost can occur between 36˚F and 32˚F. Also, frost can be light or hard; a light frost around the upper end of that temperature range might kill the tops of tender plants, but the lower parts remain green....

Sunscreen stains are combination stains, which means that they are comprised of more than one stain type. In the case of sunscreen, the formula contains oils that can leave grease stains on clothing, plus a more difficult stain type: mineral stains. Understanding the science behind these complicated stains is the key to unlocking the secret to removing them. What Makes Sunscreen Such a Complicated Stain? Sunscreen is a combination stain made up of oil and mineral compounds, which are broken down for stain removal in different ways....

Newer-model showerheads provide more options for control, including multiple spray styles, pivoting angles, and temperature settings. They’re also more efficient, using less water with equal cleaning success. Learn how to replace a showerhead so you can achieve a spa-worthy bathing experience in the comfort of your home. How to Replace a Showerhead Supplies Needed PliersWrenchClean, soft clothPlumber’s tapeShower armFlange (often comes with shower arm)Showerhead Step-by-Step Directions These five steps will make it a smooth transition, whether you’re simply switching showerheads or getting a new shower arm....