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Last year, my friend received 15 wedding invitations. This stacked calendar was a dream come true for a social butterfly like Sally. But for those who don’t get the same kick from a full itinerary, saying yes to 15 wedding invitations may feel more like a nightmare. For those in that camp, here’s the good news: You don’t have to accept every invitation coming your way. But declining an invitation requires a generous helping of thoughtfulness and a healthy dose of tact....

It’s officially Summer Sauce season. When fresh herbs start popping up in gardens and at farmers’ markets, it’s time to break out your food processor and whip up a batch of this vibrant, verdant condiment to have on hand in the refrigerator. A combination of three herbs—basil, parsley, and mint—makes the sauce incredibly aromatic and also more complex than your typical pesto. Simply combine the herbs with fresh lemon juice, a little garlic, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil in a food processor or blender and process until smooth....

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to cram your favorite pair of jeans into an already-stuffed suitcase. Seriously, how is it that even the skinniest pairs of skinny jeans seem so much bigger when it comes time to pack them? Luckily, Today Style has shared a brilliant packing hack to help minimize woes and maximize space. Read on to learn more and get packing! WATCH: How to Pack a Suitcase...

Is it our patriotic duty to eat doughnuts for the upcoming Independence Day holiday? Probably not, but we’ll certainly admit that celebrating America’s birthday sure feels more festive with one of the above Krispy Kreme doughnuts in hand. The newly debuted Fourth of July doughnut collection comes in a limited-edition star-spangled box and contains four doughnuts. The doughnuts are available now through Sunday, July 4. Hot off the doughnut presses, here are the doughnut flavors, per Krispy Kreme’s media release:...

Spring might look a whole lot different this year, but that’s isn’t stopping Krispy Kreme from spreading their finger-licking flavor of sweet cheer. Today, Krispy Kreme is rolling out their new Spring Minis, the North Carolina-based doughnut giant’s first-ever seasonal, limited-time collection of mini doughnuts A.K.A. our favorite waistline-saving quarantine indulgence. Starting Tuesday, March 31, fans can either pick up the adorable collection at participating locations or order online and have Krispy Kreme “hop” over and deliver them....

Another look at Dolly Parton’s new holiday album is here! Christmas is still months away, but that didn’t stop the Queen of Country from releasing her brand-new rendition of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” on YouTube (below) this week. Not that we’re complaining! Parton’s fun take on the Christmas standard is included on her upcoming holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, which drops on October 2. “I have always loved ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ because it’s a song I heard growing up,” Parton told Cumulus Music....

Want to take a trip to the theater without leaving your home? Thanks to London’s National Theatre, now you can. The curtain is rising on a new program that invites fans to watch plays from past seasons for free online each week. Every Thursday, the National Theatre will stream one of their acclaimed productions on YouTube. They’re calling it National Theatre at Home, and the initiative is drawing on the National Theatre Live program, which records full-length productions every season and streams them live to cinemas around the world....

The rules for tipping at a restaurant are generally pretty standard when you dine in. When it comes to tipping when ordering takeout, whether ordering ahead or at the restaurant, the rules are not quite as clear. We spoke with three experts to help provide some clarity on the tipping etiquette for takeout orders. To Tip or Not To Tip? We asked Diane Gottsman, etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, about her opinion on tipping on takeout orders....

There are few things that trigger holiday nostalgia for me quite like a steaming mug of Swiss Miss hot chocolate with little mini marshmallows floating at the frothy top. Typically, I try and wait until after Thanksgiving to treat myself to the sentimental sipper. But last week, feeling a little homesick, I grabbed a box of Swiss Miss from a standalone display, its powder blue box so familiar that I didn’t even stop to read the label....

While cleaning the house is never fun, with the right tools you can make it a pain-free experience. Hopefully, by now you’ve found your preferred cleaning supplies and laundry essentials, but if you’re still looking for a high-quality vacuum, we’re here to help. The perfect vacuum should be lightweight and easy to maneuver, and it should pack a powerful punch when it comes to cleaning. You may think you need to spend a ton of money to find a vacuum that ticks all those boxes, but thankfully, there are plenty of great options in stores that won’t cost you a fortune....

Sara Alavi and her rescue dog Nelly have found the cutest way to celebrate Halloween. As part of a challenge she’s calling “Nellyween,” Alavi is posting amazing photos of Nelly wearing Halloween costumes to her Instagram page @dearpups every day for the month of October. Alavi, who has fostered hundreds of rescue dogs and cats, created the Instagram account a few years ago to help her foster animals find their forever homes....

Whether you know him from his breakout role in the movie musical, Hair, or you saw him on Broadway in Grease, or maybe you are more of a Chesapeake Shores fan, it’s undeniable that Treat Williams is a living legend in entertainment and has been a staple on stage, film, and television for decades. But when he’s not working, you’ll find him happy as can be at home in his 200-year-old farmhouse in Manchester, Vermont with his family....

We drizzle it over spaghetti, pour it over cornbread, sprinkle it over tacos, and even dribble it over scrambled eggs. Hot sauce - Southern folks can’t live without it. We usually have a hidden stash in our purse, car, and workplace just in case the food is a little too bland. Most like it hot below the Mason-Dixon! There’s just one problem – too many choices. In a world where hundreds of hot sauces line the shelves of our local grocery stores, how can we possibly choose?...

Southerners know a thing or two about cake. From buttery pound cake and Mississippi mud cake to cult-classic Coca-Cola cake, fudgy Texas sheet cake, and Bayou-born king cake, we’ve never met a cake we didn’t love. The best thing about cake? It’s synonymous with celebrations. At Easter, we’re almost always slicing up moist hummingbird or coconut cake. And at Christmas, nothing but a festive yule log will do. Jewelry company Shane Co....

A treehouse resort like no other is opening in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains this spring! With 130 treehouses spread across 40 scenic acres, Sanctuary Treehouse Resort will reportedly be the largest resort of its kind in anywhere in the world. The project is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Amanda and Brian Jensen, who told Travel + Leisure that the idea for a treehouse resort in East Tennessee came to them after a stay in an “impressive” treehouse in South Carolina a few years ago....

Say what you want about the packed parking lot and general hectic busyness of Trader Joe’s on an average day. We give it a complete pass during the fall season. We get it. It’s bursting with an autumn cheer from September through the holidays. It’s even got the pumpkins and mums piled up at the entrance to prove it. However, inside is where you’ll find the real festive display. Trader Joe’s finally released its collection of pumpkin products, specifically for the fall season, and the lineup doesn’t disappoint....

Anthony Mackie is doing his part to help his fellow Americans on and off the screen. The Avengers star has teamed up with roofing company GAF to replace roofs damaged by last year’s Hurricane Ida in his native New Orleans. “It gives me a sense of pride that I’m doing my people a service. I know what people go through in this neighborhood because I was born in this neighborhood, I grew up in this neighborhood,” he told the Associated Press....

Rochelle Porter was nearly 15 years into a corporate career when signs started pointing her in a different direction. First there was a cryptic comment from a total stranger about following a forgotten passion and then a random remark from a Delta Air Lines agent that her name “sounded like a fashion label.” There was just one problem: Porter, a closet creative who had spent her downtime doodling patterns for as long as she could remember, had given up on her fleeting fashion dreams years before....

It’s not just Wetumpka residents who benefited from Ben and Erin Napier’s valiant quest to restore the Alabama town. With every episode of Home Town Takeover, viewers learned something new from the HGTV super-couple. In one particular episode of the hit series, “Say Yes to Wetumpka,” Erin and Ben took on two big projects: the Wetumpka Civic Center and a family home in need of some modern updates. Robert and Kim Rose’s house has an open-door policy....

Get ready to have the time of your life all over again. Dirty Dancing is returning to the movie theaters to mark its 35th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, screenings of Dirty Dancing are coming to theaters across the South, slated for August 14 and August 17, A Southern Thing reported. For those intent on doing the math, the film first premiered in 1987. The Oscar-winning movie, which stars Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, introduced the world to Baby and Johnny and the greatest dance recital ever held at Kellerman’s family camp....