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A little embarrassed that you burned dinner again tonight? It's time to turn on the range hood to suck out the bad smell, one of the obvious signs of your kitchen misadventure.

But if the odor still lingers hours later, maybe it's time to take a look at your range hood and see if a new one might be better.

Book excerpt from "Everything (Almost) In Its Place," by Alicia Rockmore & Sarah Welch:

Why is it that when black and tan are used together, the look is smashing? There is something very sophisticated, classy and rich about the combination.

Take a sofa that is all light tan, add pillows that are black mixed with tan -- it doesn't matter what the pattern is, be it plaid, paisley, geometric, floral -- and the combination will truly lift that sofa up in design caliber.

Three years ago, when one of Merryanne Bauer's sons divorced and refurnished his home, she stepped in to help.

She went shopping. However, she didn't shop at only retail furniture stores for all-new pieces; instead, she also went to consignment stores.

"I bought two complete bedroom sets from Consignment Cottage" in Fresno, Calif., says Bauer, 77, of Fresno.

Q: I am getting estimates on a driveway from a home in Northern California and wonder what to look for in terms of the type of cement used. Previously you mentioned that one should use a 3,500- to 4,000-pound test for the driveway. How many sacks per yard does that translate to? One contractor said he uses only 3/4 aggregates. Is that better or worse than Portland cement?

Use energy-efficient settings on dishwashers. Use the water-miser and heat-free dryer settings on your dishwasher to help save energy.

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Buy the proper-sized dishwasher. Small households that don't use many dishes can cut energy use with drawer-sized dishwashers. If you create a lot of dirty dishes, one big model is best.

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Rust-Oleum has a product it's calling Universal -- with good reason. It's a spray paint that works on just about any item, inside or outside the home, including things made of plastic, metal, wicker and glass -- in most cases without a primer.

A continuing compendium of tips and tricks from Home & Garden Television:

Here are design ideas from Kim Myles of HGTV's "Myles of Style":

Design Dilemma: You've chosen colors for every room in your home, but you don't know how to make them "flow."

Kim's DIY Solution: Forget the flow!

Andrew and Rachel fell in love at first sight at a rock concert. Andrew was playing drums onstage and Rachel was in the front row. Fast forward 16 years and the two are happily married and living in a ranch-style house with their two beautiful daughters and Roxy the dog (named for one of their favorite songs).

Dear Helaine and Joe:

I am looking for information on Meriden silver plate. I have two large goblets and a 1-quart flagon. The bases are marked "Made and Guaranteed By" over a circle with a scale and the words "Meriden B. Company" inside. Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you,

K.K., Markleysburg, Pa.

Dear K.K.: