You are what you eat - or maybe it's what you wear that makes the biggest difference in how you look and feel this fall. There are plenty of ways to slim down your wardrobe and look like you've lost a few pounds just by weighing in on a few of these figure-flattering tips:   TOPPING IT OFF - Take pounds off your overall appearance this fall by making a few changes in your wardrobe. Try ... [full story]

When school starts and tuition checks are written, book bills are paid and backpacks are stuffed, there's often little cash left to spend on perking up our fall wardrobes. But there are plenty of stores and Web sites where you can find bargains galore. All it takes is one or two "trendy" items and you've got a whole new outlook on the new season.   BARGAINS GALORE - Target leads the pack with fashion-forward merchandise that ... [full story]

Combining function and art, utility and beauty, is a growing trend in homes these days.   BAR SET HIGH - The Shiraz Hide-A-Bar Console offers a Lazy Susan-style pivoting door and a hand-planed surface with a warm Indian Summer finish on select hardwoods and veneers. CNS Photo courtesy of Howard Miller.    BEAUTY BAR NONE - The Shiraz Hide-A-Bar Console lets you stash your bar away when you want to and still lets you blend it into your ... [full story]

  Painting your cabinets is an inexpensive way to give tired kitchen cabinets a makeover. Remove all doors, drawers and hardware; scrape; clean; sand; prime; paint; reinstall.  [full story]

Their only son's skeletal remains were housed in a cardboard box and tagged as prosecution evidence for more than three years. Finally this spring, in a cemetery in California's high desert, Vietnam vet Lanny Davis and his retired Army medic wife, Remy, laid to rest the bone fragments etched with stab marks from a knife.   PAUL HAGGIS - Paul Haggis wrote and directed 'In the Valley of Elah,' based in part on the story of ... [full story]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Draped sideways across an armchair, his legs protruding and pretzeled at strange angles, Emile Hirsch looks like a yogi who has just been blown over backward, perhaps by an especially potent blast of wisdom.   SURVIVOR - Emile Hirsch takes on the physically demanding role of Christopher McCandless in 'Into the Wild.' CNS Photo courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick. Though he appears serene (or maybe just sleepy), Hirsch's puzzle-piece pose seems appropriate for an ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Tom Colicchio was roasting meat in the kitchen of his new restaurant here recently when a friend text-messaged his cell phone to say that viewers of the "Top Chef" TV series had just voted him the sexiest judge on the show.   CRAFT MASTER - Head judge Tom Colicchio looks on as contestants Sara M. (left) and Casey prepped onions during an episode of 'Top Chef.' 'I'm shocked at how many people watch ... [full story]

We've all been there, unable to see the forest for the trees. Or solutions for ever-changing problems. It's easy to get so overwhelmed with the daily activities of caregiving that we have no time - or energy - for reaching out and finding help. But there is help. Plenty of it. Here are some important numbers to hang onto. Better yet, don't just hang on. Dial several of them. You don't have to go it ... [full story]

OK, grandmothers of America, it's time to tackle a new job: Learn a little bit about the game of football. Football fans aren't just men anymore, like they were when you were growing up. Oh no. As a matter of fact, so many women are going to football games these days that the famed Pittsburgh Steelers, known for epitomizing the male ideal of violent football, are now selling pink football shirts. It's all to lure ... [full story]

The moves: A push-up with an exercise ball.   PUSH-UP UPGRADE - Firefighter Robert Logan adds intensity to the traditional push-up by performing the exercise on a stability ball. CNS Photo courtesy of Peggy Peattie. Works on: Upper extremity, chest and core strength. Defines and lifts the lower portion of the pectorals. Setup: Prepare an area free of obstructions. Kneel in front of an exercise ball and lay your torso on top of it. Push with the ... [full story]