The designer gives her take on brightening a room with color.

"My biggest challenge is the slanted cathedral ceiling causing an extremely tall wall."

How to fix chimney stains and water marks on wood.

Animals find shelter in our homes, unnerving millions of people and generating a multibillion-dollar pest control industry.

Sputnik got me into algebra early, almost. The Soviet satellite frightened the U.S. government into approving lots of money to accelerate math instruction just as I was completing eighth grade in San Mateo, Calif., in 1959. Hillsdale High, where I was to attend ninth grade, got some of these funds...

After last year's "Les Miserables," Signature Theatre is at it again with a reinvention of a classic musical. This time it's Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1927 show based on the novel by Edna Ferber. If the pedigree isn't enough to persuade you to go, perhaps the dancing will. Or see it to...

Nov. 5 "PROJECTIONS: LINE ON LAND" Renee van der Stelt's exhibit explores how drawings can affect and shape spaces and our perception of them. Through Nov. 29. Torpedo Factory Art Center, Target Gallery, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. 703-838-4565, Ext. 4, or http://www.torpedofactory.org . Free.

The traditional film festival screens features or shorts tied together by a common theme. This is not a traditional film festival. This is a comedy show featuring a collection of unusual and funny clips from tapes found at thrift stores, garage sales and warehouses across the country. The hosts and...

Using bold paint colors and a list of budget-friendly resources, Ellicott City designer Kelly Porter transforms a fusty family office into a modern and colorful space to call her own.

Paint colors in Porter's home office, all from Sherwin-Williams. Rhapsody Lilac (SW6828) Brevity Brown (SW6068) Aquatint (SW6936)

( 1 ) DESK http://www.overstock.com $300 ( 2 ) BLUE TABLE LAMP

HomeGoods ( http://www.homegoods.com ) "Great for affordable accessories and accent furniture pieces. They offer different styles [modern, traditional, vintage, etc.], and you can find furnishings for every room in your home. I also like that they bring in new items weekly."

1. Springtails 2. Box elder bugs 3. Multicolored Asian lady beetles

Gardening tip of the week.

No report was available from the Alexandria Department of Real Estate Assessments for today's Local Living section.

With vivid colors on the trees and cooling temperatures, fall is a spectacular season for being active outdoors. "No one should feel intimidated by the changing weather," says Barbara Klieforth, president of the board of directors of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (http://www.waba.org)...

Froot Loops are not part of a nutritious breakfast. Moisturizer will not make your skin look and act younger. And watching videos will not make your kids smarter. They will entertain them, amuse them and maybe even inform them -- and personally, I'd argue that that's enough.

These cases were handled by the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, which operates the city animal shelter and provides animal control services to the city. The shelter is open from 1 to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. For information or to report emergencies involving animals 24 hours...

When C. Renee Seay, also known as "Dr. C," walks into Claremont Immersion Elementary School's cafeteria, the kids go wild.

Arlington County's emergency winter homeless shelter is seeking volunteers to help serve meals, monitor the desk and door and distribute bedding. The shelter, which opened Sunday, is seeking donations of blankets, sheets, cereal, hot meals and clothing.

Virginia has awarded Arlington County more than $363,000 in an effort to prevent homelessness.

In an Oct. 29 Alexandria-Arlington Local Living article about Arlington County and Alexandria schools distributing H1N1 vaccine, Amy Carlini was incorrectly identified. She is a spokeswoman for Alexandria public schools.

CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTIES AT MUSEUMS, parents can host a party for an hour and a half, featuring a costumed guide, a tour of the museum, games and more. Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, age 7 and older; Friendship Firehouse Museum, 4 and older; and Gadsby's Tavern Museum, 6 and older. 10...

For information on the following opportunities, call the numbers listed or contact Volunteer Alexandria at 703-836-2176, mail@volunteeralexandria.org or http://www.volunteeralexandria.org.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.

These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-838-4636 or visit http://www.alexandriava.gov/police .

The word "stylish" could have been invented to describe "Art of Murder," onstage at Little Theatre of Alexandria. It's a thriller that gets by -- quite well, actually -- on style that's slathered on with the merest highlights of satire.