Labor Day weekend is a reminder of the changing of the seasons in the central Midwest, but the growing season is far from over. Take advantage of the shift from summer to fall to freshen up the landscape and garden with late blooming flowers, colorful vegetables and ornamental grasses. Mums ...

Tessa Vancil is intrigued by design. The 12-year-old Lawrence resident likes to consider how furniture should be arranged, how colors should be used and how to achieve clean lines in a room. That’s why Tessa, who aspires to be an architect, jumped on the opportunity to arrange her own bedroom ...

Hannah Grow had dreamed of starting a nature-inspired child-care program for more than a decade. A former kindergarten teacher and single mother of four, Grow felt her dream was out of range for years, and at times she questioned whether she could ever achieve it. Then in 2019 circumstances ...

Lauren and Zach Parr loved their home in California, but in 2018 they began to consider trading it in for one in Kansas. One reason for that was that Zach’s mother, of Topeka, was sick, and he wanted to move closer to her. Another reason was that the Parrs had young children, then ages 3 ...

There is a room in Priscilla Howe’s house at 415 Elm St. that she says beckoned her to buy it. The room is an enclave upstairs — a small, private space to be alone. Howe works there nearly every day. The room is saturated with the natural light that pours in from seven windows. This is ...

Back in 2006 when they still had children living with them, Linda and Pat Slimmer bought a plot of land at 1751 Learnard Ave., intending to build a typical family home. In 2008, they even drew plans for a two-story house; however, because of the volatile nature of the housing market, the timing ...