Real Simple October 2021

I SPEND MUCH of my marriage (well, the parts I share on social media) making what I hope is good-natured fun of the man I call #clutterhusband. I’ll chronicle the stray socks, the dining table heaped with returns, the blatantly ignored P-touched pantry shelves. On October 1, and not a day before, I push aside my taste for tidiness and calm, and I indulge my husband’s passion for my least favorite holiday. Plastic bins of decorations line the driveway. A cocktail party’s worth of eight-foot animatronic ghouls hang out in the dining room. I hide behind a book while neighborhood kids gather on our lawn, wondering when Mr. Steve will come out to toss the first decapitated head over the tree branches, signaling the start of Halloween. For one month, I watch…

ON THE WEB 31 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes Instead of staring down the picked-over costume aisle at your local store, try one of these treats on for size. From classic getups to punny disguises, these DIY costumes will have you looking festive in a pinch. Get inspired to dress up at realsimple.com/costumes. BEHIND THE SCENES Emily Henderson STYLIST & INTERIOR DESIGNER @em_henderson Next big purchase: Vintage doors and salvaged sinks for my farmhouse renovation. Your daily uniform: Levi’s shorts, an airy blouse, and sandals. Coziest home item: We have a massive, floppy floor pillow near our fireplace that people mistake for a dog bed. It’s actually where I lie down and read page-turners on the weekends. See Emily’s bedroom design for the REAL SIMPLE Home on page 94. ON QVC REAL SIMPLE Handbags We’ve launched a line of classic crossbody bags and roomy totes with organizing solutions…

#RSLOVE I only bake with salted butter. Many professionals don’t do this, but I think it adds the perfect seasoning to my baking and enhances the flavor. @PIEGIRLBAKES I hate warm-from-the-oven cookies. Everyone thinks I’m nuts, but I like a cold cookie. @ANNEPAL221 I don’t like potatoes. I can’t begin to tell you how many “You don’t like potatoes?” conversations I’ve had. In 2020, there was a streak of 10 days in a row! People are truly puzzled. (And yet: I like sweet potatoes.) SANDRA LYNN WAKASHIGE, WINNETKA, CALIFORNIA I drink milk right out of the carton. It is my milk. I am the only one who still drinks milk—it is mine and only mine. It is my delicious, cold comfort food. CYNTHIALYNN JONES, MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE Lobster is extremely overrated. @LIZMATTHEWS729 Sheet pan dinners are lame. There’s always one component…

1 THE HOLD UP Detached andirons flex to the cut of your logs and can be stowed away in small spaces. TO BUY: Jackson Brass Andirons, $295; williams-sonoma.com. 2 MEET YOUR MATCH These extra-long matches come in a glass cloche that doubles as mantel decor. TO BUY: Cloud Fireplace Match Cloche, $49.50; skeemshop.com. 3 LOTSA LUG! Move logs with ease in this hardy canvas carrier that you can customize with up to 10 characters. TO BUY: Dura-Tough Sling Log Carrier, $30; llbean.com. 4 STAYING POWER Each tool’s wooden handle features a built-in magnet that secures it to the stand. TO BUY: Ashi Fireplace Tool Set, from $250; blomus.us. 5 OLD SCHOOL Pop enough for a party—three quarts!—in this enamel vessel. The long handle keeps your hands from overheating. TO BUY: Popcorn Popper, $48; shopterrain.com. 6 FIRE STARTER If you skipped the…

Relatable Romance Love and longing are at the center of Sally Rooney’s latest. Alice, a best-selling novelist, befriends Felix, a warehouse worker in the small town she’s moved to after a nervous breakdown. She trades extensive emails with her longtime friend Eileen, who is mainly concerned with her own feelings for the childhood friend who’s stringing her along. Beautiful World, Where Are You is a thoughtful look at that time in every young adult’s life when they are searching for love—and themselves in the process. Book Club Winner We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is a timely conversation starter with a knockout premise: Riley, a Black news anchor in her hometown of Philadelphia, is a rising star whose best friend since kindergarten, Jen, is a white woman married…

1 A BETTER WHEY That block of tofu wants to fry up all crispy, but it needs your help getting the sog out. Place it in this cute bamboo press to remove excess water 20 minutes before cooking. TO BUY: Tofu Turtle Press, $30; kikkerland.com. 2 BRIGHT IDEA Chunky neon pencils won’t dry out, bleed through paper, or smear text like a highlighter pen can. Plus? No plastic will end up in a landfill. TO BUY: Couleurs Fluos Highlighter Pencils by Caran d’Ache, $4 each; cwpencils.com. 3 HEADACHE BUSTER Stow this lifesaver in the freezer and wrap it around your noggin when you feel the tension creep in. The segmented icy pouches contour to your head and chill the pain away. TO BUY: Headache Hat, $40; theheadachehat.com. 4 USE YOUR HEAD This adjustable hat has a hidden…