Good Housekeeping February 2013

We get it. February 14 has gotten sappy, a little commercial. Red roses. Boxes of chocolate. Restaurant dinners. Yawn…. But love, we'd like to argue, is always worth revisiting. Take our cover girl, Drew Barrymore (page 34). She's betting on marriage again—and all its promise. Find sweet inspiration in our romantic recipes (page 148), lasting-love secrets, and heart-healthy advice (page 81). It's a short month, but you can pack a lot of joy into 28 days.…

AROUND OUR HOUSE Good dog! Tallulah the shih tzu gets rewarded by Lifestyle Editor Beth Roehrig at our Double Duty shoot (see page 136) Rosemary Ellis EDITOR IN CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR Courtney Murphy SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jennifer L. Cook EXECUTIVE EDITOR Janet Siroto MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Scrymser EDITORIAL HEALTH DIRECTOR Toni Gerber Hope LIFESTYLE EDITOR Elizabeth Roehrig ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR Cortney Pellettieri LITERARY EDITOR Laura Mathews SENIOR EDITORS Brooke Kosofsky Glassberg, Kathleen Renda ASSOCIATE EDITOR, DIGITAL EDITIONS Rachel Bowie EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Shelly Watson ASSISTANT EDITORS Caylin Harris, Marnie Soman EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Kathleen Corlett, Gabrielle Too-A-Foo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jenny Allen, Melissa d'Arabian, Melissa Fay Greene, Heloise, Karin Lidbeck-Brent, Kyran Pittman, Peggy Post, Gretchen Rubin, Carmen Wong Ulrich FASHION DIRECTOR Jasmine H. Chang ASSISTANT Heidi Roman BEAUTY DIRECTOR Nina Judar ASSOCIATE EDITOR Melanie…

We evaluate products for the magazine and the Seal to make sure you get good value. 1,500+ That's how many products GHRI experts evaluate yearly. See which ingenious problem-solvers we selected—with guest tester Anderson Cooper's help—for our 2013 VIP Awards (page 141). We do something that no other magazine does… If any product that has earned our Seal is defective, we'll replace it or refund your money—just notify us within two years of purchase (see details at right). DIRECTOR Miriam Arond FOOD DIRECTOR Susan Westmoreland FOOD ASSOCIATE FOOD EDITOR Catherine Lo ASSOCIATE FOOD EDITOR Erin Phraner ASSISTANT FOOD EDITOR Sherry Rujikarn EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica Fox NUTRITION NUTRITION DIRECTOR Samantha B. Cassetty, M.S., R.D. HOME HOME APPLIANCES, CLEANING PRODUCTS & TEXTILES DIRECTOR Carolyn E. FortÉ PRODUCT ANALYST Christina Peterson TEST ENGINEER…

Here's a Quiz: Can You Guess Who… 1 Fixes my breakfast every morning? 2 Restores my computer when it goes haywire? 3 Books the babysitters? 4 Feeds the cat? This is not rocket science. It's my husband, Jim—the guy I have known since college, dated in my career-girl days, and have been married to for (I can't believe this) more than 20 years. Every marriage is a work in progress, and we've had inevitable bumps, like everyone else. But there's no question that my life is happier, fuller, funnier, and filled with more generosity and love because I'm married to Jim. I'm thankful for him on a daily basis, and I try to tell him so as often as I can manage (frequently while also asking his forgiveness for being…

$40 …and Under Treats for You CHOCO-LUXE $13 Hide it from the kids: Max Brenner's box of nine yummy, almost-too-pretty-to-eat chocolates (shop.maxbrenner.com) GET COZY $15 Curl up under the reversible Vilmie Rund throw (IKEA stores), woven of soft, yarn-dyed cotton; both sides have equally fab patterns COLOR RULES $7 Tropical-toned acrylic and large numbers—no squinting!—make the Absolute Ruler (poppin.com) a desktop must SHADOW PLAY $8 Send a romantic message quick as a wink with L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Eye Shadow Quad Brazen Bolds collection (drugstores) RED HOTS $22.50 Lizden for QVC's washable (really!) suede gloves (qvc.com) are ruffle-edged and cozily lined—plus, they come in winter-blahs-beating vivid tones TAKE NOTE $18 for eight Say it—thanks, that is—with flowers on these sweetly patterned blank note cards (riflepaperco.com; envelopes included) NOW EAR THIS…

My Smart Solution "I personalized mugs for my husband and me using just a Sharpie. It's so easy! Choose plain ceramic or porcelain mugs (ours are from Target), draw your design, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Hand-wash. The worst that can happen if you don't? Your drawing might fade—then you just remake and re-bake. " Reader Feedback Red Lips: Hot or Not? In December, we revealed how to brighten your smile with red lipstick. Your take on the trend, via Facebook: 29 % GO RED "I always wear a raisin red and have been asked if I whiten my teeth—I don't!" —Erin Millar 71 % NO RED "I kiss my husband too much to wear that gunk on my lips." —Cheri Stone √ Tell us what you think…