The last thing Jen Towner does before going to bed is log into her Facebook page. The first thing she does after waking up is virtually check in with her friends again. She keeps her page up and active all day, every day. It’s a ritual, and Towner makes no apologies for it. Suzanne Ricks’ habit is TiVo. After working all day as director of the day-care center at Four Mile Creek Baptist Church in Varina, Ricks comes home to a TV menu more appetizing than a meal: “Dr. Oz” and the national evening news to start, followed by whatever favorite shows happen to be on - “The Mentalist,“ “Dexter,“ “NCIS,“ “CSI.“

Everything you need to know about being a well-rounded Southern woman will be unveiled next weekend at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Fashion shows, smart shopping, creative cooking, healthy living—even a little beefcake—will be part of the 2009 Richmond Southern Women’s Show next Friday through April 19. First, the beefcake. The brave men of the Richmond Metro Area Firefighters will be back by popular demand for a fashion show and fundraiser next Friday at 5 p.m. Bring money and help fill their boots for the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

About 75 couples who have been married 50 years or longer celebrated at a Golden Anniversary dinner at St. James Baptist Church.

SLIDESHOW

Q:After having two babies and gaining some weight, my formerly perky figure is turning droopy. I have bought several new bras, but they don’t help much. The only one that was reasonably effective looked more like a straitjacket and felt hot and uncomfortable. If I pull up my bra straps by hand, I get the kind of lift I want. But obviously I can’t walk around hoisting myself up. Do you have the answer?

WHAT’S HAPPENING Purses galore! Handbags from the collections of more than 50 international designers and contributions by local artists and philanthropists helped fill the auction tables for a fundraiser for LINC, the Legal Information Network for Cancer. LINC offers cancer patients education, counseling and referral services as they navigate the legal and financial issues associated with a cancer diagnosis.

Bobby Coleman was at the front of a pack of 5,000 finishing up a rainy 3-mile walk through Innsbrook yesterday morning. He did it in about a half-hour. Not bad for a guy who underwent sixtuple-bypass surgery in June. “This feels great,“ Coleman said of the Start! Richmond Heart Walk, an annual event led by the American Heart Association.

Even before these days of shrinking economic expectations, furniture makers were getting the message from consumers: small is the new black. Smaller furniture that fits into smaller living spaces was the big message at last week’s twice-a-year furniture industry trade show in High Point, N.C. Downsizing baby boomers and growing appeal of urban living is causing furniture manufacturers to reduce the scale of dressers, coffee tables, nightstands and the like.

Calendar of events relating to homes and gardens Richmond Symphony Designer House: Tara II, 5511 Cary St. Road, is this year’s designer house. It is open daily through Oct. 12, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. $20, benefits Richmond Symphony. Parking and shuttle at The Shops at Willow Lawn. (804) 282-4328 or www.rsol.org.

Getting children outdoors to play, sadly, now takes an act of Congress. On Sept. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008. Sponsored by John P. Sarbanes, D-Md., the act is designed to expand and improve opportunities for children and adolescents to learn about and experience nature. The positive news is that back-to-nature initiatives are springing up all over.

If you build it, they will come.“ The memorable quote from the movie “Field of Dreams” has sprung to life in the backyard of Dee Smith’s Midlothian home. Mechanicsville landscape architect Mike Lemcke turned an overgrown, seldom-used outdoor space into an all-natural playground, with one end devoted to kids and the other to adults.

A Day of Design, sponsored by the Richmond chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association, will be held Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will include visits to some of Richmond’s historic treasures. The morning session (9 a.m. to noon), open to design professionals only, will be held at the historic Bolling-Haxall House, 211 E. Franklin St.

Have you completed an indoor or outdoor home project that you’re particularly proud of? The Home & Garden section wants to hear about it. Whether it’s a small improvement or a wholesale makeover, tell us how you accomplished it, how long it took and how much it cost. Include a photo, if you have one. Your project might be chosen for the “I Did It Myself” feature in an upcoming Home issue.