Lifestyle Columns
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The nation’s housing: It’s getting tougher to secure a mortgageApr 13, 2012 3:15 am - By Ken Harney WASHINGTON — How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this year’s increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff ...
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Super handyman: Get your deck ready for cookout seasonApr 13, 2012 1:52 am - If your deck has seen better days, you’d better put it on your to-do list quickly. It’s time to party in the great outdoors again. Here are some things you should do eac...
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Home inspector: Agent, inspector at odds over additionApr 13, 2012 1:52 am - Q. My son is buying his first home, an older house with an addition. Neither the seller nor the agent will say if the addition is permitted, but the agent assures him it...
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About real estate: Some home sellers turn to a saint to help find a buyerApr 13, 2012 1:52 am - Some owners will swear on a stack of Bibles that burying a statue of a popular patron saint in a yard can trigger a pilgrimage of buyers to a seller’s front door. Q. We ...
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Arboretum botanist tracks blooms and other signs of spring's progressApr 12, 2012 11:00 am - Ed Hedborn, who has been with the Morton Arboretum in Lisle for 35 years, has never seen anything like this. “It feels like I'm in the middle of May,” Hedborn says. “You...
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Funny 'Damsels' is a slightly absurd look at campus lifeApr 12, 2012 6:00 am - Reel Life review: 'Damsels in Distress' Whit Stillman, chronicler of the exploits of the highly educated, upper-class neurotic in three films so far, returns with his v...
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Tattoo inks way to new career, life and autism advocacyApr 12, 2012 5:00 am - As a teenager in Hoffman Estates, Sara Allgire was sure she knew why her older sister's young son acted out, threw tantrums and refused to speak or even look at folks. ...
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Going green in the world of winesApr 11, 2012 12:00 pm - Winemakers today offer vintages in many shades of “green” that cover the process from the vine to the barrel to the bottle. How earth-friendly do you want your wine to b...
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Kitchen Scoop: Pasta salad so good, you’ll swear it’s a sandwichApr 11, 2012 8:54 am - Got ham? I know I do! It seems like no matter how hard I try to find a ham that will feed just the right number of guests at Easter dinner, the ham multiplies. But lefto...
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Homemade dressing hard to beat for taste, nutrient profileApr 11, 2012 8:00 am - Q. Are homemade salad dressings healthier than bottled dressings, or do people just like their freshness? A. The flavor of a freshly made dressing is hard to beat and ma...