Home and Garden
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Chickens can help with bugs, weeds in the gardenJan 03, 2017 5:00 am - Raising small flocks of backyard chickens has been a trend among city dwellers for a decade or so, and putting the birds to work can be a boon to gardens. You can use th...
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Learn to 'Grow Native' in your yard Jan. 19Jan 01, 2017 10:00 pm - In January, discover prairie plants for the home garden and learn how to help preserve Illinois history with University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Mary Jo Mur...
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Foreclosures on reverse mortgages are not what you thinkJan 01, 2017 10:00 pm - The headline on Bloomberg News as reported by National Mortgage News caught my eye. It read "Mnuchin's Reverse Mortgage Woes Blemish Record of Treasury Pick." As I read ...
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Cast your vote for best lights in the 'burbsDec 12, 2016 4:30 am - Thirty-one hopefuls have submitted their entries, and now it's time for you to decide who has the best holiday lights in the suburbs. Online voting begins today at event...
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How to fool the eye with creative designsDec 11, 2016 5:00 am - Depending on where you live — whether it be in a city like Chicago, San Francisco or Seattle — the demand for housing and the selection of housing stock may not always b...
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Be selective when choosing a Christmas treeDec 11, 2016 5:00 am - When choosing a Christmas tree, select one with firm needles that don't drop off when the tree is raised up a few inches and dropped to the ground. A small number of nee...
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New sensor can track energy use of your home's appliances
Dec 10, 2016 6:15 am - The plethora of electronic devices in your home may plug into the same walls and draw electricity from the same source, but each has a unique signature or fingerprint th...
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Pantone's 2017 Color of the Year is a 'bright and powerful' greenDec 10, 2016 5:00 am - For a world weary of so much red and blue, green may be just the right tone for the 2017 Pantone Color of the Year. The 2017 anointed color, Greenery, a “zesty yellow-gr...
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What about tipping your real estate agent?Dec 10, 2016 5:00 am - Q. We are buying our first house, and we're both so pleased with the extra help our real estate agent has been giving us. She will be paid by the sellers, and we won't h...
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Two ways to improve our standard mortgage systemDec 10, 2016 5:00 am - Editor's note: This is the first column in a two-part series that will conclude next week in HomesSaturday. The standard mortgage in the U.S. has two major weaknesses. B...