HINTS FROM HELOISE

PRACTICAL, DEPENDABLE TIPS FOR TODAY’S BUSY CONSUMERS

Dear Readers: Today’s Sound On is about a very special wedding gift.

Dear Heloise: I was recently married, and on the day of my wedding my mother-in-law

gave me a very special gift. It was a small gold cross that had been given to, and worn by, four generations of women in her family.

The necklace had been brought to this country by the mother of her great-grandmother when she immigrated from Ireland with her husband in the 1800s. In her lifetime she owned only three

pieces of jewelry: a thin gold wedding band, a pair of small garnet earrings and this little gold cross necklace. Monetarily, it’s not very valuable, but I wouldn’t part with it for the world.

I think if more mothers-in-law handed something down with deep personal meaning to their daughters-in-law, it might help strengthen the bond they share and make the bride feel as welcome as my in-laws have made me feel.

— Courtney in Massachusetts

Dear Readers: Here are some uses for old pillowcases:

n To store child or pet toys. n As a small laundry bag. n To store extra sheets. n To cover small pet beds for easy cleaning. n To store seasonal clothes.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: I learned this neat trick from my sister-inlaw. After a pair of rubber kitchen gloves starts getting holes in the fingers, cut across the cuff to make a wide, stretchy band that can be used when you need a very large rubber band on things like extension cords or large boxes.

— Carrie In Colorado

Dear Readers: Have you received a check in the mail recently, with a letter about a sweepstakes, grant or maybe a job opportunity? It’s a scam. The checks are usually in the thousands. You’re asked to deposit money into your bank account.

The instructions provided will ask you to withdraw a certain amount for advertising, promotion, etc. and send it to the scammer. By the time you’ve sent the money, you discover the check is a fraud and you’re out a few thousand dollars.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: My two boys don’t like to drink their milk, but I know it is important for them to have the calcium provided by milk.

So, I chop up fruit such as bananas, strawberries, mangos or pineapples, and put one or two fruits in a blender with milk, freeze it and make healthy “ice cream” that they love to eat.

— Hannah in Massachusetts

Send your hints to Heloise@ Heloise.com or mail them to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000.