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Being needed isn’t the same as being valued

Dear Annie: I am the person everyone in my family calls when they need something. I babysit, drive relatives to appointments, host holidays and lend money when someone is in a bind. I rarely complain because I love my family and want to be helpful. A few weeks ago, my sister called me in a ...

When is ‘soon’?

Annie: I am a 31-year-old woman, and I've been with my boyfriend for five years. We've been talking about marriage for the past two -- talking about it and talking about it. Every time it comes up, it's positive. He tells me he can't wait to marry me. But Annie, the proposal still has not ...

Gauging the temperature of oil

Dear Heloise: I love your column, Heloise. I read it every day! It’s sometimes hard to get an accurate temperature of oil when using a thermometer, especially if there’s only a 1/2 inch of oil in a saute pan. My hint is to dip the end of a wooden spoon into the hot oil. When you see the ...

Married to the tube

Dear Annie: My husband is one of those people who always needs the TV on. Eating dinner? TV on. Getting dressed? TV on. Even working, he'll have it on -- muted if necessary, but on. I'm not anti-TV, but I do feel it steals from the quality time we could be sharing. When we eat, he looks at ...

Try this fun way of making magnets

Dear Heloise: I receive magnetic calendars from charities. After the year has ended, I carefully remove the front picture, leaving the paper backing. I then glue on school pictures of my grandchildren. After the glue dries, I cut out each picture and have fridge magnets of their smiling faces. ...

A father on hold

Dear Annie: My wife (40) and I (53) have been married for almost a year and a half. A few weeks ago, she moved out and took our daughters, ages 3 and 4, with her. When she left, she said they'd be back that evening. They haven't returned. I haven't seen or spoken to my girls in almost a month. ...