I started crafting — knitting — at the age of seven. My family was stationed at a military base near Suffolk, England, in the 1970s, and knitting was a required class at my elementary school.

But my crafting career almost ended before it began, because I despised knitting. Lucky for me, the teacher recommended I try crochet instead, and the...Read more

Being a grandfather can be magical — as long as you don’t end up in jail.

That’s the lesson I learned recently when my wife, Sue, and I got together with our five grandchildren and their parents for a week in which I assisted in science experiments performed with a magic wand, was nearly bitten by a king cobra and trampled by a ...Read more

It’s been said that it’s easier to buy a firearm than to adopt a rescue animal in this country.

Once your internet search has steered you to a pup who pinches your heart, congratulations! You’ve found The One. Now get ready to be questioned.

The vetting may include lengthy application forms, in-home visits and intense competition from ...Read more

CHICAGO -- South Loop’s FAME Center started in 2018 in what founder Sheila Fortson called “a broom closet” with just a few students and a piano. The nonprofit is now looking to become a major music and arts education landmark in Chicago with the purchase of a 56,000-square-foot historic building.

Matthew Thomas, 14, remembers that when he...Read more

LAS VEGAS -- Cosmetology students turned the tassels on their graduation caps after walking the stage inside Nevada’s women’s prison on Monday.

“This really did save my life,” said Amber Wharton, a member of the most recent graduating class of Expertise Cosmetology Institute’s New Path program.

Gwen Braimoh, the institute’s ...Read more

Members of the military and armed forces tend to lead busy lives and are often not on the same day-to-day work routine as everyone else. When it comes to investing, military members also do not have access to all of the same investment plans that workers in the private sector do. Their busy schedules may not leave them with enough free time to ...Read more

The blushing bride and her eye-catching straps put on quite the show last year. It’s so true, and I can imagine editors everywhere having palpitations as The Garden Guy goes rogue with seductive humor. Now that I have your attention, I am talking about Heart to Heart, Blushing Bride, Proven Winners "Caladium of the Year" for 2025. It is a ...Read more

Price per square foot, a metric often used in helping to determine a home’s value, can be a useful comparison tool. It’s a tricky concept, though, because a home’s price per square foot multiplied by its square footage doesn’t necessarily add up to an accurate fair market value. For example, homes with unique features typically command a...Read more

One of the biggest decisions divorcing couples face is what to do with their shared home. It’s often an emotional decision — and if the home has an outstanding mortgage, the situation gets extra complicated.

Here’s what to know about divorce and your mortgage.

Mortgage options in a divorce

Depending on the details of your mortgage, the ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I moved to a new city for work last month, leaving behind a "situationship" that never quite became official. Now he’s texting wanting to try long distance, saying the new year made him realize what he wants, which is, evidently, me. I'm torn between giving this another chance and making a completely fresh start in my new home. ...Read more

After 13 years of helping people find love (and sometimes dodging a few bullets along the way), I’ve seen the dating landscape evolve dramatically.

Let’s look at five tips for navigating the dating world this upcoming year.

1. Curate your dating profile like it’s a first impression (because it is)

Your dating profile is your personal ...Read more

BOULDER, Colo. — Ruffian the champion show cat reclined on a fur pillow wearing tiny protective goggles to shield his eyes from the laser therapy being used to treat his inflamed joints.

Veterinary physiotherapist Kerry Kilgannon hovered a laser wand over Ruffian’s hips one December morning while using a dangling cat treat to bribe the ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I have a question regarding a situation in my classroom. I have my kids grouped at tables and have stressed to them that this is where we are for the year. I reminded them that sometimes we have to sit by people we aren't best friends with and have to work with people who we don't get along with, but we have to try. Here is ...Read more

Q.My ex and I split up six months ago and our children go back and forth between our new homes. We don’t have a formal parenting plan -- the split was amicable; we just share the kids every few days. They are 5 and 7. It seems to be working OK, but I have recently met someone new. I am afraid this will complicate things, and their mother will...Read more

"Stay tuned for a weather impact update," says the man on the television.

I have problems with the word impact and not just because it's one of those words that can be both a noun and a verb. Impact always reminds me of when my brother was a toddler and shoved a Red Hot up his nose. The Red Hot was impacted and our mother had to carefully ...Read more

According to statistics that must be true or I wouldn’t have made them up, 87% of grandfathers couldn’t pass a third-grade math test.

This is shocking because it represents almost half the grandpa population.

Unfortunately, I am in this group because I recently got taken to school by my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is in third grade, has ...Read more

CHICAGO — Marvin Fournier launched two canoes off a city park boat dock on a recent December afternoon, as he has done countless times for over a decade. The vessels were decked out in twinkling Christmas lights, the remnants of a prior paddling outing on the river — a holiday tradition with fellow river canoe guides.

“We put up Christmas...Read more

CHICAGO -- The ancient manuscript rested on the shelves of the Newberry Library for more than a century.

Little was known about the bound book from colonial Mexico that had been donated to the library in 1911 by Edward Ayer, a collector and a tycoon who made his fortune supplying ties to railroad companies. It was called “Ayer 1485″ in the ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Laura Hutton has taken in everyone from a baby born weighing a pound and a half to a pregnant teenager, children whose needs ranged from feeding tubes to mental health therapy.

With a background as a special education teacher, Hutton, 55, has become something of a go-to foster parent for children whose medical, emotional or ...Read more

Every gardener across the country is looking forward to the new plant introductions making their debut in 2025. One of the most eagerly awaited is a new angelonia or summer snapdragon by the name of Angelface Wedgwood Pink. This bicolored pink and white selection is one we have anticipated for years. You see, sometime ago Angelface Wedgwood Blue...Read more