Kathie in Chicago's Profile

My husband does pest control and I HATE when he comes home and tells me he's been doing a bed bug job. There was one nursing home that he serviced that they were brought in on a resident's couch. The entire nursing home ended up with them. I've made him strip outside our house by the garbage cans before and throw his clothing away when he's had a particular bad instance that he's treated for. I can only imagine what the neighbors think or what a cop driving by would think of him streaking into the house naked! But I really really don't want them in our house with our toddler or with us.

Just know that you're not alone. And they've gotten worse because it seems they've gotten resistant to most treatments that have been used for them. That's why things like heat work, but a lot of the rest of it is ineffective.

I find if I put a box of pudding mix in with my cake mix that my cake comes out very very moist and yummy.

You could always get them one of the painted quilt blocks like you see on Iowa farms. It's sorta a variation on the star, but is also different enough you don't see them on houses. This site has more information on what I'm talking about... http://www.greencountybarnquilts.com/

My parents live in the woods in a cedar sided house my grandparents built. Every year the woodpeckers decide that the bugs that are on the house look yummy. And every year we fill in the holes they make with steel wool and pitch. Eventually the house may be held up only by tar, but darn it, we wouldn't ever kill one of our woodpeckers.....the chipmunks...they're another story!

Yes! Every year my father and I (right around Thanksgiving in fact), go hunting persimmons. They're native to southern illinois (smaller than the asian varieties) and they aren't ripe until the first frost hits.

We take our haul home, process them so that we have the pulp (they have very large seeds), and then proceed to either freeze or use that pulp in cookies and breads for the holidays.

They make up into a wonderful chewy spice cookie with molasses. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I find myself calling my father and asking him "Are they ready yet?"

My grandmother used to say that the unripe ones had "pucker power" and if she harvested before they were ripe she would put them in the freezer overnight to get them good and ready to eat.

I like to do my apple bbq pulled pork. Place the pork roast in the crock pot, cut up apples, cut up an onion or two, fill up the crock pot with apple juice, add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Turn on. Leave for 8 hours. Come back, drain the juice, pull apart the pork with forks, add bbq sauce and enjoy. Yum. Now my mouth is watering.

Lumber Liquidators sells butcher block in sections as well. It's on their website under "Specialty Items". Also, it might be worth a jaunt down to Effingham. That Boos location has an outlet store -- but keep in mind it's not open on the weekends. And if you're doing cabinets too, there's a Schrock cabinet outlet in Arcola. They are open on Saturday.

Don't forget to check the room and board clearance section too....There's also a tenpo tv stand in sepia that's on clearance for 399.99. We just bought ours and love it. It's a lighter color than the new models.

Movie soundtrack? My mainstay for trying out any new speakers....Independence Day!

I've gotta go with the split pea and ham with garlic croutons tossed in. Yum!