The alarm clock didn't go off. Thinking you'd have plenty of time in the morning you didn't pack the kids' lunches. On top of that, it's raining like Noah should be preparing the ark - which will make your drive to work twice as long.
When traveling, look for wrapping paper in regional designs. Australia has paper with koalas and kangaroos; Hawaii with surfers and hula dancers; Wales with Welsh love spoons and the Welsh dragon. Gifts mean even more when wrapped in paper you can't buy just anywhere.

Dear Ellie: My boyfriend and I are in our mid-20s, dating more than a year.

Today's birthday: In the year ahead, constructive changes will help you eliminate some bad habits, and those changes will be easier to make than ever before. Now is the time to work on whatever you deem detrimental and purge it from your life.

Baby booties. Report cards. Watercolor paintings.

Naperville resident Kirby Snell was named to the fall semester dean's list at the University of Evansville.

Between them, Marian Klean and Janet Leslie have knitted and crocheted more baby blankets, booties and tiny sweaters than anybody can count. That's fitting. The mother and daughter lead a close-knit family.