Dear Heloise: I use rubber gloves for most of my household cleaning. I had a special pair I used when washing dishes, but it had a small hole that allowed water inside the glove. I set the glove aside and let it dry out completely. Then I took a band aid, cut off the sticky portion on one side and put a super glue around the hole. Then I took the sticky portion of the Band-Aid and placed it over the hole, making sure that it also rested on the super glue. After it dried, my old rubber gloves back were as good as new. — Frances Y., Alexandria, Virginia

BAGUETTE

Dear Heloise: My family loves having a fresh baguette with stews, chili and soups. Unfortunately, they tend to go stale rather quickly. To freshen a baguette that’s about two days old, I quickly run it under the tap water and then place in the oven at 350 to 375 for about 5 or 6 minutes. It comes out warm and just as fresh as if it had come from the bakery. — Tory A., Portland, Oregon

OATMEAL COOKIES

Dear Heloise: I ran short of oatmeal when I was making oatmeal cookies one day and decided to open a couple of packets that had a banana-nut oatmeal mix and use it to complete the needed additional oatmeal. To my surprise, the oatmeal cookies had a banana-nut flavor and were delicious. I’m sure you could use any number of flavors of instant oatmeal to add just a little extra flavor, making your cookies different and tasty. — Mary S., Terre Haute, Indiana

BUTTER BUDS

Dear Heloise: When I buy butter by the stick, I always cut it up by the tablespoon or teaspoon-size squares. This saves time when I’m cooking and just makes it easier for me to measure out. — Ann R., Cody, Wyoming