HELOISE Making a flat sheet fitted is knot a problem

Editor's note: Today's Heloise includes the entirety of Wednesday's column, which was inadvertently left out of the paper.
Dear Heloise: How do you make fitted sheets out of flat sheets? Sherry Kuhlman, via e-mail
There's a quick way and one that involves sewing. For the easy method, just smooth the flat sheet out over the top of the mattress, then tie a knot in each corner and tuck under the mattress. Adjust corner knots accordingly to give the sheet a smooth, tight fit.
For a permanent fix, remove the hem at each end of a flat sheet. With a pair of scissors, round each corner, trimming away any surplus material -- be sure to leave 8 to 10 inches of overhang on each side. Now make a 1-inch-wide casing at each end and insert 3/4-inch elastic all the way through each casing. Stitch one end of the elastic in place on one side so you can stretch the length of elastic tighter to make the sheet snug, then stitch down the other end of the elastic. Repeat at the other casing.Your fitted sheet is now ready to use! Heloise
Dear Heloise: I use the top of a butter dish to keep my sweetener packets in. It takes up little space, and it's easy to take one packet out at a time.
I also use 1-pound margarine containers for my coffee filters -- one group of filters fits perfectly. Dorothy Bradshaw, Punta Gorda, Fla.
Dear Heloise: A cheap decorating hint for beauty salons and dentist's offices: Clean those nasty ceiling air vents above the hair-wash sinks and dental chairs. Ugh!
Salons and dentist's offices invest lots of money in furniture, carpet, aquariums, etc., and the thing that we gaze at the most is the ceiling when we are being shampooed or drilled. I'm sick of looking up at those filthy vents. Janet, Houston
Janet, everything in life is POV (point of view), and this is one that most people don't see! Good point, and I bet there will be a lot of people looking up! Heloise
Dear Heloise: When making a batch of cookies, I always make one and a half to two recipes at a time, then bake as many as I need. After that, using my miniscoop, I cover my cookie sheet with dough balls. Next, I cover the sheet with plastic wrap and freeze it. Once frozen, I place all of the dough balls in a self-closing plastic bag, then return them to the freezer.
Now I can bake a few to a lot of cookies whenever I need them. They are fresh and a quick treat. P.S.: It's best if you let the dough balls thaw a bit before baking. Donna Dugger, Columbia, Tenn.
Dear Heloise: I love your column. I have a hint that might be useful to someone:
I wait until the day-at-a-time calendars go on sale and pick up one to keep by my phone. As I tear the pages off, I put them in an old napkin holder and use them for notepaper. The backs are usually blank. Mickie Bradley, Keedysville, Md.
Dear Readers: Did you know that if you are mailing manuscripts, sound recordings, films, CDs, DVDs, printed music or books, you can use the "book rate" for postage, which could save you a lot of money?
Businesses usually use this service, but anyone can. The only things the package can contain are the listed items (nothing else), and it must weigh under 70 pounds.
Delivery can take up to nine days, but it might be sooner. So, don't send anything that needs to arrive quickly. Heloise
P.S. Call the post office if you have any questions.
Dear Heloise: I just heard about a car accident where a person was killed and the others in the vehicle were unconscious when police arrived. Rather than moving injured people to pull out wallets for IDs, the police found a cell phone and started dialing programmed numbers on it to find relatives and ID the victims. This prompted me to redo the speed dials on my cell phone. I made sure the most important ones show up at the top of the list, and they're labeled "home," "Mom and Dad," etc. Also, my full name comes up on the screen when the cell phone is turned on, which would help identify me in an emergency. It has also been helpful in the past when I left my phone in a restaurant. M.S., Harrisonburg, Va.
Dear Heloise: Sometimes guys have a good hint. Here's mine: Wear an old pair of spiked golf shoes when doing yardwork. Safety on slopes and while hand-mowing or trimming is greatly improved. Plus, the shoes aerate the soil. Larry Fulwider, McGaheysville, Va.
Larry, guys have good hints! Glad you wrote, and please do so again. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Every time I go to the store, I always forget where I parked my car. I have found that by pushing the trunk-open button on my car-alarm remote, I can see the trunk open, and I now right away where my car is. Chrissy in San Antonio
Sounds good to me. One of my assistants says that when she can't find her car at night, she pushes her remote to unlock the doors, which also turns on the interior light, and then she can immediately see where her car is. Heloise
Dear Heloise: You published a letter from a woman about someone in her family who is hard of hearing, was sleeping with his hearing aids off and could not hear the fire alarm go off.
If someone is hard of hearing and is staying in a hotel or motel, that person should alert the front desk when checking in that he or she sleeps without hearing aids, so in case of a fire or evacuation, someone would know to go alert him or her. Barb Grisham, Wasilla, Alaska
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate