Orange Blossom

Hi all! My father-in-law sent us home from Easter dinner with a big tub of pork bbq. But he coated it with the most horrible sauce. It's really nasty. I'm trying to get it off so we can still eat the meat. Right now it is in a colander, draining. That will help some but probably not enough. I was wondering if I could rinse the meat off without messing it up. It's pretty dry anyway. Not very good bbq but it was free and we need all the free food we can get! Or maybe I should pour a watered down good sauce over it when it is still in the colander.

any ideas?

much appreciated!

Hello everyone.

I want to buy my boyfriend a soldering gun for his birthday (tomorrow!!). I have no idea where to buy such things or what kind to get so I'm hoping for some advice. Maybe Home Depot or Lowes? Or something like Radio Shack? Or what?

He will use it to do guitar repair and hopefully fix our daughter's keyboard. I know I don't want the cheapest one but are there any features or anything I should look for to make sure I get the right kind? As I said, I don't know squat about soldering guns! I'm hoping to keep it under $20 if possible.

any tips would be greatly appreciated thanks so much!

I hope I picked the right category

I was wanting to buy some protein powder to try out and I see that they only sell huge jugs of it mostly. I saw one or two that were $11 bucks but most were upwards of $20. I'd hate to buy something that expensive before I even know if it will get used. Do health food stores, or something like GNC maybe have samples or smaller containers? Does anybody?

Thanks much!

I'm having some cash flow issues and. . . may have to pay my mortgage a few days late. It is officially "late" on June 17. I can pay it on the 19th. I've been in the house about 14 months. I'm trying to figure out how bad it would be to have a late payment. I can find a way to make the payment on time - I could pawn something or possibly get an advance on my paycheck, but I don't want to ask. My credit isn't steller or anything but i don't want it to tank. I sure don't want this to lead to mortgage problems later on. The late fee (with Bank of America) is something like $15. So. . . does anyone know how big a problem this would be?

I have to break up with a very kind, loving fellow. It's been 2 months and our relationship just isn't working. I want out. But he is oh so crazy about me and I fear this will totally devastate him. Also, we have to maintain a professional relationship (we don't work at the same company, but our jobs mean we have to work with each other at times - that's how we met)

We're a good bit older than some of the folks on answers I think - he's 41, i'm 33. Anyway. . . a few weeks ago, when I was first contemplating the breakup, someone said - just back away - don't call. . . wean him off, etc. But I don't think that will work now. I'm not in a huge hurry, but my birthday is in 2 and a half weeks and we need to be well and broken up by then - b/c i don't want him buying me a birthday present. He's a very nice guy, and I really don't want to hurt him. But I have to end this. Neither one of us have a whole lot of experience at this kind of thing so. . . help!?!

I don't want this to be like a bolt out of the blue. . . i thought he would have already seen the storm clouds brewing but i guess he is blind to such things.

thanks!

I and several friends are going to see Phantom of the Opera Wednesday. a friend who saw it last week said she made her daughter read a synopsis of the musical beforehand. She recommended I do the same, so as to not be confused. So i just found a synopsis and starting reading. Then I stopped - i'm afraid it will ruin the surprise and suspense.

So. . should I read it or not?!?!

thoughts?

When i opened hood on my '03 Pontiac vibe today (to check fuses) I saw that the dipstick for my transmission was not in its sleeve, but just sitting there (i'm surprised it didn't fall out while driving)

I had some transmission work done about a week ago, and the car re-filled with fluid. I guess they didn't put the dipstick back in.

My question is - could this have hurt my car in anyway? There hasn't been a lot of rain or anything, but i did drive down a dirt road last weekend. I surely don't want to pay for a transmission flush if i don't have to, but neither do i want to hurt my car any more than it already was hurt by running quite low on fluid for a while. . .

i don't feel like i should have to pay for it, b/c the mechanic is the one that left the dipstick out. . .

also - any thoughts on what permanent damage could have been caused by me running quite low on transmission fluid (i was afraid my transmission was dying. . . but it just needed fluid.(because other mechanics didn't tighten hoses) oops)

The horn on my '03 Pontiac Vibe hasn't worked since i had some front-end damage repaired. I'm really starting to miss it. It's not the fuse, that was fine. I put in a new one anyway, but of course it didn't help. My AC isn't very cold either, i figure they didn't put in all the freon i paid for when they put in the a/c condenser. They didn't tighten transmission connectors to radiator either, leading to transmission fluid leak and possible permanent damage. Oops. That's just me venting.

I'm really worried about the horn. I'm thinking about charging up freon myself - not worth bothering with them for that, but I do need the horn (already had transmission fixed)

any thoughts as to what may be causing the problem? Do you think it is related to body work/front end damage, or just totally random coincidence? (i love love love this car but oh, what a money pit)

A dear friend of mine wants a divorce and wants her husband to leave. She has told him to leave, but he never does. The house is owned by her and her family, he has no rights to the house, though he has done some work on it. I know she can't just "throw him out" because I have had some similar issues. Short of filing for a restraining order, what can she do? They have a precious 9-year-old son who they both love very much (and I do too) - so we don't want anything to hurt him or custody issues. Both of them are rather high-strung, as well, and I fear that this won't go well.

Is there anything in Cincinatti or Troy, Ohio, worth checking out by a guitar/music/history lover? A friend will be there for a day, and wanted to see if there is anything to do.

I have just bought two small spider plants (vitatum) that are crawling with plantlets. I am getting ready to pin them down into pots for propagation. I already did one, last week. I am wondering. . . should I just put one plantlet per tiny pot, or can i cluster several in a bigger pot, etc? And, how long do they need to remain attached to mother? All already had some short spiky roots, about a quarter inch long, i suppose. The mothers were in 4 inch plastic pots, horribly, terribly root bound, with the roots all grown out of the bottom. I immediately put them in slightly bigger pots, after carefully cutting away the bottom of the pots.. One looks like it is about to put out another stolon.

I bought what I thought was potting soil at the local nursery, for some container plants - both houseplants that will need repotting, and a mint plant i am growing in a big basket on my porch. But after I potted the mint, and something i am rooting, i noticed that it holds water forever. And now I look at the bag and it is Miracle Grow Garden Soil - for outdoor plants. Can I still use it for potted plants? It cost $9, and i've got the rooted plants and the mint already in it. I looked at the Scott's website and it says not for use for potted plants. I'm concerned about not having good drainage. What to do? I'm so mad at the nursery man for selling me the wrong thing!!! Should i repot the mint, by knocking all the soil off? The other is two sprigs of wandering Jew. please help!

Does anyone know the milligram to milligram amount of sodium in sodium bicarbonate? I have a new medication with 1100 mg of sodium bicarbonate, and am trying to find how many milligrams of sodium that is. Web searches are fruitless. . . i can find how much is in a teaspoon, but that doesn't help. And the stupid website of the medecine isn't helping either.

thanks!

After reading that my peace lilies are susceptible to too much chlorine in the water, I got to thinking. . . . would using the water from the creek that runs in my backyard be better than tap water? I know I can leave the tap water out for 24 hours and let the chlorine evap, but i never remember to do it.

I'm trying to get into a house plant kick. I really enjoy the ones I have and want more. But I'm terrified of poisoning my sweet kitty. So I was hoping someone could reccommend some plants that won't hurt her. One list said my peace lilies are poisonous, but she's lived with them for months. And that was only one list. I know Diffenbachia is poisonous but I read it tastes terrible, so no worries. I'm especially looking for something small and climby - philodendron like, perhaps, for my coffee table. Any suggestions? For small, and large, plants? I bought a palm of some kind, I hope it's ok.

thanks so much!!!

Hello. I'm on a little house plant kick and went a bit nuts at the nursery. And now I find that the cute little philodendron i bought to trail all over my coffee table is poisonous to cats. Does anyone know how poisonous? Is there any way they can co-exist? One list said my peace lily (spathyllium) was poisonous too, but she never bothers it. But the philodendron is probably fun to play with. Any ideas? Thoughts on nice, small, short house plants that won't hurt my cat?

I am looking at houses to buy, and I found the most adorable thing for the most insanely cheap price. The outlets in most of the house are two prong, though they are 3 prong in the laundry room. It had an AC unit outside too?! I'm wondering what kind of money it would be to have the wiring in the whole house upgraded. There are also some light fixtures missing. (i also have to totally redo the kitchen). IT's 3 bedroom, 2 bath, gas stove, electric oven (probably going to replace that anyway)

On a crawl space, I think.

Ideas? thanks!

I had a lip wax yesterday and I feel like some of it is still on my face. The lady tried to rub it off with some baby oil. When I got home, I washed with cold cream. I have put some lotion on it, and then some high dollar lip balm, because I have extreme dryness issues around my mouth, already. But it still feels waxy. I don't want to use rubbing alcohol or something drying but it's driving me nuts! Please help!

I think I can - he doesn't have a job, and I pay all the bills - I definitely provide more than half of his support. I was thinking I could claim him when I file my taxes next week, as well as change my witholding at work, to get a little more money in my paycheck, which I desperately need.

thanks y'all!

I'm desperate for a way to turn off the stupid headlights on my pontiac vibe. I am going to the drive-in movie tommorow. You're supposed to dim your lights at the drive in, which I can't do. Plus, i will need to crank the car every now and then to keep the radio (movie audio) from draining my battery. I hate these stupid lights! It's one thing for them to be on when the car is in drive, but in park?!?!?!? Please Help! There is a way to turn them on so they are on when the car is off, but not the other way around. It's also a pain with my boat trailer. . .