paned*expressions

My brother is verbally abusive to his girlfriend and to his kids, who are 7, 5 (boys), and 3 (girl). During his last blowup he smashed up their house (while the kids were home) and threw the vehicle into park while driving (with the kids in the car!) because he was mad at his girlfriend. No one was hurt but I shudder at the thought of what could have happened. I am at the point where I want to try to get guardianship of the kids. I've offered several forms of help several times over the years but nothing's gotten through. He's not getting any help for his anger or his addiction to pain pills (he has UC) and his girlfriend isn't doing anything to protect those kids from him. She's OK as a parent when she's been on her own but she won't leave him. I already see the boys acting out when they're angry, hitting and kicking things and yelling like Daddy does. The oldest has already been in trouble at school for throwing a chair at a teacher. I can't let them condemn those kids to a lifetime of the same misery. I just don't know if I have any legal options. I don't want to involve the court but I will as a last resort. I own my home, have a spotless record, and make a decent living so I wouldn't have a problem taking care of them. Anyone have any experience with a situation like this?

I have seasonal allergies, and my co workers all know. When I sneeze, it works up phlegm and I have to clear my throat a lot. A co worker sends me an e-mail the other day saying am I sick or something because my throat clearing is irritating. I always try to keep that to a minimum but I just can't help it. I've been pinching off the urge to sneeze as much as I can, but that results in sniffles instead of throat clearing. I feel like asking her if sniffles are less irritating than throat clearing and if there's anything else I can do to keep my allergies from irritating HER. Is that petty? No one told her she was irritating when she coughed for 3 MONTHS when she had bronchitis.

I was wondering which adds more resale value when putting in a patio, stamped concrete or pavers?

I was thinking of adding the syrup from frozen sweetened raspberries to my flan recipe for the flavor but don't know how it would affect texture. Has anyone tried this? I would like to try it for impossible cake.

This has been happening on and off for over a year. I'll be sitting or driving or sleeping and my arms will start tingling and "falling asleep". The only way I can get it to stop is to raise my arm to about shoulder level and twist until my palm is facing the ceiling. After holding 5-10 seconds in this position I can feel the blood coming back into my arm and hand. There's no pain, only numbness. Anyone know what may be causing this and why it takes such a weird position to make it stop?

I discovered a HUGE wasp nest in my garage. It's got to be at least the size of 2 basketballs. They've been gone for a year now and it's 4 degrees here so I feel safe removing it and would like to keep it in one piece to preserve it. The problem is it's in the corner down by the floor, between the walls and the bottom shelf of a shelving unit (they got in through a small space between the ground and the foundation of the garage) so it's attached to 2 walls and the underside of the shelf. Any ideas on how I can get this thing out without destroying it?

I plan to take my mom on a surprise trip for her 60th birthday Sep. 2010. Any suggestions on a fun destination that won't break me?

I ordered 2 items from Yankee Harvest LLC on 8/25/09 and was e-mailed an order confirmation. They are "internet only" and have only an e-mail address, a mailing address, and a fax number for contacting them. After 2 weeks and still no product, I e-mailed. Another week went by so I e-mailed and faxed. Another week went by so I e-mailed, faxed, and sent a letter. I have e-mailed and faxed every week since and have gotten neither my product nor a response from anyone at Yankee Harvest. I have called my credit card company to have them reverse the charges. Anyone else out there have this experience with Yankee Harvest?

I was wondering if anyone had come across any studies where premature babies are followed into adulthood. Would the effects the premature birth had on the person's brain be inherited by any children they might have as adults? Would the premature person's children be less intelligent?

I'm going to a wedding in Kenosha, WI. Does anyone know if there are any airbrush makeup artists close by?

I'm going to a wedding in Kenosha, WI. Does anyone know if there are any airbrush makeup artists close by?

I have naturally dark ashy blonde hair. When I lighten it, even using ash colors and using purple conditioner, it still always pulls gold. Is there anything at all I can do to stop this madness?!

My house is just under 1000 square feet. There's about 6" of pea gravel in the crawl now. It's not super disgusting, but I would feel better if it were sealed. Also, would I get a good return when I sell it?

I want to make a stained glass sign for my boyfriend's parents. They've been rescuing horses for years but recently organized and I'd like to make them a sign for their newly formed rescue group. I'm having trouble figuring out how to design it, what kind of graphic to include with the acronym. It has to be simple enough to translate to stained glass well. Any ideas? Maybe a horse with a person hugging it and the acronym below?

My friend's color scheme is Tiffany blue and chocolate brown. I'm singing for the ceremony and their first dance song. Should my attire fit in with the color scheme, or does it matter?

I had a golf-ball size non-functioning pituitary tumor removed 2 years ago. The only hormone I have become deficient in so far is growth hormone, which I am replacing with Humatrope. I thought that would be the answer to how lousy I was feeling but I am still extremely tired all the time, have no motivation, lack of interest, can't concentrate at work, can't remember anything; basically all the signs of what I've discovered is called "apathy syndrome". The research I've done indicates that methylphenidate, or Ritalin, can help people like me get some function and quality of life back. I have found very little info on use in adults and would like to know if any adults out there have been on Ritalin (or a related drug) and if you know what the long-term effects and side effects are? I hate the thought of taking drugs but I hate feeling elderly at age 33 even more... I need to find an answer...

I am making a stained glass panel as a gift and need to send it UPS. Has anyone ever tried using Great Stuff expandable insulation foam as packing material for fragile items? I was thinking of wrapping the panel in bubble wrap and then filling the space around it with Great Stuff.

My job has changed so I work a lot of long hours now and feel bad that my kitty is home by himself so much. He doesn't seem to be suffering for it; he's not acting any differently at all. He's 4 years old now; I raised him from a kitten.

I've been tossing around the idea of getting another cat/kitten so he has some company while I'm gone. Any thoughts?

I got an invitation from Direct Buy to take part in a giveaway and am "guaranteed to win 2 of the listed prizes" on the invitation just for coming to the open house. The invitation says no purchase is required. This is something that I'm seriously interested in. I know I'm in for a hard sell and have no problem saying no if the membership fee is too high, but I'm wondering if I'll still get my "guaranteed prizes" if I don't sign up?

I injected the last of a cartridge last night and it left a pea-sized lump. I massaged it a little while applying pressure after injecting, but the lump is still there today and feels like a mild bruise. I've been taking Humatrope for a year now and this is the first time this has happened... I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this & if it's anything to worry about.