AutumnLilly

I'm wanting to do a kitchen table redo as a birthday gift for my sister, by taking an old, wood table and putting a mosaic on top. However, she has 3 children under the age of 5 - two of whom are boys (aka, spills galore)

Would making a mosaic on the table be foolish in the sense that it would be difficult for regular, harsh, wear and tear? I've never made one before, but the reasons I thought it might be good is: 1. She would be able to put hot pans directly on it, unlike a wooden table, and 2. It would be really pretty!

Are they easy to clean, or is there a special "laminate" of sorts that would cover the grout?

Thanks in advance!

I'm going to France soon, and I want to know what I should and should not wear. I already know - no sneakers, baseball caps, t-shirts, khakis, bookbags, etc. and to dress up a little bit more. But any other suggestions, or personal experiences?

I got a scratch (about the size of a quarter) on the inside of my ankle, gardening a few weeks ago. It got infected, and so I had been treating it with antibiotic cream, neem oil, and even an activated charcoal paste.

It has finally healed with a smooth scab - (the first, yucky one fell off when I used the charcoal) and much less redness, but is still itching like crazy from time to time, but getting better, and there has been a lump for a few weeks now that hasn't gone down. I think it's a lymph node.

How long should it take for the lymph node to go down for an infected scratch? And any other advice on how to treat a healing, infected wound?

Lately, I've been getting these little "hot spots" in the same, small place on my right arm (maybe the width of about 2 inches at most)

Suddenly, this spot on my arm feels hot - like it's coming from the inside out. It only lasts a few seconds, and then gradually fades away.

It is so strange, and I've tried looking it up on Google, but to no avail. The only thing I found was on blood clots, but my arm is neither swollen nor red. It simply looks normal. When I touch the spot with my other hand, I don't notice a change in temperature, so I'm assuming I am just feeling the sensation of it being hot without any actual change in temperature taking place.

Does anyone know what this is, or have you experienced something similar?

I had a sudden, intense pain in my back near my kidneys that radiated through my middle to lower back for about 10 minutes and then subsided. This was not muscular in the least.

My first thought was kidney stones, but after it subsided, I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone know what this could be?

My only other way of describing it was it was intense like severe menstrual cramps, but in the back and a little more sharp. The pain also made me nauseous.

In the Shrieking Shack scene, (I forgot the chapter) when Snape has entered the room where the trio, Lupin and Sirius are, Hermione asks Snape to hear what Lupin and Sirius have to say, and Snape threatens Hermione to shut her mouth and that she is already facing suspension from the school.

What had Hermione done that would cause her to be facing suspension? I have racked my brain, but I can't remember anything that she did.

I keep hearing about equal rights for gays, but by that logic, why not equal rights for polygamists as well? Is there a reason gays should have the right to marry, and not a person who wants to practice polygamy?

Does anyone see the fallacy in the argument that gay marriage is about equal rights?

So, from what I understand about growing lavenders, Provence lavender does well in a dry, sunny (full sun), warm climate.

I bought my Provence lavender over a month ago, and ever since I put it in a (plastic) pot, it has been flourishing well. The spikes have shot up and are getting ready to bloom. It had been raining a lot lately, and I noticed the spikes had started to droop - my guess was from over-watering as lavender does well in well-drained soil. So, I brought it inside until the weather got better, and after a day or so, it perked right back up.

It's been a week of rain and today it was finally hot and sunny. So, I stuck my lavender outside for some sun, and surprise, surprise, it started to droop within minutes of being in the bright, hot sun.

So, I brought it back inside and after a couple hours, it perked right back up. Odd???

I can't figure out why it would have this aversion to the hot sun. My guesses are that it was too humid (60% humidity today), or that the drastic change of inside to outside temp shocked it.

Are there any lavender, more specifically, Provence lavender experts out there who might know why?

I have a cold right now, and have been running a temp. between 100-101 F today. Often, when I get sick, I get a fever as well. In fact, when I have had strep (which I usually get about once a year) my temperature goes between 103-104 F.

I'm an adult, but from what I know, adults usually don't get fevers when they are sick, especially not with a common cold. So, is it just the way I work, or could the fevers be a sign of something else?

I am baffled by Christians who support abortion, and say, "the Bible doesn't say abortion is wrong."

The conception of Jesus makes it very clear that life begins at conception, and we are called into being by God at that very moment.

Mary's conception of Jesus was a deliberate act. Her child was destined to be Christ the savior. There was no doubt of who her child was called to be. Likewise, Mary was conceived for a very specific purpose - to be the mother of God.

And then, there are other examples of an unborn child destined to do something... John the Baptist, Isaac, etc.

So my question is, for Christians, how can you not see that EVERY life is conceived with a plan - a plan for eternity, and for a specific purpose? Whether it be by "accident" that a child is conceived is irrelevant. Heck, Mary's pregnancy was unplanned, but it was preordained. It was destined that she be pregnant with the Son of God, and she accepted this freely because it was what God wanted for her.

I'm just curious and baffled how people can claim that they are Christian and follow the teaching of the Bible, but fail to recognize that every human is conceived with a purpose and a plan for eternity.

Thoughts?

This is completely perplexing to me... but I have had an itchy toe for 4 days now. It's on my left big toe, on the bottom and side - right where it bends. At first, I thought it might be a bug bite, but there is nothing! No redness, no swelling, no marks, no obvious fungus... NOTHING!

If it had just itched for the one day, I'd shrug it off, but it's going on 4 days now. I've put alcohol on it, washed it with antibacterial soap, put on lavender oil, and cortisone cream (of course, not all at once) and nothing has had a lasting effect on my toe.

Any suggestions???

It seems to be popular to say now and days, "I disagree with ______, and believe it to be wrong, but I'm not going to stop someone else from doing it." This is especially the case when it comes to abortion.

But how can people really take that stance? That's like saying, "I believe bank robbery/arson/rape/serial killing/embezzling/ etc. is wrong. I personally wouldn't do it, but I'm not going to stop others from doing it.

We are not talking about a matter of opinion, but something that is clear cut as being immoral. If you truly believe it is wrong, then why WOULDN'T you say something? History is filled with cowards who knew that something was wrong, and did nothing. (Nazi Germany, Slavery, etc.)

Some people thought it was perfectly fine for the Nazi's to round up and kill the Jews. And then there were people who knew it was wrong and didn't say anything against it because they were afraid.

So, to those of you who truly believe something is wrong, yet stand back and say, "I'm not going to tell others what to do," how can you really stand by that? Do you not see the parallels with Nazi Germany? How do you not feel obligated to humanity?

If you still can say something like, "I believe abortion is wrong because it's murder, but, I'm not going to stop another woman from doing it," then finish this sentence for me: Murder is acceptable when _________________.

Two days ago, I was sitting and suddenly a wave of dizziness came over me. It was as if I started to black out. I've gotten dizzy before from standing up suddenly, but this was different. It caught me totally off guard (not to mention, I remained seated the entire time), and for a split second, it felt as if things were going dark. It took several seconds to recover, and I remained feeling tired the rest of the day.

Does anyone know what this could have been?

To catch myself from falling, I held onto a towel rack in my bathroom... the result was a big hole in my wall.

I glued the biggest chunk of wall back in, and then filled in the rest with spackle and let it dry. It dried nicely, and then I covered it with a metal, mesh-covered wall patch and put more spackle over it.

When it dried, I sanded it. It's smooth but, uneven, of course, with the wall.

My question is: Since the patch is metal, and considering how I filled it in, is it possible to drill holes through it to put back up (screw in) my towel rack? Before, the rack was hung with two dry-wall screws. If I can drill through the metal and fixed drywall, what should I use? What type of screws, specifically?

Any suggestions or experience with this?

I'm curious to know how you view God.

I've noticed on R&S some people portray Him as judgmental and harsh, and others as compassionate and loving, others as indifferent. So, this question is for all on R&S, Christian, Atheist, Muslim, Jewish, etc. How do you see God? What do you think He is like?

Please give as much detail and explanation as you can. Thanks!

I have some plants that look a lot like rhubarb growing in my back yard. (I am renting a house) I have never grown rhubarb myself and so I did some research on the internet and found that there is poisonous rhubarb which is kin to the edible kind.

Obviously, I will play it safe and avoid it all together, but I would like to know how to tell the difference.

Is live sand better for an aquarium than colored rocks? Does it somehow help the ecosystem better?

I am allergic to Amoxicillin (Penicillin) and Zythromax, so my doctor prescribed a Sulfur Antibiotic (Bactrim - the generic kind) for my sinus infection. However, upon looking at the listed possible reactions/side effects, I am hesitant to take it considering my previous histories of allergies to antibiotics.

Does my previous allergies increase my risk for being allergic to Sulfur Antibiotics?

I don't know about you, but growing up, I was taught about good choices and bad choices.

Talking back to your mom - Bad

Helping your sister finish her chores - Good

Lying and stealing - Bad

Being an honest person - Good

Murder - Bad......

Choice sounds like such a good thing, and it is! We all have the free will to choose. However, there are GOOD choices and there are BAD choices. Both good and bad choices affect other people and usually, bad choices have consequences. I.E. you murder someone, you go to jail.

So why is it, that some people say, "I personally believe it is wrong (a bad choice) to have an abortion, but I won't tell another woman what to do?"

We tell criminals what they are doing is wrong and we punish them for it. Why, if one believes something is REALLY morally wrong, and aknowledges that the "doctor" is murdering a life, do they just stand by and say, "it's their 'choice.'"

Or are what they really saying is, "I support bad choices?"