Palms

My company is doing a holiday luncheon next wednesday and i’m looking for a great holiday dessert recipe to bring in! Any ideas?

How about some christmas cookies;)
Delcious Recipe Follows:

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
* 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
* 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
* 1 large egg, room temperature
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
* Colored sanding sugars or chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Whisk the flour, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.

Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pulse in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the flour mixture and process to make a soft buttery dough. Divide dough in half onto 2 (12-inch long) sheets of plastic wrap, using the plastic, shape into rough logs. Refrigerate the dough logs for 30 minutes until just firm enough to shape into uniform logs, 8-inches long by 2-inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Scatter either the sanding sugars or toasted nuts on a work surface and roll the logs until completely coated. Cut into 1/4-inch thick cookies and space about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

I have done taxes for the past 2 years, however I have worked for H&R Block. I have prepared taxes seperately but just used the free online software. I am now opening my own mobile tax service and would like to know which professional software is the best and inexpensive? I have looked up Drake and others but everything is about $1000 i was hoping to spend about $200-$400 on the software. Can someone out there please help me find the best software for my budget.

H/R has a program on the shelves called
2nd Story Software also has one called Tax Act, I have used both and prefer this one
the other major ones, ie Drake etc are quite expensive but very good, if you have a lot of clients and need help, they are excellent in response

I’ll be replacing the gravel in my tropical tank with inert sand, as I understand it’s easier to keep clean with the fish-poop resting on top of the sand bed rather than sinking and hiding between large gravel gaps.

But having never used sand before, what’s the best typeto look out for? I already know to avoid coral sand due to its water-hardening properties. What colour do most people use? I want something that’s natural-looking resembling tropical environments. A shop showed me silica sand, but that was too creamy in colour and unnatural looking, and that was the only colour he had. Does silica sand come in all colours, as I’m wondering if black sand, silver sand, etc, are all different forms of "silica sand"?

Sand used for childrens’ sand boxes is actually very good for fish tanks. First, rinse it thoroughly in a bucket until all the floating sediment is gone. Then, slowly add it to your tank (with the filter off and the fish out of the tank). Let the sand settle for about 2 hours. By the time the sand is done settling, your tank should be pretty clear. At this time, you can turn on your filter and add the fish back in. Play sand will not affect any water parameters. Also, to clean the sand, use a siphon and hover it just above the sand. Wet sand is heavy (and compact) enough that it will stay put while the fish waste is removed. Unless you have Goldfish (which you shouldn’t keep in a tropical tank anyway), all fish will be fine with sand. When placing decorations, remember to place them directly onto the bottom of the tank, DO NOT SET THEM ON TOP OF THE SAND. Fish can dig under decorations (if placed on the sand) and cause them to collapse, leading to injury or death. Email me if you have any questions.

Nosoop4u

EDT: Wet sand is compact enough that it will not be kicked up by the filter. Also, you will have to "rake" your sand once a week to prevent the buildup of anaerobic bacteria that create toxic gasses (just rake the and after you siphon the tank).

Ghappy, please email me at nosoop4u@cox.net when you get a chance. I would like to ask you some questions regarding saltwater tank setups.

I would like a place to stay in Queensland, we have a young family one 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. I’d love a place with cooking facilities, possibly a bath.

Weeeeelllll, Qld is a huge area. You’ll find most of the caravan parks have cabins that are reasonably priced and have kitchen and bathroom.

I rescued an indoor plant from the outdoors, some of the leaves have gone yellow and the little flowers have gone brown, do I remove the yellow leaves and brown flowers? I’m not sure what kind of a plant it is. Thanks.

I would remove any leaves or flowers that have gone yellow/brown, or are on their way, but make sure to leave some greener ones for sure, as the plant will need them for photosynthesis. I would probably gently repot the plant, in some decent potting soil with vermiculite (little white particles that create space within the soil for airation/keep the soil from compacting) if you can. Water the plant, but not too much, difficult to say when not knowing what kind of plant it is. Under or overwatering can cause leaves to yellow, as can too much plant food. Of course, it could’ve been burned by the sun bing outside like it was. Plants don’t like fast and drastic temperature changes, so maybe put the plant in a bright spot inside, and see how it does. If it has very few leaves, and tons of stem, and is pretty "leggy" you could try "pinching it back", take the small leaves off the end, that usually stimulates the plant to grow leaves along the stem closer to the roots. You could also take some "cuttings", and put them in water, and if they root, plant them back into the plant itself, or make some smaller, new ones. It depends again on the kind of plant it is. If and when (let’s think postively) this lucky plant starts to recover, perhaps feed it a little – I’ve used miracle gro (read package directions) or those little Jobe plant food spikes. Of course, a little kind talk, maybe some nice music never hurt anybody. There is a lot of information on the internet regarding plants, I’m sure, with just a bit of research, you could find a picture of it, and some specific help for the plant. Then there’s the good old library, or maybe a trip to the nursery to ask somebody up close and personal (and maybe get it a friend!). LOL Good luck! And thanks for rescuing the plant, some people would’ve left it for dead. You are a plant angel!

My mom and I like to go to the beach for 1 week in September and go by bus or plane. We do not like to rent a car so we walk once we get there. We have been to Ocean City, MD, Cape Cod, Cape May, Norfolk, VA. , and Atlantic City. We would like to stay on the East Coast. Also, we have been to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Where else can we go this year? We like to take ferry rides and boat rides and walk on the beach. Thanks.

we just got back from seagrove, fla. so beautiful. we rented bikes. there are other towns around there. it is between destin and panama(sp?) on the gulf. it is also called the emerald coast.

My husband wants a nice tungsten or titanium ring but we want to purchase it online, do you know of any good sites?

My fiance and I bought a pair from http://www.tungstenworld.com/ What’s great about them is they offer a lifetime sizing and lifetime warranty so if our ring sizes ever change, they will replace the rings.

Take the leaves that fell in an undisturbed location this Autumn. How long will it take for those leaves to break down and become part of the soil? That IS what happens, correct? They become part of the earth?

j

I m a non-eu student and im doing a shengen visa to visit my friend who also a non-eu student studying in France. I need he to write me an inviting letter to prove my accommodation.
So my problem is can he just write the letter personally, because he tried to get the letter from his uni, they wont be able to do it unless i m going to study there.
So any suggestion?
Thx all.

He needs to go to the local town-hall (mairie) of the town he is living and get a "Attestation d’accueil" (Proof of Accomodation) which he sends to you by mail so that you are able to attach it to your visa application. .. http://www.nyidanmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/8F3A05CA-3215-42CF-96F7-0D12E0A29674/0/16260_samlet.pdf (see page 146) .. If he should however live in a student’s hostel I am afraid that the French authorities will not issue that accomodation proof.

I am flying to Jamaica on Wednesday to stay in Ocho Rios, it has just been hit by Hurricane Gustav and the weather is terrible, I didn’t know this when booking. I wanted to change the holiday but that doesn’t seem likely as I fly in two days, so I have thought maybe to make it better try and get myself an upgrade is there any sure way of getting upgraded to first class?

There is a great holiday site which showcases the very bets holidays from several companies with a bargain page where you can find the latest special offers.

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