Thanks everyone for the responses... I agree that nothing stands out when this was taken. I rescued the magenta phlox, liatris, coneflower, red hibiscus and knockout roses from this bed before it got eaten up by the obedient plant! It somehow seems to kill it all off. I think it grows so fast and so dense that it prevents the other plants from getting light. Last year I had decided to take out this bed so I let my sister come over and she dug up a ton of plants...This pic was taken moe then a month after everyone dug up stuff lol. I have tried digging it up (OP) but it is a losing battle. I can't get rid of it and it really has taken over everything. Not only that but that bed is now LOADED with ground ivy. What a nightmare. I really think I need to start from scratch, dig up my good plants and bushes (there are bushes in there but you can't see them because of all the overgrowth of OP. I hear what you are saying about the screen but there is nothing I need screening from. We had 18 acres and sold off a few but there is nothing on the other side of those evergreens but more trees for about a quarter mile. The guy who is building his house we can not see at all through the regular trees. He up a little hill then down it and way back further then our house. So we have privacy for sure on all sides even across the street nothing but woods. It is hard because I love the evergreens. I just wish when they planted them they had cleared out some land and put them further back. Yeah last year I got overzealous with my Scott's and killed off a lot of areas in the yard . DH is not the "yard" type of guy so all the outdoor stuff I have to do myself. Well I learned when they say one pass over an area, they MEAN one pass LOL... Finally TRUST ME...my ideal back yard would be nothing but gardens with rustic looking paths going through it all. That was my plan when we first bought the house 10 years ago when I had energy LOL...Now, at almost 50 I am losing steam. I have thought about killing off all grass, making raised beds everywhere and putting in pea gravel or mulch paths. Would LOVE to do it but would need some serious help. It is like pulling teeth to get DH to do anything manual. He is a "thinker" HA! I guess I am just overwhelmed. This house was pretty much neglected for decades when we bought it. No one had a landscape plan, put things in where ever...and worse, never did any cleaning up in the spring so there is out of control brush, downed trees, etc all over the place. It is way too much for me to attempt to make positive changes and work on the neglected areas as well. Sorry for the whining, just frustrated. Last question (for now lol) Once I pull the plants I want, can I rototill this all under then bring in the compost and amend? How will I know I got all that OP out? I would hate to do all this work then have it come back!

Thank you all for your support it means the world to me. I've always been the type to beat myself up for not knowing how to do the things just right. It would not be so bad if dad's mind wasn't clear as a bell right now. His abuse of his medicine is a real concern for me. I got a call from him today saying he needs his antibiotic for his sinus, well he'll only take one or two and he says it cures his sinus. You and I know this isn't so and even if it does help it's short term, taking the antibiotics like that can cause harm but no one can get this through to my dad. I have had so many problems with doctors in my past that I don't trust them easily. It was me that saved my husband from a possible stroke, his blood pressure was high and I could tell when it was up but with the sleep apne he had to take showed how bad it was. They could not get it down all night so I marched into our dr.'s and told them about this and they looked back at his chart and seen that it was high everytime he went in for a check up. Now why don't they pay more attention to this? This is why I fear looking for yet another doctor. I have no luck with them. Only once did I have a wonderful doctor and within a year my insurance changed and he didn't take it :( He was the one that listen to me about my weight and took test finding that my thyroid was bad. I went through years with a sore throat and my throat closing up at night in my sleep, waking up unable to breath for 10 or so seconds but felt longer and didn't know if I'd get my breath. If it's wasn't for y'all I don't know if I'd be able to be strong for my dad. I never knew it could be so hard. I look at pictures of my grandparents, dads parents and talk to them and wishing they were here. They had a hard life and I can just image that they went through just what I am now. They took care of my great grandmother for 17 years then told my grandmothers brother it was time for him to care for his mother and give them a break. Great grandmother was called little granny and I never seen pictures of her but heard great stories about her, I found a picture of her the other day and I'm so happy to finally seen her, she past away a few years before I was born. Sorry for being long winded. Barbara

Bri, if I am understanding you correctly, I wouldn't worry about the bit of slant you are getting with the cluster stitches. They do sort of lean to the left. It might help if the loop you pull through the last bunch of loops to make the cluster come together is a little loose - make it a teensy bit larger than you usually do. When you come back on the next row it will be easier to make your stitch into it. If this is not what your problem is, can you be more specific?

Benjesbride, where does she lose the 2"? It appears that she is not aware of the loss. Rebeccamomof123, are you pulling permits to do the work, or do you live in an area where the city/town/county inspectors are going to become aware of the work and expect to come in and inspect it? Or is your area more like where I live and anything short of an addition is something that no one will notice and that inspectors don't drop in when workmen are around unless it is really obvious that a big job is being done? The reason I ask is that your clearance for the toilet-to-tub distance is right on the edge of being okay. Some towns will not let you get that close. If you could get inspected by the code enforcement officer, or if you are doing this with permits, you need to draw this up and get it approved before assuming it is going to be approved. If you need to steal back a couple of inches to make it fit, one option is a wall-hung toilet. Your contractor opens up the wall behind your toilet and puts the tank and flushing works inside the wall (not the stuff you have, it is custom made for this purpose) and then the toilet part actually hangs off the wall and never touches the floor. It is much nicer for cleaning. All of Europe has been doing it this way for years, I hear. http://www.geberitnorthamerica.com/en_us/target_groups/enduser/products_enduser/toilets_2/concealed_systems_1/for_toilets_1.html