Mohave, I'd suspect temperature to be the reason the new growth is not variegated. I have a couple of plants that lost their variegation over the summer when the room where I grow my AVs (my home office) was not air conditioned much of the time. The variegation returned in the new growth when the temperatures cooled. In a year's time, this plant should have bloomed for you. I believe temperature can affect bloom size and quantity, but it should still bloom. Factors such as inconsistent watering and fertilization can also have an impact on the plants ability to bloom. Before I give you advice, I should mention that I'm not an expert - I've only been growing AVs for a couple of years. If this were my plant, I'd remove the outer couple rows of leaves and unpot the plant looking for any signs of pest problems or rot. Then I'd repot in the same size pot with fresh pottimg mix lowering the plant in the pot so that the (new) bottom row of leaves is just on top of the soil. I'd put the plant in a window that didn't get quite so much direct sun or under fluorescent light and begin a consistent watering/fertilization program. This plant is clearly a survivor - it'll thrive with a little TLC. BTW - You can propagate new plants with the leaves that you remove - I do this regularly when I'm re-potting plants as insurance in case the newly repotted plant doesn't make it. Please look at the links below - you'll find a wealth of information about the culture and care of AVs: http://www.rachelsreflections.org/ http://www.violetbarn.com/plant_care.html -Tim

To take kitchendetectives idea and expand it, I fell in love with Alton Brown's mixer with the flames on the sides. I found out that he used motorcycle "stickers" and bought my own ones in purple to put on my white with chrome KA mixer. You could do a simple stripe effect as well. Unfortunately, I don't expect to keep my KA mixer out in my new kitchen because I use my newer KA food processor so much more and don't have a logical place for the mixer. I also have to locate where I put away the stickers in advance of the reno. Otherwise, I'd have a pic to show you. I would not get the colored mixer because you may change color preferences down the road (or maybe move) and a more neutral color would be more flexible. If you did go that route, the cinnamon color would work in your kitchen or the bayberry..... You should definitely see any color in person before you buy though. FWIW - I could see a deep eggplant being a gorgeous accent color with your green counters while not going overboard and taking away from the current look. That would be a better color than black IMHO because it would give it a more rich look. I love purple and green together, so I am biased, but I could really see some pretty dishtowels and a wt to coordinate. I'd also work in a little darker green too. This way you can keep your wall color (very nice) and add in some touches simply. Here is a link that might be useful: decal ideas for mixers

Nothing yet! We are still waiting for the insurance settlement to get things started. Our kitchen was ordered back in April and is expected to be delivered by June 9th. Our contractor is scheduled for the week of June 12th. But the reconstruction and repair of our walls, moldings, floors, etc, has not started yet and may force us to delay the kitchen install. We were told that the work may start this coming Monday which would be great, as that would keep us on schedule. I am trying to be hopeful. I now have everythingvelse picked out except the backsplash. My Kitchen floor will be grouted Alterna vinyl in Sistine White. The ajacent dining room floor will be Mirage Maple Sonora hardwood... and I already shared the Basset dining table which has been ordered. I just can't wait to get back home, especially to all my newly designed rooms!

It sounds like you're investing in a fairly substantial remodel to your home to dramatically change the materials and colors from the current cohesive (if dated) look. When you make such a dramatic change, you really need to have an overall understanding of how to bring things together so it looks like the cohesive space you're dreaming of. Some people have that skillset and others do not. If you do not feel confident that you can figure this all out yourself, I think it would be wise to hire a designer. It would be really sad if you invested a lot in a remodel only to have it turn out to lack the cohesion you desire.