It may be the Walmart potting mix. I started three flats of tomatoes from seed this year. I finished up a bag of soilless mix I had leftover from last year, and then for the third flat I opened a bag of stuff that I bought at Walmart this year. The first two flats took off like gangbusters. The third flat was slow, anemic, disappointing, and more than a bit puzzling. I started watering that third flat with fertilized water and things are starting to really happen, so my belief is that the stuff I got from Walmart didn't actually have the nutrients in it that they claimed. I set the bag at the curb on garage sale day and it disappeared, so I can't tell you the exact brand of it. My plants are in those little tiny seed-starting trays- probably 3 ounces of soilless mix. But the plants themselves are 2 feet tall, with many leaves. Adding fertilized water every day now. Looking forward to putting them in the ground this weekend. Gosh, I can't wait for some real, ripe tomatoes. I went to the farmer's market. They are selling tomatoes from Georgia. Nothing wrong with Georgia, but the farmers in Indiana aren't growing toms in Georgia. More picked-green, not truly ripe stuff. Might as well hit the supermarket! Not wandering as much this year.

A good friend of ours has done many concrete countertops and they look amazing. We seriously considered it for our remodel. The staining/etching is what turned us off. To be perfectly frank I'm a slob in the kitchen. A countertop that would be damaged by red wine or lemon left on it overnight is just not feasible. Instead we went with soapstone. If it can hold up to legions of teenage chemistry students I feel it can hold up to me. :D If you do decide to go with concrete have you seen the books by Fu-Tung Cheng? They're excellent. Soapstone can be a lot more affordable as a DIY project. The quarry we bought from has DIY kits for about $25/sq ft or you could make it even cheaper by using tiles. Soapstone seams incredibly well.

You asked what behaviors. I think the dog is female from what dh has said. She barks a lot and for no reason. I think that could be dealt unless the dog is like moms and has supersonic hearing and tears out of the room barking at a sound no one else hears. They have a baby and the dog wakes the baby. One time they were on vacation and took the dog. They have 5 little girls - under the age of 6. Mom got out to go into the store and buy stuff for their rented cabin. The minute she opened the door, the dog was out and running. Straight into the store. Mom freaked and dad had to chase the dog all over the store. It was really funny to hear him tell it, but he was so embarrassed and mad too. It digs, but that happens with dogs. They have a pool and it jumps in and can't get out. We don't have a pool so no problem there. It chews up the kids stuffed animals and pillows, and seems to prefer those over its own toys. The main reason they can't keep it is because it nipped the baby and then knocked her over (she was crawling so not hurt, but still).

Where did you get the picture? I've actually managed to track down things from magazines. In particular, I saw a magnificent sink. I called the decorator listed in the back. She gave me the number to a builder, who made the kitchen and had the sink as a prop. They gave me the hardware store who sold it to them. The hardware store gave me the artist's name and a price of $3000. I thanked them and kept the picture for dreaming. My point is things can be located. That is a fantastic lamp, and a wonderful, peaceful color scheme! It's so beachy and calm. I kinda want to know where you got the pic, myself! :)