When should I start mowing my grass? Should I let it get thick long before cutting? Will cutting earlier help it expand into bare areas, or is it better to let it get going? Set your mower to the highest position and mow when the grass is tall enough. Fescue grass does not spread like you are thinking, so it doesn't matter what height you mow at for that. If you want it to spread you should seed some Kentucky bluegrass. When do I feed my grass? Should I feed differently for the front and back yard, as one is only a few months old while the other is a year old? Is a standard 10x10x10 fertilizer sufficient? In the spring the grass is going to 'take off' whether you fertilize or not. If you fertilize before the grass has gone through that initial flush of growth, you will be mowing 2-3 times per week to keep up with it. Memorial Day is an easy day to remember to fertilize. If I used chemical fertilizers I would probably use whatever was easiest to pick up locally. If you were more serious about the yard you would get a soil test to determine more precisely what the numbers should be. Should I apply another dose of lime to the soil? Is it possible to over-lime? The soil is very red naturally You really can't know the answer to this without a soil test. If you could over lime then you would have my soil. I live on the edge of a limestone quarry and have 100% limestone rubble and dust under my grass. There are issues to having too much lime, so yes, you can over lime. Why are some areas growing so readily already, while others are lagging behind? I've noticed the spots at the low end of the slope are by far the healthiest, is this because the soil is richest there? The spots that are growing are probably slightly warmer than other spots. Reason unknown and there are a lot of variables. Should I apply some new seed while its still cool outside for the bare areas, or is it better to let the existing grass take over the bare spots itself? The existing grass will not cover. Weeds will. You could put some Kentucky bluegrass seed in the thinner areas and hope for the best. I have 2 dogs that I have fenced off from the backyard, so whatever we do, I need it to be able to stand up to the stresses of 8 little legs running around on it this summer. I don't want to use a weed killer that targets everything, because I am perfectly happy with some of the coarser weeds that will stand up better to wear and tear. Appearance isn't that important to me, as long as its green and can look somewhat neat with weekly or biweakly mowings. Am I wrong to think that some weeds will actually help improve the durability of my lawn? Is it better to treat? Or can I just let it go "natural" for added stability? Since you said 'little legs' I'm assuming the dogs are Yorkie sized. If they are lab sized, then you have no hope for a lawn, but with small dogs you probably can...with Kentucky bluegrass. Letting it go natural means weeds to some people but with your open mind, green is green. That's pretty good. Normally I would encourage you to plant Dutch white clover but the white flowers attract bees that your dogs might not appreciate. You might just let it be and see what develops. Green is green after all is said and done.

This link is a picture of the mouse-ear, which we've got in our lawn right now- it doesn't seem to spread elsewhere. It is different than regular chickweed, tougher and more hairy- you can eat it, but it's not the greatest. However, I've grown rather fond of these little white flowers that grow from it- they're softer and although a bit hairy also, eating them one after another you sort of get used to it. lol ;) Here is a link that might be useful:

Carol, have you taken a white plastic bag and stuffed it to the size of the Possini Chandelier I posted, and hung it to see visually how it will look? It's 28" high. If your ceiling is 11', and you hang that chandy with approx 20" of chain, the light itself will be between 7 and 7.5 ft off the floor - a good height for an entry chandy. The fixture takes 6 60watt bulbs - more light than your old fan put out for sure. You definitely want to have a dimmer on this fixture. And I agree with BusyBee that sconces in this area will be definite overkill. I'd save the sconce budget for places that you'll want other lighting. If you're still undecided you can have the electrician run the wiring and bury it in the wall where you would like sconces, and not put a hole in the drywall. If you find later that you still want the sconces you can add them without any more trouble than opening up the hole in the drywall and accessing wiring.

I didn't comment on the shower curtain, because I was a bit confused. By needing an extra long curtain, I didn't know if you meant height or width? I assumed you meant floor to ceiling, but if so, how would a standard liner work, but not a standard curtain? I assumed you were using an L bracket rod mounted at standard height (looks like a standard shower/tub enclosure)? But maybe not?! Are you planning to mount a ceiling rod? Sorry, I'm just not following ,,, Well regardless, here are a few comments: 1) My number one priority would be to properly manage moisture (keep as dry as possible). 2) If at possible, I would first look to using a standard (72x72) curtain (it will be cheaper, you will have more options, and you can more easily change up the look). 3) Start with a good liner mounted at the proper height (not too short and not too long) that doesn't fly around. 4) Whatever I hung in that area, I would want it to be moisture/mildew resistent, provide ventilation/wicking, have rust proof hardware, etc As such, I would first look to a quality shower curtain, which are available in taller lengths. If looking at drapes, I would probably start with indoor/outdoor drapes. Regarding your question on the door, I would probably paint it white/neutral (or faux pine) because I would not want the door to be a focal point, but rather have it blend in. As far as color scheme ,,, on my monitor the tile looks like it has blue undertones, so maybe blue rugs and towels (with a couple of red accent towels), a pattern shower curtain (e.g. a tartan plaid with blue, gray, red, and browns). A red waste basket. Art work that has red, blue, gray, brown, etc... You'll have lots of good options!! Here is a link that might be useful: Trax ceiling shower rods