i would think you could plant rye grass, but i'm no expert. i feel your pain, as it took me several weeks to feel like doing anything in the garden after gustav. a couple weeks after ike passed to the west, we finally started putting things back in place, but i haven't yet removed all the plants from their safe hurricane haven (opentopped dogpen). i say (with tongue in cheek) that gustav blew away my desire to garden. if you have some areas that need brightening, how about scattering some pots of mums, or colorful foliage plants. hang in there, things will get better!

Sorry you are dealing with this. I would go over to Factory Builders, Best Buy's Pacific appliances, Sara and others and check out for floor models, scratch and dents, etc. Check out AJMadison and call and ask them for a package discount. Place your choices in the cart and then give them a call to see what they can do. We did that with the appliances for my sister's house. The discount they can give varies by appliance, but we wound up with about 10% off the total. Actually, AJMadison is a great place to shop by category and size to compare options -- and to know whether a local deal is a deal. Is the Asko a DW? Not familiar with an Asko fridge. We got a good buy on a mid-high level Bosch with the third rack. Most of the features of the top of the line but not quite and about half the price. You can find that to be true with DWs. The 48" range and 42" fridge are going to be tough to find huge savings on unless you find a demo or used one that works. Is there any flexibility in the layout? Can you use a 36" fridge and leave a space or put a freestanding cabinet or bookcase until you can change it out later? Or make the change permanent? Same possibility with the range. I don't know why your insurance won't pay to replace what you had, but I would also look at that for the future. If your limits weren't enough or you weren't getting replacement value, you might want to change your future coverage. None of us saw this until it was upon us kind of thing coming -- take what we have learned and make it better. And then hope you never have to use it. I know it isn't enough, but I do wish you the best and hope you can put things back together and wish you lots of patience on the way there.

There is also a ReStore on 242 E of 45 outside The Woodlands and another in Conroe. There may be more. Sounds like you are on the SW side -- maybe near the Meyerland area? I grew up not far from there. Look for the size and finish fan you need, then buy LED bulbs and dimmers for them. When Harvey hit, I was helping my sister ready her former home for a post-divorce sale. We installed 8 fans and 5 of them were Hunter nickel or stainless finish with with wood blades (I think the blades were reversible with a midtone and a dark wood finish) bought at Lowe's. Hers were something like this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hunter-Waldon-5-Minute-Fan-52-in-Brushed-Nickel-Indoor-Downrod-Or-Close-Mount-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Kit/4332172 but this one might be more in keeping with your MCM and it comes with a remote. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kichler-52-in-Nickel-Indoor-Downrod-Mount-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Kit-and-Remote/999919012.  Sorry I couldn't get the links to work, but hope that helps. I think medium to dark wood tones would look good with a grey floor and walls. I would avoid going too light and you can certainly mix wood tones, though most pIeople go within a light to medium range or medium to dark range or use different tones in different rooms. Formica or IKEA butcher block sound like a great way to get the most bang for your buck, though I will mention that we did the kids' bathrooms with prefab granite and 8-10 foot lengths started around $150-200. If you just have straight runs and are happy with a rolled edge, that can work.

I think the seed exchange has been decimated by people moving over to Facebook. Plus, there is such an extensive list of "bad traders," some added for absolutely no reason except that someone didn't like the trade they got, that it's become almost a clique. Please PM me. I may be able to help, depending on where you live.