d d , you are making a number of ascertians that I think are making you do things that will not prove of benefit. First, you associate water as a saviour, something the grass needs and needs lots of. If a pint works well, then a quart will do better and a gallon will just be the cat's meow. That's wrong....very wrong. Grass is no more than a bunch of small plants that grow together and they need nourishment just like other plants....but when too much is too much.....it cant help. One inch per week is recognized as the total volume needed for a lawn to live successfully. Too much is as bad as too little; what happens is, the water doesn't stick around, the roots are deprived, they grow weak and short and the sun then has an easy time to bake the soil. Too little or too much...it works both ways. Your lawn cries out for aeration....from your pictures there does seem to be a lot of thatch....dead material between the blades. When thatch builds, it deprives the soil of necessary oxygen and water. Even tho you water it, and rains have been overflowing, unless the ground absorbs the moisture, it cant do any good. Without explaining what aeration is comprised of....do read articles on 'why a lawn should be aerated". There are many methods and tools employed to effect good aeration....so read about it. Your lawn needs something to make the soil want to take in moisture and retain it. You say your soil in your vicinity is mostly sand....and when you think about....how good does sand retain moisture. So you have to do something to make your soil want to take in moisture and keep it....yet allow good drainage. In that there is an easy and effective way to achieve this. Organic matter. Organic matter comes in many forms...and only by injecting something of this nature into the soil will it keep moisture. Peat moss, newspaper, hay, straw, compost, topsoil, triple mix, loam, and yes....sand. Grass clippings---you don't have any I knwo, but clippings have a lot of nitrogen from fertilizer given, that should not be wasted. But, clippings have a lot of things wrong with it...and should be given to a compost pile first. Sand used in gardens is not the beach kind...it is a coarser granular type...buy it at a quarry or soil dealer that specifies it is builder's sand. This giving of compost though can be a budget killer---it is not cheap. Compost is material that is allowed to break down by microbial action....and should not be used unless in a completed form. Since your lawn is in such bad shape, I suggest you think to do it over....rototil the ground and inject much organic material. Much of the material can be inexpensive...peat moss, newspapers, old hay, old straw (straw and hay are grown and therefore have seeds and unless its at least a year...two years better--it can drop seeds and result in giving you a barnyard) Put down at least 2"....but 6" is better of topsoil. Rototil it all in, rake level to ensure good drainage, then put down sod or seed. The organic material you add should be at least 20% of the volume mixed in. Do not, if it becomes available, add more than 20% compost to what is already there. More is too much. When you buy seed, buy the best type you can afford...it will pay dividends. Poor seed will not grow in the best of soil---but good seed will grow in the worst of soil. In your area of New Jersey a combo of 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% perennial ryegrass and 20% fescue makes a good tough grass for your area. Its summertime now....the heat of which is not conducive to making good lawn---the heat can kill the seed and what sprinkling you do will dry out quickly. So, keep what you have and shake your head, but think to do your lawn in the fall when cool temperatures return. Grass grows much better at that time because there's less competition from other plants. Sprinkling water over it will not be lost to evaporation and if you follow good principles of grass making, you should have a pretty good starting lawn sometimes this fall. Starting: Be sure to use a "starter" type fertilizer when you first lay your seed. It can help speed up and protect germination. Next spring, put down 2" of compost (or topsoil) over the area and let your grass grow up and through it. Repeat this every year, fall and spring, 2" layer over your lawn....at least for the next 4 - 5 - 6 years. Making this a regular routine can help your lawn stand up to adversity better.

Okay, everybody, break it up! rjinga, I certainly meant no offense by my posting, I was just reminiscing about seeing these two paintings 'in the flesh'. I felt it was a totally magical experience, and get the same feelings everytime I see them, whether it be repro paintings, on a coffe mug, whatever. I think they look great in your guest room. Please humor me for a minute and try something. Would you consider swapping the pictures? They were painted by two different artists and are not a 'set', but Pinky is turned ever so slightly to her left and Blue Boy is ever so slightly to his right. By having them face each other, I get a sense of accord and harmony. Please give it a try and let me know what you think. Barbara

Natebear and snookums2 thanks to you both for commenting. I like the oval and that was always going to be the mirror, the one with the frame #1. Then I found that frame material and it looks lovely with my paint choices and the marble. The vanity will be painted a semi sheen light med gray. The walls are a light gray. Both will have blue undertones that really pick up the hints of blue in the finish on the frame. The sconces may have to go. I really like them but they are bigger than I thought they would look. I bought them online. The vanity will take up some of the depth to help offset the size of the sconces I think. The location of the sconces are set, but the style may have to change. The #s1 and 2 seem safe to me. #8 I am liking now, but it changes moment by moment! HElp! I will not commit to the mirror until the vanity is in in a week or 2. But I want to get some input with what I am thinking, and you guys always come through with great feedback.

Hey girl-nice to see you back and hope everything is hunky dory now. Coupla things. First the access to the dining area given the kids table and the stools. If either seating area is occupied, no one can get through to the dining area. It's important to remember that chairs stick out two feet from a table when somebody sits there. I'm thinking your current island is mobile? You might move it into the position you're showing on the plan relative to the sink and range. I have concerns about the clearances you're using in front of the range particularly - you have ovens and opposing sets of drawers there and your aisles are undersized. What happened to the windows? Lastly, when everything and everyone is in their "normal" everybody in the kitchen at once mode - try to set the table. I have a feeling that won't go well. I'd still like to see cleanup and baking reversed. I tried to find any of your previous threads and ended up with nothing. BUT I did see you asked a question in my progress pictures thread that I missed. So, the two walls on the ends of the "L" shaped room are now covered in v-groove knotty pine paneling. It's painted with thin coats so you can see the grain markings under the paint. It looks good in the pictures, but its better in person.