antss, I have nine feet that will also have a 30" ref. column and a 18" freezer column. Do you think that is enough space to make it look ok? guadalupe, I already have the Miele single oven. Sure wish I would have thought about the side-by-side ovens earlier and I may have chose a different option. skwid, so glas you like your ovens. Would you mind telling me how high from the floor the tops of your ovens are? (Also, how tall is your wife?) That is exactly why I was thinking side by side - convenience in my "old age". LOL. dixiedarlin, I loved Leave it to Beaver--I'll have to try to find one of the shows. ellene613, as I stated to antss above, I have 9 feet so am wondering if that is enough to look ok...I have convenient landing places behind me. Thanks everyone.

Younger kids are easier to buy more for... there is so much cute/fun stuff to choose from that they'll like and as kids get older, they may have particular interests and it' gets harder to know what they'll like or think is silly. But, the issue isn't really about the gifts, right? (Gifts are given from the heart & should not be forced.) I decided this year, to buy SD separate gifts than what DH gets her. I bought a few nice things but nothing fancy or off her "list" which consisted of iPod, laptop, PS3, & lots of other expensive, unrealistic items. Then DH went shopping on his own. He spent more $$ than me, but he got her... well, I thought it was boring, lame things like a comforter & backpack. (just plain ones too!) and I pictured SD opening them & then the tears... nothing from her list. I know she will not tell DH anything about the stuff he got her, she cares about his feelings. So, I went & got a few more things & added them to the "from Santa" pile so she won't know they are from me. I don't plan on being around when she opens them. (she comes back on Sunday night) My presence would probably make it less comfortable for her so I'd rather her share the moment with her dad, unless she asks for me. As for her noticing favoritism & it affecting how she feels about you. That could be happening. But, sometimes there are differences in how stepchildren relate to the stepparent based on gender. Son's usually 'like' and are nicer to a stepmom than a daughter. That could be because two females are 'competing' for dad's attention/affection. A stepmom might be seen as a rival to the daughter but the son may see the qualities in the stepmom, that attracted the dad to her. Likewise, son's may feel more rivalry with a stepdad... it's seen more when they are 'competing' to be man of the house. Daughters may see the qualities in the stepdad that mom finds attractive. There could be many factors in why people like or don't like someone, and in step situations it's more complex because there are the stereotypes, different perceptions, assumptions, etc. It's made worse when kids experience mom & dad splitting to two houses... but when they hate each other, find someone new & want the kids to be as excited as they are, etc. Imagine how a child feels hearing mom say she's found her soulmate in the new BF.... what about my dad? or vice versa. Oh yeah, I have three kids. I love them all. I'd jump in front of a bus for any of them but they all have different personalities & traits. They all get on my nerves at different times... occasionally all at the same time. I do more for one or another when I feel they need more & trying to be fair or equal doesn't work. I don't consider how many gifts or the price of the gifts when shopping for them. I try to get them what I think they want, need & will appreciate. This year, I bought my middle son many things (he has moved out & is his first apartment, struggling financially), my daughter got less but everything she asked for (she still lives at home), and I have not yet bought my oldest son anything... I may give him cash because he has to fly back to his base & it would be very expensive to ship anything back east. He needs furniture for his new apartment so cash will suffice. I bought his son (DGS) about half of what SD got, mostly because he doesn't really need anything & he's running out of room for toys & clothes. He's 21 mos... he won't really care.

I'd suspect there were other issues involved. Seasonally mine go through 4 to 5 months of hot weather with no rain or watering. They'd probably like some water during that time but they don't show any significant adverse effects. They also flower during that dry period.

If you have the space to push the garage back on the lot, I would do so unless you have another reason for the current location. In my case, we had quite a large useless space behind the garage so we built a garden shed addition to use the space. In that spot the dirt was full of rocks with some concrete motorcycle parking space and tree overhead with privacy fence on the north and east sides. My space had no sunlight so no practical use at all for the space. I wish the original builder would have moved my garage closer to the back of the lot. My other comment is make sure you have planned for adequate lighting. We have motion sensor lights on the garage, but the space between the house and fence is a dark tunnel. When I first got my current car, the window tinting was dark and I had to use the camera because I coudn't see anything in the side mirrors.