Hi Donna - I too was intimidated at first by some of the other pics & posts but after receiving such nice praise about my amateur pics & some of the funny things people say about their own pics I decided to Go For It! I have a mini-rose question for you, as I understand it most roses require a lot of direct Sun to thrive, my Mom's grow like crazy up in VA on the south side of their house. If you've seen the pics of my 'garden' you probably know my space is limited & the amount of direct Sun even more so. I was able to successfully grow tomatoes this spring & am wondering if I could grow mini-roses in containers in or near the same location. More ?s : how big do the plants get & do they handle pruning well & the big question is will they be OK in FL with the heat, humidity & lack of a real winter? Thanks again & show us some more pics! -irbnate

I'm going to say in advance that I haven't read through all your posts. But, I gather from the first one that you are trying to match a porcelain tile that looks like marble with real marble. I think you should choose whatever you like, but since you asked for advice I'll throw mine in. I just wouldn't do that. I would use all real marble or only use the porcelain look alike. When we were shopping, I saw some porcelain marble look alike that looked pretty good until you put it beside real marble. In my mind, it is never going to measure up. Now if I saw a bathroom with just the porcelain in it, then I might not even realize it wasn't the real thing unless I touched it. If you really want the real marble, then I would try to find something to complement it not something that tries to mimic it. We just finished our bathroom and in the end I decided to go with real marble for the floors. I know people go on and on about the maintenance, but my feeling is that marble has been used for thousands of years in homes and outdoor locations. Also, I know I can live with minor etching and imperfection as a quality of natural stone. I know it is frustrating. We had all our tile picked out and then when we went to purchase it they were completely out of some and didn't have enough of the other. I had to start over from scratch trying to find similar tile somewhere else. In the end, I like the new tile way more than what we had originally picked out. It all worked out for the best and I think once it is all over you will feel that way as well. It is just hard not to get stressed out about it in the moment.

I found myself in this complex step family situation due to death not divorce, however, from what I hear ... the grieving process of a divorce is similar to that of the grieving process of a death. After extensive counseling ... the point they all seem to drive home is ... My life has changed, It is forever different. I am different now. I can never go back to the way it was. I accept this new life and make the best of it. My personal point ... What doesnt break you makes you stronger. It almost broke me ... I blew the scale off the stress charts ... In less then two and 1/2 years (just the HIGHLIGHTS in chronological order) ... I got married, I had my first child. Bought a new house. Just found out that second child was to be a Boy. Husband was killed in a car accident. Moved into a fixer upper my high-energy husband wanted. Roof leaked, needed new furnish, etc... Change of occupation (Over ten years experience programming computers for fortune 500 companies - to a full time stay at home single mom, that had never changed a diaper, until the birth of my first child). Gave birth to second child who had an undiagnosed ear problem (stupid doctor - I switched pediatricians). This child never slept more then one hour at a time until I had tubes put in his ears at 1 year. No one would keep him over night. I had to beg (which is very difficult for me) friends and family for a few hours once a week (if that often) so I could sleep. The sleep deprivation almost sent me over the edge. I found strength in my children. I forged on. Things got better. I now believe more in myself and my abilities. I am stronger now, an independent women and I have confidence that I can conquer any twists and turns life may throw my way. I have emerged with more confidence in myself and who I am. I realize that I will do anything for my children's well fare. Remember Lea, you beat the odds, you made it out of an abusive relationship. I admire you and your strength. Accept it. learn from it. Thank your parents for giving the brain power and instilling the strength in you to over come such a hurdle. Maybe some sort of volunteer work to help others in abusive relationship, might ease your sole. And Yes, writing just the highlights, still brings tears to my eyes.

I don’t think wood tile is comparable to other types of tile (or tile sizes) in terms of how likely it is to become dated. Salt and pepper granite tile is the only other kind of tile I automatically react negatively to. And that’s not really dated, it’s just harsh-looking and out of place in most settings. People may say they are sick of subway tile, but it’s popular for a reason. Terrazzo was almost unheard of for ages, and it made a huge comeback. I’m about to install terra cotta tile in a kitchen. It’s already dated and a lot of people hate it. I really wanted a patterned cement tile, but decided against that. Not because it’s trendy and might become dated (I already have 100 year-old cement tile in another room), but because it was too bold for a partially open kitchen and would have contrasted too much with the adjacent wood floors. While I realize terra cotta is “dated,” I’m convinced it’s appropriate in my setting. What I would NOT Install is fake terra cotta. In a laundry room or basement, maybe. But kitchens get more focus, and I wanted a floor that seemed like it could have been original. Did I do the same with the appliances? Of course not, people don’t have 100 year old kitchen appliances. Trying to approximate that would look ridiculous. I feel similarly about wood tile. I don’t even like engineered wood floors with details like beveled edges or intentional distressing, but I don’t hate them and I think sometimes they look very nice (and suspect other times I can’t tell).