Let me just echo what melsouth said above. I was quoted an upcharge by one cabinet maker for painted white, but in our current new house the price was the same for stained or painted white from a different cabinetmaker. Perhaps you can get an estimate from another shop. It also bothers me that your cabinet maker is trying to discourage you from using white since he prefers stained. He should NOT be doing that. In a previous home, I let myself be pressured to do some things by the cabinet maker and always regretted those choices since I really preferred other things, but felt I had to go with his recommendations. As others have said, you're stronger than you even realize after sustaining the loss of your husband. It's natural to struggle with decisions following that...and sometimes I've found just getting a bit older can make decision making (particularly so many at the same time) more likely to be overwhelming. Just take them one at a time, and it will get done. My sincere sympathy over your loss, and I hope you'll still find the joy in each new day you have. Regarding appliances--if YOU like white cabinets and choose that, you can go with either white or stainless. With cherry, IMHO stainless would look best. We went with stainless in this house with white cabinets because I didn't care for the appearance of big white refrigerators. But we chose the stainless look frig that doesn't show fingerprints. I've found that the stainless undermount sink I thought I'd hate, is actually less work than my previous white one. As with so many things, in the long run, it will work out. Just take it one step at a time. Keep us posted. You have so many friends here ready to help you.

I don't know how much those models are that you have to grab the sprayer and use it manually, but for a mere $50 (cold water) and $60 for warm and cold water,) you can get a Brondell FreshSpa (NON electric) seat. No reaching around and getting your hand wet. We installed DH's Brondell FreshSpa (and there are many other brands of manual bidet seats) and let me tell you...basic as it is, it gets the (basic) job done well and dare I say better than my $700 S300 Toto Washlet! :o Do I want to trade bidets with DH? No, but I'm so very glad now to know that when my Washlet bites the dust and I can't afford to spend nearly $1000 on an new one, there ARE uber inexpensive alternatives that get the basic job done...and done well! He doesn't have warm water, heated seat, deodorizer (but he does have a Panasonic Whisper Warm vent) and no water oscillation. He only has one wash but the nozzle offers three positions. The two things it does do, frankly it does better than my "advanced" toilet system. The water pressure that shoots out of that thing is at least 5x harder than my Washlet (and it's no slouch). Of course the water pressure is adjustable. The nozzle wash/rinse is also more powerful. With our bathroom configuration, the toilet is right next to the vanity and the bidet control is between the two. Not visible most of the time. I asked my husband if he would rather have the option of warm water. He would have to drill a hole in the side of the vanity. He doesn't want to do that and even tho he's the closest to the hot water heater, there would still be a waiting time for warm water. He's happy with it and I'm happy that he's happy (and I'm happy with my Toto Washlet :) ) So no handheld sprayer and nothing on the floor to take up space and/or topple over. 10-15 minutes to install.

Not only does the wall need braced internally, you need waterproofing from the exterior. The brick should not look saturated like that. There are multiple ways to brace the wall from further bowing. I would recommend the carbon fiber bracing over beams, but beams (either steel or treated timbers) work also. On cinder block you need a brace every 16 inches so every cinder block is supported. If you put a 4 foot level up against the wall, you can measure how many inches it has bowed. Looking at the pictures it looks braceable and not a complete rebuild of the wall. More info: http://www.uswaterproofing.com/learning-center/pros-cons-of-carbon-fiber-foundation-repair http://www.stablwall.com/

I’m in So California. It has selfsown but they are easily pulled out, and I have left about 10 standing. Thank you everyone for your help. Mary, you found the first reference to anyone having a problem with them wilting! I’m thrilled that you found it! Thank you SO much! Ironically, this was also what Mr. Moses suggested when he thought it was the same plant as Love- Lies-Bleeding. Apparently they both behave the same when cut young. I did send Nancy, at Little River Farm, an email, asking for more details. We’ll see if I get a response, but even that bit of info tells me what was going on. I just KNEW it had to be something! I had already been watering them the night before, cutting them early in the morning, cutting them under water on a slant, and using a sharp blade. Thanks again everyone! Lisa