Howdy! I like that attitude! The plant is more important than the container, indeed! And the individual plantings do look very attractive. Sometimes, however, folks are really attached to their pots (which I've learned the hard way), so I thought I'd make sure. Now to answer questions: I'd need closer images to properly compare the little Jades...yet I'm no expert on Identification. More importantly, we'll have to see how they do this summer, and if their growth habit tightens up, et cetera. The soil looks much, much better! Some of the particles are rather fine - no doubt from the cactus soil - but with the other ingredients for drainage, that shouldn't be much of an issue. What you'll probably notice when you do water is that the water will sit for a moment on top of the mix, and then begin to drain rapidly after that. You can always modify the potting mix when you clean up the roots and re-pot a couple years from now. When to water....you will be the best judge of that. I always follow the adage, 'wait a week to water' after re-potting/root-disturbance. But this assumes that the plant has a good source of light. So, if the plant isn't growing much, and if it isn't getting strong light, I'd wait a bit longer to water. Which is why you'll have to make the final call. On Thursday, feel the leaves. Are they firm, soft, leathery, or beginning to wrinkle? If the leaves are firm, the plant has sufficient moisture. If the leaves are beginning to wrinkle, wait until the following day - then water thoroughly in the morning. This is how *I* water...but I've certainly been chided for not watering often enough in the past. Again, it's up to your discretion. Final comment on watering this particular plant: If it were my Jade, I would wait to water until new leaflets begin erupting from the points where the old leaves had been. Then I'd water the entire potting medium, thoroughly, until water flows through the drainage holes. Then, I wouldn't water again for three weeks to a month. Gollums, Hobbits, Skinny Fingers...these are all Jade variations, with curious leaf-shapes. I think Pug does have a Skinny Fingers (or a monstrose?)...and she also has a Gollum (trumpet-like, suction-cup tipped leaves), and I think several Hobbits (which have leaves that are 'open' on the bottom). Pug will confirm! Josh

Very good suggestion DtD and Steve - I just sent an email to GW about a possible Gallery. "On the New England Gardening Forum, we have several recurring threads heavy with photos. Some of these have been posted regularly for years now, and we like to refer back to previous threads. It's getting more and more difficult to handle the reference links, and the earlier threads are getting perilously close to sliding off GardenWeb into oblivion. Is there some way we can post these earlier threads on a separate site (like a Gallery) so the photos and discussions are easily available even when they're a few years old? (the suggestion was initially made by steve_mass on a current thread). Two of the ongoing threads are: Show us your gardens - a photo thread - April 2012 http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/neweng/msg0321532125456.html?6 posted by pixie_lou and: Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2012 #2 http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/neweng/msg021001279615.html?15 posted by claire There will probably be other photo threads in the future that we would like to save as well. I'm the editor of the New England Gardening FAQ and I can add text posts to the FAQ, but not the many photos. I would be happy to serve as a Gallery editor if need be. Thanks, Claire"

Believe it or not, decent looking ceiling fans exist. On every design show I've ever seen they're the first things to be thrown out, but I have them in every bedroom. Mmm slight draft at night without the sound of floor fan... I pspent no fewer than 18 weeks looking (off and on) for a "pretty" one to go in my master. I have lived with a 4 poster bed. My experience - unless you have really high ceilings, and I'm talking like 10 ft, and a sizeable room, it will turn your space into... tiny. Once upon a time in a previous life I thought I had a big bedroom until I put a poster bed in there. I like your computer nook. I always wanted a space like that, which I could separate from the rest of the room with some romantic drapery tied back. I might force that idea on my formal dining room. :) beds/headboards coverin ga window do bother me. I don't like anything to cover a window (couch, table, or otherwise) -- but that's just me. And if it came down to a queen bed, or covering that window, sure - the window would get covered! We have single panels on our two bedroom windows, mostly because they're skinny and it looked silly to me to have two panels. If you need to cover the window, something that seems to help (at least when I've seen it done) is to pull the bed away from the wall a foot or so. Then you can go with two panels, and it looks kind of intentional instead of "didn't have space." Something else to keep in mind with blocking windows -- does the sun come directly in such that it would fade your bedding over time?

Wow. Such great ideas! Love the tiles from sonoma. I am really embracing the idea of blues now, especially the delft. My everyday dishes are blue and white. After looking through a few of my inspiration magazines and photos from when I started all this, the ceramic and blue seems to fit right in with my overall long-term decor theme. I found something blue to put there to help me visualize how well it works, and I think it does! You guys are brilliant! So, IÂm thinking maybe some dark brownish/red field tiles along the inner sides of the cabinets and as a background surrounding perhaps a rectangular insert of blue and cream patterned tiles like in some of boxerpups images above. What do you think? Or would that be too contrasty? I wish I were better at photoshop. Also, what about adding wood corbels under the 2 side cabs? Would that help anchor the hood or just look silly?