Thank you! By the way, I did want to share 2 plants that we were utterly transfixed by. We bought them both on a fluke in October 2012 because some of the plants we planned were not available. They are Scaevola Amula 'PUrple Fan' and Dipladenia (the pink 'shrub like' one). Both available at Mariposa Nursery in Bradenton - right by Lakewood Ranch. They have both literally bloomed NON STOP since October. The Scaevola Amula 'Purple Fan' is a low growing ground cover (about 6") with purple flowers - its created a swath of non stop purple on a slight birm we have - it gets sun in the morning and late afternoon (bright dappled shade midday). Each plant has spread about 1 to 3 feet. They are not competing with the Salvia or Angelonia planted next to them and instead create a purple carpet. The Dipladenia pink we put right next to our pool cage - they have dark green shiny leaves and dozens and dozens of pink flowers (pink range in color from pale to deep rosy pink on same plant). They are about 2 1/2 to 3' tall and about 2-3' wide (the brances arch up and outward). Again -- they have flowered non stop since October. This area is in bright shade until around 11am and then dappled sun / direct sun in afternoon. I wanted to share these two as I spent months researching on Gardenweb before buying over a thousand plants and as noted, these 2 were just flukes ... they've turned out to be the best non stop color so far (Oct-April...we'll see how summer goes). The Blue Daze and Lantana Alba (low growing) have also flowered non stop but the Scaevola is more flashy then the subtle tiny flowers of Blue Daze and the Lantana goes through phases of kinda looking ratty. The Scaevola and Dipladenia are prettier and have required absolutely zero maintenance. Sorry for the long email -- its just exciting to be able to share something that worked ;->!!!

I just bought "Afghan Mesh at is 21/2 yds. x 45" . 2.28m x 114.30cm 100% Polyester. 8 holes/inch made by James Thompson & Co. I had seen an afghan made of this stuff years ago (20-25) and lost the magazine it was in. I have now found the mash but can't find a pattern and was wondering if any of you would be willing to help me in getting started in making an afghan. I have plenty of yarn and if this isn't enough mesh maybe someone could even help me in telling me where I could order some more. I have always wanted to make an afghan and am no good at knitting or crocheting so I hope maybe I can make some this way. Very excited about learn this new craft I hope someone out there is willing to help me in my venture.

Heidi - for some reason you message never got to me. Here's my list: Flowers Celosia – Red [brain flower] Columbine – red [canadensis] Cosmos – orange Hibiscus [hardy] – Cherry red/Luna pink Million gold Mum – dark red Obedient plant Pepper, Ornamental [capsicum annum] Phlox [hardy] – white,pink & lavender mix w/ bicolors Rudbeckia - Autumn Sun [r.herbstonne] Rudbeckia triloba [prairie coneflower] Zinnia [short mix] Vegetables & herbs Basil – sweet green Italian/lemon/holy tulsi Chicory – Blue southishe Chives Dill Lettuce – Oakleaf green Peas – Sugar snap Pepper , bell – yellow/orange Radish – early Scarlet globe Thyme Tomato [heirloom] – Black Prince/Black Brandywine/Persimmon/White wonder Vines Morning glory - ipomea hederacea [ivy-leaf blue] /mix [includes Milky Way, Grandpa Ott, ivy-leaf blue, Crimson rambler and various others] /Grandpa Ott Trumpet vine – orange/red Trees/Shrubs Crepe myrtle Hydrangea - white [Annabelle] Rose of Sharon – single pink w/dark eye Vitex - purple

The TV is too large for where it's at now. It obviously does not fit so it's kind of an eyesore. In front of the window is not good as daylight backlighting is hard on the eyes. Maybe you don't regularly watch TV during the day, but there will be weekend sports events. I would put the TV on the wall opposite the window. Get a carpenter to make the TV nook match the bookcase on the other side of the fireplace. My feelings about the mantle and shelves is that the wood is too light. The black of the fireplace and that overwhelming TV make me want to paint the wood black, too. You would also need to paint the top of the half wall between the family and dining rooms, and that would also match the color of your dining chairs. However, I don't know how this might impact the other side of your dining room and whatever else might be visually connected to these rooms. I see no reason to change out the tile around the firebox, the color matches your walls and floor and you did not mention painting the room. I am loathe to suggest overly large pieces of furniture. They tend to limit design. If you want a chaise, get a chaise rather than a couch with a chaise. I prefer to mix sofas with chairs. Balance two chairs and a table against the visual weight of a sofa and its coffee table. You have two vents under the window that should NOT be covered. If you put a sofa there move it out from the window, and behind it put a sofa table that won't block the airflow. Such a large window could be a good place for an indoor tree. I hope you choose a colored sofa (love the color on the back of your bookcase) and perhaps even some patterned chairs. I am so tired of taupe on taupe. As a general rule sofas and chairs are 36" deep. A chair is usually 30-36" wide. Loveseats will be 60-72"' wide and sofas will be 72-84" wide. The variation in width can be attributed to the size of the arm rests and styling. Measure each of your walls. Then take your tape measure with you when you shop so you can measure how large each piece is before you buy it. Large furniture can look small in a huge showroom.