Bass, I have(7gallon) pots ready and plan on doing that this week. When I add soil should I mix the fertilizer thoroughly then repot? Or add it just to the top layer? As far as good soil goes, I have organic miracle grow for fruits/veggies that I already have handy. Is this ok, or not good for figs? Thanks so much for all your advice and help!

I agree that there is a definite decline in quality of furniture now a days, as well as a lack of ethics in the furniture sales business. But that doesn't necessarily mean old is better than new, and there are pros and cons of each. Good quality restored antiques are often very expensive and finding a particular piece can be very time consuming (browsing stores, craigslist, estate sales, etc). Older furniture also has lead paint and safety issues. One other problem I've noticed with old furniture is mold and musty smell which aggravates my allergies -- I sneeze every time I open a drawer. New furniture suffers from quality, mdf/formaldehyde off-gassing issues, and good quality new furniture is difficult to find and often extremely expensive. With upholstery, reupholstering is very expensive, and sometimes more expensive than mid-priced new upholstery. Basically, I think there is no clear cut answer to buying furniture, and no wrong or right. In an ideal world, new furniture would be made of decent quality (based on cost ratio) and of the least toxic materials. In an ideal world, our fashions wouldnt be so trivial that people would feel the need to replace their furniture for trends. When I started purchasing new furniture for my first home, I started doing immense research, trying to pinpoint the brands that had the best cost/quality ratio and the stores with the best satisfaction ratings. But with a young family, that is very time consuming and in the end, even if something is good quality for the price, I still have to like it and be able to afford it! My parents are immigrants and do not own any family antiques as they left it all behind, so I have a definite appreciation for antiques, especially those that have sentimental value and have been in the family for generations. I have browsed through a few antique stores with no luck in finding the pieces I am interested in, and when I do fall in love with an antique, it is usually too expensive. I am on craiglist every day, but again, have limited success, especially b/c of the fact that we just have small sedans. So as much as IÂd like to own an older piece of furniture, thus far, IÂve only been able to buy new, partly due to time and partly due to cost issues. IÂve settled with purchasing mid-priced brands that are the best compromise on quality/cost/looks. Furniture with impeccable quality is usually out of my price range (e.g. Tom Seely, Amish made, Stickley, etc). The best experience I have had is with Boyles  purchasing a mid-priced Sherrill sofa for less than one from Ethan Allen or Pottery Barn. WeÂve had comments from people that it is very well made. But that is a rare moment. My everyday eating table is solid birch from Canada (Bermex), yet I had more issues with the set than my Richardson Brothers dining set that was made in China (although also supposed to be solid maple). So not all furniture from China is necessarily bad if there are good quality controls. Our crib & dresser set is from Ethan Allen and I have numerous complaints about the store and finish issues with some of the pieces, but after an extensive search of other furniture brands with the style IÂm looking for, IÂm probably going to end up buying her twin bed from Ethan Allen as well  it just seems more durable. Target has its place as well. I am looking for an inexpensive white bookcase for the playroom, and although IÂd love to get good quality, itÂs not even available in my area  its either Pottery Barn or Target, and of course IÂm going to choose the latter since buying unfinished is out of the question (no time!). I noticed someone posted a comment about Crate and Barrel. We just purchased a glass door bookcase (diy at home) from them, and my husband assembled it very quickly and was very impressed with the quality for the money. I have been looking for this piece for some time, either antique or new, but couldnÂt find an old one and the new ones I liked were out of our price range (Amish built, over 1k)  so the CB one was a good compromise! IÂm still hoping that IÂll get lucky on craigslist one day! I wish that antique stores and estate sales would post their items on craigslist!

I don't have feet on my cabinets but as a suggestion google buffets/hutches/hoosiers and look at those feet and the styles of them. Just my opinion, keep in mind that kitchen cabinets are big pieces of furniture and I always think it looks silly when the feet look too delicate - sort of like ballet feet. I like them when they are in proportion to the weightiness of the cabinets. JMHO.

Thanks everybody -- unfortunately i destroyed them before photographing. -- But YES it must be spider eggs. We never kill a spider here and so we occasionally see one about it's work, hanging in an odd place. I thought the fuzz was the result of years of dust. Is the dust part of the process? I don't want to upset the spiderphobes I know but no guest has ever run into one as far as I know. I never thought about where spiders might lay eggs. My location is north east.