I don't know how many people will see this before tomorrow morning but I wanted to know if anyone is interested in hoyas. I'm not going to bring any unless I know someone is looking for them...however I'll take some cuttings if someone out there makes a request. I'll bring something to eat ... "real food" but I don't know what right now. I should brings some pictures of my new yard. It is kind of like Ariel's. We just moved in and there isn't much landscaping but there is a lot of LAWN! (for now) Laura

Those who are afraid that their brand of discipline will subject them to police reports if done in public should investigate alternative ways of public discipline. As I think about the lip-ripping-whisperer, in addition to the fact of a stranger's speaking to the kid, and what he said, one other reason it was effective was that he got down to the child's level to speak. Parents tend to say or holler out corrections that probably sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, when it is far more effective to kneel down, make sure you have their attention, LISTEN to them, and then remain firm in what you expect of them and the consequences if they persist in behaving badly. Parents need a clear understanding of acceptable behavior, need to communicate that to their children, need to engage with the children and need to follow through on reasonable consequences (spankings and swats are hardly ever truly effective in my experience, and I don't think do much to improve the overall relationship). It won't spare them from the embarrassment of a tantrum, but over time the rules become better ingrained than they would with absent-minded yelling, emotional spanking and the like. As for shop owners, totally agree kids need to be kept on a short (metaphorical beyond a certain age) tether and not taken if they are particularly destructive. But yes, do remember your audience. And don't be afraid to show little ones in a positive way the right way to investigate something of interest ("no, we can't pull the petals off, but look over here, do you see how the new leaves are brighter green," etc.). Trust me, a relaxed parent will buy more from you. :-)

I think you have to decide about the rug first, in or out. We just went from a dark oriental like yours to one with light colors (cream, light blue-green, and a touch of caramel matching our caramel leather sofa like your chair) and from there the room changed completely to warm and light. The rug has to come first. The more red and dark blue you add with your present rug the more you are getting away from what you said you wanted

I think one reason it feels "off" is that nothing is centered on anything else. Everything is offset. In your original pic the chairs aren't centered on the windows or the rug, so look off; in the new arrangement, the chairs aren't centered on the fireplace, so look off. I do think the sofa looks better by the windows, like you have it now. Do two people mostly sit in the chairs with your feet on the ottomans? If not, what I would do with this new arrangement is move the chairs over closer to the sofa and center them in front of the fireplace. If that means losing the ottoman with the chair closest to the couch, in order to keep them far enough from the doorway, I would do that. (Maybe get a little pillow and use the end of the coffee table as a footrest if/when needed). Maybe try the taller lamp by the fireplace between the chairs, so you can pull the table back a bit and still have reading light if you need it. You might even be able to turn the ?console? to the left of the window and place it below the pass through so the chair closest to the couch could benefit from that lamp (as would that end of the couch). Or maybe try a sofa table arrangement behind the chairs to hold a lamp so you can put the chairs closer to each other.