I'm not entirely a fan of Jerry Baker's either, even though I brought up his name. I agree that a lot of his concoctions are either impractical or pretty repulsive, but there are gems in among the rest that make some of his stuff worth a read. It just has to be all sorted out, is all. I do like the way he describes the good bugs as opposed to the bad ones, and that he lists things to plant to attract the first or repel the second. Whether I follow all of his advice is another story entirely. I haven't had tansy turn invasive, but I've never grown it in OK either, so that's good to know. I don't have any problem with cilantro, and I do love basil. Has anyone tried planting it in pretty close under the tomato plants? It's supposed to be a good companion, and tomatoes provide shade for the basil. Mostly, I put his information together with what I already know I like or do not like, and what some of the specific problems might be, and go from there. I'd hate to use any of his books . . . or anyone else's either, as a gardening bible without any independent thought. Twice I've tried planting nepeta because I like the loose look of it in bloom, and had no luck with it either time. I don't know if it's as good as real catnip, but we have enough trouble with stray cats around here that the last thing I want to do is attract any more of them. I'll cross all catnip-like things off. George, on working your compacted soil, just remember that if it's clay, the more you work it, the more compacted it will become. Unless you are working in large amounts of compost or amendment, that is. You can't water and turn clay without it becoming more and more dense. That's why I'm going to cover mine up with a whole stack of mulch and let it sit there until next spring, when we'll try to turn it in, and then mulch it some more. Pat

... and don't forget fancy! lol I agree about the blue. I went to Anthropologie today to look at some of those little accessories (jars, sugar bowl, etc) in yellow and aqua and brought the blue bird fabric. Most of them worked well but some of them were too green. It's a pretty blue. I don't think I'll do any other fabrics with turquoise- just if I find a good blue like the birds. It's sooo cute. I love it! My mom loves it too and agrees these work better than the original yellow/black/grey ones. Other ones I showed her she said were too french/formal. She has a good eye for decorating : ) The little bird fabric might be busy for the 6' window but that's why I thought maybe for the lights and then white with a bit of yellow (maybe the pom poms) for the window. I get the dandelions tomorrow (fabric) in the turquoise and girly blue. I think the print is too large though compared to those cute little birds. Maybe in the DR though if I do pillows. We'll see! I liked the tile even more today. They gave me 4 to take home woo-hoo!

Your kitchen is beautiful and absolutely does not need another focal point! I know a lot of ppl liked the (for lack of better description) "flower" tile you have in above post but i think pattern AND two different colors? just too much. i definitely think you should have some color variation but something tone on tone... or just less of a jump. i like the diamond crushed glass ones a lot but maybe if we take out the reddish brown and replace it with a grayish color to tie in the marble... i think u really have to be careful with that marble- it is soo pretty but it has lots of movement... i love the color variation in the tiles that a2gemini posted- i dont know if that color would work with the marble... but i think u should stay within that realm of variation... i dont no if this is ur taste or if the colors would match up well but i looove pipdogs backsplash and im thinking of it because for some reason even tho its gray it seems warm to me. heres a link Here is a link that might be useful: pips kitchen

You're right Natalie. The difference though, is that the stone lintels of the windows and the cornerstones are different from the material used for the exterior walls, usually brick, providing an important contrast. Currently, we're planning to paint the siding and the trim the same color white. American Georgian revival homes almost always have shutters. Although the shutters would be working shutters, I hadn't anticipated using them in the event of a storm. I don't know that they would provide much protection, especially since there won't be any on the NE side of the house, which is the direction of our worst storms. But you've given me something to think about regarding painting the trim a contrasting color, some kind of off white. My builder has been trying to talk be into that for a while. I'll have to wait until the siding is complete on the front and the door is installed before I decide. Interior shutters are nice if you have deep walls to fold them out of the way against the window casing. I'm not sure how I feel about them opening onto the interior walls. I'll have to take a look at some online. :)