NewHostaLady . Thank you for the kind words. While I wouldnâÂÂt call them impeccable I guess no gardener sees their own plants quite the same as someone else does. I can say they certainly are a lot of work. Between the incessant upkeep I need with cayenne to keep the tree rats from digging and the garlic spray after it rains to help deter slugs itâÂÂs all I can manage. But a labor of love and they keep me smiling even through the worst of it. :) Don . WOOT !!! You go boy. :p So glad I could enab . . . er suggest Gone with the Wind to you. :) I did in fact receive mine along with all the others. They weathered the trip well and are all in the pictures above, although looking back I did kind of bury Gone with the Wind. Chris was kind enough to mail me the one I picked by hand while I was up there. I found one with some streaking on two leaves so I figured itâÂÂd be fun to watch for any sports. I doubt it will amount to anything and will probably settle out next year, but still fun. :) It is dark now or I would go snap a picture for you. Maybe tomorrow . . . oooo that might be a nice thread to start to see if any others are growing it. Miss Babka . I guess I am blocking the exits arenâÂÂt I . . . oops ! I try not to think about them being 5 foot giants, but I will inevitably have to cross that bridge at some point, as you mentioned. I am still some time away from that dilemma and really do have quite a bit of space to plant them in the yard. So in the long run, I âÂÂshouldâ be fine for space . . . key word âÂÂshouldâÂÂ. But as we have come to gather, I am too fussy a gardener to do anything in a timely manner. So I will putter with my soil and slowly release them to the wild green frontier that is my overgrown front yard someday. :p Dearest Mocc . Not sure if you are aware, but you are scattered all throughout that porch. There are many a hosta I have acquired solely due to your well placed bait, and I am all the better for it. :) Although I hope never to rival your behemoth collection I can dream that I will have the time and space to house as many as you do someday. Thank you so much for everything. MadPlanter . Those were my thoughts exactly . . . when else . . . if ever . . . am I going to have an opportunity to take a picture like this again ? I had made plans to do it a while ago but was waiting for the last of my 2013 orders to arrive. Now that they are all here and have been potted up I took the weekend and went for it. :) It was a lot of fun. The neighbors actually stopped to see why I was on a ladder with a camera. They had thought I was taking pictures of an eagle. I laughed and said âÂÂNope, just my hostas.â They smiled and politely moved on. :p Thanks again everyone itâÂÂs been awesome !!! Ludi

Wow, I feel like we are in we EXACT same place you are in right now. We closed on our lot in May of last year and we will have not broken ground. My husband's BFF offered to build our home for us at cost. So we went bigger with square footage. We ended up at almost 2,400 sq feet with wanting to originally have 2,000-2,100. It took a while for him to get all the bids in because he wanted to get our house to the price we could afford. We got to the point of pulling permits and he had to back out from building the house completely. So we were left with no builder, a lot, floor plans that we couldn't afford for another builder to build, and no architect to help modify the plans because he un-expectantly passed away. Our new builder immediately started looking at what we had and started pointing out ways to save money. Lowering ceiling heights a little, adjusting roof lines, making our kitchen island shorter to save on cabinets and granite, choosing paint grade cabinets instead of stained, etc. All these things he told us to cut costs and I had never heard of them before. I was actually upset that the previous builders never mentioned those options. I mean, I know they are going to make a good commission on my build, but they are working for me and it's my money! So, we took our plans to a designer that our builder recommended and paid for her to adjust our plan to slightly over 2,100 sq feet and I am very happy with where we are. By reducing that square footage we are saving about $25K which is 10+% of our budget. Through all of this, we are realizing what we want, what we can afford, and what we need, have got to meet in the middle somewhere! I am a Houzz addict like you. I have so many Ideabooks of what I like. But it has taken my husband and my builder to nicely tell me no. That $10K Graywater System that I wanted is not happening. The spray foam insulation is not affordable for us. The Carerra marble backsplash in my kitchen is not possible for us.Those higher end Moen Fixtures aren't happening. We changed to Delta and I think they are going to look just fine. With your situation, I have a couple of thoughts... 1. Do you really like your lot. A lot is not changed as easily as plans. Even if you move to a less expensive lot, you have got to get rid of your current lot. I don't know how real estate is in your area. 2. This is my biggest question....Are you locked into this builder? I am not expert but I think it is your builder's job to help you build your home and help you stay in your budget. He/She needs to wrangle in your crazy ideas and let you know what is possible and what isn't. This builder has not done that. You were initially $350K over budget at $250 per square foot and then adjusted down to $200K over budget at $267 per square foot. So you went up $17 per square foot even though you cut square footage. If you were able to build at the $250 per square foot mark, that $800K house becomes $750K. There is $50K right there. You mentioned that you realized your original budget may not have been realistic. Did your builder not express any concern on that? How much were you off? 3. Would you consider doing a multi story house? That could save you some money right there. 4. If you decide to dump your lot, are you going to stick with this same builder. I feel like they are a big part of the problem and if they can't help you build on your current lot in budget, how would the new lot be that much different? 5. Basements are expensive. Maybe adjust the level of finished that you have it done. Good grief, that was a long response by me. I just relate to what you are going through because you feel really stuck and you don't know what direction to go. We were there too. Good Luck! This post was edited by aimless07 on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 0:24

You bet they'll call you a homewrecker just to make sure the kids hate you!!! AHAHHA.. I met my husband 1 1/2 years after he divorced his wife. (14 year marriage) And she did that..she told her daugther that i was cheating with her dad. Thank God my SD is the type to ask upfront and i told nope diddn't cheat with your dad. unless i can have S*x from another province hey i'ld be a millionaire!! lol..and when i met her dad he was married and i was engaged to another man:) And then i told her i was not raised to be like that...so no, your mother can use another excuse for you not to like me...lol... My sk know their mother is jealous. THey have come forth repeatedly and said they'r mother is jealous and they cannot understand why she doesn't like me. I ahve todl them and my husband that its her personal reasons and she has to get over the divorce and move on...(keep in mind she was married again just as the divorced was finalized eh...) so what's good for the goose and is not good for the gander eh???mmmmm Talk about double standards!!! I have never doen my skids any harm and have always been very kind to them unless they've been ill to me i'll give it back to them. I've even had my SD defend me once with her brother.....they are good kids just wish i had a more open less manipulative from their mom, relationship with them. I think it could have worked if both my husband and his exwife were civil. Too bad EIther way, Heather do not rush meeting his kids or rushing into tyring to develope your relationship with them. the son is too young and will probably be the only one receptive to you because he never knew mom and dad together...the girl is 10...and she may resent you for a while..but maybe when she gets older she may not. This all depends on how her mother raises her and if she was a good mother...and i do mean good , she shouldn't go around saying you are a homewrecker etc..etc..this only damages the child psychee...but hey...i see many woman who it ...and guess what!? they're kids hate them after a while ..( my skids do not like both their parents...they love them...but they do nto like them..resentful...) So, its early in your relationship. Do not focus onthe kids, focus on your new bf and then after a while..say another 2 years or so, if you guys are still together and serious ...let sd come to you.....dont force any relationship here. You can function separately....depends on how you want to go about your relationship heather. I know people who are married and live in separate houses with their kids...its wierd..but they,if it makes both sides happy and less every day headaches..why not????? BUt if You are not happy be apart and want the 'family' thing...then you will have a problem. She may never accept you and you will have to accept that. I think their will be a time you will meet, and you and your bf will have to reassure her that you are not here to steal her dad or replace her mother...that you are not her mother and you can only be a friend to her. In time , let the relationship develope and take it day by day. Dont expect things or demand things.

Well, clocks or paper, hm? What about a watch? Or for paper, how about tickets to an event or show? Memory album with the first page one of your wedding photo (naturally, if you're into scrapbooking, you'll continue this ;-). A new release book, or one for his hobby, or a vintage one? A beautiful hand-made card (paper, also), would be a nice addition... Hope some of those help....