FloraBuds, Just so you know, when I went back to the pharmacy to get my "medicine" for my Body and Soul, the exacums were in bad shape from over watering. Many of them had keeled over from damp rot. And the Party Times were $6!, not five. Still, I am glad I went for them. Does anyone know about their cultivation and growth haibits? The exacum looks like a ground cover to me. Thanks to all for the id's. Veronica

Lots of great, encouraging information from other posters. Dig in and have fun. If you have an idea of the era in which you prefer to decorate, look specifically for dealers who specialise in your preferred era. They're much more likely not only to find what you want, but to KNOW what they're hunting for you. If your needs are simple, and you don't mind the occasional replica or "fixit" item, go to any local auction or estate sale you can find. These events are a blast! I love to buy a junky looking bit for my house. After a good clean and repair, it's a functional furnishing with character. I'd like some of these bits buried with me when I pass on! And you never know-you might find some incredible things and bargain prices. If you've got meticulous tastes, you'll search for the better auction houses. These also attract deep-pocketed dealers and collectors, so you'll pay a bundle for your purchases. These are also highly pleasing events, as you can chat with some of the biggest names in the trade. It's a great learning opportunity. And there's still the chance that you can score a great piece fairly cheap. It's not easy to find designers who fit into your preferences. They do exist! Bear in mind that designers insist on ridiculous discounts from dealers, often severely limiting their dealer base. Or the dealers mark up for sales to designers in order to meet a margin. We need to pay overhead and bills, buy inventory, and put food on the table, just like anyone else in business. (and we like to have a little something left over for fun!) If you want to lessen the legwork, a designer is key. If you want to spend years learning, meeting folk in the trade, and accumulating a knockout decor, do the legwork yourself, following the pointers offered by everyone else here. I promise it's vast fun! Like Linda C says: "Yeah!! Dude!! ....I am so addicted!! "

I opened a Facebook account right before I went to Oxford in 2009. I wanted a way to upload photos to something other thn photobucket (which i just hate to use, hadnt found smugmug yet) and be able to communicate with my immediate family. I started getting friend requests from people I knew and accepted them--- and soon I had about 75 people looking at my photos, remarking, innundating me with absurd and often untrue details about their personal life. Well.... Lets just say there are very few people I want to know that well, and I defriended all but the original seven. I haven't put anything on it (status changes) except pictures of trips because it is easier for a few of them to view them on fb than another site. Mainly because fb comes to them--- extraordinarily passive way of living ones life, among other things. I see many older people who use fb to try to project a public life that is painfully at odds with what is actually happening. I see younger people who can't go out and have a good time unless they have pictures on Facebook to prove they did. There's a tremendous amount of over sharing, it's sort of like a conversation between two people who are not listening to the other because they're so busy planning what to say next. I don't think that fb is evil, or necessarily stupid, but it can rob you of any vestige of privacy, a commodity that, once lost is difficult to reestablish. Several years ago our family went to Miami beach for Thanksgiving and unbeknownst to me I was logged into fb. It announced what hotel I was staying at, and I got comments from people about their experiences at it ! This was during a time when they changed the terms of their agreement with account holders and required an active opt out. Even with that there were problems, and after a hue and cry they expanded personal control of the accounts. I think twitter is a complete waste of time and an incredible conceit that anyone would actually think his/her tweets are worth "following." I turned 57 a few days ago and somewhere along the line seem to have become a curmudgeon!

Can you give us any model numbers you were given, if any? Best way to know if that price is ballpark in your area is to get a few estimates. That type of system would typically cost less than $7000 in D.C., but your area's pricing may be different, and this company's work may be worth the higher cost. Typically you get what you pay for in this industry. Model numbers would be like 4TWBB3042, 4TEE3F40, etc.