Yes, as I understand it, Aspidistras are a common landscaping plant farther south. Maybe they are more affordable when sold as landscape plants, but up north as houseplants they are very expensive and almost impossible to find for sale. Apparently last week was Aspidistra week for me because right after my friend gave me the gift, my local store got some in (I had asked if they could get some in a while back)... so of course I had to buy one from them, too... At its coldest it gets into the 30s in that room. 40s are more typical for most of the winter, though. The rest of the house is generally in the 50s. As to why I keep it so cold, I have oil heat. Aspidistra is the classic Victorian houseplant. It ought to work out for me, since I have a Victorian era house, complete with authentic Victorian era cold drafts. Your palm really does look great. I love house palms. (I used to live in Florida) Do you know which kind that is?

Katie, is this Plaster? If it is, it is the cause could be anything. Unkeyed plaster separated from the lath due to a seasonal movement, lumber drying and shrinkage or a stress crack caused by to much stuff in the attic, etc Most common cracks in plaster are cosmetic unless you see more signs of failure, on the floor below or in the basement like foundation crack, beam/floor settlement, etc. Cracks in plaster less than 1/8-inch thick are considered to be stress cracks and pretty much a normal occurrence and cracks over 1/4" considered to be more serious and should be investigated... On your picture, it looks cosmetic, if this was the connection point where the new extension was connected to the main house, most likely the new lumber dried up and made the plaster loose the grip and over time with seasonal changes it got worst...I would add some screws to secure the plaster if its lose, clean out the crack, fill it with caulk and leave a slight indentation, let it dry and tape and patch the ceiling and keep an eye on it. Good luck

It should be cut out and replaced. They should have a person responsible for QC. The vertical boards (studs) were likely nailed to the plate (subject) and it broke as the large assembled wall was placed. Crews in production home building are very specialized, and fixes, repairs, stud straightening (they were straight and unbroken when installed but stuff happens) occurs before frame inspection by another carpenter. This is done later as there are many trades through the home between framing and frame inspection, creating a small pile of repairs.

There is a lot of confusion over what is SM’s role. Most people tend to think that SM’s role is to be whatever works for BM, bio-dad, SKs at the moment. For ex., BM doesn’t want you to be a mom, but if it is more convenient for BM to have you take her bio-daughter to appts., then “bingo!” you’re supposed to make mom-shoes fit for that hour or so. An added bonus for BM may be to not give you the information she knows you need to stick it to ya’, so to speak. Not saying that is specifically what went on here, but it could be. Step-daughter may not want you to be a mom, either, but if she needs someone to clean up after her wedding, for example, suddenly she is asking you to take on that responsibility as step-“mom.” Meanwhile, you may attend the wedding expecting to be seated with your husband, just like any other married couple, only to find that no arrangement whatsoever has been made for you and your role, and the expectation is that BM and bio-dad, instead, play joined-at-the-hip couple for the entire evening. . . no permission needed from either yourself (SM) or bio-dad. Doesn’t matter how many years you and bio-dad have been married. Meanwhile, your reward for all of those years of sucking it up and taking it, is for you to not be included in any “family” photos, and for you to have to find your own seat and clean up after the wedding ceremony. Nice. And, I’ve heard of this or similar or worse happen to SMs at weddings more often than anyone would ever care to think. But, the point I’m trying to make with these examples is to answer your question, “To what point do you feel like your maybe doing too much for your spouses' kid etc.?” It is when YOU feel like YOU are doing too much, it is too much. Anything anyone else does (including step-parents) for someone else’s children should be seen as a gift and not as an obligation. If a babysitter is taking care of someone else’s children and the parents are late, the babysitter gets extra pay. If grandpa and grandma are taking care of their grandchildren, as blood relatives, they get kudos and thanks and hugs and kisses. If SM takes care of someone else’s children, and in some shape or form so often she does, what is her reward? Crickets. Or, even worse. A SM’s #1 role is as a spouse/ partner to bio-dad. A SM’s role is not to fill in for lackadaisical or neglectful parents, and her role is certainly not to say, “How high?,” whenever someone in the initial family asks her to jump. As long as you are okay doing favors out of the goodness of your heart or for your husband, or because your husband truly appreciates it, and BM (at least on some level) appreciates it too, along with the SKs. . . then keep doing those favors. But, be careful there too, because it is extremely easy and almost a given that a SM will be taken for granted. Set boundaries early with everyone, and, for God’s sake, don’t do too much right off the bat! If you are dropping the kids off at school for example, before going to work, and your schedule changes and you can no longer do so, guess who is going to get their butt kicked? You are. You are going to be blamed for not finding another way to make your schedule work so you can keep dropping someone else’s kids off at school. Whatever favor you take on, both BM and bio-dad will feel you own. Your DH said, “He's trying to stay cool so he doesn't push her mom away.” What about you? He doesn’t want to be put in the middle of BM and his child? He doesn’t want to be put in the middle of this own divorce, but he expects you to? How nuts is that!? Yet, this is the expectation so many have for SMs it is unbelievable—they actually believe that dad should NOT be put in the middle of issues involving his own children, his own ex-, and so on. BUT, SM, on the other hand, should be put in the middle!? That is plain backwards crazy. Start to say NO, and mean NO. DH says he doesn’t want to make waves with his ex-, say, “Fine, that is on your shoulders. You and BM need to find a way to take your own daughter to these appointments.” And, don’t expect DH to agree or like it. He won’t. BM won’t like it either and step-daughter may not even like it. But, you are an adult and you own your own soul. Say No and mean No. I will add one caveat; however, it is a little trickier when you really are like “the mom,” as in this situation where BM is largely absent or where BM has even passed. Sometimes this makes interactions better and sometimes it can make them worse, as it can be very difficult to fill in for a missing mom. Missing moms are often idolized. In reality, you shouldn’t be competing with BM or SKs at all, but if your DH sets it up this way—where your role is more as family servant than dad’s wife, and you feel like your needs are continually being pushed to the back—then you start to feel like you are in competition for being dad’s #1 wife, along with his ex- and his children. Next thing you know, everyone is jockeying for dad’s “main squeeze” role, competing with each other, while dad just sits in his lounge chair and complains about poor-whittle-ol-me, being stuck in the middle. In reality, he’s the numbnuts who set it up that way to begin with. Don't let 'em do it.