Stephanie, I don't know that one color of soil is any better than another, based solely on the color of the soil. Having said that, I prefer dark brown to black loamy soil like we have in our woodland where decades of decaying and decomposing leaves and wood have given us a beautiful layer of rich topsoil. Unfortunately that is not the kind of soil we have on the higher land near the house and garden---it is red clay with some medium-brown silty sand cutting across the property in a couple of places. Most of my soil is red clay and it is very mineral-rich and nutrient-rich and I have no complaints about its fertility. It is highly fertile. Plants grow like crazy in it once I've added enough organic matter that their roots don't suffocate in the dense clay. I believe that the color of soil is linked to the types of proteins found in the soil. Red soil often is higher than other soil colors in iron, for example. Brown and black soils often have that color because they have a higher percentage of organic matter/compost/humus in them, but not always. Where I grew up in Texas we had blackland clay that was beautiful to look at, but which also needed to have tons of organic matter added to it in order for plants to perform to their best potential in it. Just the fact that it was black did not mean it had good tilth. For what it is worth, I don't buy topsoil. In general, most of the topsoil you buy in bags is worthless crap that needs tons of amending before anything will grow well in it. If I am wanting to buy something to fill a raised bed, I buy organic matter (composted cow manure from a reliable company that never has sold me herbicide-contaminated compost, pine bark fines, mushroom compost, humus, soil conditioner [it usually is a combination of humus and pine bark fines] and rototill it into the native soil to create the raised bed. I'm not sure why you're buying top soil, but I hope it isn't for containers. You don't put soil in containers, you put a soil-less mix in them. Having said that, there is one time when I think bagged top soil can be worthwhile. If you have very sandy soil that drains very, very fast and you cannot get it to hold water, you can fix it by adding not only lots of organic matter but also by adding some cheap top soil that has a high clay content. The clay content when added to sandy soil plus organic matter can help you turn the very sandy soil into a beautiful sandy loam. Enjoy being new to gardening. There's nothing wrong with being new to it, and you can garden your entire life and still experience new things in the garden, yard, etc. every year. That is part of what is so fascinating about gardening---there are so many variables involved and so many issues that can arise that you're always learning, always trying new things, always figuring out that there is more than one way to skin a cat (with apologies to any cat reading this and saying "yikes!"). One of my favorite all-time gardening quotes is from Thomas Jefferson, who said "Though an old man, I am but a young gardener". Dawn

Of course, this shoe situation is very regional. In some areas, it's rude to walk into someone's house IN shoes, in others (where I live) it's incredibly rude to walk in and kick off your shoes. But you're not a guest, you're a worker. Shoes are a safety item--they protect your feet. When you go to a house, you have no idea if they have: been sewing and dropped pins that got lost in the rug (or broken a glass and there are slivers); have contagious foot conditions you might pick up; have pets with health issues you might take home to YOUR pets; have recently cleaned their carpets with a substance you might be allergic to, etc etc etc. My husband works in a field where he has to go into customers homes. He's required to wear shoes on the job. Most don't ask him to remove them--but on the rare occasion they did, he told them no, and they had a choice, he could stay and do the work or leave. Shoes generally ceased to be an issue at that point. Last week, we 'babysat' dd's condo while an electrician came in to do some work. He got to the door and took the time to put the covers on his shoes, stating his last job had been muddy. It was very considerate (she has white carpet), and I appreciated it. That's the most realistic solution--to keep some of those in your car/truck. The ones I've seen, I think might even survive a washing or two, if it were done carefully--if you're looking to be frugal.

http://www.surlatable.com/product/no+category/kitchen+%26+bar+tools/things+cooks+love+chef%27s+jumbo+slotted+turner.do?search=basic&keyword=spatula&sortby=ourPicks&page=1 http://www.surlatable.com/product/brands/messermeister/messermeister+egg+flipper+spatula.do?search=basic&keyword=spatula&sortby=ourPicks&page=all http://www.amazon.com/LamsonSharp%C2%BF-Chef%C2%BFs-Slotted-Turner-right-hand/dp/B00004WGUM http://www.thefind.com/kitchen/info-flexible-slotted-spatula http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cooks-tools/cooking-utensils/ctlutlspt/index.cfm?cm%5Ftype=lnav https://www.bluecashewkitchen.com/shop/home.php?cat=951&sort=price&sort_direction=0amp;page=2

I rearranged. How's this? TOP - I currently have the crystal bowl on my buffet in the foyer. It may or may not stay there. Depends on the size of the decorative plate I ordered that hasn't arrived. The decanters tops are off because they were too tall but you can't notice it honestly. I'm not completely attached to the crystal decanters. I just thought they were pretty when I bought them. DH think's it's stupid to have them because we don't really even drink. I could always put the crystal bowl back. And the platter in the middle (casserole thing is on top) that's laying down doesn't fit standing up. I was originally thinking about standing that up and then sticking the blue toile plate in front but the toile plate is also a little too big for the look I was aiming for. I didn't have anywhere to put the cobalt blue butter dish so it's currently between the glasses on the left. Not super attached to that but thought it was pretty and added some color. MIDDLE - The plates DO stand up. Not sure what I was doing the other day with the one side! They are however, wedged in there. A typical plate stand that I'm thinking of won't work because there's just not room. Any ideas? I'm about to slap duct tape to the back of them. BOTTOM- I put the rest of the plates that were originally in the middle, under the saucers and bowls. I tried putting the blue butter dish on the middle silver thing (that has the two blue items) but the base is too wide. BOTTOM BOTTOM :) - Got rid of the roses and stuck it back on the right (which was where it was before I got the idea to deck the top out) I think visually it looked better to have the big silver piece in the middle. I had the blue plate in the middle but the right side just seemed too heavy and I didn't have anything to balance it out right on the left. If I put two items on the left it started to look all jammy on the bottom. *Note -In this pic the plates that were in the middle weren't under the saucers/bowls yet. . . I like the top better nekkid. Think I will stick to doing maybe some seasonal stuff up there. Thanks guys! One more thing - the tassel I have is a curtain tie back. Where does everyone on here get the cute little tassels with the shorter/thin hangers? I searched "decorative tassels" on ebay and got much of what I have there.