My beans have started kicking in and I have picked 4 containers full so far. I picked One Sweet Slice cucumber,a small zucchini and a couple of small onions. Had to pull my Buttercrucnh lettuce as it was bolting and some of the red sails also. The rest of the is starting to bolt so that will pulled up soon. Pulled up my spinach as it was starting to look funny (guess from the heat). Pulled up the Broccoli as the heat seemed to be getting to it and I think I got most of the heads and Florettes. Put most of my baby pepper plants in only have some sweet banana peppers left to go. updated pictures of Here is a link that might be useful: my garden

Richie, I started a post called, 'Richie, where are you?' Can we continue on the new thread..this one is a tad long, and takes forever to download. I'll never remember the questions you asked, so I might as well answer here..lol First, how are YOU doing? I hope your're well. And your mom? G/f? About my new Gardenias, I'm very upset. I guess the weather did more harm than I thought..I doubt any gardenias will make it..the temps were just too cold. I dont know if I should notify the owner or not, since he waited a long time before shipping. All the leaves are frosted, every last one. I dont know what to do. They turned black and crisp. I didn't mention it because I was in denial, hoping I was wrong, but they've pretty much had it. BTW, the nursery ships wonderful plants, it's not his fault. It's my fault for not asking him to hold them longer. Sounds like you got a bunch of new plants too..it must be the season, or maybe we can blame it on a full moon..lol For us in Il it's the season..tonight rain AND snow! I dont want to see snow until next year..lol Foxtail, Ming, Spreng and Plumosia Ferns are well, but need new, big pots..they are huge. In fact, you know those huge square pots to plant outdoor plants? The pots I'm talking about are orange, square. I might end up potting ferns inside each planter..the problem is I need 4 and they've gone up in cost. If they're 7.00, I can afford it, but if they're over 10.00 I'll have to devise another plan. Dividing! Variegated Ginger needs a huge pot too..gotta find a place that 'gives away' free pots..lol.. You're lucky you finished gardening..family helps..my family have no interest in gardening, so I don't ask. A lot of digging and planting..sigh..I feel like spraying weed killer, but won't..can't because of the dogs for one. Our little dog would be rolling in it..lol.. We had to give him an emergency bath a few mins ago..dh took them to the woods, and that little brat found a mud area..of course he came home with 4" of mud on his little body. He ran up to me, telling me he needed a bath which he got. The sink was filthy..he had enough dirt to fill up a plant pot..lol.. Richie, dont forget..I started the thread here on GW looking for you. Please answer on that thread..my puter takes too long to dl long threads..thanks, and I know I can speak for others, we're glad you're back..hugs, Toni

Have you been on the fence about getting a Vitamix because of price ? I just saw that VM is offering their reconditioned units for $30 off through Dec 1. Plus, you can order it as a 3-payment plan (half down plus $15 the first month and the remaining half is divided over months 2 and 3). Add that to the free shipping and other freebies I mentioned a couple posts up and that is Merry Christmas to you ! : ) I think the reconditioned units are a great deal. You get a brand new, unused container, so only the motor has ever come out of the box. And the motor is checked/serviced before it goes back out as a reconditioned unit. I think most (all?) of the reconditioned machines were ones returned under their 30 day return policy, so they have hardly been used (or maybe never used!). $299 Certified Reconditioned Standard (reg 329, new starting at 449) https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Standard.aspx 5200, 5200c, 5200s, Creations I, Creations II, Creations GC, CIA Professional Series, Pro 200, Total Nutrition Center, TurboBlend VS, etc. are all basically the same 2hp machine with different names. $349 Certified Reconditioned Standard w/Programs (reg 379, new starting at 649) https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Standard-Programs.aspx The Pro 500 and the 6300 are those same 2hp machines that also have pre-set buttons (Smoothies, Hot Soups, and Frozen Desserts) and pulse. $439 Certified Reconditioned Next Generation (new starting at 557) https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Next-Generation.aspx Pro 300, Creations Elite, and the 7500 (The "Next Generation" Machines) all have the 2.2hp motor that is supposed to be a little quieter (suspended motor design), they have pulse, and they come with the shorter 64oz container with the wider bottom (17.5" tall for the base plus container as opposed to 20.5"). $519 Certified Reconditioned Next Generation w/Programs (new 689) https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Next-Generation-Programs.aspx Pro 750 is the above "Next Generation" 2.2hp machine that has the presets (Smoothies, Hot Soups, Frozen Desserts, Puree, and Clean) plus Pulse. My VM is not this newest model, it is a 2hp that does not have the presets. I do not recommend the 2-speed models that are currently $279 reconditioned (TurboBlend Two-Speed or CIA Creations). I also do not recommend the 6000 model which ONLY has timed settings with no speed control. All of the other models above have variable speed which is important IMO. It looks like none of the Next Generation models are $30 off, but I do not remember for sure what the price was before the sale started ??? Regarding the ones with the short 64oz container that only comes with the 2.2hp Next Generation machines ... you may want to buy an extra wet container with the smaller bottom (for example, the 32oz or 48oz) because the bigger bottomed short 64oz container doesn't do well with recipes under 2 cups (you don't have that problem with the sandard/tall 64oz container that comes with the 2hp machines). The 32 oz. does great with recipes that go down to as little as 3/4 of a cup and one cup recipes like mayonnaise, pesto, salad dressings, and marinades. Plus it is easier to get these smaller batches out of it as compared to the standard/tall 64oz, because the sides are not so high. I am pretty sure you can buy extra wet or dry containers for a discounted price of $100 if you buy them within a certain amount of time of buying your machine. Note the difference in the dry container and the wet container ... the wet container pulls things down into the blades, the dry container blows them up out of the blades. So if you were blending almonds, the wet container would be best for almond butter, while the dry container would be best for almond flour. A lot of the model numbers have to do with which cookbook the blender originally came with, which containers, and sometimes where it is sold. (for example QVC models or the 5200S and 6300 which are both Costco models) Oh, and here's a tip ... You can download the Vitamix Whole Foods Recipe Cookbook from the QVC website. See the gray 'learn more' section in the middle of the page. http://www.qvc.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=K28091 edit: to add in reg prices

Lilylore, I want to say thank you for your post. It was concise, well thought out and very insightful. I don't know if you do interiors professionally, but you obviously have the head for it... Several days ago, I followed your advice about the doilies and I soaked them in coffee to give them an aged look. It actually worked pretty well and they now look yellowed and old. The pillows are one of the things that I've been wanting to replace for a while. I found most of the pillows at Jembro (kind of like a 5 & 10 with lots of household goods if you've never heard of it) and they were so very cheap. I would like to find something a bit older looking, but I hate to spend a lot of money on pillow cases. I kind of agree a bit about the wall medallions and the panel molding. You see, I had originally been going for more of a French look for the room, but obviously it evolved into something a bit different. The medallions are glued onto the wall with liquid nails, and I would not want to have to rip them off and do all of that spackling and repair work... Besides, I can't get rid of the panels either because they are actually doors (long story). You are totally right about the ceiling height being so low. It is a basement room and I've given a lot of thought about the best ways to draw as little attention to that fact as possible. Also, those are actually not sconces, just little decorative shelves. As far as the bulkhead goes, I wracked my brain trying to figure out a way to hide it with curtains, but the problem is that the bulkhead sticks out about 16 inches in front of the windows. Even if I were to hang the drapes above that or come up with some sort of a valance, there is the problem of the other bulkhead that divides the room. It kind of runs directly into the one in front of the window. I know, it's confusing, but I think under the circumstances it's not too bad. I love your idea of hanging some sort of artwork over the radiator covers and it's something that never even crossed my mind. The things that are placed on the radiator were kind of just plopped there temporarily without much thought to composition. I like your idea of have them be crowded with objects. I read a quote in a book called Victorian Splendor that I thought was very interesting because it speaks to the Victorian tendency to layer things that you spoke of. 'While furniture in the nursery and kitchen might be bare, she remembered every chair or sofa that stood in the parlor was robed down to the carpeting. Why, nice girls would no more show their legs than would nice chairs. Heaven forbid that people should see one's shape showing- any more than they should clearly discern the true contours of a room, window or door". I do grow quite a few roses at my house and I am planning on drying some this summer. The Miss Havisham look is exactly what I was going for (minus the wedding cake:). I saw the 1940's version recently and it was pretty inspiring for someone like me (maybe I should have been a set designer). The artwork on the walls has always been a bit tricky for me because I know that as you say, the Victorians did not space their paintings evenly and that is something that is tough for me. For some reason, my brain always tells me to position them in a symmetrical and equidistant way and I know that's not how the Victorians would have done it. I like the idea of making the picture frames an antique looking gold, but I have been afraid to do it because I didn't want it to be gaudy or overkill. But, I suppose that the Victorians were all about looking gaudy and rich. That's one of the reasons why practically everything in that room is woodgrained to look like mahogany. I have been looking for several weeks on craigslist for one of those domed Victorian displays that you mentioned. I see them in many photos of parlors and I don't understand why they don't seem to be in style anymore. One thing that I did do and wanted to share a photo of is a doll that I have added. She is an American Girl doll (possibly the most ridiculous money making racket ever to exist) that my 12 year old niece is no longer interested in. So, with a little bit of makeup,. I transformed her and she is now sitting on one of the chairs. I hope it's not too ridiculous, but I figured I'd give it a try:)