Ok - we can all relax. I have at least! :) We met with builder #1 on the proposal and discussed all the items, etc. DH grilled him....but in a professional/respectful way. A few things he had down re: allowances for items I selected were listed at his cost, not what we identified/expected as the pricing/allowance. So, the items we selected were covered and there's no issue. (ex. - my hw floors, same vendor/floor but the vendor sells to the builder at a reduced price) So, all the drama over my hw floors was for nothing :) A few other items, he had alternative suggestions for because his contractors prefer certain brands, etc. However, he did say he was willing to put our selected brands in and not impact the total $ as it was negligible amount, and he hates paperwork and didn't want to figure the difference. :) Then there were some items we had not specified so he did a middle of the road pricing and told me to let him know what we wanted and he'd include it. And (how stupid do I feel) he also had with him a list of all the items a client selects. In there were my items to date and he said we will continue to fill in over the next month with additional items I select. Anything not selected will come from an allowance he'll update the contract with. We did not get through everything and have a follow up meeting scheduled for next week. Of course, it would have been nice to know this when we received the proposal. I would have spared everyone my "venting" thread, and I wouldn't have had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach for a week. Which, I shared with him during our conversation. But, I do feel much better about the situation. So, all in all, DH & I decided builder #1 is horrendous with paperwork. And, I can deal with that issue various ways. We are going to wait to see what the final # comes in from him before making a final decision. The good thing that came out of it was a sanity check re: the 2 proposals and what builder #2 offered re: pricing. We aren't that far off (from what we can tell...it really is nearly imposssible without selecting every little thing). Oh, interesting note...we found out inadvertantly that builder #2 was the builder for a another friend of ours. Sent them an email asking about their experience...and all she replied with was "nothing I'd respond to via email, but happy to talk with you". I thought that was interesting! Given the misunderstanding on our end with builder #1, his references and the response from my friend on builder #2, we are leaning towards builder #1....

Never accuse anyone without proof, simply because you 'think' they may have done something. Years ago, I was missing money after a family party. I kept that to myself, because the only one I could think of doing such a thing was my 8 year old nephew--not because he was untrustworthy, but simply because he was the only child at the party, and I couldn't imagine adults doing something like that. Well, fast foward about 25 years--one of the other guests was proven to have stolen a quarter of a million $$$ from a disabled relative. I still don't know who took my money, but it's obvious that there was more than one possible suspect. Look, in the past few months, anything could have happened to those coins. Maybe you put them away someplace 'safe' and forgot about it--I've done things like that. Maybe a guest in your home took them. Or possibly you had someone in doing work (electrician/plumber/rug shampooer/chimney sweep). If your home is anything like mine, I don't know how you could assume that one person was the likely culprit--so many people come in and out of a person's home in a few months. Surely you have some record of the coins--I collect them, and keep a detailed log of what I have, when/where I bought it and for how much. You have to, to be able to have the proper documentation. Your husband almost certainly has those records someplace. I'd take a look around to see if you can find them. Lastly, I'd strongly recommend that if you have any other valuable items, take pictures of them for a record (and store the pictures away from the items themselves), and please, get yourself a safe and have it properly installed. With coins, you really do have to be so careful, because they're small, easy to hide/transport, hard to trace and easy to sell. Even so, I'd call the police and make a report. They will understand that if this was your husband's collection you may not have so many details--but you still need to report it, and who knows, something may just turn up. Sorry about yoru loss, good luck with working through the aftermath.

I'm so sorry this happened to your lovely granite! And thank you fabricators for piping in to let us know that this can be repaired. I really don't understand the liberties some guests take in a home. And I agree that it's frustrating to be labeled "b*tchy" when you're trying to protect something that means a lot to you that you spent a lot of money on. Just the other week I had some guests (male) over who were eating Doritos and then putting their hands (without washing or using a napkin) on some white chairs in my living room. Argh! I felt terrible asking, but I just couldn't stand the thought of orange fingerprints on chairs that I saved up to buy. We want to share our homes with guests, but I think it's fair to ask that they respect the space and be careful not to do damage. I hope the repair turns out perfectly!

I know how you feel! I had been treating my greenhouse tomatoes, and today when I checked them, one plant was totally covered with multi colored aphids. Since the treatment hadn't worked, and I have a greenhouse full of plants I love, I tore the whole plant out of the soil, and noticed the aphids were even on the roots of my tomato. I pitched the whole thing. I haven't had adeniums long enough to see that, and hopefully I won't! I just had aphids on my large old adenium, but I haven't unpotted it to see if the roots are involved. I really hope not since it is just now starting to bloom after all of my long rehab! If you've raised these seeds inside, how in the heck do the aphids find them? edited to say that I wasn't advocating pitching your Adeniums! I just didn't feel too badly over pitching the tomato plant! I'd do anything to save Adeniums. :)