I still have the metal stake identifying where I planted Crown Imperial bulbs last fall. That's all I have since they never even sent up foliage. I planted them on their sides since I read that recommendation which said they don't like moisture accumulating in the center "hole" but there may be too much root competition from yews right behind where I planted them. Had to hack out roots to plant all other bulbs in that bed. I sowed various Zinnia and large cream Marigold seeds in front and behind bulb spots to cover foliage that still hasn't browned and died back. It'll also delineate where I can add more Tulip bulbs come fall. I sliced into bulbs AFTER I'd moved crocus & other small bulbs that were overwhelmed by "atomic" daffodils from mixed bag. Small bulb foliage disappeared and I neglected to mark where I'd moved them. I marked where I moved all the Hyacinth as I put them all together in a makeshift raised rock bed. Love that fragrance! I sunk broken off pieces of plastic spoons covered with mulch to mark where each bulb is so I know where to add more this fall and put a planted container held up by rocks over them. Garden "planning" on the fly!

Sorry -- I think I fell off the end of the earth -- no that was just the first week of school, meetings almost every night since then, football and band going full tilt and I thought I could function with little or no sleep. My son had a big roller coaster experience with his college and life plans over the weekend and the first of this week. I'm still not certain where that will wind up, but the crisis moment has passed. OMG -- I'm not sure I'm ready for this senior year. I'll be okay when he leaves for college, but deciding where he will go and all that goes with that is not going to be easy for this one. I was supposed to be somewhere else hours ago, so I will quickly tell you what I was playing with and see if it sparks any interest rather than spending more time trying to get back to drawing it up and then finding it's impossible or whatever. I'm really getting caught up on the living spaces and flow of the home more than the knit-picking of the kitchen itself. The main thing that is bothering me there is the pantry being so far away from the cooking and prep areas. If you have enough cabinets to put your spices and most used staples in them near your baking and cooking zones and use the pantry for extra storage, small appliances and extra bakeware -- the things you don't need daily or won't have to go grab as you adjust or improvise when cooking, it might work. Or if you cook in an orderly fashion -- all by recipes or can gather everything once and not need to run to the pantry to get something you forgot or decide you need to adjust or improve something, it may work for you. I had a kitchen with a pantry across an aisle -- not as far as this one would be, and it drove me crazy -- to the point of hating to cook. I had very few cabinets in the kitchen itself and no room for any food other than the fridge. Even my spices were in the pantry. The walk-in pantry was one of the reasons I loved the house when I first saw it and one of the reasons I hated it by the time I left. -- but it was the whole package and you have more to work with. Just make sure you know where things will go and how it will work for you. I was thinking that instead of moving the laundry you simply move the door and reorient it, but if that has moved already, it's a moot point. I was kind of hoping that would save some expense so you wouldn't hate me if I suggested taking the kitchen to the right instead of to the back so that you could create a large great room rather than having things divided. It doesn't sound like you live divided and need the two living areas and two dining areas. I will forget that for now -- looks like it might be too much and too late. However, I would not wall off the area in front of the master. I was thinking of moving the desk that faces the kitchen and putting it over between the coat closet and the master BR door, then make that open area (overgrown hallway) a reading or game area with comfy reading chairs and/or a game table for playing cards, board games, crafts, extra dining for get togethers, etc. That's an area that will work with your family room but still give you an added function. I think I would still do that and even if you go with the kitchen pretty much as planned, the area that was patio could be a crafting/activity room that is more segregated and can be closed off from the much used door. I think that closing off that space and having traffic right through the middle of it would make it a mess in terms of too much hall and too little room to work with. If you make that area a game/study area, you could make that wall separating that area from the kitchen a peninsula - go all talls on the back wall and then have a pass through so that you can do snacks, coffee/beverages and even buffets there. If you have island seating, you then have three eating areas for when the family and grandkids are all there -- possibly even room to set up another folding table - and everyone can see each other. The thing that really stuck with me was that this house didn't flow and you wondered where the space was. I am afraid that if you wall it up and box things up like you have them, you might not improve that at all -- maybe make it worse. As I said at the start -- I have been out of the loop on all that has preceded it, so if I'm off on the wrong track I'm sorry.

I'm with lazypup. I'd have done the same thing when you see a new kid getting reamed. They're learning and you don't need to remind them in front of customers. I DO hate pompous, arrogant supervisors. Ewwwww, after 40 years of running multi million dollar companies, I retired and thought retail might be a good way to spend some time and make a buck. I guess I thought retail people were as nice and smart as corporate people. THEY AIN'T! I lasted 17 hours. What a shrew I ended up working for. Right in front of customers, she'd chastize you for any infraction...."You need to SMILE while you ring them up!" "Ummmmm, Im trying to concentrate here." Even the customers would raise an eyebrow to her. I'm over it now as I see her little business has been overtaken by the liqour store next door and the witch is gone. Trust me, my 17 hours have taught me a lot. I'm the customer, I'm always right and I can say anything I want to. I will take to task the rude supervisor in front of customers. I can, with words, want to make them WANT to work in the warehouse. I like, "Make it a nice day" not "Have a nice day"

I have the same problem. I have gotten good and bad cuts from chain shops and privately owned. I thought I had found an okay one, until a couple days ago. While waiting for my stylist a friend of my DD was leaving and I knew I wanted my perm to look just like hers, so that is what I told my stylist. Very short and curly on top and tapered in the back. Did mine turn out like that? NO!! It is not shorter; the back is "hacked" part way down and then tapered just a bit. As of now the front doesn't look any different from when I went in. This is the third time I've been to this shop and have the same girl. I've never been completely happy with the results, but it is convenient. She tells me every time that I have "good" hair. That it is fine, but thick, meaning I have a lot of it. I go there because it is only a short distance away. I'm sorry but I won't be going back. The search begins, again. (Flamey, I envy you!) Sue