To aid in identifying, I made a little diagram of the pot. I spent many hours last night looking at pictures to try to identify things myself. I confess I am too green to have any confidence, though. 5, 6, & 9 are identified. 1 may be a kind of Echeveria? Maybe a Tylecodon? 2 Sempervivum? 3 a type of Haworthia? 4 Aeonium? I do have more close-up pictures of the individual plants, if that would be of any help. And not to be pushy, but keep in mind that I'd love to get ideas on which members of my collection I can successfully grow together. If I can just run with what I think I like together visually, great. But I'm receptive to other concerns. It may take a while to get the whole collection up here. I have some plants that had labels, but I want to try to verify the labels first.

claybabe, I would say go for a stacking FL set. If you are willing to change a few laundry habits and learn how to use a FL, you won't have any problems getting clothes clean. The fact that you are reading and posting here shows that you are open to suggestions and tipps, so I think you are a great candidate to make the switch. I grew up in Germany where TL with agitators don't even exist. When I moved here, I had the "privilege" to use a TL for a few years. The only thing I liked about them is how fast they finished a load. But that was about it...they just didn't clean well, tore several strings out of pants and shirts, ruined some bras...and I just hated the amount of water and detergents/additives needed to do a load of laundry. A typical load with my FL takes about an hour. The clothes come out clean and without any nasty odors. An extra rinse would add about 15 minutes, but is hardly ever needed/used. Some posters say that an extra rinse negates any water savings, but that is far from the truth. It takes about 4 gallons which adds up to a total of 18 gallons per load. A TL uses almost 25 gallons per fill which is 50 gallons if you do just one rinse! I think the mixed reviews for FLs are mainly due to user errors. Using too much detergent and liquid fabric softener is probably the most common mistake which leads to nasty buildup and musty smells. My washer is 18 months old now and doesn't have the slightest hint of mold. I don't do clean washer cycles or any extra maintenance. I just leave the door open and use hot cycles about once a week. Couldn't be happier with it. Our water usage in the winter is between 2000 and 3000 gallons per month for a household of three. That equals the city's minimum usage! Sorry for the long post. I hope it helps!

I think cats are affectionate in different ways than dogs, and they're often less likely to demostrate their empathy. That said, I once came home after breaking up with a boyfriend, and threw myself down on the bed to sob. After watching me for a little while, the cat got on the bed next to my head, threw a paw across my neck and began licking my face. It was a little disconcerting; he had a reputation for being pretty evil, and those infamous teeth were right next to my eyeball. Not to mention that kibble breath. But it was also oddly soothing. He very methodically groomed the whole side of my face, gave me a little pat, and curled up to go to sleep right next to me. Made me feel much better!

It's beautiful tile, and the rest of your choices are lovely. It's going to be a gorgeous kitchen. I love antique brown granite and the marble, and I get that you are trying to echo the marble from the island in the decorative element of your bs. But, I'm not so sure Calacatta tile is the most flattering choice to set off the Antique Brown stone it will actually abut. If you really love this tile, I would recommend using it exclusively behind the range. You might want to reconsider the "servery" option. If you do decide to use the marble/glass mosaic, you might want to consider using a glass subway tile. The one below measures 3" x 6" and is sold for $22 per sf, so a little less expensive than subway tiles from Artistic, but I'm sure you can find it for less if you look for it. It will be vey nice with the counter stone. If I were choosing a bs that would look great with the granite and marble, I'd possibly pick a Calacatta gold - a marble with more brown/tan in it to compliment the granite. Or I'd go for something like this, also from Artistic. Whatever you choose, it's going to be lovely. I've made a board for you that gives you an idea of what this will look like both behind the range, and topping the granite. Here is a link that might be useful: Glass Subway