Last night, I was "googling" a whole list of plants I have sprouting to get information on color/size/sun needs/etc and had the exact same experience - jaw dropping prices! Even when I ended up on seed sites, I was amazed to see 4.99 for 5 seeds when I'd gotten a package in trade with at least 30 for free. Makes you feel wealthy!!!!!! Bout the only thing I am still buying in my second year of WSing is promix and bulbs/tubers. The daffadils I bought and planted from Van Eglan last fall are up and are fantastic. The paperwhites I bought from them for forcing as xmas gifts were also the best I've ever had. I highly recommend them for bulbs if any WSers are looking this coming fall. I love that WSing has provided me with hundreds of free plants and then allows me to be generous with others in sharing plants from my current garden. This weekend I dug up tons of rudbeckia plants (black eyed susan) to make room for the new babies. I used now topless and empty milk jugs to hold bunches in tidy pacakages to give away to coworkers at a staff meeting today!

I took a sectional from first house and cut it down to fit in my current house. It was a three seat/two seat and the corner it went into was not long enough for the three seat side. Sooooo, I took out the interior third seat. Pulled back the fabric and cut the frame down. Put it back together and stretched the fabric over the end. Not one person has ever guessed what I did. I would have got near nothing on CL for the sofa and so resizing it was the best option. We DIY everthing. The two times we hired someone we ended up with more damage and repairs than it was worth. Concrete patio had to be ripped out, concrete splattered on entire side of house, lien put on house by concrete company, etc. Crown molding guy took about two months rather than his estimated week due to his ordering wrong product, not painting it right color, and not finishing the wall paint that needing touching up after install of molding. I asked him to leave after last piece was put up and planned to finish the paint this fall. Due to my health this will take longer to complete than planned. I used to say that we have done all but tile. Then I singlehandedly installed slate in entry, hall, bath and laundry. Now I know why they charge so much to install slate. Every piece is different and requires individual install. But I saved a few grand on install. We ripped out fireplace and recentered it on wall and installed an energy efficient insert instead. All we paid the company to do was literally set insert in and hook up pipe. We framed, drywalled (including texture) and at same time installed complete 7.0 surround sound system with plasma tv and components in other room using infared remotes. Saved thousands doing it ourselves. We tore out original patio structure, had a pool installed (only used a contractor for that due to warranty issues being easier) and then reinstalled the structure to better fit yard. Installed spa pad and wiring ourselves. All landscape, lights and such we did ourselves. We did pay I think $25 to have fountain company deliver the fountain because if it broke they would replace it. We installed laminate and slate tile downstairs, paint our own walls, actually bumped a wall into a downstairs bath to make our big tv in other room fit better, then custom designed a cabinet system to fit the tv, with little lights and display niches. I make curtains and cornice boxes, we do all our lighting and plumbing as needed. We installed a whole house fan a few years ago and got $150 rebate from electric company so that only cost about $100. I like to tell my friends that our "pool boy" or "electrician" was over. One day a friend dropped something off. My "landscaper" walked by. She was so impressed. Then I laughed and told her that my my dh. He was all grubby and was putting in a new fence after a storm. My friend laughed so hard. Then I told her that the other day he was my "heat and air guy" because the system tripped the other day and we got out the manual and he fixed it. We have some leftover surround sound stuff we need to install in playroom. We need to do it when the attic is cool, like right now. Otherwise dh "my sound guy" gets really crabby when going up there. Probably need to tackle that soon. It would easily be a day project and clear out the corner in my bedroom where the stupid base is sitting. Oh, dh is also my mechanic. Over the years of having to fix our old cars he has accumulated quite a supply of tools. Now that we have new cars, first time in 20 years we have not had something to repair, he spends his time making his jeep more road ready for when we go to Moab and the Rubicon trail. That has to wait for me to get better but will be something really to look forward to.

Things not looking great again. Yesterday we discovered that 2 of our 3 new Totos arrived broken. I guess it's not that big a deal as they will be replaced, but now we have to wait again for new ones. We had a meeting with the GC on Tuesday night to discuss how things are going. It didn't go well. He says that I am nice to the whole crew, but not to him and that's why he barely comes to the house. He said the whole crew had noticed 'how I treat him' and that in 10 years of business he has never had this problem before. So now I feel uncomfortable in my own home. Now I'm wondering if it's me that's the problem. He called the following day to apologize for how he spoke to me, but I really don't much want to talk to him at all any more. He is asking us to eat a lot of extra expense (including most of the $940 Home Depot bill) because of all the 'extras' he has done including 'thousands' in additional plumbing work for free (?). He says we can go over the contract again but it will end up costing us thousands because he will charge for all the extras he's done. We appear to now be paying for wiring and other items I had no idea would be on the list. I thought he was paying for behind the walls stuff and we were paying for the 'pretty' stuff (including paint, but wiring??). My husband has stepped in to talk to him and yet I don't feel satisfied with that arrangement either. GC was meant to go to Home Depot for $80 worth of unidentified stuff (paid for by us) and when the Home Depot person called for our cc number (which GC no longer has) it was for $175. For 'wiring and boxes'. Huh? The problem is I just don't trust him and I guess the GC feels that and is (understandably) offended by it. But when we ask for receipts he flashes them at us and then says he needs them back. It's like the Hone Depot receipt debacle all over again. But we DO have extra issues that SHOULD be resulting in extra charges - the problem is getting numbers out of him for the extra issues is tough. So our sunroom leak issues and retiling (over the existing) bathroom floor are costing an additional $2400 on top of the $940 which he owed us from the Home Depot thing, but we didn't know that until he's ripped out carpeting and the place is a disgusting mess and we have no choice really but to do the work. I just wish he would tell us what this stuff would cost before starting it! I don't know what to do at this point. I feel like every time we question something he has a million explanations and excuses which never really tell you anything. He talks a mile a minute and you can't get a word in edgewise. I know we should be paying for the unexpected stuff, but the way it happens is so backwards and confusing to me and I end up wondering what is going on. Why for example have we paid $500 for insulation product as part of the contract as well as $814 in insulation as part of that Home Depot bill (that's NOT part of his $940 building materials which was all dry wall) and yet he says the remainder of the insulation in rolls downstairs isn't ours. It's his? He says we have to eat the $500 for insulation that was in the contract because he underbid the installation part of insulating and because we owe him so muc for the extra plumbing (which he hadn't mentioned before and we thought was included). Another example. He ran wiring for the baby's room high hats and ceiling fan. Told me the switch was slightly off center and not to straighten it or it might short. A couple of days later it stopped working. He says it's a coincidence and the wiring must have been 'chewed by rats or squirrels' and that it's an unforeseen issue. this seems like a remarkable coincidence to me. I thought if we contracted that he was installing 4 recessed lights and a fan, that meant they should work? The house has a newer panel with a ton of electric amps, but I guess that doesn't mean no problems. Maybe we're being unreasonable in our expectations. Apparently most people around here tell him to go ahead and fix unforeseen issues and just send them a bill. It's very possible as there's a lot of money around here. But we would like to know what things will cost in advance. He seems to take this as a personal insult. :( DH thinks he's on cocaine. I would not be surprised. I am exhausted and this has turned into a book. Sorry. Just needed to vent again.

I really honestly can say that I don't understand how people can afford to smoke nowadays. We have patients come in on state aid to our ER all the time who smoke, which doesn't make sense to me. If you can afford to smoke you should be able to afford the insurance you will need to deal with the chronic health problems associated with your habit. I don't understand how people can afford smoking either. It's all the more puzzling if they have low enough income to be on state aid, yet I doubt if quitting smoking will provide the dollars it takes to buy insurance. My mate and I pay $1365 a month at a group rate and we think that is a good rate. I can't imagine anyone really spends that much on smoking. Do they? What do cigarettes cost?--about $4 a pack? On the other hand, I've heard that the various stop smoking aids, over the counter and prescription, might cost about the same as smoking. Presumably they'd be a one or two time only expense though. If smoking is really and addiction, it is a medical problem and I wish it could always be addressed successfully.