Thank you so much for the replies, everyone! To answer some questions: To test to see if the plant needs watering, i usually stick my index finger down into the soil and if it feels dry, i give it about 1/2 of a liter of water. I usually put the cold and hot water on equal amounts so the water is lukewarm . The terracotta pots the corn plants are in is 11 inches. There is a big issue with light in my house. I live in the middle unit in a condo so I have NO East or West facing windows, they are all North or South. The only North facing window that gets adequate light is on the 2nd floor where it is warmer, but there's no real place for the plant. I may move it up there though after what naturelover said. I never even thought about the cold that could draft in from that window. Yes those are patio doors they lead out to my backyard and are really the only source of bright light I have for my plants. So here's what I'm thinking. I probably killed this plant in many ways, not just one. I probably poisoned it with Miracle Gro (foolishly thinking it wouldn't go into shock if it had food to eat, hey that's what I'd want is plenty of food if I were moving into a new home, but I guess plants may feel differently). I probably drowned it. And then I probably froze it. Haha. Miracle it's still alive at all. This is what I'm going to do: Prune the dead, brown leaves. Soak the pot and shower my plant as breenthumb suggested. Move the plant to a warmer, non-drafty room where it will get slightly less light, but hopefully will be happier. Don't water the plant for a couple of weeks. Pray. Should I leave the pale leaves on and hope they recover? In the future, is 1/2 a liter of water too little water or "little sips" as rhizo said? Mind that these plants are about 3ft high and in a 11 inch terracotta pot. I'm at work right now, but I'll post pictures of my plants and of their new locks when I get home. Let me know if there's anything else you guys think I should/could be doing to save my little ones :) & Again thanks so much :)

I had not heard that latex paints darken with age. I have heard that oil based paints and oil based varnishes and shellac will amber or yellow with age, but I don't think that latex paints which are widely used actually darken with age. pauly, your home is lovely and pink is right that this is the time to do something about it if you aren't happy. I agree with some above posts that an easy fix is the ceiling color. If you go two colors up on the paint strip that compatible cream is on you will find dover white. One color up is napery. Both of those would look beautiful on your ceiling. And, if you do what your husband was talking about and throw some crown up there it will look even better. I am with Lindy though, I wouldn't paint the ceilings pure white. This is your house, and it appears to be lovely. You obviously picked compatible cream because you like it, so stick with it! Color is such a personal choice, just like scent. I personally love color on the walls, I think it warms up the space and is so inviting and it enhances my mood. I think white walls are sterile and cold and unwelcoming, but my parents have always had them and they love it, so that's what counts. My point, and I do have one, is that my opinion about color doesn't matter!! It's your home, now is a great time to do what makes you happy. Keep us posted! Spottedhorsegal, beautiful home. Are those soapstone counters? Oh, I just love soapstone!! Amy

Color temperature (Kelvin) and CRI are different. Color temperature is what color light the lamp puts out; CRI says whether objects that you view under the light appear to be the correct color. Old school incandescent lamps have a warm color temperature (2700K), but under them, pinks look pink and blues look blue and greens look green. Other lamp types, on the other hand, may to emit more light at certain points along the spectrum and less at others, which can distort how how colors appear (if the lamp isn't emitting light in part of the spectrum, an object can't reflect it, so the color looks off). Low pressure sodium lamps are an extreme example of this, as they only emit in the yellow spectrum. You see everything in shades of black and yellow, so LPS lighting is only used in very limited applications, like tunnels. CFLs were pretty bad on this front; LEDs are better but still not as good as incandescents on average. The one I recommended has a CRI of 84 (the scale is 1 to 100), which is pretty good. I'm looking forward to the day when you can easily find an LED with a CRI of 90+, which I believe is technically feasible but the market isn't there yet.

So last night, I was back to yellow. Today I got some more deeper color sheets to try out. I actually don't like the deep blues in there. I also don't think I can go darker than the dining room, because the bottom half of the dining room is white. The living room won't have that, so it will be very dark. Though someday I'd like my husband to build something like this: The thing is... yellow, or Philadelphia Cream in particular, makes the space feel bright and peppy. I'd like less pep and more brooding. A quiet place to hide out. (We'll keep our family room bright.) Our last house was so very yellow and red (from the cherry). It was great at the time, but after 14 years, it's time for a change. I love these so far; both pics have the same colors. Left to right behind clock: Salisbury Green ~ Terrapin ~ Piedmont Gray ~ Rolling Hills ~ October Mist (which looks like a less pastel version of what's already on the walls) Top to bottom along door frame: Terrapin ~ Salisbury Green ~ Piedmont Gray ~ October Mist ~ Rolling Hills I tried to catch the dining room color there, as well as what the hallway will sort of be (yellow-cream, not beige/tan).