Thank you so much for the info and advice. My tile is 18x18 in kitchen and living area. We will either use unsanded bone from Home Depot, or classic ivory from floor and decor. Your opinion is welcome on either of these products. Have been upset with the installer. He was suppose to use ceramaflex over hydrorite. Instead, he used a quick set in the kitchen over hydrorite and upon protest, he used ceramaflex and hydrorite in the rest of the area. Though highly recommended, he has tried to rush the job. Now the problem is using light grout over the gray adhesives. I would have fired him but have no time to find another installer. This condo is in the Galveston area so there are few choices. I was happy to know that the grout color is pretty close to the powder color when it's dry. Have you used Classic Ivory from Floor and Decor. Made by Great Northern. Thanks again.

Thanks folks! I really appreciate your support, kind words, and suggestions through this ordeal. I'm still trying to clear this guy completely out of my system. I still get an odd pang of wanting to call him up and yell at HIM! It'll pass. I'll be sure to file a complaint with the BBB and the Attorney General's office. The letter I wrote to my credit union to dispute the credit card charge (using a c.c. through this reno JUST for this purpose!) will work nicely for these complaints. Ironcook--Interesting thought on his bring his son. He did know DH would be there. Probably knew DH would be p!ssed at the way he treated me. Chris--I expect there will be troubles during this process as I've never had any GC experience. Even if we have to pay the reframing costs, which I'm sure we will, I'd rather do that and be rid of this guy. We're still saving 10's of 1000's of $ with me being the GC. And I was trying to jolly this guy along. It didn't work. If he had been half-way courteous to me I would have tried to work with him. Rhome--Having a security guard makes it sound like I live in a fancy development. I certainly don't. Most of houses are plain 70's builds with little charm, but we are built around a small, private, non-motorized lake. The neighborhood board must have decided decades ago that it was worth paying someone a little salary to monitor the lake and the rest of the parks here to keep non-residents, who don't pay to maintain the facilities, out. Food poisoning has thankfully passed. We had the only other Napoleon dealer (an HVAC) company come to give us an estimate on the same fireplac last night. DH went to meet him as I was not in the mood. Funny, this HVAC guy actually apologized to DH for the way Mr. Jerk treated me!! Can you believe that??!!?

Thats is so digusting to teach to achild. To not share their toys...its awful! Its one thing is you dont want to share because you know that child will break their toy but another thing for what this BM and her bf has done. Can you imagine, they are playing nintendo and your kids just have to sit and watch? How F' cruel is this? DISGUSTING.! I would have told her on the phone, you want it, come and get it yourself! and explain to your son the dirty selfishness yourself! I would have also told my SS this: If you can't share what you have, then dont play at all:. Those are the rules in my house. All the kids, ANYONE, cousins, anyone has to share the game station. If they can't...they dont play. My friends kids came over to play and they were fighting...i shut the game off. Too bad! such is life. I also do not buy big ticket items like this for kids of certain ages , as to not give them power. My SD asked for a very expensive item, i refused to buy it....she tends not to share and we police in our house when the kids do play to make sure all of them have their fair share of time playing. My SS plays with a hand held game device of my DS. i dont mind. As long as there is respect of the items. If he ever was to break things and continually do so is when i would just put it in the closet when he visits..but i've never had to do that. He is really good with not breaking things and respecting others property. This is a big moral issue from my perspective. I think you should enforce yoru belief under your household. As for sharing, other things, if the child doesn't want to, i wont force dolls or any car item...but gamestations are different in my household. All have time with it or none.

Thanks, guys. I should make sure you guys know that it's not -all- bad. My stepdad had a heartattack shortly after I got hit by the car about two years ago (talk about a run of bad luck, my poor mom!) and we've had a better relationship since then but it's almost made it more confusing for me. We'll get along well and then all of a sudden he changes and it frustrates me. It also makes me suspicious of the times when we're getting along--what is he really thinking, does he really mean this, etc. As for my mom, I love my mother and she loves me, and she does stand up for me sometimes. However I think a lot of times she just plain doesn't see it. If he's angry he'll just ignore me while she's around and make snide comments or whatever when she's not--like last night. When he's angry with me he will often make his little comments but my mom always thinks he's joking and never listens when I say he's serious. When he says or does something and gets mad that my mom finds out, shouldn't he take that as a sign that what he did is not right and -not- that I'm a little tattletale? If I was doing something that I didn't want anyone to know about, that's the first thing I would consider. Thanks all for your advice. For people to stay with, well, we just moved back to my home state (California) which is where I've wanted to be since we left it because I have family here, especially my brothers. Unfortunately there isn't anyone I can stay with. Most of my family isn't well off, and most I don't even really know that well as both my mother and father have at least 6 siblings each. One brother is in another state in graduate school, and the other brother won't let me move in, I've been trying since high school. He doesn't want the responsibility of living with me whether I need a guardian or not, because I'm his baby sister and he will -always- feel responsible for me. I understand that and I can't blame him. Both of my older brothers are great to me, I adore them, they're my role models. TO be honest I'd attribute my good grades through school more to them, not me, because I wanted to be as smart and worthy for my brothers. I couldn't wait until I could talk to them on even ground, since they are 7 and 8 years older than me and always ahead! I am actually enrolled in community college after two years out of school after my first year in college in another state. I am thrilled to be back, I love school and I'm really excited to see what might develop in my career plans. Since I am out of state, the Pell grant only covers about half, but next year the Pell grant will cover it all plus some so I will be applying the extra to my student loan as my goal is to be in as little debt as possible when graduating. So pretty much joining the military or anything is out. I've fallen behind already from being a non-resident and not being able to afford it and the longer it goes the more anxious I get. Although I never considered the Peace Corps. If they had something I could do during the summer between semesters I would apply in a heartbeat, but it looks like you have to spend two years and I am just reluctant to lose that schooling time. There is an end in sight, though. After my two years at this community college, I am planning on applying to UC San Diego, among others, with UCSD being a favorite for a biotech degree. If that happens, I will likely be moving in with a friend (and taking my dog, Rex, with because I don't feel they are being careful enough with his temperament to be sure he doesn't end up biting someone and getting put down) and so out of here. As for grades in undergrad, I -do- need realy good ones. My oldest brother had great grades in college undergrad despite also having a full time job, and because of that when he graduated he got a position at a great lab that paid for his graduate school, gave him a small pay check while in school, gave him job during summers, and a well payed job when he graduates! It's a great set up and I want something like that, if I can manage it, and I need to do very well in school for it. :) I'm a bit scared of moving out and such. Since before I was old enough to get a job my stepdad has been saying "When are you getting a job?" so when I could I was reluctant. Since before I was old enough to move out he would say the same about getting my own place. Same about a driver's license and a car--which I still only have a permit because I am scared of cars, and it only got worse when I was hit by a car. I don't know if him talking like that has made it worse, but I am scared to move out even though I really want to. Also, I'm not entirely blameless in this whole thing. There's no doubt that as a thirteen year old I was unhappy, and I was challenging authority a little, but honestly that attitude was already starting to fade by the time he came around and it got worse when we moved in with him. Things never got fixed, they got worse, and I admit that I can be hard-headed with him. The thing is, when I am asked politely to do something, I am happy to do it. However he always has to demand and have an attitude about it. For example, cleaning up dog messes outside. He was doing it a few weeks ago when I was relaxing after vacuuming and my daily stuff, and he says, "No, don't get up, I'll clean the dog messes" in a sarcastic tone, so I ignored him. After picking up a few, he apparently got mad this his charming attitude didn't convince me to take the stuff from him and do it, so he left in a huff. My mom came in a few minutes later and we talked a little, and she said, "hey, would you please clean up the dog messes in the backyard? It's getting bad out there." I said sure, but I told her I was doing it for her, not him, because she asked nicely. I don't argue back at him, but I assume I've perfected the icy stare because when he lectures or yells at me it feels like my face is stone, I just stare over his shoulder. Not the best attitude, I know, but it's that or get mad and start yelling back which will only make things worse. He hasn't said it outright, but he's made comments in the past where he was basically saying that I'm the biggest trouble in his relationship with my mom and it'd be better without me. He doesn't say it all the time, just two or three, but it's a memorable thing.