Thanks for the ID's PG and CactusM!! I had the Echeveria in full sun up until the last month or so...our temps have been in the 90's and above, so I've moved it in bright indirect south wall for now to give it a little shelter from the brutal sun. That last picture had a bloom spike(the flowers have sinced died off) I think it was white? You can see that long thin spike on the plant. I wonder if I should cut it off now that the flowers have died?

Oh, KYgirl--Big hugs coming from me, too. I haven't been on his forum in a while because I've been dealing with our own build from He$$, and I didn't read all the responses in this thread, but I did read your original post. We've just gone through something very, very similar--different problems, but similar in scope, jerk of a builder, almost no on-site supervision, several horrible subs, lots of stress and tears. It has been horrible. We ended up moving into our house ten days ago while it was still unfinished because of having to be out of our rental, reaching our bank deadline for closing, etc. I just wrote you a long post, but realized that it ended up being about me, not you--and this is your thread! So, I guess I just want to say that I sympathize with you, and I think I understand a lot of what you must be feeling. It's a good day if I haven't cried more than once before 9 a.m.! This has been the most stressful, unpleasant experience of our lives. Friends will say, "Oh, you must be so excited to be in your house," and I feel like a spoiled brat if I don't respond positively. It has been a nightmare. There's still lots to be done here, dh and I are doing and/or redoing stuff that we've already paid contractors to do, but they either did a crappy job or haven't been showing up. It just sucks. As badly as I feel for you, reading your post at least made me feel as though I'm not the only one who has gone through this and I thought you might want to know you're not alone. The old misery loves company routine, I guess! Take care of yourself, and try not to let it get you down--I know how hard it is, but if we don't look at the positive side, we'll go completely crazy. Although, at least you could then plead insanity when you're charged with killing Mr. Peanut!

Maybe she's onto the cookie deal. In our house food is a major motivater. Actually, I think she might be afraid, you mention you think that the steps are narrow, approximately how wide? We bought a set of steps/ramp for a long gone labrador and he would never use them. I think it was more about the width, at least for our guy. I think that the steps being "open" is another contributing factor. I have a 12 yr. (November)yellow lab "old gal". She could get onto our old bed, but when we replaced it with the higher version, she just can't. I have 3 labs, and the males, ages 5 & 3, easily jump onto the bed. Problem with putting old gal up is, she would lay on the bed all day and we have things to do, thus she is left to her own devices to get down. Not pretty or safe for that matter. Two things, great to hear about your dog's exercise regimen. Where does she do it? It sounds like your dog is in much better shape than our old gal. Ours has had advanced hip dysplasia in both hips since she was about 7 -8 years old. She actually has a crunching noise when we have to help her up. First time I heard it, I was totally freaked out. I called the vet thinking it was small fracturing noise. Our vet says it is just the bone on bone thing. We are keeping her comfortable with meds and she's actually doing very well. I don't know of any exercise situations in our area like you describe, but would love her to do that during the winter months. In the summers she swims in the creek adjacent to our home or in the pool. I guess it is a good sign that no matter how bad her hips are feeling, she manages to get herself in and out of the creek which entails getting to it through the marsh grass. Also, what are Metacam and Adequan? I love that you have 6 goldens. Can you post a pic? DH family all have goldens. We have the labs. DH would kill me, but I would love another dog. I am already doing the vacuumming twice a day as it is, LOL. Lastly, do you do a pet holiday card, and if so, how do you get them all to cooperate? I am getting desperate at this point and if it happens that this is old gal's last holiday, I have to have a card. Nice to meet you:)))

Well, I was out and about today looking at various lamp and shade options, and I ended up exchanging the burlap shades for a slightly smaller version of the same. It's about an inch and a half narrower than the one I had, and also about an inch shorter. Now the shade fits within the width of the mirror. The lamps are just over 25" tall (not tiny, but not extra large either), and from what I've seen out there, if I go much taller, the shades generally are wider too, which is a visual issue. I wasn't able to find a tall narrow shade for these lamps. I definitely think they look better now with the smaller shades. If I find something better, I'm still open to changing. I tried out the Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on a piece of cardboard, and I think it's going to work, as it matches the mirrors very well. The great thing about chalk paint is that it can be painted over anything. It won't be any problem at all to paint over the blue within the recessed areas and details. I bought some small brushes for that purpose. abundant - So glad you like the mirrors. I really like them, and I have made up my mind that I don't want to paint them a different color, i.e. blue to match the tables, as I had really envisioned them creamy white. I want to keep them above the bedside tables because I wanted them placed behind the lamps and if placed over the dresser, they'd have a whole different look. I've thought about all the options, and the best seems to be painting in some details on the bedside tables to tie them in with the mirrors more visually. I won't have to redo them. The chalk paint will coat right over, so that's a bonus. While marble tops would probably look great too, it's an extra cost, and I could use those funds on a chair, artwork, or other pieces. I priced new rods, glass ball finials, rings, and a connector for the corner windows through Country Curtains. With the shipping, it would total around $300. Again, I could just purchase new rings, keep the rods I have, and raise the curtains higher. I don't think I can justify spending that much, as you said, on a small change. I'll see if I can remove the existing finials in the corner so I can move the curtains closer together there. I really like the idea of a light, sheer linen under the draperies. If you have any sources, please share. That might require that I change the rods to doubles at some point. I purchased some ORB Rustoleum paint today so that I can spray the lamp harps as well as the bedside table pulls. I was thinking of keeping the glass knobs though. What do you think? I was also considering purchasing similar knobs for the dresser. I will find some burlap for use behind the caged doors. I would like a bookcase someplace in the room if it fits. Right now, DH and I have all kinds of books that are presently stored in the bedside tables. The stencil idea is interesting. I can envision it in a very faint , almost translucent shade. The walls are textured, so wallpaper isn't an easy option. I'd welcome sources for console options. For the plants, are you thinking of a floor plant in a large pot by the dresser and a tabletop one by the console? I love plants. I'm just not sure what to put them in or what type to get. I'm open to the blue turndown on the duvet, although the existing fabric is very nice. I may sew some decorative pillows in the blue and place them in front of the standard shams to offset the existing cream color. Jeana - I'm so glad you've taken an interest in my project. Thanks for all of your thoughts and ideas. They have helped immensely. I really like the chair and fabric you linked to, and I could easily paint the wood trim using the Old White chalk paint. I like the print too. I'll need to do some measuring to see where the furniture could be placed. A chair would be so nice someplace in the room. valinsv - Those are the very same chalk paint colors I have. The only difference is that in the furniture pictured, they lightened the blue with some of the white. My son is pretty handy, so he may be able to make/weld me some sort of connector thing for my existing rods. I saw a new bergere chair today, and it was beautiful, not the right color though. I'll have some fun scarfing around. I enjoy the process of making choices, but not being stuck in analysis paralysis. I think I'll see if I can get a sample of the fabric for the Home Decorator chair posted by InteriorStylist. As for raising the lamps higher, I think I would run into problems finding something that is both bright enough and that has a narrow enough shade. The current lamps take 100W bulbs, which is pretty bright. I'm still open on the lamps and shades. The smaller burlap is definitely an improvement. I am so touched by all the responses on this thread, and each and every post has been helpful in considering the options. The folks here can't be beat, that's for sure. I knew I could count on you all! I'll post more pictures, if you can stand them, after I add some details to the nightstands and raise the draperies. Thanks!!!