Thank you for the replies. Wish I had some of the ones you mentioned. I got a. speciosa, a. marlothii and another trunk type the name of which I don't know. Then I've got a. buhri & a. heronenesis for the lower ones. I even have a few more but they need to go in another spot. All of these babies are 5 gallon specimens. Can't wait for Spring to plant. By the way, as I read about aloes on the internet I see "river sand" mentioned as good soil additive. I have some pea gravel and cactus soil in this planting bed already. Where in the world can one get river sand or something like to improve the drainage? Any ideas?

Interesting thoughts -- we could all improve on paperwork storage in our homes. Two things I think I'm doing well that differ from the above mentioned Script, and someone else might find some ideas in my methods: Taxes. Yes, like Script, I am scrupulous about maintaining records for my taxes. About a dozen years ago I went to the office supply and bought two big boxes of BRIGHT GREEN folders (green like money). I labeled them Taxes 2000 ... Taxes 2001 ... Taxes 2002 ... Taxes 2003 ... and so on. Given my family's typical lifespan, I made enough green folders to take me to age 110 -- probably more than I'll need, but I'm ready! They're all stored in my file cabinet, taking up very little space. Now when I receive anything tax-related -- a charitable receipt, an end-of-the-year bank statement, whatever -- I have a place to file it. In April, I have a place to file a copy of my taxes, and I can go back and see previous tax years. For the rest of my life, this system is in place. Death folder. Ours is a notebook. Two identical notebooks, actually, since we have two children. Our girls are young adults now, but they've never dealt with an estate -- even if they don't open it 'til they're old, it'll be useful to them. It contains a lot of stuff: - A personal letter to the two of them - A list of our wishes about funeral and items we'd like donated to various family members or charities - A list of things they must do immediately; it starts with going to our house and taking possession of the dog, but it also includes small details like canceling our voting registration and destroying any medicines in the house. At every turn this list includes addresses and phone numbers, including the lawyer we suggest for probate, the funeral home our family's always used, and family members who should be contacted. - A copy our will; they know what's in it -- everything split between the two of them - A list of our financial assets -- bank accounts, investments, insurance, deeds/maps of real estate ... when our youngest became a legal adult, we made the two girls co-beneficiaries of every account; note that this was done before either was married, so our two kids -- not future son-in-laws -- will own these items. - A list of the bills we pay each month -- electricity, phone, even the guy who cuts our grass. - Official copies of our birth certificates, our marriage certificates, and the girls' birth certificates -- they might not be needed, but the girls won't have to scramble to find them - A flashdrive with all of the above in digital format plus photographs that might be useful in putting together the funeral Our rule: We keep two years of tax returns in the notebooks ... the reason being that someday an accountant will file our final estate tax return, and he or she will want our last two years of returns -- so every April we pull out the notebook, discard one old return and insert the newest ... so our rule is that every April we look over the notebook and update anything that's changed. For example, last year we changed bank accounts, and someday we hope to add items concerning grandchildren to the book. Our girls know that the notebooks are stored in the safe, and they know where the key to the safe is hidden, and they know it's labeled with a misleading name so that a thief wouldn't look at it twice. Last thought on this notebook: Though this project took us the better part of a year --- we kept remembering one more thing, one more thing that really should be included -- we didn't find it difficult emotionally. I suspect that if we were older and/or one of us were in poor health, it might've been different.

yayagal, the room definitely has a cozy feel. I don't know if it's the scale of the room or the angle in the wall from the roofline, but it has always felt cozy to me too. I'm excited to be making progress here. pps7, you're right about the Wythe Blue having a lot of green in it. I have now put huge samples of the Wythe on the walls and am communing with the color. While it doesn't MATCH the blue in the rug, I still think they play together nicely. Maybe I'm even a little happier that they don't match exactly...I tend to like things to be a little off/quirky. I have a picture that I want to hang in here that looks really good with the blue. Lacking a backup plan, I will most likely plow ahead with the Wythe. (And thanks for your comment about my living room. I'm still surprised by how much happier I am with it since my small changes.) jillinnj, thanks for your vote of confidence and the compliment on the beasts. The floors are heart pine and are in every room of the house except the baths. I think the attic floors are even heart pine, though we have yet to have them refinished. trailrunner, I'd love to see your rug...is yours the same colors too? Regarding the chairs, I might be crazy, but I'm toying with the idea of mohair velvet for the upholstery. I have 3 samples of gray mohair coming in the mail. I've always yearned for some, and have been inspired by sueb's soon-to-be saphire chair. I'll post picture of the samples when I get them. schoolhouse, yes, you're nuts. : ) When we moved in, our walk-in pantry was covered, wall to ceiling, with alligatored, chipping, peeling paint. A good friend of ours tried really hard to talk us into keeping it just like that. Theoretically, I admire a relic as much as the next guy, but it's much nicer to live in a house that isn't cracked and peeling.

I beg you: do NOT put wood paneling on the walls. I take it you are not in the US, nor are you familiar with ranch style homes of the 1950's. That being said, I'll move on to other options and suggestions. Let's look at the 3 functional areas you have laid out separately and then how to bring them together as a whole. You have an office area, entertainment area and a sitting/living room area. For the entertainment area (the wall with the door): *I took a look at Ikea Stockholm collection available in the US which may not reflect finishes that are available in other countries. There appears to be a low TV unit available (see image below) that may work nicely to give this wall visual unity and height. (Use the same finish as the units in the office space.) Is it possible to mount your TV on the wall? This will give you height. And the unit will give needed space for your receiver, record player, etc. It will also give you storage space. Your office area: *I would suggest a black top but keeping the chrome base legs. The chrome base would complement the chrome legs of the chairs. (That is, it looks like the legs are chrome color.) I still suggest a gallery of pictures for the wall. Or if you need shelving, use no more than 3 floating shelves. Ikea has these. I had bought 3 myself last year and they are very nice. If you go with the shelves, buy white. (I explain later.) The sitting room area: *This is where the area rug should go, large enough to expand to under the front legs of the sofa. Look for something that has texture, such as a shag or rather something that has pile--not a smooth surface like the wood floors. I looked at the Stockholm sofas. They are beautiful. For accent and a finishing touch, you may want to add some decorative pillows. The coffee table is lovely and hopefully it has a black top with the chrome base, as it appears. This reiterates and complements the table in the office space (pulling the 2 spaces together visually). Bringing it all together is done with colors. For the walls. Go bold with white walls and contrast it with one accent dark wall. Since you are interested in a serious color, go with a dark chocolate accent wall behind the sofa. Check to be sure that the dark chocolate compliments the cabinet and wood floor finishes. Why paint the other walls white? So that you will have contrast with your cabinets and it will make the dark wall even more dramatic--and serious. Look for a rug that is lighter than the wood floors. If you want pattern, try to find one that has the colors in your sofa, some white and some brown. This next suggestion may sound really strange. Trust me, it works. Go into your closet and look at the colors in your wardrobe. The dominating colors are what you love most. If the colors I have suggested work, pull out the pieces in your wardrobe that has these colors. Lay them out and see if you like the combination. If not, pick out the 3 pieces you love & repeat until you find a combination that works for you. Whatever you do, look at least for some contrast. It is possible to have a monochromatic and other color schemes but this requires more experience with colors. As I said above and I agree with m_madd, you have a great layout. Design it to be clutter free. *By "flat" I mean the colors as they appear in the layout above are without contrast as a whole, lacks visual interest as a whole. Color plays a major role in how we feel, even think and act. Use it to make yourself feel good. Here's the TV unit.