"1) I'm thinking of a Trane XR14 2 or 2.5 ton AC unit. What would be a good matching furnace for this unit? We run our gas fireplace a lot in winter, and it provides a lot heat to the downstairs by itself. However, I'd like something that would do good job of heating, a little better than what we've got now. " Why move to 2.5 tons? The first floor should have less of a cooling load than the bottom floor, and 2 tons sounds fine if not more than enough already, so I would stick with 2 tons if the old unit did the job. A load calculation will tell you the size you really need. Good furnace would be Trane's XV95 variable speed unit (95% AFUE, requires PVC venting, which may be problematic; the XV80 is 80% AFUE, but you probably want more heating efficiency). Are you aware of the tax credit of $1500 for high efficiency gas furnace replacements and high efficiency A/C replacements? I don't know for certain, but I want to say the XV95 qualifies for this rebate. Once you get the $1500, it doesn't apply to A/C efficiency (i.e., you won't get $1500 for a qualifying A/C setup AND qualifying furnace). "2) Would it make sense to step up to a XL14i or XL15i? If so, which one? What would be a good matching furnace? " Quieter operation, 10 years warranty on parts indoor and outdoor if complete replacement done. See above for furnace. Consider getting a thermostat that can control humidity by controlling blower speed (VisionPRO IAQ from Honeywell does the job well). "3) Would it be worth it to look at a model from another brand (Bryant, York, etc) that would comparable to the Trane XR or XLi range, around 14 or 15 seer? If so, what?" Carrier/Bryant, Rheem, Lennox.

Thanks for your posts, everyone. I didn't word mine very well, and have to explain that Angel was hit on the road 15 years ago. That's how Jill found her. I love that story. Jill was a teenager, and in her friend's father's car when she saw the puppy on the road. They stopped the car and she got out and picked the puppy up. No one had a cell phone (like I said, it was 15 years ago), so they stopped at a house and Jill asked if she could use the phone to ask her mother to come pick up the dog. The woman said, "You can use my phone, but your mother isn't going to want to drive over here to pick up a dog." Jill replied, "You don't know my mother." :-) I thought about having Angel sleep in my room. The reason I haven't done it is that it's relatively easy to clean up messes in the bare hallway, whereas my room has rugs. And rugs seem to trigger her urge to pee, or at least that's what I suspect. Maybe it feels more like the outdoors. No, Wolfy is the one on arthritis meds. Angel doesn't take anything, which I guess is pretty remarkable. No, waitÂshe actually takes a heart pill, but she's taken that every day of her life since puppyhood. She's done amazingly well. Linda, I like the suggestion about the ticking clock, but Angel wouldn't be able to hear it. I might try bringing her into my room at night after first covering the rug next to my bed with a plastic trash bag (cut open) and newspapers. It's worth a try.

Hi Jenn, Wow! I almost could have written this about 4 years ago. Many details are the same: depressed 15/16 year old (that started out cutting herself), then a suicide attempt, and bipolar & borderline personality disorder ex-wife. Eek! You have my heartfelt sympathies so my first advice is DON'T FEEL ALONE! :) and you are not crazy for feeling the way you do. It's hard for the best dad in the world to make up for the possible inherited emotional makeup and the influences of a psycho ex-wife. I dated my boyfriend for 3 years before we got married; after each being divorced once and knowing how hard it is to make blended families work we wanted to be careful. He had custody for 9 months out of the year, the mother had the summers. Most of our problems came to light after we were married. After the suicide attempt the SD stayed 9 days in a psyche hospital for troubled teens. My husband and I were blamed by some of his family and the ex-wife for his daughters problems. Her caseworker at this hospital was horrible as the ex-wife had convinced her we were the root cause of it all and I left in tears one day. Had he not stood up for me to his family I very well may have taken my son and left. But, he did stand up for me and he is a good, good man so we are still together and are now empty nesters. My second piece of advice is counseling - for everyone that will go; you and your boyfriend and especially the SD. But be careful, we had some bad ones during our troubles so make sure you get a good one. Don't be afraid to try another if the first one doesn't work. I guess it boils down to you weighing out what your relationship with him means to you, keeping the welfare of your daughters in mind of course as it seems like they are still young. Sounds like you jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. Not fun. However, kids grow up and (hopefully) start their own lives, so are you better with him or without him? My last piece of advice is pray. Pray and pray some more! Ask other people to pray for you and her as well. And find someone to talk to - a counselor, minister or the like, not just a friend. There is hope. Now at 21 my SD is really growing up and maturing. She has gotten off her anti-depressants and is beating her depression. She has moved away which means she's also far away from her mother who tends to cause problems. We have been taking small steps in the last year to building a new relationship and we are making good progress. Good luck to you!

Good for you, SueB20, you are a smart mom. We found with one of our kids the mere chance we might do spot checks was a deterrent. The others weren't always so smart. And it pays to know the parents of your kids' friends. One spring break one of ours went with a group of friends chaperoned by a mom I THOUGHT I knew pretty well. Turns out she and her husband stayed at a different hotel from the 16 year olds--- about a quarter mile away! Of course I found this out after the trip---it did not even occur to me to ask if the parents taking the kids to the beach were staying in the same hotel. I was so angry with those parents I didn't even know what to do. That was the end of our kids going on trips with their friends. I felt there was no way I could come up with enough questions to cover every possible weird idea or belief the parents might hold unbeknownst to me. The book How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish was my child rearing bible for about ten years. I can't recommend it enough.