PEACE PIPE TIME. and no will know what you put in that pipe. Mike, take it from someone whose remarks are sometimes interpreted as challenging or harsh, take it down a notch with gardeners who are kinda new at this stuff. I've been gardening for 30 years...and never managed to post a picture to prove it....but I'd be pretty upset if someone told me "I did everything wrong." The OP isn't passing himself off as professional and if OP wasted time or money, that's his business. And show me the beginner, intermediate or experienced gardener who hasn't wasted time or money. BTW, I"m assuming those photos are your life's work. Wow! Pretty impressive. Clearly plants are spaced well, and with 20 year growth horizon. But for me, some of the landscapes are not what I'd enjoy for my own use: too busy, not restful. Are you part of that great population of plant collectors? Thanks for sharing your photos. Perhaps you'd consider posting on a new thread so your gardens are buried in the middle of someone else's thread? There's a thread right now on the Perennials Forum called something like "Post your photos". You could post a few or a milion and people would really appreciate the opportunity to see what you've done. Sorry, everyone, for going soooooooooooooooooooo Off Topic. idabean/Marie

Well, I'm still not sure exactly what's going on, but here's the newest. Per my builder, the price from Carpet Express is pretty comparable to what the flooring store buys the carpet for. The flooring store is now in a fight with Mohawk as to why the price over the internet could be so low. He is willing to find a local installer for me who he estimates will charge about $3300 to install, making the total price ~$8000. He is trying to get the flooring store to give it to me for $9200 installed, as he thinks that is a fair price. Of course, he recommends the latter. The other option is Lowes which would be about $8000 as well. He says their installers are crap. Then he gave me a long lecture about how "in the quality of house you're building, that much money to ensure a better product blah blah blah warrantee etc. etc., carpet is only as good as the installation blah blah" I do feel like he thinks I can just toss money around since we are building a nice house, and we have agreed to some expensive upgrades lately (finishing the basement).

This looked so festive. I have always wanted to "do" pretty table, but year after year we eat off of disposables due to the number of us and the work. I have a set of china (not expensive) but one that my parents bought me in a whole set when I got married 36 years ago. I had registered a nice set of pottery at that time because it was more practical. We enjoyed it for many years. Since so many of my friends had registered both china and pottery, my Mom wanted me to have some. My set came from Montgomery Wards and is a service for 12. I think I have used it once. I vow to use it this next year some. I have been on a binge since Christmas to buy some pretty tablecloths and napkins. I have found some awesome deals and will try my hand at some tables. (But, I am not really creative.) I just love looking at all the tablescapes here, I have been so envious of all the pretty dishes and the variety of them. I don't have a clue of where I would store more. But, tonight it hit me that I could pick up only two or maybe some in sets of four and have a variety. It is just DH and me at home, except that DD (adult) is living with us at the moment. Betty, I was in CVS today and saw those blue snowman, snowflake dishes. They are adorable. I may just have to go and pick up a few tomorrow. Also, if you have a Kroger in your area, check them out. Ours has glassware that is clear and has blue and white snowflakes. I saw them a couple of days ago and they had a lot and they were cheap. However, I don't have anything blue. Now, I realize that I could pick up a nice set of dishes between there and CVS. Thanks for the inspiration. I also have a set of holiday dishes I got last year at the Salvation Army TS and some more at a church TS. They are both white and feature a Christmas tree in the center. They don't match, but do coordinate. I didn't even unpack them this year, but I will do so next year. I know have tablecloths and napkins for them. You ladies rock!

Sometimes, things just..... "Make sense" ...whether they are part of a series of Decorating Rules, Feng Shui, Granny's Gems of Wisdom, or Your favorite professional painter's observations while painting 25 different houses. Seriously. For example....dark colors CAN make an already low-light room look dreary and depressing. (That's why you need lots of light sources to offset the effect of using deeper colors) Or.....Using the same nice color throughout the main living spaces creates "flow". Well, of course. Anytime your eye doesn't have to stop to take in a different color, things tend to look more organized and seamless. And Sweeby made an important point about the use of color that also makes sense. She said, "I've come to the strong conclusion that there's absolutely something about the quality of light coming from different directions that influences how different rooms handle color" But will certain colors bring you Good luck? Will hanging mirrors in your bedroom bring you Bad luck? Will breaking a mirror bring you 7 years of Bad luck? You can call it anything you wish........but some things make sense and some things do not. I have only enjoyed just over 50 years of a very, very happy and good life thus far. My bed was placed (according to one friend who quoted Feng Shui stuff to me) "Coffin Style" with the head of the bed visible from the doorway, for many, many years. That's Many, Many, years of a great marriage, wonderful, obedient, respectful, children, good friends, nice job, and thousands of "good hair days". Currently, I have a gold, not blue, bedroom, with mirrors on most every wall. My bedroom desk has nice square corners, as does my dresser, tv armoire, and nightstands. I watch t.v. in bed and type on my computer a few feet away. I think a lot of people are looking for some sort of guidance or principles or direction in their lives, but sometimes, all this stuff just obscures what's really important. Red