Thanks everyone, I'm loving her more every day! Mellyc123, I used BM Chili Pepper Aura latex satin finish. No wax, just a raw umber glaze. I grabbed the tassels from my china hutch. . .what I really want is a black and gold one. . .the search begins! Engineer Chic, I TSP'd it on Friday, painted Saturday morning, let it dry til Saturday pm (BM guy said the Aura just needs about an hour to dry but I waited a little longer), didn't like the way the top looked, so I sanded most of it off and then did the second coat on Sunday afternoon. Let that dry and then did the glaze. So. . . basically a week-end. It still feels a little tacky on top to me, so I probably won't use it until it sets a few more days and then in another week or so, I should have the glass top. The chair I did on Monday, but I only cleaned it up and did the cushion. . . didn't paint/refinish. Lazydaisynot, in the "Before" thread, Oceanna posted a link to a beautiful Chas. Sligh desk, exact smae style, but beautiful burled wood on the front. . it was deemed a "collectable" with an estimated value of $500-600. Mine actually looks exactly like the one on ebay that you posted. That is a lovely one and like Mellyc123's, I think I'd have a hard time painting that one! The finish on mine was absolutely trashed which is why I decided to paint. I't funny, but I had never seen another one like mine until Mellyc123's and now you find this one on ebay!! Again, thanks to you all for your kind words and encouragement! I had such fun!

Demon Based on what you've said here, I think you've made the right decision. It concerns me that his reaction is to blame the child and focus on how it affects 'him'. Classic abuser behavior. I'm even a little concerned that his reaction will change from cooperative to hostile when he realizes that tactic won't work. If I were you, I'd set up a strong support system. I have a feeling you are going to need it. I also agree with silver, it's not a waste of time to learn such a valuable lesson. When I left my ex at 29, I spent years feeling sorry for myself because I wasted my 20's in a crappy situation. But, the worse part wasn't the time I wasted, it was that my kids were in that crappy situation for 7 years and you can thank your lucky stars you figured it out in less than a year. Your daughter is young and you can spend some time in counseling and might even think about working on your parenting skills too. Before, you said you were lax in discipline, so now might be a good time to shift your focus on improving things in your life. When I was a single parent, I was also too lax and inconsistent. It's so easy to parent out of guilt too. My kids were pre-teens when I began to force myself to be consistent and push the guilt to the back of my head and it's been tough. I still struggle with guilt because they know how to make me feel guilty. Good luck.

Mantis - The hybridizer is James Hall - Mljomo on the Lily Auction. I got Scarlet Angel from him and he sent me his Red Head. I actually like it better than Scarlet Angel. James has a lot of intros now and usually sends those as bonuses. I think they all start with the word Buddy's. I've gotten several of his auctions over the years. In fact I just bought a seedling of his that is out of his patterned Buddy's Spook. He's in Cantonment, FL. Debra

Thanks Steve! I may very well do what you say. That would correspond perfectly with about Dec/Jan for me. I just worry about the space! Hobby, the top is misleading. The tree is potted in just the dirt that was in there from growing my veggies supplemented with lots of perlite and Oscomote plus. I had a little leftover 5-1-1 from my last pot and decided to add it as a top layer. Luckily I bought a dolly this year. I am going to get a piece of plywood to use as a ramp leading them directly into my sunroom. I can also easily get them into the kitchen through another door. Mary, I am less than an hour east of DC...anytime you want, come on down!!