I don't, but I wish I could reach more people to help them know what they have and to teach them what they SHOULD get rid of. Here in the south, I have a theory that the reason people think natural vegetation is ugly is because what they usually see is NOT native stuff. The rural roadsides here are choked with privet and honeysuckle. It looks like a rats nest! Add to that the abundance of non-native weeds that infest any cleared areas (like the road shoulders) and is it any wonder that people think it looks bad. And that, my theory is, is what people consider "native vegetation". So, double whammy: they falsely perceive non-native vegetation is native (one) and therefore they clear out what good stuff they may have and replace it with shrubs and trees from the big box stores (two). Unfortunately, the big box stores, while they do carry some natives for those of us that know how to recognize them, mostly push large volumes of non-native plants. Then, there is the vicious circle: because everyone else is buying non-natives (burning bush, loropetalum, nandina, waxleaf ligustrum, etc.), the next round of shoppers go out and buy it as well. The copy cat mentality in full force. I told one person they should plant natives just because it is more of a challenge! Many people don't care about gardening. It is just one of the chores of homeownership that must be handled and "please just tell me what works with the least amount of effort on my part". They'd rather be shopping, watching TV or some other mindless act of consumerism.

Nana, her DGD looked at the bows I painted on the front and said "they look like they are real bows, not painted on!" She was very interested in how I did that with paint. Creek, we have had a great time together with the projects. Punk, that is so fantastic that she appreciates the work you put into that painted stand! Karen, she had shown me a picture she found of a drop front secretary type of desk and said she needed something like that as her DGD's room did not have enough space for a large desk. I found this desk a few days later and had a 50% off coupon, so I called her and she said "buy it! For that price if I don't like it, I'll donate it again." But once Carol saw it, she LOVED it. Jane, each DGD has loved that they received a piece that was customized just for them! OA, if you lived closer or I did, we would definitely be BFF's!! We would have so much fun doing projects together! BTW, were you anywhere near the fires? My youngest stepdaughter and the baby and 5 yr. old were trapped on El Camino Real for 4 hours!! She could see the flames, and it kept getting hotter. Her temp indicator went from 110 to 114 to 117!! Jeanne, the cool thing about chalk paint is the piece does not need sanding before you paint. It sticks very well to the surface. Thanks everybody. Candy

Has anyone used Continental Academy for home schooling? I need to figure something out for my girl; have to get her back in school. The year we moved she was in vo-tech; they taught 3 subjects in the 1st 1/2 of the year, then the others at the 2nd 1/2 of the year. I ended up pulling her out & putting her in high school; she then had mono, right before exams (sold house). The new school would not register her because they did not have her complete records so she missed finals. She repeated 9th grade; then had a bad year medically (fell down steps, had no air way due to tonsils which were taken out during winter break; then had medical issues due to the mono; lost about 80 pounds. School wanted "chronic illness notes" which I got, but it did not cover a few days because of wording & there was no time to fix due to school ending. They kept her back again. She refused to go in September. I didn't have time to fight them because of hubby's cancer. My plan is to have her get the credit she needs to get put back into school so she can graduate. Continental academy was suggested to me.

I have custom white cabinetry that was installed in 2004. By 2019, with children, pets, a kitchen with a lot of natural light, they were looking very tired, and it seems all that nice light had gradually yellowed the paint. I hired a local painter who specializes in painting kitchen cabinetry who had great recommendations to repaint them. He did a ton of sanding and cleaning prep, sprayed boxes on site, took all door and drawer fronts to his shop etc., so it didn’t seem to be a shoddy job. Looked great when it was done, I was thrilled. It has not held up at all and is chipping off in many places, especially where there is a lot of detail. I am so disappointed in the longer term resilience of the paint that I would not recommend it to someone with decent cabinetry. Given my very expensive experience I would also recommend just lightening everything up with a new countertop and backsplash.