you're right, ward, I found mine lying down on top of the hibiscus after the rains from dennis blew through here. I staked it with a broken shovel handle, which it promptly pulled to the ground, too. that plant is heavy. I put the handle back up and put a rock the size of a shoebox at the base of it, which is working. give this thing some swingin room, folks. ward, can you teach me how/when to collect seed from tithonia?

Oh, KYgirl--Big hugs coming from me, too. I haven't been on his forum in a while because I've been dealing with our own build from He$$, and I didn't read all the responses in this thread, but I did read your original post. We've just gone through something very, very similar--different problems, but similar in scope, jerk of a builder, almost no on-site supervision, several horrible subs, lots of stress and tears. It has been horrible. We ended up moving into our house ten days ago while it was still unfinished because of having to be out of our rental, reaching our bank deadline for closing, etc. I just wrote you a long post, but realized that it ended up being about me, not you--and this is your thread! So, I guess I just want to say that I sympathize with you, and I think I understand a lot of what you must be feeling. It's a good day if I haven't cried more than once before 9 a.m.! This has been the most stressful, unpleasant experience of our lives. Friends will say, "Oh, you must be so excited to be in your house," and I feel like a spoiled brat if I don't respond positively. It has been a nightmare. There's still lots to be done here, dh and I are doing and/or redoing stuff that we've already paid contractors to do, but they either did a crappy job or haven't been showing up. It just sucks. As badly as I feel for you, reading your post at least made me feel as though I'm not the only one who has gone through this and I thought you might want to know you're not alone. The old misery loves company routine, I guess! Take care of yourself, and try not to let it get you down--I know how hard it is, but if we don't look at the positive side, we'll go completely crazy. Although, at least you could then plead insanity when you're charged with killing Mr. Peanut!

@island: Thanks for the comments on the granite, we love it...so far it has been very durable...the fabricator said it was extremely hard and a very heavy stone. I would say the base color would be gray, with white and green accents. The white areas are not bright white, but each slab was a bit different. The cabinets are a color called 'designer white'. The finish is Sherwin Williams, but I don't know if the color is actually called designer white....it is a very stark, bright white. Yes, we have picked a backsplash, it should be coming in this week. It is a light gray 4x4, in a flat finish, and will be installed on the diagonal. We didn't want the backsplash to compete with the granite....it just needs to be a background and compliment the granite....hopefully it comes out how we are envisioning it. @dashmag: We are extremely happy with our cabinets....this is the second kitchen we have done with our custom cabinet maker. The cabinet maker is located in West Bridgewater, not sure how far they will deliver. There name is Mediterranean Custom Cabinets (http://medcustomcabinets.com/) if you call ask for Cathy, she is the KD. They are full custom, and can do whatever you want, and their pricing is VERY good compared to other kitchen places. Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Mediterranean Custom Cabinets

@Gloria yes, my cabinets are from Ikea - they are Axstad. I am ashamed to say I haven't tackled the under sink trash set up yet! You have given me the kick I needed though, and I plan to do it this weekend. I plan to do what is described in this thread: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5851240/progress-on-ikea-axstad-kitchen-backsplash-lighting#25487123 the instructions are pretty vague, but I think I'll be able to do it.