Thanks, guys! So supportive.... :) Joanne - from what I can tell, the Brita (or Pur) won't neutralize chloramine. For now (until I can get to the store), it'll have to do. A trip to Market Basket is planned for this weekend. But I work all the time. Seriously, all the time. And I'm a mom. ;) My thought is that the Brita is better than crappy city water. I think I'll use bottled water. I don't have a big enough collection for that to be a huge deal, at least for a while. :) I do think that once a plant's been traumatized, it sort of depends on how established it is as to whether it will survive. Doubly so for AV's. I have Irish Flirt that took a fall (perhaps the bad kitty?), and has been slowly declining since. I have it in a dome. :( About wicking and my naivite - when I wick watered, I used one of those paper wicks that Optimara sells. That was probably my first mistake. The plant got totally soaked. I payed attention to it until I went to bed, but the next morning.... The plant was fine, but I knew it was too much. It seemed way too much trouble, like I'd be constantly worried about what was happening when I wasn't home. The other plant I tried stayed totally dry. Same paper strips though. I obviously couldn't get the feel for that. I watched a video and looked at the photos of using yarn (which I have plenty of, being a knitter and crocheter). I saw a video of someone using baby food jars for the smaller containers, and heard of people using jelly jars for the 3-4in. I'm almost brave enough to try it again. I thought I had figured out the watering thing until I read that when the leaf has a mark or split, it could be because of being underwatered if you are letting the plant go limp. Like I said earlier, sometimes my plants would feel limp before I would water. I make sure I don't overwater, but overcorrecting is then the problem, right? I am in Manchester (Manchestah or Manchvegas to us cool New Hampshirites), NH. I'm not from here, but I've been in NH for almost 10 years. The winters can definitely be brutal, and this year has been one of them. It was a learning experience with the plants. It's been a long time since I've lost one, but now I want them looking better, and not dying a slow death. lol I'm excited for spring! I got "into" AV's back in August, but I killed them for a while. I didn't get the hang of it until October-ish, and since then it's been winter. It will be so nice to see them thrive from spring! All the best, ladies! Jessica

Posted by nightcrawler46 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 11, 14 at 21:21 True, seedlings dont NEED nutes if they're planted in cheap store-bought MG or some other crap, but if a proper medium is used they certainly need them after the first week. As a commercial organic grower in the southwest desert, I amend my fields with only phosphorous in the beginning ... @@@@@@@@@@@ Very interesting NEW concept to me. Is this also true during the growth season, or just for the seedlings ? I had been hearing for ever, before that all you need is the so-called ALL PURPOSE fertilizers with a 1-1-1 ratio (like 10-10-10 ;; 16-16-16 etc). Then we are told that the plants (in general) do not need nor use NPK at equal ratios. They (the proponents) say that what we need is a fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio (like 18 -6-12, 12-4-8 etc). So the latter has now become the new ALL PURPOSE fertilizer. Now what "Nightcrawler.." is talking about is totally new to me. That goes at 180 degree opposing to the current practice And phosphorus becomes dominant nutrient ( at least for peppers ) I AM CONFUSED. HELP, HELP, PLEASE. Has there been any scientific university study about this PHOSPHORUS issue ?

You would have to work the dimensions of this out to make sure it works, but what about something like this? If the island doesn't fit, you could do a peninsula instead.You could also flip the cooktop/sink walls and the island orientation - I went back and forth about that, but I thought that since you can see the back wall from the front door, the cooktop there probably looks nicer than the sink. But it could go either way. If you need more clearance for the walkway the hutch could also go where I show the green, or it could go on the wall between the bath and the

edemom, Like you, I am a creative who also embraces highly saturated hues. I could not get anything done in a neutral room, much less be happy spending time in a sea of neutrals. My home office of similar size and configuration (its window and entry doors are in the same locations as yours) will be my last room to do, plus it needs to sleep two a few weeks a year--so I've been following your thread with great interest. I also totally understand your need for practicality with respect to little ones underfoot. You've received some fabulous suggestions here. The generosity of Houzz forum participants always impresses me. 💕 Due to the low LRV of your paint, I would opt for light and bright with respect to your rug. Going dark may be too moody for you. Although you have other good candidates, I adore this one with the Etsy rug you first proposed. The artwork in this board is a wonderful choice for your space. For me a room is not inspiring without art that resonates with me. Does it come in the size you've decided will work best for you? I'd like to see it on a board like this but with your wall color. Unfortunately, I can't provide that for you as it's not one of my skillsets. You're so close to pulling this room together! I'm eager to see your final picks for rug and then lastly the sleeper chair. I'd click Buy on the rug and the artwork on this board. Once they arrive you can better decide on the sleeper chair.