I'm doing roman shades with the same kind of lining. Not sure if it is blackout lining, but it's white on both sides with one side rubbery feeling. It seems that both ways are correct, but I am really concerned that if I put the rubbery side out it will crack because my windows face south and get very hot. I wonder if anyone has had any experience with cracking. I had a pair of drapes with this lining and they cracked, but they may also have been rather old. nancynancy, how are yours holding up to sunlight?

It could be either - the contractor thought it was a normal part of operations or the HOA asked them to do it. If you haven't been participating in the HOA governing process then this may be why you are now surprised and outraged. As mentioned earlier your first problem is that you are living in an HOA neighborhood. To me these often amount to the equivalent of condos with yards, with a similar attack and suppress the landscaping mindset tending to be evident in how properties within them look. But that is just a manifestation of a general, dominating perspective, that thinks neatness above all else is the rule - it is not usual for home lots to have fully planted, ecologically sensible and interesting outdoor spaces wherever you go. And in my area more than half of residences are rentals, with nobody on the premises having a motivation to do any serious gardening. Unless they don't care that they are investing in property they do not own. And the landlord doesn't care that they are installing features that may be seen as adding to the work and expense of maintaining the property. In addition to the many who are driven to keep their yards as tidy as their household interiors just because they like to keep things clean there are those who associate heavy pruning of plants with sophistication and money, as there is a history of formal landscapes being installed around mansions and other imposing buildings.

Thanks, Islay! I think I will try the Cake Provençal, but I have to buy some canned tuna, as I do not keep that on hand. Since you use a silicon pan, I think Pyrex would be fine. I was considering an 8x8" pan because I thought it might make more cubes, but I will make that determination when I see how much batter I end up with. I found another recipe for it here, but it uses ham, and I would rather use tuna. I think ham would make it crumbly. Here is another similar recipe that looks interesting. I made the Roquefort mini-popovers yesterday, and I determined that they will not be that good cold. They were fine when hot or warm but are a bit too eggy to eat cold - the texture would be off. I also learned that you absolutely must use a non-stick mini-muffin pan. I have an old one that I used, and I had bought a new one (which is non-stick) because the recipe calls for two pans of 12. I almost bought two new pans, which is what I should have done, as I will now be recycling my old pan, since the popovers got completely stuck in the old pan, even though it was properly oiled. I had to scoop the popovers out with a spoon from the old pan, but they fell right out of the new pan. I took pictures, but they are not pretty. It is very easy to eat six of these popovers, and we had twelve each last night, more or less as a main course. They are a bit like cheesy eggy waffles - more like a breakfast food, but still good as an appetizer. I would make them for a party at home but not to take out. I might also still make hush puppies, as they are like cornbread and will be okay cold.

I appreciate the prompt replies. The windows are on each side, but as someone comes up the walkway from the driveway, they'll see the window. I don't need privacy so much, but I do want a nice entrance. I added this vestibule to the house and the floor tile, in a brick herringbone pattern is going down today. I think plantation shutters would look nice, but the small space needs some softening up. The walls are white, the floor tile is a light gray slate; I have a black bombe chest and a black painted corner chair with a burlap seat and a neutral silk accent pillow; the wall sconces are black; the ceiling is Sherwin-Williams Tidewater, a light aqua. Hard to post photos since the tile guy is laying the floor as I type! I'm trying to decide between this neutral linen shade Country Curtains linen lined roman shade or this Bordered Roman Shade with black border