You really lucked out Paul. Nice stuff! Those can't be current pics of your yard, are they? I thought you lived in WA or OR and had some frost by now. So, I'm juust a tad jealous if you can see that now! You know the one draw back with my elph camera is I frequently get the icon telling me my camera is shaking. Even if holding it very still. The high wind causes problems with focusing but they might make a similar model with some type of stabilizing feature to minimize this. I take many out of focus pics. The 2 below are examples as they were taken on horseback and the first with 12 X magnification as I was far away. Marea, Since you asked for a horse pic I went out in 39 degree weather for the first ride in a while. Shiloh was too full of energy and naughty. Here is the corn harvest here. Don't be fooled by the small size of these blue wagons. They are really big- 3 will fill a semi truck full of corn. and here if my hubby having the time of his life! If he wasn't so tired he might smile more. The combine is quite large also if you are standing up next to it. So- anyway- this should counts as a horse picture! BTW Marea, The lily garden idea with semps sounds groovy! You are the semp queen! I just found a photo/ art web place called redbubble.com. Some lovely and some weird art there. A warm bubble bath sounds dreamy right about now... Karen

Do you have the expertise to work a little grey-ish or brownish glaze into your cabinet crevices? As long as you have these very elaborate cabinet doors, why not play them up? You are actually very close to having what others on the GW would consider "one true kitchen" so brag it up. If your buyers are upset with the cabinet hardware, they are not going to buy the house. This is not their real issue; this is merely a symptom that the house is a mismatch with them. Someone else is going to love this kitchen. Go shopping for a pair of new rugs for each side of the island that are understated and that play up the color of the cabinets. Do not use that rug. Get some very attractive houseplants (pothos will do) in good looking brown pots that compliment the island and/or floor. Get some new canisters that are very neutral or that have a B&W aspect. Buy some kind of free-standing stove utensil holder(s) that would stand out between the range and the backsplash and consider suspending some decoratively finished pots or utensils from the overhang at the back over the range, to play up the depth and size of the range. We can't tell what was formerly on the display ledge over the range, but you should give yourself permission to put a gorgeous collection of something up there, perhaps something classic such as pewter plates or some kind of collectibles (or repros of collectibles). If you need to, decide on a third color for an accent color and put it into some kinds of vases, enameled iron casserole (inexpensive but classy will do), ceramic dishware, Kitchenaid mixer, rug(s), hand towels, chair upholstery, even some artificial foliage or flowers worked into the light fixture. Don't do all of these for an accent color but choose a few. A killer piece of art doesn't need to cost a lot. I remember recommending Picasso's descending peace dove graphic to someone with a kitchen like yours and she was dumbfounded and delighted; similarly, you could put in a Georgia O'Keefe closeup of a flower in a poster or a 17th century Old Master and do that kitchen no harm. Set out two places of placemats, hors'douvers dishes, and a modest flower arrangement on the end of island opposite of the range. Inside your refrigerator, be sure to stock a bottle of champagne and one or more of non-alcoholic fizzy stuff, a container of caviar, some posh cheese, some high-end yogurt, and plenty of pretty citrus. If you are determined to replace the refrig handles, put a flyer inside the refrigerator saying "we will replace the handles with X or Y for no charge" and show the photos of alternate handles. Are the over-the-range and door windows the only cabinet windows in the room? you could replace the glass with matte glass or with some kind of twinkly semi-transparent ripple glass. If so, also include vases and such that have ripple glass.

@Neil yes they are similar but I think I see the differences now. I'll snap some more photos later for the other one. @Breton Nice! I was worried when I heard about the heat wave that hit Ontario mid July, but glad nothing bad happened. Awesom! Didn't know it would bloom so quickly for me, I'm guessing mine is around 3-4 years old already then. I've seen similar "stalk" or just the tip of the stalk emerge from my H. retusa, they never did come out and bloom, however... @Erika. Thanks for the detailed comments! Yes I'm aware of Lithops' growth cycle, I've posted a few times here this year about my Lithops and I think because of the conditions they're under (sitting at a north-west windowsill with help of growth lights), these guys had been going very slowly for me and they're definitely not "on schedule" They've done nothing over the last winter (when I stopped watering for 5 months) and finally started to regenerate in April-May. And I know that I'm not supposed to water when they're getting rid of old clothes, but I guess the nanny forgot to skip the adult Lithops pot. I will not be giving any water now, until I see the old leaves are completely gone, which I estimate will take another half a year or so... I hope they prove me wrong.

I wanted to provide an update! First off, we found some very trendy-looking laminate flooring for 84 cents per sq ft. We will be using underlayment that costs 25 cents per sq ft. So, for only $1.09 per sq ft, plus the cost of a few new tools, we’re redoing the floor. My husband will install this with some help from his brother, so we’ll save a ton on labor costs. As for the ceiling tile, I came across “smooth” 2x4 ceiling tiles online for only 76 cents per sq ft. Nothing fancy, but worlds nicer looking than the “basic” tiles that are only marginally cheaper. Add these tiles in with our ceiling grid covers, and it’s going to look fantastic! With new paint, new recessed lights and new light/electrical switch covers, and we’re going to have a room that looks great. Last piece of a very large puzzle to get our home truly move-in ready for a quick sale at top dollar! There are a few somewhat nicely done houses that just popped up on the market by us. One is about a half mile away, new construction. This house has contractor grade everything, including kitchen and bath, and is only slightly larger than ours. Looks nice and new, but we’ve got something that is quality where it really counts. I am hopeful we can list at or even higher than what they listed at. Can’t wait for our agent to see the finished product! Our fingers are crossed for a bidding war!