I just got home from taking my son to SFO to fly to Spain for a year of study abroad, and on the way home I stopped in Berkeley to see an old school friend who I have recently reconnected with via Facebook. She and her husband make organic skin care products and it was fascinating to see all the natural ingredients that go into them. They had pots of things bubbling away that will eventually be distilled and incorporated into their products. She sent me home with some products and I will report back on how I like them.

The front door is just ugly aside from not being very weather tight. During the winter it leaks a lot of cold air from all sides of it. It's a solid core door, that has been dinged up through the years, no window either. We want something which will let in light to the hallway. Plus, the existing screen door, is a cheap one with fake stained "glass" in it and is falling apart. We recently painted it which improved it's appearance dramatically but doesn't take care of the problems it has. Plus it does nothing for the overall appearance of the home. We've been able to stop some of the air leakage with weather stripping, but because of the way the lock is installed it tends to jamb and not close properly if we use enough to really make it as leakproof as it needs to be. Thanks for the links for the French door tho. I do agree with you on the point of it going to look like a front door in the living room if I use something else - which has been part of my problem all along and why we haven't yet jumped into replacing this one. I want to make sure I pick the absolute right door here or it's going to really look terrible!

Very satisfied Dyson Animal owner here. In a home with two large dogs that shed enough hair daily to stuff another dog, as well as 4 cats, the Animal does the trick! I've had all kinds of vacuums over the years, and the Animal is by far the best at getting all of the hair. The worst was the Oreck. That was traded in soon after purchase as it really did nothing to pick up the animal hair. I know lots of people love them because they are so light to use, however, they don't have a roller/beater, ergo, it only picks up surface stuff. As soon as I started using the Animal, I loved it. I could see not only the pet hair, but everything that vacuum pulls off the floor! Vacuum also has a setting for hardwood or other flat surface. The Animal works well on all surfaces. DH even loves using the vacuum because he can see what he's vacuuming up. I know it sounds crazy, but I can actually get him to run the vacuum for me once in awhile. LOL While Dyson's products are not inexpensive, there are no bags, no odor, just a great purchase. A true workhorse. Worth every penny!

Errant--You gave me a little spark of hope but alas I checked and the other side of the tank lid is unfinished. I've searched the Kohler Stately toilet and haven't found anyone else having this issue but the seat I have is said to have a design flaw by many reviewers. The best seat I ever bought is the Tuscany Premium from Menards that is in our other bathroom. I may get another and try it on this toilet. It is a very heavy and substantial seat but doesn't have a soft close feature (and has the loudest slam of any seat I've ever heard!)