Thank you everyone for your advice! I looked up osmocote and it does look similar to what I remember. I don't think it was osmocote exactly though. Maybe I'm focusing too much on fertizlizer. It's easier to believe that the only problem is fertilizer, but maybe it's something else. Also, I agree that this would be 1,000 times easier if I knew what the plants were, but I don't! I never had a chance to ask the rental service before the office closed. I'm going to put some more effort into finding out exactly what they are. Someone above mentioned plant books, so I think that is where I'll start. So whats some general advice for dying houseplants? It seems like I should lay off of watering for a little bit, to make sure I'm not overdoing it. This might be the problem actually. I have the same pots that the plants were in, in the office and the way it's set up theres a smaller pot inside a bigger one. The rental service always filled the second one with water, and then the plants would just soak up what they needed. Maybe this isn't the best approach? Maybe theres TOO much water around them. I'm certain the service just did this so they wouldn't have to visit the office too often. Come to think of it, the one plant I have from the office that isn't in a set up like this is doing fine. So maybe I'll change this. Also, there was one plant that was doing fine, but started wilting recently, I think because I gave it miracle grow. How do I help it recover? Does it just take time? Also, thank you again to everyone offering advice. I'm really new at this and you've all been very patient with my newbie questions!

I attract mantis and hummingbirds to my yard. Havent seen a dead hummingbird and my plants have less bugs on them. I just hang my feeders from shepherds hooks. The mantis seem to have a problem climbing them. I have seen a hb in a spiderweb once. As for children being scared of the mantis, I take my sons outside, pick up whatever they are afraid of (as long as it isnt dangerous) and show them that they dont hurt anything. My son was afraid of cicada shells. He now has a collection. He is 4. Maybe a mix of red pepper and garlic spray will deter the mantis from the feeder area. Birds dont mind it, bugs hate it. I use it on my roses to keep the bugs off.

I've never worked with F&B paints -- I have the paint deck (not really -- a pamphlet, maybe?) but there isn't a dealer in our state and I've been able to get what I want with other paints so ... that's my disclosure. But I totally know what you mean about having a vanilla house and wanting to give it character. Ours is a 1997 b-i-g house in a planned community -- love the neighborhood, the schools, and have made the house as "ours" as it can be. We had our textured walls smoothcoated: drywallers did it and it looks and feels like plaster because that's essentially what it is -- three coats of thin compound just put atop the textured finish. No sanding. Not messy. Just right. We also had miles of trim put up -- crown, skirting, picture frame, casing on some doors / windows (but not all). Just those have made a WORLD of difference! Everyone's lighting is different but I think the color you want for your walls is a really creamy white, with a lot of yellow in it. If you want and can afford to work with F&B then that's super -- more than half the battle is done. But you can also look at less expensive and perhaps more readily available lines. I'm keen on both Benjamin Moore and Pratt & Lambert. The trim throughout our house is BM's Calming Cream, which on the chip looks like a pale yellow but up everywhere it's the creamiest, dreamiest white. Love it and would use it again in a heartbeat. Calming Cream I know the color you like for your cabs, but have you also looked at BM's Paris Rain? Some of the pics of it online make it look rather green but in my real life (given the lighting conditions in this part of the continent) it is a beautiful, subtle grey-green, or green-grey. I have one color down, Cheyenne Green, on our mantle. I love it. I just love it. When I describe it I say "sludge green" and that's just right. It's really earthy, subtle. Perfect. Paris Rain Cheyenne Green For your trim could you go one or two shades darker than your wall color? I'll have to check my sample decks later to see if I can find a color, but I love that almost-taupe color with a creamy wall, like maybe midway between the cabinet green and the wall, but with no green in it. You're going to have so much fun!

I think I originated the thread breezy's referenced above, which started out asking a slightly different topic: "who can take credit for the design of your kitchen?" But I was very surprised to learn that (according to folks in the industry/"in the know" who participated in that thread) homeowners have given implicit permission to photograph our homes. Whether that is current practice/"the way it is," that does not feel right to me. I am a private person and I can't believe someone can photograph my own home without my permission. Wanting to photograph my home is flattering, theoretically, but to have my home photographed (and posted to something like facebook?!) without my knowledge? I would be upset. I don't think your architect has the right to do that (unless photography/use of project for portfolio/marketing is explicitly spelled out in your contract. It was not spelled out in ours.) As others asked, how small a town/easily identifiable is your home? I don't really use facebook now so it might be different, but I remember being absolutely shocked that I received photos/details about other people's lives (young children!) who I didn't even know in my facebook feed. Perhaps this makes me sound paranoid, but think how many people may have just seen the inside of your home or who may be "liking" forwarding those photos of your home. A blogger could find them and post them. Someone following that blogger could post your home to something like this forum or someone else could pick it up and post it to houzz.com. This is not supposed to happen theoretically, but photos are posted here all the time without identifiers/permission, (even innocently, like "here is an inspiration kitchen I found, what do you think that wall/cabinet color is?") Someone started a thread here to say she was surprised that a photo she had posted here to kitchen forum of how they'd organized their kitchen drawers ended up featured on houzz without her knowledge/permission. By commenting to your architect's post, anyone following now "knows" your name/who you are. Everyone has different comfort levels with internet privacy, but I would definitely feel uncomfortable. Here is a link that might be useful: Do you want your kitchen in someone's portfolio?