but I understand there is a danger with nitrogen getting "washed out" from the soil (I mixed pro-mix in a 3-1 ratio with mushroom compost) whenever the plants are watered. First, please understand that ALL nutrients wash out of containers with watering. it isn't just nitrogen. Second, using un-decomposed organic materials is controversial because organic materials have to be acted on by the soil bacteria for their nutrients to be available to the plants. That takes soil bacteria being present in the container and it isn't in most containers because they are filled with soil-less potting mix. And TIME. Nothing organic is quick-acting. Since you added compost to your containers you likely have at least some soil bacteria in there, some of the "micro-herd". But time will still be required. You can reduce some of the time required by adding your organic materials in a liquid form. Adding them in a liquid form also eliminates the "room in the container" and the "disturbing the roots" issues. So if you want to use the coffee grounds use them as a liquid. But keep in mind that you will have to find something else to add for the P and the K and the needed micro-nutrients. Dave

Keeping carpet clean is tough. I have found guests subtly protest against taking their shoes off.. New guests or clients are happy to take their shoes off (I'm a photographer so clients come to my home for meetings) but friends can be rude 'oh what? are you serious? you want my shoes off?' that annoys me I have 2 cats. Ugh! Pet stains = Ugh! I am a germofobe.. Well I'll kiss my kitties.. otherwise if I was THAT much a germafobe I wouldn't have cats.. but one of them has a thyroid disorder and sometimes the poor little guy vomits. My mistake has been spending a lot of money testing different carpet cleaning products, and a lot of the time sponging the carpet clean with such products would create a bigger mess or spread the stain! Ikea sell $15 metre square colorful rugs. I bought 6.. black, red, pink, yellow, green, blue when they are laid next to eachother it looks like one big rug, and this has helped a lot. Its so easy to wash one rug when a cat pukes, than it is to wash the actual carpet I have discovered that Vinegar is a bit of a miracle washer! If I clean the cat vomit with vinegar I get better results than ANY product from the shelves. I recently didn't realise that a lemon fell from my shopping bag behind a polyester ikea crate full of clothes, and the lemon had developed that dusty black mould and the mould dropped to the carpet It vaccumed up easily but I washed that part of the carpet by hand with cloudy ammonia. I read online that ammonia kills germs like mould. I seem to have made a big water stain though which I'm annoyed about I paid a local carpet cleaner guy $100 which was a bargain for a 2 room clean of a 1 bedroom apartment. The people I hired last year charged me $140 as they wanted extra money to come up one flight of stairs. This man was lovely. Even though I vac twice a week and mop almost daily, his industrial machine got up 2 large handfuls of cat hair!!! He said the minute I told him I had pets over the phone, he brought his special equipment. Unfortunately I messed up the carpet where I used the cloudy ammonia. There's just some darker markings like water staining, so I'm trying the watered down laundry soap routine this time

Hi Bossyvossy, I bought the material already from Calico Corners in the spring when they had their sale, it is the exact color of my sofa and love seat. The material has been sitting in the spare room, I have a lady can make the slip covers and is ready to make them. If leather chairs would look better, I will wait to get other ones that aren't as low to the ground but, if slip cover will be what compliments better, then I will do those. Your suggestion and opinion are much appreciated, thank you! Lisa

Depends on what you want. Plan one has a serpentine aspect : living /kitchen /dining are removed from each other and the prob is that none of the three spots are large enough to accommodate what I would want . Perhaps that is what you desire in that people will be splintered off but I see continual back and forth and not in a good way. Plan two w probably a reduction of island somewhat offers the one lg space and I would plan for the couch and around fireplace to also contain a couple chairs once the island is adjusted for that. And you still have the front room as a separate area which will evolve as far as your use dictates. Can't comment on storage ......it can be worked out .....looking at more long term possibilities and comfort/enjoyment for day to day living. Good luck