Thank you for the suggestions! I still have quite a bit of shopping to do for the project (and will probably go out tomorrow or on the weekend). I've been quite busy at the studio recently (spending about 10-12 hours a day working away), so some progress has been made since I've last updated. The most significant accomplishment is the kitchen. Pictures are better than words, so here is one: The kitchen is practically done, except for the stove top. The kitchen, living room, and bathroom have all been "tiled" (with peel-and-stick tiles cut into unimaginably small pieces, then peeled-then-stuck) and "grouted" (with some drywall compound). The dining room has been floored and stained, as has the small hallway which leads to the bathroom. All the interior walls have been painted and a few erected. The bathroom has a frosted-glass shower (vellum with aluminum duct tape "trim") and a vanity/sink (minus the sink). The toilet and sink, to be made out of oven-hardening modelling clay, will be made and baked by Saturday. I've run out of mini-tiles for the studio floor, so I have to go and buy some more from Dollarama and cut them. Some wooden furniture pieces only await painting/staining (to the same dark mahogany finish that you see the floors/cabintes in) while others still need to be constructed. I need to get rugs for the living/dining/bed room. The sofas/armchairs/bed/dining chairs all have feet or legs to be cut, stained, and then glued, not to mention the upholstering (which may not happen). Some exterior walls need to be cut and others painted, while the entire back "window-wall" needs to be constructed out of balsa pieces and then either stained the rich mahogany, or trimmed in metal. Finally, artwork/accessories need to be made to adorn the rather bare walls. And that is for the interior only. The exterior: Foamcore bases need to be constructed for the hot tub, steps, and raised stone deck. Peel-and-stick vinyl tile has to be cut to the right sizes (probably 3x3-foot squares, set into a running bond) and then applied to the surfaces. The bonsai garden's: pillars need to be made and then painted; base to be set in drywall compound (think dry raked garden); moss needs to be set and painted; potential bamboo screen to be constructed; bonsai need to be crafted. The Japanese garden's: tree's trunk/branches need to be made of wire, covered in glue gun for bark texture, painted, and then foliage (crumpled florist's foam) applied and then further painted/textured; moss/shrubs need to be made/set in place; gravel set on the base; tsukubai/rocks made (probably out of drywall compound); water applied (saran wrap?). The outdoor furnishing also have to be made. Phew. That's quite a to-do list. I better get cracking! But tonight is my night off to relax. (Friday/Saturday nights are not as ideal as other people are partying so the noise levels are obscene, so I plan to...

quickly douse it and apply a thick coating of cocoanut butter to avoid the most excrutiating surgery known to mankind, involving the delicate transplant of poenal tissue from the lesser kudu, and removal to one of the uninhabited atolls in the Lesser Antilles, to avoid any possible arousal whilst the seven-month healing process continues. But the first thing I must do is avoid the temptation to refer to myself as Dil or Bill, thought Gil; I must also put Sally out of my mind for now, and put all deadlines out of my mind until midnight before the day my column is due, and get to the single most important achievement of my lifetime--the construction of the ultimate fence to surround my heavenly garden. I'll start by digging a trench a good foot deep around the perimeter of my garden, then I'll dig postholes and set aluminum posts every eight feet in the trench, and fill the holes with fast-setting cement, so I can quickly move on to the next step, which is to...

Val: I know this was a very hard decision for you. Bravo to you for giving it a try despite all the drama involved. :) It took us a long time to find most of our rugs. Some we loved to death and had a hard time talking ourselves out of because of one reason or another. When we did find the right ones, it was like it was meant to be... right color, size, condition, etc..... We were able to bring them home, put them down and just stop thinking about whether they were right or wrong because they were perfect for us in every way. There was never any second guessing. I know there are rugs out there just waiting for you to find them. Don't exhaust yourselves trying to find one w/in a set time frame. Shop when you have the time and the energy. It may take months, or it may just take days... but please take your time and enjoy the journey. One more thing. Some dealers may seam snooty, and some may even BE snooty... but the good ones know their stuff and want you to be happy w/ your rug. Some will want to educate you and some won't want to bother. Never tell a dealer what your budget is as some will never show you any less than your upper range. If pressed, just say that you must keep it under $xxx, which should be less than you really are willing to spend. I look forward to seeing your future finds!

Jay, I'm so glad y'all are getting rain. The cold interfering in planting is unfortunate. Hopefully it will be the last really cold night. Bon, That's a lot of rain at once after y'all went without good rain for so long. I hope the ground doesn't stay too wet for too long. Ours is still just mud, mud, mud but I think that today's high temperature in the lower 80s with strong winds means we'll see some drying. They've dropped our chances of rain today and tonight down to 20% and I'm hoping the rain misses us so we can dry out a bit more. It is too bad we can't save this rain for June, July or August. Dawn