Ci, he admited that he installed it knowing that the back was separating from the box. He thought it would be "fine" since it's the back of a "well built" cabinet (Omega does make great boxes). That might have been the case, if it had been an upper cabinet, or perhaps a lighter duty cabinet, but it is a 36" wide cabinet with three rollouts which are mounted on shelves. If the back isn't totally attached, than the side bows out, and the shelves fall. And, it turns out that the clips that I thought were put in to stablize the shelves, were actually just shipping clips and are not meant to be used. SO in the end, the cabinet should have been returned instead of installed as was, but Omega also has some blame because the whole system wasn't terribly well designed. Omega confirmed that the stablizers weren't correct, and that did make the problem much worse. I found another cabinet last night that is in our bay window seat (which will never be finished). He removed the entire back of the cabinet, and pulled the front away from the box while trying to get the drawer out. He should have just reordered it, but he was going to install it as it is...and that is also a big no no. Omega wouldn't have warranted it if it was installd like that. So now that has to be ordered again as well :( Ehhh well, honestly it's not that bad. We love the home, we just want it done! On a bright note, I'm meeting with the blinds guy today for a bid on our window coverings (I'm making the silk drapery, but want black out blinds behind, and bamboo blinds in the kitchen and library). So what do you think the bid will be???? LOL We're guessing (DH and I). I think it's going to creap up to $10,000.....is that possible? Oh well I'll find out (I have a knack? nack? penchant, for picking the most expensive stuff, even without seeing the price tag...it's a "gift" that is often painful LOL)

I don't recieve food stamps and never have. I wouldn't know if someone in the store was using them or their own cash. That being said I agree the system is not run correctly. My husband is almost 68 and has always been a hard worker but weeks ago he became very ill and had to stop working. We are raising our grandsons ages 7&8 . For the first time in our lives we ask the state for help for groceries. We went into the assistance office and filled out papers and submitted doctors letters..we were denied any help..they said my husband will return to work eventually in the next month and we will have an income again. I could not believe this, my husband has always been a hard worker supporting his family and yet we could get no help to feed these children..I am so sick of the struggle this month and to ask for help after a life of never doing so to be turned down...words can't even describe the feeling of ...no where to turn....so who does get help? Old people can't get it after a life of hard dedicated work to feed children. ..who does get the help? Drug addicts? Young able bodied? Who?

bossyvossy is on to something. Maybe it is time to change out the carpet & padding. I would take that suggestion. Honestly, when I've lived in apartments, people walking around didn't bother me. It was actually a bit comforting when I was a new momma & my husband was out of town or at work nights. It was nice to know someone was upstairs. I have a two story house now, and sometimes I hear the kids upstairs walking around. Of course that doesn't bother me. The ONLY thing that bothered me with someone living above me in an apt. was a guy that used to play his guitar really loud. Just any loud music. Not even the tv bothered me if I ever heard it. Just the boom, boom, boom of music. Luckily this younger generation would rather listen to music, watch tv/laptops/tablets/phones with earphones. Maybe your neighbors just need to rent/buy a house or something if they can't get used to hearing someone walking above them. You never know what bothers people. You could cook hamburgers and they might complain about the smell.....hang in there :)

"People coming from Russia at that time did not often want it to be thought they might be communists" maifleur, I've read dozens of books on 20th century US and European history and this narrative you keep repeating differs from what I've read. The US didn't immediately warm up to the new Soviet Union for geopolitical reasons as much as anything. When Lenin took power in 1917, he withdrew the country from active conflict. That allowed Germany to concentrate its forces on the Western front (where the allies and ultimately the US were fighting). On the other hand, anti-German sentiment was quite strong some time earlier because of the war (started in 1914, renaming of Kitchener was in 1916 just as one of many examples). The Soviet regime was new and in the early years, few Americans knew much about it. The Germans were severely punished by the Treaty of Versailles and not forgiven by the western powers anytime before WW2 started. If you had a choice in the teens to 40s of being known as having German or Russian ancestors, most would have chosen Russian. It would be wrong to not mention that Germany (West Germany through the fall of the wall) was the bulwark of the West during the Cold War and has served as the anchor point and foundation of European recovery, peace and prosperity for the last 60+ years. And continues to function as that foundation.