We had a Pride for my mother, also. Pride is one of the leading manufacturers, tho certainly not the only one. Her chair is fabric, so a pad was necessary. the pad also helps with shifting position while the person is sitting. My mother, also, was fearful of being raised up in the chair. One caution----take care that the control is not in the chair beside the person. Pressure on the switch can cause it to lift when you are out of the room...dangerous in my mother's case. Medicare will reimburse for the cost of the motor IF the person can walk unassisted once he/she is on her feet. If he needs assistance of another person to walk, they will not reimburse. If you get the model that reclines (almost all the way back), it will be easier to change depends, etc without transferring back to the bed. Also allows napping on the side. Our chair was well worth the $$. DerryW

Thanks Judith, I really wanted to find cabbages to use on a wreath and on the ledge more like the one inspiration photo you shared--but Michael's little cabbages were $4.99 each, and I didn't get a chance to get to Kirklands to see if they had bigger ones. Maybe for next year. The greenery in the middle and two of these bunnies reside in this window allot of the time--I have most of my bunnies out somewhere in the house all year. I have been partial to white ones, but after seeing the gorgeous brown one you and Tam have--I may change my mind! ;o) Luvs

As others have mentioned, look at the actual stock, not just the boards. In fact, I like to buy from warehouses where they stock. I urge them to walk me through to the pallets and pick out the stone myself. Here is a crazy idea but it is common in other countries. Lets say you want to buy marble tiles. You negotiate a price (usually higher) where you get to choose each tile from the boxes they have. If the store does it for you, it is called Select. Or you do the selection yourself. Another strategy is to ask how much restocking cost is. Then buy double of what you need, keep the best pieces. Return the rest for the small penalty of restocking. In other words, never go by board samples :)

Random thoughts, Violet.West, My personal take is that the primary reason people did not care for the home posted is that is it not currently on trend. I link below to the current issue of AD, which I have only perused briefly, for comparison. I think of the layered look as very Mario Buatta, and befitting Park Avenue matrons. Most people would rather not be a matron, and not be on Park Ave anymore. (most) I think the term "display of wealth" is an interesting one for decor, since relatively fewer people see your home (especially your entire home) than say, your car, or your watch. Especially, say, your MBA. So I am not always so sure you are looking at spaces created with the intent for "display", per se. Homes appear in AD primarily because the businesses involved in creating them want advertising; typically they pitch a home to the mag. Also, even for rooms or situations where people do wish to "display" something, it may not be wealth they wish to convey. Are they conveying wealth or class or lineage or worldliness or good taste or hipness or sophistication or success or cleverness? Those are all good possibilities. Or, are they just "keeping up with the neighbors". OR, hey, maybe they are not conveying anything much at all, just making places they feel comfortable in and enjoy looking at. I think we all agree that there is no good reason to mention the cost of anything, unless asked, and then one can always demur. Some people will ask the darndest things. The same people will ask to tour your home, which I used to find flattering but now I feel it is odd, other than close friends, and avoid it. OTOH, I do think that on an anonymous forum, any thing that might be useful is fine. Cost is very germane to decor of course. It is part of the educational process. More than once I posted specifically to ask if the cost of something seemed reasonable. In a business so rife with high markups and unscrupulous behavior, it is nice to have an unbiased source on your side. It's also nice to see what other people spend, to help establish your own guidelines. I am not sure there is any particular use to blanket statements about new wealth vs old, or about charitability by income bracket. I observe what I perceive as tackiness in all walks and lineage. I think a responsibility to give (and do) for others is a basic human obligation for all of us. One thing I greatly applaud is the integration of service learning into public school curricula, which I think is relatively new. It needs to be inculcated in everyone that service is just something that all citizens do. As for reveals, the only reveals I find offputting are people who have never posted before. I really like reveals of rooms that people have posted on over time. I find it interesting and satisfying, as well as inspirational. I appreciate any information, including costs, that people share. As for money and happiness. Money creates opportunities and helps to remove or lessen many of life's stresses. It is silly IMHO to claim otherwise. Does it mean the well to do never have a drinking problem or a broken family? Of course not. But what makes people happy? Certainly not money per se. I think I have mentioned this before, but I will again because I think it is such a useful concept. Most people spend a good deal of their energy and time on big goals. Say, for exampel, they want a newer, nicer, bigger, house. They will spend a lot of effort and time and money toward that big prize. However, research shows, that big changes, good OR bad, bring a spike of emotion, but then are rather quickly assimilated into your level of happiness, and become the new status quo. We've all probably BTDT. Whereas, small things, experienced frequently, raise your overall level of happiness throughout time. So,experts say, if you want to be happier, don't plan a 4 week vacation. Instead, go see a movie once a week. Don't buy a new house. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers every Friday. FWIW Here is a link that might be useful: May 2014 AD