I had about 6 wasps making a nest under the eave of my back patio for the past month or so. My patio is enclosed with windows so I didn't feel the need to disturb them and enjoyed watching them built their next and seeing it grow bigger each day. Last week, by the time they had about 4 little eggs in the holes of the nest, I went out in the morning to see the nest gone and laying on the ground! The landscaper for the hoa found it and knocked it down sometime that morning. I even saw some spray residue on my window. I was pretty pissed and upset for those poor wasps. Now a week later, there's 3 wasps left and they've started a new nest, but only a very tiny ball...much smaller than the original nest and they seem to be just hanging off it. They're hardly moving at all and I feel so sorry for them. Are they dying because it's late in the season and they don't have the energy to start a whole new nest? I feel so badly for them. They're just clinging to the tiny new nest and each other and hardly moving at all. Are they grieving? Dying? I wish I could help the poor little things. I have another nest in the front on the inside the porch light. Landscaper obviously hasn't seen that one (hopefully never does!) and I pass it pretty close when entering and exiting my house daily. They never bother me and I don't bother them.

Thank you for your observations. I love new perspectives on our old space! Blfenton: We also have a finished basement, so we have plenty of 'living' space. The dining room is not used at all--that�s why our main goal was to add that unused space to our kitchen--it is the space that everyone gathers in. From the front door, you can enter the kitchen through the dining room, or go straight through a hallway to enter the great room on the left, kitchen/nook area on the right. Our house is also 10 years old, and the appliances are showing signs of not lasting much longer. A leak in the kitchen faucet last spring stained a cabinet that needs sanded down/replaced...The kitchen has always been cramped, but now we've decided to try to use the space we already have to improve! Gooster: At this point, I'm open to anything! I have considered combining the laundry room and mud room, and moving around the pantry, 12 feet just isn't enough space in width! Our main entrance for a family is the garage. The mudroom is where all shoes, coats, backpacks, etc live, so it must be located directly from the garage entrance. We live in a wooded area and frequently bring in mud, leaves, dirt, snow, etc. Love the pic you posted with the windows�lovely! Dilly_NY: Moving the kitchen to the front of the house has been tossed around. If it's a nice enough looking kitchen, seeing it from the front door wouldn't be a problem. Then, the dining space would be in the middle and sitting area at the back? Here's a photo of the kitchen, looking toward the door.

I forgot about this thread! Paintgal... Is your RL "Merlot"-color a Flat? DEEP tones in many Flats will burnish fairly easily. Reason: There's SO MUCH pigment relative to the "coarser" binder-resin that's inherent to a "Flat" paint. Paints with more of a sheen resist this better. >>> I'm assuming it's been dry/cured for some time??? RedB... >>> Make sure you let your paint cure a day or so b4 a load of steam hits it!! >>> What sheen did you get?? >>> FULL cure for washing is 1 MONTH. I know Decorpas post was over a yr. ago, but we've NEVER had THAT complaint!!! ...but then again...we're using the ACTUAL RL paint/ACE formulas...not getting it matched down into Super-spec or something...like some painters feel the need to do... >>> Our RL colors are spot-on! >>> Many customers need to make sure they SPECIFY the ACTUAL BRAND APPLIED in their painting contracts...IF that's what they desire. >>> Then there's no doubt about the colors/result. >>> If colors or tones seem off...it's NOT the store's fault. It's usually a contractor who just took a liberty to match into "their preferred paint"... I've heard this statement b4... "We applied the color they wanted & it looks off..." We dug a little deeper, and lo and behold...it wasn't actual RL paint used! (I wonder why I have "some" gray hair...;-)) Faron

For heaven's sake, take it up with the people who ordered the survey, not the poor girl who was only trying to make a few dollars! Well, at least the poor girl can let her superior know just what problems she encountered due to the poor wording. When I have dealt with such things with poor girls I always did so in a super nice manner, let them know that I realized the confusion in the wording was not their fault, and asked that they convey the problem to a superior. Chances are that the poor girls are not paid enough 'to care' though, as seen in so many low wage jobs. If other folks responding to the survey did not have a problem with the ill worded questions, they were A. Not quick enough to see them as trick ill worded questions that could be taken more than one way B. Did not care or C. Did not have or take the time to think before responding. Thus....thousands of someone's dollars just wasted. It is particularly sad when it is the taxpayer's dollars that are wasted. Just my 2 cents..... Sue