Thanks for the quick response, Nancy! Actually, the bags I bought were on sale for 1.95 each, whereas the MG Potting Mix was 7.95 for a 2 cu. ft. bag *sigh* Like a dork, I thought I was buying something "better", AND saving a few bucks in the process...it figures, I made a newbie error. Probably the first of many *giggle* I'll probably hang onto them, maybe store them in the garage. One of the bags broke when I took it out of the trunk, so now all three are muddy and messy; I'm sure I'll find a use for the soil somewhere. Thanks again for your help, it is much appreciated! Susan in Kansas

sue - yeah, we go to the beach all winter long too - weekend here and a weekend there. Someday I hope we have a house there. The beach is beautiful all year - the entire maine/nh coast is beautiful all year though. It's the most beautiful place in the world - Nubble on a stormy day with the water crashing up? The giant mansions that line the coast in Rye? (we used to "pick" out those houses as kids, which were mine, which were my brothers) But I'm a summer beach girl at heart and to walk around with sand between my toes and the sun out, and a good outside shower at the end of the day...ahhhh...and the smell of the marsh at night and the sound of the waves...

You picked the colors because you liked them. You said no to red because you do not like it, therefore, don't do it just because everyone expects to see a red door or a black one. I like the door color, matches your steps. Do you realize you have 6 different colors all competing for attention. The shutters draw your attention up. The two white strips draw your attention to the sides of the door. The large spaces between the door and the windows are blank, which makes your light fixtures look too small. Your #16 is all alone in all that white. And your door hardware is taking away from the door because it is the only thing of that color. Picky me. You could paint the brown of the sidelights and that second strip of white,the color of the upper shutters. You could add larger light fixtures, move them over at least 6" and down maybe two shingles to help fill in the blank walls. You should be able to see the house color all around the light fixture. #16 could stand alone as is, but I do wonder if it would look good with a painted scroll on either side or some favorite symbol. stars,sun, moon, horoscope signs, animals, in the door and house colors set above the white vertical woodwork on either side of the door. Or you could write out Sixteen in black, maybe your whole street address. Lastly the door hardware should be black to coordinate with the #16, plant pots and light fixtures. Aren't I wonderful I say do it your way and then change everything. Your house, your money, your taste first. Someone has to do something different otherwise all the houses would look the same and who wants that. Start a new trend. Have fun, Betty

I'm sorry to say you will need to pay the price for the family's 'opinion trap' they laid out for you. All flooring companies (on-line or otherwise) charge a restocking fee. The common amount is 25%. I've seen it as low as 10%...but that is really rare. Shipping costs are 'built in' the cost of shipping if they sold you on 'Free Shipping'. As soon as you wish to return the flooring, you must pay for shipping to get it back to them. If they are REALLY nice about it, they will use their SUBSTANTIAL discount (the more they ship, the more the carriers offer in discounts) on your behalf. If you have to ARRANGE and pay for the shipping yourself (pick a carrier yourself..no rate discount...no insurance against damage...etc) you might be paying thousands of dollars to get it back to the warehouse. As a former flooring sales person, I know all the issues with return shipping. A 'residential' pick up (requires power tailgate = rare) is very expensive (full price = $250). A discounted 'residential pick up' is $150. If you need your shipment 'wrapped' up, you will pay the full price to wrap a pallet ($80 is common). If the flooring company offers you their best rate, the cost of a pallet wrap drops to $40. The freight charges (from your city to the warehouse location) without discount can be as high as $2500 for a single skid of flooring (2,000 lbs max weight for these pallets before they break). A flooring company might offer you their rate for a measly $600 (includes fuel surcharge). Of course it depends on the lane as well. Expensive lanes are the BUSY lanes. Supply and demand means lanes that have TOO MUCH FREIGHT and NOT ENOUGH TRUCKS carry heavy fees. The lanes that have 'dead head' runs (empty trucks on the return to base) have very cheap lanes. And you are not always guaranteed your money back. The boxes must be UNOPENED and in ORIGINAL CONDITION. And they must be inspected (can take another week) before you get your money returned to your Credit Card. Whew! I love logistics! So many variables! Personally I would figure out the amount you will get back (per square foot) and then try to SELL the flooring locally on Craigslist for a snick more money. I would bet you would be able to do it very easily. And you will lose less money in the long run.