Thanks for all the compliments on the home, everyone! And thanks for all the great suggestions too. It won't be me putting them up... It'll be my SO. LOL He just doesn't know it yet. Mwoods, we live in Oklahoma City. We actually live just down the street from my parents and our house is one that I've always loved. And I agree with you about the people in Oklahoma... I can't imagine living anywhere else. Firstkim, I thought about your suggestion yesterday, actually. I will be starting out with all new lights and am now kicking myself that we discarded a bunch of old ones during our last move (not to this house, but the one before it). It's a brilliant idea though and I might ask around to see if anyone has any old burnt out bulbs. Someone also suggested electrical tape over the ones that I don't want to show. BTW, the house picture that I've posted is actually one from before we purchased the house. Everything's the same, but we did take the ivy off the front by the porch. It was already growing into the window and getting up under the siding under the porch!!! I was sad to see it go, but it was just too much potential for too much damage.

I started the seeds in February, but when I potted them up into the new Miracle Gro potting mix (they changed it) they didn't grow much at all (the old mix grows stuff very well). So they were very small to start with when I put them in the ground. I also have habs and Black Pearls that were started the same way - the habs are the same size as the bhuts and one of the Black Pearls is bigger than the rest. Then I have bell peppers that I started much later, sometime in March, but I potted them up into the old MG potting mix and they grew fast and now they're blooming. So I blame MG for making a crappy new potting mix formula and I hope my Bhuts set some fruit before the end of the season. All my plants are in-ground now, in fact they have been since early May.

Lynn,I checked eBay and the F & F site and didn't see your bowl. It must be an older pattern. Sure is pretty and I think you got a great deal on it. I noticed on their site they are having a lot of sales, and things half priced. Here's the link if anyone wants to browse. I looked thru everything, LOL. Saw a big Fall leaf dish I thought was gorgeous, am still thinking about that. hugs, Karen Here is a link that might be useful: Fitz and Floyd

I have an "EPI", so called Mexican Orchid that DSIL left on the side of the house when he & family went to Okinawa.....I didn't want it. It is beautiful and in California Central Valley it thrived, outdoors in a covered screened patio. It has been here in So. Or now for 12 years and it has survived, but only on its' own terms. It used to bloom on Mothers' Day.....and today it (needs to be put in the garage) has 24 buds that need another warmer month to bloom. Every year it has been more prolific and I think we have 4 huge cocoa baskets that cascade a couple of feet. When we move it for winter, we usually lose some of the growth that I can't throw away, so every year I have many new starts to share. We leave it in the garage winters, with only light from the windows in the garage doors, and it survives our long absences while we do our snowbird thing, being gone 6 to 8 weeks with no water. It turned out to be one of my favorite things...and yet I don't really "know" much about it.