sockmonkeyz6: Submersible pumps are not as efficient, but are easier to use: simple install - drop it in and run the tubing to your filter, falls, etc. Out of pond will require prefiltering or it too can clog, this filtering typically consisting of settling chamber > strainer before the pump. Out of pond pumps usually can be optioned with a strainer that fits in the pump suction port. But the entire arrangement is different if you are simply setting the submersible pump in the pond w/o a skimmer. Out of pond pumps NORMALLY rely on a skimmer and (usually) a bottom drain to draw water out. The "typical" flow for Out of pond arrangment: Skimmer/Bottom Drain > setting chamber > strainer/mechanical filter > pump > more filters including finer mechanical & bio filters. You can do an out of pond w/o skimmer & BD, but just need a large screened inlet over the suction line to keep big chunk & fish friends out. PLUS maybe a way to prime it (getting deeper and deeper i know). There are of course many variation to this flow and even more opinions. But for your situation, sounds like the elevation trick (inverted basket) is a good quick fix.

Loved #2, but no doubt you'll end up with something you love even more. We had our heart set on a house that was a foreclosure. Even got friendly with the next door neighbor and gave our number so she could call us as soon as the house was put on the market. She called the minute the sign went up outside and we put in the very 1st offer, and the bank told our realtor it was a good offer (and all cash at that) and we would be getting the house. Well it turned into a bidding war and we also couldn't keep up. We were heartbroken. But within 2 months we found our current home, which turned out to be even better and was a price we could afford.

To answer your question regarding mixing window treatments..Yes, absolutely you can mix curtain styles and unify the look with using same fabric or shape. Is this your home? I might suggest painting the window molding white to not attract so much attention to all the windows. I think an attractive solution to the quarter round windows is to mount an upholstered valance/lambrequin on the top portion of window giving the window shape a overall rectangle appearance. It is a DIY project that is relatively simple. You could choose a bold stripe or print and drapery panels in a coordinating solid for your other windows. I like the color of the ones pictured. I think your drapery rod height is fine. It is really a cute place. Good luck.

I have enjoyed this thread so much! I love seeing everyone's homes and where they spend there time when not in the garden. I enjoy renovating and decorating almost as much as gardening. We have an old farmhouse (first a strawberry farm, then a Christmas tree farm) we have been renovating over the last 15 or so years. It has been a labor of love! Also, I plan my garden from the windows of the house...house and garden go hand in hand for me. I couldn't have one without the other. During gardening season, my house is usually more cluttery....but my mom came for a visit and I snapped these pics yesterday before she arrived (and I had tidied up!) This is our living room, which we haven't renovated yet. This music room used to be an old porch, which was enclosed by the previous owner. The view from these french doors is of an arch set in the middle of a boxwood hedge...the future home of my Florence Bowers Pink Tea rose! The dining room is one of the rooms that is almost finished. I just had this Laura Ashley wallpaper hung which I love! Here is the little dining nook in our newly renovated kitchen. Those are Pearly Gates roses on the table :) Here is the kitchen, which we renovated in 2013. I love to bake, so I have the marble on the island. I also do a lot of dishes...hence the huge sink! The wood counters on the sink wall were made from old Douglas Fir trees on our property. The french doors look out onto the back garden. There is another set on the other side of the stove. Everyone, and I mean everyone, tried to talk me out of these doors in my kitchen. But I wanted the garden to almost be an extension of the kitchen, and when the doors are open on a summer day it is! I don't miss the cabinet space at all! This kitchen is a Gardenweb kitchen....that's how I discovered this site: during the renovation (or actually, just before). I designed it with the help of all the amazing people on the kitchen forums. Without that forum it never would have turned out so well! I would love to post more pics, but something is wrong with my computer this morning...so I will have to do it later when my husband is home :)