I agree with both of the above that you would do best to choose the brick for the house color first, and not for the plants. Your new taupe isn't the same as the old taupe? Your word descriptions wonÂt help. For example, if that dark grey tone in the first description tends to be blue-toned, it might look awful with the taupe, which may have mauve tints or olive tints. Borrow or buy several bricks in each color you are considering. If you buy them, you can probably return them for a restocking fee. It's worth it. In short, do whatever you can to see large samples of siding or paint that matches siding, and bricks, on site. Maro

If you have recipes that you like that contain beans, try substituting green peas or chick peas for the beans - you could even prepare 2 1/2 batches and add beans to your portion. (How does he feel about lentils?) Get creative with grains! They are so easy. Cous cous, different rices, risotto - you can do a zillion one dish meals with them. You could add prepared meat (e.g.,cooked shrimp) to his portion before serving. Everything that you do with pasta you can do with grains. Lots of meat eaters love wild rice - it is really satisfying. I make the rice and while it is cooking saute thinly sliced celery and mushrooms in a little butter, mix with the cooked rice, pour in baking dish, bake at 350 for 15 minutes (or even longer) - yum! You can experiment on this theme with any grain - the little bit of baking seems to "marry" everything together. Veggie casseroles can be prepared in advance and frozen. I find that freezing in general helps my diet and wallet so that I don't eat unhealthy expensive food out all the time. Making a big batch of artichoke tomato pasta sauce is just as easy as a little one - just freeze in the little bags made for this purpose in the correct portions. Same for soups. Don't forget that old standby, the crock pot. You can make a very hearty stew with potatoes, onions, great bean-less chili for a different taste. Throw everything in the post before you go to work, turn on low or med, dinner is ready when you get home. Polenta pie is super quick and delicious: make your polenta in the pot, stir in any thing you want - diced red/orange/yellow peppers, garlic, jalapenos, a little cheese, any spices, anything not too watery or that wouldn't go with cornmeal. When it's cooked, pour into a greased glass pie pan, sprinkle top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese melts. Cut like pie and serve with salad that you make while the polenta is baking. I agree that the prepared (frozen, etc.) vegetarian foods are just as junky as non-veg. Have you ever looked at the sodium contents? Got this off another website: Vegan "Meatloaf" 1 package of frozen TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein- Ground beef imitation type such as "GimmeLean") 1 bell pepper, diced 1 medium onion (or according to taste) 1 egg OR equivelent in egg-replacer Approx. 1.5 cups of bread-crumbs (Add as you feel needed) A lot of ketchup (the more the better) Defrost TVP. Hand-mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Put in casserole dish, mold to dish. Add more ketchup to cover sides and top( like cake icing). Bake for 1 hour (or until the veggies are tender). Note: When served, it may fall apart, or crumble. This "meatloaf" is best with corn and mashed potatoes on the side! Personally, I love to cook and be creative with food - it really relaxes me. Perhaps since time is a factor, you can start to prepare meals together if you already don't. It's a nice way to be together after a day of work. (If your...

Thanks for the info on the recliners, golfergirl. My dad is redoing his apartment and we looked at those recliners on Tuesday. He fell in love with them and will most likely be getting one. It's nice to get a real-life review. Btw, you have a fantastic space to work with! Beautiful fireplace wall. I agree with someone above who said don't put everything against the walls, pull them in to create a sitting area . And the table under the TV is a great idea, but you are correct in that you need something much bigger, "heavier" in order to anchor them together. There are some very talented people on this forum. You'll end up with a beautiful space with their help. Good luck!

Thank Sims Luxury Builders! My DH has agreed to let me choose the sofa color so the first choice is charcoal gray. The problem I am having is we want a sectional and it has to be relatively small (about 100 x 70) with a left side chaise. Ideally we want leather upholstery to stand up to our kids. And...... it needs to be "cool" and not a typical oversized ugly sectional. All of these "conditions" is leaving me with not too many choices unless I get it custom made. I can find black sectionals that fit all of this better than dark gray. Dark gray seems to be mostly fabric and not leather. If I can convince DH to go for hard wearing fabric then that may work. I also have found places to make a custom sofa for me with prices comparable to ready made. DH is a bit leery of this though (quality wise). On another note, our drywall guy has extended his start date twice now. Suppose to start today and now supposed to start Monday. Grrrrrr...