Howdy All, This thread has grown!! Laura, And all this time I thought Serissa's were slow-growers. One month later, and your babies are tall and full. How much pinching will be done? Also, are you planning on seperating or allowing each plant to grow in the same pot? You mentioned you wanted Serissa to resemble a tree. Laura, people are never satified..One might feel a family/friend gathering having fun is a wonderful event while another will call the police and claim their neighbor is distubring the peace. 'Their' nosy peace. Aw, son wants a ski trip. Actually, I don't blame him, but I agree, a trip is expensive. If he contributes, it'd be a lot less stress on everyone. Congrats on your sons graduation...you must be one proud mom! I guess, if you plan on buying him graduation and Christmas presents, the ski trip would account for both occasions..plus his contribution, of course. :) Oh God, Laura, your Orchid is absolutely gorgeous! Bi-colored flowers are striking. I can't really see foliage; which variety is the orchid? Oh, before I forget, and if I didn't mention this before..one time dh and I built a model plane called Black Widow...P-61..Are you familiar with P-61, kit plane? Actually, it was dh's project, he did a fantastic job. Well, the plane was set on top of a nice shelf, centered in the middle. About a year later, for some oddball reason, our cat decided to jump on the shelf. Down went the plane..no, it didn't glide, it broke. I've never seen dh so angry! For a second I thought he'd kill our poor cat, but thankfully, he didn't..he did yell at him though..lol. Laura, do you fertilize orchids in bud/bloom? JoJo....awww, Goober is sooo affectionate..He's aching for your attention..:) 'mom, don't play w/that machine..I'm more important.' lol. I think Goldfish tends to bloom more in summer, but since mine hasn't even put out a bud, maybe someone else knows the correct answer. lol Oh JoJo, your dh made the mistake of his life, opening the door, thankfully to your advantage. Woohoo! ") Sales, sales, where are the sales??? lol. I love Clydesdales..They're most beautiful..the horse posted in a real stud. Love Cyldes legs and feet... JoJo, you're a very attractive woman. Your son is so cute..He'll make one handsome man in the future. After a third browse, I just realized how huge that plane is. Oh, you're going to move Goober? lol. SS. I love your sense of humor..In fact, funny people are great talking to..happy and care-free..Well, most of the time anyway..It's too bad life wasn't care-free.. As long as you don't mind people discussing plants or other topics on your thread, we'll continue chatting..planes, trains and automobiles.:) Thanks for allowing me to set the bar...lol. Hey, so far so good. I swear, when misting plants, I check Jades..and each day more new growth appears. One Crassula is in another room, 'warmer/south window,' as an experiment...Don't inspect that guy as much. It's up high. Seems when I move a plant, it's like Domino's. One plant knocks down another, which turns into a bloody mess. Or is it muddy mess. lol. Wait, I thought you trimmed your variegated Jade? Now, I'm clueless..lol. I used to visit C&S's daily, now I check once in a while..even though I think I have more succulents than tropicals.. Every so often I'll post a thread, 'ask questions,' or look at pics..I LOVE MeyerMike's JAdes....Those colors! But, you're right. I got the idea cutting Jade/s back when someone ordered a huge Jade trunk on Ebay, then posted on C&S. There's so much to learn on the forums..you know? Yep, we can sit down, relax, 'you drink coffee, I'll have tea,' then you can tell me the story about your sink. lol Is it plugged up? I hope not..it's a pain unscrewing pipes, then trying to remove dirt, stones, whatever. As careful as I am when showering/soaking plants, it never fails..leaves/stones/soil ends up down the drain. I love ST, but did the price increase? I usually buy pints..It went from 20 to 34.00.!!!! Don't know what to do..In my case, it's uneconomical buying 2-4oz bottles. If you're serious about the scoop, I'll take it, but please let me know the price of postage.. Hoarders. lol. I save all types of valuables, 'some would deem junk,' for plants..Especially trays, plastic domes, and jars. Buying a brand name or even generic item would really shrink a wallet, so why not stock up?? lol. Have a great wkend...Toni

This sounds like more of a communications problem than a problem with a builder who is trying to bilk anyone. When we signed our build contract it included mutually-agreed allowances for items like floor coverings, plumbing and lighting fixtures, etc. These dollar figures were needed because there was a construction loan and the bank wanted to know the total price of the finished house. However, there was no doubt that these were not firm figures until we picked out specific products. Our builder also made it clear that from the loan perspective these allowances were "not to exceed" numbers because the loan did not cover anything more. We could choose more costly items and provide a check up front for the difference, or we could make cheaper choices and he would track them as credits. He did not treat these as change orders unless we changed the number or type of items installed. His view was that installing a $100 bathroom fixture was usually the same as installing a $500 bathroom fixture. However, something like switching from tile to hardwood would have been a change order, since the floor prep and installation labor would have been much different. Bruce

Yea, I screwed up...what can I say. What's done is done -- what I need to deal with now is getting my money back if he actually doesn't come through by the end of the week and I cut him loose. Small claims in my state is $6K, so it's within the limits. I wish I would have put it on a card rather than paying by check, I might have had more recourse there. Sounds like this is not going to be easy. I'm curious -- why do you think he is hurting financially? I'd also like to know if I have a leg to stand on if I tell him to take a hike. I don't know what the norm is here in the stone business. He's not out any money for the slab yet, only time and labor for the demo work he did - which I'll pay him for at the price we agreed on. I am really glad I had him adjust the paperwork when I saw him at the stoneyard to reflect the change in granite, just in case I do have to take him small claims (if I even have a case).

We recently bought a mattress so did quite a bit of research. Latex - true latex - is the coolest but also the heaviest. As we have a CA King bed a latex mattress would be seriously heavy! I like a firm mattress for my back but you are right that 'firm' can be a little too 'firm'! We settled for a hybrid spring, so I purchased a latex mattress pad as a topper. Latex does tend to be very firm, so "soft" in a latex is more equivalent to "medium" in other pads. I went for a 3" pad, and although I sleep "hot" have had no trouble with it retaining heat, unlike the previous two Stearns & Foster mattresses we had. I do think the latex has lived up to the claims that it is cooler than foam or even gel-foam cushioning. I'd recommend getting a cover for it - makes it much easier to handle.