Greetings fellow dirt lovers. I have the opposite of a green thumb. Orange? Black? Not sure but, I was lucky enough to grow up on Hawaii where the gardens simply grew all around me. I never put a thought into how they got or stayed there. I moved to the mainland when I was 17 so never had my own garden. Now, as an adult, living in northern California (I think it's zone 9? Not sure...Humboldt County), I have NO idea how to grow anything with gusto. Well, I may have gusto, but, my poor flowers usually only make it a few months at their best. I am lucky, lucky, lucky enough to have inherited a beautiful garden with the home we bought last summer. Roses in the front walk, Lillys, tulips, daisy's, and....ummm....many others that I have no idea the name of. I have many questions, but, my first begins with::::::WEEDS. When we bought the house, it was pristine, of course. Now, fall has fallen, winter has frozen, and spring has sprung. The lilly's and roses and flowering vines are SO beautiful. And surrounded with weeds. How can I deal with a full acre of this without breaking my back?

countrycottageklutz, this is what I have been learning... Seal the stone- do your best to keep it out of the grout lines, I have read that a paint pad works well, Bill told me in a recent question of mine: As for the grout sticking, believe me-- I wouldn't worry about it. Take a piece of tile, seal it, and let it sit for a day and dry. Then put a smear of grout on the face of it, and let THAT dry for a day. Then see if you can remove the grout. The sealer only slows down the bond. It doesn't stop it completely. ( http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg011135464004.html ) Follow the directions for your sealer, make sure it works with your grout! Most of the tile folks will tell you that you don't need to seal the grout.... need vs. can... such a fine line :-) I am sure someone in the know will show up soon. Have you done some good reading on the forum on John Bridge... see link: Here is a link that might be useful: John Bridge: Cleaning Restoring and Sealing

Thanks so much for all the support! I didn't sleep much Wednesday night but I'm doing much better now. Of course, I still have to deliver another deposit to the builder (since we did so many upgrades and my finishes are anything but neutral). joyce_6333: We are indeed in Colorado Springs! We actually looked at building in Monument but it would have been at least $30,000 more and meant a longer commute to the airport for my husband so we decided to build in Northgate. We still get the beautiful views of the mountains and the AF Academy and a great school for the kids. (Someday, when it's just us, we may get to live in Monument.) One of the reasons we chose COS was the strong military presence. We weren't ready to leave our military "family" completely! Chicagoans: Our floorplan is set (since we are using a production builder); after A LOT of looking we were lucky enough to find a floorplan that is perfect for us. We have an open U shaped kitchen (with an island) which flows into a eating area and great room. We did upgrade to white cabinets with crown molding, a big bank of drawers and a pull out for pots and pans as well as a pull out by the sink for the trash/recycling bins. (That last made me ridiculously happy!) We're doing a white subway tile backsplash with a decorative strip of mosaic tile of white marble, frosted and white glass (in a linear shape rather than square) with black impala granite counters. We requested no standard hardware so we can install our own nickel cup pulls and hexagonal glass knobs. (I also used the mosaic on the fireplace surround in the great room.)I love the choices we made but I keep worrying that minor things like the grout colour (we had a choice of two whites) will ruin my expensive choices! shmeal: I have been faithfully reading the decorating, paint, kitchen and bath forums the last few days. This dream house has been a long time coming and I keep reminding myself I don't have to hurry (good thing, since we won't have much money at first!), that I don't have to do the usual "try and get everything decorated and done quickly so the family will feel settled right away." Before I never knew how long we'd be there.I don't have to worry about getting orders as soon as we get settled ever again! dekeoboe: I'm actually from the SF Bay Area and would have loved a Carmel-style cottage, too, but the plan we ended up with was more of a farmhouse. I love coastal homes and ended up choosing a mid tone grey for the siding with white trim, a black front door and dark grey roof so it just seemed very Nantucket to me! (I've seen some pictures of Nantucket homes with that colour scheme with aqua front doors, too, so maybe I can talk my husband into it when we upgrade the door down the line.) And I certainly know what I like after years of tear sheets in my dream house file, even if I can't get it all (like my smooth walls. I love in the land of knock down and it would have been outrageously expensive to do smooth walls.) Again, thank you all so much for the hand holding. I have a feeling I will need a lot of it before the end of next May!

Well, the tile is grouted, the vanity and countertop/sink/faucets/ tub shower head and tub thing are all in. Just need the mirror, lights, and finishing...........and it is painted in yosemite sand and it looks wonderful. I was still toying with the pale blue or tan, and decided to stop agonizing. As some wise forum members told me it is only paint. But it looks great. I am so happy. I will try to get some photos after the lights go in. (next I will be anguishing for guidance on my master bath which has been totally demo'd....... oh and did I mention that there was a leak from the bathroom so now the kitchen ceiling has a nice whole cut into it? (but it's all good. it all needed painting so no worried)