I take the easy route~I don't use 'em. I started buying the netting stuff on a spool~I think I paid $4.99 for 25 yds. at HL. You normally find it in the 'wedding isle' at most craft stores, in white and cream~it's made in little circles for making favors also. You can get any color you want, but I always use pink~this year I added lime green. I like the fact that I can reuse it several times, and not just for Christmas~it sure makes gift wrapping easy, also. I keep several colors on hand. ;o)

Wood absorbs moisture and it changes shape because of that. Wide wood has the potential for more movement than narrow wood. Minor cupping in summer where you do not have air conditioning is to be expected as 100% normal. Wood requires humidity control if it is to be held in a steady state without either cupping or shrinking. It should be installed in a climate controlled building after being allowed to acclimate to the moisture conditions of that building with the climate control on. The building, subfloor and the wood itself should be tested with a moisture meter before install. If too much moisture is present, either in the environment or in the flooring, you must wait until they equalize before installation. Your typical contractor is BAD at "just waiting" until things resolve themselves, ans so they typically install flooring without ever have tested the moisture content of anything. Thus, you can have cupping occur almost immediately when dry hardwoods are installed in a moist non climate controlled home. (In the winter, it can be the reverse. You have relatively moisture stabilized wood being installed into a dry home and it gaps.) The biggest problem with wide plank wood floors and non conditioned environments is that you can end up with fairly large gaps between the boards when winter rolls around. The swelling of the wood in summer leads to "edge crush" along the edges where the boards meet and can't expand, so the wood fibers are crushed, leading to even larger gaps in the winter. It's especially aggravated when the floor was installed in the time of highest humidity and there is no humidifier running in the winter. Climate control your home, and it will minimize many problems associated with the annual humidity cycle---not just the floor cupping. You'll have less seasonal movement between walls, and less gapping of moldings in winter. Your whole house will live easier. You also need to control any humidity infiltration into your home. Moisture is the enemy of any home and you need to do all you can to keep it out. Crawlspaces should be sealed, and basements should have drainage systems installed and run dehumidfiers to a sump pump. Preferably, the slab below the basement should have been installed onto a vapor barrier rather than bare soil. It's required in all new builds these days, even in the little hick place I'm from. Gutters and downspouts should be routed away from the home, and you should make sure that the proper site grading is done to move water away from the home. All of this has an effect on not just your floors, but the rest of your home's wood skeletal structure.

I enjoy seeing anyone's decorations--from the sophisticated to the truly tacky. We appreciate that someone took the time, spent the money to do something to brighten their house for the season. However, here's my idea of Christmas tacky. A house had a lawn full of inflatables--loads of them. BUT they apparently weren't paying their electric bill. DH (a utility company collector) had to go out to the house and cut the service. Causing all the figures (which were inflated during the day) to whoosh to their demise. He actually got a kick out of seeing it, I'm afraid. Still, I do think it's pretty tacky to spend money on decorations when you can't afford to provide your family with the necessities of life.

Agree, pretty house & congrats! A wreath on the front doors (looks like you could do two, hard to tell but it looks like a double door?). Agree with Mary, some lights on those front hedges (they sell white netting lights at Walmart or Home Depot that are so easy, you just lay them over the shrub like a blanket). I'd also place a planter with evergreens or some birch tree logs/branches wrapped in a festive red bow against the stone wall between your garage doors. Also sold at Home Depot and if you remove the bow after Xmas, you can keep it there all winter.