Wrens are pretty bold in the bird world. They frequently build nests really close to human activity, so they seem to know what they're getting in for when the babies come. Maybe they instinctively know their little ones will be safer from predators when they live so close to humans. I had a Carolina Wren INSIST on building her nest in my newly potted hanging baskets this year and even though I took out the nesting material every single day before it really got built, they kept at it. They KNEW I was there, that I knew they were there, and that I kept tearing the nest up on a regular basis. They still wouldn't stop. That says a lot. I took down that basket and put up an empty, with a bedding of loose dead geranium roots, then put their nesting material on top of that, hoping they'd accept it. They did. They finished it out the way they wanted and now their hanging basket is the closest to the steps and to the front door. They seem perfectly happy with it. After watching them from my yard as I worked, after a couple of weeks, it seemed they had abandoned it. I never saw them again. One evening, just at dusk, I tilted the basket to peek inside and scared the mother off the nest. Again... not a peep for days. I had to practically camp out at my living room window to catch one of them. I finally am seeing them again, regularly, as the little ones are keeping them extremely busy. They're flying in with lunch and out with fecal sacs all day long, but you never see them if you're out there. I wouldn't worry about your activity near their nest, like cleaning away spider webs. You wouldn't believe all the rowdy things I've done on that front porch since they moved in. They probably will have one or two more clutches, though, before winter, so you may want to set up an alternative nesting site and see if they'll accept it, if you want to use your front door again.

I know it's a little crazy but we have been light starved for 30 years so I couldn't help myself! and we are so lucky to have great views of the foothills behind us :) carolbarrel, the two tiered island idea is something i hadn't considered---not quite sure how to do it though.what were you thinking? electical outlets on both ends of island is a way good thought. thanks windows on east wall in kitchen are counter height so i could put window seats there or i can put sink and dishwasher there and also have some lower cabinet space. the window seats are especially appealing though, because up to this point i have only been thinking of counter or bar height seating at one of the islands. if i did put storage under the seats maybe i wouldn't be gving up too too much storage space. what do you think? would love to know if anyone has any experience with refrigerator drawers. the original plan to put refrigerator and an under the counter oven together would necessitate more bending than would be ideal (getting old sucks!!!)-.so i am wondering if using the same space and putting wall ovens (now i get 2 ovens) where i was thinking of putting fridge and then putting fridge drawers in one of the islands would make more sense. could always put a 2nd fridge just off kitchen in butler pantry area. are fridge drawers good for everyday adult use and not just snacky stuff? would having the "real" fridge out of the kitchen proper be a mistake? thanks again for the input ...and yes you are invited anytime :)

Here in the UK in the garden centres you can find the very common hostas sold bare rooted in a plastic bag surrounded with a bit of wood shavings, a pretty picture on the outside hanging from a peg next to Dahlia tubers. In Holland the Dutch wholesale growers dig the hostas from the field, wash, dry and divide into single divisions. They pack them in boxes of 50 and then freeze them until they receive an order. They are delivered in this state with instructions to allow them to defrost completely before planting. From what I recall freezing was in reality holding at -3 C. A couple of years ago I germinated some Hosta seed in flats fairly late in the season. Come winter I left them in the greenhouse totally dry for around 4 to 5 months. Spring time I watered them and back they came. I'm talking really tiny seedlings with barely two leaves! The only point I'm trying to make here is the ability of this plant to tolerate all kinds of conditions during dormancy. This year I plan to take a few duplicate plants once they die back, remove all the media and leave them dry on a bench in the garage till spring. I want to see if they can survive and grow on the next season. Dave

Gia, I totally feel your pain! And, with the the same color (kinda). Purples have to be one of the hardest colors to get right...and I didn't get it right :( I don't know if all purples have such multiple personalities or what but I can stand in my room and see 4 or 5 different colors at once :o Some I like, some I don't. And I'm not in love with the color during the bright daylight. I AM in love with it (now) in the evening with warm lighting. DH told me we could repaint it. The thought of going thru all that paint selection again (and not getting it right, again), moving the furniture and now having to make sure the carpet was protected..yuck! If I'm not going to repaint, I'm going to have to accept it's not the "look" I was going for but I do like it. Just have to mentally change lanes. In my defense (and a precaution), the paint I used didn't get mixed like the paint sample I chose from. I chose my paint color from a Sherwin Williams paint from Lowes. It was also a SW color. The actual paint came from a SW store and was a different formula. It had more magenta in it. Could have also been the person mixing the paint. And I SO agree with aprilneverend's quote, "the muddier and less interesting the color looks on the chip-the better chance it has to turn to a good choice in the room". How I wish I had read that before I had my bedroom painted. In fact, she has a lot of good advice I wish I had read before painting. I also discovered the sheen makes a big difference. I used Lowe's samples which only came in satin. I was amazed at how that could change the look. I had to buy quart size cans to get the matte samples I wanted. I probably spent as much money on samples as I did paint. BTW, we used SW Emerald paint and love how thick and pigmented it is. Glides on the wall. I think it covered in one application but the painter wanted to do two. I like accent walls in certain applications and agree that a darker color works best for accent walls. I like the navy suggestion or an eggplant. I've never shown the new paint and carpet because it (paint) will look so different on everyone's screens and it's constantly changing colors during the day. The beautiful lamp is not really there YET. I have to sell an organ to afford it if Santa doesn't bring it. See? I told you I feel your pain! This was supposed to be a grown up dusky purple :/