Bri, if I am understanding you correctly, I wouldn't worry about the bit of slant you are getting with the cluster stitches. They do sort of lean to the left. It might help if the loop you pull through the last bunch of loops to make the cluster come together is a little loose - make it a teensy bit larger than you usually do. When you come back on the next row it will be easier to make your stitch into it. If this is not what your problem is, can you be more specific?

You know I've read the OP's statements several times and never did she say how long the dog was crated. I've gone on record as stating that I crate my dogs and i will continue to crate my dogs when I am not available to supervise them. However, 10-13 hours is entirely too long. I know many trainers and many competitors at top levels and none suggest caging up a dog all the time. The dogs I'm involved with come from field lines and positively define high energy. They would very quicly go competely bonkers if not given an appropriate outlet for their energy. If I am to be gone more than 4 hours, I make arrangements for a responsible party to take care of the dogs. Having seen personally or heard of too many "accidents" with dogs who had been completely "trustworthy" in the past, I feel it is in the best interests of the dogs to safely confine them when I am not home. I do not believe in doggy doors either and I will not come home to a dead dog or a dog in need of immediate surgery because of my own pride in my training techniques. Perhaps if it were not the hot button issue of crating, this philosophy wouldn't be under attack? For example, I train my dogs not to counter-surf. I can prepare dinner and know that the 12 course dinner I'm preparing will not disappear behind my back. I expect to still see Tom Turkey on the counter if I leave the room to answer the phone. Tom had best be unmolested when I'm done showering. However, I'm not silly enough to insist that a turkey left alone on the counter for 4 hours would just get up and walk away on its own while 4 loyal dogs lay innocently with heads resting on crossed paws. I trust my training, but dogs are dogs. They are animals and to them, 5 minutes of joyfully devouring a turkey is worth a punctured esophagus. I cannot reason with them after the fact anymore than I could reason with a 3 year old. I didn't leave my 3 year old children home alone either and no matter how much we want to think that dogs are children, they don't ever progress past the mentality of a 3 year old. Could i leave my 10 year old lab out while I'm gone? Probably. She sleeps in her crate while i'm gone and I'm )almost) sure that she would sleep on the floor while I'm gone. But I don't want to find out I was wrong at the expense of my dog's life, especially when they ENJOY their crates and LIKE being in a safe place. I was given charge over these animals - I will care for them and not leave them to their own devices. Part of my responsible dog ownership is ensuring that their minds and bodies are stimulated enough to desire rest and re-charging when I'm not available. To this end, I play with each dog individually for 30 minutes each morning - hard play equivalent to the most strenuous aerobics class. We then take an 30 minute walk and brush up on obedience skills. Breakfast is served while I shower and prepare for the day, followed by potty time and a bit more fetching. Crate time is generally from 11-1. After errands, the dogs go back out to enjoy the fresh air and relieve themselves if needed. Before starting dinner for the human family, the dogs get another 30 minute aerobic workout. They lounge inside (or out if I'm grilling) until after dinner (theirs and mine) Two are competing and they get another obedience session in the evening, followed by a family walk. Before it gets dark, I take the one dog who is competing in field trials out for some bird work. Everyone then gets to watch TV before a final pit stop and retiring to various sleeping spots. I've owned dogs for 40 years now. Always multiples and always highly trained. I've lost plenty, but it was always due to old age or disease and never to something preventable like a car accident or foreign object ingestion. This is due to careful supervision and superior training and I'd like to keep my record and my conscience clean.

Sammy apparently some of the commenters have never encountered the more "old style" black and sometimes white church goers that attend churches that have services in the morning then break for lunch then reconvene in the afternoon. Some churches may have potlucks for that lunch or families may leave for a while. There is a reconvening of members either for another service or different ministers from other churches spreading the word, or the altar society/deacons meet. In the summer there may be gospel music in the evenings. I missed your earlier comments or would have backed you up. Someone will make a comment about my lack of knowledge but having lived in the same block as one of these churches for several years. I have always thought that if people would actually talk about not religion as such but customs in various churches much of the misunderstandings in the world would be prevented. Edited to add that the Southern Baptist Church in my small 100% white town also held all day services so I was used to at least knowing about the all day thing. The other Baptist Church did not. I always thought it was strange to have two of the same type of churches in a small under a thousand town but hearing the "But that is not a Baptist thing" from each church made me realize that just because one church/group does things one way the title does not mean that they are identical in what they do.

1. Remove everything from the tops of the cabinets. These are not display shelves or storage areas. Design-wise, a room feels more comfortable and looks better when the eye stays at the lower level where people live. It is not good to draw the eye up to the ceiling and then back down again as you look around the room. For the same reason, find a lower place for the word art if you want to keep it. 2. I would concentrate the wall art pieces around the dining area, and remove anything else from the walls. You want to focus the eye on that area as an attractive place to eat, and leave other walls blank so they do not distract from it. So I would remove the wine bottles from the short wall and just put 2 pieces of wall art on either wall above the built-in. The wine bottle picture is very bright and orange and doesn't complement any of the other colours you have in your room. I doubt you want to add more orange accents to your room, so I would find another place for the picture. Maybe the dining room? The sconces are just visual clutter on that wall and should be removed. 3. If you are not changing the floor now, consider a warmer colour for the walls, that goes with your floor. 4. If you look at the "wow" photos of kitchens, they don't have items on the counters that are not necessary. They're either in the cabinets, or in decorative containers such as baskets. For example, if you need to keep things on top of the refrigerator out of reach, put them in one a basket that looks attractive. Is there a better place for your spices or are there only a few that you really use that you can put in a handy drawer or cupboard, and the rest can go in a less-accessible cupboard for occasional use? Same with the oil and vinegar bottles on the left side of the sink. Also, if you keep your dish soap out on the counter then decant it into an attractive opaque pump bottle e.g. those meant for hand soap. 5. Your rolling island would be much more useful if the microwave was not sitting on it. Install a shelf so the microwave can sit on the wall, freeing up the counter space. Also safer because you have a good landing space for hot things below the microwave. Could your toaster oven also sit on the same shelf? That would give you such nice clear working space around your stove. 6. Agree that curtains would not add anything here, either on the door or the window. Looks great that you removed the black paint from the door - that must have been quite a job!