I don't watch the news. It makes me too stressed. According to a crime specialist (link below), if we are bombarded with fearful messages, we can't pick out the REAL dangers. He says our instinct of fear is our "gift," and so when we become paranoid, we lose the gift. He's written books for adults and one for parents/caregivers. I think he's been on Oprah, so you may have seen him there, too. However, I still see the news online all the time! I need to use something other than Yahoo as my homepage! Olliesmom, I know what you mean. I have had thoughts like that-- just worrisome thoughts about predators and such. Didn't help when I found out someone on our block was just arrested for child porn. YIKES. But, every time I get those thoughts in, I tell myself that I won't let that horribleness "live" in my house. By worrying/thinking/stressing we just invite it right in, if that makes sense. Do not let those people have power over you and ruin your special fun with your son! It is not easy for me-- it seems there is one awful story after another. Very hard to be free of worry for your beloved child. Here is a link that might be useful: Gift of Fear

It annoys me that I can't buy Oprah's magazine at a big discount (like I do my other magazines, mostly on eBay), but I'm a big fan of most of the content. O Magazine has some great writers and articles on subjects that interest me. I just wish they would use freelancers. Iowagirl, good for your daughter!! Nannc, I haunt thrift shops all the time. And we do have a Humane Society shop. But those ladies with lots of money live somewhere else. I always laugh because my cousin and I compare notes on our thrift-shop finds. She lives in Connecticut and brings home Prada and Chanel. I'm thrilled if I manage to find the occasional Liz Claiborne. :-)

Just a quick update on the builders I'd originally mentioned. (After consideration, we've recently decided to request quotes on a larger pool than we'd originally looked at.) Presidential: I submitted a dimensioned drawing on Tuesday asking for an updated quote & haven't heard back yet. I think I can deduce the extra cost based on some of the line items from the original quote, but would certainly like to know for sure. Dolphin: Good quote, weird experience. Has anyone else worked with these guys before? Curious if your experience was anything like mine, or if this was an anomole? They came last night (an hour late, due to being hung up at a previous appointment, but whatever... figured I'd forgive it & see how the actual meeting went.) Even though I had already very carefully measured the yard and access, he spent the 1st 10-15 minutes re-measuring everything. I guess I can understand that; some people probably aren't as obsessively careful as I was. While he was doing that He gave us some ziploc bags full of pictures to look at (though we'd seen just about everything we could possiblly hope to see by now online), and we waited for him to finish. He then proceeded to take the next 2 hours to meticulously draw the exact same pool dimensions I'd already given him onto a larger piece of paper. (I gave him an actual CAD drawing I did with full dimensions, placed in the yard with required setbacks, summed perimeter ft, surface feet, etc.) He sort of messed up his drawing and we had to go over it and have him re-do some things. He used a bunch of architectual tools & a calculator to come to the exact same dimensions I'd already given him, and finally quoted me a pretty decent price. Of course, I was able to ask him a bunch of questions along the way, but it was still a pretty weird experience, and he wasn't a good multi-tasker, so it really stretched out the time he was here. (I already had my questions before he got to the house, so I could have easily asked them via phone or email, so I didn't see any real value-add to having him at the house.) I sort of get the "old-school" approach, but honestly, the only real thing that scares me off a bit from using these guys was the lack of technology involved in their pitch. Maybe I am not the norm here. Anyway, when it was all said and done, he gave me a price, but left without giving me a quote sheet or 2D/3D renderings of the pool. The latter was less of an issues since I'd already done all that myself, but I literally had to snap a cell-phone picture of the quote that he penciled in on his drawing before he rolled it up and took it with him. So right now I feel a little conflicted by these guys. I do believe that, at the end of the day, they build a good pool with a lot of the add-ons you want packaged in, for a fair price. But would have been nice to see this company had stepped into the 90s (let alone the 2000s or 2010s!) California Pools: Still haven't heard back from these guys. Maybe Cliff is trolling boards here at GardenWeb and decided that my calling him a turd didn't warrant a response from them! LOL... anyway, i sent a follow-up email to him today. If I don't get a quote by end of day, they're out of the running. I might call one or two of the smaller guys to see what they have to offer, and we'll make our decision within a week or so. That's all for now! Dan

First off, I wanted to let you know that you're not alone--I also fell in love with a St. James Impressions kitchen at an Expo showroom. Our budget did not allow St James either. We are now planning on going with Omega Dynasty/Embassy (semi-custom) and the Artesia door. For your dilemma: The Omega custom line (also at Expo) has a door called "Half Milford" that is similar to the half-arch in your picture (similar, not identical). The "Lexington Square" appears to be similar to the "Half Milford" except it's squared off. If the "Half Milford" also comes in a reverse half, you might be able to create the look you're after with: . . . left arch Half Milford + Lexington Square + right arch Half Milford Yes, these are custom BUT, with Omega, most of their doors are also offered in the Omega Dynasty/Embassy semi-custom line. This means that you can create a semi-custom kitchen using Dynasty/Embassy and fill in where needed with cabinets/doors from the Omega line. The "Half Milford" does NOT have a corresponding door in Dynasty/Embassy, but "Lexington Square" does--the "Lynnville Decorative". So, you could design your kitchen using mostly the "Lynville Decorative" (semi-custom) and add a few Omega custom "Half Miilford" doors to give you the look in a few places. (I'd check the doors at the Expo center or at another cabinet place to see if the Lexington & Lynnville really are just a squared off version of the Half Milford.)