Hi - such good intentions! Really, great idea, but maybe a house plant or flowers would be better, because bonsai are notoriously bad gifts for anyone but people who've expressed real interest (and maybe done a lot of reading) in bonsai, do have the time and energy to pursue finding the 'right' ingredients for the soil mix (not potting soil) and tools (not available at hardwares), the right lighting and humidity set-up (or proper outdoor one), etc. etc. For your own info, you wouldn't need to buy a 'real' bonsai - a good starter to learn on can be a 3-5 yr old juniper from the local nursery, along with lots of learning, time and the ability to withstand possible death of the tree (first trees do not have good shelf lives :-). As well, tropical trees can do well indoors, but only if you have the right environment, but outdoor trees (that live outside in your climate) cannot be grown indoors as they need cold dormancy all winter. It's not about knowing how to grow house plants or being a good gardener - it's a whole other situation and does become an obsession with most of us once started, but you do need your eyes and ears wide open.

GG- thank you for sharing those links with me! David- I think you have the most awesome set up- I love how neat everything is- all in rows :) The plants are just gorgeous! I agree with Kelly- MORE than impressive! Isn't it nice(or perhaps slightly weird) to know so many people are living vicariously through your photos?!? lol I've added another 5 Hoya just this past week, and my 'want' list is still a mile long! Hubs is starting to worry that I may have a hoarding problem. I told him it was okay until we could no longer use certain rooms of the house, then I would agree that I might have a *slight* problem. Thank goodness all this is giving him the motivation to get moving on building me a small greenhouse! Of course, he thinks that the house will be less 'plant-full', but we all know that it just means more room for more plants!

Connie, I'm softly patting you on your shoulder. It's very hard I know. As a senior case manager (retired), a nurse, and recently widowed, I can tell you that most Hospices will make nursing home visits. They make sure the patient is comfortable, both with expediting appropriate medications, personalized personal care/baths, and nursing interventions. One lady I knew had no family left and the Hospice nurse stayed with her till the end. I just can't say enough good about our Hospice in Central Illinois. And yes, it is not irrevocable. God grant you peace and understanding in your coming days. Jan

Hi! Thank you for your replies. I will definitely stay with the diagonal now. ngng: Your kitchen looks so lovely! I want wood cabinets in the next house. Mine were an ugly, grainy, weird oak so I painted them some years ago and don't have it in me to redo them again since we plan to move in a couple of years. remodelfla: My floor plan is not an open one. The kitchen/breakfast area is separate from the family room. However, I like way the bronze Fleur de lis picks up the bronze looking flecks in the granite. I thought about smaller squares of the granite used as an accent but wanted something a little different. It's so hard to only do a bit of updating! I start to get carried away as so much needs to be done, but I really don't want to invest anything (time or money) since we aren't staying here. But it's so outdated and yucky!! We rented this house before we bought it 15 years ago and only bought because I was having a baby when the owners put it up for sale and didn't want to face a move after only just moving in a year prior! I never really liked the layout of the kitchen or the floor plan of the house! And here I am 15 years later! Time flies! Thanks for your suggestions! It has helped me!