Purple, I think I missed those posts! I've tried keeping water dishes out for them but I've never seen them drink from any of them (guess I can't say they don't drink from them at all though.... maybe I'll put some out for them this year). Hubby says we have skinks (he's seen them at his Mother's before, but not any where we are), but I've never seen one myself. I had a potted Lantana a few years ago when I still lived with my Mother. I couldn't figure out why the soil kept coming out of the pot until one day I pushed on this "hump" in the soil and it moved! Needless to say I left the toad alone aftert that. Planto

Hate to tell you, but you are just beginning the stage of your child wanting a greater say in how his room looks and his opinons may change drastically over the course of the next few years. I'd focus most of my time and money into putting in good bones--nice sturdy furniture, plenty of storage, a good place to study and house a computer, and a nice place to relax with friends. Bedding will probably change over the next few years and what is the latest fad now may seem too kiddish in another few years. I can see adding some neat space/solar decor to round out the Star Wars theme. You can even get glow in the dark stars/moons/etc. to put on the ceiling. I hope I do not offend, but I am not in favor of putting TVs in kid's rooms. The counselors at my DS's high school even discourage having computers in bedrooms, though I do allow my teenaged children to have them. The feeling is that it becomes diffcult to keep tabs on what they are doing and there are too many distractions from homework, family and other pursuits. My 15-year-old DS really likes black furniture so more recent pieces have been added in black from IKEA and/or Target--shelving, wall cubes, frames, etc. I think black accents are popular with a lot of teens so may be a good idea to think about when working in new pieces. It works pretty well with his existing oak furniture. His walls are about the same color as yours. I'd prefer lighter, but he chose the color. It's only paint and your DS's room looks to get a lot of light. Also, consider good task lighting: for the bedside, desk and any other reading area. Your DS is lucky to have such a large room. All my kid's rooms are from 9x10 to 10x12.

Yes it is tied. I only handquilt and would never be able to finish it in two weeks like I did this one. I also know he will drag it all over the house and down to my mom's for sleep overs. It wouldn't last long enough to make it worth it to quilt it. Thank you for the kind comments. I can't wait to see his face when he opens it. I've been making it late at night so he wouldn't find out. Lynette

Well, hope it turns out okay, but keep in mind what Sweeby has been trying to tell you, don't judge this little boy too quickly. If there is a medical reason for this child's behavior, punishment is not the goal, but a involved team (parent/school officals) working with the child would be. Seeing that the child gets the help and guidance that he needs to function in his learning environment would be a more suitable solution for both the other children and the boy. When I called the police it was not because there was a child with special requirements involved, it was because a bratty kid without any kind of medical disorders sprayed a can of mace in my kids face after school as kids were exiting building...kid got the can out of his mom's purse and thought it was the thing to do to the new kid in class he didn't like who was getting too much attention (in the kids opinion). I'm ignorant on the disorder Sweeby refered to so I just did a quick glance at the medical condition...if that is what is going on with this boy, he needs help, not punishment... he's not a 'bad' kid. The longer the school/parent denies a problem the harder it will be for the child and for the kids he goes to school with. My DD10 goes to with a boy who has some disorder (no clue what, it's none of my business) and this boy attends partial classes in the regular classroom and partial in the special ed classrooms. He does not have a learning disablity, kid is smart as can be and gets great grades, he just has trouble being in the regular classroom. He's been known to strike the other kids, be extremely disruptive during lessons and has on a time or two 'mooned' the class. Some days boy does realy well and spends the whole morning with class and other times daughter will say '_____ had a rough day today and took his spelling and science test with his other teacher' (he spends mornings in regular classroom unless there is a problem). He takes art and music with the other kids all the time (he's very talented, the regular class teacher always has the boy's artwork displayed with honors)and it depends day to day on whether boy has lunch with the other kids in lunch room or if he eats 'with his other teacher and her students' as my daughter calls it. There is only an odd rotten kid or two that tease this little boy, the rest accept him as their classmate 'who has a rough day now and then'. I truly hope things can be worked out for the little boy in your case, Mom2. I think it sounds like your son is doing the best he can with something he really does not understand the whys and hows of.