I felt just like you do when I got my 20D in May 2005. I thought it would take me a year to learn how to use it. I started with the kit lens and P mode. In no time I was shooting aperture priority AV, and when the 4th of July came, that did it, I had to try some fireworks. I read and read what people had posted on another forum, can't mention that here, and did my homework before I got there. And I had some duds, but some keepers, too. It's by far the best to go full manual. It takes some experimentation. If you want twinkle lights, set the aperture to f8 to f14 and adjust the shutter speed accordingly. I usually start with 2 seconds. Usually in most situations 4 seconds to 1 second and sometimes 1/2 sec if really bright, so experiment in that range. And, of course, a tripod. A remote release helps with camera shake. You can get a cheap knockoff on ebay that works well. I haven't tried mirror lockup yet, but that helps with camera shake, too. I look at the lcd and try to tell if it is going to be a good one, but that is hard at night and the lcd is so small. Does the XT have a histogram feature? That helps but usually night photos bunch to the left so it won't be much help at night except to tell you you when you are totally out of the ballpark. The best thing to do is just set your camera on a tripod and practice, practice, practice on something that doesn't matter. It is not as hard as it sounds. Look at the exif after you have downloaded your photos (you should have gotten some software with your camera, DPP that came with mine or I downloaded it from Canon, can't remember, works well) and decide which ones turned out best and note the aperture and shutter speed. If you don't have a tripod, you can improvise with a bag of beans on something stable and use the timer feature, but it's best in the long run to get a good tripod. Focus can sometimes be an issue, so you may have to switch to manual focus, too, but this class of Canon cameras does a good job with focus in low light. On the 4th photos, I took a test shot in auto focus before it got too dark, it looked good, then switched the button on the lens to manual focus for the rest, but sometimes it will drift off if you point your camera somewhere else. Set your white balance to AWB. I do use custom white balance in the daytime, but haven't tried it at night yet. They say you can take a purposely blurry photo and set your custom white balance to that. I shoot exclusively in RAW now (was sure afraid to break that barrier), but it gives you so many more options, like setting your white balance after the photo has been taken, adjusting the exposure, brightness, etc., then converting to jpg. You have made a big jump. I would not use the icon modes or auto mode ever. The only icon mode I use is the sports one maybe in a pinch go to P if I don't have time to think. Sports mode works very well for moving subjects, wouldn't use it at night. It is going to take some investment in time and energy, but it will pay off in the end if you are serious about getting good photos and don't give up. This one I took when some little kid supposedly saw the Virgin Mary, I went over to see the crowds and reactions. I had the 50mm 1.8 on my 20D. Full manual mode, f10, 4 seconds, exposure bias 0, ISO 800 (don't know why I had it set so high, 400 should be fine), evaluative (pattern) metering (looks like a human eye icon on my cam), auto white balance.

A bit difficult to answer without knowing where you are, what sort of garden/soil you have, which plants you bought, the general climate of your area, etc. On their website they say that they'll answer any questions you have so that might also be a good place to start.

Any time your overhead cabinets rest atop your counter, you have less counter space -- not a good idea. One exception -- one good cabinet-on-the-countertop idea -- is the corner cabinet with a roll top appliance niche. Except for setting something in the corner, you wouldn't be "using" the back of the corner anyway. These appliance garages help reduce the "clutter" look a mixer or blender might help create. https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/omega-national-products-organizers-kitchen-organizers-ONPAG100CVR Another really good idea is a vertical drawer -- often found on each side of the refrigerator and/or next to a wall or door opening (awkward sized spaces). These can be any width/depth needed (depending upon their intended use. They can be upper or lower cabinets only or full height (one or more creating vertical drawer space as tall as the top of your overhead cabinets -- floor to ceiling). http://myamazingthings.com/vertical-drawers-to-get-the-most-of-your-kitchen-space/2/ The cabinet (6 of the 8 pics) with the doors that open and then can be pushed into the cabinet to disappear is a good idea but it would be a better idea if it were a floor to ceiling cabinet that did this. You could then add sturdy drawers that pull out below the countertop level and fixed shelves above.

It is man-made with some form of 'photograph' on it. I can see duplicate planks. It *could be vinyl or it could be laminate. The easiest way to figure it out is to see a cross section of a plank. To find that you simply need to find a floor vent and pop it off. You should be able to see/photograph the thickness (plenty of vinyl floors are thin...like 4mm - 6mm) and the material in the middle. If you can post a photo of it, we can help you determine what it is. As for 'making your feet dusty' that's what hard surfaces do. They hold the dirt and dust on the surface (unlike carpet...which lets all the nasty stuff sink to the bottom of the weave thereby leaving it there for decades = ick). Sweeping and 'dry dusting' or 'dry mopping' is your best friend. One of the worst things you can do to a hard surface floor is to over clean it (as in too much cleaning solution). If you must 'damp mop' then use water-only. That should be 1/week. The 'cleaning' product should be 1-2 per month. Even if this is vinyl, you still need to be aware that too much cleaner = hazy finish after a while.