Quite a few questions. I will take a stab at some. Camellias like soil that drains so as to prevent their roots from rotting due to water that drains poorly. It is usually best to plant camellias in pots using potting mix for Azaleas/Camellias/Gardenias/Hydrangeas. The potting mix label may highlight any one of those or several but as long as it names one, it does not matter which potting mix to use. You can also create your own potting mix just for camellias but I would not bother with that at this stage. It is probably cheaper to just buy one for acid-loving plants like Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias and-or Hydrangeas. Every two or so years (or when you notice that roots are circling (growing in a circle), you should replace the potting mix with new potting mix; you can also determine if the plant needs a bigger pot. Circling roots should be pruned and they definitely indicate that one needs a bigger pot. Camellias also like soil that is acidic. The opposite is called alkaline. Normal potting mix is neutral. Camellias will tolerate this but it would be best if you make it acidic. One way to do this is by purchasing potting mix for one of those four plants as it will be acidic, meaning it will contain garden Sulphur. You can also purchase amendments like: green sand, iron-chelated liquid compounds, garden Sulphur, etc. Most nurseries will carry one of these amendments to acidify the soil. The liquid amendments give quicker results but they need to be applied more often. If the soil in the potting mix becomes alkaline (your own water may cause this if your water is alkaline), the camellia�s leaves may start turning yellowish but the leaf�s veins will remain dark green (giving the look of a skeletonized leaf). If this occurs, apply some of the above mentioned amendments according to the label directions. Camellias also like to receive protection from the harsh summer sun. The further south that you are located, the more intense the sun is and the quicker camellias will react if they get too much sun. Here in Texas, I give them shade starting at 12pm. Dappled sun �sun that squeaks thru a tree�s branches and leaves- is fine even if it is all day long. I am not sure where you are located but having Zone 7 suggests your plant may be getting slightly too much sun. If the leaves look bronzed for a long period of time, they may be getting too much sun. Moving the shrub to a shadier location will help. Purchasing a shade cloth can also help; nurseries sell them. You can tell if the leaves are getting too much sun if the leaves in direct contact with the sun are the only ones being affected. Potted plants require more frequent waterings and more frequent feeding of fertilizers. The water tends to evaporate faster than it would so mulch to retain water and place it where it is not windy (wind helps the water evaporate too). These more frequent waterings will cause the fertilizer to leech out through the pot�s drain holes (your pot should have holes at the bottom by the way). Examples of organic mulches: hardwood mulch, pine bark, pine needles, etc (use about 3-4" of mulch up top the drip line... drip line is an imaginary line around the plant where the leaves extend to... MG 30-10-10 refers to a fertilizer called Miracle Grow. The numbers refer to the amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash (also known as Potassium) in the fertilizer. Nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong. Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop. Potassium is important for overall plant health. The are minor (but important) minor minerals to also keep track of, such as magnesium but a good fertilizer and most organic fertilizers will have enough of these minerals. Examples of fertilizers: you can use compost, composted manure, cottonseed meal or a general purpose slow-release chemical fertilizer like Osmocote. To fertilize, it is best to: (1) move the mulch aside, water, apply the fertilizer to the soil, water, put the mulch back. The link below provides additional information regarding container grown camellias: http://www.camellias-acs.org/display.aspx?catid=3,9,30&pageid=775 Answers: 1. Best time is when the shrub is very dormant, ie, during the winter. You can do this in late winter or early Spring. I would do it early in the morning or at night. The plant will like you for doing it then but I prefer to do it for myself and avoid the hottest or windiest part of the day. 2. There are probably millions of different answers. Try five 1/2" holes per square foot. 3. At the bottom of the pot, you can use newspaper to prevent losing potting soil thru the holes. Some people use gravel or rocks in case water stops up. Some people add wire meshes if they have pests that could crawl into the pot thru the holes. But put the pine bark as mulch at the top. On a shrub planted in the ground, you need 3-4". 4. It is not necessary to amend camellia potting mix when you buy it. Later on, you need to amend it to replenish minerals lost thru the pot's holes. 5. See paragraph five above. To keep things simple, put it on top of the potting mix. If the potting mix says it is good for "x" months, amend it after those "x" months. Ditto for the amendments; read their labels to see about how long they last. You probably will need to fertilize monthly. 6. See paragraph five above. 7. When to transfer to a bigger pot: after 2-3 years, if you notice roots circling, if you notice potting soil levels sinking a lot (use a pot 2-3" wider). If you do not have enough space to add 3-4" of mulch, just put whatever you can. If the area is sunny and the sun will be hitting the pot constantly, consider putting the pot inside another pot or some other structure. Luis

They have some nice photo ornaments in Kohl's. They also make nice place cards.

I have three of these brothers. Christmas is always a fun time. (Not.) Does he have Netflix or Hulu Plus? You can give him several months of streaming video, if he likes to watch TV. A "luxury" brand of something he uses often? Like gourmet coffee or chocolate or nachos? If he has a favorite movie or TV show, something related to that? I knitted one brother a Doctor Who scarf last year and he loved it. Even though he's not into gadgets, what about one of those emergency radios? The ones with a flashlight and charging port, that run on batteries but can also be hand-cranked. Nearly everyone has power outages at some point, and needs some emergency gear. Two places I've found good gifts for my brothers: Restoration Hardware and ThinkGeek. Check out RH's gift section--look at the stocking stuffers. There are a lot of ideas there. ThinkGeek does have a lot of techy stuff, but there's some useful home gadgets there as well. In addition to a cat hammock that my cats just love. (Would he like a gift for the cats?) It's a good place for outside-the-box gifts. Granted, he is probably not going to want the Zombie Apocalypse Garden Gnomes, but they have a lot of iPhone and iPad accessories, desk/office stuff, and a lot of things related to coffee and bacon, which a lot of guys seem to like.

Great idea about the foamcore Kippy, that would be fabulous and so much easier than painting. I'll give that some thought. I need to get bold, there are so many amazing paints out there. Everytime I go to Home Depot, there is a new line of metalic spray paints. jlc712, I think that the bookcase is where I can make the next biggest impact in the room. I hate to get rid of our beloved Little House on the Prairie set, but if I find a niece to send it too, that will make the parting a little sweeter. Maybe if I thin out some movies I can store books below in the cupboard. My audiophile husband loves his sound equipment, however. To think, I can't turn half of it on! Great idea about the calendars. Clever and budget-savvy. So hard to throw away those beautiful calendar pictures. I've got to put 9 frames of something above the fireplace. That wreath comes down this weekend, its the Feast of the Presentation so the time has come. Maybe I'll find 9 pictures of the Blessed Mother to frame. There is an endless number of painting of her, and I could gaze at those forever. Of course, my husband would want pictures of National Parks, so I guess I've got a lot of thinking to do. Tibbrix, you are right, this big room needs big furniture. The coffee table is 48" and the sofas are 72" so it gives a foot on each side to sit. Remember, we walk behind the sofas, in front of them, beside them AND we chase Captain around the room! It's really a dog run, I guess. I would have loved to buy large English-arm three cushion sofas and lovely accent chairs, but it's the fact that we move the loveseats (sometimes daily) to watch television or play video games. I know this seems crazy. We only have one functional TV. With seven kids on board (well one is gone but we still have her bedroom that she shares with a sister), all of our rooms are full of kids. I figure that when the time comes to change the furniture once again, I have seven people who would love free sofas. ; ) Need to work on paint, don't have a budget for that now. Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. It means so much to hear your opinions. -Cupofkindness