Now that I'm home from holidays, I can get back on a schedule and start to settle into my new home. First stop was a local exotic plant wholesaler to find some interesting and different greenery to brighten up add a touch of interest to my rooms. There was so much to choose from, but several favourites were quickly eliminated when the helpful owner told me some of them prefer a humid environment with no drafts... quite the opposite to me.

The kitchen is the heart of my home, both literally and figuratively. There's no window over my sink, instead I have a ledge that overlooks the dining area and then through the French doors to the back patio. In an effort to bring the outside in, I've put a series of cacti/succulents in various pots along the ledge. There's my Thanksgiving cactus, already sprouting tons of new growth and my aloe vera which will soon need to be re-potted. New to my collection, there's a pipe organ - which looks like it should be in an aquarium under water and several other similar plants. Some are potted individually, others are grouped in terra cotta pots.

My en suite is huge, and has a large "shelf" beside the tub. I bought a pretty rubber tree that looks like a bonsai with lots of branches going every which way. A ponytail palm and a spider lily are grouped in the entryway, and the piece de resistance is a type of cactus similar to a Christmas cactus only bigger. The flowers are huge, and I chose a yellow one because it sounded pretty.

I'm looking forward to nurturing them and I can't wait till they flower.

It's starting to feel more like home, although I still find myself turning on the turn signal a block early when I'm coming back from Safeway.

Over the next few days, we need to go shopping to get a dining table, bar stools, living room furniture and a new bedroom set for each of the kids.

I think my Visa will wear out before it expires.