d d , you are making a number of ascertians that I think are making you do things that will not prove of benefit. First, you associate water as a saviour, something the grass needs and needs lots of. If a pint works well, then a quart will do better and a gallon will just be the cat's meow. That's wrong....very wrong. Grass is no more than a bunch of small plants that grow together and they need nourishment just like other plants....but when too much is too much.....it cant help. One inch per week is recognized as the total volume needed for a lawn to live successfully. Too much is as bad as too little; what happens is, the water doesn't stick around, the roots are deprived, they grow weak and short and the sun then has an easy time to bake the soil. Too little or too much...it works both ways. Your lawn cries out for aeration....from your pictures there does seem to be a lot of thatch....dead material between the blades. When thatch builds, it deprives the soil of necessary oxygen and water. Even tho you water it, and rains have been overflowing, unless the ground absorbs the moisture, it cant do any good. Without explaining what aeration is comprised of....do read articles on 'why a lawn should be aerated". There are many methods and tools employed to effect good aeration....so read about it. Your lawn needs something to make the soil want to take in moisture and retain it. You say your soil in your vicinity is mostly sand....and when you think about....how good does sand retain moisture. So you have to do something to make your soil want to take in moisture and keep it....yet allow good drainage. In that there is an easy and effective way to achieve this. Organic matter. Organic matter comes in many forms...and only by injecting something of this nature into the soil will it keep moisture. Peat moss, newspaper, hay, straw, compost, topsoil, triple mix, loam, and yes....sand. Grass clippings---you don't have any I knwo, but clippings have a lot of nitrogen from fertilizer given, that should not be wasted. But, clippings have a lot of things wrong with it...and should be given to a compost pile first. Sand used in gardens is not the beach kind...it is a coarser granular type...buy it at a quarry or soil dealer that specifies it is builder's sand. This giving of compost though can be a budget killer---it is not cheap. Compost is material that is allowed to break down by microbial action....and should not be used unless in a completed form. Since your lawn is in such bad shape, I suggest you think to do it over....rototil the ground and inject much organic material. Much of the material can be inexpensive...peat moss, newspapers, old hay, old straw (straw and hay are grown and therefore have seeds and unless its at least a year...two years better--it can drop seeds and result in giving you a barnyard) Put down at least 2"....but 6" is better of topsoil. Rototil it all in, rake level to ensure good drainage, then put down sod or seed. The organic material you add should be at least 20% of the volume mixed in. Do not, if it becomes available, add more than 20% compost to what is already there. More is too much. When you buy seed, buy the best type you can afford...it will pay dividends. Poor seed will not grow in the best of soil---but good seed will grow in the worst of soil. In your area of New Jersey a combo of 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% perennial ryegrass and 20% fescue makes a good tough grass for your area. Its summertime now....the heat of which is not conducive to making good lawn---the heat can kill the seed and what sprinkling you do will dry out quickly. So, keep what you have and shake your head, but think to do your lawn in the fall when cool temperatures return. Grass grows much better at that time because there's less competition from other plants. Sprinkling water over it will not be lost to evaporation and if you follow good principles of grass making, you should have a pretty good starting lawn sometimes this fall. Starting: Be sure to use a "starter" type fertilizer when you first lay your seed. It can help speed up and protect germination. Next spring, put down 2" of compost (or topsoil) over the area and let your grass grow up and through it. Repeat this every year, fall and spring, 2" layer over your lawn....at least for the next 4 - 5 - 6 years. Making this a regular routine can help your lawn stand up to adversity better.

Yaaayyyyy! DH is on board w/ the idea! I didn't even have to prod or run down my 'Why this is a practical, good and ultimately money saving' bucket list. Not that we're getting it anytime soon though but it did find it's way onto the 'Budget List' after we got home. So between me saving a few buckes a week, DH's alotted budget towards it down the road and me hopefully selling some of my rehabbed furniture finds this Spring, hopefully I will see a new sofa this Spring or Summer. When I bought this sofa I never thought of things like padding shifting over the years and allowing the frame edge to be felt if one's head whacked it. I still think it's a good sofa and am pleased that both my MIL & SIL have each been through a total of 4 sofa's in the same amount of time and I think that our's still looks way better than what there's look like now. If I had space to store it (sans mice in attic & smelly basement) I would keep it in a heartbeat for the day I had a larger room to put it in once I got it reupholstered. Looks like I'm going to be on a decorating - repurposing - using what I have run soon! DH felt confident about hanging my attic chandies and flip-flopping the LR and Office! Whoo hooo! Off to hang my curtains............

tracyjohnson1, thanks for the compliment. It's been amazing how relaxing it has been in the pool. We swim every evening and watch the sun go down. We have enjoyed our cleaner we named Bob. The PB set him up to clean for 3 hours a day. He really does a great job. I have to use the brush to sweep off the baja shelf and the benches, but he comes along and vacuums it up off the floor of the pool. The first few days the little bag was very full of PebbleTec pebbles and rock chips from construction. Be sure and empty it every day. It is gross, but the other day we unzipped the bag and there was a dead frog in it. BLAH!! Good luck with your pool. Can't wait to see pics.

Theresse, I think you are missing the easiest solution of all! Don't ever hand wash dishes!! There! Problem solved. My bill will be in the mail.... ;-P I had a similar problem, and played with the bump out for about a week, trying to get all those variables right: back comfort (since no toe kick with vintage cabinets), spout reach, counter corners resting on the lip in a way that looked pleasing to my eye. My cabinet guy thought I was an OCD loon! (Which I am, but that is between me and my doctor. Not my cabinetmaker.) I have the chicago faucet with the 12" double hinged spout. It wasn't my favorite spout, but the length was right. Actually, if I remove the extender piece, the straight part that only reaches 8 or 9 inches was the most period appropriate. That is the style one sees the most on the original kitchens in "Bungalow Kitchens" (I assume you have that kitchen bible!). We also have one of those (1929 original) in our garage. But those are paired with the traditional tiled-in sink, the back of which goes all the way to the backsplash. They are way too short for farm sinks. So I went with the 12 incher. I love that it reaches the edge of my drain. My previous faucet couldn't be directed right into the drain due to misalignment, and it always bugged me. But the gooseneck sure is prettier! These Shaw's sinks are a marriage of compromise. Think of the sink like a husband. So his faucet length isn't as long as you'd like. Is it a dealbreaker? Nah! The important thing is to go into the relationship with your eyes open.