After a few days of using the setup I posted here, I made some changes. I think this is a winner for me.
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as I thought might be the case having the sliders all the way at the top and bottom of the screen was a drag.
it's a bit busier, but with a wife and four kids all with busy schedules I really like the calendar (which I can scroll through) on the lock screen.
I like this. What did you use to get it looking like that? Thanks!