Kashmandu Slider excerpt changes

Hello all, First, can't tell you enough how appreciative I am of what's available here. Very responsive, very thorough and precise, very impressive! For efficiency's sake, I've collected all my questions here, since they are interrelated. I would like to: 1. Make the slider excerpt area smaller 2. Change the color and transparency of slider excerpt area 3. Change the color of slider excerpt text 4. Remove the fine blue line that shows between the bottom of the slider and the top of the Headline area. I think this is probably the blue in the bottom area of a Headline screen that I am not able to isolate and change it's color. It only appears full size briefly in transition between each of the featured slides. For some reason I am unable to catch a screen shot of when it happens. Here is the home page of my site I have been able to successfully change the color of the slider bar that appears around the slider image, and the color of the Headline, Headline Button and Headline Button hover color so I know that the CSS I insert as suggested from other posts in the forum work in my theme when they work. However, when I insert the CSS I've found for the things I want to accomplish--and these are all explicitly titled exactly as what I want to do--they do not work with my site. It may be that what I am finding will not work with Kathmandu. Whatever the case, I believe I have done everything possible on my own, and now REALLY need so help ASAP if possible since I have lost my previous source of income and this website is the core of my efforts to replace it. And I literally only have enough cash left to last about another week, if that. MANY THANKS in advance! Joe Dane