Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone! I will keep doing my research! Robert, you nailed it -- I think I'm partial to the antique roses, or at least those that mimic the lovely prolific blooms and fragrance. I'm lucky in that my hedge can grow pretty much as tall and wide as it needs to be... it will cut into my current garden space the deeper it goes (although nothing is planted in front at the moment), so started considering ramblers/climbers to go for more of a "spill" than a formal hedge; the wire fence could definitely act as a support, and it's in full sun. I'm hoping for a cottage look... I'm starting my teas garden elsewhere, as I do love them, too, but I'm yearning for the big, wild, mass o' roses look... Connie, I was debating that thought! Cecile Brunner was entrancing me the other night. I'm new to this particular forum set-up, so I'll have to read all the Antique Rose pages; a meetup sounds lovely. (I'm dying to investigate rose gardens around here!) Ann, thank you for the info... I definitely want to do my research before doing any major planting! There's some learning from experience in everything, I'm sure, but after home renovations, I'd like to avoid as much heartbreak and wasted effort as possible. ;) There's something to be said for feasible dreams... I have lilac and azaleas growing nearby; I could definitely inter-plant with more lilac or other shrubs; I definitely seem to like shrubs and bushes in general. I will read that ebook first thing tomorrow. Kad, your Sophie is gorgeous! I was worried because the Austin rep made it sound like they might all die miserably in the humidity... scared me, but I'm determined to find a few Austin roses to plant. Congratulations on having the house in order! I almost want to throw myself a party on finally fully unpacking the last boxes here. ;) I've been waiting for decades to be able to properly let myself fall under the spell; there's no escaping it! Oh and yes... no freezing to -25F here in Virginia. That's what I get for trying to post after staring, glossy-eyed, at rose websites until the wee hours. ;)

There is a condition called euthyroid sick syndrome. Any person who is sick, including those with serious heart diseases, can have a thyroid panel that looks like she has hypothroidism. But it is not a true hypothroidism, and when the underlying disease is corrected or treated, the thyroid testing returns to normal. If your daughter has euthyroid sick syndrome and she is placed on thyroid supplements, she could die due to the effects of thyroid hormone on the heart. That is why they did not want to place her on supplements yet. It sounds like they do not know what is wrong with your daughter's heart yet; otherwise she would not have gone home on a monitor. Once they figure that out and get her treated, she should have another thyroid panel run. Then, and only then, should she be placed on thyroid supplements if she is truly hypothyroid. My husband went through a similar incident lately, except they knew what was wrong with his heart at the ER- premature ventricular contractions. It's basically harmless although it annoyed Dave so muh he couldn't sleep and it made him very uncomfortable. But his regular Dr misinterpreted the ECG and thought he had escape beats and a slow heart rate. Then he ran a thyroid panel and the only abnormality was a SLIGHTLY high TSH, so he placed Dave on thyroid supplements. The PVCs got a bit worse over the next month. Dave had a full cardiac workup, checked out fine. During his followup with regular doctor, he mentioned the irregular beats were worse and the doctor doubled his thyroid dose. Now I had been telling Dave for the entire month that he wasn't hypothyroid and his dr was smoking crack or something (I'm a vet student and animals get the same heart diseases and thyroid diseases as people, and they are tested the same as well). Dave didn't believe me until the dose doubled without even having the results of the thyroid panel back. So he stopped taking the thyroid meds. Miraculously, the PVCs slowed down considerably. The thyroid panel turned out normal. 6 months later he had another follow up with a thyroid panel, and after having not been on supplements for 5 months the panel was completely normal. By this time, the PVCs stopped completely. So his thyroid supplement made his PVCs worse. Luckily for Dave, his only problem was the PVCs which are completely harmless and not indicative of any heart disease. Otherwise the mistake the doctor made by putting him on thyroid supplements and then doubling the dose may have seriously harmed or killed him. I hope your daughter gets diagnosed and treated soon. Heart disease is scary... Here is a link that might be useful: Euthyorid sick syndrome

I really like the overall look you're going for, Rosieo. It's going to look very charming! I just wanted to say, if you did decide a change would be good, don't sweat the relatively small amount it'd take to bring the trades back. My few regrets on the home we built are ALL about not biting the bullet and having the guys on site redo things that had me biting my lip at the time--and we built on a small tight budget. Looking back, it would have cost so little in the overall picture. Sigh... As for adding more detail, you can buy decorative cabinetry details like those in your dream picture on line, or even a local big box store for a smaller selection, brush on a matching finish, and glue them on yourself. The center panels of solid doors over the stove would make a good place for a matching pair. You could also make the "crown" at the top of the long run of cabinets top a flat "schoolhouse" type board and place details on that flat surface; that looks like it might run the cabinets to the ceiling, but maybe not if you went with a narrow board. If you're in love with that gentle arch on the right of your dream picture, draw a version for the bottom of your long run on graph paper, which will be your feature wall, and have somebody working on the kitchen make and attach it, or a local carpenter/handyman. I promise--a small-buck investment if done by a local. That lovely tile work? Choose painted drywall for now (drywall was my first choice and still looks good) and add it later. For your birthday? BTW, your last picture looks very nice both functionally and aesthetically. I really don't see all the problem with cleaning the oven. Unless you're particularly sparkly-oven proud, how often would you be kneeling in front of it, however placed? Better yet, plan on having someone with longer arms do it for you. :)

Good idea! If you want them to look really nice, spring for some cabinet grade plywood at $50 per sheet, which works out to $1.60 per sq ft. Then you can put a good coating of Waterlox sealer on them and use them just as you would regular countertops for as long as it takes to get what you really want. If you want something even nicer, get IKEA butcher block for around $10 per sq ft. That you could easily live with for years! I agree with laxsupermom....go with what you love, even if it means waiting for a while until you can afford it.