Hi Jaybird, I was down there to get some scrapbooking paper the other day and they had allot of their fall and Halloween items on sale up to 40% off too! I love looking at all the goodies. Will look forward to seeing what you do with your sunflowers. ;o) Luvs

Due to some major problems re-routing the plumbing that was in our soffits, we are ending up having to have a cabinetry valance built over our window, connecting our upper cabinets, to hide our 2nd floor plumbing. I was really bummed about it, especially after reading the threads about how they're considered outdated. And really bc outdated or not, I just didn't want to pay for one and I'm afraid its going to block the light coming in from my window. From the sketch they gave me though, I think they did a good job of keeping it in the style of my cabinets/kitchen & I'm hopeful it turns out OK. Anyway, yours is definitely NOT passé at all, (imho of course)its tastefully done, serving a purpose and obviously quality materials were used. Its small too, I hope mine looks half as good as yours! Don't even think about taking it out! Unless YOU really don't like it.

A sad day all around for you Patti. You are in my thoughts. Anne

Although this is 5 years old, I don't agree with Ann... that is the "lawyer" response to make sure the field is employed. "It depends" is a frustrating answer because it tells you NOTHING, not even how to tackle finding out the answer. I was a lawyer as well (inactive because it is a conflict of interest to be lawyer in my field). I have found a lot of pertinent answers - on all subjects - on google. Is it better to have the experience of 100 people, or of 1 "expert" who might not be thinking straight that day or doesn't have experience with your particular issue but doesn't want to seem clueless? Of course take everything with a grain of salt, including what a doctor says. I've had doctors misdiagnose me on at least 3 occasions, because to them I'm another case in a day of 10 cases, and I am aware of my symptoms and care more about my health than they do. While it is unlikely someone on Houzz can tell you your situation in particular, but: (1) The first place to start is to get a copy of your current CC & Rs and also the one you signed. Have they changed? Was there a vote which changed them which you were not aware? (2) The second place WOULD be Google - google your State laws governing HOAs... most State laws are online now, and they are reliable if put out by the state. Can you read English? Read it slowly, and read EVERY word, because every word matters. What is the % of homeowners that must vote for a motion to pass? NOT just of the % of people voting. Like if only 10 homeowners (1 vote per household) out of 100 homes vote and all of them YES to no renting, and you need 50% approval, it would never pass because the most you would get is 10%. Even some Q & A about HOAs by attorneys in your state would help you with a ballpark. It bothers me when you ask someone online about a particular issue, let's say wondering if a cut is infected, and everyone plays dumb and says "see a doctor." Well you won't run to a doctor for every cut, but if someone online - and it's the power of many minds including people who have experience - might say "that's a possible staph infection, check it out." In fact, real doctors misdiagnose all the time, and actually this happened to me. After making an appointment and hoofing it up there, a doctor told me this "pimple" on my hip was an "ingrown hair" when I never get ingrown hairs there. It was tender and angry looking, so I googled it - it was a possible staph infection which could lead to dire consequences if not treated. So I ended up going to a different place - Urgent care, and they agreed it was a staph infection- obvious by then because it was a purple volcano, and got antibiotics, and it soon went away after letting go of a stream of blue pus. One of my sister's friends ended up losing his leg, as well as constantly falling near sepsis, because his doctor diagnosed his staph infection as a spider bite. Oh, and you can google "staph infection" to recognize what it looks like.