Judith, that sounds like a good plan to me. Actually, my JJ remains in a pot "banished" to my back patio, which receives only about a half-day of dappled sun. Your chosen location sounds a little better, as I don't think I have quite enough sun for ideal growth. I said I'm getting rid of mine, but I have a hard time shovel pruning bushes that don't die on their own. Still, I hate to give a plant to someone when I don't think it will actually do well for them; it's kinda like negative advertising for rose growing. To it's credit, I totally ignore it except for occasional watering, and it is still trucking along. I have had mine only about 3 years. Maybe I should follow the advice above and wait for another year or even 2 to make a final judgment. Meanwhile, Prairie Sunrise is doing beautifully in JJ's old spot. I just got it from Lisa at Countryside last summer, along with Alec's Red. THANKS LISA! Both are gorgeous AND very fragrant! They also are about average for blackspot resistence, which in my area means I have to be diligent with the preventive spraying. No big deal, since I spray everything else anyway.

Just had to get in this one... one of my old roommates attempted to roast garlic in the microwave and both times the peel caught on fire, the second time so much so that the microwave couldn't be used again. This was in the early '90s so maybe microwave technology is different. Just an FYI, because I've seen that happen twice. I would just put them in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. I can't see how putting them in a microwave can help them get caramelized with flavor instead of just soft.

It's a great idea to actually plan an event for your daughter that she will enjoy, which involves your family. Inviting people to a party who can't be bothered to RSVP only sends the signal they don't care about her. It's always been my feeling that parties are more fun if you invite people you know and care about. (I can't tell you how many times an evening was ruined by someone who thought it was all about them, instead of the guest of honor.) We don't have parties any more; like you, we go places and create memories that way.

For every person who wants a first floor master bedroom, there's someone who doesn't. For every person who needs a bathtub in every bathroom, there's someone who would change them all to huge, elaborate showers. For every person who wants granite counter tops in the kitchen, there's someone who would prefer Corian, or Formica, or marble. For every person who wants hardwood, there's someone who wants wall-to-wall carpet. There's only so much you can do for resale. Don't chose something you dislike just for resale value. Do consider resale if you are doing something outside the norm. I remember a thread on the Buying/Selling Homes forum where someone was designing a new house and wanted to eliminate any trace of a formal dining room, as well as an eat-in kitchen. Wanted nothing but a breakfast bar in the family room. Many posters warned about resale value in that thread, with most saying to have a room that would for his family, but could easily be converted to a dining room if they ever sold. Same thing with taking out all the bathtubs. Most people recommend leaving one in the house. Decorate so that you can live in and enjoy the house. If you make radical changes, incorporate a way for other owners to easily change them. Here's an example: My brother and SIL have a child who is physically disabled. They were debating between a wheelchair accessible addition to their house or buying an new house that had already been adapted for a wheelchair user. What they found while house-hunting was that most handicapped-accessible additions were not well-thought-out. Most were just stuck onto the existing house without any thought to the traffic patterns in the house or how the house would look from the outside. They were basically functional, but ugly, patches on the existing house. So they worked with an architect to add onto their house. They lost the windows in the dining room. They added a family room which they didn't have, a mud room/laundry room which they didn't have, an accessible bathroom with the most luxurious roll-in shower that looks like a spa, and a bedroom for my nephew. You don't notice the lack of windows in the dining room because it is open-plan with the living room and get sunlight from there, as well as from the french doors that separate it from the family room. As much as possible, there is nothing in the addition that screams "I am wheelchair accessible!" The doorways are wider, the shower doesn't have a step into it, there's a ramp up to the mudroom door. Probably the main thing is that most of the doors are pocket doors that are easy to slide open and don't get in the way of wheelchairs. But nearly everything is a stock fitting from regular building stores. Future owners could turn the addition into a nice master suite if they changed out the french doors. It would also be possible to easily turn the mud room/laundry room into a small kitchenette and make the addition into a MIL apartment. Or the new owners could use the house as is. The key thing is that there are *options* for future owners. The house is not just suitable for persons with disabilities, the way some of the houses they looked at were.