The best way to handle menopause is to educate oneself about it and look at it as a natural step in a woman's life. We tend to over-medicalize everything from the menstrual cycle to childbirth to menopause. Yes I had hot flashes, yes I was a bit irritable and edgy for the first year but I knew these things were normal and they too would pass and they did. Took nothing. Tried to keep busy,eat healthy and take time for myself. On the other hand I know women who were put on HRT before they even had one side effect of menopause. It was to "prevent" all the bad stuff they were told they would get. Never bothered to wait to see if they would even have a need for the drug. Of course there are a relatively small number of women who may need chemical assistance. But most women would be just fine if they didn't buy into the everything a woman does is an illness carp. Anything "natural" that works is probably doing the same amount of harm that HRT drugs can. Unless it's some snake oil placebo so many are fond of taking. But if you're taking a natural product full of estrogen , it's still estrogen.

I used to be much more cavalier about discarding roses but I've changed my ways. For one, it takes so long for bands to grow into ornamental plants with little rain. Besides, by now I should know better and be more discriminating in what I order. I know now that Maggie does not ring my chimes but she's staying. Charles Darwin, of which I have two, hardly lasts one day, but I hope with age that will improve. Mrs. Henry Morse is one of those early hybrid teas that take forever to put on growth so that might have been a mistake. I'll try fish solution to hurry her along. Mme. Antoine Mari's flowers are really too delicate for the heat, but there again I hope she'll toughen up with age. Sometimes I wish desperately that I could begin the whole process over again, amend the soil properly before planting, install drip watering right away and choose roses as though my life depended on it. Oh well.....

Here's what I came up with for both Kitchen seating -and- a Foyer "space". I recommend going ahead and doing both at this time so they can be designed to work together. That's assuming you want a simple foyer space and not something "grander". Are you planning to use IKEA or a different manufacturer? FYI...I put in the existing appliances so workflow can be seen. . Foyer: I put in walls that are 12" from the door trim. The studs in the walls are turned 90 degrees to gain a couple of inches of space overall. The overall width of the space is 63". One thing I suggest is opening up the side walls a bit to give a more open feel while keeping the feeling of separation b/w the front door and the rest of the home. I don't know the size of your front door, but I assumed 39", including 3" of trim on each side. Questions: Can you put a coat closet under the stairs? (Just a thought!) Are the stairs "open" to the rest of the floor or is there a wall on both sides? Our experience: We have 11.5" b/w our front door & the wall on one side and a 12"W sidelight on the other side with the stairs to the 2nd floor starting immediately after the sidelight. There is more than enough room for moving around at the door. 11.5" is also enough room for a 4-light switch panel. The only other difference is that our front door is 42"W, including door trim (36" door + 3" trim on each side). Based on what we have, I think the 63" I've shown will be plenty. Note: I'm guessing on many measurements since they were not included in your layouts. E.g., the width of the stairs, the distance b/w the front door & the Den. . Pantry ideas: Pantry storage...Note that I did not put a pantry cabinet in that corner. I did this for several reasons. A seat at the short end of the peninsula is going to get in the way, especially when you create a "foyer space". With a pantry cabinet back there, the aisle b/w the peninsula and right wall will need to be 44" b/c now there's pantry traffic passing behind the seats. Without the pantry cabinet, the aisle can be 36" or so (I made it 39" for a bit more space) Access to that cabinet would be awkward, IMO. Instead, I recommend moving the Laundry Room upstairs and using the now vacated W/D space for shallow pantry cabinets or shelving. I would opt for cabinets just b/c I think they would look nicer, but open shelving would work as well since this is not a public room. You may have to work around the pipes, etc., that you say are in the room. IKEA makes 15"D tall cabinets. You could, optionally, also add a shallow pantry cabinet b/w the new foyer wall and the window -- but not too wide b/c you need a decent aisle to get to the seats and you don't want too much crowding on that wall. I think putting your pantry storage in the Utility Room rather than off to the far right would bring your food storage a bit closer to the primary work zones in your Kitchen -- with fewer obstacles to go around to get to it. . Peninsula ideas: All 3 seats are on the long side of the peninsula -- for the reason I stated above. I put in a 39-inch aisle behind the seats for ease of access. You could probably reduce it to 36", but I wouldn't go any narrower. I show 4 corner options (the rest is the same): Option #1: 27" cabinet turned 90 degrees and facing outside the Kitchen Option #2: Voided corner. Option #3: Corner susan Option #4: IKEA corner susan. IKEA's 36" corner susan is really 38"x38" Which do I prefer? I don't have a clear preference. There are pros & cons to each, but I think they are all very doable and functional. I do know that in my old Kitchen, I stored all my pots & pans and colanders in our 36" corner susan. Others store their small appliances in corner susans. So, if you have a need for those types of storage, I would probably go with one of the of the corner susan options. The cabinet turned 90 degrees is probably not as useful in this situation b/c there's no other room on that side, just a wall, so the storage in that cabinet would not be located where it would be useful for another room. Option 1: . Option 2: . Option 3: . Option 4: .

Personally, I think brass will be out fairly soon. That being said, if you are just talking about a few things, you could change out again in 5-8 years, go for it. I love polished nickel, though. I bet it was pricey at the time you bought it. My fave for kitchen is brushed nickel/stainless b/c it matches stainless appliances. I admit I am a matchy person, though. I am a fan of brass and put real brass doorknobs in the house I built b/c I think it is a classic, but I prefer for door hardware. And, the brass this "current" is more of a brushed gold. Long story short, go for it if you want. I would be less encouraging if you were talking about doing all your shower heads in the new brass. Harder to change than a kitchen faucet...