According to the Roberta's gardening representative on QVC, peonies DO grow in Florida! Gosh I am going to get some! This is so misleading. First they danced around the issue. The host asked if there was anywhere they wouldn't grow. He said they are cold hardy. Then a caller who purchased them said "I hope these will grow in Florida." He asked where she was in Florida and she told him Clearwater. He said there wouldn't be any problem. I bet if she had said Key West he would have given the same answer. On the QVC website it says they can be grown in zones 3-8. It costs $36 shipped.

I agree the child should be free to express their feelings in whatever way they can word it. They don't understand hierarchies and family politics. What irked me is I didn't bring any sort of ranking into the equation at all in the post that people keep refering to and yet that's what it got turned into. I nor the girls ever mentioned anything at all in the post about their mother or I being better, or the best or #1 but since the bio mom was the one who the girls were questioning that's what it got turned into. Mom was perceived by the other posters as "the winner" so I got tore apart. The double standard just gets me. I all the sudden went from step parent sewing having a conversation with step daughters to the underhanded wrecker of bio mom who was in some way trying to make her look inferior because the girls father bought me a sewing machine. I handled the situation no difference than you and "ranking" never even came up but I turned into the competitive witch. I think you did nothing wrong at all. A____ should be able to express himself however he feels and so should the girls.

Rosie- yes, I really do love the glazed white cabinets in my houzz ideabook and I had compromised with my husband by getting the maple cabinets. I really thought glazed white was entirely out of the question as far as he was concerned until his recent comment. But everything I was planning went with the stained look, so I am having a heck of a time changing gears and moving back to the white glaze. I also know I will have to deal with all of the silent "I told you so's" when every problem he predicted arises with the white lacquer. He really does want me to be happy with the kitchen, I think that is why he has had a change of heart... seosmp-I think we are probably looking at the same kitchen on Houzz, see below? LOVE LOVE LOVE that kitchen! I go back to it on a daily basis from multiple angles. This is part of my conflict, I want to re-create that kitchen as far as possible in my space...I even ordered corbels from Art for Everyday (but I ordered the wrong ones and they won't exchange) and my talented cabinet guy made a plain mantel the same basic shape (but it smacks my husband in the head when he is at the range, so there's no way I am putting it on now...we are cutting out an arch instead). [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/macgibbon-kitchen-4-contemporary-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~193088) [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Falls Church Kitchen & Bath Designers Cameo Kitchens, Inc. I do not love the golden beach granite they used when I see it in person though. And I haven't had any lighter granites tickle me like the brown antique. Would that kitchen look good with brown antique granite? I must say the photos on Houzz I have found with brown antique do not do it justice. It is like silver iridescent milk chocolate and dark chocolate and the light catches it every which way...just gorgeous. Here's a pretty good image of the brown antique on glazed white cabinets: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/leathered-antique-brown-granite-and-river-valley-granite-in-vienna-va-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~2473510) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Upper Marlboro Kitchen & Bath Designers Granite Grannies kksmama-I laid awake all night going over every possible combination of every counter material and cabinet I have considered thus far and I kept coming back to the brown antique granite. It's true, I do love it, I sigh every time I look at it. Since I am not in love with any stain at this point, it does seem like at least the granite is the one sure fire pick I would not regret. suzannesl- If I say anything in 8-10 months about making a change, DH would absolutely divorce me (maybe not divorce, but certainly might move into the garage for awhile to avoid me! LOL) That's why I am so stressed, I want to get it right the first time. I'm sure that is a common sentiment during remodels... -Deep breath- I feel resolved. I am going to go put a deposit on the brown antique granite that I know I love and I will have to figure out the stain/paint thing from there. One decision down...baby steps...baby steps.... This post was edited by ChantelN on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 13:12

Thank you Gramarows but that is double what I intend to pay for my washer/dryer. While I do realize SQ is considered the best, it's not something I really need. Our wardrobes consist mainly of cotton shirts and either shorts or jeans. When I need to clean something dressy, I prefer to send it out to be drycleaned. :) Thank you Hendricks. Cpartist, it is not the corners of the gym I am worried about. It is getting all of the mechanical equipment around those corners. If the door is in the hallway, installers and repairmen come up the stairs and into the closet. If the door is in the gym, they come up the stairs, into the gym, dodge around gym equipment, around the corner in the space, and into the closet. You make a very valid point. I'm going to change it so it opens out to the hall. :) Just a thought, on the new front door side, have you tried a triple window above the front porch instead of a double or a single? With the double my brain cuts it in half and that emphasizes the asymmetry. Triple would be an odd number and perhaps my brain would not try to. I know you are tight on space because of the elevator equipment room though. Maybe try bigger squares that mimic the bedroom windows and one could be in the elevator equipment room. It would also echo the triple glass in the front door. Yep I tried a triple first because I agree with you. A triple runs right into the elevator closet. However at this point I'm going to wait impatiently. LOL. These are not the final drawings but only what I was able to do on my computer. I like your idea of the triple windows but will first see how the draftsman is able to fit everything together. A lot depends on how the downstairs lays out because that's where I must stay within my 2124 square feet. Then once I see how he arranges the space from my drawings, I can see what will and won't work for the elevations. :)You don't mind the laundry closet in the front entry but future buyers might. So how about keeping your laundry in the front hall but putting washer and dryer hookups in the gym upstairs for future homeowners. The space would make a large laundry (although on another floor than the master bedroom.) That would give future homeowners a choice though. And hookups in the gym are above the master bath so hopefully not terribly expensive to run. You could use the gym as a storage room. For now for all of the extra stuff that just does not fit anywhere else or in the future could be locked up with any precious stuff if you ever decided to rent out the home while you were up north to offset costs. Or for future owners to use that way. I moved the laundry to the front foyer because of space considerations. IF it turns out I have the room, I'll move it back to the hallway leading to the master bedroom like I had it before. I won't know how much space I actually have until the draftsman does his measuring, etc. As for moving plumbing for a future family to move laundry upstairs? It would not be a selling point. I say that because the area I am in is mostly retirees and they would not want to be hauling laundry up and downstairs (or in the elevator.)