Thanks! You know I almost was going to make a guess and tell her Lily of the valley. I don't grow it, so I didn't want to chance a mistake. She had just moved it from another spot so that may be why there are not as many stems. Will ask her if it flowers white to be sure. thanks again on the id.~Heather

That's it!!!! Thank you! Now I just have to find one. J&P no longer has it on their site. I e-mailed to ask about it. If I can't get it this year, I reckon I will send some "Scent From Heaven" and try to get it next year. That too is appropriate. Many many years ago, when I first became disabled, someone asked me if I had a friend closer than my sisters. I didn't, so they suggested I pray for one. I did. Marta and I were already friendly, but not close. Shortly after that, we went Christmas caroling at a nursing home. Later, sipping cocoa, we found ourselves seated next to each other. I spoke of my father, who had just had a miraculous recovery from a heart attack when he was one of the first recipients of experimental TPA. She said that her father had had a similar recovery as one of the first recipients of experimental angioplasty. We are both "daddy's girls" and found ourselves talking about them. They were both rosarians and bred (as they were then called) Seal Point Siamese cats. This was all lots of fun, but when we discovered that we had the "same" abusive mother, well., the bond was set. On 9/11, I got calls asking about my husband, who worked a few blocks from the twin towers. The most touching was from Marta, who was returning from overseas with her husband. They were in a plane that was being re-routed to Canada. They were allowed 1 call from the plane to family to alert them of their situation. She called me to ask about John. I hope I can find this rose. Thank you again.

This is lkplatow's sister. Thanks so much for your advice - I'm just horrible at picking interior finishes and this room has proven to be a challenge because of its location, shape and function (or lack thereof). Right now, it's used mostly for a den/playroom for our 4-year-old. Once we get the shelving figured out, we'll move a lot of the open toy storage into the base cabinets, and his books on to the lower shelves. Again, have to apologize for the clutter!! Here's a wider shot of the room, from the doorway to the kitchen which is opposite of the fireplace wall: There are some faux beams on the ceiling that have been painted the same color as the paneling which is on the walls. (We'd love to drywall the whole thing, but again, time being what it is, we really just need to get this room pulled together for the short term!) The next three pictures are starting on the left side of the shelves and looking along the adjacent wall with the sliding glass doors to the backyard, and then the small seating area with the leather club chairs, and a vintage advertising poster on the wall. Please ignore the lamp - I hate it but DH doesn't. We're working on that! :P (Oh yes, and the brass switch plates are also getting the axe ASAP.) Continuing to look at the opposite side of the room from the fireplace, you can see the doorway into the kitchen and then immediately adjacent on the other wall, the doorway into the center hall of the house. And then finally, coming back around, this is a shot of the wall to the right of the shelves/fireplace with the door to the hall in the back and the door into the living room in the front. We put in these white built-in's shortly after we moved in. That room was a desert rose color that was way dark, so we painted it a creamy yellow and all the trim white, along with building a wall of bookshelves with a fireplace mantle in the middle. I don't know that I'm crazy about the idea of going black on the shelves. I was originally thinking a shade or two darker than the wall color, so this is a lot of good feedback! Keep it coming!!!!

Your sister's kitchen sounds wonderful already. To continue the mood established by her choices, I'd do a matte or soft-sheen surface, rather than high gloss. And since a lot of different materials are being used, I would choose something that blended nicely, rather than adding a large area of strong contrast. A genuine lack of work light will need bigger bulbs, and some light accessories will set off the rich colors beautifully. I personally happen to love kitchens with counters that blend calmly with the lower cabinets (something I discovered by looking at pictures of beautiful kitchens), so that's what I'd suggest. Also, kitchen counters are very busy places visually, as well as functionally, when people are there to notice, so this is also a good trick for keeping the kitchen visually pleasant while in full cooking chaos.