This is sort of like asking what everyone's favorite ice cream is...but I really like the first one best. I think it has a quiet elegance about it with your cabinets and you could have more fun with the backsplash and accessories. To my eye, the second one is too mustardy, but then I did everything I could to keep from getting a lot of yellow in my granite, while I am sure there are others here who strove for that as a goal. So I guess I'm not much help... P.S. I laughed when I read your comment about your husband getting tired of all the indecisiveness and losing the will to live. My husband and I were in Lowes and I was stressing over picking out door hardware...Paul kept telling me to "hurry up and pick something out and let's go!" Finally I snapped back at him and said something like "Just because YOU don't care if the kitchen looks like it was thrown together without any thought... well I do!" Then he said "It only took me fifteen seconds to pick out the garbage disposal!" At which point, I almost pushed him down in the hardware aisle and I spat "Dear God, no one SEES the #@*# garbage disposal!" That was the closest we have come to actual remodeling violence, but I just had to share... Good luck on the counters and have fun! :) Cathy

Love #1. Kingston Brass? I have it but with the lever handles. It seems a good quality, is noted on the large side but not overly so, imo. That said, seeing your vanity etc I think the more tailored modified version of #3 is a better fit from what I can gather from your styling of the bathroom. It is simpler and more masculine, to the point like the handsome bath . #1 is quite feminine for the above bathroom, imo. I also think the sleek modern one at 17:43 would look good but like the feel of the other with the old world natural limestone. PS. The higher arcs are more comfortable, imo. This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 14:24

I'm lol at terriks "has it been a year already?" and yes it has! mitchdesj, Mr Fat Snowman is still in the room. I have a lot more snowmen and he joined some of them. And I do wish you all were here helping me move this stuff around. I probably need to get more/better greenery if I'm going to use a lot of it on the mantel. tinam61, I understand what you mean about "cutesy" but when I remove the snowmen it starts to look really dark on the mantel. In person I think the lightness helps it. I like the suggestions of maybe a rustic wreath or a mirror. It's not so much the $$ keeping me from replacing the picture as finding what I want. I would like something that is not just for Christmas but can stay in place throughout the winter. A mirror or even the right wreath are great ideas. I'm getting inspired again and will look. I took another pic since I have some light in the room again. Right now it's a sort of combination of the original 2 and 3 and every time I pass through I move something...lol. Thanks again for the reinforcement and advice. I'm definitely going to look for something to hang in place of the picture.

Corrina - I think noseometer is right that most DA roses will grow well where you are. But in thinking about the Oakland microclimate I remembered going to Orchard Nursery in Lafayette when I was first interested in growing fragrant roses eight years ago. The salesperson asked me "which side of the Caldecott (Tunnel) do you live?" She advised that fragrant roses were more susceptible to disease (thinner petals) and would be more vulnerable on the Oakland side of hill because the higher humidity from the Bay influence. I'm in 9b just outside Napa so my climate is warmer - mid 80s with just a touch of morning fog sometimes in the summer. I live in a windy pocket so it's extra dry. Here are my thoughts on your list. The Alnwick Rose did not grow for me for two years but it suddenly started growing and blooming last month in its second flush. I'm not getting much fragrance now but I hope for more after the winds stop after Labor Day and we get the that lovely Indian Summer climate. I've had Pat Austin for a couple of years and love the fragrance. I think she blows a bit more quickly than I like. The middle photo is from Celebration of Old Roses a couple of years ago and is what I hope mine will look like one day! I would recommend Lady Emma Hamilton which I had to baby for a couple of years because it did get some black spot initially even my dry climate when it was very small. I have two because it's compact and I have it as focal point so I needed to be sure there was enough there to fill the space. It has great fragrance, form, color, and the leaves can be purple as well as green with brownish stems. It's probably the most unique DA rose I have. I think it may be a challenge to grow in other areas of the country because of the black spot problem which is minimal here and goes away completely by end of May. Ancient Mariner - I don't have this rose but I've seen many great photos would get it if I had more room. I really enjoyed the description and pics from Rose Lai. Rose - you have a fabulous collection of roses and I enjoyed hearing about your very unusual micro climate in San Ramon. I never would have guessed something like that would exist given former co-worker descriptions of SR and Danville. I also have a Charlotte tree standard which is my largest standard and a really prolific bloomer. Geoff Hamilton - I just planted him this year so I can't say yet. Jude the Obscure - this rose needs to be purchased grafted because own-root takes too long. But here's my OR after five years or so, my largest DA rose. I've seen some lovely photos of newer DA roses like Emily Bronte and Eustacia Vye which I hope is offered this coming year. So I'm looking forward to some new roses. Good luck with your choices! Ann