Hi Olga and forumites, I have not been posting much lately, as I have a life of pretty diversified busy-ness! Have to spread myself around too much to spend much time chatting on the forum. Nevertheless, I am spending significant time out in the garden - and have the tan to prove it! Not all gardening tasks are accomplished, though. One thing I need to do sometime is...put my clone of Mariola in the ground! Yep, I was able to get one one after begging Trish at Ashdown last year. I received it in early May, potted it up and it is doing well, starting to send out new shoots. I am trying right now to decide where to place it permanently, with ultimate size in mind. It is a well-branched but rather diminutive little thing that gives no hint about how big it might get. Olga, since this is your baby and you've had it growing the longest, do you think it safe to assume that it will probably be along the lines of a 4-5 foot tall bush when mature? And, would any shade from nearby taller bushes (not trees) be detrimental? Thanks much, Rick

"claimed that it came with a manufacturers warranty" sellers can claim anything. it's called a manufacturer's warranty , and the contract is with the manufacturer - a third party cannot alter the contract without the manuf. written consent which will never happen. storm - let me try and clarify the winds for you. I don't think moja's problem quite meets the vote the free market I was/am talking about. He should not have bought a product from Miele in the first place. By telling people about this he brings the debate forward and can shape the market if he convinces enough people to to not buy Miele gear because they do this or that. Look at the aforementioned Maytag. They used to make superior washers, and no they don't really exist anymore. Enough people vote with their wallets by nit buying their washers because they turned to crap. Re: the Gaggenau / Miele fatherland thing. Gaggenau is highline- high quality - high price everywhere. Miele USA is really a different business than Miele Germany and what I'm saying is they have chosen to position themselves here as ONLY a high quality make. They don't import even half of their offerings to this market, and like I've mentioned to dodge before they are not simply putting a NA plug on their units, shipping them here and jacking up the price over the German/Euro markets. If a product is available both places the prices are very similar after currency variables are considered. Miele simply doesn't offer mid to entry products here. Because they offer a more broad range in Europe their rep. is slightly lower simply because of exclusivity. Benz does the same thing here. You couldn't get a SMART here until they figured out how to distance that brand from MBenz so as not to dilute the mark. They did the same thing with their vans via Freightliner and Dodge. I take exception at your assertion that I bow to the marketing chants or the winds of corp. top floors. I make no bones about being a Miele fan. But I also rec. lots of other makes. It's all dependent on the customer's need/wants. What I really have a problem with is what's moja's complaining about: I tried to save a few bucks by not buying through an authorized distribution channel and now the manuf. won't help me free of charge. The (my) problem is not that he's complaining per se, but that he seems to feel he has no responsibility in this and that it's totally Miele's fault because they are bad or that the system is bad because big government has allowed companies to set prices for their own products and say where they are sold by upholding a decades old practice. My problem with him over the health care thing is his math. Sure an office visit for the flu is cheaper in Canada than walking into the ER here in the USA. No one will rally debate this. ER's are set up for trauma and critical care and that care is very expensive to deliver. My tummy hurts or I have a cough don't really qualify but the public doesn't really feel like waiting because they are soft and or lazy. I saw it in the UK as I worked in an ER for 8 months. Care was no cost out of pocket and people would still come to the ER for sore knees, headaches, whatever instead of making an appointment with their family doctor which was also no cost, simply because they's have to wait several weeks to see him. They wait at the ER too sometimes a whole day while serious stuff like guys that got shot with a nail gun, or wrecked a motorcycle, or broke they arm playing soccer were attended to. Anyway the overall total cost of socialized system is more than a private one and the numbers bear that out. Oh and the CDC doesn't really keep that info, or didn't . It's not in their pervue. If they do now, please point me to the hard data.

I agree with Stef. I think the best thing for you to do is call the KD and discuss the issue with her. If she gave you the plans without mentioning what you could or could not do with them, it sounds like she wont mind you asking her if you can use them to shop around. This is exactly why I never give out my plans without a retainer fee paid. Ive worked on my own and with two companies....for the first company, we required the initial meeting to be at the design center where clients met with us designers and gave us an idea of what they are looking for, including providing us with rough measurements. Once we "qualified" them (gave them a rough estimate of what things would cost) and showed them our portfolio then we asked for a retainer fee before we would come out to their home or do any real work if they wanted to move forward. On my own, all of my clients were either referrals from a past client or knew of me when I worked for the first company and were usually people who didnt want to shop around but wanted to pay someone to do the all the work for them. I always came to the client's home, spoke with them, took measurements and because I sleep, eat, and breathe this, I could give them a pretty close estimate of what things cost. If they wanted to move forward, they paid me a retainer right then and there and then I would schedule the next meeting which we would go over my initial design. All of these meetings were at the clients home, I brought samples to them and we only would meet at different show rooms if there was not a sample or photo of something I could bring to there house. With this last company, they do both ways, just depends on the client. Personally, I prefer the way I did things on my own. I was able to personally meet the client in the comfort of their own home, which I find it easier to discuss such a big money item. But never, I mean, NEVER, would I give anyone my drawings without some type of retainer payment. On the last thread, there were some pretty mean things said about KD's, whether some were real designers or just KD's. Some interior designers dont do kitchens, some do...Ive worked with alot of Interior Designers who told clients they did kitchens, but hired someone like me to work behind the scenes to actually do the design work, especially with detailed custom cabinetry...so it all depends on the person. KD's do have credibility (look at Jennifer Gilmore...she does mostly kithcens, is listed as a KD, and is in all the trendy magazines) I personally have an Architecture degree but fell in love with Kitchen and Bathroom design when I worked for a company during college....does that make me any less of a designer? Bottom line, its wrong to take someone's work and give it to another person to use, even if its just for pricing. I would be pissed if I gave someone a plan and they took the exact plan to another KD, Designer, or Architect, whatever...then again, I would never give anyone anything without acquiring necessary payments, so maybe since she gave it to you, its not a big deal...but you should definitely ask her first beforehand. PS. Just because a KD is affiliated with a cabinetry line does not mean they are any less of a designer than someone that isnt affiliated with a cabinetry line and is willing to work with which ever cabinetry line the client choose....some people can be so mean and really dont know what they are talking about. This really is a niche in itself because there are many variations on what type of designer exist and what clients expect. I think that if you want to shop around and find the best deal then be up front about it when your meeting with someone so that both of you know and expect the same things...why be so sneaky about it? I've have people tell me that they are shopping around and either I make sure to lay out exaclty what they can expect from me or I let them know, hey Im not the cheapest designer around and I can't do what you want at your ideal price...this way they are not wasting my time and I am not wasting theirs. But remember, alot of people on this forum write in about the "little" mistakes their KD has made or didnt catch and some of them probably went the cheapest route...as with anything, you get what you pay for...those "little" mistakes have never came up in my business, then again Im not the cheapest option. We are the first ones to get blamed yet we are the last prof that people want to pay. This is not to say that there are not bad KD's or designers becuase there def are and they give the industry a bad reputation. Im not saying the OP is trying to be sneaky, I just wanted to say what I felt and the last forum was getting a bit too long. Sorry to go a rant, but I'm kind of tired of the anti-KD or anti-Designer feeling I get alot of times when I log on here. All the best with your kitchen remodel!

Les: Thanks for the suggestions about the valance. Using the sheet fabric is how I made the previous one, though I like your idea of doing white with orange and pool striping. Would you suggest horizontal or vertical striping? Assume you mean I should try to match material for the striping to these colors--what type of materal/notion do you think would work for the stripes? A ribbon or tape? This route I could get a ready made valance. As for room layout, my DD has the smallest room in the house--something like only 9x10 with one wall taken up with a closet and door return, another with the window and another short wall where the door is. There is really only room for the bed, nightstand and a desk/hutch. Not even space for a dresser so she has a closet organizer with drawers plus drawers in her captain's bed. I guess the layout is easy because there is no other way things will fit. lynn: I love your layered bedding suggestions! I think some type of white coverlet which she could use on top or under the duvet is an excellent idea. DD is a bit of a slob, though, and her sheets get scrutched up at the base or worse yet, on the floor. organic_smallhome, if you're reading this, or anyone else with experience dealing with skin issues, I'd love some additional feedback before placing my order.