Daisy: Since own-root roses are small, I move them around a lot and observe their roots. OWN-ROOT W.S. 2000 has thinner roots & more cluster roots thus need a fluffy medium to push through. In contrast, Comte de Chambord has long woody sticks, not much cluster roots, and cannot handle tons of acidic rain resulting in black spots. Hard woody roots need hard-minerals in clay to form. W.S. 2000 as own-root has PALE and small leaves. Small leaves mean it needs fluffy or sandy soil, and pale leaves mean it blooms best with acidic rain. It refused to bloom with my alkaline tap water at pH 9. In contrast, DARK-GREEN leaves like Dee-lish, Intrigue, Liv Tyler, Arthur Bell, Double Delight, Firefighter or Evelyn bloom easily with pH 9 tap-water. Dark-green leaves are also prone to black spots during acidic rain .. while the very pale leaves like own-root W.S. 2000 never have black spots, even with tons of acidic rain. Sharifa Asma also has pale leaves as own-root and I never see blackspots on that one. pH of rain here is 4.5. First pic. is own-root W.S. 2000 in my amended clay (note the pale and tiny leaves). Second pic. is Sharifa Asma (gets rain water from my 6 rain-barrels so leaves are darker green). But own-root Sharifa Asma was very pale with alkaline tap water at pH 9. Own-root Carding Mill also has pale leaves and refused to grow with alkaline tap water. Light-green or pale leaves are BEST AS GRAFTED. I wish I had bought Sharifa as grafted. See own-root W.S. 2000 below: Own-root Sharifa Asma below: All my 134 varieties are own-roots, and Facebook Fragrant Rose Lovers (founded by Khalid) helps me in choosing dark-green and large-leaves for my alkaline & dense clay. Khalid urges his 1,800 international members to post bush-shots where leaves and growth can be seen. When I want an own-root rose suitable for my rock-hard clay, I search inside that Facebook group for "dark green leaves" or "large leaves". These rosarians always post bush-shots plus detailed description of each rose (lineage & types of leaves). The info. is more accurate than HMF since they post many bush-shots in different weather (above 110 F, or month-long rain, or in sandy soil, or pots, plus bush-shot videos of rose so I can see what type of soil they have). Below link is Facebook Fragrant Rose Lovers group, fantastic reference !! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412992132360557/permalink/2264173233909105

How did you install the mirror? Did you screw directly into a stud? Or did you use the drywall mounting devices provided? Or did you purchase your own mounting devices? I have the similar Pottery Barn pivot mirror. The mirror was quite heavy and larger than RH pivot mirror you selected. I used the provided drywall mounting devices with the exception of one screw that could fit into a stud. They were very sturdy metal screw in style that should hold a lot of weight compared to the flimsy ones you typically get with towel bars or for hanging family pictures. Three screws were used per side. These types of drywall mounting devices have specific weight ratings on what they can hold. Considering the popularity of these items and the liability PB and RH could incur, I trust that they have done their proper research and provided appropriate mounting devices to support the weight of the mirror. If we err on the side of heavy, assuming the mirror weighs 65lbs (I suspect it's more like 50lbs or less), then each bracket would only need to hold 10.83lbs. I do not think you have anything to fear. I have no concerns about this mirror falling on my head (or worse yet - damaging my marble countertop!). If you still feel concerned, you should call up RH and ask what the weight rating is on the drywall mounting devices they provided for installation of the mirror.

We have marble, and I've found the long, metal-rod trivets from Ikea to be invaluable. We keep one sitting next to the stove most of the time, and I find it to be much less intrusive looking than the silver heat pads. Another necessity is a giant cutting board. If you don't want to leave it out all the time, you may not want a really thick one. We have a nice Boos block one that we rarely use because it's so heavy, and I hate pulling it out of the cupboard. Instead, we actually end up using our giant one that was originally an under-counter pullout in our old kitchen. We do a lot of prep on it, and its size makes it useful for keeping potentially acidic juices from running over the edge. Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea trivet

Yes, I like this bedroom /bathroom /closet layout -- it seems very convenient. Not only because it's open to the laundry room, but because it allows for that little hallway off the bedroom to keep light /sound somewhat separated from the bedroom. I'm thinking that the hall linen closet could be more like a dressing cabinet . . . a built-in cabinet with space underneath for a laundry basket, and shelves up top for jewelry, a mirror, and photos. I'm thinking that the little hallway would be great. Yeah, I assumed that the hall bath would have a window added. I never said it though. Yes, we HAVE been through a number of iterations -- you say you've enjoyed watching, but sometimes I feel a bit like I'm comic relief. I started with the idea that I wanted a 1.5 story /Cape Cod /Southern house . . . and then my husband convinced me that a ranch is more practical for our retirement years . . . then I pushed back and returned to my original idea . . . and he's pushing again. i know that his desire for a ranch is more practical than a 1.5 story house, and I should give in on this one. As for the house being FINISHED, this is one of my requirements. NON-NEGOTIABLE. I have put up with wait-for-this and we'll-do-that-next-year for too long. Whatever we plan, we are going to FINISH NOW -- non-negotiable. Didn't I already say that? Well, I meant it. Since we are planning a house well beneath our budget, this is possible. Except for one thing: We're planning to build a bonus room, but it will JUST be storage. If we later need another room, we're halfway there. And a new thought concerning the kitchen and dining room: I'm wondering about switching the kitchen and dining room. The two spaces are actually pretty close in size, but IF we flip them, we could have nice large windows in the front of the house . . . in both the front bedroom AND the dining room (these need to match). IF we do this, we'd move the pantry door so it would face the kitchen. This would remove the problem of where to place the sink, and it would set the dining area over in a private alcove. We could also open the dining room up to the foyer, which would enlarge that small space visually. On the other hand, I really do like a U-shaped kitchen, and I like the current walk-through pantry tremendously. I do not love the dining room in its current spot, but it is plenty big and functional. And keeping it "as is" would be cheaper because it's already on the plans.