Wow Celeste!! Soooo beautiful!! All your hard work really shows. So glad to finally see some pics of your beauties this year. Your roses and gardens are always stunning. Never can get enough of them. I know the meaning of outta control!! My husband tells me that quite frequently. hahaha! I took a few years off from buying lilies when I found this forum looking at roses. Then last year I looked at the lily forum alot and went wild myself ordering new daylilies. I love allllll my new babies but have been soooo lazy this year and haven't posted any pics. Its so funny how yours are really getting started and mine are almost coming to an end. boooo hooooo!! I am going to look for some more late bloomers in hopes of extending my bloom time. I don't really see alot reblooming like lots of folks on here do but when I do I get ecstatic. My roses are starting to vamp back up though, despite the deering nibbling here and there, so now I will be focusing on them. Always something though isn't it! I have decided no more roses, unless their purple. I went wild getting lots of purple daylilies so that should feed my fix for a while! lol! So glad everything is doing great for you but I knew it would. Now, go download us some more!! See ya, Judy

greywings, The opening facing the fireplace is to the front entry of the house. It kind of divides the fireplace in half. I hadn't thought of putting the chairs in front of the fireplace. And my dh would love to put an sectional where you are suggesting. He's suggested that a few times. It would have to be a fairly small one since that is not a few big area. Here is a picture looking at the fireplace from the foyer. (Please ignore that ugly green paint that I've since painted over!) And another older one looking more directly where the two recliners are now. (Sorry it's so blurry) Also, what would you put in the corner to the left behind the recliners? Since that's looking into the room from the entrance, would looking at the back of the recliners looks good? I could put a table between them, but a lamp would be difficult without using a rug behind them to reach the outlet. Thanks for the help. I've been struggling with the shape of this room for some time. I've even tossed up the idea of closing in that opening that leads from the foyer, but it would be strange to walk into the house and directly towards the kitchen area. (of course, everyone always heads that way anyhow!) Robbi

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. I think you're correct that using a mix of colors and textures will make both of us happy. DH has agreed to a different color island, but doesn't like the look of painted uppers with stained lowers. He says it's "trendy and weird." I don't understand his logic, but whatever. I am so FRUSTRATED because he cares what the kitchen looks like but doesn't offer many suggestions of his own. He says I can do "whatever," but wants veto power over anything he really hates. Which is pretty much anything that strays from what's on our builder's website. I've decided that I can no longer look at photos of any kitchens with white; it makes me sad. I'm looking for inspiration from stained kitchens that I DO like. So, here's what DH & I can agree on: - a wood species with a very subtle grain - DONE - simple cabinet design without a lot of ornamentation - DONE - a medium or dark stain that doesn't have strong red or yellow undertones - getting there - a light, subtle granite that doesn't hog the spotlight - considering Giallo Ornamental, which should meet that need - a wood floor that contrasts with the cabinets - getting there - doing something very geometric with the backsplash - painted island - still undecided. I love the idea in theory, but I need to figure out how to integrate it with the rest of the design. I'd love tips on how to do this. Would it be accurate to say that given all our neutral choices, the backsplash needs to be the star? In case you're wondering, DH is making concessions, too. Our compromise is that I'll concede quite a bit on the kitchen, but I get full reign to do pretty much whatever I like in the bathrooms. Two of the three bathrooms WILL have white cabinets. :)

Yellow? Did someone say yellow kitchen?? Whee! It's the best! I'm on week 4 (or so) of painting just 1/2 of my kitchen yellow (barley, as rm said). Only half for now, because it is so exhausting and time consuming. I searched for the right yellow for about 6-7 months. It drove me nuts! The lighting in the room changes the color so much! I am wild about the barley color during the daytime. It is impossibly creamy without screaming 'yellow.' But at night, with the (incandescent) lights on, it starts to holler (not quite scream) "yellow, yellow, yellow!" I think I'll try cf lighting to see what that does. Those creams can turn really yellow as soon as the sunshine hits them. I see tons of kitchens that are called yellow, but painted cream (e.g. phila cream and precious ivory are a lovely yellow when the sun hits them). I"m also doing a yellow/black/white sort of thing. I have soapstone counters (which were blackish, but are now grayish), and will have subway tile with a black and white accent strip. Here is a pix (doors are just balanced in place, and don't have final coats on them yet). I think the barley needs 3 coats to look really rich, and the right paleness (it seems to get a bit paler as the coats go on). I can't see bungalow_house's photo. Rats! I really want to see it, but it appears to be gone. Can the rest of you still see it? :-) francy Here is a link that might be useful: My yellow inspiration