Such a GREAT topic!! My story~~We have two adult children, DS 34 and DD 32. We live in the center of the country and have one child on each coast. Our son calls weekly, our DD not so much. (I've learned recently, however, that she is a GREAT texter, lol, so we now communicate frequently via text.) Once they started college, I backed off w/the motherly advice (unless asked), and upon college graduation the advice ceased completely (unless asked, and, yes, our advice has been sought after on occasion). I believe it is imperative that adult children be treated as we would treat any other adult. We don't pry, allow them to share w/us what they're comfortable sharing, and don't place demands on them. The fact that DD doesn't seem to want a "close" relaionship has bothered me; I'd love to talk w/her more often. But, when we're together, she is the most affectionate daughter a parent could ask for. Even at her age she will always walk down the street w/her arm around me, tell me many times during our visit how much she loves me, and shower me w/hugs (same w/her dad), so I just need to accept that we are loved and more frequent contact isn't in the cards for now. She called a couple of days ago asking my advice on a couple of personal relationship issues and I take comfort in those times and the wonderful notes she writes expressing how much she appreciates and loves us. Also, her personality is just different than DS's; he's a talker and she's more quiet. Our son told us recently that he would like to think we would all enjoy being together even if we weren't related and I took that as quite a compliment. I remember when DH and I were first married and his parents had expectations as to how often we should see each other; oh, how I resented that! It placed a wedge between us. Fortunately, DH didn't bend to their expectations. My MIL is a wonderful woman but doesn't hesitate to offer suggestions as to how we should live our lives. I will NEVER, EVER do that just as I wouldn't w/any of my friends. So, Lynn, my advice would be to follow their lead. Give them the space they need. You've given them the life skills they need to be productive, responsible, independent adults and they are eager to put these skills to use. I wouldn't be surprised that with time your son will want more frequent communication but right now he is establishing his independence and probably anxious to demonstrate to you that he can navigate through adulthood w/the skills you've provided him.

We have made to order Levelor cellular shades from Home Depot in our bedrooms and bathroom. They're the blackout kind and cordless. After about 18 months, one of the shades broke. It's being repaired/replaced by Levelor now. They seem to be decent quality for the most part and go up/down okay. Initially, they ordered the non blackout kind and sent them for installation. They did replace them with the correct kind but we got to live with the standard one for a few weeks. There was a significant difference in the amount of light between the two. You can still see light around the edges so are more like room darkening than blackout, in my opinion.

I think there are a couple of things to consider. If the door is in the dining room, will you lose a part of a length of wall that would be the insightful place for a sideboard or other piece of furniture. If the door is in the living room, will you throw off the symmetry of the room (you could add a built in on the other side of the fireplace to correct this.) If the door is in the living room, you will have some degree of a sight line into the room to supervise when you are in the living room, and the kitchen, but not when in the dining room. As you probably spend more time in the kitchen proper and the living room, this may prove more useful. You already have a doorway to the porch in the dining room. Adding another in the DR may make the dining room feel like a passageway. Or one thought you could also could also consider would be doors in both DR and LR, thus allowing for perfect circulation on the floor. French doors would be nice for this, and that will also allow additional light into the new addition. I also might add that even though you have heard it many times, kids grow really fast. Size/scale the space for 4 adults, not 2 adults and 2 kids. By the time kids are in 4th grade, they physically take up as much "space" as an adult

I am the OP for the "why is it so hard to pick a countertop" thread. In the end, my kitchen needed light countertops, which made it easier for me to pick quartz. If I were doing a dark countertop I think I'd still do quartz, but might also look at honed dark granite if I could justify the environmental cost. I know it seems irrational, but the though of digging something out of the ground for my kitchen bothered me (and, yes, I know a lot of destruction got done for my kitchen anyway!). The amount of recycled content in my counter is not going to save the world, but I am pretending it might :) I really considered soapstone from Virginia, but with a very destructive child I think soapstone might be a mistake. I know CS comes from Israel, but in my research I found out that pretty much everything ships from all over the place, and that they ship the slabs with lots of other stuff, so in the end I let that part slide even though of course transportation does help determine if something is "green." I know that the CS company is super-green in their practices, and that you get some LEEDS points for using the product (not many-- not as many as using the paper stuff, or Ice Glass). Also, from a human rights perspective they are good, which some (not all) mining companies are not. Actually, I think the dark laminates are really pretty, and they certainly are cost-effective. A dark concrete can be really inexpensive, too. Neither is all that bullet-proof, but that is offest by their cost.