I think we need to start a new photo thread after this. It is taking awhile to load. Carol, I see lots of great space for gardens!!! Take you time though. Don't kill yourself trying to get too much done. Maryanne got the iris name correct, Honorabile. It is an historic iris from 1840. Maryanne, I bought Big Smile too! I can't wait to see mine bloom. Lol, about the roses. My sis-in-law came over the other day and got a quick tour. I thought of you. We were down wind from Marchessa Boccella, and she said, "What is that smell?!" It was the Marchessa. She was oohing and aahing over it. I have a couple new posts on the Antique Rose Gallery. The link is below for you : ) Kim, I love the pics. I like the pink one you got last year the best. Remy Here is a link that might be useful: Antique Rose Gallery post, another one

That Quick Shine is a real b*tch to get off once it's on there. Krud Kutter Is good (I have it/had it/use it regularly ta clean the laundry, I dilute it 3:1 for ceramic tile (and call it KK31) , even good outside on vinly & aluminum capping. But against the Quick Shine even FSKK (full strength Krud Kutter) is simply overmatched. I used a 1/2 gallon... With The Steam Mop, it's (2) microfiber heads, and a whole box (12) -Shark Sanifiber - disposable ones... AND there was still significant QS (Quick Shine) on most of the floor's surface- not ta mention all the mass quantities of leftover disgusting QS residue which I could NOT live with- Oh no-not me- NOT for money. So, decided to risk ruining my once stunningly beautiful, I can't believe they're not hardwood floors, laminate/ the entire 1st floor of my home (Living Rm/Kit./DR) and went into the garage/ grabbed the super concentrated (1 makes 25) gallon I use ta degrease my engine - (WTH, house ain't that big + I'd always have upstairs no matter what happened. ZEP Industrial Purple... my engine IS super clean, but I digress). ZEP Indust. Purple is covered with all kinds a "For Heavy machinery/ construction equipment only" type warnings; still... I went ahead and used 3x the recommended (max) strength (20 oz/gal), i.e., used 64oz/64oz EQUAL PARTS ZEP & Distilled water - called it 'Purple Rain'. (I name all my made homemade & devil-may-care cleaning products, don't h8;) ran it Thru the Steam Mop... AND it worked!!! ( but not anywhere near as easily as one might think. Still needed ta steam the entire floor 7-8x before I could cease the Purple Rain dance marathon. Praise Jesus! {BTW, (once again) throw away all generally accepted/expert advice/laminate floor principles} and actually run the mop perpendicular to the gaps/ across the planks. Seriously I coulda shaved two or three hours/whole moppings off my time if I would have just done the 'opposite of everything they ever told u bout laminate floors/steam mops/and industrial strength engine degreaser- that I'm pretty sure cld have been used to clean up after the Exxon Valdez'" from da jump, but live & learn. Legit. IDK if it was the way that QS had set up like a rock in parallel layers to the gaps/ with plank pattern or if my floor just needed a change but do whatcha whatcha whatcha want... drink the laminated Kool-Aid-- none a my business;).

mnovak99 - first of all, you have a beautiful home. The cedar is incredible and I'm sure that has a lot to do with the quality of wood available 25 years ago and you care ever since. That said, I do know the rigors of that maintenance and understand wanting something easier. So with that in mind, do not paint because that sets another type of maintenance that is far less forgiving than the stain you've been using. Solid stain is not much better than paint and IMO, would ruin the look of your house. I'm one of the posters above who replaced wood clapboards with vinyl shake so it's not that I don't like the product but it would be a shame to lose your cedar. I have no easy answer for you and know how nature seems to be conspiring against your dream of easy maintenance. I certainly wouldn't want to be power washing and restaining every few years and especially would not want to be spraying chemicals all over my house in an effort to keep critters and insects at bay. Your idea of vinyl shake with white trim is a lovely look but I'm not sure it's the best choice for your home, especially in yellow. That's a very 'cottage' look and your house doesn't have those cottage type lines. Have you considered shake in an earth tone to work with your stone chimney and wooded backdrop? A clay or mossy green or even brown would keep that house-in-the-woods feel. I think going in that direction, using something other than white for your front door and trim will be a better choice. Your door could still be a focal point but not as stark. And if you don't mind my saying, allow your landscaping along the house facade to develop into more natural shapes instead of being clipped and shaped. Let it fill in and camouflage your foundation line.

Continued thanks for the ideas! We usually put our boots on at the table and walk out the door. Sometimes make a trip back to the bedroom to grab something. When we come home we often take them off outside the front door to avoid bringing in more snow. That being said, the floor always gets wet with boots, dogs, etc. There's not a great area near the door. But we usually have shoes off within 10 feet of the door. I'm wondering if high-end vinyl might be a good way to go. My friend has it in her basement because she couldn't have real wood and it looks nice. Water isn't an issue with it. We have real hardwood at home and it just wouldn't be practical for this condo. Wood-look tile would be an option. I love Jillius' ideas. I want to just start buying rugs and lamps and art . . . The good news is I have a lot of stuff from home that I can bring here - red and cream pillows for example. I love red. I think the dark furniture we bought for the condo was probably a reaction to the blond oak furniture that was here originally. Unfortunately criagslist and Ikea can be a little difficult when you're rural. The nearest Ikea is 6 hours away. I can't just pop into Homegoods or such. But I'm going to look more at Overstock.com.