I'm excited about a lot of roses this Spring: I'm finally allowing myself to acquire Lady Hillingon...we'll see if there is enough heat for her here. Even if it's a failure, I'm going to try. Jenny Duval: I don't care if she has a terrible reputation for suckering- the color of the flowers is worth it, and maybe my clay soil will slow her down a little. I can't wait to see what my band of Gruss an Coburg does: it's putting out all kinds of new growth! In October, I rescued two beat up and abandoned 5-gallon pots of 'New Zealand'. The color and scent are lovely, and I think it's the kind of "Modern" hybrid tea that should make some people think twice about "no moderns" snobbery. I'm also VERY excited to see the Spring behavior of the 5-gallon plant of Zephirine Drouhin which I was given to me last summer. I've never grown her before, and I've read a lot of complaints about stingy re-bloom, but mine had flowers on it all through August, September and October. Basically, I'm just excited about all roses, all year long.

I would say that it just depends. The best thing would be to talk to a realtor in your area as there are a lot of factors that can go into this. It depends on what level of house you have and the neighborhood it is in. Who would most likely purchase your house? If your house is higher end and would likely appeal to a family that is established and has a decent income, vinyl or laminate could both be a very poor choice. However, if your home is on the smaller side and most likely to appeal to a family just starting out, then either one could be acceptable.

OK, floors are in and I am happy for the most part. In some areas I love the look. But in our main living space it looks a bit sterile, and it is certainly louder in there with so many hard surfaces. I knew I would need rugs, but right now am at a loss about what to do next. Part of me really misses the "pop" that the blue and white floor had, but having one continuous floor connecting the living areas really does make the whole house look bigger. I brought home a neutral rug from home goods; not a keeper. IRL it needs more contrast. Trying a few sample boards but am totally confused at this point. The floor actually has more brown in it than I thought so wondering about pulling that out a bit more. I couldn't get a good shot of the seating area since DH was putting his tools away most of the afternoon! I hesitate to post this because it looks better IRL than this. Light wasn't great this morning when I took this but just an idea....definitely a rug here under the table and yeah, I think I'll be painting the table and chairs in the spring. Probably a separate thread just for that topic, LOL Bathrooms are much improved! One more shot of the kitchen early this morning with lights on. I'm happy to have the carpet gone, but I need to get everything to look like it belongs together. The floor looks great with anything white, like the cabinets, and with blue, like most of our furniture, which has bold, clear colors like the ones in the painting. But I don't want white rugs. And with so much going on with the open floor plan, I don't want them to be too busy because there is a lot going on in one large space. I've been staring at this too long so some fresh eyes would really help. I will need three rugs I think; one under the table, another in the TV area where we have two couches, and another in the entryway where the painting is. Thanks so much for your thoughts.

Melissa, I agree. I would understand it if you are standing more than an hour at a time or walking throughout your house all the time. But, how often are you doing that? I always use rugs in main areas, and for standing while doing dishes, you could put a mat for comfort. But, really, if your standing, not jumping up and down, how much difference would the harder material make? Hmmm, I wonder if there’s a study done on it? Regardless, I never noticed any pain when living in my tile home (or my wood flooring home). I love the look of wood... but, never noticed a difference in the feel of it. I believe those that have, though.