THANK YOU everyone for your all of your thoughtful insight. hcmcdole: I really like your idea of trying to grow them as a free form esapaillar. Or what if I just prune REALLY aggressively on the backside???... So here's what I'm thinking I'm going to do: I am going to prune REALLY aggressively on the backside of the plant to minimize it's growth and spread against the wall... Do you think this would work??? I don't mind how much if it wants to spread forward away from the wall or side ways in width. I would also like to minimize and maintain about a 5 foot height... That way it can overlap the bottom edge of my windows... And I can see the flowers even from the inside of the house. Is limelight the kind of hydrangea that will respond well to pruning and shaping during the growing season??? I know that I would probably make my life a whole lot easier if I just got the Little Lime variety... But it was nearly twice as much for a 2 gallon... Which isn't in my budget. What do you all think??? Am I going to be sorry years from now for even considering this idea and thinking I can keep Limelights growth maintained with pruning during the growing season??? I've never had much luck with hydrangeas in the past... So it's difficult for me to fathom a hydrangea that will grow 8 feet tall and grow so quickly.

I found this piece of info somewhere on the web and have had it clipped in my notes files for a while: Another common dilemma is determining the height to hang a chandelier over a dining room table. This also can vary depending on the size of the light fixture and the height of the ceiling. In general,in a room with 8' ceilings the chandelier should be hung approximately 28" to 32" above the table, adjusting that dimension based on the height of the chandelier itself. In a room with 9' ceilings, you would go approximately 30" to 34" above the table surface. It also includes some information on picking the right size light for the room...I can post that too if you need that info. Hope this helps.

I didn't go up to the ceiling - there were a few reasons: My kitchen feels closed in & I like having the open space, I have a walk in pantry that is just about as big as my kitchen, so I don't need much storage in my kitchen, really just for dishes/glasses & some pots/pans & probably the most important reason was my very tight budget. But like someone posted already, I had already had 30" cabinets & that is what I was used to & didn't feel like I needed extra storage. I'm 5'9" & can barely reach the top row of my 30" cabs, I would rather not have to drag out the step stool every time, but if I didn't have the attached pantry I may have changed my mind. I originally thought I would display some baskets or teapots, but now I like the empty space & there is less to dust.

Look for a stud in the wall with a stud finder BEFORE you decide on where to hang the curtains. JUST because there should be a beam above the window doesn't mean there is to support the rods. It may make the difference in how you hang the curtains. At that size there's going to be some weight to them so you are going to need a secure place to hang them from.