Agree, sugar poses no problem. And if the vinegar is too tart for you you might consider trying bottled lime juice as an alternative. Many of us prefer it. Cider vinegar rather than white also mellows out the flavor quite a bit. Dave

By "every box" I mean every receptacle box, every switch box, every light fixture box. Sometimes you can guess which boxes are downstream and upstream of a receptacle (eg. they are on the same wall) but it's not always the case. And sometimes previous owners have done some pretty crazy things. I'd say the odds are that it isn't just a loose connection. Someone did something and abandoned the wiring to that outlet. But that's just a guess. Regarding your multiple switches, providing it was ever working correctly, someone at some point may have replaced a switch with the wrong type and miswired it. Or maybe there's a faulty switch. Or then again, maybe it was never wired properly to begin with and it is what it is. If you'd like to TRY debugging that, the first step is to open up each switch box and let us know exactly what is coming into each box and how it's attached to each switch. Pictures can be extremely helpful.

The random shelves you show somehow look too informal and don't flatter the fireplace. If you must have them I would choose simple shelves, but having them on only one side of the fireplace is not a good look. It makes the fireplace look lop-sided, and I don't think balancing the shelves with paintings on the other side will do the trick.

Don't use a clock in a dining area. I think the mirrors are a little bit "churchy" feeling. Use painter's tape on the floor and tape out a "rug" 36-42" larger than your table top. Does it run into the baseboards or the furniture? If so, then you need to rethink things. A beautiful piece of original art no wider than the firebox opening should hang 5" above the mantel and set the tone for the rest of your color way here. Right now, the room feels quite cold and exposed. An accent wall is a pretty good idea with the skylight brightening things a lot.