Ann, I made the cake this afternoon and took it over to my dad for his 89th birthday. We all had a piece of cake BEFORE dinner....you get to do things like that when you're 89! What a fabulous cake!! The texture is amazing. So rich and moist. It was a huge hit. My dad told mom he thought he'd just skip the special dinner she prepared for him, and have a second piece of cake. And, he'd have another piece tomorrow morning for breakfast. This recipe is a keeper, and I'll gladly serve it for luncheons, gathering of the Bunko group, etc. Thanks so much for sharing.

I too had a problem with a small powder room with a pedestal sink, the solution i found was buying something compact,elegant and something which doesn’t look like a storage space design wise.Toilet caddies could be a choice, since they come reasonably cheap with ,ample amount of storage and could get our job done in our budget. I bought myself a compact freshener designed one with white matte finish from Better Living back in my city Vaughan and they look brilliant :D . There are couple more others who sell these stuffs.

A good architect -- in person or one who works remotely -- will help you through in-depth conversation to figure much of this out in the early stages. The bubble diagram leela links to is also a very good place to start when determining what you want. This is very similar to what, in the Kitchen forum, for kitchen planning is known as the Sweeby test. A lot of the Sweeby test can be used for whole house planning, not just the kitchen. Here is part of the test, but I've changed the word "kitchen" to "house": To start by focusing on your house as a whole, from a far-off hazy distance — to wander off into your favorite kitchen fantasy and think about what it feels like, not what it looks like. (Your real house please, not the one where Brad Pitt feeds you no-cal chocolates while George Clooney polishes the brass knobs on your Lacanche.) Then using mood words, describe what your dream house feels like: warm or cool, tranquil and soothing or energetic and vibrant? calm, happy, dramatic? cozy or spacious? light and bright or dark and rich? subtle tone-on-tone, boldly colorful, textured?, woody or painted? modern, traditional, vintage, rustic, artsy, retro, Tudor, Old World, Arts & Crafts, Tuscan? elegant, casual? sleekly simple, elaborately detailed, or somewhere in between? pristine or weathered, professional or homey? whimsical, sophisticated, accessible, romantic? masculine or feminine? How much zing? and where? The list goes on and on… Once you’ve identified the way you want your space to feel, then write it down as best you can. Try to freeze that feeling in words so you can refer back to it if you find yourself losing your vision or going off track. Bear in mind that everyone, every family, is different and has different needs and wants. For me, reading through the GardenWeb archives -- kitchen forum, bathroom forum, this one (Building a Home), appliance forum, etc. -- was hugely helpful and educational. You can also search the forums for particular items, like rain shower heads; I find Google more helpful than Houzz's search function. Just search for gardenweb.com and whatever you're interested in. If you already know that your previous homes have had dysfunctional layouts, inefficient use of space, and basic features, then you know more than you think you do : ) . One thing you and each member of the family should do is to compile two lists, one of needs and one of wants. It might be helpful even before you start to figure out the difference for you between needs and wants. As far as the particular items you mention -- Pull-out drawers for my pots and pans? Sounds nice. If you read through the Kitchen forum, you'll find that drawers are recommended for all base cabinets. Much more practical. You'll never be down on your knees trying to get to the back of a shelf. And much more efficient than opening a cabinet door and THEN pulling out a pull-out shelf. Rain shower? Great. I like rain. This usually comes down to a want rather than a need. First read up on them, see the reviews in the forums (Building a Home and Bathroom), try one out if you can, and then look at your budget. Also, if you have longer hair and need a shower head that rinses properly, either a rain shower head isn't for you or you'll need one rain shower head and one regular one. Central vac? Ummm sure? Again, read through the forums and start gathering information. For some people this is a need, for others a want. If this isn't something you've thought about already, or you have a vacuum that works well that you like, this is a want rather than a need, and possibly a want that you don't particularly want : ) . Interestingly, one of the things you'll run across going through the Building a Home archives, in many of the "critique my layout" threads, prospective owners who've found an online plan or drawn one themselves or used a draftsperson rather than an architect, will bridle at the critiques they've solicited and reply along the lines of, "Well, our current house is dysfunctional and it's been good enough for us." But if you're spending all this money and time, do you really want to settle for "good enough"? Or do you want the best for you and your family? How much time are you giving over for the research phase? Because this is where you want to allow a decent amount of time. And it will save you money and time in the long run.

Not that long ago, I also learned that info about commercial vs. residential TP use impacting the supply. & yes, unfortunately, most of the commercial product is gigantic rolls that don't fit home TP holders. You can still use it, though. It works just the same😉 FWIW, 1 roll of TP lasts hubby & me for many days - I've forever been buying the 1,000 sheet rolls, not the extra thick, extra soft kind - that stuff goes so quick! I remember there was a time when hubby used to complain about the coarseness of this type of tissue, but he's used to it now. I too haven't seen paper towels or TP available at any of the local stores I've been shopping online. I was excited to find a pkg of paper towel rolls from Aldi, and put it in my virtual cart, but it was sold out by the time my order was picked.