This has been one of the most helpful threads on clothes that I have ever ever read. I just went through my closet yesterday, because I've been "out of action" and then away for so long, that I'd lost track of what I had. Also, we are now going from cool weather into our hot season, so I was ready to change things over. Well, I thought I was doing well yesterday when I filled a grocery bag with items I simply didn't like anymore. Now, after reading on here, I am going back in there, to pull out the two linen shirts I kept, because they are simply great shirts. I haven't worn either of them for 2 years, but they are classics, and so I thought I'd hang onto them, for that skirt that I might find that might just be perfect with them. Now I realise that there are a lot more "mights" to factor in... They might be out of date, might not fit, might just be a waste of space, might, meanwhile be useful to someone else, might be tired of hanging around for the skirt that I "might" find. They're out of here....gone! And the more posts I read on here the more things are going out. I think too, that as we get older, it's not variety we need, but what suits our shapes and lifestyles and age. When you're glowing with youth and vitality, can any clothing be a "mistake"? I have 3 slim lovely DILs in their 20s, and my son's GF is a beautiful 18 year old. They can throw on a hessian bag or a silk sheath and look stunning. They don't bulge, sag, wobble, spread or fade. I'm learning that it's no longer a matter of liking an item of clothing in the shop. It really has to like me. Sometimes I've thought it would be nice to just find something I like and know it'll look good, rather than having to search and wait to find the "just right" piece. On the other hand, when we're older, we can relax about "trends" and "fads" and get away with just a few good pieces. When I was younger, I remember avoiding stuff that made me look like my mother. Now I am my mother, and it's rather nice to go "classic" at last. I find that I now have clothes that seem to be able to go "anywhere", by just dressing them up or down. Put on black stockings and court shoes and a lace top with that simple black skirt and it's ok for a night wedding. Throw on some sandals and a T-shirt, and I can wear it to a beach party. Not quite that simple, but something like that anyway. We recently had a 92 year old lady visit us, and she looked like a queen. She was wearing the softest pale pink fluffy cashmere sweater with a classic blazer, and a floaty skirt. She looked a million dollars and I decided I wanted that look when I'm an old lady. It was comfortable, and yet so dressy. So I've already planned my old age look (LOL). But I realised when I was studying her outfit, that she could have worn it anywhere, at her age, and fitted right in. She wouldn't need anything else to wear outside the house. Thanks for all the helpful advice on here. Lily

lodalady, don't panic! surely most floors (and celilings) are not 100% level, nor are the walls 100% plumb. mine (1950's terrazzo) sure aren't. there was about a 1/2" difference between opposite corners. so, they had to lower the feet of one cabinet all the way and adjust each adjacent cabinet leg accordingly. over the length of (most) cabinet runs, it will not be detectable. my contractor didn't think twice about it--he says that it is a normal situation in most homes--they see it all the time. so, no, i don't think shimming the countertop or planing the cabinet is the way to go. adjust the feet/legs. about scribe, good question. i kept hearing my KD/architect using this term, almost interchangeably with the words "valence" and "filler." i never bothered to stop her and ask exactly what it meant. it's also a verb, good grief.

Wow I am having a hard time with some of these answers. The feedback is wonderful, but the harsh rants about my putting form over function and the garbage comment feel very uncalled for. LWO, you apparently did not even read my posts correctly and missed the fact that I am moving my kitchen OUT of my entry. If you are going to criticize, which is, after all, what I asked for, please realize that you know nothing about me and ask before you rip apart motivations you do not understand. I have no romantic notions about ranges in islands. I have lived in houses with wall ranges and island ranges, with young children, and know that for MY lifestyle, an island range would be ideal. This is based on PRACTICAL considerations and experience, not TV or magazine imagery. Yes, I will have a 30" x 42" hood with a 1200 cfm blower. Regardless of percentages of prep vs. cooking, this is what works for me and is a key element of my design. I have no issues explaining why this is, as you all have valid points as to the drawbacks. LWO, you may have good considerations, but the way you worded them was very hostile and uncalled for. We have different opinions and habits and I expect mine to be treated respectfully too. Buehl, thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I would love to see a sketch if you have time! I see the point abut the space between sink and stove. Maybe I could put a small prep sink in the island like you suggested? I like that idea a lot. Maybe we could fit my main sink under the left window - do they make corner sinks? - and center my fridge between the windows. Or leave it to the left but put in cabs next to it, and then a stacked TO/MW? I am not sure that I have room to push that countertop further into the mudroom. As I planned it, the stacked W/D will be against the back wall, and I can't shove it directly again the mudroom sink as I need some cabinet space to store laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. That hampers me a little in the kitchen area. If I put my kitchen sink under the left window, could I put it right against the counter corner, or would that make it very uncomfortable to work at? Shannonplus2, I do understand that island cooking is not like on TV. But as it is, I cook on my island and look out to check on the kids frequently. The problem is that I have to step away from the stove to do this, since the kitchen right now is in that entry room! It's funny but most of the ideas you all have suggested, mirror my current kitchen layout which is a galley design as Lisa_a sketched above. This remodels coming about more because I need a mudroom and laundry room, plus all the kitchen cabs and appliances are dying or dead, and I don't really care for large rectangular islands, for some reason the L shaped ones work better for me (my mom has the big rectangle and it is too big a stretch across for a shorty like me, but so long that it's not as cozy to work together in the kitchen). So, I am trying to keep what I...

A few autumns ago we had a soup party for about 25 - it was mostly outside around a fire. I made three kinds of soup; a seafood chowder, Italian Wedding Soup, and Beef Barley (there were no vegetarians in our crowd.) I had several different kinds of bread, a cheese and cold cut platter, mustards, butter, a couple of kinds of compound butter. a crudite tray skewing to fallish vegetables, dips in small pumpkins. I supplemented my own soup bowls with a couple of dozen from the dollar store (or you could rent them) and a dozen large mugs. I had enough for each person to use two for different kinds of soup, and my kids and sister, washed and set the used ones back out again. It was one of our best parties and people still talk about it. I kept the soup warm in crockpots on a table on our deck where all the food was set out.