Especially for an appliance, and one that's a drawer! You'd best be picky here and get it level. They may be able to shim it or adjust something somewhere (I have no clue how those things are installed!) but the microwave does need to be level. It just DOES. I bet the installation instructions agree with me.

Thanks for all your responses- As I said, I'm not sure I am doing anything any time soon- but definitely something to think about! It's interesting that so many of you see the room as country, some as modern, or even traditional such different styles. I forgot to mention in this post (probably b/c i talked about it at nauseam that i will be re-finishing the table set a dark espresso stain over the summer, exactly b/c my taste is not country (although I like it in other people's homes, it just isn't for me in my home). But i also don't see the room as modern or traditional. I guess my whole house is a mixture- I'm not sure what my style is ( i guess that would be considered transitional?) I just kind of go with what i like or don't like.. If i do decide to change it I will certainly add some posts!! If I don't change it out, anyone want to buy a light fixture? I've run out of options in the house...

I'm so sorry Leslie. As someone who has had a brain tumor I know how scared you are. Do you know if the tumor is malignant? Does it have a name? I had a benign tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma. It was a slow growing tumor that was 3cm when they found it so it had to be there for a long time to get that big. It was "kissing" the brain stem (that's how one of the doctors decribed it.) The best advice I can give you is don't rush into anything and do your homework. Since I don't know what kind of tumor your DGS is dealing with I can't help with that but will be glad to if you can provide a name. I opted for radiation because the surgery was so high-risk. I found that they could do one large dose of radiation which could cause collateral damage or a series of smaller doses to minimize or eliminate collateral damage. I went with the small doses called Fractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery at Johns Hopkins. I had 5 treatments over a 5 day period. The only side effects were vomiting one day and I was very tired and slept alot for a few days. That was in March/April 2000 and I am fine. With radiation I was told the tumor would never go away completely but would die and not cause problems. That is what has happened. I had an MRI again last year and everything was great. Now I don't know if Nate is candidate for FSR but it's worth looking into. They don't do this just everywhere - at least they didn't 8 years ago so you may have to look around for a place that does this. You can email me if you want more information or just a shoulder to cry on. Linda

Couple of things ---it seems like the measurements of things are off a bit. The total of the kitchen and eating area is 20 feet. You're not including the assumed aisle between the kitchen and the dining area? And the spice kitchen is a bit longer than the kitchen proper, but yet its measurements show it as shorter. ---Is the eating area the only dining space? I'd be worried because 7 feet is the absolute minimum width to have people seated on both sides of a table but without room to for them to become seated. As as example, a 3 foot wide table with people seated on both sides needs about 32" on both sides of the table for people to pull out their chair and become seated or a space about 8'4" wide. Add another two inches on both sides if you have a wall. In this design, you might need a walkway from the kitchen out the deck door or to maintain a walkway to/from the deck if dinner is being cooked outside, but eaten inside. During this month, we do that frequently as we have very high heat and humidity readings combined with a high mosquito population. And it looks like you'd need a traffic way to kitchen/from the family room all the time. I'm not sure what size table you're thinking about, but if I start with 16'3" then subtract for those cabinets in the eating area, an actual 30" aisle past a seated person and 34" for the person on the end, I get a maximum table length of about 82". Doing the same thing for desired room width, again using 3 feet for the table width, 30" clear aisle to the door + 24" for a seated person + 36" for the table + 24" for the seated person + 36" to the island counter edge is about 12.5 feet from the door to the deck. If the kitchen counter has stools, add on another foot minimum to maintain a narrow, but passable aisle when both the table's chairs and stools are occupied. --- Can you shorten up the bar sidewalls and extend the length of the spice kitchen?