I live in Virginia, zone 7. Last winter was really bad for here and this winter is supposed to be worse, though obviously neither will be as bad as up north. I had two tiny roses last year and they didn't get much "frost bite" so I'm confident these will live just fine if I keep them in the ground until spring. I might have to think of something next year if they'll still be in pots then, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. We don't know exactly where we'll live yet (we've picked 2-3 towns as possible, but the house itself is the deciding factor) but it won't be more than 15-20 minutes from where we live now, still in Virginia, zone 7. I'll try to update my info to say that all the time. This post was edited by Rosecandy on Sat, Oct 18, 14 at 9:28

Jon, it doesn't need a cover. Just fill ziplock bags with brine and use them to cover and weight a plate or whatever fits over top the kraut. Probably you could even dispense with the plate.... I hot pack because cold sauerkraut and cold brine in a hot water bath leads to thermal shock and broken jars and a canner full of boiling water and sauerkraut floating around. Yup, did that. Advice? Don't let it get too warm or it will spoil instead of ferment. Other than that, it's easy, just cabbage and salt... Annie

Hi, If you are working with an architect and the architect has built homes in the area, then he would know the building costs. If he has not done many houses in your area, then he could be way off on the building costs. I built in New York, and hired one of the worlds best architects, my brother. If you go to Hong Kong, and look at the Shopping Area there, he designed it all and surpervised its constrution. At the time he worked for Foster Associates, headed by Sir Norman Foster. He has also worked for James Stirling in the U.K. He designed for me a house, but in the end I could not afford to build it. It was 2 x over budget. Why because the techniques used were "non-standard" it was a modern home and most builders were frankly scared of the project. So a few came in cost-plus, or at very high numbers. I still think by brother did a great job, and we are none the worse for it. It was fun also and if you are in need of a good engineer, I worked with one in Connecticut and recommend him too. We had a good team, just had no idea of local costs. So after three years, and $US 50,000 I was back to square one. We hired a local architect with experience in home building in the area. We build a "standard" home with standard techniques. The house came in over budget, it always does. However the bids were much closer. To give you some idea one builder was 20% below, and another 100% above. The other six were about the middle. Our architect knew all the builders and their histories. e.g. one GC had been through a divorce, needed work, and he bid real low. Our architect said avoid him. Others build for Martha Stewart, they were expensive, but were at the highest quality. In the end we stuck to the middle of the pack. Note if a GC or builder really wants to rip you off, there are always ways he can hide it. You need to trust your builder, and he needs to trust you. We moved in about three years ago now and our GC and builder was very good. Sure we had problems, but in the end it worked out. My recomendation is to do the following: 1) Figure out which bits cost what. Rough is O.K. Doing this will probablly get you a better idea of where possible cost savings are. If one part is a major cost component, that is where you can get the most gains. 2) Simplify the design. A square house of two levels upstairs and downstairs gives you the most bang for the buck. Yech that looks bad. Not to worry this is just the ideal goal. Maybe you can change some of your design a bit to bring it more in line. Get rid of all the doormers, the indents here gables there. 3) Do you have site specific costs which are blowing your budget. E.g. rock. I needed to blast and move rock. That was expensive. Are you siteing your house in the correct place. Maybe moving where you place your house will save on your foundation. 4) If you have an architect ask what he thinks. You have to be brutal sometimes. See this wing here, cut it out removing 1,000 sq feet. Dump the basement have a crawl space. I think if you budget for about $US 250 per square foot, then you will be O.K. Obviously this will vary across the US. But if you are way off this quick check then I think you will have issues later. Way off means at a minimum $US 170 per sq foot. Much below that for a custom one off house, I think is not a good start. 5) In your plans make them detailed as possible. However ask your architect for a pricing schedule for tile, and finishes. E.G. Hard Wood floors, schedule for $US 10 installed per sq foot. Lighting fixtures schedule for $US 6,000. These are no more than guesses at what you will spend, but at least they are accounted for in your budget and will lower the surprises later. There are always budget surprises, that is the nature of the beast. Just fewer surprises. Again be brutally realistic on these numbers. The advantage of schedules is that it removes these unknowns from the builders estimates, hence the estimate is easier for the GC and more accurate, and hence more competative. 5b) Get prices for house options. E.G. unfinished bonus room, you can finish later. West wing section [$US 80,000]. Porch [$US 20,000]. That way if the bids come in high, you can lop off chunks of house, brutal I know. Or have unfinished sections that you can finish later when funds allow. But at least your patient is still alive. 6) Bid out your design to a few builders. In the end I had eight builders bidding. If you are still off on your budget then it is redesign and regroup time. Good luck. All the best, Mike.

My ice bucket isn't particularly beautiful and I don't care!! I was given an OXO Good Grips ice bucket. It's stainless with black plastic, clear lid and a side car for the tongs (they also make all plastic, but that doesn't even pretend to be pretty). It is the best insulated ice bucket I've ever seen!!!!!!!!!!! And I've seen quite a number of insulated ice buckets. At the end of a long, hot party there are still ice cubes inside. So...okay, it's not hideous, but not beauteous. The shape is attractive, but not particularly stylish or artistic. Still, the ice stays cold and melts slowly, you can operate it one handed because the lid is hinged, and the tongs don't fall on the floor because of the holster (though you can remove that if you want). Cat_mom and I share a love of Michael Aram, but while I envy her paper towel holder, I can't bemoan the amazing functionality of my OXO.