Hi Again: After a few responses from some very nice members concerning a feedback system, I wanted to clarify a few items! I realize everyone has special circumstances, about getting their seeds out in a trade. Pensioners, people on limited funds and members that can only mail once a week or so. I would never put anyone down for this, nor should anyone... Plus, post is very unpredictable around this country & around the world. Many people have mentioned in e-mails the last little while, there are a select few traders that are not coming true with their part of a trade. Some members even mention this in their trade lists, I'm sure we have all seen them. As concerned members have mentioned some people are making good money and others are on a pension. Some members don't care if they spend the time organizing a trade, packaging their seeds and spending the money to send out a package(Domestic not much / International three times as much). Now for a pensioner or someone on limited funds, that may mean something to them! Someone that has special seeds/plants/bulbs that are very limited, trades with someone, they take the time & money to send those to another member... Just for the other member to receive and not send anything in return... Meanwhile that bad member hides behind a phony trade list, probably fake name and never returns e-mail or blocks your e-mail. This can be very disheartening too... It happens... Seems to be more frequent lately! Now are these people going to prey on more innocent members... Probably, when we are suppose to keep "private"... Like I've stated, a very large amount of members on GardenWeb that trade, are very honest people and always come thru with their end of the deal! There are just that small percentage that aren't! Though there are always people in society that take advantage of situtaions to capitalize for their own good, not caring about others. It is disheartening... This happens in all aspects of our society, this is why we have laws in effect and people to enforce them. Thanks, Randy

Annie, thank you so much for that tip. I never thought to do it that way but it certainly makes sense. Actually the darker leather would be great as it would show less soiling. DH thinks I am crazy to do the floral on a chair as he says it will get dirty quickly but the leather chair that I sit in constantly is very clean and the leather on it is a light tan

Thank you! The island is 30" deep so you have a bit of room behind the sink for the faucet and so you don't easily knock things off the back of the island. I'd like to see it more like 36" deep, but I think this will be OK. I wouldn't want to make either aisle any narrower (especially b/w the cooktop and island). The usefulness/need for a prep sink is determined more by layout than kitchen size (as well as how much the kitchen is actually used as a kitchen - I'm not being sarcastic, some people have "show" kitchens and rarely, if ever, cook...we're all different.) In your case, you want a multi-cook kitchen, you want to work facing others, and you don't have the room or room configuration to get it all with a single sink. Honestly, I think a prep sink enhances the functionality of most kitchens with a decent amount of counterspace - as long as they're placed correctly! Our kitchen isn't any bigger than yours (may even be smaller) and the prep sink is what makes it work so well. I moved the refrigerator to: (1) Give you more workspace for two nice-sized Prep Zones near water (peninsula + b/w cooktop & sink) (2) Give you more workspace in the Cooking Zone (3) Move the refrigerator so "snacker" traffic would not go through the prime kitchen work area (4) Be able to move the MW so it is easily accessed by both kitchen workers as well as "snackers" (5) Make the refrigerator more accessible overall from the FR, LR, DR (& the BRs LOL!) As to refrigerators and ovens next to each other...they're both very well-insulated and it should not be a problem. If you're concerned, then consider a 9" Utility Pullout b/w the ovens & refrigerator (for broom, mop, etc.), reducing the 27" cab to 24", and changing to a 24" Pantry cabinet...like this: I recommend keeping the refrigerator in front of the aisle that leads to the cooktop, etc. so the island does not become a "barrier island" b/w the main work zones (Prep, Cooking) and the refrigerator. [Note how it's a "straight shot" to the refrigerator from the cooktop & sinks - no running around the island.] If perfect upper cabinet symmetry isn't a priority, I would actually do something like this to get even more workspace b/w the cooktop and prep sink: Note that the upper cabinet space is a factor of 12 on both sides of the cooktop - you could work with the upper cabinets to have symmetrical doors or at least balanced doors (if that's important to you). [Testing the post editing capability! :-)] This post was edited by buehl on Mon, Nov 26, 12 at 18:03

cpartist, good one! :) The lot is a rectangular shape, longer than it is wide. ppf, thanks for that visual! The only dilemma is I have to walk through the drop zone (where my kids drop all their junk) to get to my master. I really like alot of other things about this option though.