When I was a kid[many years ago]I used to make mudpies. Loved to play in the dirt,climb rocks,ride wild horses.Was sort of a tomboy,no girls in my neighborhood. In jr. highschool they used to call me witch.Don't know why. Now it seems I'm doing a second childhood, playing in the mud.I like these results much better.My favorite project is, like sarasaid,the one I'm currently working. This one is a water feature.It is a sphere[two bowls,mortared together.with a cut out].Mounted on a pedestal cast from the same bowl mold.The pedestal has 4 semicircles cut out so it has legs, these legs have been fortilied to provide the strength to support the sphere. It will be painted black inside,hold water,with glass 'rocks' at the bottom and a floating candle in it. I have great hopes for it. Don't know if I should paint the outside or not. I'm still trying to learn my son's camera so I can't post pictures, maybe one day I can.

Wendy no 32 bit computer can use 4 gigs of memory. Vista likes 3 gigs assuming the motherboard is capable. My Windows7 computer has 4 gigs as a matched pair but I can only use 3.2 something gigs of that. 64 bit computer can use more but there is the issue of a lack of programs written for 64 bit machines. When you hear the whirring noise do you see the activity light on the front of the tower either running steady or very frequently flashing? This might be a lack of space on your hard drive. You can check the free space by clicking Start and My computer. If the used and free space does not show then right click on your C:\ drive and click Properties in the popup. 25% free space is nice, under 20 and you find the computer slowing and the activity light flashing a lot.

Snickerdoodle - "This whimsical name originated in New England; it's simply a nineteenth century nonsense word for a quickly made confection." Apple Slump - "Louisa May Alcott loved this dessert so much that she named her home in Concord, Mass., "Apple Slump." It was a steamed apple dessert. How about OREO Villa? Dark brown home with white trim. Salisbury Steak - "Dr. James Henry Salisbury might have been the first of the protein-diet doctors, proclaiming in 1888 than humankind's maladies were caused by too much starchy food. His solution? Chopped lean meat, or hamburger steak. To hide the "liver-y" taste of hamburger, he recommended adding horseradish, mustard or Worcestershire sauce. By the 1900s, Salisbury steak was a staple menu item, often served with mushroom gravy or smothered onions". -Was Devil's Food Cake invented as the nemesis to Angel Food Cake? -Red Flannel Hash - so called because of the crimson color beets gave to the dish. -Grainlady

When I started thinking about renovating my kitchen in March 2010, my simple plan was to remove my island, add a peninula, get new appliances (change smoothtop electric to gas), change from range to cooktop so I wouldn't have to pull out a stove and clean behind it, and put the cabs up to the ceiling. I also knew I wanted a few more drawers as my current kitchen has very few and all of them are small ones above lower cabinets. I figured a KD would be best at figuring out the details. I know if I had gone forward, I would have blindly accepted whatever the first KD recommended, nodding and saying "Of course, of course." After finding the GW kitchen and appliance forums, I started hanging out here almost every evening--reading and learning. Quickly learned about ZONES vs. TRIANGLE! Instead of adding a peninsula, I'm planning on putting in a small buffet where there is currently a half wall between kitchen eating area and FR. Door to dining room will be moved over about 7 feet to eliminate a blind corner and allow use of about 2 more feet of wall space between current DR doorway and closet pantry--who knew 2 feet would mean so much! Moving the doorway will allow me to put in a small prep sink at the end of my cook/prep run. I also learned about taking the MW off the counter and putting it on a shelf above the counter. Perfect! Drawers, drawers, drawers!!! All drawers except under 2 sinks and the trash pullout (which will be located in prep area). Pantry pullouts and various options for blind corners. Never knew about the pantry pullouts at all and thought the only option for the blind corner was a lazy susan like I have now. I'll still have one blind corner and I'm not sure which option I'll use, but at least I know what my options are now. Appliances--induction vs. gas, speed, steam, convection, and combi ovens, separate frig and freezer columns, frig/freezer drawers, etc. No reason to finalize choices yet other than general types since reno has been put on hold for now, but I know what my options are and keep researching reliability and service issues. Cabinet and open shelving options--so much info including considering custom options now because of information on deeper cabs and counter learned here! I could list more--flooring, backsplashes, countertop material (ranging from quartz and soapstone to the new formicas), venting, GC issues and acting as your own, etc., etc. Thank you, thank you GW!! I never would have guessed there was a community people so giving of their time, experience, and knowledge!