I don't think of it as quite complete yet I have not addressed the bugs we encounter. So anyone else that wants to see something not present in it please let me know. The final version I will post as FAQ in the sugject heading.

Looks like things are progressing almost like text book here. Babies fledged last Wed. and I'm seeing more of them. I've only seen three at a time and two this morning. I was kind of sad not seeing more, but everyone here said they may be around so I'm keeping my hopes up that more of the five have survived. I'm DIEING to get some good pics of the babies! Moma is eating some of this store brand peanut nuggets. So I'm going to try to lure her to the back deck and maybe once we get some sun I can get some pics with the babies. I've been watching the nest box and I was seeing the beginings of a new nest, YEA! Today the nest looks close to complete... I've even gone out and found grass and pine needles to help out since everything is so wet. I did find a wren in one of my boxes, so it looks like I'll NEED a guard this time around. I tried one last round but took it off since there was already hatchlings and the parents couldn't navagate it. I"m going to add a predator block on the hole, should have it anyways, and maybe that will help them land at the hole. I'll start another thread soon, this one is getting way long...

Wow, what a number of great responses and suggestions! Thanks to everybody! I am beginning to agree the light box will have to go, I'm just having trouble envisioning what type of lighting will take its place. My appliances have already been ordered and the double oven and microwave was installed just last week, so I am locked into the black appliance look, which I really don't mind. I did originally think I would go with the biscuit colored Blanco siligranit kitchen sink, but once I saw the Ladylux Cafe faucet with the black accents, my black appliances and the black streaks in my granite, I decided I would get the black siligranit sink to tie in with those elements. Especially being an undermount, only the sink bowls will be visible and the granite on top I think will help to balance it out from looking too dark. The idea to find another use for my light box is a good one. It has the same crown molding in cherry wood that is on my cabinets so I hate to just trash the thing if it can be recycled somehow. Will definitely think on that for ideas. I still feel the tug to put some type of wallpaper border around the soffit on top the cabinets next to the ceiling....but that is still my 80's thinking talking. Trying hard to think out of the box! I am definitely planning to keep the backsplash and wall paint a more neutral, creamy light tone to pull out the lighter areas of the granite and I also will keep all my window casings, doors and doorway frames painted white. I could paint one whole wall in the kitchen a slightly different color than the rest, which I hear is a popular trend nowdays. One wall of the kitchen, which my pictures don't show, has a gas log fireplace which has a reddish rustic brick front with a solid wood mantle and upper wall wood panels and molding painted white. There is a custom built cherry book shelf/storage cabinet on one side of the fireplace and the wallpapered wall on the other side which leads into the sunroom. I will have to post that pic too so you can all see what I mean. Not sure what I should do with the wall space on the left of the fireplace. I want to start looking also at electric switchplates and see if I can get my electrician friend to relocate some boxes for me. I would love to update the switchplates to dimmers where possible and the newer color coordinated or textured plates, plus add some new undercabinet lighting. Keep the ideas coming! It really helps to try to see the kitchen I've been looking at for 19 years through fresh eyes!

@tbb123: Hey there! I only have a painting career if someone will buy stick figures, LOL! Nice to see you here. I’ve missed seeing your creative layouts at the old, much missed IF site. It never dawned on me to put the peninsula in the plan with the fridge in the broom closet. That would give me more counter space than I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not sure I’d know what to do with it all but it would be fun trying. I’ll play with that idea. @Jillius: Yes to your suggestion for how to use the horizontals if I go that route. Will need to play more with hood options but that can wait until final layout, right? I gotta say that I do like your new plan merging kitchen/laundry. However, we’ve become married to the idea of preserving the pantry wall and using the revealed linoleum. I love that floor almost as much as I like the glass blocks. Sorry you put so much effort into an idea I will have to nix. I really appreciate your efforts and kind donation of time. DH and I spent quite a bit of time this morning poking around in the garage tracing existing plumbing lines to see how we can tie things in. We have a false ceiling in the garage that needs to come out so we can better see the clearances. We have steel beams running the direction the plumbing needs to go; the wooden joists run the other direction. If these were reversed, the plumbing issue would be easier. The garage ceiling is relatively high so plumbing could be run under the steal beams but above the garage door system. We need to do better measures of what height clearance we have and the distance lines would need to run to ensure there’s enough height for the lines to drop for proper drainage. The plumbing lines then go into the cement floor of the garage and run under the concrete driveway down to the city lines. This all makes the plumbing issue a tad more complicated to deal with. And thanks for the cardboard idea for playing with window sizes. @practigal: Interesting idea on the windows. I never thought of expanding them. The would be cool. I am uncomfortable with the cost of doing that as, in our area, our view is NOT worth a fortune as it’s known as “the Appalachia of Washington”. Our logging and commercial/sport-fishing industries tanked in the 80’s and we have never recovered. Even though the location and homes on our hill are considered some of the nicer ones in the area, most sell for only about $125-200k. And that’s if you can find a buyer because of the severe wage stagnation here. Buyers for homes over $100k become scarce. And housing prices have barely increased since the mid-80’s. We didn’t even really feel the effects of the 2008 crash because we were already in a long-term crash. However, we’re also not seeing the recovery other areas are seeing so it’s hard to justify that extra expense. Even though we plan on being here for a long time, probably our forever, we need to keep our own spending down as we are nearing our own retirement years and need to stretch our bucks. I’m not sharing all that for a pity-party but, rather, so you understand why I’m trying to be very careful and frugal with the remodeling budget. Anyway, it’s a wonderful idea so I am not ruling it out and will play with the idea. @rina: Good point on the bottoms of the windows being at different heights. Another one of those things I’m so used to that I haven’t thought much about it. Hmmmmm….I’ve always wanted the window over the sink to be counter height. Love that look. Convincing DH might take some schmoozing. I think if we did we move the current sink or make it a small prep sink, it would be easy to center the range. Another visual issue that I didn’t notice until you pointed it out. Thanks for pointing that out, too. A smaller sink there would mean there is still enough prep space between prep sink and range. So...clean-up sink to peninsula then? @Everyone: While DH is cutting out sections of the garage ceiling, I guess I’ll be playing with these new ideas. Thanks to all of you. You’re all awesome!