You can get a milk frother for about $15 or $20 at local cooking/grocery stores, or $2 at Ikea. I find they work really well, even with cold milk, and are especially good at frothing my coffee/hot chocolate mix in the winter.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Sorry for the late reply, but I've been pouring over stone sites, design sites and tending to the troublesome floor staining (another story). Anyway, I've decided to open up my thinking on the use of granite, and agree with those of you who've posted on the need to go with a light surface. So after having visited the warehouses of almost all the main distributors in my area and spent countless more sleepless nights searching and hyperlinking through Houzz, I've come up with these few options: 1) Fantasy Brown (with minimal peachy brown more grey and white flows) on island, some kind of plain white on perimeter, and white marble (see my large tiles) or brown/greyish mosaic on BS, 2) Taj Mahal or similar off-white/beigy quartzite (love these stones) on the island and ?? on perimeter (maybe forced to use same as I cannot come up with coordinating option), and ?? on BS, 3) Golden Crystal on island (like the mix of warm and grey) and ?? on perimeter and maybe greyish mini subways on BS.. Here is a pic of my dusty partially installed cabs: Here is Fantasy Brown option (found others with more beigy brown but prefer this slab with more white, grey and darker brown): Two of the Taj Mahals: The Golden Crystal (colors a bit more rich than shown in pic): I think I have at least solved the boring counter dilemma! Which of these options do you like best for my kitchen counters and why? Thank you!! Here is a link that might be useful: Various views of kitchen and current counter options

How large is your room? Do you have room for curtain panels on each window? Your bed is minimalist with a low headboard so you'd have room for art above the bed. Was that a thought? How much space do you have for nightstands? How much storage do you need? Do you prefer closed or open storage? For curtains, I'd probably go with sheer white panels, providing you have some type of blinds for light control, Here are some pictures that might spark ideas: Just blinds for these windows: Would you have room/need for a large mirror? Perhaps a large piece of framed art above the bed? Here, they have open storage next to the bed and a pendant fixture for the light: What about a wall of curtains behind the bed? It can be a lot of fun to explore the many options.

I have the hardest family to buy for because none of them will tell me what they want. DS has never given me a list, even when he was little. DD did when she was little but now that she is a grown up, she tells me not to buy her anything. Grrrr. So, since they are all now grownups, I resort to mostly gift cards. Daughter, son-in-law, son, niece and her husband each get an AmEx gift card (varying amounts). DSIL loves to cook and is into spices so he gets a gift card to Penzey's spices every year. DD tells me it's his favorite thing to spend long hours on their website deciding what spices to get. DD gets a gift card to Colleen Rothschild for face care products that she will never buy for herself because she feels guilty spending that kind of $$ on herself. I also get them the Swarovski yearly ornament every year for their tree. I started doing that the year they got engaged and have gotten it each year since. They love it. For the grands and my nieces daughter, I get them each a Cuddle+Kind doll each year. They love them and I like that it's a small family run business and they give back by donating meals for each doll purchased. I also got them each a squishmellow. Don't ask me. I'm told it's all the rage this year. Got the grands some clothes (DD told me they can use clothes this year) and shoes. Probably not getting clothes for my niece's baby as we have very different taste. Still on the hunt for some good toys that they'll actually play with for more than 5 minutes! We have a non-aggression pact with my brother and sister-in-law. Thank goodness! We only gift the kids and grandkids.