Thank you Pattico, but I can not get the 50¢ out of this machine......bwahahahaha! These are all great tips, thanks, and keep them coming. I use a wooden salad bowl as a bead spinner, the bowl is just un-level enough to spin with one hand while I use a big eye needle to get the beads threaded onto my working thread, this is for bead crochet and it works great! I use baking soda, then vinegar to clear a clogged drain. First you put about half a cup of baking soda down the drain, then add about a cup of vinegar after it stops foaming use hot water to rinse it on down the drain we have a septic system and that doesn't disturb the balance.

Here's a few I got in an email earlier today. Add salt to a teaspoon of baby or olive oil to exfoliate hands or feet. If an electric plug fits too tight and is difficult to pull out, rub its prongs with a soft lead pencil. Need to peel a bunch of oranges for a salad? Just soak the oranges in boiling water for five minutes then peel as usual. As a bonus, the "white" part of the peel will come off along with the peel to give an awesome look to your salad. Keeping your dressing on the lettuce: This is a great tip to keep your oil-based salad dressings from going to the bottom of the bowl and keeping it on your greens! Take your dressing and heat it in the microwave for ten seconds before using.

I think this has been a fruitful discussion. I hope it continues. The more I think about this, the more I believe people should be encouraged by KDs, the kitchen sellers at the big box stores, cabinet makers, etc., to consider counter heights when planning a kitchen. And I think a big shout-out to many of the great contributors here at GW is called for because until I spent hours...well, really weeks of hours...reading through reveals, advice to folks planning their kitchens, and such, I never would have thought of all these types of details being important for a good, functional, pleasant space. GWE’s (GardenWeb Experts) are the bomb!! Last night I made a big salad and started a pot of “clean out the refrigerator” soup. I really liked chopping and that kind of prep on the higher counter. My DH helped a bit a really liked it as well. I also made scratch biscuits. I hand-mixed the dough at four different heights: on the higher counter with the triple breadboards on top (didn’t like), regular counter height (didn’t like), on the breadboard when it was slid into its slot, just below counter-height (liked it much better but still a bit high), and then put the breadboard across two counter-height stools (a bit too low). I think a small stretch of counter somewhere in-between the latter two would be nice for that type of work and other baking, machine-mixing, yada yada type tasks. I’ll continue the experiments. My chiropractor...who I seldom need anymore due to the excellent exercises he’s given me to strengthen my back and keep myself in alignment...does a weekly radio show on our local station. I called in this morning and mentioned this issue and asked him about it. He was very enthusiastic and gave some examples of people he has worked with who have had back issues directly related to long-term repetitive movements where things are not at the right height for them. So, really, for someone who cooks a lot, this isn’t a trivial issue. I really want to learn more about this. Oh, gosh...my friends already think I’m the anti-high-heel and heavy-purse nazi, now I'll be the counter-height nazi, too. But I had a back injury for which I was told I would never fully recover, only have limited mobility, and will always have pain. Well, I proved them wrong on all counts due to proper exercises (mostly from chiropractor) and body movements. I can go hiking with a 30+-pound pack and other activities, like 50-mile bike rides, that they said I'd never be able to do again. And I haven't taken a pain pill since 2008. It's because I've become the healthy-back nazi, LOL. This stuff is important for quality of life issues, imho. Off my soap box. @westsider 40 - Good points about not kneading long. I really don’t bake often where I need to knead. When I do, I move my large breadboard to my table and do it there. So it might be best to just continue doing it that way. @Oaktown - 14” difference! Wow. You would almost need two separate kitchens to work best for the two of you. Yeah, I think you should have a stool under each appliance and in each toekick. Just pull the whole thing out when you’re cooking. DH can push it all in when he’s cooking. @tracie.erin - Interesting on the stove height. I can see why that would be good to have it lower since your arm motion is different when stirring and such at a stove vs. chopping/slicing/dicing in a prep area. I do think my stove is the right height. If we do raise the counters on the wall, we’ll have to make adjustments for a lower stove top. Thanks for the tip. @laughable - Yes, I’m trying to put a lot of thought into this kitchen. And you are one of the people who have really inspired me to put in the extra time and effort to get it right. It will be my last so it better be good! I usually transfer from stock/crock pots in the sink because I’m unbelievably clumsy, lol. The pictures aren’t showing, darn it. I just am getting the Photobucket “This person has moved or deleted” message. It could be my computer. I had to take it back to factory settings last night and am still loading updated drivers and such. I’ll come back later and check it again. I can visualize your explanation of what he did in his own kitchen and why. Still need to get to my library to see if they have any of his books.

I am writing to you grandmother to grandmother. I just moved from a 3 BR home with large FR to an apartment. It sounds like you will be living in the place alone. My input is in regard to your safety (I am 70). First the tub and shower: The most common accident elderly people encounter is a fall in the tub. Why not replace the tub with a generous shower with wide door, a grab bar and maybe a bench at the end. Also think about mobility if you ever have to depend on a walker or wheelchair… wide doors and smooth floors throughout. And no throw rugs anywhere. I did what you are describing with my clothes… no dresser for me. Everything is in the closet, including twin hanging hampers that pull out from a shelf. As soon as one is full, I know I should do a load of darks or lights, And for the nightlight idea, I found one at Home Depot for $10. Plugs in any outlet. It's dark in the daylight and bright as you want at night thanks to a dimmer switch. Love it. Electrical outlets don't have to be at ankle height… put them waist high and you won't have to bend over (ugh!) every time you want to plug in anything. For light in the closet you don't need to wire it if you select a battery-powered button light. Paint the inside of all cabinets and closets bright white to reflect as much light as possible. Now about the sofa bed. I bought one that has an air mattress instead of the dreaded mother-in-law bar. Comes with its own electric pump and blows itself up in seconds. Ethan Allen makes it. Not cheap. But because it doubles as the sofa, you don't need a bed, box springs and mattress plus outer bedding -- think economy that way. And for naps you don't need to open it. In fact, it you do something with a sofa bed idea you don't need the separate bedroom. Now you'd truly have a great room and it would feel so spacious. Make a fabric folding screen to add color and when you have visitor it would ensure privacy. And the entertainment center… you can watch TV while you work at the kitchen table if you can angle the TV… maybe an adjustable wall mount would work. For seating if you don't do the sofa bed you may like a chair-and-a-half (or two of them). Extra wide with enough room for a 4-year-old on your lap. It's a perfect grandmother chair. Why not have a big wide sink to accommodate your canning pots instead of twin sinks? Plus you can bathe a baby in a big sink!