Quote: "Disclaimer: *MY* soon-to-be teen boy will not be stupid. (If I repeat that 100 times will it be so?)" Of course it will (see below for disclaimer). I have four kids, three of them boys, and the baby boy is 22 and a senior at the Univ of Florida. So I speak from experience. Promised Disclaimer: Length of time for avoiding stupid actions may vary slightly with age, but shows a high correlation with the quantity of similarly aged onlookers. Studies show their ability to hold back stupidity will, for average mid-teen boys, last approximately 3/4 of a second. For "good boys who listen to their mother", the time has been seen to rise to almost a full second in some rare cases. Unless a REALLY cute girl is there to witness. In which case, and for every boy studied thus far, the retention time falls to such a short interval scientists aren't able to accurately measure the value.

My mother makes this. I don't eat deer but my parents both say it's very good. My dad was a hunter and fisherman all his life - those were his hobbies. Savory Venison Stew 1 lb deer stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes 4 slices bacon, chopped ¼ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 cups water 1 beef bouillon cube ¾ cup tomato juice ¼ cup Port or dry red wine 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp steak sauce (optional) ½ tsp marjoram 4 small onions 4 carrots, cut into chunks 4 potatoes, quartered 1 cup chopped celery Salt and pepper Fry bacon in a Dutch oven. Add cubed meat that has been tossed in seasoned flour; brown on all sides. Add garlic, water, bouillon cube, tomato juice, wine, lemon juice, steak sauce, and marjoram. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, until meat starts to tenderize. Add more water if necessary. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery. Cover and simmer for another hour, until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Thicken stew slightly by sprinkling flour over the top and stirring while cooking. Serves 4.

yes, it needs to be all drawn together with a blue but I would go a bit more muted to the sagey side of blue. blue can sometimes end up looking too too blue. But a blue is a great choice and it will look very pretty, all of it. good luck. I also like the idea of putting a bit of the blue in your ceiling color to to make it all serene looking and not broken up by a white ceiling staring out at you.

J- Okay, that Avantium is cool! I can see why you want to get one for your new kitchen :) What about a refrigerator drawer, or even two? You could put it/them under the dish storage (one possibility) where they would be really close to the sink and the stove. This would give you a place to put the smaller items, while leaving plenty of space for big items, water, pop, etc. in the big fridge. I've thought about this myself a few times, with some of my layouts, but I've been gravitating to a smaller kitchen lately (shocking, I know LOL) but fridge drawers are a great way to keep a few items handy, without the big fridge right in the work area. If you had veggies, butter or margerine, some cheese, cream or milk, etc. that would be a lot of the items (at least a lot of mine) that I run back and forth grabbing, while I'm also trying to stir a sauce or wash something at the sink. Your landing space by the fridge (first plan) seems fine, for the occasional item and usually I get the big ingredients from the pantry and fridge before I start a meal. What do you think? As for you back, totally been there...after lifting too much hay for horses a few years back. Another good reason to think about dish washer drawers, too :) I think the stove on the back wall could make an incredible focal point. What are you thinking about for stove/cooktop? What style are you leaning towards? I know the plan is the first step, but what are you ideas for the room? Love to know details on your design...the plan is so important for function, but the design...that's the fun part!