That should be a very good start, especially if you have sandy soil to begin with.. The weight of the bag is kind of misleading, 40 lbs sounds like a whole lot when it really isn't.. Look out for free compost from your city instead of buying it.. My city has great leaf humus, and it's free! Overall, I probably shoveled several thousand pounds of compost for my plants,I would say at least 2-3 thousand pounds, if not more... Matter a fact, me an my brother just picked up compost the other day,he has a 17x7 trailer and had that thing packed! Trailer was bending, truck was crying! My back is still broken! My plants are happy happy happy! Don't worry you're off to a great start, plant your seeds! Good luck, Joe

We love this Broccoli Ham and Cheddar Soup. Does this sound like something that might appeal to you and your family? I usually double or even quadruple the recipe as it freezes well. I use home made broth rather than a bullion cube though. As the recipe notes, it's very flexible in the amounts of ham, mushroom and broccoli you can add so if you have a lot of ham go ahead and throw in extra. Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoli Ham and Cheddar Soup

We have the NKBA recommended minimum of 15" for counter-height seating. 15" is fine for me (at 5'10"). However, my children and DH are taller and they have all recently admitted to me they wish we had an 18" overhang. (I thought they were all fine w/15"! That explains why my DH and DS don't sit at the peninsula as often as I thought they would and as often as my DD and I do! My DD also says more would have been better, but it's OK if she doesn't sit there for a long period of time. She's 5'11".) While I was in the planning stages of my kitchen, I began to notice when I was comfortable/uncomfortable sitting at islands and peninsulas in friends' homes. I noticed that those with 13" or less were very uncomfortable to sit at. I either had to sit sideways (and then I had to twist around to use the counter) or I had to "straddle" the cabinets (legs spread) and lean farther forward. Neither are very comfortable for very long. My DH won't sit at any of those counters b/c they're so very uncomfortable for him. If everyone in your family is short and/or has short legs (and will always be short), you might be able to get away with 10", but I would not want to do it! How wide is the portion of the slab you are willing to use? Remember that 25.5" of it will be taken up with the 24" cabinets + 1.5" overhang on the front of the peninsula. If you put decorative panels (plain or decorative doors) on the back of your peninsula, you will lose another 1/2" (plain) to 1" (doors) or so. This means to have a 10" overhang, the usable portion of your slab will have to be at least 36" to 36.5" wide. 1.5" + 24" + 0.5" + 10" = 36" 1.5" + 24" + 1" + 10" = 36.5" Is there another slab you can use that doesn't have the "issue" you're trying to avoid? I suggest you find someplace w/a 10" overhang and sit at it for 20 to 30 minutes while you work on something or eat a meal. If you're still comfortable 30 minutes later (and be honest w/yourself!), then you, at least, will be OK with the shallow overhang. What about the rest of your family?

Hi. Without a picture its a little hard to tell. Is this rug over wood/stone floors or carpet? If the 86" sofa is centered on the 10' side of the rug then it sounds like the bay window chairs are about 5' from the end of the sofa. Too far for one conversational grouping - in which case they are another grouping and the bare floor is fine. But if they are supposed to be part of the same seating group they ought to be partially on the rug. Maybe try the 9x12 (its ok if the sofa is all the way on the rug) and pull those chairs a bit closer off the wall.