Zebra striped tomatoes are tasty. But even better is a variety called Yellow Sausage (or something like that. Sausage is definitely in the name, though.) It's weird looking, basically does look like a tomato shaped like a lumpy sausage, but it is incredibly flavorful. It's kind of stripey too, and ripens to a yellow color. My roommate likes to do weekly dinner parties, and people would fight over the slices of the Yellow Sausage tomatoes when we would make salads with our backyard tomatoes. We are definitely growing that one again this year. My peppermint tried to take over the world. I have a concrete backyard, very small. I think the peppermint actually rooted to the concrete. It smells fantastic though. Made a peppermint syrup at the end of the season that was delicious. We'll see if it comes back. I'm assuming it will, but I'm not certain. I gotta figure out how to repel the mosquitoes in a big way this summer though. I did NOT enjoy my yard starting in August, because I could not even go out there for 5 seconds without ending up with 6-10 mosquito bites. And I'm really allergic to mosquito bites; they swell up to at least half dollar size spots. Ugh.

Ha Kathleen..I'm not sure I could "sneak" in a set of dishes...So I haven't picked any up..but I am soooooo tempted.. Last weekend Hubby and I picked up/out some new "silverware"... I got some Oneida Simba at Ross for $13 a 4 place setting set. And it's not easy finding some "affordable" heavy stainless, with pointed fork tines. (I hate square tines!)And on top of that something I liked..I've been looking for a while. Because as much as the old Stainless from my grandmother I've been using works...my youngest son seemed to have cleaned all the small forks into the trash when he was "scraping" his plate..and then I noticed that some of the dinner forks were missing and the spoons... And quickly 8 place settings turned into NOT enough even for a family of 5!

My Dad died in 1987 at the age of 60. The next day I found out I was pregnant with Amanda. My Mom died in my arms and I tried cpr til the ambulance came 13 years ago this August. I can honestly say, I thought I was going to lose my mind. The pain was so debilitating at times. I got on the computer and played solitaire and other mindless games. Mindless, mind numbing, so I didn't have to think. I had good days and bad days. I thought the guilt was going to eat me alive. I couldn't sleep for months because I DID relive that night repeatedly in my dreams. There's nothing, nothing anyone can say. Nothing takes the ache, the void away. Only time. And time only eases it so that when you do think of her the pain doesn't floor you. God bless you, God help you deal with your grief. I'm very sorry for your loss.

I think the fridge location could go either way, but I'd definitely lean towards swapping it with the ovens, but that's because in *my* house the "browser" traffic to the fridge is at least 50-100 trips a day, but the "chef" traffic is more like a dozen trips. When I'm cooking, I like to get all my stuff out of the fridge and at the ready in one or two trips instead of grabbing as I cook. But kids and others are constantly going in and out for drinks, condiments, snacks, etc . . . so I wanted my fridge convenient to snackers and browsers and diners. :) I also like keeping hot stuff far away from seating. :) Also, if you move the cooktop to that side wall, then also moving the ovens allows you to use the cooktop as a landing zone for hot stuff out of the oven, which I personally find very convenient. Also, if you leave the fridge where it is but move the cooktop, I don't like having the fridge (browsers, drink getters) so close to my cooktop and thus the fridge landing space (for drink prep) being right there by my cooktop. So, yes, I'd swap the ovens and the fridge. I do think moving the cooktop to the side wall is a *great* idea. That would be a huge improvement IMHO by increasing the workspace between the sink and the cooktop and separating the clean up zone from the cooking zone by some good workspace for both the clean up person and the chef. In my kitchen, when major cooking is underway or recently completed, it is not uncommon for me to have 36" or so of counter space (above the dishwasher and beyond) covered in hand washed items drying -- piles of cookie sheets, large pots, knives, crystal, etc, so I need at least that much space on the "clean" side of my sink free for that without impinging on cooking/working/serving/prep areas. Meanwhile, I need at least 24" free on the "dirty" side of my sink for the stacks of dishes awaiting processing/loading into the dishwasher and/or sink for washing. So, that means my cleanup zone really needs (and has) 8 linear feet of space for the 24" dirty counter + 36-39" sink base + 36" clean space. I have that much space for it, and it all gets used. (My trash pull out is under the "dirty" side of the sink . . . but you could tuck it under your sink base if you plan it right and have a compatible sink and plumbing locations.) I'd absolutely die (obviously not really, but still) if I didn't have a trash pull out near the "dirty" side of my sink for scraping dishes. If you can't fit the main trash pull out there and want it over by your prep/cooktop area (assuming you do move it to the side wall), then I'd only do that if I could fit a second nice trash pull out UNDER my dish sink. Even if that sink pullout is a bit smaller than the typical kitchen trash pull out, it'd be sufficient for me. Not ideal, though, and I'd really try to have it to the side of the sink. FWIW, our dishwasher opens to a 42" aisle (45" cabinet to cabinet), and walking by it when it is open is no problem at all. It's not in a super high traffic zone, but we do walk by and around it when it is open all the time without any trouble. I wouldn't go crazy about the window size, even though I do agree that a wider window would be better. If you do stick with the smaller window, do be careful to keep your cabinets away from it a bit, as the cabinetry crowding the window will block even more light. I'd definitely give up that under-counter cabinetry where your seating is. Make the island a bit narrower, allow 18-21" overhang for diners, and let go of the idea of using cabinets for storage under there. It'd be super awkward to access, and cabinets cost $$ . . . redirect that $$ to other items on your wish list. If you cabinets are custom, you could make those island cabinets extra deep (say 30") which will dramatically increase their storage capacity. (I have just one stack of 30" deep drawers, and I swear they have twice as much capacity as the standard depth ones, although I know that is mathematically impossible, lol.)