Great thread! Glad to know others share my problem! I didn't realize how bad my problem was until I packed them up for the remodel into boxes and saw how much cubic footage they claimed. I have cooking magazines that go back to '99 and I accumulated probably a 100 kitchen & bath mags during the last year planning and executing the remodel. Even though I'm pretty much done, I still find myself looking at the racks in stores. In my defense, I do sit down and go through all the Oct/Nov/Dec cooking mags every year about October to pick out things I want to cook during the holidays that year. Some recurring favorites, some experiments. I find myself doing that in the spring/summer too, looking for recipes for fresh, seasonal food. My problem with clipping the recipes is that I want to keep the pics, too. Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for the scanning idea, Suzy. I intend to work on getting my office and guest room back into shape this weekend converting them back to functional space from them from my temporary remodel storage. I think I'm going to go scanner shopping first! And I might try just the ad removal for the holiday issues.

Back again. We were busy again with kid activities this weekend. We also started the move out of the house for the reno. Found a house in the neighborhood to stay so we moved some furniture and stuff over to get a jump start on next weekend's big move. Lavender--I do live in Washington--Olympia to be precise. I have a great aunt and cousins over your way in Oakesdale. Where are you? I'm still working on my plan. I'm having trouble finding a way to store all of the stuff that got displaced from moving the two wall ovens to undercounter ovens. I need a few more hours in the day to have time to really concentrate on it! Got the mag. Thanks for calling it to my attention! You're right about how cute that banquette is. Round tables seem more inviting to me than rectangular. That whole space is so inviting and warm. I wish I could pull off a space as put together as that one is! My kitchen and family room would be the same location in that house if I moved the kitchen into the dining room and moved the family room into the living room. DH is still concerned that the family room will be too narrow there. We need to make sure there is enough play space for the kids as that's their main play area. After seeing that DIY hutch in BHG, it reminded me again of an idea I had a long time ago, but was dragging my feet on. I think we've decided to move the antique hutch/sideboard out of the dining room (don't know where else we'd use it) and put build a bigger one with cabs, drawers, countertop etc. like Candace Olsen. It will give us soo much more storage space. Plus, it will give that bland area some character. We decided we could also use it for serving wine and drinks during parties. More cost, but worth it. Yes, I know Cali_Wendy's kitchen. It was one of the first ones I took note of when I found this forum. It confirmed my idea of white cabs. Every time I see it I fall in love again. Rhome--I didn't want to bother you with a re-draw until I had a pretty firm grasp on it. You've got enough to do--like enjoy those new ovens!

You have a knife that you love. Give it a wooden cutting board big enough to be easy to work on, a steel or sharpener to keep its edge, and a nice block or magnetic strip to store it in/on. Then keep cooking and check your spreadsheet as you feel the need of something here or there. You have a minimalist heart, so I would avoid something big, expensive, and only intermittently useful like a food processor. I've cooked for forty years without one, happily. Likewise, a Vitamix is overkill unless you often make drinks or smoothies that require finely crushing ice cubes. But you'll take my immersion blender from my cold, dead fingers! If it has a whisk and chopping attachment, it can: whip egg whites, make whipped cream, make hummus, nut butters, pesto, chopped liver, and puree soups. SO much easier to get out, use, clean, and store than a stand blender! Things I use a lot from W-S that have lasted well and been well worth the $: the set of three mesh footed colanders with handles, waffle-weave white towels for drying (15 years and still going!), an OXO digital scale (not discounted anywhere, so might as well get it from W-S), and a 3-qt All-Clad saucepan with the handled steamer insert (which turns out to be perfect for making couscous the traditional way as well as steaming veg). A big silicon spoonula is about my favorite utensil -- much more heat resistant than rubber spatulas, cuts way down on cleaning needed for bowls and pots, cuts way down on waste when transferring from one vessel to another. Big-ticket items that are super versatile: Dutch oven, wide shallow two-handled braiser (which can be used, lidless, to roast and bake, in addition to one-pot prep of things like short ribs and braised chicken w/veg). This is a nice braiser: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-tri-ply-stainless-steel-braiser-with-rack/ that will be easier to handle than an enameled cast iron one, but those have the advantage of being attractive enough to use for serving. Have fun!

Quite a few of the British also use that glottal stop in a word where Canadians would vocalize an "r": e.g. "fo-y" instead of "forty" (I guess that involves both the disavowed "R" and "T")! (Spell check doesn't like my pronunciation, either). ole joyful