Can you find something that pulls out the gray of the countertops and the dark wood brown of the island? You also need a 3rd color, but it doesn't have to be in the permanent decoration--could be on windows, objects, stools, whatever. I really feel the need of more of that brown--is it a chocolate brown? And can you find something with a clearish glass to pick up the theme of the light fixture? Try a few rugs for a splash of color for a while. See how you like working in there. You can forego the permanent backsplash for now, if you need to live with the room and get a feel for it. Paint works fine, so does wallpaper. Personally, I'd avoid the fashionable tile styles; you're working with a room that needs some timelessness OR something distinctively contemporary. Click your way through the backsplash subset on the finished kitchen blog and you'll get to the point where you're going to say "they're almost all the same." If that's fine with you, great, but if you want distinction, wait until you can find it. That first inspiration kitchen would cry out for color if the green objects weren't there, backsplash or not.

My favourite Books of 2011 - no particular order - 1) ""Get Me Out of Here" - Henry Sutton A dark -- very dark -- satire set in modern-day London.... Tells of a once-successful financial professional who's on the skids -- yet, still hankers for the luxuries and amenities so many of his ilk had during the '80s - early-2000s - until the global financial crash. 2) "Bleak House" - Charles Dickens My first reading of this classic. Like the above -- another tale of riches-to-rags -- for some characters, rags-to-riches. Teeming w/ delightful or creepy characters, high drama, ugly-beyond-belief slum scenes and human cruelty, enough neuroses to keep a psychiatric clinic busy for a decade (or more!), generosity of spirit, healthy lust for life, etc., etc. ... a rich cornucopia of humanity -- both wonderful and lousy. 3) "Left Early, Took My Dog" - Kate Atkinson Very "juicy" mystery involving a kidnapped spunky little girl and one of the most delightful female police detectives I've ever encountered. ... She reminded me of the actress Dawn French. 4) "King Solomon's Carpet" - Barbara Vine / Ruth Rendell One of the best books she's ever written ... even though I was annoyed w/ how meagre the explanation was at the end -- of a couple of the characters' outcomes. But, still, a fascinating ride -- in both senses! -- the story as well as the hair-raising subway ("Underground" in Brit speak) scenes. Some of the weirdest, most intriguing characters I've come across in a book in a long time! 5) "Bad Behavior" - Isabel Wolff A woman's storybook -- I call this genre -- some call it "Chick Lit", which turns me off. Anyway -- a lovely story about a young, single woman setting up a new veterinary practice in London. She has a very awful secret in her past. A war photojournalist comes into her life, and the secret if blown open. 6) "My Cousin Rachel" - Daphne du Maurier Several of us "chatted" about this in the August thread. I still think the dame did it! 7) "The Private Patient" - P.D. James A professional investigative TV journalist goes to a posh country clinic to have an old scar removed from her face. But much more than that happens to her. Really intriguing who-done-it... although I felt that bringing Dalgleish's personal life into the story interrupted the flow. That's it. This year think I'll read more non-fiction. After going over the lists of all the books I read - 2011 - I noticed I've been reading way too many mystery books! Some books keep popping up in the lists above and in discussion that I want to try -- "IQ84", "Discovery of Witches", "The Assassin's Cloak". Kathy9norcal - You named 2 of my all-time favourite books: 1) "Brazzaville Beach" - Wm. Boyd -- Every time I mention this novel I have the feeling I'm the only person who's read it, as no one seems to've heard of it! Although I've read some awfully good books set in Africa (fict. &...

Turns out there was a lot of tree damage from the heavy winds last night. My next door neighbor has a huge oak right in front of the house at the edge of the circular driveway, the tree split and about half of it came down. Thank goodness it fell to the driveway instead of the house. It covers the entire driveway to the street. My neighbor a couple houses down had a big tree split and fall on her fence in the back yard. She had scheduled for a new fence to be installed next Saturday! Now she has to hire my tree guys to come get the tree cut down and cleared out.. We had a large oak branch fall just missing my husbands new truck by a Hair. It was actually a tree in the neighbors yard the same one with the tree on his driveway. I sure am glad it missed the truck! The yard and atrium are strewn with branches and leaves. I have my gardener coming to get the mess cleaned up. I think we could have had a little twister through here.

While out doing the shopping in the biting cold wind, hubby asked if I'd prefer the cold, stormy blustery winter, or the hotter than normal summer that we just had. We both much prefer winter. As soon as we come in, it's comfortable. With the summer, it's hot and humid as heck outside and the same inside, with no a/c.