dcarch, that's fantastic...but i'm such a 'permy' i suppose that i like being out in the weather... using wood for fuel. Smoking mozzarella on the 4th will be a challenge at 80 temp, but the ice block worked last summer. mustangs, got ya beat on the temp collection...just mowed on over, then another i stuck in the smoker with the plastic sleeve still on, lol. (i should just buy the whole display rack of the cheap ones) I probably could win the 'useless-junk-kitchen-crap' contest...i just spring cleaned out the kitchen drawers and filled a box to go downstairs with all the previous years boxes... I did toy and play with the rubber lid things recently in a cooks supply...the texture is a bit creepy like my silpats and don't care for the microfiber cloths...DH wore one to work stuck on the inside back of his shirt...wiggled down to the, fortunately tucked-in, waistband like a muffin top. Find them inside folded sheets... Not many new purchases recently. Like that thermopop but i treated us to a thermopen for valentines day during their sale and bought red. It has a special spot and is not allowed outside for the grill unless with special care... So i would have to say my maple tree that nature took down over the winter... Many future cooking tools and fuel coming soon. This is just the top 1/3rd and is now safely on the ground-ish. The base 20 ft is still standing. Not at all sad as we have a large herd of them...would have cost a small fortune to have it pro cut so nature did the hard costly work. Designed a dining table a few years ago and now see it may be built finally.

Power and heat on again last night! Today I sorted through all the stuff removed from the shelves at the top of the basement steps. Everything was freshly painted last weekend and looks so much better, thanks to DH. Still need to do some organizing of the area -- drilling holes for all the computer stuff, wires and chargers, printer, etc. And more nails and hooks on the wall to hang all the stuff we use often -- vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, cat litter stuff. It's such a small area, but serves multiple functions. The Sunbeam Mixmaster is back in its home in the cabinet. Isn't it funny that once I seriously considered parting with it, now I'm thrilled all over again to have it! Instead, I have pulled out all the vintage crockery, pottery and casserole dishes and will make an attempt to use items in other rooms, as you suggested. I already put pens and pencils in a small pitcher (after putting a piece of cork in the bottom to protect from ink) so it's no longer hogging cabinet space, and I get to see it when I use our new mini office. I have done a small evaluation of how we cook day-today, for smaller gatherings, and for a couple of large annual parties. I think these large events are what make me think I need lots of prep and serving dishes/bowls, but the truth is I don't need everything. My main concern is that I have to have enough prep bowls so that I can just throw them in the dishwasher and not have to worry about washing them so I can serve food. Also, I'm going to get a casserole dish with a lid that's just a little larger than anything I have right now, maybe something that can go from stovetop to oven. The one thing Alton Brown's book made me realize is how little I know about the science of cooking, which is something I've always liked about his TV show. I inherited or haphazardly bought my kitchen stuff (often second-hand) without any thought to why certain types of materials or designs are efficient or ideal for certain tasks. I'm looking forward to reading more and determining the kinds of tools, pots, and small appliances that may be more helpful than my current mish mash of stuff. I think it will be fun to have things I enjoy using and will gladly part with stuff I've been hanging on to for no other reason than that I've hung on to them for this long. I'll post some pics when I get finished with my projects. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. You've been really helpful. Tina

My first house. It belonged to 'The Goat Lady' and rumor had it that she slaughtered goats in the extra bedroom... Before I moved in, I sandblasted the interior. The plumbing in the kitchen was fashioned out of radiator pipe and the entire kitchen was tossed out the side door, leaving me to do dishes in the bathtub for 6 months. It was in this kitchen's new navy formica that I decided I would never have dark countertops again. The house was built on the overflow from the beautiful pond in my yard. In the winter, I could have used paddles to change the view. I wore rubber boots and carried kids on my back to get to the car, wading through a foot of water that filled the foundation of the house within inches of my floor. The great news is that a forest fire burned the whole house down three years into it, proving there really was an angel looking out for me.

Jsk, that is one big flood. Was water still being poured into the washer and it wouldn't stop? The first flood in the bedroom was ten years ago. Only damage was to the carpet which was removed. BTW, did you change out any decor colors when new tile and cabinets were installed? :) Gray, there's a turn off valve at every sink and toilet, plus washing machine but I also think ours are frozen in place because of hard water and never had to use them. Here's the story about our first flood which I hadn't thought of in years until today. We had just built our house and had only been here for about a month, tops. We're on rural water & have to read our own meter, and there's a pressure regulator on each meter. Rural water comes in full force without one & can burst pipes. Let me preface this by saying DH isn't much of a drinker. One evening his dear friend stopped by for a visit. They were yapping at the kitchen counter, each on a bar stool. It was late and I went to bed. Around 2am a noise woke me up. The bedroom is at the opposite end from the kitchen and UR. I ran to the kitchen and saw both men, well, they were in their 20's, enough said, and both of them were passed out cold with an almost empty bottle of Jack Daniels between them. His friend apparently had it with him. The noise was coming from the UR, and we had kitchen carpet at the time, and it was soaked and getting on the carpet in the DR. I screamed at them to wake up, the house is flooding! I screamed the same thing last week! lol DH turned the valve off behind the washer, which had one of those black rubber hoses which sprung a huge leak on the hot water side. No more rubber. Ever. Then the bozo started scooting the washer out of the UR, through the kitchen, to the DR which had a hanging light fixture over the DR table. It was tulip shaped glass with the bulbs facing up. Just the standard type. His friend was holding the back door open and when DH passed the table he took his arm and told the light fixture to get out of his way and he actually swung at it! He got a bad cut on his arm and it obviously required stitches. His friend said I should take him to the ER, and DS1 was only 2 and asleep in his crib. I told him absolutely not! He said I'm his wife I should take him and he'd watch DS1. AS IF. I was livid and said DH got himself into this mess so he can either drive to the ER or his friend would take him. He did. There's a lot of back dirt/rock roads they took to keep off the hwy. It was about 3am by then and I was so angry I called the head of our rural water and told him what happend. He asked if the builder put a pressure regulator on and I said what the heck is that? He told me and said it was the bulder's responsibility. I hung up and called the builder and woke him up and chewed him out for not putting a pr on. He said it was the rural waters responsibility. Hit head on wall ten times. Not sure who installed the regulator but it was done the next day. I went to bed. When the guys got back they went to sleep. A few hours later the friend went to his house and brought his shop vac and they got all the water, then we put a big fan on it and all was fine. Insurance paid for new carpet & and new DR light. ;) Looking back in hindsight it's hilarious. I'll never get that picture of them with the JD out of my heard.