ingrid, When I first started reading GW, I couldn't understand how people could SP a healthy rose. But now I know. If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't. It's simple. I too maxed out on Austins, and probably will not add anymore. I think I have every possible color anyway:) Strange things do happen. When I first moved here 7 years ago (after never having gardened in my life!) I planted 6 white bearded irises. Well now I have about 100 from that 6 and they are in bloom now. I think I get more comments about them as I do my roses. And now the irises are intermingled with the roses (I do have to dig them up, separate them and redistributed a bit more this year) and it looks great. So a simple HD bag of irises does wonders. I probably should look at reblooming ones, but now I have an emotional attachment to these. And I can't say enough about alfalfa. Last year was the first time I used it and I do think it makes a huge difference. I have the biggest fattest buds this spring and am seeing many basals. I've also noticed that the root balls of many of my roses are thick with feeder roots where they were not before. So I'm sold. I'm really excited because I have 12 bands from Vintage (11 teas, one HP) and am planning a new rose bed on the other side of my yard. I too have fallen in love with teas and yes, the lack of pruning required is a plus! I just hope I get to stay in this house long enough to enjoy the fruits of all this labor!

Thanks for all the positive feedback, it's nice to hear. :) Well, I have now started in on the pressure canning. I did get 12 pts. of Katie's Roasted Tomato and Garlic soup last week and 8 pts. of beef stock yesterday. Today/tomorrow it's chicken stock and chicken soup, then next week apple sauce and apple pie filling. It's kind of a relief to be away from the tomatoes for a while. :) And I am getting more comfortable with the pressure canning. I got the Presto 23 Qt. and the optional weighted pressure regulator. My gauge seems pretty darn accurate so far, but I love the ease and consistency of using the weights; I'm glad I spent the extra $20. I probably will can more tomatoes next year - I'm just a glutton for punishment! :) But I will probably spread it out and not do it all 6 or 7 days in a row. Since I don't really grow enough tomatoes to can, I buy them when I want to can. There's a great organic farm the other side of town (Petaluma, CA) that has been selling tomatoes $1/lb or $12/crate; I've gotten over 20 lbs. in a crate! They also sell the overripe tomatoes as "sauce tomatoes" for $5/box (about 20 lbs). So it's very reasonable cost-wise. I don't get the satisfaction some of you do by starting from seed, but it's still pretty darn satisfying. And as several of you have commented, it sure is all pretty to look at too. We're just wrapping up a kitchen remodel; my husband is about to start on the shelves in our small walk-in pantry. I can't wait to see all my jars and jars on my new shelves!!!! Kathy

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's so great to hear from others who have gone through the process. We are building a house out in the country, as well. We are planning on doing the back up generator (we are in wyoming) so it's nice to hear that it is worth the extra cost. We are not putting in a basement (the water table is too high on our property) but I do have some concerns about my laundry/mudroom. I don't know the dimensions but we ended up stealing space from that area to make our master bath even larger. In the end we are doing a stackable washer and dryer but that will leave me room for a big closet for coats, as well as, a smaller closet with a doggie door for the cat boxes. We will also have room for a bench/cubbie unit. I've worried that I will hate the stackable washer and dryer (I'm short and with 3 small kids they will be used alot) but I thought I'd appreciate the extra storage. The mud is ridiculous here but we've been living in a mobile home on our property for a year while we built so I'm hoping that just the extra space (3 kids, 3 cats, 3 dogs in less than 1100 square feet now) will help me look past the mud that will be inevitable for a long time. We are afraid to pave our road because my hubby worries he will just tear it up snowplowing with his tractor in the winter. And it's true that gravel is cheap (relatively) and can make a big difference. We are doing a playroom in the bonus space above the garage but otherwise our house is just one level - thank you so much for sharing.

As promised, here are a few more pictures and details for the backsplash. I just peaked at the boxes of left over tile. The backsplash is Alyse Edwards Tile and Stone, Gigi's Groovy Glass Stiix - Stairway to Heaven. I kid you not - that's the name. I never would have thought of it. In fact, when I saw it before it was put on the wall I didn't think I liked it. It is plain white until grouted and I didn't think there would be enough contrast with all the white. But grouted, I love it because it takes on a greenish/blue tint. When I post pictures of my kitchen (sometime next year), you'll recognize the backsplash. My MIL over ordered by 20 sq feet and gave me the left overs. (I mentioned that she's great, right?) Re my comment about the sinks in the original post. I meant to say that the prep sink's interior is only 13 inches. The 36 incher is huge. Re the ice box latches they do not spring open. They hold the cabinets closed nicely, look pretty, and have not been difficult to keep clean even with little ones around. As for my comment about putting a stone backsplash behind the range, this is the issue. The Wolf 48 inch range that is in the kitchen vents the steam from the ovens up the back directly to the location where the tile backsplash meets the back of the range. I've noticed that the grout is starting to yellow a little bit. Maybe from the oil and fat in the steam? I've seen pictures of a four inch stainless steel backsplash that is attached to the back of the range. I also saw a picture of a stone backsplash in a kitchen magazine that was lovely. So using my MIL's kitchen as an example, I would keep the tile backsplash behind the range except for a four inch space directly above the burners/vent. It's difficult to explain without a picture and there may be problems with this idea that I have not thought of yet. But it sure looked pretty in the magazine and seemed like it would help protect the area of the backsplash that is most likely to get splashed. As for my kitchen.... it will actually be pretty similar to my MIL's. I like to think that we've collaborated. My kitchen plans and materials were selected before she started her design. Funnily enough, her layout is very, very similar to mine. And as I've shared, I've been influenced by her kitchen. The main difference is that I am planning Green Mountain Original PA soapstone for my perimeter counters and white princess quartzite for my island. I will have fewer glass cabinet fronts and more warm wood accents to warm up the space a touch. A few of you asked for more information about the stone that I'm considering so I added a couple pictures of the slabs I've looked at (although the quartzite is MUCH prettier IRL). I think this should about cover all the questions. Cheers.