Welcome to the forum! The first thing I would recommend, if you bought a commercial cactus soil, is to cut it in half with perlite. That will increase air circulation and decrease water retention, both of which are very important. You can get into more advanced soil mixes, but that's how I started out. Terra cotta pots are a great choice, just be careful with the saucers that they aren't holding on to too much water or your plants will rot. If they're going to be outside, I would recommend not even using them. It's hard to tell the exact size of your plants, but your pots sound a little large. Just be sure the plants are snug in their pots with not too much extra space. For the plants without roots (1 & 2, maybe 3, 4) you'll want to start differently than with the others. You can either leave the cuttings out of soil for now until they develop roots, or just barely bury them. Do not water until you see the plant growing, which means roots have formed, or the plants may rot. Also, shelter these ones a bit from the sun since they are prone to burning. For the plant(s) with roots, plant them as deeply as you would any other plant. You can water these ones right away. Water all of your succulents very sparingly until you figure out how much they can take. I water about every 3 weeks. Be sure your plants get lots of sun -- if they start to grow tall with lots of space between the leaves, they are not getting enough. Hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions!

Okay paintguy and brushworks.... you have both helped me with paint questions before so I'm trying not to get bristly here... but you are reminding me a bit of the software geeks I used to work with. God forbid somebody untechnical should ask them what kind of pc to buy. They'd invariably convince the poor person that they had no business even THINKING about buying a pc without first earning a degree in a related field. Is a youtube video going to turn you into a professional painter -I would hope not! But most of us are visual learners and it is much easier to watch someone do something than to just read about it and try to apply the knowledge. Sometimes I think experts cannot remember what it was like to know nothing about their field of expertise. It may be because I am a teacher, but I think when the op asked for some basic paint help, we should take her at her word...and pointing her to a few videos is certainly a step in the right direction.

Thanks for the morning feedback. It's nice to know I'm not alone and get some ideas going about how to get past the idea stage. The conversation and wine over at love-to-dream's is great, by the way, if anyone wants to join us. It's rather nice to have company along the way - especially if no one in your real life is at all interested in, well, obsessive kitchen discussion! @wi-sailorgirl - I do spend a fair amount of time at Houzz and have some idea books. I also have extensive GW files of inspirational kitchens, features and possible layouts. I guess I'm not finding it pointing me in a direction yet, but I'll step back and take a longer look and see if that helps illuminate! @ eleena - Glad to know I'm not alone! It sounds like you have not found your investment with a designer to be particularly helpful? I appreciate the advice to go slow. On the other hand, I actually think one of the things that might force me to move faster would be having a GC instead of this DYI nonsense. I guess I even go back and forth on that! On one hand, the money saved through DYI is pretty substantial and my partner has all the skills, though we'd hire out some parts. On the other hand, partner is busy, I am a dreamer and a GC would force us into mobilization and deadlines and structure which MIGHT be worth it. @herbflavor - I appreciate the layout advice and have posted various options over the past year - more will no doubt be coming once that wall comes down and I can template out what I am working with, as I know my vision about how much space it is going to open up is just not real in this small house. An L + island would allow me to put a pantry on the end of the cabinets opposite a fullsize fridge on the other side instead of going with a tall, skinny fridge with a pullout next to it. However, the island doesn't seem to play as nice with the new backsplash window or sit in the best spot given the 2 traffic patterns required - and many people have commented that a U seems better for me given it blocks off the kitchen floor from the front door. Definitely holding off on that until the wall actually comes down and I do think that will help me commit at least to layout. (Please, please, let it help lol) @ caryscott - You make a good point that budget does eliminate a lot of options. I also think you are right that making one decision forecloses on many other things I might love. The place where I see that the most in my situation is counter/tile choices. I find a great tile, then try to imagine what that means for counters and it almost invariably just doesn't work with the other top choices. Maybe I should ask for help with creating some idea boards... @lovetodream - the wine and reassurance that I am not alone is more help than you can know. Promise! And it is so much easier to give you advice, strangely, than myself. (What's up with THAT?) I think if you (me) could just start with SOMETHING, the rest would maybe start to fall into place. Or, start a few idea boards with a few favorite choices and have a few options to mull over instead of a million? At the least, we'd end up narrowing the field and having SOME choices made, likely. Or, on the other hand, we can open up another bottle and talk about it some more... @2LittleFishies - I agree, the good news is the bad news here. It's nice to have time to really research, ponder, take breaks, etc. However, I'm really not sure, objectively speaking, how much I've gained from the time and additional research. Minus some big moments, like seeing BrooklynGalley's Liebherr tall and skinny fridge and realizing I -could- have a pantry with a U if I went that way. What ends up happening is I look at various kitchens and say "Ooooohhhh, ahhhhh! I love that! I could totally just replicate those pendants, cabinets and tile and be perfectly happy!" Then tomorrow I see another kitchen and do the same thing... I dream of being one of those efficient, clear-headed decision-makers. lol @Kali615 - Do you mind if I ask what one thing you started with that your DH loved? I really do think that's probably the thing - to get a general direction started with that first decision. I've also decided the box stores are probably not my friend in any of this... though I am going to go into the new Lowes and HD that were just built and see if they have anything that appeals before I totally give that up. Your island sounds like it is going to be great. How did you come across that bowling alley wood? Craig's List? @kashmi - I appreciate the functionality questions. Once that wall comes down, I'm going to mock up a kitchen and play around with how I want to work in the "new space". GW is so great for considering those questions. The truth is, there are 2 of us and neither of us are huge cooks. However, I'm really hoping that changes SOMEWHAT with a new kitchen and this isn't all for superficial reasons. lol @ ArchitectMamma - This idea board is definitely something I have been contemplating. I haven't learned how to use the on-line options people around GW have been using and I struggle to find all the pieces and parts of what I want. It's really getting to be about time to take it to that step, I think. @ Marcolo - Good advice. I wonder how much I could get done in my life period if I was off the net. lol Both you and ArchitectMamma are recommending some of the same resources and it's a good suggestion. I do try to peek through magazines but generally end up not buying because nothing is really grabbing me. However, I absolutely agree that the same stuff recirculates on-line. That's one of the reasons I got bored at Houzz. I just am not finding a lot of trade showrooms in Anchorage. I need to look harder and actually get out there. I admit to a little terror that I am going to find "the perfect stone" in some obscure granite yard way before I am in a position to use it and be haunted by it forever... What I need, ultimately, is a whip and a ruler to keep myself (get myself) on task. lol And as a final note of irony, I found a thread yesterday through GW on Shiloh cabinets. There was a link to a kitchen I really liked. A little cottage - a little modern. And, I thought to myself, "Self, you could just do this. You like it. It would go with the house great. They are well made. They are well reviewed. It's a good look." Then I went to the website. They don't have dealers east of the Mississippi, basically. I'm in Alaska. And so it goes...

If you prefer a drawer MW in the peninsula, I think that's fine (but more expensive initially and more expensive to replace). Just keep it on the end of the peninsula, near the fridge, or even have it open toward the fridge, so anyone prepping at the peninsula counter doesn't need to move for an open MW. Another thing to consider is that the open DW door will block the cabinets in the peninsula, except those which are beyond the open door. You might want to keep dishes in the drawers on the end, for ease of unloading the DW, so in that case the MW would be better on the fridge wall (upper or drawer). This is not exactly to scale, but illustrates the idea of dish storage: