Other than the zone issue, the boxwoods may work as far as growing in that spot. It doesn't look like full sun to me for some reason, but that could just be seasonal due to the grass looking good. Given the narrowness of the strip, you do need something you can keep clipped and that doesn't grow excessively in each season. I actually have an even narrower bed along a sidewalk in the back yard where I have just removed all the deciduous shrubs and most of the perennials and made it almost all columnar and dwarf conifers, and that is not only because I have succumbed to a conifer obsession this year. They are simply more practical as they won't reach out and try to knock my long-suffering DH off his motorcycle as he takes it out. Conifers would be another option that might work for this strip of yours, although depending on whether it is sun or part shade your selection would be much different. From a landscaping point of view, however, it is beyond odd that you've chosen to landscape the one spot on this property that does not need it. This wall is, as has been pointed out, perfectly attractive without any landscaping other than grass and will only become uglier with an unimaginative and poorly designed planting. The back wall, on the other hand, and the surrounding area which leaves you bare to the scrutiny of your neighbours at all times, are screaming out for plant cover. The fact that you've already torn out the sod is not an irretrievable error, and you need not compound it by going ahead with the second error of continuing with a bad plan. You can put sod back down or reseed (though to explain this to DH/DW might not be the easiest thing in the world). And the thing is that boxwood will still leave you with a large surface of dirt underneath them, which will spill onto the walkway and grow weeds like crazy. If you go ahead with this planting, you should still look into groundcovers. Ask at your local nursery what they are (nursery/garden centre, not home depot). Or search these forums for the word "groundcover."

I agree that you need three stations, use the island for the buffet , set desserts up in your dining room and have a third station for nibblies and drinks. This way you reduce congestion and people can mingle. I am a firm believer in only doing a plated type meal if you can offer everyone a proper seat. If people are going to have to eat with plates on their laps then I suggest all foods be fork friendly. ie they either are bite size or can be cut just with a fork. I did a Greek themes buffet for a goup of about 40 last year and it was great. I served a greek salad. greek meatballs, roasted veggies and chiken souvlaki but I took the meat off the skewers. As ilovepink mentions, Lasagna works well. So you could do an Italian theme with salad, lasagna, meatballs etc. You should have some drinks and nibblies ready for your guests and allow them to mingle a bit before dinner. An hour is good. I would suggest three , maybe four choices of appetizers. Cheese selection , shrimps and sauce and a hot finger food as an example. Tips to remember Plan your menu out two weeks before, include appetizers, main buffet, desserts, beverages Make a detailed list of everything you need and from that complete a shopping list. Buy all non perishibles a week before Buy perishibles a day or two before. Make or prep as much as you can the two days before the party. By prep I mean chop, cut, partially cook...as much as you can Set out the glasses , dishes , napkins , cutlery ,serving dishes, a day or two before. Do not leave any house cleaning for the day of the party. Make a detailed list of every thing you have to make or do the day of and sort the list by time. This will force you to make sure you have thought of everything and will help you understand if you have left your self enough time. 8:00 empty dishwasher 8:30 Prepare casserole 9:00 ...... 3:30 casserole in the oven 4:30 casserole out of the oven Don't be rushed at the last minute. Leave at least 2 hours before your guests arrive take a bath, and get yourself ready, have a glass of wine in the tub. Most important be relaxed and enjoy yourself. Your guest will remember you more than your food. Oh and don't forget music! Best tip....when you think you know sorta what you want to do then post your menu here, even if it;s a rough cut, we'll help with additiong deletions, tips....and recipes. Entertaining can be very easy if you are well prepared and relaxed.

Well, I barely know what I'm doing, but... I used the color picker tool (looks like an eye dropper) to select the current color of the house (the tawny color) & used it to create the foreground color (the two color squares: top is foreground color, bottom is background color). I double clicked on the background color square and changed it to white. Then I used the Magic Wand selection tool to select the tawny colored area (Magic Wand is supposed to select areas of the same color), clicked on the color changer icon (the two squares again), hovered over the selection (which should be only the tawny color), right clicked to fill in with the background color (white). But the Magic Wand isn't that accurate, so I used the free hand selection tool to outline some sections, then used the color changer tool: right click to replace the foreground color(tawny) with background color (white). I then did the same with the blue shutters: set blue as the foreground color, gray for the background color, selected the blue shutters and used the color changer to swap foreground color for background color. I copied a section of the house roof and pasted it over the garage so it looks like a sloped roof is there. Other areas I just painted with the paint brush. I have a book for beginners, and haven't gotten to the drawing section yet, so lots of stumbling & bumbling here. But I think I'm going to like PaintShop Pro.

AHA! That cooking for 60 is something I can certainly relate to! (Actually I can relate to two kids, but rely on rhome410 (sound it out) to explain how larger families work.) I don't know how your family room lays out, but encourage you to search for threads about multiple islands, and check the Finished Kitchen Blog as well. Something that might help with all those people wanting to be in the kitchen, and define the areas for you, would be to have a really big seating island where your breakfast area and den wall are now. It could then be partly kitchen area and partly den, and substitute for the wall in separating the spaces, while keeping them continuous and open. You might not like it for the same reason you don't like the wall--having to go around it and all. But what you could do is put a beverage/snack area in one part (microwave, beverage fridge, maybe even an icemaker), and, unless you need more kitchen storage, art drawers and desk stuff drawers. Maybe even have a coffee maker cubby and sink for that, art, etc., as well as overflow food prep when needed. A great project area. And party central. That might be more than your house can take, or it might be a budget buster, but it might be worth considering. Since you want a new table, etc., you could also do something similar, sans plumbing, by combining some freestanding pieces (2 desks and a table, maybe) with a unifying surface on top.