cynqueen - Yahoooooo! Isn't it a great feeling to see your first sprouts?! This is my 3rd year and I still get a thrill from seeing the new ones every day. Leave your lids on! If you have to, throw a sheet over them if you happen to get a really warm day and they're in full sun. We have more than a few nights coming that will still be below freezing! I usually starting taking tops off when the days are consistenetly in the upper 70's and the nights are in the upper 40s and lower 50s. I have never had "drying out" problems as we usually get more than enough rain during this time of year. Once the tops are off, they dry out much faster and that's when you have to start worrying about watering them, which can be a big hassle!

I would never buy anything mechanical or electrical from another country if I could buy it here. Not only are standards very different in other countries it is often impossible to get approval for things you would think didn't need approval. There certainly are a lot of good custom door manufacturers in the US. I think the best is Hahn http://www.hahnswoodworking.com/pages/whybest.html Designer Doors is a less durable but good looking alternative. http://www.designerdoors.com/ None of them are a bargain. Here is a link that might be useful: Custon Garage Doors

I used the extra granite I had left over for a passthru shelf on the outside of the kitchen bay window, and also for the surround top, sides etc for my built in patio BBQ. Tile,and grout, and an outside bbq do not coexist well, not to mention the cleanup. The Granite, with no grout has nicely done away with those problems. I did have some left over Onxy, that was used for the fireplace surround in the family room, we used that to make a table which complements the fireplace , very well. Gary

Circuspeanut- thanks so much for responding. I really want to do soapstone, it was my very first initial desire even before I discovered this tile. But it didn't seem correct with the dark cabinets I had chosen. Then, when I found this tile, and realized the dark cabinets were not going to work after thinking hard about it. The kitchen really does not get good light and, even though I'm adding a sliding glass door into the room, I also have noticed that the rear of the house gets the least amount of direct sunlight during the daytime (I've been watching it because I'm also trying to plan a garden). So, I need to lighten up the cabinets which I intend to do, but have not chosen exactly what color yet. In which case, soapstone would be possible. I LOVE the idea of yellow tile near the soapstone. And, love the tiles you posted. It keeps the kitchen more in the Craftsman style, with just a hint of Art Deco - which would be more in character of the house. The house has elements of both, but overall is much more Craftsman and is more my style than Deco. My eye is very drawn to the first tile you posted, the one on the upper left, yellow and brown geometric. Like that a lot. I can see adding in some copper with the pulls/handles, perhaps the faucet, fixtures and if feasible, the sink. In fact just today, I noticed that some of the plates on the doors in the house have a copper tone to them. As for other things - my contractor was over today (finally) with his super to talk about gutting the kitchen. Some surprises were found, issues with the floor level, some piping from the bathroom above complicating the potential ceiling height (but he still thinks I can get in 42" cabinets), a structural beam and possible plumbing in an area which may shorten the run of my counter top (and has put me back to a 30" range), etc. Old homes - you have to just deal with the surprises, you know? But, he loved the old tile, and was all about keeping it. Said if worse came to worse, and it didn't work out no harm done and out it comes but he'll do his best to be gentle with it during demolition. I've known him for easily 15 years, or more and trust him and his team completely to do the right thing (I've been working for Architects for over 25 years, and know him from my last job). Anyway - will certainly keep you all posted as things go along. Demo was supposed to start tomorrow but it got pushed off until Monday, no big deal. I go back to the kitchen designer next Saturday - should have been tomorrow but I have to cancel since no point going until demo is done and I see exactly what that structural beam situation is all about for one thing, and some other minor issues. I want to be certain about the measurements before ordering cabinets!