Thanks, Holiday-ers, I'm glad you enjoyed the view from my LR window...appreciate your gracious comments. jane...the fruit feeder has top & bottom (as seen in pic) w/hole cut out for clear glass custard cup size (so you can see when the jelly is gone!) Plus an archway between the top & bottom for spacing...rope for hanger & 2 screws from the bottom up for the orange halves. Orioles love it...also we get Catbirds who enjoy it. Squirrels do attack (sometimes)...but fruit feeder is on Shepherd's hook & they don't seem to bother it much...we tap on the windows ALOT! & send our dog out the front door often, too! LOL! Ahhh, dust bunnies are certainly multiplying around here...but it's ok...got to be out on the nice days! And I've been enjoying the bunny tureens on the forum lately, too! Thanks, everyone! Love the birds! Jeanne S.

HoyaMom, here you go. These were taken by the ID the other night. They are not custom, thanks to Les recommendation I used JC Penney pleated sheers.They are off white or cream, I forget the exact name. Jersey Girl, I have actually spent the last couple of hours trying to master the trial version of colorcreation's paint software. As you can see, I am absolutely terrible at it. LOL I did try a red color and did not like it at all. I also tried gold and that was a little bit better. Unfortunately I don't have access to all vendor colors so I'm just playing around with what I have. Clearly I need help and definitely will not be quitting my day job. LOL Hopefully everyone will give me an a for effort!!

Thanks for all of the nice encouragement. There are several areas of the kitchen which I feel pretty strongly about, and then there are the ones I am uneasy about. I think the Marcolo / rhome concern of too many steps for something as simple as a bowl of cereal is certainly worth considering, and I am going to work to tighten up those functions which are common for us. I have one of those little "planning desks" in my current kitchen and at any given time it is piled with papers, bills, kids pemission slips, and mail. If I have somebody coming over, I quickly dump it all into a basket which quickly becomes a black hole! My little room behind the cooktop (Rachel's space) is to allow my mess, keep it close by, but keep it out of the kitchen area. I know this little space will be a favorite, and it is really there only to handle a roofline issue. The home planning area, is where I was thinking the kids could do homework --- they would be close by, but not in the loud main room --- I knew it would be darkish, and would have no windows, but that is a bit by design as the computer will not have a glare and the printer and all of that stuff can be tucked away in here. The butler's pantry will likely house the more formal china, and it is where guests can help themselves to wine, beer, drinks and a food buffet, though I think it will mainly function as a bar during parties, and food will likely be on the island. My thinking is the butler's pantry is a good connector to the dining room, and the great room, kitchen and porch. The corridor is wide enough for some milling around, and there will be a sink in there, but the related clean-up area will really be on the island. I'm OK with that. One of the other things that you've all made me consider, is the steps to do things like get cereal. What if the 2 cabinets flanking the kitchen table have a fridge and freezer drawer, coffee maker, mugs, sugar bowl, glasses and bowls on one side. On the other side, what if they have 2 big drawers (size of fridge drawers) filled with the cereal boxes. Silverware is another issue. Would it make sense to keep the daily silverware over by the table? If so, couldn't I just take the silverware basket out of the dishwasher and take it (or have the kids take it) over to that area to empty. In that case, a daily meal (cereal and coffee, and juice) would all be handled right there at the table. Clean-up would involve setting the dishes through the little pass through (I could make this a door, but I think I like the pass-through) and then loading the dishwasher, etc. Not too bad, it only involves the breakfast and clean-up area. Now, things are more complicated for other meals. Setting the table would mean getting plates, etc. out of the "dish pantry" area. In my little baking area, I think the comments are totally on --- I think I need to put uppers here for baking supplies. That would allow me to put drawers below for things like mixing bowls, pans, mixers, etc. The toaster could also go out here as well. I know I have lots lots more to figure out --- but thanks for all of the help thus far. Marcolo, thanks so much for the design and reclaimed wood, etc. encouragement. I have always loved these things and sometimes people look at me like I'm crazy, but I really love them. Good to know that I'm actually going to be current for a little while at least!

I might have a obsession with organizing my spices... I hated where I stored my pans before. They were always a mess and unorganized... I have 2 drawers like this. YEA!!! Mucho better! Drinkie-poo? This was the one thing hubby and I disagreed on. He didn't think we needed the wine frig. I went with the beverage center instead to get him more on my side. Then purchased before he could say no.. LOL He just said last night that he liked it. SCORE one for momma! Also was excited to have a dish drawer! No need for the pegs. island plugs