Thanks CYNIC for the feedback. I thing the analogy of a weight of a shelf is very good, and very understandable. I lived in an apt. years ago with a 2nd floor. First and last time. I was in my 30's and fell once and that was it! I finally found an older photo showing what I USED to have. My old stackable KENMORE W&D. When you see the difference, the new units are HUGE to me. That base cabinet next to the W&D is being cut down and LEVELED for me. And will be attached. Yay! I am VERY careful with the detergent. I'm a bargain shopper (have to be) so I was getting powdered Sun detergent at Walmart in a large container. I gave it to my neighbors. The prices of HE detergent wowed me. But I found some on sale and then found some more at BIG LOTS. It has a lot more perfume which I don't really care for, but I'm getting used to it. It could be I'm just not used to the smell yet. And no, it's not Gain. I think that is very perfumed. Right now I'm using HE TIDE, and I found some HE ALL. I never see suds and only go by what is recommended. Less is more so to speak. I'm still getting used to doing larger loads, now that I can. The units perform very well. I love the SENSOR DRY feature. Clothes get dry without much wrinkling and don't get twisted up among each other, since there is much more room. The electronics of it amazes me, since I'm converting from a background of mechanical and physical switches. Old tech washer to new tech washer just like from a keypunch machine to a laptop! (And oh yes, I worked on those keypunch units many eons ago. Selectric typewriters also, luckily rarely). And it amazes me that the washer turns in different directions so the items stay free. The spin options are another perk of the washer. I also AIR out the washer, leave the door open for awhile, so moisture will dissipate. You are right. They are my new 'partners'. My new partners in CLEAN and leak-free. June Lynn

Has your contractor given you any references to call? When we were "interviewing" GC's, I asked for a list from each -- the one that got the list to me in a timely fashion, i.e. within a few days, ended up being the one who got the job - after calling references on their list and getting glowing reports. This was actually a good indication of how they have handled our entire project -- in a timely and professional manner throughout. Ask for references -- a good, confident GC should be happy to provide those. Finding a cabinet maker -- I looked at cabinets "out of the box" for weeks and could not find a style or finish that worked for me. I started calling folks who I knew had done reno's w/in the last five years to ask "would you mind telling me where you got your cabinets?" Sometimes they would say "do you know so and so, they did kitchen, addition, etc". I just called people and introduced myself - most were happy to share this info. and through this "referral" system I found a local cabinet maker (who I didn't know and never would have found on my own - GC was so impressed with his work that has since used him on other jobs) who gave me what I dreamed about (not without compromise along the way) within my budget constraints. Soapstone -- have it, love it, priced it on my own and saved significantly. Our variety is "softer" and although we have only been using our kitchen for about a month, I have chips in several edges, especially around the sink. At first I was heartbroken and then reminded myself that we chose this and marble for the "patinas" they would develop over time -- now I use a sharpie to hide them and move on. We are having so much fun cooking in this kitchen together that a nick or two is worth it!

The damage on the floor is difficult to see in pictures but it covers a area 36" wide and long in several directions where he pulled the dw out and scooted it across the floor to work on it and then scooted it back causing double damage. The water he cleaned up was from the repair he did and the water standing in the dw. No water damage to the floor. Had he asked for towels for cleaning I would have gladly given him old ones. I told him when he arrived that I would be downstairs if he needing anything to let me know! The cabinet door is down to bare wood. The finish is chipped off and some of the wood is damage. It is not a simple scratch. I am calling to get estimates for the door replacement and a estimate on the floor repair. Waiting to hear from the company. I called in a claim last night.

This is a first for me: Jean Schlumberger jewelry being described as "costumey"! It is some of the most beautiful "real" jewelry ever made. I've drooled over these enamel gold pieces and other of his gorgeous brooches now for over 50 years. No, I do not own any - WAY out of my price range, but a girl can still dream. They were NOT made to imitate costume jewelry - they were made when Schlumberger and David Webb and a few others changed what "real" jewelry looked like. It had previously been platinum and diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, and was only worn in daytime for the most elegant occasions. Schlumberger and Webb made pieces that women could wear anytime, anywhere. They incorporated semi-precious stones such a lapis, coral and turquoise, with diamonds and yellow gold and made some amazing pieces. This was mainly in the 1950's and 1960's and those pieces are still in great demand today and sell for very high prices. It was the "golden age" for spectacular daytime jewelry that was fun to wear. Of course, "daytime wear" in those days was NOT jeans and a hoodie and trainers; it was a suit or lovely daytime dress and most likely even a hat. Look at what Grace Kelly was photographed in at that time - it's how "ladies" shopped and travelled. I long for such days - SO tired of the "slob" look that celebrities have made the "look" today and that everyone has happily bought into. BTW, "real" jewelry vs costume means 14 or 18kt gold, rather than gold metal or gold plate, and stones that are real, not paste or CZ's. It means the materials themselves have intrinsic value, not just the design. Today, price doesn't even factor in - Hermes bracelets are most often not "real" but the price is still very high - the price is for the design and name. I find it sad that today many of the great jewelers of yesterday have gone to mass produced "real" jewelry - I call it 18kt gold costume jewelry as it is produced by the thousands. The Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklaces are an example. They are very expensive and beautifully made, but just about every wealthy Asian woman walking down Fifth Ave is wearing one (no, I'm NOT being racists - Asian women are very attracted to "name" designers and are their best customers). Why would anyone want to own something of which there are thousands? It's one reason I adore estate jewelry - I don't want every third woman on the street wearing the same thing I am wearing.