I started a post, and then hit a key and lost it all. Phooey. First, I'm sorry to hear about your mom. It sounds like your brother and you are at peace with your decision and your loss, which is a great gift, but it sure must be sad sometimes. I'm sorry. My mom and dad came to the same conclusion on the deaths of their last surviving parent. My mom's mom had graduallymoved to ever-smaller, ever-more restrictive quarters, so it was gradual. And my dad's dad tried, honestly he did. And, he moved a few states away to live w/ my aunt, so he and my dad were able to weed out quite a lot. They had the same reaction, and started to just get rid of stuff in their homes. Of course, that's been awhile now..... I think that's a great gift to give your own kids, Marie. I read a post (was it here?) in which a woman said, she'd told her adult DDs that when she passed away, they were free to throw away, give away, whatever, her "treasures" (she had a little box of keepsakes, odd stuff but sentimental to her), and her possessions, because they were intended for HER lifetime, and not beyond. That sounds like a good idea, too--to free your kids et al. of the notion that just because you owned it, they honor you by keeping it. When my DGM died, my aunt sent me some "sentimental" stuff--my mom was hooting. They were just the things she happened to own at that time--they weren't important. Bathroom accessories in a rose theme--well, DGM liked roses, but those were just what they had at JCPenney the last time DGM needed to buy those things. They weren't important! I have a cousin that was thinking of taking the fabric from DGM's stash (she was a big sewer) and making everyone in the family a teddy bear (shiver...). My mom pointed out, gently, that those fabrics didn't MEAN anything emotional to DGM; they were just what she happened to have at the time. Some of them, she may not even have picked out! She sewed for other people, lots of times. Some stuff of hers WAS important to me--I got the cookie jar, which to this day I treasure and which helps me think of her often. That's enough. You may help enough just by keeping your TRULY valuable papers in a really good place, the photos in another good place, and telling your kids they should throw the rest out without even looking at it. It's useful to you, not to them! Steve, I like what you said about "theater of the mind." But sometimes we keep stuff we don't really need to "replay." You can buy NEW magazines (please, buy new magazines, so I can have a job), new books, etc. There's not really a need to keep stuff. But, on to practical matters. That stuff you'd like to pass on? Get one of those accordion folders w/ the dividers (alphabet, or 12 months), and label each for one kid. Then you've got a place to put that stuff. Maybe label one "Understanding Grandma better" and put notes to yourself (I think those might be really nice for your descendents to see), etc. Things that would truly tell someone, years from now, what you were like. And then be ruthless. If you haven't looked at that vacation stuff, it won't matter as much. Maybe you'll find 2 or 3 things from each that are worth hanging onto--something that helps you get STARTED remembering the trip. That should be enough. As for scrapbooking, well, I guess I'm unAmerican because I really don't approve. Sticking stuff in scrapbooks to look at later, yes. Getting creative w/ precut stuff and fancy letters, no. So get a big binder, buy some of those plastic page protectors (some divided for smaller stuff, some full size), and stick stuff in there. Just get it out of a box and into a book you can page through. The heck w/ labeling anything, making fancy borders, etc. Just stick the brochures into the pockets. And maybe set an arbitrary limit--no more than 5 mementos from every vacation. Because honestly, your brain is very flexible, it'll remember. And nobody else wants to look at your vacation mementos, really. And be tough; try to picture your kids 10 years from now--will they care enough to want to look at it? Will YOU? Stuff that's less personal--politics (which changes constantly), decorating idea, etc.--toss and get fresh. As if you were checking out library books from life.

We originally had a dowel in my pull out cubby that is pictured above but switched to that perfect tear holder from amazon. (We have used a vertical one like that for years and it works great!) With the dowel the towels came out too fast. Some mentioned they might be too messy to use a towel holder like mine, but my hands are often messy and you're just grabbing the towel. No need to touch the cabinetry really. To change a towel, yes- but in any case to change the towels you have to touch things to get the new towels, etc. I LOVE it so far- especially now with the perfect tear system. BTW, our cab guy had to take apart the Amazon holder and attach it. Mostly so that it was at the right height in the space. Here's a thread on paper towel cubbies I started. Here is a link that might be useful: My Towel Thread

I had both soapstone and marble in my last kitchen and never hesitated to put hot items on my soapstone, but I never did it with the marble. It wasn’t that difficult to use a trivet. I will say though that I rarely put hot items on the soapstone because it sucks the heat out of whatever you set down, which could be counter productive if you want to serve a hot meal. ;) But on the other hand, if I needed something to cool down quickly, set that puppy down on the soapstone! Or it was a lifesaver when all the trivets were in use and I had my hands full with hot pots! Didn’t have to panic. But marble, I would hesitate. It just seems more fragile by nature and so I babies it a little. I never sealed our honed marble and never had staining issues. It did etch but that just added to the character and the more It aged the better it looked IMO.

You mean: no manufacture that you know of who makes wood doors will make a 2 panel 10' sliding door. right? Because I know of at least 1 that will make it in vinyl or aluminum. Would I sell one to a customer, sure, if they REALLY wanted it and they would have to sign a waiver, and install would probably be as much as the door. But they make it. Back to the topic. You definitively should be able to find someone that makes a wood clad or aluminum 3 panel door that is around 5k.