Debbie, Foremost, you and your family are in my prayers. I wish you nothing but strength because we are going through some similar things and God knows we need as much as we can in these situations. Okay, as a disclaimer, I have to tell you that what I am sharing with you is in theory only, as I have not yet grown anything in a square foot garden. I HAVE, however, helped maintain a very large regular garden and I did build a square foot garden this year for the first time, so again this is all 'booksmarts' but I do have practical garden experience and I have done quite a bit of research on square foot gardening, so here goes: Regarding the square foot garden, there are quite a few different materials that I have heard used to make the borders. For instance, people use wood, patio blocks, bricks, cinder blocks, etc, basically anything non-toxic that will hold the soil in. That being said, make sure you do NOT use pressure-treated wood to build your frame. What I used was 2-by-6 douglass fir, untreated. I built 6, 4-foot by 4-foot beds, a total of 96 feet of 2-by-6 douglass fir, and it cost me $96.00, cut. Again you could probably do this more cheaply, but just make sure to stay away from pressure-treated lumber. I have even heard of untreated pine used successfully, although after a few years you will probably have to replace it. Next, obviously, and as you have pointed out, you want the best soil you can find. My recommendation is to call around and ask for organic topsoil. Make sure you ask where it is from. If it's from some farm in the midwest, you probably don't want it, as there are quite a few inorganic and organic pesticides that you don't want in your garden, and all of the trace nutrients have probably been sucked out and it's all chemical fertilizer in there. I would do it this way: get the best organic topsoil you can find, and amend it with peat moss, which will keep the soil aerated, add a small amount of lime, which will balance the pH and add calcium, add epsom salts, which will add magnesium and trace minerals, and use fish emulsion for nitrogen and kelp/seaweed suspension for potassium and phosphorous. If you can find chicken manure that is an excellent fertilizer as well I understand (never used it myself although I will try it next year). Once you grow this year then you can begin the lasagna method where you are adding mulched leaves, and whatever else you would like to compost. I understand adding coffee grounds, banana and other fruit peels, and whatever else 'organic' adds tremendous nutrients to the soil. I would introduce earthworms, if you don't already have them, into the bed, because they aerate the soil, and keep it very well-fertilized. Despite the fact that your yard is hard to dig, I would, at this point in the year, turn the soil once, only below where the beds are going to be. Add amendments to the soil, rake out the weeds and grass while mixing amendments in, and put newspaper over it. Place the beds over the newspaper, then put the topsoil over the newspaper. I know a lot of people say you can just put cardboard over the existing grass to kill it but I would question whether the roots of your garden veggies can penetrate cardboard that has only been mulching for a month. In short, agreed that the last thing you want is grass growing up through your beds, however I think if you turn the soil once, rake out the weeds and grass roots, and put newspaper over it and put the topsoil on top you have pretty much ensured that you will not have any problems with grass, and your veggies will be able to root through the wet newspaper after a very short time. I would also recommend grabbing a copy of Mel Bartholemew's square foot gardening book, usually available used at amazon.com. It's really worth it, I have read a good deal of the book and he gives tons of valuable info. Check it out if you get a chance. You may also be able to get a copy from the public library. Just to let you know, I know that I made it sound like a lot of work but it actually is much less work than a regular garden. You want this to be a source of happiness and relaxation for you, not stress, and I firmly believe that once you get going it will be a breeze. I think it will be easy for you and I believe that you will really enjoy it. Some questions: how many beds are you considering? What is the total amount of space that you are looking to use? What would you like to grow? Mark in NJ

I have a viking 30 inch vdsc that has been installed for about a year and a half and am happy with it. I chose this range because I wanted a black range and I wanted dual fuel, we have to use a lp tank and did not want to have both the range top and oven dependent on the tank. I am a cook-something-quick-and-easy-that-my-picky-kids-and-picky-husband-will-eat-5-days-a-week cook so did not need a super high powered cook top, I almost never go above med-high. I do use the simmer a lot and it is not the best so I bought a simmer plate to help get an evenly low cooking surface. The burners are closed and have been very easy to clean but I have not had any overflows or cooking mishaps that would get anywhere near that part of the burners. The black, shiny surface that is below the grates of the viking does show every little bit of dirt and I do clean it frequently using soap and water and a dry rag to buff out water streaks. The oven seems to take a bit longer to preheat than my old stove and because it uses the broiler to help preheat you cannot stick items in before the preheat is done or you will burn the tops (I still sometimes put items in early but keep them on the bottom rack.) The oven also cooks a little differently than I am used to, cannot really explain how or why but it does leave most items moister which is nice. If you have concerns with how a viking cooks I would recommend finding a dealer that offers demonstrations, the dealer I bought from had demos all of the time.

I haven't read every word. Just want to say that you HAVE a 'pantry'. It's in your laundry room/back hallway, right off the kitchen. Clear the walls and make some closets. Voila! A Pantry! Beware any combination appliance like the microwave/oven or microwave/exhaust fan. The oven and fan will go on for decades, but not the M/W. (Ask me how I know! LOL) You can cheaply replace a microwave, but not a *built-in* microwave. Can you reach shelves in tall upper cabinets without a step-ladder? They look nice, but sometimes a soffit plus less-tall cabinets works just fine and is cheaper. If you need the 'dead storage' on the top shelves, taller makes sense. Deeper countertops are a boon, leaving more room for countertop appliances (coffee maker, blender, toaster). I like drawers in my lower cabinets better than doors/shelves. I like under-cabinet lights. No 'working' countertop should be less than 18" wide. Avoid blocking your aisles with appliance doors -- fridge, dishwasher, oven door, etc.; stagger these where they are opposite one another. I prefer a double sink. One of my favorite things is the pull-out garbage/recycling bin at one side of my sink. Another is my stacked dishdrawers; one is adequate for two adults, running it once a day, and dishes don't 'wait' in the sink until there are enough to bother washing.

HU, no, a deglosser is not enough. lol. it's a ton of work to properly paint cabs. Have you ever painted? or sanded or primed anything? all doors have to be removed (and properly marked so they go back in the same place) I've painted cabs 3 diff times, and I'll never do it again. If I were you, I'd get a pro to come and do it. so they can spray it at their shop. if you still want to DIY, then read up on the proper way to do it. here: https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-like https://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2015/11/the-epic-how-to-paintyour-kitchen.html https://www.paintedbykaylapayne.com/are-you-thinking-about-painting-your-cabinets/