Thought I'd update. Got Windows installed without a hitch, Dell talked me through it. I debated whether to put Win 7 in since I was starting from scratch but worried some of my software might not work Everything went well except I couldn't find drivers for some things such as my wireless adapter so couldn't get on line. Called Linksys and they spent over an hour trying to get the driver in and finally did. That was the best part, finally getting on line and getting hit with a zillion MS updates. I have misplaced or lost some software. We moved here in March and I could not locate my Office disk, wireless mouse/keyboard software and a few other things, might have gotten lost in the move. I'm most concerned about Office 07. I paid for it. Dell says they can't help and I could try contacting MS and see if they would do anything. I haven't moved any of my files back yet. Otherwise, I feel like the computer runs better than when it was new. Things seem different, have to fool with fonts and views, but I'm amazed how effortlessly the machine runs. This computer always seemed to have a few 'glitches' but I was used to it. Now it seems so fast and smooth (of course there isn't much running on it yet.) I don't know how to thank everyone for all the support and help I received. You are the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! Thanks from the bottom of my heart... Jane

A deep drawer does fit under the micro drawer. That's what I have. I cannot tell you if it was a standard cabinet and am not familiar with your cabinet line, but either way, the placement of the micro in the cabinet should have been reviewed with you before the cabinet was ordered and again before it was installed. My first question in deciding how to approach the problem is whether that height on the micro is working for you. I think it would be too low for me, and that would be my biggest problem with it. If the height functions okay (many folks are shorter than I am, so it might be fine), consider ways to put the space above it to a functional use (a pullout cutting board, some kind of storage - cutting board, knives, utensils, folded dish towels, hot pads, etc.). Sometimes you can find a way to turn a problem into a silver lining. Look at what you have and how you kitchen is set up and think of a clever way to use that dead space. If the height doesn't work well for you, the problem is a more difficult one, especially with that counter and splash already in place. The sooner you tackle it, the better.

Congrats on new house. Please don't paint the stone. Would probably pick one of the medium shades of color from the stone and paint all the painted exterior siding surfaces of the house, including the garage door, the same color -- except, of course, the white fascia and trim. Is the small single center upstairs window a bathroom? Perhaps you could create the look of an arch atop it using your exterior trim.

First, it all looks like Red Oak to me so I think White Oak is a misdirection. The cross strip looks lighter on the right because of the light exposure on the left and narrower graining while the wider grain on the right picks up more stain and looks darker. A seemingly obvious solution (aka silver bullet) would be to lightly abrade the surface finish on the cross pieces and apply a coat or two of tinted poly, then a clear coat. We often add up to 8 ounces of Duraseal stain to a gallon of oil poly. It doesn't change the color a lot but it does mix well and we have no adhesion problems. When it dries It can be darker than when wet and it's easy to get it too dark so the best approach is to use multiple thin coats to sort of sneak up on the correct color. DO NOT try to apply any stain over the poly without sanding to raw wood. It won't adhere and your problem will be worse. FYI, even if/when all the floors are refinished the cross pieces would likely look lighter. They're newer wood, run perpendicular to the rest and catch the light differently. Look at some room scene pictures of parquet floors and you'll see.