Pardon me Engima, but seeing as how zoysia is considered a southern grass, what made you think it would do well in southern Pennsylvania. I am aware that your area might be considered a "transitional" zone....meaning areas across the country from the coast westward enclosing the states of W.Va, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee.....that area, can use a warm season and/or a cool season type grass, even combining them where thought viable. But, being a warm-season grass, what made you think zoysia would be the grass for you. The attributes of that grass aside, like how it is able to stand up to drought, that ability would only apply if your area of Pa did not receive adequate rainfall. I don't think that applies. So why zoysia. You quoted three varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass. Was this recommended by someone in the know. My own thinking on what makes a good grass (and a good lawn) is to plant for whatever nature throws at you in the area you reside. In northern zones thus, a combo of K.B., with added fescue and ryegrass is considered a good idea. Each gives its best when situations arrive. Fescue is good for shade, kentucky blue for sun, ryegrass for standing up to rough treatment such as heavy traffic. To depend on one type of grass has its own set of rules. If something that goes against the K.B.'s happens, then you are 'up the creek' sort of. Instead of believing tha Lowes or Home Depot does not stock good quality grasses, why not speak to a nurseryman about what grasses do well for a home's lawn in your vicinity. Then compare what they have and whether you can buy that particular blend (or not a blend) in the other stores. Usually, one person has a bad experience with what has been bought at the box store, and then makes a most definite opinion that the stores only stock poor grades of grasses. Stores don't usually go out of their way to sell to patrons that which will not invite them back again. Stores deal with suppliers....the same as how some nurseries do. Grass, for the most part, depends on how it is taken care of. There are, however, good quality seeds as well as poor ones. The quick grasses do not usually stand up well to heat of summer or drought that happens irregularly. The good quality grasses can take the heat of the kitchen and bounce back when conditions get better. The other stuff dies quickly. So whatever grass you do buy, buy the best you can afford. Grass can be encouraged to be lusher and thereby stand up to adversity when it happens. But grass will not grow if the soil does not welcome it. So enrich your soil, make the grass want to stick around. Every fall, put a 1/2" - 1" layer of compost or good topsoil over the lawn. Do an overseeding, whether you believe the lawn needs it or not. The more lush you make the lawn, the better it can put up with what can attack it...including grubs. But grubs pretty soon will be going south (deeper) for the winter. The time to take up with them is in the spring when the larvae from this season's population come up for air. In the spring, put a layer 1/2" - 1" of compost (or good topsoil) over the lawn and let it grow up through it. Do this early, as soon as the frost has left the ground. The fall/spring ritual of putting down this layer of topsoil should be considered one of the things to do EVERY YEAR. Winter takes a lot out a lawn..so whatever you can do to enrich the soil the better your lawn will grow. Fertilize regularly---but not too often. Fertilizer can feed the soil and what grows in it.....but do it too much and it will cause short stubby roots, over nitrogenize and otherwise cause poor growth instead of pushing it. It does appear you have a job to do to change over your zoysia to something else....and you may be not making a good choice of change. I'm curious what your neighbors have done --is everybody in your neighborhood growing zoysia and what is their thinking of it. Reading about it, it does appear it has a lot going for it....and a lot not going for it. Generally it is for more southern areas....not particularly suited for where the snow flies.

This is my FAVORITE FAVORITE GW kitchen. It has soul and personality. I look at your pictures and just want to wander in there and linger, feeling the coziness and healing properties of that welcoming and nurturing space. It feels like a li'l ol' soft grandma with arms outstretched waiting to hug me. It does NOT remind me of so many cold, hard casket like fancy kitchens in the pictures. This one has a warm heartbeat throughout. Fantastic job, and I'm sure with the elbow grease/blood/sweat/tears you put into her you'll love her all the more over the years!!

Sorry! It didn't send me any notice that the kitchen had been commented on so I didn't see the questions until I went to show someone the pics of my kitchen! Hopefully these answers aren't too late to help. Carynia, after much agita, I went with Antique white by polyblend (at home depot). I have it listed in the below posting. I see there that I made the comment that I could've went darker on the grout, however, I barely even remember that sentiment, so the color is just fine. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2439662/kitchen-reveal-almost-completed-not-staged-kitchen-need-tile-help AvatarWalt, I would totally put in that linoleum! There are so many benefits to linoleum that I'm sure you already know. If the wood floor had been in terrible shape, that would've been my first choice, especially since it would be appropriate for the age of the house. bobcatralph, that magazine was "IT". After looking for over a year for inspiration I had at least a hundred magazines and books (that I just gave away). So many were beautiful, but I just kept coming back to that magazine. I could choose between any Sherwin Williams paint color that I wanted for the cabinets, and in the end I tried to get the one that would be closest to that magazine (taking into consideration the lighting in my kitchen). I'm pretty sure I'll always keep that magazine (and a few others that gave me great ideas). Ps... another favorite color that I almost went with was Aleutian.... once I decided against white, it was very hard to choose between the two, but I'm sure I couldn't be happier than I am with the color I chose. Thank you everyone for your kind words!

I would say the cabinets in the scullery are original and doubt there was an icebox. Also, don't think the window is original and no there is no door. It is quite cramped in there. But over the years something was done to that area as you can see the 1960s molding they put around the window and the opening. Well you guys have given me something to think about for sure. I was going to gut the left side so that I could put 30" cabinets on the right with a dishwasher, leaving the sink and the top cabinets on the right. In doing so we would be ruining the scullery by making it bigger making it part of the new kitchen??? Gosh I hate to ruin it. Regardless the bottom cabinets need to be replaced; they stink and are kinda soft they could be gumwood. The uppers appear to be some other kind of wood. Have a serious small budget however since we don't live in Buffalo - this is a second home. But there's no hurry. I will see if the Amish people can build some simple 24" cabinets to replace the bottoms. Maybe there's a way to get 24" cabinets at a reasonable cost? BTW the bigger room adjacent where we are going to put the appliances has so many window and door openings that it quite challenging to get many cabinets. A few around the stove and an island is about all we can do with it. I will post more pics and dimensions once we get back up there. Luckily for us, only the kitchen and bathroom require major work, the other rooms have been lived in quite lightly over the years. Amazing.