Rosie is adorable, and that kid is pretty adorable too! It would seem that all is well in your household again (unless you ask those two unhappy but precious kitties!) after your daughter's accident. I loved your line about wishing you could wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them on the couch (as I sit here looking at my 7 year old's arm encased in a hot pink cast up to her shoulder). I needed that laugh, thank you!

And I just love your kitchen with all the different elements, it's so cool and casual and it just all works! Congratulations!

Okay so where in Eastern Washington did you get all that fabulous produce??? I'll be there on Halloween into early November to visit my Mom, sister and brother.

Everything looks wonderful. Kitchen , pets, children and those "dratted" dear as my SIL in Bellingham WA calls them! They have no mercy in this part of the country either. That produce looks so yummy. Please find the KAW thread and post pics of your delish results ! Noone is posting what they are cooking and I hated to monopolize it . c

Rosie is so beautiful, and HUGE! Love the kitties (tell Martin to come out of hiding so we can all see him) and the deer are so sweet.

Oh, nice kitchen, too!!!!

Rosie and the produce came from near Ellensburg. Was hoping for corn, too, but on a Sunday afternoon the weekend supplies were all gone. Whereabouts will you be, RM? Not sure what will be left by Halloween...Maybe just apples? You can see that I gave up my dream of a 'doodle and now have a sweet Lab --and we'll soon be surrounded by dog hair. :-)

Caroline, maybe we're just all intimidated by your endeavors and ours look too pale and mundane in comparison. (Speaking for myself, anyway...) Monopolize away, and I'll be happy to add a few pics as I get things done. Your efforts are actually great motivation to try new projects. ;-)

What is it with foolish TKO's and puppies? :oP (Mine is adorable...and a total pain in the bumm) LOL Rosie looks wonderful with the island and the backsplash ;oP

My kitties are in th same boat as yours...not so in love with this "puppy" idea LOL

The produce pics though...honey that was evil. One negative in Alaska is that the produce is marginal most of the year. I remember as a girl we'd always get peaches from Eastern Washington. I tried one here the first year and haven't had a fresh peach since :O(

I'll be near Seattle, duh, not exactly eastern washington, huh? LOL...I'm so used to living on the east coast that when I think of areas near the ocean, I think of them as being east...but on your side of the country that's a little bass ackwards, isn't it! It'll be Pike Place Market for me. I was thinking that if it was near my Mom and sis, I'd point them in that direction now and just wait for apples for myself.

I wondered about the doodle. Labs are so great though, and she's such a pretty baby. Glad to hear the kids help out, puppies are a lot of work! We got Sage just as my youngest started kindergarten and was gone for the day. I was looking forward to those free days with them in school. No deal, it was like having another toddler! We are thinking of getting Sage a friend though (we'd call her Rosemary), but hopefully it will be a much smaller one. Perhaps a pug or pugoodle, gotta have something small but sturdy as Sage is only 2 and still quite puppy-ish himself and unaware of just how big he is.

Have fun with the new baby!
Robin

rhome, your little boy is a cutieeee and your puppy too! Your kitchen looks fabulous, I adore the colors. Quick question, what gauge is your SS and have you gotten any dents yet? I'm sooo excited at the prospect of being able to set hot pans right down on my countertop! Also what color are the cabinets in your oven area?

Remodelqueen, Rosie was a bit bigger than I expected...Actually kind of disappointed my 16 yo dd, who expected more of a baby to cuddle up on her bed with her. She is already 45 pounds!

It's all relative, Igloo. Here on the west side, I complain and feel very badly for myself, as I think our produce options are lousy most of the year. (I will think of you Alaskans next time I gripe.) That's why I can't help myself and overbuy at times like these. Wish I could send you a peach. They're in right now.

RM, you will be so close to us! The Market is just a ferry ride away. With the age Rosie is, hopefully, the novelty won't wear off for the kids before she's housebroken... The advantage of not getting a newer baby.

Erikanh, thank you for the compliments. The counters are 18 guage. One tiny dent. I think I'd go 16 if I did it again, just because. I don't dislike these, though. I love setting hot things on them. We still forget, then it occurs to me and it's exciting all over again. (OK, so maybe I'm easily amused.) The oven wall is burgundy...Actually it's BM Satin Impervo color matched to Ralph Lauren's Picture Gallery Red. I'll try to find a better photo or two:

Rosie is gorgeous! I have photos of my daughter and my DIL holding my 4-month-old Golden -- looks about the same size! He's the one we had to put down last Christmas at age 13. So, like you and Igloochick, there's a puppy in my future. Not in the apartment we're in while building, but as soon as we're settled in the new house, I'll have a new Golden . . . already have the doggie door and have the run planned!

Incidentally, I once chose carpeting by saying, "You know what color a Golden Retriever is? That's the color I need!"

Enjoy your kitchen and your new baby.

Nope you gotta show how that prodice evolves !! I am not doing much of anything special these days but thank you for the compliments ! I look forward to more pics of that great kitchen. c

Love your new baby and yes, she is a perfect match! Did you notice you and your son's hair are also perfect matches? Love the pictures. Love the produce.

Was up at 3 am this moring cooking eggplant. Need to make some caponata as well when I can get the time. Trailrunner, I just submitted my recipies for the fair. We shall see how it all works out. I don't think I stand a chance to win however. Should be fun trying. My boyfriend is complaining that all my "tries to get things right" are making him fat!

Your son matches your kitchen also!

really nice work - i love the eclecticism. it looks like a labor of love.

enjoy!

LC

My spelling is going to the dogs....:) Deer and produce !! Mustbe, what recipes did you submit ? I would love to share if you want to. I have a wonderful Morrocan Eggplant dish that I make if you have lots of eggplant and would like something new. Here it is in case :

This is our most favorite eggplant dish. You can make it in a shallower 13x9 pan and serve as an appetizer. I make my own bharat but you can buy it also.

Ingredients:

(spice blend-- I store in a jar in freezer)

1/4 c black peppercorns

1/8 c coriander seeds

1/8 c cassia bark

1/8 c cloves

1/4 c cumin seeds

1 t. cardamom seeds

1/8 c ground nutmeg

1/4 c. ground paprika

Source: (adapted from) Kitty Morse's North Africa: The Vegetarian Table
Serves: 4-6

Notes: Serve this as a side dish with sweet or savory tagines, or as a light main course with a fresh green salad. Tunisians also apparently love to stick slices of it inside crusty bread spread with a little harissa and eat it as a sandwich.

1 large globe eggplant
salt for sprinkling
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped ( may use red onion)
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced
8 large eggs
a handful (about 1/2 cup packed) chopped fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro leaves, or a mixture
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz (225g) gruyère cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes( or baby swiss)
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1-2 teaspoon bharat (Tunisian spice blend)
1 tsp rosewater
3/4 teaspoon salt
harissa (North African hot pepper paste) or cayenne pepper, to taste ( or hot sauce) (optional)
lemon wedges

Peel and cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch dice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and place the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the eggplant, onion, and pepper, stirring occasionally until golden and soft, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a colander to drain off as much of the oil as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and add the herbs, garlic, cheese and bread crumbs. Add the eggplant mixture. Season with the bharat, salt, and a small spoonful of the optional harissa or cayenne pepper. Add 1 tsp rosewater if desired.

Grease a 2-quart soufflé dish. Pour the egg mixture into the dish and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and puffed in the center, 45-60 minutes (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean).Bake less time if using 13x9 pan. Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.

Had to show you this photo of our "accessories." They weren't too fond of one another when they met, but now they cuddle when they think no one is watching. LOL.

{{!gwi}}

Aaawwwwwww: You guys got me all excited about coming to eastern wa, I was ready to make pies, and then I learn you are still gonna be hours away from me....Oh well. Maybe I'll go pick some eggplant and make that yummy recipe!

Gorgeous kitchen, family, puppy, produce: What a great life, eh?!

Life is good, Claybabe. How 'eastern' are you? We are often in Eastern Wa. a couple times a year, but it's usually more central than very far east.

Kitchendetective, your kitty looks just like one of ours! And I thought her orange striped shoulder was so unique!

The son shown is one of my kids who 'matches' me. It's amazing to have 8 kids and have such a variety in appearance and personalities. We are definitely not one of those families in which the kids look identical. Not sure if they match the kitchen...Just glad they all fit! :-D

Was just thinking...I guess the kids are 'eclectic,' too? LOL

Hostagrams, my goal was to get carpets that were similarly colored to muddy footprints!

rhome, we are waaaaaay east, in Spokane. Anytime you get this far east, let me know and I'll do my best to spoil you and the eclectic children: I think they would all match my kitchen!

My loyal old pooch thinks he matches the carpets, and spends about 23 hours a day proving it....

Thanks for the invitation, Claybabe! Please let me know if you're coming this way, too!

Thank you kindly!

Rhome, been meaning to stop in and tell you how cute your new baby is! Didn't you have enough on your hands already?

I missed our annual run to the east side of the mountains for late August produce because of my sons football schedule...maybe I'll have to sneak out for a midweek jaunt one day next week! Your produce sure looks yummy!

Fun to see more pictures of your little ones! I hope DD is fully recovered, or nearly fully recovered!

Hi, Mindimoo! I am still considering a mid-week run to Hunter Farms in Union on Hood Canal...They should have corn and get a lot of good stuff from the eastern side, too. I want MORE, but am not necessarily up for another jaunt east. I might be able to talk myself into going to the Wenatchee/Leavenworth area for more apples in a few weeks. I'm afraid it's unlikely we'd carve out the time and decide to use the gas, though. --And the kids, who used to love car rides, are getting to be negative about long trips. Spoil sports!

I suppose it might be easier for you to jump on I-90. For us it's a good drive just to reach it.

DD got her neck worked on yesterday, and will continue with that weekly for awhile. She bumped her head while helping her sister move last weekend, so that wasn't fun. With trying to get used to a new waking and eating schedule for school, and school itself, other factors are wreaking havoc with her right now. The new baby was supposed to be mostly hers, but I'm afraid we just added to her overload. We aren't expecting her to take on all the responsibility, but just the getting to know each other and bond is hard with so much going on.

Caroline, I finally dove into the tomatoes today to start my spaghetti sauce and have dutifully been taking pictures or having my amateur photographers do so. Which thread were they supposed to go on?

rhome...your Son & new pup are adorable! What fun for all with a new pup.

You really have a great family kitchen!

That sure is a LOT of beautiful produce and the idea of looking out
the window at that lovely sight is unbelievable...I am in So. California
and it doesn't even look real to me!

Thanks for sharing, Vic

Here you go, this is the link. We were trying to post the pics as links so it wasn't so slow to load...I am just so glad you are having fun. I am sorry your DD is having a tough time. I hope she improves soon.

I made pesto today as the basil is fast going to seed. I didn't take pics. It is so yummy tasting.May try to take pics of dinner prep:). I can hardly wait to see your photos ! I wish I had some of the things you can get out there. My DS1 loved the produce he got in the Bellingham area and McMinnville OR when he was out there. He misses it.

Here is a link that might be useful: KAW

Thanks, Vic. We often have deer in our yard, but this is the first time they've been so close to the house...Only about 20 ft away from the window. And thanks for the link, C. I keep snatching the flowers off my basil to keep it from seeding. Only have one plant that thrived, though, so not enough for pesto, darnit. I think I'll put some in the spaghetti sauce.

After years of "not-quite-enough-basil-again" for adequate pesto, I went overboard just to get enough. Well, they ALL thrived, so I've been making pesto like a fiend for the past couple of months. If any of y'all get this far east, I'll send some home with ya!

Pesto/chevre omelet is a great way to start the day....

So I know for next year, how many plants did you have to finally make 'enough?' I am determined to have quite the garden next year...Enough of what I want, not too much of what I don't, and warmth and protection for the things that need it...So maybe I'll have hundreds of RIPE tomatoes, not all green except for the golden cherries.

I have thirty-something basil plants. I think there must be some strength-in-numbers thing going on, because I've struggled with my basil in the past. 10 plants last year hardly made enough pesto for a few meals.

Thankfully the bigger tomatoes are starting to ripen (I cut their water way back and snipped their little heads off). The tomatoes didn't get in nearly early enough (had to build deer-proof boxes and just couldn't get to it in time) this year, but I like the number of them and will probably do as many next year (a couple of 4x8 boxes full and a few others scattered here and there). Three tarragon plants all survived the winter and are thriving this year (a little wimpy last year). A couple of parsley plants are keeping up with my needs. I think you are right about finding the right spot: The herbs are right outside the kitchen door, on the south side of the house, so they get a lot of yummy sun in the spring.

By 'snipped their little heads off' do you mean you cut back the plant? Cut back new growth?

Thanks for the info on the basil. Any photos?

Yeah, I snipped off the tops of the tomatoes down to where there is something that might turn red before the season is over. I might be able to get a few more weeks out of them by covering, and have a place to hang the plants inside when frost is clearly an issue.

I might have some photos, let me see....

OK, the first one is one of the beds with tomatoes, and a new bed with hoof prints:

The next shows the herb garden from a distance(marigolds have so far kept the bunnies and deer away)

And this is a close up of some of the basil

Lovely garden claybabe! I've been having trouble with my basil this year, too, rhome. Don't know why other than the fact that we have wild blackberries everywhere and usually I can do a better job of keeping them away but I threw my back out early in the summer and wasn't able to tend the garden the way I usually do (wow, what a run on sentence!). Then lots of rain and vacations and driving kids to tennis and basketball and photography camps kept me away from the garden and things just got out of control way too fast. Last year I had basil and tomatoes coming out my ears! We had 36 tomato plants and LOTS of basil. We made a lot of salsa and pesto last summer! But this year I've barely had enough for my favorite pasta salad, boo hoo. We're going to do some major work in the garden this winter and probably build raised beds like claybabe has. I'm hoping for a bumper crop next year! On the good side, my rosemary has taken off and are HUGE now! Thyme, too. Sage, not so great (the herb, not my dog). And the terragon is starting to smother my lemon balm. I LOVE growing herbs!

I wanted to show you MY new kitchen accessory. He doesnt live in the kitchen, of course. But his hutch is right under my kitchen window and he spends a lot of time hopping around the slate tile. He's just a baby flemish giant, will get to be around 20 lbs and he has a wonky ear, which I think just adds to his overall charm. So here he is, introducing Abbott the Rabbit:

Abbott is adorable! I love the wonky ear! Cute, cute, cute.

Thanks for the photos, Claybabe. Being a relative newby at gardening, I'm always interested in seeing how others set things up and arrange them. I'd forgotten this year about planting marigolds! 2 yrs away from gardening while we built and having to start gardens from scratch made me forget the little bit I'd learned. I've only dabbled in herbs, so don't have nearly what you and Robin have. Mostly, it seems that the things I end up not wanting take over and the plants I really want to thrive get pushed out, or wither away without encouragement.

I have boxes for my garden, too...It's the only way to go. I was going to post a couple photos, but photobucket seems to be doing maintenance.

I am definitely going to lop some heads (in the tomato gardens) this afternoon!

Next spring you'll be all ready to garden, and this kitchen thing will be largely behind you. You will have a beautiful garden, and a lot of helpers I bet!

Hoping that your 'head lopping' went well...

Abbott the Rabbit: Toooo cute!

I hope I didn't leave the tomatoes too exposed, because I lopped a lot! Will you share your pesto recipe? Can it be frozen? Thanks.

Claybabe - I LOVE your patio and pergola. That's exactly what we've been talking about.

Thanks for the reminder about marigolds and volume planting too. We planted just a few tomatoes, peppers and zucchini and nothing did well. Bunnies and bugs are the problem. So here's evidence that we need to get serious. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you ALL for your kind and happy words! I'd be happy to share my recipe, such as it is. I used a blender until I inherited my folks' food processor, and it works MUCH much better. I always freeze it as soon as I make it, and if I forget to thaw I'll toss it in the microwave briefly, but too much will cook the sauce. You all probably know that.

Wad of basil
Optional wad of spinach (keeps it greener and increases the volume if you are a little short on basil. doesn't affect the flavor much)
some oil, probably more than you think, to jucify it
some parmesan, freshly grated or the coarse grated stuff (I use costco's pre-grated), at least a handful
Pine nuts, at least a handful
Optional parsley
Garlic, as much as you want, 3 or 4 cloves usually do it if they are large and pungent
salt (key ingredient) and pepper

Throw everything in and whirl until it looks yummy.

The exact amounts don't matter much except to the texture, so be generous. If you don't get enough salt in it the other flavors muddy up and it's too bland, but be careful. I test each batch and adjust. I'm going to make a tarragon pesto (small test batch) to put on chicken, but I suspect it won't be a favorite! And of course you can use different nuts, add dried tomatoes, etc, to change things up a bit.

Abbycat, the patio has been fabulous. We had a wooden deck at the old house and I prefer this. Simple and functional. The pergola is amazing for dropping the temp during the hottest days. I'm going to start a vine, but haven't decided what: Not too messy, deciduous, fast growing but not too fast, you know, TKO steps outside, lol.

Thank you! That's a great tip about the spinach. I have the recipe saved for next year...

Here are my garden photos. Our best intentions to put up a small fence, lay down landscape fabric, and cover the paths with gravel never materialized, so it's a little messy looking...Especially with the broken concrete patio next to it. But this is what the area looked like in March, so the 'after' photos aren't so bad in comparison. ;-)

claybabe's recipe is similar to my own, but thanks for the tip on using spinach! I always toast my pine nuts, I think it brings out the flavor. Also, she didn't specify what type of oil but I always use good olive oil (probably goes without saying) and I use kosher salt in mine and LOTS of fresh ground pepper. I make mine in a small KA chopper thingy for single batches. Another tip is to freeze it in ice cube trays, makes it easy to thaw small amounts...not that rhome EVER needs small amounts what with that ginormous family of hers!! ;o) But you know, if ya get snacky or somethin'. I also made an arugula pesto recipe that was fabulous and peppery! Mmmmmm.

What a fun thread! And okay, since we're sharing pics, here's my garden last year. sigh, you wouldn't want to see it this year. This was in late June I think...
The entrance to the garden:

And behind all the tomatoes were gourds, zuchinni, cucumbers, jalapenos and onions in the foreground of the sunflower row. The herb garden is in another part of the yard. I hope I can use more of that space next year and plant corn, or shall I call it deer food? We share.

Robin

Great garden photos! Rhome, what an amazing transformation! And thanks rmlanza for the reminders about olive oil (I like extra virgin, rich and flavorful)and toasting the pine nuts. I haven't this year because I'm usually trying to squeeze in some batches between other things. Ooohhh, more garden photos please!

BTW, I'd love to hear what food processors people use, size, etc. I'm a newby to FP land, and what I have I will use until it dies, but it never hurts to plan....

I'll add a couple tips to the pesto recipe that I picked up from DS1 , the chef. If you add the zest of a lemon and juice of 1/2 a lemon or more to taste you will have a wonderful flavor and the color never deteriorates as it does w/o the lemon. Also if you have nothing but dried basil, here is another great tip. Make the volume of green stuff up with fresh flat leaf parsley ( curly doesn't taste good) and then continue the recipe but add a healthy pinch of dried basil. You will be amazed it tastes great.

If you are going to freeze it is best to add the cheese when you thaw , it changes when you freeze it. Hope you can use some of these ideas. Very very nice pics, I wish I had a place for gardens that size. I have everything in big pots. c

Wow...all these good pesto tips! Wonderful! And it's great to share gardens, too...an important part of how we use our kitchens!

As for food processors...Had an 11-cup KA for years. Just recently the center post got worn down so it just spun inside the blade without turning it. It's amazing it lasted like it did, since we made ice smoothies with it all the time! I would have gotten another KA, but Costco had an 11-cup Cuisinart for about $100 less than I could get the KA. The savings plus Costco's return policy made the decision, especially since Cuisinarts and KAs both get good reviews.

I don't use mine for making doughs and pie crusts like a lot of people seem to. I definitely use it if I need a lot of shredded veggies, like for zucchini bread and carrot cake. We've shredded some of our giant zucchinis for freezing, and have more to do. I use it occasionally for slicing. It's funny that I don't use it as often as I probably should for chopping vegetables...I end up just doing it by hand. I think it's just part of the process I enjoy, I can be more uniform than the FP, and sometimes it just seems like too much trouble to get it all out and set it up. (Not that it's actually difficult)

We finally have a good blender for doing ice-blended and frozen berry smoothies, so things should go easier for this FP! I prefer it to the FP for salad dressing, so I'll have to try using both for pesto and see which I prefer. Maybe the blender would make it too smooth?

Rmlanza, I'd love to know if you just toss some arugula in or what. I LOVE arugula.

Trailrunner, thanks for the tips! I've never left the cheese out but will try that. It never lasts very long in the freezer (although this year there is enough that it might) since we gobble it up. And I'll try the lemon. Sounds yummy!

Thanks, rhome, for the FP info. I don't use mine for dough, but my folks did. Looked more difficult than the usual way.

What sort of blender did you get?

Our blender is a BlendTec Home blender. It took me a couple of years to bite the bullet and order, but we're very happy with it. I was first intrigued by a VitaMix demonstration, after having some pretty whimpy blenders in my life. The BlendTec has the power of a VitaMix, but it is shorter, with a shorter, wider pitcher for cleaning out, and, unlike the VitaMix, you can use the same blade for wet mixes as for dry, like if you want to crack or mill a small batch of grain or nuts. The VitaMix is more expensive, then you have spend extra to buy a whole separate jar and blade to do the dry. The major coffee places around here use BlendTec for their blended drinks. I checked with my niece, who has managed coffee shops, and she says they're very durable.

I just love this site: There is such a huge knowledge and experience pool, a people are so kind that it's not intimidating to ask questions of any sort. Thanks, rhome, for the recommendation. The 25 year old blender smokes a little (like a lot of 25 year olds, I guess) but is still working. Nice to have a plan.

Yup, just basically replace the basil with arugula. Also, walnuts work well with it in place of the pine nuts. But if you love arugula, try this pasta salad, it's fantastic and so easy!! Even my kids love this one.

Smoked Gouda and Penne Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
1 garlic clove, halved
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 pound smoked Gouda, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes preserved in olive oil, drained and thinly sliced
2 cups arugula
Preparation
1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Rub a medium nonreactive bowl with garlic halves, and add next 4 ingredients and cooked pasta. Mix well, and chill 1 hour before serving.

I need a new food processor. I used to have this Oster thing that had attachments to make it a mixer, blender and a food processor all in one. It was big and ugly and I never wanted to keep it on the counter but it was such a pain to drag out. I finally got rid of it. Now I just have one of the old fashioned Oster beehive blenders. It only has two speeds and I LOVE it. It's powerful enough to crush large ice cubes and we don't use a blender that much anyway. And it was cheap and it's cool looking. My sister has one that's copper, very cool. I also have the slicer/shredder attachments for my KA stand mixer and the little KA chopper thingy, so haven't felt the need really for a major food processor. But making pesto in little batches in the chopper thing kind of stinks. Never really thought about making it in the blender. I'd probably end up with pesto puree that way!

Uh, claybabe, honey, if your blender smokes...er, ya might want to think about gettin' a new one! ;o)

Robin

rhome, I'm glad I've been looking back at past threads from the time I was behind on the forum - your kitchen and your new baby both look wonderful! I hope Rosie is settling into your family routine by now; thanks for all the pictures and the enjoyable thread.

Thanks, Snowyshasta. Nice to hear from you! I don't know which I admire more...Your discipline necessary to stay off the forum, or the dedication it takes to go back so far to find such old discussions! ;-)

Rosie is a big sweetie. Still working on the housebreaking issue. I often tell her that it's a good thing she's so cute! And it's fortunate that DH is completely taken with her. She's even allowed on our bed...He doesn't have a cow when she soils the carpet, and actually cleans it up with no more than a shrug.

Even our older dog and the cats are getting used to her...Still not happy when she thinks chasing them is 'playtime,' though. I do have a photo of them sleeping on the same bed...at opposite ends.

It wasn't discipline, it was a lot of travel with little internet access, plus busy stuff at home and work. But I was missing everything going on here, plus what if some thread might give me a perfect idea? I don't want to miss out :-)

Glad Rosie is settling in, especially that DH likes her, always a good thing.

That's why I can't stay away...The forum moves so fast and I might miss something!

Seriously, it's taken me a week, but I am finally caught up! So much to read and think about. Incentive not to fall behind again, I love seeing what everyone is up to. And now that our kitchen is actually in progress, it makes things even more relevant.