My sincerest apologies to everyone here but our football ritual may need to be put on hold. Last night I had just started watching my beloved Steelers when Sampson, our St. Bernard mix who we had rescued the week before 9/11, decided to bite my better half when she went to kiss him on the head. So we ended up spending the next few hours in the emergency room getting her face sewed up. :-( I am saddened that that I have failed this dog. I am also saddened for my own failure. Failure to fully rehabilitate this dog like I know I could. If I can get over the shock factor, I may still put the grid together before the big game. Otherwise, we'll resume next year when hopefully my boyz will be in there yet again defending their Super Bowl trophy from this year!

I remember when Igloo found her chicken chandelier. ;D I've enjoyed visualizing everyone's favorite details. This got me curious--- what are the little details that you paid attention to (because of garden web or otherwise) that most TKO people wouldn't that you think made the most difference in your house/ kitchen? I didn't discover GW until we were well into our build and the kitchen was decided on (although DH and our GC were wondering if I would ever decide or if we would be moving into a house without a kitchen). I honestly don't think a thing would have changed from discovering GW sooner. When people arrive, they always say house beautiful the drive is (we're 3 miles in from the main gate) and how the house sits on the lot (4.5 acres with water on three sides). They comment on the use of stone out front, from the walls to the wide sidewalk and the front veranda. Once inside, they comment on the cedar beams, vaulted ceiling and the view through the French doors and large windows across the back of our home. Almost all visitor's the first time walk directly to the back veranda. It's surprised me the number of people who actually open the door and go outside! But then they see the kitchen, and everyone runs their fingertips along the island's antique pine counter. For me, it's not each individual thing (although I love every one of them) it's the way these (and more) work together to create a cohesive feeling throughout our home. **Crap, I just reread the question and noticed the word "little." :-/ In the kitchen, I would say it's the small details of chicken wire, copper tubing (plate rack) and copper backsplash (repeated in the laundry room and on the powder room ceiling). The iron seal over the range that was salvaged from the West Side Hwy bridge in NYC. Aside from the home itself, my accessories are far from the norm. The night before DD2's wedding, when her future in-laws came over for dinner, SIL's grandmother said when leaving, "I had such a wonderful time meeting DD2's family, and almost as much fun looking around the house at your collections. It's like a mini-scavenger hunt!"

Thank you all so much for your kind words and hugs....what a caring group here. I ended up starting a whole new thread about the sink. It has been sort of messed up fron the start with the big box writing in the contract we would get a Blanco..then later realizing it was a "mmistake" and they don't even sell Blanco... We found out they are allowing us about $428 or something like that for our sink. If we use the fabricator's brand (Elcipse) in an 18 g...we aren't out any more money. We can upgrade to the 16 g 1 3/4 bowl for $69, or get the single bowl Artisan for $69, also a 16 g. The Artisan doesn't have a rear drain, but I'm to the point I can live with it anyhow. Since we just lost so much in the flood I need to cut back now. I'm telling myself we really have come a long way from our original kitchen...we have pretty new cabinets and our granite is coming. It could be a heck of a lot worse. Some of our neighbors have most of the contents of their homes on the front lawn in heaps. We've been declared a "disaster" zone. I'm going to get one of these sinks...by Wednesday. That's my goal! And a faucet. And 2 new cars. My mind is going 'round and 'round...sink, faucet, car, car. :) I'm a hospice nurse and on-call tonight, so I just may forget the whole thing tonight and "think about that tomorrow."

Realtor here. When you get a contract on your house, be sure that the closing date is far enough out to give you time to find & close on a home; there are certain things that have to happen before buyers can close anyway, such as title work, loan processing, appraisal, inspection, etc.. I like simultaneous closings: You go to the title company & close on the home you're selling, & then you close on the home you're buying. You also can do a Seller's Temporary Lease, in which you close the sale with your buyers & immediately become tenants for a certain amount of time. If your Realtor "had no idea" (this phrase makes me more berserk than any other!), she should have said, "I see your dilemma. Let me consult with my broker & get some ideas."