Many botanical gardens offer classes for both children and families. Bay and I are taking our first one together next week... "Wooden tree sculpture". We will take a long walk on the grounds of the garden and learn the names of all the different trees, then go inside to build a sculpture. There were several other classes offered this spring and more offered in the summer catalog. Although they're not free, they do support a good cause. Holly

scuba-gal, ordinarily I wouldn't encourage it, like at a movie theather or something, but this is a *butterfly workshop* for cryin' out loud: I'd take her up there & smile brightly (like a soccer mom, they're askeered of soccer moms) & nod my head & say yes, this is my little 12-year-old. I bet they won't care.

Have you tried Menards? I know they've got one in the store; don't know if it's available online. You can always take their material list and shop it wherever you choose. I also just googled "online deck planner" and came up with multiple links promising free online deck designing. You might poke around that way.

Looking at American Woodmark and Shenandoah. I may or may not put decorative door panels on my 6 exposed ends. I like the look of furniture ends, but not the cost. I would do the furniture end if I didn't think I'd put door panels on top. I have read I will need to buy veneered end panels that will fill that 1/4 inch gap between the side and the face frame (if I put on door panels I will need it). That should give close to the furniture end look even if I don't put the decorative doors on. I will like that look better I think than plywood veneer that still has that little gap. My question is, why all plywood construction? Isn't mdf just as strong? I have 17 year old thermofoil (yorktowne) so I'm pretty sure they are mdf...they are fine. no peeling and holding up my granite fine. We are a house of 4 adults and one tiny dog. We'll have shoe molding or something at the base where they meet the tile. I tried to copy and paste the specs from American woodmark catalog, didn't work too well. They are on page 5 of the link.. I went to one cabinet store and they were more $ for the Wayfair brand, which is basically the same thing. It's hard to know for sure.I don't feel like their prices are as "fair" as HD or Lowes. That is, at Lowes I sit there and he enters the stuff and brings up a quote and when we change it the prices are there. With the kitchen place it's more like I tell him ideas I like and he gets back to me with a price. I feel like there is more play in his price. Does the price depend on how much he needs to make that day? What he observed when he saw my home? I feel more like when I buy a car...I don't want to pay more than the next guy. Even the price I got....not sure if he included end panels to go under the decorative doors or not...He gave me an "as per the sketch" quote, not an itemized one. I feel like I am pestering him to keep asking what about this and that...I may try another cabinet place, but don't know where there is one, besides the China guys and I won't buy made in China cabs. I get ads, but don't feel like driving 1/2 hour each way to find out they are more than HD. Kitchen place did give a decent install price, maybe making it up in the cab price? Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet specs