SO GLAD you tackled that one, ken! LOL Actually, I didn't find him as 'cranky' at all--but he IS 'to the point' without a lot of 'dressing it up'! He's right about the 'Mars' and 'Venus' thing! We gals can 'think' and be very intelligent but we usually kick into the 'feelings' of a thing, ultimately and react and act from that base. Guys--from Mars, are to the point, logical (in their minds--MOST of the time) and really have a hard time figuring us 'feeling' gals out. For instance: Why can't we just lash out and get over it--right? I think ken is someone you need to meet and spend time with, (in person) in order to understand he's typing like he's thinking, quickly to the point, fast in and fast out--with little emotion, which includes irritation or anger!! I'm not saying he may not have a moment or two of crankiness, on this forum (at least it does come across that way SOMETIMES--who doesn't have those moments, anyway?) but I really think he genuninely does not see how what he types, CAN come across that way at times! You have to know, that we cannot know the mood of any of us when we try to communicate this way--the one typing or the one receiving the words, used to make a point! I'm glad I got to meet him and figure this part out and now I can visualize him saying what he's typing, and how he's REALLY saying it, and I can just see him making those quips as in person, not crankily but 'quick to the heart of the matter' (as previously said) with little rehashing or dressing it up! I had come to think that he reminds me of a man I use to work for, and I was right--his delivery and way of communicating is very similar, and after I sort of figured him out, (that his bark was much worse than his bite) we got along just fine!! If he DID seem cranky, I'd just ask him (in a teasing way), "Why are you so grumpy today?" He seemed to appreciate that I'd hit him head-on rather than turning and running out crying and feeling all hurt and sulking the rest of the day! :o) Did I describe you even close to your reality, as you see it, ken? Janice (Venus girlie-girl)

I'm so sorry. These things sort of build up over time, & you don't notice it until they're just unbearable. Both you & your husband have endured enough; it's time you stopped subjecting yourselves to this abuse. Your children have too little responsibility & too much power, & they will only get worse if they're allowed to. You & your husband are each other's partners; you take care of each other, you support & love each other, you scrub one another's backs in the shower & you bring each other soup & crackers when you have a tummyache. You are life partners, & it's way past time for you to have your own holiday traditions- traditions that are fun! (I usually think of "time to start our own traditions" as a younger couple having holiday celebrations in their own home rather than going to either set of parents. Here, I think it's time to have your holiday celebrations in your own home & not go to your children's!) Your own home is a nice, cozy, comfortable, harmonious place to be. Fix yourselves a nice dinner, light a fire if you can, have a glass of wine, watch old movies, talk (what a concept!); enjoy yourselves the way you're entitled to. Do not talk about the children; do not think about the children; these times are for the two of you. You're lucky to have each other, & time goes by very fast. Start your traditions this year.

blondelle: I want to thank you so much for all your hard work on these mockups! I do like the warmer mock up and I do think that the warmer travertine gives a French country feel. I actually did pick up some 3 x 6 tumbled marble from Turkey, which is beautiful. It blends in with the paint color that I currently have on the backsplash area. I'm going to have to be careful, though, because things can get too busy, but I agree that too much white in the backsplash can have a washed out appearance. palimpsest: I am going to investigate a quieter option for the countertop, too. Very early on, our local IKEA had a Corian that looked like sand on the beach. Also, I'm attracted to some of the engineered stones, even those stones that have a little sparkle in them. Part of me likes bling! jeanteach: I'm sort of going back and forth between a porcelain tile and natural stone. The beveled brick with the crackle is beautiful. I like the low maintenance of the porcelain tile because we do a lot of cooking in this household. I don't want it to be too washed out, though. gracesantacruz: Who did you use for your countertop fabrication? Would you recommend them? southernstitcher: thanks for chiming in, too :-) OMG will someone shoot me to put me out of my misery? I guess it is good to have options, though. Good news: Lowes refunded all my money for the granite countertop since I was so unhappy with Duracite, so at least I'm off the hook with them now, which is a relief. I went out with a girlfriend today for a short lunch break and we looked at some more options. I came up with an idea of going with a sand-like engineered stone it is called astro pearl by zodiac and then I saw some mini black pebbles that might be nice in a diamond shape, or perhaps some black glass? I'm still torn, I'm afraid and I think it's best for me to step back and take a break for a short while cuz it's a little too hot in the kitchen right now! I guess this how the design process goes and there are so many sides to me, so I'm conflicted arrgh...

Happy anniversary! I got totally carried away looking at pictures of all the rooms. I think I like yours the best. Hope you have time to spend on that beautiful porch. Have fun!!