Better than ElephantFire, I guess.

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. With FireFox, I can have Conversations as my home page on the Internet and then right click on my Quilting forum bookmark and choose "Open in New Tab," and then I will have both pages open and can easily move back and forth between them. The original opening of them will still take time for people with dial-up, but at least, once they are open, you won't have to wait for them to open again if you need to switch back and forth. This may be possible with the Internet Explorer browser, too, but it is so long since I used it that I don't know.

When I started thinking about renovating my kitchen in March 2010, my simple plan was to remove my island, add a peninula, get new appliances (change smoothtop electric to gas), change from range to cooktop so I wouldn't have to pull out a stove and clean behind it, and put the cabs up to the ceiling. I also knew I wanted a few more drawers as my current kitchen has very few and all of them are small ones above lower cabinets. I figured a KD would be best at figuring out the details. I know if I had gone forward, I would have blindly accepted whatever the first KD recommended, nodding and saying "Of course, of course." After finding the GW kitchen and appliance forums, I started hanging out here almost every evening--reading and learning. Quickly learned about ZONES vs. TRIANGLE! Instead of adding a peninsula, I'm planning on putting in a small buffet where there is currently a half wall between kitchen eating area and FR. Door to dining room will be moved over about 7 feet to eliminate a blind corner and allow use of about 2 more feet of wall space between current DR doorway and closet pantry--who knew 2 feet would mean so much! Moving the doorway will allow me to put in a small prep sink at the end of my cook/prep run. I also learned about taking the MW off the counter and putting it on a shelf above the counter. Perfect! Drawers, drawers, drawers!!! All drawers except under 2 sinks and the trash pullout (which will be located in prep area). Pantry pullouts and various options for blind corners. Never knew about the pantry pullouts at all and thought the only option for the blind corner was a lazy susan like I have now. I'll still have one blind corner and I'm not sure which option I'll use, but at least I know what my options are now. Appliances--induction vs. gas, speed, steam, convection, and combi ovens, separate frig and freezer columns, frig/freezer drawers, etc. No reason to finalize choices yet other than general types since reno has been put on hold for now, but I know what my options are and keep researching reliability and service issues. Cabinet and open shelving options--so much info including considering custom options now because of information on deeper cabs and counter learned here! I could list more--flooring, backsplashes, countertop material (ranging from quartz and soapstone to the new formicas), venting, GC issues and acting as your own, etc., etc. Thank you, thank you GW!! I never would have guessed there was a community people so giving of their time, experience, and knowledge!

I live on a house on a farm (with a husband, 2 or 3 kids depending on the time of year, several hundred head of cattle, 100 chickens, and several dozen sheep) and I'm thoroughly confused by modern industrial coastal rustic urban steampunk farmhouse. Actually, I'm living in one house and finishing up another so we can move in soon; neither one has shiplap, bead board, barn doors, and NO unfinished wood or rusted metal is allowed indoors. I do like easy care finishes, so we have vinyl plank flooring throughout (not grey or whitewashed, just a nice medium brown), and where we live in rural western Canada, it can be hard to access certain brands and items, so it helps if what I want is available at (sigh) Rona, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Ikea, Wayfair Canada, Home Depot, and Lowes. What is available locally at places like the Brick (and at Sears Canada before it died) is dreadful. At this point I could get an Olympic medal in online shopping lol. And we have hard water, so there's no point in spending oodles of money of fancy sinks or faucets. I have no access to reupholsterers, curtain hangers, curtain makers, etc. talented or otherwise. If someone around Edmonton would like to prove me wrong, please please please contact me : ) . We also have what's known locally as "peasant TV" -- an antenna on the roof that gives us access to two channels (if the wind isn't blowing too hard!), CTV and Global, so no ready access to Joanna Gaines and her Fixer Uppering. But we can get "Escape to the Country" on CBC online so I'm happy.