Oh I know-wow can it eat! This morning when I came downstairs I walked over and looked at him-there is little frass all over and the little leaf was gone! There is something I always wanted to do so I touched him and that litle osmeterium came out-that is so funny looking! I won't do it anymore but, I just had to see it for myself. Lasy year I made little containers-I cut the lids and put netting on them with glue. It is alot easier to bring one of them with you when you go looking for cats and eggs.It's small enough so I could fit it in my purse or backpack too. I have the egg in there all by itself. Aggie

I made pastry today for the first time since the "vodka version" was discussed last Thanksgiving. Or was it Christmas? Anyway, I forgot to add the vodka, even though we have wayyyyyy too many bottles of it in the house and no one we know drinks it.... I used water/lemon juice, and it worked fine, but I still have too much vodka. My 15 yo DD wanted to make apple pie, but her friend dropped in unexpectedly. I had the two of them peel, core and slice the apples while I pastried. I can't believe how slow they were! Was I ever that knife challenged??? I also made her some chocolate chip cookie pies to take to school tomorrow.

I loved Julia's kitchen when I visited as well, and I think it holds some important design elements that are worth thinking about for other kitchens being designed. It also has some issues that probably irked her and made life a bit more difficult, but were a compromise with so many doorways and such a smallish space. 10 Design Tips to Steal From Julia Child 1. Bottom freezer refrigerator (which you can barely see in the corner of the last pic) This keeps the food that you use the most at the easiest height to get to. The table serves as landing space when "shopping" in the fridge from a meal, so you really don't need space next to a fridge if you have an island/table across from it. 2. Stainless steel countertop with integrated sink in the wet area. It's totally waterproof, inert chemically, and can take having 20 pound turkeys plopped in to rinse. 3. Butcherblock countertops used elsewhere. And I do mean used! These weren't pretty pretty wood counters that she obsessed over. They were functional equpment to that kitchen. 4. Drawer bases as the primary lower counter storage. We've discussed it on this forum many times, but drawer bases work better than pull outs because of the single more efficient movement to pull them out rather than opening doors and then pulling out. 5. Open shelf storage for items you use the most. If you cook a lot, then keeping the items you need in the right spot and out in the open will save you a lot of time. Yes, it can lead to a bit of a cluttered look, but if you really do use everything, it won't have much time on the shelf to accumulate dust. 6. Pegboard organizer rack for small utensils etc. Lowes has fake stainless pegboard for someone who want's a more industrial look, but once again, having the stuff you use easy to access is priceless during a big cookfest. Ikea and others have a stainless rail system for your backsplash that can also work without being so visually "busy" as pegboard. 7. Professional quality appliances DO make sense in the home of someone who cooks. That Garland range is a beast when compared to the Blue Star ranges that inherit the technology but insulate and prettify a bit for the home market. But, you can't get restaurant quality results involving high heat without a range capable of producing high heat. If I recall, the DW was a Hobart as well. Good quality well made appliances make a cook's life easier! 8. Ventilation matters! That honking huge restaurant vent hood was the only thing available in her time to handle the heat and smoke produced by that range. Size your ventilation needs according to your range power and USE that hood! 9. Easy clean flooring. That linoleum will take a beating, and be easy to clean up a dozen spilled eggs. Whatever you choose for your flooring, remember that a kitchen is a workroom first and will most likely see spilled eggs, pancake batter, doggy throwup and piddle, and other items needing cleaning and sterilization. 10. Color is GOOD! Julia painted her cabinets various colors over her lifetime in that kitchen, but those good quality bones were kept and freshened up with that beautiful teal blue/green. Not a color most would choose nowadays, with everyone obsessing over the perfect white, but it's lovely and very individual. 11. Yes, I said 10, but #11 needs to be noted too. Don't be afraid to individualize your kitchen to your taste and specific needs. Don't let the bugaboo of "resale value" make you pick choices that aren't you and that you aren't happy to see every morning with your cup of coffee. Julia's kitchen is definately Julia's kitchen, and besides the obvious functionality, what everyone loves about it is it's personality!

I'm 5'3" and loved the 16" clearance of our former kitchen - didn't even realize it was not standard until moving into our rental house for the reno. I asked my KD and cabinet maker (2 separate entities) about having the new ones 16" and they reluctantly agreed to indulge me in this, but then the 48" Capital Culinarian range top specified/required/strongly urged 18" clearance at least. We have so many drawers that I just said "fine" and planned everything above/behind the first shelf to be the weird things my 6'1" husband likes/needs. I have a short stepladder but I'm not wild about it. As for appliances fitting under the 16" vs 18", they *FIT* under the 16" just fine but weren't necessarily usable there! On the other hand, I am *so* short-armed that I pull all appliances out toward the middle/edge of the counter so I can really get at them, and that gets them out from under the uppers anyway. As for the Capital Culinarian, I'm not sure 18" is enough! Even after the adjustments are made to get simmer (crossing fingers), which will hopefully also make the flames rocket less than 12" into the air (seemingly), I will probably personally stick to the middle burners not right next to the uppers.