I'm also glad that you found a job that you love and that is close to where you live. I don't shop at Walmart either, partly because I do not like big box stores, although I do shop at Home Depot. Another reason is that there is not a Walmart close to me, as the real estate in Western Los Angeles (where I live) is too expensive for Walmart. I never saw a Walmart in San Francisco either, and I think WM avoids the areas where I like to live and shop. I don't like shopping at Target either, but there are a couple of Targets close to me, and so I will go there on occasion. The Target stores smell like cheap plastic or formaldehyde and that is another reason I do not like to shop there. When I do shop, I like to go the trendy streets like Melrose in Hollywood, Third Street Promendate in Santa Monica, or Santa Monica Blvd in WeHo, but I tend to avoid Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills because that's still above my budget and the clerks there are irritating to deal with. I don't like closed shopping malls, but Century City is nice because it is open air. Still, I am thrilled that you are happy, and I do not think you should feel any stigma attached to working at Walmart. In this economy, it is great to have a job where you can be happy. Lars

Thank you buehl! That's what I wanted to hear. I'm sorry you felt the need to apologize. I knew, from reading many of the threads you linked, that what we'd been given wouldn't work well. I just couldn't break free from it (given all the other constraints we have). I'd thought of a similar idea for the island last night (swing the seat to the end) and just have a standard base depth cabinet the rest of the way. We initially had a few ideas for the W/D. One was stacking (initially with our existing units, but they're so deep, we would switch to the smaller ones) and one was swinging them under the window, next to the breezeway door. (that I apparently didn't mark as a window). I like the stacking idea. I also like the idea of moving the utility cab to there. Thanks. Moving the microwave to that location works too. We'd bounced back and forth with it, we just didn't want it right next to the laundry. Now it's not. We're thinking of the KA Microwave. They make some that are micro/convection and I wanted one until I saw one and saw the inside. It looked horrible to clean. The GE looked better. I could get behind that. It just seems like another big expensive appliance where I've gotten along just fine with a lil' $200 microwave and one oven forever. (On the other hand, it would mean I would ditch my big Breville toaster oven, which I use as an oven 50% of the time, in favor of just a little toaster, which I wouldn't even keep out on the counter.) The windows are new as in they were installed in February. The house is brick (not normal red bricks, but different gray, really dense and long bricks) and has rounded brick around the sides of the windows. Not that there wouldn't be any way to change window location/size, but we weren't/aren't willing to do it. The first KD had seating under the window, but we agreed we wouldn't use it and we'd rather get as much storage as possible there. When I said dog/cat food, currently, their bowls are in the traffic pattern at then end of the fridge and just to the left of there. I might move them. I hadn't thought of it. But I don't see doing seating there. We currently have a 'desk' area in the kitchen that is just a junk collector. I feel a window seat would be the same. I've only lived with old-school pull-out cutting boards. They are a good height for me and I feel I could even go a bit lower (5'2"). I think I might often be comfortable prepping at the 30" h cabinets under the window. I wouldn't have built in a 30" h area if I didn't have the window-obstacle, but I think it could work well for me. I've tried to think in terms of zones, and it's so foreign because right now we have one zone that's all three (cooking, cleaning, and prepping). The fridge, sink, and D/W are where they will be (moved inches one way or another) and the range is in a peninsula��"they're in a U. There's roughly a 4 ft square of floor space between them. So while the room is...

They were my favorites right from the beginning. Jerry is a sweetie but I felt he was a little stiff and didn't loosen up 'til towards the end. My favorite Pro dancer is Maksim! I just "melt" when I watch his "rubbery" movements. Sooooo graceful! Don't they have the greatest stance? ~Urlee~

To answer your question: maybe. It will depend on whether you intend to go with a built-in fridge (the cab is only slightly wider than the fridge itself) or a stand-alone. If you opt for a stand-alone and if you intend to box it in with a cab, then you need to allot more width to the fridge area, up to 3 or so inches more, depending on cab construction and fridge clearance allowances. I drew your plan up assuming a built-in, based on the fridge someone suggested above and realize now that I shouldn't have made that assumption. If you buy a stand-alone fridge, make sure you purchase a counter depth fridge. You do not have enough room width to handle a full depth fridge. That would eat up 4" to 6" of aisle, creating a pinch point at the neck of your kitchen. If you purchase a stand alone and don't put it inside a fridge cabinet, then you'll need to get clever with how you mount the cabs on each side of it. I'm sure it can be done, I just don't know how. Can you add a second fridge/freezer to the basement for overflow? That would allow you to get a fridge in a size more in scale with your small kitchen.