That seems way too cheap...and that's what scares me. The heat pumps are not inverter systems...which are used in all of the high end systems like Fujitsu and Mitsubishi. The link below takes you to an explanation of inverter technology. You want to be comfortable and have a trouble free system...then go with a reputable and well known manufacturer...like Fujitsu, Sanyo or Mitsubishi. I had a Mitsubishi 12,000 BTU heat pump placed in my 13x16' sunroom this spring and it did a wonderful job cooling the room and now does a great job heating it. Trouble free so far and the thing is whisper quiet--both inside and outside. Visit the Mitsubishi website and see if you have some of their Diamond dealers in your area. Have a few out to give you quotes and see how they compare to Fujitsu quote. Again, they should complete and heating and cooling calculations for the room(s) to be serviced by the system. Hope this helps... Theses systems are a big investment...so go with a good brand. Here is a link that might be useful: Inverter Technology

TR, milk paint has always captured my interest,so I will look at that. BP: Gosh, at first I thought those were your kitchens, then realized. Nice pics and thought provoking. GD, that is really the issue here, how much yellow would be too much or would it matter, being that high up on the ceiling. PW: love your beadboard island. Oh my gosh, I can see why this forum is addicting and now the choices. Better made with lots of opinions though. Say, most of y'all don't use your real name on this forum yet it doesn't seem "stalker prone", lol. Well, too late now. Interesting though. Thanks, will keep thinking and hoping that others will chime in. Of course, the floor color will make a difference too. Ellie

Blanching destroys the enzymes that make the beans mushy. I blanch for 3 minutes, then plunge in ice water, dry on paper towels, freeze on a jelly roll pan then seal in Foodsaver bag. That reminds me I have to bag the ones I blanched and froze this morning. There is a discussion on Harvest about this from early this year. I have pickled some bigger beans, ran out of vinegar solution had to mix more up so stuck 2 pints in the fridge. We took some to a BBQ only a few days later and they tasted really good. Lemon Spiced Pickled Beans from Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp. We don't like canned beans either but these were good (of course they hadn't been processed, I'll let you know how the processed ones are in a few months). I figured they'd be good in 3-bean salad once my limas come in (or with storebought canned chickpeas). Here is a link that might be useful: Freezing beans on Harvest

I was considering just extending the Sage into the hall at 75%. Anyhow, we are going to repaint both the hall and dining room Wondering what will happen with that pink tile...... Won't know for sure until you try it. If you have leftover Sage at 100%, might want to try painting a wall and see what happens. Odds are that Sage at 75% will *do* the same thing relative to the pinky tile. If you want to know for absolute certain, you have to get a tester of Sage @ 75%... but I would change the DR first. I'll explain later in the post. With pinky-beige anything, carpet, tile, counter tops, it pays to work with it a bit to see what happens because it can be manipulated. As we all saw with nuxemego's "pinky beige" carpet. In her case it turned out that the pinky beige carpet wasn't really pinky-beige after all. It just looked that way because of the context it was living in. Once she moved the carpet into other rooms and changed the wall color near it, basically changed the context in which the carpet was viewed, it did not appear "pinky". Architectural color can be full of surprises and is never boring! :) One of two things happens every single time with pinky-beige. Either what was thought to be a "pinky-beige" turns out not so pink after all or the most unappealing aspects of the pinky-beige lunges forward and the color just isn't pretty. The rules of engagement for pinky-beige are not cut-n-dry. It's not totally about what colors are supposed to "go" with it or not. That's only part of the story. The other part of the story is the light. Light is boss and it is within that dimension of color where it is decided what's going to happen -- either the pinky turns into pleasing or pinky turns into ick. Light is boss. And most people do not have the capacity to step into a room and "read the light" -- like, it's not a skill most people need to use on a daily basis, ya know? :~) So, the best you can do is experiment with the logical options and just *see* how it goes. See what happens. I would try painting the dining room Olive first -- leave the hallway Aqua... and see what happens. Can always paint the hallway @75% Sage after the DR i done in Olive. As far as partnering up Sage and Olive -- I love it. I absolutely think they will *go* together. If Sage is working for you in the new home's light, pretty good bet you're going to feel the same way about Olive in the dining room. It will be a lot of green, contrast will be minimal and flow (as they say) will be a rather quiet transition from room to room. Especially if you end up with Sage @75% instead of Aqua in the hallway. I love the combo of Aqua and Sage (and maybe Olive too). The current pic is very pretty. But it has to feel fabulous too. I admire you for aknowledging what's working for you and what's not. Trusting your gut and putting that first in order to get the colors right is a far better use of your energies than dwelling on the mis-step with Aqua and spinning your wheels trying to force it to work for you. Yes, you have to find a new color and yes it's a repaint. In the end, it will be worth it. It will be worth it because wall color is the armature of atmosphere. Atmosphere does not come from a chair or a rug or strategially placed shiny doo-dads (a.k.a decorating). Wall color influences atmosphere more than anything else due to the fact that its volume is physically enveloping and it commands more three-dimensional visual real estate than anything else in the room. I'd like to see a bowl of green apples, a rug, or 'the perfect ottoman' do that. ;~D