Amen to givelittle getlots, and now time does not make it better to me it just makes it bearable, and yes your mom will always be with you! I just lost mine this January. And still find myself wanting to call her or stop by to check in on her, My condolences to you I will add you to my prayers. May you take solace in the fact that you got to enjoy your mom all the time while she was here on this earth. God Bless and do take care of yourself.

You need a warm drink. Make spiced cider. A half gallon of cider or apple juice, warmed with a whole or sliced orange, 3 cinnamon sticks (the spice), 15 whole cloves. Warm for an hour without boiling. You can put a jigger of brandy or rum in the mug with the warm cider if you like. Remove the orange and spices before two hours so they will not make the cider bitter.

Hi there, Thanks so much for the encouragement. I need it. :0) Addressing your points: Microwave: I made the cabinet 18" deep based on the measurements of a GE Advantium micro/convection but maybe the cabinet needs to be several inches deeper than the actual microwave. The KD allowed for 2 ft 3 inches width and 2 ft depth but my island had to take up more floor space, hence no 48 inch aisles or less leg room for diners. If I can get away with a shallower cabinet, I will. I'll make sure though. I struggled with where to put the micro/con; I'd like it to be part of a second work triangle. Moving it to the other side of the kitchen took it too far from the fridge. Pantry: The bane of this kitchen. grrrr. I can make it a smaller 18" full height pantry cabinet and store food in other places too. Space to the right of DW--hutchy thing: We're planning on putting dishes, tableware, placemats, linens and maybe some bigger pantry items there. It was originally meant to be a pantry, but it works so well as a place near the table for dishes and it allows us to put the dw on the right of the sink, outside the main work triangle. The itty bitty cabinet to the right of the sink is meant for mugs and the coffee pot will be on that counter. I agree that I don't necessarily need one place for food--it would be good to have space for everything where it is actually used--baking supplies in island, spices and garlic and onions near range, cereal near fridge/milk. Space around range: I really want more there as well. I like prepping right next to the cktop now but thought with the island I would prep there and could lose space near the cktop. If I adjust the plan to have a smaller range (wah) and then I can have more countertop. We probably don't need the bigger range/cktop anyway. I don't actually like tons of countertop in general because it ends up with stuff all over it . Prep sink: I want it to be part of the microwave/fridge second work triangle. I can't move it to the other end. With 48" aisle, I thought we both could work bottom to bottom. I could move the micro/con to next to the fridge in a full height cabinet and keep food above and below it and then move the prep sink to across from the fridge and change the shape of the 42" section of the island. I have a little bit of time before I meet with the KD this morning so I'll try to work on some new plans. Thanks for your help!

Good to have you back and joining us! Be patient with yourself as you come back to your usual activities. The hip strength that it takes to walk is pretty different from the strength to bend and squat and do all the usual gardening things. I've found that Pilates is a nice bridge to work on muscle strength in my core areas without the full impact of a day in the garden, and it helps me protect my back and other joints. Take it easy and listen to your body! Cynthia