Great suggestions! Thanks so much!! The lawn will definitely need lots of "love" but my main concern is definitely organic matter to prepare the planting beds. I'm trying to remind myself to start small and have completely prepared beds rather than have a finished design in my heart and have everything die. We're about 15 minutes from the coast of Delaware Bay... and 1/2 hr from Lewes & Rehoboth Beach areas... not alot of seaweed (unless there's a certain time of year that it happens). One big agricultural "business" here is chicken farming! I've got a lead on chicken manure but don't want to do it yet. How long should a pile age before it's mixed into a new planting bed? It seems that everyone mulches in their grass clippings... but I'll keep my eyes open in the neighborhood... that's exactly what I need to get a compost pile going! Fresh grass on top always looks better than a nasty pile of newspapers & kitchen scraps, but it's going to be a few months before the grass is ready for mowing! We don't really have any leaves in our new neighborhood. Should I shred the newspapers? I'm a couponer and have quite the pile of newspapers that I put into the recycling bin every week. (I haven't wanted to make an "ugly spot" in the back of the yard.) I definitely have some gardenweb research to do this week! :) Watermelon sounds like fun to try!! I'm assuming that the right amount of compost & organic matter would help tremendously in growing some awesome peppers & tomatoes! (Keep reminding myself.. small scale until I know what will grow!) I wonder how carrots would do? In the sand? So much better than PA rocks!

It should be level and not wobbly. It's probably an easy DIY fix (check the installation instructions) if you have two people and want it done quickly. But if you can call back the installer in a reasonable timeframe, yeah, they should have taken care of that!

I wouldn't let mold/mildew be a deciding factor... whether you get it or not mostly comes down to how you use the machine, it's less about the design. Bleach, hot washes, powdered detergent, leaving the door open = GOOD. Electrolux makes Frigidaire, so although there will be capacity/feature differences between the Wave Touch and the Affinity you have now, they should be pretty similar under the hood. The Maytag is made here in the USA, which is nice vs. the Electrolux made in Mexico, but I have to say I would probably go with the Electrolux myself just because the mechanical design they are using has been around longer and is more proven. One annoying thing about both these machines is that they do not have access panels for the pump trap, so unless you are comfortable disassembling the machines a bit you would need to call a technician to have it cleaned if needed. Of course, the problem can be avoided in the first place by not letting foreign objects into the washer.

Thanks for letting me know those are Flor tiles, Sue! Even better! They would likely work better than the rug I have in my kitchen because the ends of the rug are bulky and get in the way of the trash compactor opening. I have been having a hard time finding the right long rug for the hallway that will run from our front door to the mudroom, too. I will have to keep an eye out for good deals on flor tiles while we do that part of our remodel. I have been really enjoying the home decor forum here now that our kitchen is mostly done, and we will be starting on the rest of the house this spring. We just got cafe curtains hung in the kitchen and dining room today, so it was nice to see your curtains, too. Just enough for privacy, but still lets the light in...