My growing season is too short for doing it backwards, as you say, but I know that some in the warmer zones do sow seed for early varieties for a Fall crop. For some it's worked out OK, and for some it hasn't and they've stopped doing it.I remember that happening with some TX folks I know,both from the Bastrop area in S TX. And one from the Houston area as I recall. For them it could have been the specific season, that I don't remember, but they didn't get much at all from what they eventually planted out. I know in southern Cal that nurseries do offer plants of early season ones for fall planting, not necessarily det varieties, and at one time I had a couple of good friends in S FL who would send me boxes of fruits as a Xmas present from Fall planted ones. And of course some start from seeds and don't buy plants as you are. So please let us know how it turns out for you. Carolyn

I am so sorry for your loss. Nothing said or done helps,but I do care, that you've had to go through this traumatic experience. My Mom died of ovarian cancer July 3rd 2009. She had the surgery followed by chemo treatments, it was in remission for 4 years. Only to come back again about a year and a half later. More chemo, tons of tests, they switched chemo treatments a few times. We got her into one of the best cancer treatment centers and the end result was, she still died. I seen my mom go through so much with the chemo treatments so I understand your mom's not wanting to go through it =/ I would of insisted Mom do chemo, too simply cause I couldn't bear to lose her. It hurts. It hasn't gotten better so far. In fact sometimes it seems to get worse as I realize, I've never gone without talking to her for so long. I really hope it does get easier for the both of us. Like you my Mom was pretty much all I had. Never been close to my Dad.

I feel silly not to attach pics, but technical issues. I'd start with how every decision has to be made in a context..your style and color preferences, your house's style, the adjacent rooms, the view if there, the existing materials, etcetera. And we know nothing about your context. But hopefully as you do know yours, you'll still find my blabbing helpful. So, I, after long deliberation and budget getting smaller and smaller(gut remodel), nixed my original ideas and patterned tile I was in love with(I didn't want just any patterned tile, I was in love with tile X. tile X was 70 $ per sq f. We've a small u-shaped kitchen and about 15-20 sq f of backsplash, so perfect place to splurge..but with allowance for cuts, taxes, delivery, etc, it'd mean sinking 5K into the tiny backsplash). I went with fairly monochromatic space-the kitchen has 2 big windows, with bougainvillea looking into them, orange trees, all the nice things one gets when living in So Cal), so decided for the garden to be main source of colors. I also love accessories, ceramics, plants, displaying mugs etcetera, so I knew it'd be huge source ofcolors and textures too. So. The cabinets are very warm greige borfering on taupe..oatmeal? I love taupes and greiges with all my heart, all greiges I tried were too cool though..in the end went with a custom color that was as warm as I envisioned it to be. (I madly love purples so my first idea was mixing aubergine and magenta..:) But I didn't have enough uppers and lowers for that..would look too choppy. Also I had magenta coming from bougainvillea. decided it's good enough..)) Can read cooler or warmer depending on the light. The paint(as in all the living-dining-hallway-entry area) is off white..with quite distinct greyish greenish undertone. The tile..if you take this green undertone and magnify it some..make it more green..that'd be the tile color I guess. It has burnt edges..reminded me of copper which I love. So I got set of copper knives, to repeat it even more, because this burnt edge won my heart. The very pale green was pulled of the pattern of the tile X I was(still am btw) in love with. The countertops are uniform off white Quartz simple as my palm but the amount of time invested in finding just the right color-I don't believe it myself. So, in certain lighting-all these off whites greiges and light greens look like exact same color. That's really funny really.. And as I presumed I've plants, and candles shaped as onions, and candlesticks shaped as flowers( some artist's job), and a ceramic giraffe holding the scotchbrite for dishes(bought on local crafts fair), and plants, and fruits, and a crockery pot that's off white but has a bit of black and gold in it, and my favorite mugs I collect and use for gatherings-these feature strange folk animals that remind me of various fairy tales. They're blue, white, and scarlet red. And, obviously, as I love purple- I have a purple teapot! I don't know whether sounds very dull or like a hot mess:) No walls available for art. It's a small kitchen. No pendants either. But it opens to dining, and my dining light is exremely colorful, so at night, when it's dark and I can't see the bougainvillea-I see the reflection of the dining light in the window across. And it's Otomi embroidery so all sorts of strange flowers and animals on it. You can easily say I never fully got out of being three years old. For better for worse lol. Thank you for the opportunity to describe my modest kitchen in such a great length..:) And I wish you fun designing and decorating yours.

You have a lovely kitchen and sweet breakfast area. Just make simple changes at this point. You could get the refrigerator sides painted to blend in better. But, I will warn you, one change tends to lead to another and another and you may dig yourself a budget whole. Looks like mostly grays in adjoining room. So color is your best bet. Change what can be easily done, or wait for bigger remodel. White kitchens have had their day. Warm woods are big now. But if you must paint go with a sage green. Great with black countertops and refrigerator might not visually stick out as much. Microwave vents are nothing more than recirculating air. Unless it really has exhaust to outside but most are useless.