Frog Hopper: Sorry about the lack of dimensions right now, you are correct, the dots are on 12" I like your idea for the pocket door for the MasterBath. I will incorporate that! As far as the closets go, we were trying to keep closet space on the main floor to a mininum. With the big kitchen pantry and a coat rack, thought we should be ok. Will consider adding another closet. I agree with you on your criticism of the half bath, i'm still trying to figure out a better design and open to any ideas. As far as the laundry tub, what do you need that for? We were just planning on having washer/dryer and pet shower/boot wash area in the laundry room. I am drawing with AutoCad, which works pretty well for what i need. As far as drawing the first floor first, i wanted to get it pretty well finished first, so I can see exactly where I will need the supports, etc for the next floors. I'm not as picky about the layout for the 2nd floor and basement. Che1sea Do you think i could move the fridge to the upper wall, by either the sink or dishwasher to make it work better? We are a young couple, expecting our first child in December, probably a few more after that :) My wife likes to cook and we love to entertain! Thanks for the help with inserting of pictures! Please let me know what I can do to improve!

Jessica, I've also made a chocolate beet cake, although mine didn't have the spiced creme anglaise that this one has, which sounds like a really nice addition. Other than that, our recipes are identical. Oh, the cake is very good, really it is, but I'm not sure it's all that healthy, LOL. Chocolate Beet Cake From Straight From the Farm 1 cup butter, softened, divided 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar 3 eggs at room temperature 2-3 oz. dark chocolate 5 medium beets (2 cups pureed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg confectioners sugar for dusting Make the beet puree by trimming the beets and simmering them until tender. Drain the liquid and cool the beets (you can run water over them to cool them off.) Slide the skins off, then place them in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Let the puree cool slightly before using it in the cake. Cream 3/4 cup of the butter with the dark brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt the remaining butter together with the chocolate, either in the microwave or in a double boiler over simmering water. Cool slightly, then add the chocolate mixture, beet puree, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture (it may look separated at this point.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch springform pan; bake at 375 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (I started checking around 50 minutes.) Cool the cake in the pan 15 minutes before unmolding and removing to a cooling rack; cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar. Spiced Creme Anglaise 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar 4 large egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger Set a bowl over ice water and have a strainer nearby youll want this ready so you can stop the sauce from cooking when its ready. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and set aside. Combine milk, cream, and spices in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat just until the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk some of it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, then slowly add the rest of it while whisking. Pour the whole thing back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until its thick enough to coat the spatula or spoon this usually takes about a minute or two longer. Dont boil it or the egg will harden. Strain into the bowl set over ice water to stop the mixture from cooking further. Chill in the refrigerator until youre ready to use it. Oh, and I used leftover beets that I had cooked for supper and didn't eat all of, I didn't cook beets especially for this recipe! Annie

Like I said above, it's just a personal preference/reaction, but I always felt cash gifts said "we didn't put any thought into this." My late mother-in-law always gave me generous cash gifts, but I always wished she had bought something instead. I used to take the cash to Tiffany's and buy a piece of jewelry and then tell people, "My mother-in-law gave me this." Only technically true, I guess, but it felt so much better to me than saying, "My mother-in-law gave me the money to buy this." Unfortunately, it's all moot now since my jewelry got stolen years ago. :-( I should add that for certain recipients, like teenagers and college students, cash is probably the most appreciated gift of all. This post was edited by alisande on Thu, Nov 20, 14 at 12:47

I don't do this kind of thing regularly but I looked at my own numbers on the Social Security site and here's how it works for me at a simplified level: If I delay the start for 4 years from age 66 to age 70, my monthly payment goes up 32%. But doing so requires me to receive nothing for 4 years. The amount of the 4 year payments not received (ages 66-70), divided by the monthly increase resulting from waiting until age 70, is 150 months. So, it will take 150 months (12.5 years) starting at age 70, of receiving the higher payments to recover the payments not received. This calculation ignores the time value of money (which would make the SOONER choice more attractive), inflation adjustments on the increase after age 70 (which would make the break-even point sooner), and inflation adjustments on the increment over the age 66 amount that would increase the payments when started at age 70. There may be other factors to consider but I think these are the main ones. I think in general when looking at the 62-70 range of benefits, the break-even age is in the late 70s to early 80s. The choice of when to start also affects the SS benefits received by your spouse during your lifetime and after your death as a surviving spouse. Because these numbers will always be estimates and the ultimate determining factor is a person's life expectancy (which one can NEVER be certain of), you shouldn't expect to be able to do a financial analysis to determine THE right answer for you. If you die in the year of the projected so-called "break-even point", then the choice didn't matter because the result was the same in total. If you plan to die younger, start benefits sooner. If you're certain that you or your spouse will live until you're 100, delay until age 70. Click on the link below to find a webpage prepared by a thoughtful financial adviser to give you a suggestion about what approach to take. This calculation takes the numbers and slices and dices alternatives to produce a result based on Net Present Value. What I said and any other thoughts you find are only general thoughts, so don't take any advice as being carved in stone. SS Analyzer