Thanks Greg yes it was a joke. My parents have a house in a quiet neighborhood of small ranches and story and a halfs built in the early '60s. It is a blue collar neighborhood and can see the different 'templates' the builders used. I remember one time when one of my dad's best friends (who lives in a beautiful custom home on acreage just outside of the city) said to my dad "I could barely find your house because they all look alike." That has stuck with me so I was also being serious. We will build in a few years on a farm though, and I would think if you're going through the trouble you would want the area around your house perfect as can be. Even though DH and I have been together for 14 years he still has trouble remembering which house is my parent's house. Although that may be for different reasons. ;)

The cookie cutter will be perfect for the Halloween Cutout Cookies recipe above. :-) King Arthur has "Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour", which is their version of Cup4Cup and is available at Wal-Mart in our area. Test kitchen tips for Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour This flour is best suited for non-yeasted recipes. Directly swap the amount of all-purpose flour called for with the same amount of Measure for Measure flour: No need for additional specialty ingredients. Works beautifully in your favorite recipes, whether you’re substituting just a few ounces of conventional flour or several cups. Grainlady's soapbox: The biggest drawback with most of the all-purpose gluten-free blends --- rice flour being the main ingredient. I wouldn't recommend using large amounts of rice flour for anyone, and especially children, due to the arsenic associated with it; and nearly all gluten-free flour blends and commercial gluten-free foods contain rice flour. For more information: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreecookingbasics/a/Arsenic-In-Rice-And-Gluten-Free-Diets.htm  I also dislike the large amounts of high-glycemic flours and starches they contain. To use an old idiom: Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Trading one health concern for another potential health concern - gluten intolerance followed by diabetes and other health issues due to food choices. Therefore, just as before I was gluten-free, I mill gluten-free wholegrain flour myself and use coconut flour and almond flour over rice flour. The brown rice flour I do use I make myself in order to reduce the amount of arsenic in it by rinsing, soaking, sprouting (which includes more rinsing), dehydrating the sprouted grain, and milling it into flour myself. With that much work involved, you use it sparingly. After a 10-day detox from all grains at the first of the year, I soon realized how other grains, even gluten-free grains, still affect your wellbeing. They initiate inflammation and auto immunity. Phytates block nutrient absorption, and oats contain higher levels of phytates than almost any other grain - unless you know how to soak and prepare them to reduce the phytates. Going gluten-free and maintaining your health is more challenging than just "going gluten-free." Especially with all the commercial gluten-free choices now, and most are really just more junk food - without the gluten. In the end, I would suggest using coconut flour and coconut oil, and a dairy-free margarine for the butter, like in this recipe: http://www.healthextremist.com/coconut-flour-cookies-recipe/ Or this one which uses almond and coconut flour with dairy-free choices: http://blog.meaningfuleats.com/the-best-almond-flour-sugar-cookies-gluten-free-grain-free/ -Grainlady

The point is to repeat the same color so that together you get a bigger dramatic effect rather than something hodgepodgy. I agree painting your door, storm door, and side lights the same as the shutters will help. As others have noted, a magnetic wreath hanger (2 piece) or large command hook will hold your wreath to the glass. Make sure to get one that can hold at least 6 lbs. As shown above, sweet potato vine "marguerite" (the lime green one) always adds drama and it gets very large if you don't cut it back, adding more drama! It's ubiquitous but very effective, especially if you plant it with purples, black, and whites. The key with plants is OVER SIZE and overplant in the containers or you lose the street effect. Don't think about what looks good to you while standing 5 feet away from it on your porch, or looking down on it--go down to the street and see it from 20 or 30 feet away, and looking UP to it. Does it register from the street? Can you see it driving down the road? Yes! If not, it isn't eye catching enough yet and you need more and bigger. Don't be afraid to go huge as long as it's natural and elegant. Instead of 1 pumpkin on a box, you could do something like this: It doesn't all have to be about plants and pots. You can get super creative. My neighbor has a dress form on her porch (which is no bigger than yours). This isn't hers, but she does similar things to it seasonally: Kind of the same idea as decorating an old bicycle with flowers. As long as you're the first in your neighborhood to do it, it's interesting. Also PS: Don't use iron planters if you get a lot of sun there--your roots will fry. You can get fiberglass ones that look like the iron ones though (and they'll probably be cheaper too.)

this is the only "major" change we want to make (*aka move cabinets around.) We are happy with the builder just want to redesign the kitchen. Originally we were fine with the pantry but want to maximize our budget aka look at alternatives (aka if we can make the change great if not we are not crazy worried .) And ty for everyones points its beyond helpful. we can't find anything even close in our market for this amount. (been looking for a long time now) plus we love the lot and the neighborhood (small city)