Chelcass, living in Phoenix, I don't have to worry about winters with my totems. And it seldom rains. But when it does, then the next day I make sure all the standing water is out of any totems. I have 17 right now, so it would not take me a "minimum amount of time" to clean them like you do yours! LOL. Plus I guess I'm lazy, its bad enough to have to wash dishes inside without washing a bunch outside. ;o) I've been using Mr Clean Magic Eraser, or SOS, on my outside ones when just the hose doesn't do good enough. I love those Magic Erasers for cleaning all kinds of stuff. Great little product! I have to be careful where I sit some of my totems cause when the sprinklers come on, several times a week pretty much year round here, the cobalt ones sure show water spots badly afterwards. Phoenix duststorms aren't my favorite thing to deal with either. Luckily just have those late summer mostly. Granny if you want that cobalt rabbit for your totem topper, I eon't bid against you and will wait for another one to come along. hugs, Karen

Just a little update.... Things are much better between my friend and her boyfriend. We've determined he was under a LOT of stress that week and it had to do with a lot more than just moving. They're working things out and getting along. I'm happy for them. I just know they have a ton to learn about each other because they seemed to not take the time to learn the little pidly stuff you pick up about each other while dating and things. I don't know if they ever just chat about crap like my fiance' and I do or not. I also have to say that the suggestion of HelenofMichigan would not have helped. I've gotten to the point in my life where I know telling someone what to do, especially during a major life changing event like this, will do me no good. This same friend's mother used to ask why on earth I couldn't convince her daughter to leave this guy (she never gave him a chance). The answer is, it's her life, I'm just here to be there for her when she needs someone to lean on and to answer questions if I can. I can't MAKE her do anything! She will learn on her own. She's very headstrong about things and me telling her to run back home would probably have cause major problems with our friendship and we're trying to patch over some stuff that happened before. People learn lessons by doing in most cases. I've been telling her all along while people are trying to break her and this guy up that if they were meant to be together, they will be. If something happens and they decide it's not working she will understand and be able to move on a lot easier than just because she did something because someone told her to. I wish them the best of luck really and I see some major improvements on both they're part that I didn't see months ago. ~Leslie~

She thought the style was too boxy to pair with the drexel chair and that it didn't bring in enough of the french curves she knows I like. The more I think about the whole room, I think these are a better pairing for the rustic quasi-elegant look I am shooting for though. I wish I could see it in other fabrics/finishes.. I am having a hard time picturing it in something other than the striped cheetah (BTW Drexel Heritage has a great program to allow you to change the fabrics/finishes.. this is Hickory White though). I also wish I could sit in them.. they are not on the showroom floor. I do know that I want exposed wood on the fireplace chairs-- but other than that, I am all over the place still. More reason to wait on that decision. I am also thinking that I could use the Drexel chair elsewhere-- dining room or bedroom-- but the new CL chair will likely go to one of those spots (or my office).

I am afraid your above plan fails to meet your goal to have a smooth work flow and efficient layout...The coffee center is far from a water source, there is no storage near the clean up area for dishes, and the traffic pattern from sink to fridge, back to sink, to stove...just isn't as simple as it could be. The sink is handier to the broom closet than to the fridge and stove areas. I have worries, as others have expressed, about traffic being able to get around the table to the sun room, not only because of length, but also depth. You have it drawn without chairs, and remember they will take up room, if like in my house, not always be neatly arranged. I haven't addressed that in this plan, but did the following: Coffee is close to the prep sink Desk is nearby but not taking from valuable kitchen workspace There is a good and efficient relationship between fridge, prep area and stove. There is nice dish storage area There are a few work areas for when guests or the kids want to join in kitchen tasks. --No better way to discourage your kids from wanting to learn to cook and bake than there not being room for them to work. It gets tough for everyone to work together in good humor with all walking on top of each other, trying to reach the same sink and use the same work paths. I find that with a prep sink, I could've gotten only a single basin sink for the cleanup area. Maybe a way to save is to trade the large 3-basin sink for the 2 smaller sinks. I know that won't offset the charges for the plumbing, but I really think this will make a kitchen that's so much better to work in. I wasn't sure how best to place the appliance garage, but here's a stab at it. I hope it helps: