Yep, raehelen, that's exactly what we do ... that was the only "misstep" in the whole process; both we and the contractor thought that door would open more than it does (though not completely) because we didn't calculate the sink size correctly. However, I take comfort in the fact that it's no worse than it was before, when the whole right side of the formica cabinet that was there before was inaccessible. And with the left door open and the right open as far as it goes, I can actually see what's in there. So it's my storage for the "things-I-never-use" and the big packs of stuff I can easily reach from the centerline. But it's going to annoy the next owner of the house, no question! And the contractor did ask if I knew it wasn't going to open all the way beforehand (answer was yes) but we still wanted the look of the two doors. Might have done better with a false drawer front and then lower cabinet doors but even those wouldn't have opened all the way (though they would have cleared the sink itself) and every houseguest would be trying to open the drawer... so we just live with it. It's a guest bath that gets very little use. I think if it were a primary bath getting everyday use, it might bug me more. Might someday go with a smaller profile pedestal sink, or a wall hung one, but for now, we just deal. :)

Thanks everyone (esp. lynne and carole for the suggestions). I really should post about DD on parenting or cooking board. I didn't intend for this conversation to be about DD's picky eating. DS had some sensory issues (mostly motor delays - still has vestibular problems so he's just not a physical kids). Couldn't have his foods touching, preferred everything room temp (except when he was 9mo he changed to liking his milk cold, even when it was *my* milk!). So when DD came along we figured it was more of the same, except she was *always* very physical, just not verbal! Where DS was trying to get us to name everything from about 6-8mo (incl. colors, we found when he got frustrated pointing to each section of a beach ball and we kept saying "ball") and had a 400+ word vocab (I stopped counting) when he was 2, DD just screamed when she wanted something. We kept trying to teach her to talk, I couldn't even tell dr at 24 mo appt how many words she said b/c I'd never heard the same one twice (and not too many once!). We knew she didn't have a hearing problem b/c her receptive language reponses were age-appropriate. So no big deal about the food - she ate every kind of jarred baby food (though she was always a "grazer" even when nursing, wouldn't take bottle, wanted me, wouldn't nurse long or eat much at a time compared to DS at that age). When we got into table food, though, we got into a real problem with textures and temperatures. No big deal, we had worked it out with Ds. Well, she never outgrew it - it got worse. last year when she was 4.5 yo we toock her to OT, spent $1200 on therapy to see why she was gagging and in some case vomiting on foods that she said she liked - mostly meats. It turned out her chewing/swallowing mechanisms are fine, it seemed like she just didn't *know* when a food was chewed enough to swallow. Her OT said she just seemed to chew food (esp meat) for the flavor but once the flavor was gone or not intense, she didn't want it in her mouth anymore. Funny, b/c she doesn't really like intense flavors. Anyway, the OT got her to add raw baby carrots with ranch dip to her diet, and that's it. We quit b/c we really didn't have the $ (hi-ded insurance didn't pay any of it) and she didn't seem like she was making progress. She weighs 40 lbs now so she's normal (and she's short, so actually she's a bit heavy for her height). She loves oatmeal (the texture makes *me* gag!), any kind of bread/pasta, and most meats as long as they're not chewy, but she won't eat stew. Hates potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes! Of course won't touch green veggies but has learned to eat broccoli with ketchup as well as baby carrots. Will eat about any kind of fruit. So the only arguments come at dinner time. I tell her she has to eat what I give her (believe me, it's the tiniest bit) of meat and broccoli, she can have as much or as little as she wants of anything else as long as she eats those. But then she'll start negotiating - "can I have carrots instead? I don't want broccoli! I won't eat it! How much mac and cheese do I have to eat? Do I have to eat all this meat? I can't!" and starts crying and screaming, I tell her if she doesn't eat it she can't have dessert and then she screams that she wants dessert. So I say "eat your dinner first" and she starts the negotiating and crying and "I can't" all over again "But I want dessert (sob sob)". I just can't deal with it. Sometimes she'll sit there for an hour, everyone will have finished, I've got all the leftovers put away and the dishes/pots in the DW, and she'll still be sitting there - I'll tell her she doesn't have to eat it, but she still wants dessert so she gags it down (or it comes up and she gets upset b/c she tried and I should still give her dessert - sometimes I do b/c I feel sorry for her and she *did* try but sometimes I'm just so fed up I tell her dessert time is long past, it's bedtime now). Please note that we rarely eat dessert in this house - when Ds and DD ask for it we let them have a small piece of candy from their jars - we have canisters full of candy they get at Halloween, Xmas, Easter, pick up from parade route at 4th, etc. - we don't buy it, it just finds its way into our house! I'm just getting tired of cooking hot dogs, kielbasa, mac and cheese (first she decided she didn't like the noodles that come in the box so I'd use elbows instead with the powder, now she's decided she *does* like the box noodles and *doesn't* like any others), baked chicken (we put BBQ sauce on ours, hers is plain), pork chops (ours with adobo), pork ribs (again hers plain), and broccoli all the time. I'd like to have rice every now and then! Maybe some kind of *flavored* rice or noodle, some different veggie?? I don't do casseroles, lasagne, etc. b/c my kids won't eat their food mixed together, even though Ds has started to like chili. DD used to eat the black beans (not pinto) and the meat as long as I didn't make it spicy, but then she started refusing those too. I stopped making her a PBJ sandwich if she didn't like dinner I was making, thought she should learn to at least try some new things. But now I'm stuck in a rut with the same old things, and she's starting to complain about those too. Like I said, DS started off picky too but he outgrew it. What worked with him doesn't work with her. At least she started to talk around age 2.5 (after I called birth to 3), now I can't shut her up LOL!

Update: I broke down and bought some boneless chicken breasts. They were on sale and they were actually cheaper than the bone in ones! I'm a meat novice, lol! I'm learning that part of the secret is to make no more than one involved dish per meal. For example, I was visiting friends and they made risotto for dinner, but the side was just simple grilled fish and a salad. I'm trying to amass a group of quick dinner recipes and menus. It's funny, at 50 I am dealing with "new bride" issues, :) Here's the fettucini recipe. I think I either got if from a friend or got it at a health food store on a recipe card. Wholewheat Fettucini (serves 4-6) 8 oz. of whole wheat fettucini (I used spinach fettucini which is what I recommend using, but WWH would work fine too if you can't find or afford spinach) 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used 1 TBLSP) 1 TBLSP wine vinegar (I used wine, and probably about 1/8 cup of that) 1 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. each oregano, savory and marjoram (I left out the savory and marjoram, don't really know why, I forgot to add them!) 1/4 tsp. thyme 1/2 lb. tofu, crumbled finely. Here you could substitute a cup of canelinni beans or some chopped chicken if you like. If using tofu, I highly recommend using a baked italian style tofu if you can get it. Then you can skip the marinating bit with the tofu. 2 TBLSP olive oil 1 med. onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic, slivered (I couldn't do that! I used 4 cloves minced garlic) 1 cup chopped mushrooms. 1-2 TBLSP Parmesean (optional) minced parsley to garnish (I left out) Mix soy sauce, vinegar and herbs, then pour over tofu in a shallow dish to marinate. Strain after about 1/2 hour. Note: from what I know about tofu, this is a useless step so I would leave it out. Tofu does not absorb marinade. If you want to try something with a marinade, slice the tofu into thin slabs and pour the marinade over it and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40+ minutes. Turn and rebaste the tofu halfway thru the baking time. This will make the tofu firmer because it will dry out and it will make a coating of spices that will stick to the outside of the tofu. OR, if you're lucky, just buy pre-baked italian style tofu, which is what I did. Or leave out the tofu, use beans or diced cooked chicken instead. Cook fettucini as per package directions. While water is boiling, start sauteeing the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil. I use a big braising pan from which I can serve the final product. I used presliced mushrooms, which made it go fast. It will take about 10 min. for the onions and mushrooms to start to get a translucent appearance and have flavor concentration. That's about how long it takes to boil the water for the pasta. Now, add your personal choice of spices from the list to the sautee, and use vegetable broth, white wine and a dashes of low salt soy sauce or tamari to keep the mixture from sticking and to dissolve the fond. You'll end up adding about one cup, most of which will be vegetable broth. You can use water in a pinch, but that will make the final product kind of bland. I also added a half a large package of chopped frozen spinach. That was DELICIOUS. You could also add whatever other vegetables you have or like, such as zuchinni, fennel, etc. If they are raw veggies you'd have to add them to the saute earlier on. When the sauce is finished and the pasta is drained (add a dash of olive oil to the pasta to prevent it from sticking together), add the Parmesean to the sauce if you are using it. Then you can toss all the sauce with the pasta or scoop the sauce out and top individual plates of pasta with it. I combined all the pasta and all the sauce, which is how I like to eat pasta. Garnish with parsley if you feel the need, a drizzle of olive oil and more parmesean (or seasoned bread crumbs if you're counting calories). Serve with a little dish of parmesean on the side to pass around if you're not counting calories! Spinach with spinach noodles is what made the dish delish for me. You could also do this with feta instead of parmesean. Is OK without cheese, but no where near as yummy, but if you're diet restricts it then that's the way it goes. Is fine as a side dish without spinach or other veggies. Here's a link to how I did the summer squash, I followed LoriJean's directions. They were DELSIH. However, if I make this combo again, I will slice the squash, layer in single layer in my broiling pan, and top with a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and olive oil. Then broil well away from the heat for about 8 min., 4 on one side, then pull out, sprinkle crumbs on the other side and 4 more to finish. Not as cool looking, but very tasty and doesn't need all the constant attention that frying does. Can be prepared before starting pasta and then popped in the oven during pasta prep. I don't have a grill, but that would be a good option for a squash side for the fettucini. Here is a link that might be useful: Breaded fried yellow summer squash

I think these posts would make a great book. I certainly can't begin to top any of these stories. Some are hilarious. Mimsic: I think we must be related. What you described is how I grew up. Probably one incident I won't forget is the day my daughter prepared a meal for all her new inlaws and we were also invited. She set the table beautifully for everyone and when they sat down, instead of politely passing food (clockwise, I might add) they all stood up and grabbed for a dish, served themselves and put the dish back down. I will never forget the look of dismay on my dear, darling daughter's face. She couldn't believe it and neither could I. I do like to serve food hot, so when I call people to the table, the food is hot and ready to eat. My stepdaughter, husband and 7 children were here this summer from another state. When we all sat down to dinner and I was bringing in the last dish, they began singing which continued for what seemed like 10 to 20 minutes, never taking a pause so I could stop them. My point is that when you are a guest in someone's home, they usually direct how things will go at the table. I have another stepdaughter who came from a long distance for a weekend with hubby and 3 children. This was right after DH and I were married. We were at work when she arrived. I had a dinner planned to make when I arrived home, but when I arrived, she had all our pots out and had made some dinner with her own food for the family. there were dirty dishes and pots all over the kitchen. That was a surprise. Another time, they picnicked on our front lawn waiting for us to come home. They had a blanket spread and their food and ate and had a great time in front of all our neighbors. I say these things as my being appalled at basic manners being totally absent. My parents were simple folks but had good manners and there were simply things you didn't do. Oh Well. Love the people inspite of their differences.