One of my machines is a Kenmore, too, PM. It was a gift from a boyfriend and the only thing I use it for is making buttonholes. I oil it and clean it before using it as I don't haul it out very often. You can indeed knock a machine out of time by hitting a pin, but that's pretty unusual. Generally speaking, sewing machines are amazingly resilient and will suffer untold abuse without breaking down. The number one cause of failure is LACK OF OIL; coupled with accumulated fabric lint (which soaks up the residual oil robbing the moving parts of it) it can be really bad news. After that, the wrong needle is often used in a machine, or it's put in incorrectly (either will result in failure to pick up the bobbin thread, often mistaken for a timing issue). And then there is the often frustrating issue of properly tensioning the machine... which is covered in the manual and only takes some guts and some practice to master. In fact, when faced with a new hire, tension and proper needle installation are the first things I teach. To make sure the lesson is mastered I deliberatly monkey with the tension while the person is in the bathroom, lol. I do not sew over pins. I tend to use only a few anyway, but sewing over them is asking for trouble. You ruin the pins (they bend under the presser foot and are harder to use later), you can break them or your needle, and when broken they often fly away from the machine. Flying bits of broken metal near eyes is a fully avoidable risk, right up there with not putting your fingers directly in front of the needle. ;) "Safen up!". More warnings for black ice this morning. And I instantly thought of V.'s daughter when I saw the cancellations at O'Hare. I always wear my boots, a holdover from living in the "boonies" and driving home in all sorts of weather, often not passing another car for the entire 20 miles. Best to be prepared for a long, cold walk. I have not left the Compound ONCE since last Wednesday, though today may break the run. On my list of things to do this week is buy some greens for the decorations, and some wrapping paper and ribbon. We don't have our lists ready and they won't be long or particularly tough on our wallets. I VERY much want to see the decorations from Monique and Less!! I love varigated Holly and haven't seen it available in my usual haunts. I'm actually toying with the notion of planting a couple of them... what do you think, too flashy or pleasingly sparkley for a dark time of year? Tales of layers of pastry and butter made my mouth water. I could almost feel my hindquarters spreading across the seat of my chair as I read... . Back to watery gruel for me! I have to get a coat/two of pickling on one more piece of wood in preparation for the helpmeet's assault on the stairwell railing. I'd love to hear from ailing Eden about her present project and it's progression. You've crossed my mind periodically as I've plugged away on my own.

@Hugo Beltran: "Item was delivered and it is not operational. Ikea expects you to deliver it back to the store at your own cost and inconvenience." The warranty clearly states that "The limited warranty will pay for factory specified parts and repair labor to correct defects in materials or workmanship that existed when the major appliance was purchased." and "Pickup and delivery. This major appliance is intended to be repaired in your home." -- IKEA Limited Warranties

Jeri, First off sorry for the confusion and stating you had gotten a good deal on the Garrison DaVinci since I meant to address that section of my post to vestirse who was the purchaser. Confident? LOL Believe me I still ask myself if I should have went with two of my other choices on the ultimate short list. One of the is Hallmark Hallwoods Sapele from their Exotics line. It is a smooth finish and leans more towards the contemporary or formal look. I bought a box of it too and in the right lighting the 22 sqft of it is AMAZINGLY beautiful. It has an incredible grain that shimmers. However, since I am laying down 1300sqft the lighting in the hallways, entryway, living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen all varies of course. So in the end considering that and my concerns that it was less dense than the other two choices and that it may be slightly a bit too reddish I decided against it. The other short-list contender that was seriously weighed was the new Ernest Hemingway Wild Amber (which is actually Acacia) that just came on the market a few weeks ago. I actually delayed my purchasing decision because I wanted to see it before doing so. It was actually the designers first choice and it is definitely gorgeous and the construction is top notch (as is the Hallmark). However, I was skeptical that it would look too busy in the large open areas because it only came in 1 to 4' lengths and it does have a pronounced (and beautiful) grain. Throw in the fact that at the point I decided to just take the designer's advice (which has not failed me yet nor have I disliked any of the work he has done for other clients) I was unable to make the purchase because the initial shipment of the Wild Amber to the manufacturer had completely sold out (17K sqft). One of my concerns with Tigerwood (which I have always liked) is the variance of color I had seen between samples from different manufacturers in my local flooring stores. However, the Zinfandel Tigerwood has a slight golden stain which I suspected would even things out a bit. Thus, I decided to take a chance and buy a box because I think the "tiger" striping is gorgeous and would provide the body and character the designer and I are looking for (otherwise I'd just buy laminate ;-)). Obviously, it did turn out to be gorgeous and the slight stain did provide the result I was looking for. The designer was hoping for more of the striping and it to be a bit darker (less golden) but I told him to not to worry because I ordered more than the recommended 7% scrap to ensure that I get as much long lengths and striping as possible and given Tigerwood is photosensitive it will most definitely darken. ;-) Needless to say I am totally excited. The only bummer so far is that the my order got stuck at the local freight company's warehouse for the weekend given all their trucks were already out for delivery when it arrived on Friday and that they will not do the "inside" delivery option I paid for. Oh well, if that is the only hitch to my new flooring I can most certainly live with that! I will definitely post some photos after the install (which should be in about 3 weeks) since I live in Scottsdale, AZ. However, I guess that is not too far for you to drive especially if you wanted to tie it into a weekend getaway. ;-)

Well, that puts a whole different cast on things. And, no need to apologize for being "long winded." Nobody ever accused me of being brief. Being explicit often helps get the information you need. If I were looking to sell and move in a couple of years, my own inclinations would come from working on my own houses and working with and for remodelers and renovators. (The video business sometimes gets pretty slow so I've had a checkered career over the last couple of decades.). Let me just say that I would be reluctant to spend any more on the kitchen renovation than I had to. It is very difficult to predict buyers' tastes, HGTV to the contrary notwithstanding. Simply put, some buyers will love what you do, some won't care one way or the other, and some will start gutting your kitchen the day after closing. I'll offer these thoughts for the things I'd consider for renovation for a near term sale. (a) wherever you put the new stove location, run both a 240v line and a gas line for maximum flexibility. You or anybody who comes after you can put in whatever kind of stove they like, gas, duel fuel, coil burner, radiant smoothtop or induction. Around here, that seems to matter more than the stove you leave behind. YMMV, of course. (This advice assumes that you do not have a slab-on grade house or major difficulties in running either new electrical or new gas plumbing.) (b) I'd skip the counter-depth fridge. As with slide-in ranges versus freestanding ranges, you may be paying a very large premium in price (and diminished storage capacity) for what may be mostly an aesthetic advantage. Again, YYMV, though. I don't know the specifics of your kitchen or the market for your house. There can be places where a CD fridge might be the only practical choice for the space and places where hardly any buyers care about refrigerator capacity. (c) Unless I were planning on taking the stove with me, I would skip consideration of any of the more expensive induction ranges. Actually, I would seriously consider that Samsung FTQ induction range simply because of the price. Assuming, of course, that the burner layout is not too weird for you. Like most induction ranges, It should be very easy to keep clean for showings. (Read the cleaning tips here, buy some microfiber towels, and get some cermic-glass cooktop cleaner/polish.) FWIW, Consumer Reports had the FTQ on its list of recommended induction ranges through the end of last year, two years after Samsung discontinued the model. As long as yours was made after 2010, it shouldn't have the cooling fan problems that generated most of the adverse comments. You might be using it only for next two years and it very likely will outlast that time. (It might last for decades. We just don't know.) At a clearance price, it should be far and away the least expensive choice, down there with coil burner ranges. It will likely beat the pants off any other inexpensive range you might put in there, both in terms of cooking capacity and ease of cleaning. Depending on your neighborhood and your real estate market, it could give you a bit of additional cachet -- "gourmet kitchen with induction range" and all that. Meanwhile, If "hubby" is doing his Mario imitations with Batali branded cookware, so much the better. The Batali enameled cast-iron (made, I think, by Dansk) works very, very well on induction. A final comment from a couple of posts back. You are in the NY area? Have a look at AJ Madison. The freestanding GE is currently $1709 there. If you can wait to the Labor Day sales, the least expensive Kenmore induction range will likely be under $1300. I've seen the current lower-end Samsung induction range, the NE595NOPBSR, down around $1200. (More conventional burner arrangement and pretty highly rated by CR, for what that is worth.) Since the Samsung FTQ has been discontinued for a couple of years, I'd offer $700 for it. Maybe have a look at what Sears is asking for ranges on the clearance pages.