So, I guess "the order" I pile things in and the amount of each "ingredient" isn't critical? I have goats, chickens and turkeys, too. Would it be better for me to add their manure in the compost pile or keep it aging separately for just fertilizer? Thanks for reminding to not sweat the small stuff! I think I'm a little preoccupied with gleaning wisdom because we're working on a perennial garden and I really want to set us up doing the correct stuff. The guys are building me raised beds and I'm hoping we'll do most of it well so we can end up with a garden we can harvest from for many years. PS. I'm not a den mother at a frat house. I've got dad, hubby, and four sons who said they'd "water" the compost piles for me :) Although, now that I think of it, I probably will end up with more than that. I'm sure it'll be on top of the list of things to do for my sons' friends, too! LOL! All, I know is me and my daughter removed ourselves from the list of participants. I'm going to try and find some of the threads you suggested. Thanks. I got a little overwhelmed. It seems like everytime I read a thread I get sidetracked with interest in all the interesting sidetalks and other ideas new to me in them, and then I'm confused about the compost recipe parts. Thanks for the info. I'll keep checking back for replies. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated!

Finestra- we are the ones working w/ Dutch Wood, not Michelle (at least I don't think she is). I had posted the thread to let Michelle know our experiences. Anyway, we continue to be very happy w/ Dutch Wood. They are very quick at getting drawings done, very detail oriented, have noticed and fixed things when doing markings at the house our contractor didn't have right, and seem excited about our project (which involves some unusual things that create a lot more work for them) and committed to making sure it comes out right (I think Jason spent several hours at our build-site one day getting the angles perfect for a triangular bookcase we are building to go up to a peaked ceiling). We are getting full overlay cabinets, solid wood, 3/4 inch plywood, painted finish, soft close on all cabinets/drawers, etc, full extension drawers, and pretty much all glass on uppers. Lots of pull-outs, etc. Our kitchen quote is around $35,000 for everything you see below (not the countertops, those are coming from someone else): My photoshop mock-up to give you an idea, which is almost-but-not-quite updated to the latest version: Based on my quote sheet, it looks like 15.5 feet of painted base and wall cabinets along that cooktop wall is $418/ft. To take that wall of cabinets to out 9 ft. ceilings w/o any gap (other than for crown) is an extra $40/door. Extras and additions have been very affordable, and they do also have an econo-line grade of cabinets that costs less that we are using for our closets and pantry which is still solid wood, it is just 1/2 inch plywood instead of 3/4 inch plywood (note that going up to 1/2 inch plywood is an upgrade on some cabinet lines like Kraftmaid). There are a ton of "extras" included w/ Dutch Wood's basic price as well. Tom posted a brochure here: which can be found in this thread Our cabinets will not begin to be installed until May, but we did see a kitchen in another house our builder built that was made by Dutch Wood which looked wonderful and the more I see of their work versus other cabinets I see elsewhere, the happier I am that we went w/ them.

San, Fine Cooking magazine is always a great source for new ways with vegetables. We love the recipe from them for Roasted Green Beans: Roasted Green Beans with Garlic Source: Marilyn (from Fine Cooking) 1 1/2 pound fresh green beans 1 small head garlic (I use only 6 to 8 cloves) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh ground pepper to taste 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Wash, trim and dry green beans. Position oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 450° (425° is using dark pan) and place a baking sheet in the oven. Peel each garlic clove and cut each into 4 pieces. Place green beans in a large bowl along with garlic, oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly and pour onto hot baking sheet in a single layer. Roast beans for 10 minutes, stir and continue to roast another 5 minutes if beans are slim and another 10 minutes if beans are thick. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese. And yesterday I made a wonderful cauliflower dish from them. The cauliflower is browned first so it makes a beautiful carmelized combination: Browned Cauliflower with Anchovies, Olives and Capers 1 medium-small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds) 1 large clove garlic pinch coarse salt- sea or kosher 6 oil packed anchovy filets, drained (I used 1 tablespoon anchovy paste) 1/4 cup EVOO 15 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, more to taste (this really made the dish pop!) 2 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped (I left these whole) 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I left out) Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes Clean and cut cauliflower into chunks, keeping florets attached to pieces of stem. Crush garlic with salt into a paste and add anchovies and pound them to a paste as well (since I used anchovy paste I just stirred it into crushed garlic). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, olives, lemon juice and zest, capers and red pepper flakes; stir well. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add half the cauliflower pieces in a single layer, cut side down. Cook until cauliflower is well browned on all sides then transfer to plate. Add the remaining cauliflower and more EVOO if necessary and brown on all sides. Add cauliflower from plate to cauliflower in pan and turn the heat down to low. Carefully add 2/3 cup (I only used 1/4 cup) water; cover and let steam until the stems are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon cooking liquid (or place in a serving bowl). Gently fold in anchovy mixture. Serve warm or room temperature. *This is my new favorite way to eat cauliflower! Marilyn

Lose the mini fridge if you really want to use the space. A couple of pictures of the space would be helpful 24” is not much roomto play with maybe check out Ikea for solutions this would be one way I guess to use that small space but once all the other stuff is in I am not sure where your printer would go. I also would like a door on it for a guest space since people snoop I have found.