Thanks all; sounds like I'm not the only one that has trouble deciding from time to time. I agree with the difference between liking pictures in a book or online versus living in it. I remember about 4 years ago, maybe 5, I loved the shabby chic pink look. I just knew I wanted it. I did two rooms in all white - one has lots of light blue accents, the other pinks and lavenders. They looked really good - straight out a magazine. I hated both of them. Even though I liked the look, I couldn't stand being in the rooms. One was redone in rich reds and gold and black, the other in, uh, gold, and rich reds. Hmmmm .... I'm sensing a pattern here. Thankfully (at least I *think* it's a good thing) I uncovered a new element - something that's going to restrict my choices a bit and therefore hopefully make the decision less stressful. When I was ripping up the various kitchen flooring layers .... carpet on top of pad on top of old vinyl on top of underlayment ... I accidentally ripped up a piece of the underlayment. I didn't mean too, was planning on putting the new floor (hadn't decided yet, was waiting on updated budget figures) and guess what I found? Yup, the kitchen had hardwood under there too! Hallelujah! It, however, is different than in the rest of the house. It's a wider plank, wider spacing, a MUCH more casual look and a more porus wood - meaning if I use the same stain it will not look the same and will likely look funny where they join. That led me to choose a contrasting stain choice so that it looked purposeful. I was torn between ebony (with cream cabinets), weathered / distressed barnwood (with either cream, black or barn red cabinets) and whitewash (with black cabinetry). Today when I started sanding, it became clear that I was likely not going to get it sanded white enough (without sanding down so deep I hurt it) to do a whitewash. The floor has gaps and grooves and the stain color fills those low spots. Trying to sand down that deep will leave me with a paper thin floor. That takes that color out of the options.

@ justmetoo----His now 21 year old son assaulted me, not the one that lives with us now. His mother does feed him stories and has for years let them in on the finances and done everything in her power to cause trouble and discontent. To be honest, in my opinion, this all went off the rails with this particular child when WE bought him a car. After my husband and I did this he kept the ca for about 2 months and decided that he didn't want it anymore. I had a truck that we were not using so SS came to me and said he wanted to buy it because, a. he wanted a truck, b. it would teach him what it was like to have financial responsibility. I should have seen through that right there, because I don't know many kids that would say that. I was honestly against it because I saw nothing but trouble, but after all the hounding I got from my husband and SS, I gave in just to shut them up. I stipulated that there would be rules, the vehicle would not be his until he paid it in full, it could not be driven out of the local area further than 50 miles, and since it was in my name and under my insurance he was not to haul all his friends around and he had to let us know where he was going. Keep in mind at the time he was 16, so I don't think I was being to unreasonable. That was fine for about 2 months and suddenly he stopped paying (payments were $50/month), breaking curfew, rude, sassy, etc. He wants to put the vehicle under his mothers insurance, because she doesn't have to know where he goes. Then he decides he doesn't want this vehicle and he wants to sell it and buy something else. Now I have no way of knowing what my husband and his son discussed or concocted, and they are famous for making little deals and leaving me out of the loop. (That's another issue) So, I agreed to allow him to sell it with the stipulation that he only keep what was leftover from what he owed us because I just wanted to be rid of the situation.. Well you would have thought I was asking for his first born, because suddenly he doesn't understand why he has to pay for something that had been given to me in the first place and why did I not just give him the vehicle. So he sells it and when my husband does not turn over the full amount to him, he says, "Mom told me you would not give me what you owed me!" HAHA BINGO! So I told my husband, BM is obviously planting seeds in his head, which you can't reason with this woman she is a nut job, we have tried. He gets a new car with his mother and adds it to his insurance and in even more attitude, he came over one night to fight with my husband about this entire transaction. Do I know if my husband has lied to him? No, I do not, however that is no excuse to talk to your father that way. In my opinion, bottom line SS is mad because he did not get what he wanted from us. This is the same child that asked his Dad to change the custody agreement so that he could stay with us more because he did not like living at his mothers house because everyone fights there all the time, per him. My husband even gave him $400 to register his new car that he got with his BM with the understanding that he would pay it back because he is working. This was 6 months ago and the boy has yet to make any attempt to give us anything, in fact he told his Dad in the past few weeks, "I don't have any F*&^ing money, so why would I give you any? I'm not paying you back." NICE! My husband left his son OVER $300 for lunch, food, etc whilst he has been away, gives him money to eat when the SS is at work, school, to go out with his friends....but the boy has a job, he is already in college. I feel that we have done so much for him and all he does in expect more and disrespect more. He will walk right past me in my home and look right through me and not say a word. I feel that I have done more for him in the 5 years I have been married than his own mother does for him. Its just a mess and it makes me very sad because it was NOT always like this. We used to do things as a family, have dinner together, go on trips and now I can't stand the sight of him.

Yes, all our recycling has to be clean, and because containers have a tendency to "nest" in the recycling bin, I need the stuff dry before I throw it in there, to avoid mold etc, as recycling is only picked up every two weeks. We recycle and compost more than we trash these days. Good, but requires more logistical organization than the old kitchen provided. I don't think you can underestimate the amount of yogurt three girls go through :-) beth09 I saw it at BB&B, but ended up buying it at Homesense for $30 CDN. It does pay to shop around - I got my kitchen sink half price on Amazon during a flash sale! sjhockeyfan - thanks for the tip - true we do use powdered detergent hmmm....

I'm so glad you're enjoying that, Jasdip! I started to read it when it first came out, and had been billed as sci fi, was appalled in a feminist way with the opening bits, and when it turned out to be Scotland, I threw the book across the room. I've actually enjoyed the TV show, which is ridiculous in the plotting (but no more so than other romantic adventures) but fun, and a feast for the eyes. I admit, there might have been worth in the books past those opening bits, but I just can't go there. I also threw a John Grisham novel across the room. It was from later in his career, so I assume it was suffering from I'm-too-famous-to-be-edited-itis. The only book I regret not finishing is The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead. I read most of it when it first came out, loved it, but real life made me put it down for awhile, and I would have had to start over to finish it. I should put it on my list. Many authors don't know how to end, and there comes a point where they run out of steam 2/3 of the way through. I feel no compunction abandoning them when I feel they’ve abandoned me! But I had wanted to finish The Intuitionist, and really should. @Neely, so sorry! I forgot about the play. That may be the inspiration for the title. The Resistance book is by Sonia Purnell, an Englishwoman of merit. Full title: A Woman of no Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. I do belong to a group of readers, and every so often we do all read the same thing, but more often we discuss what we're reading, ourselves, or have a general theme where we all choose our own books. Sometimes, it’s more like book reports than a discussion group, but the books are interesting, because people like what they're reading, and when we all read the same book, it's usually something old and seminal, so likely to be enjoyed by all. Usually, people will also be reading up about the authors, related materials, Interpretations in other media, etc., rather than a single book. It's very different from the standard book club format. Re food in novelss, generally, I’m not too impressed. Nero Wolfe was a character who was both gourmet and gourmand, and discussed food a lot. A paperback edition of the books awhile back included afterwords with recipes, I think also by Rex Stout (the author). One of them, which has stuck with me for many years is scrambled eggs. His recommendation: cook on very low heat, and as edges form, worry them, until the eggs are cooked. I've always thought that must lead to phenomenal eggs, but I've never had the urge to try it. ;D Today, I probably don’t have time, but I just got a beautiful cabbage. I read or saw something about braising it with salty things between the leaves. I want to try that.