Much of Southwest Michigan has sand for soil, although there are pockest of thick clay, and if what you have is that sand you need to add lots of organic matter so that sand will be able to hold nutrients and moisture in that soil since sand tends to drain really well. However, if you have clay you will also need to add lots of organic matter to seperate the clay soil particles so these same nutrients and moisture will be able to move through that clay to the plant roots that will also need that organic matter to move around in that clay. Contact your local office of the Michigan State University USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you know what your soils pH is and what, if anything, needs to be done to correct that as well as the base nutrient levels. When your soil is workable dig in with these simple soil tests to see what you have, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. and what you need to do to make your soil into a good, healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants. Manure should not be added to your garden until after it has been properly composted due to the potential for disease pathogens that are present in all manures. The current issue of Organic Gardening magazine has an article that states manures should not be added to any garden unless it has been composted or aged 12 months, which would be a major waste of the nutrients in that manure. Here is a link that might be useful: MSU CES

Yes, lightlystarched, bmorepanic and salmon_slayer (what a name!), I agree, that 'V' is bothering me too. Do you think it would work if we just softened the 'V' and the countertop corners on the cabinet or would it still be too large? I am hoping to put an undercounter refrigerator there so a smaller one would not work for that purpose. But also don't want to create an eyesore. So I keep looking for pictures of something similar but haven't found anything yet. salmon_slayer, we are going with Elm cabinets, it is a local brand here (NJ), marketed as "reasonably priced" (they think :)) custom cabinets. We saw them at a neighbor's house and were very impressed so decided to use them too. One benefit - same price for inset as for full overlay. I was very happy about that and decided to go with the inset but now learning it may be harder to achieve the integrated look with the dishwasher (the doors on the full overlay help to cover more of the appliances, something I didn't consider previously), so now thinking about that one again. As far as the microwave goes, KD suggested the cabinet above the appliance garage. Well, it is very far from the fridge and also right next to the basement door. Our laundry and also a play area are in the basement so there is some traffic. Should I be concerned about it? The other option is the upper cabinet next to the refrigerator but even apart from the way it would look, it would mean dividing the upper cabinets on both sides of the range into a 24" and a 10" so loosing some storage on the right side as well.

Thanks all. I think I really am looking for something simple, not outstanding and something that will blend nicely without shouting, "Look at me!" Subtle is best in my book and I think the countertop speaks loudly enough. I couldn't think of or find any other "colors" or "textures" beside the darker gray that would do just that. It was late when I posted so I forgot I had pictures of the tiles, duh, that helps huh? I think the minimalist idea but not harsh and stark and cold is what this kitchen needs. I wasn't thinking in terms of feminine just with so many darks I didn't want it to appear at first glance that many men lived here, (although three out of five do!!). They really could care less anyway, just strive to make the mom happy. What a blessing! Anyway, try to imagine a 7x20 tile laid lengthwise with about 1/8 in tiny bit deeper color grout. Now what do you think? Without the tiny tiles inlaid. Remember: Place them lengthwise in your mind and keep in mind that EXPO uses flourescent lighting and I have lots of overhead lighting plus zenon undercabinet lighting. Thanks again!

When you use the internet, you are tracked in more ways than you can imagine. We can tell what sites you go to, what you're interested in, estimate at your gender and age range and all of that demographic and behavioral information is used for targeted advertising. So if you post on a cruise ship forum, that's why you sometimes see a Royal Caribbean cruise advertisement next time you're on Yahoo mail even though they are completely different sites. You can delete cookies and I'm sure there are programs to give you more privacy but when you choose to use the internet, that is what happens. Facebook, as well as millions of other sites, knows exactly what you look at, how long you look at it and what you do before and afterwards. It's intrusive but it's legal and it's definitely the reality so you either have to defend yourself against it, ignore it, or don't use the internet. Facebook makes its money from advertising. And advertisers use it because they can choose locations, age and interests of the users. And Facebook provides that because they track it. You agree to it when you sign up. Sorry but I can't help with your question about how to get rid of it as I've never seen that before. I just wanted to help answer your "why" question. :)