Paula, we have 5 fertilizer treatments per year. But our neighborhood is only 15 years old and almost everyone has a fertilizer treatment service. So, weeds haven't been a problem, for most of the neighborhood (the exception being the house about 300 feet away that's a dandelion farm). Hubby mows cross-directionally once a week. Most importantly, we have an irrigation system. Our lawn became much thicker and healthier when we installed it and it got all the water it needed. This pic was also taken in May, before the late-summer drought had set in.

As soon as I clicked on the grout color link and saw it led to Jablon, I wondered if you were using the "Jill mix". I'd recommend staying with a lighter grout. The delorean, what a huge mistake. I understand your angst now. I'd go as "white" as standard white grout, stepping down just a tad in grayness to the pearl if you want to avoid the white. The Silverado they recommend is on the dark edge for me. That's as dark as I'd go. My hokey analysis? With that tile I wouldn't want a grout that's darker than the tile. I'd go similar to slightly lighter, and I'd actually lean towards lighter. A darker grout will come to the visual forefront and break the wall into a grid, emphasizing the gazillion individual tiles. A similar to slightly lighter grout will sort of disappear into the background and let the tiles be the focal point, and allow the tiles to blend with one another across the wall. Just my opinion, and that's what this is about...how you personally perceive color, shade, and pattern. Your eye may be different than mine, your end goal may be different than what I'm picturing in my head. But the delorean gray? Ouch!

cpartist, You understand where I'm coming from. I'm not an artist, but I'm gathering photographs and making sketches (I'm certain they're not as good as yours), and I don't want to feel that I'm being a pest. On the other hand, I'm thinking about last fall when I had a guy over here to rip out my girls' hall bath tub (which was sinking into the crawl space -- not good) and replace it with a walk-in tile shower. I bought the tile myself -- large tile for the wall, small tile for the floor -- and I just assumed that he'd use the small tile as an accent in the storage niche. He thought I wanted it to blend in with the rest of the wall. Because I was here at the house while he was working, I saw what he was doing, and he did what I wanted. But if I hadn't been here, I couldn't have criticized him because I did not say I wanted the accent tile in the niche. Lesson learned. GreenDesigns, I believe what you're saying!

I love GW. I agree 100% with GreenDesigns and all of you who suggested that the range should go on the one wall without any openings and the refrigerator should go back on the wall where it was. In fact, the mental picture I had of the kitchen that way was so beautiful that I completely forgot how we ended up with the fridge in the middle of the other wall. So we tested it out and rolled the refrigerator around the room (it's nice to be able to do that since it's the only thing in there) and tried it out everywhere. And then I remembered how we ended up with it in the kitchen design no-no spot. It's a monster. It's a 31 cu. ft french door model that is basically 36"x36". On an unrelated note - it rolls around like a Cadillac - so easy to move! Here it is in it's proposed spot: Anyhow.... the little walls opposite from each other next to the doors to the living room and laundry room stick out not quite 35". The little wall on the other side by the dining room sticks out not quite 31". The doorways are tiny - the one on the south wall is only 30" wide. Putting the refrigerator on either end of the run that you all so wisely suggested just feels cramped both ways. On the dining room side the refrigerator door opens into the dining room opening which is where people always seem to congregate when we entertain. I was constantly having to open the refrigerator door in their face and say "Excuse me". On the other end of that run it makes the entry into the kitchen from the living room seem very cramped and makes for an odd view from the hall/living room. And we'd have the same problem of the refrigerator door swinging into the opening. I guess since that rubbed us the wrong way with the old layout we gravitated towards the polar opposite. I so badly wanted it to work that way you suggested, especially picturing the backsplash I want for the range, but the structure of this house (a very tiny 1950 tract home) is not cooperating. So I think we will have to break with design guidelines and stick that monster frig in the middle of the wall. Hopefully with the wall cabinets it won't look too strange in the middle of the counter run. I haven't given up on your suggestions completely. This is not our forever kitchen but it is our right-now kitchen so we have to go with what feels most comfortable even if it looks a little odd. If we ever have the opportunity to build a larger kitchen I am keeping GreenDesigns suggestion in my notes because I LOVE the idea of a range in the middle of a larger counter run and the refrigerator wall as more of a snack center with a smaller counter run to one side and the toaster oven right there. And I haven't abandoned the idea for this kitchen entirely yet either... Thank you so much! I have learned so much from this discussion. I'll definitely post pictures of whatever we decide to do and I'm sure this won't be my last question. Back I go to rolling the refrigerator around...