Today, I had the privilege of seeing mamadadapaige's kitchen and I have to say the pics just do not do it justice. It is even more amazing in real life! The quality of the Crown Point cabinets is evident, by the subtle finishing details that only a true craftsman provides. The Ocean Green granite looks like a mixure of soapstone and green marble. It's smooth honed finish tops off the lovely veining and deep, but not dark green color. Her butcher block countertop provides the warming contrast and balance to the granite. The large window over that sink that provides a wonderful view of the water and boats in the inlet. The rangecraft hood, the tile backsplash, her choice of hardware and all the other details that make this kitchen one of GW's favorites are just so well put together. mamadadapaige truly has a magazine worthy kitchen and she is as friendly and helpful in person as she is online! Thank you mama, you really helped me today!

I'm pretty picky and I honestly can't see anything worth redoing. If it's off, it's only off by a hair, unless the picture isn't accurately duplicating what you see IRL. Truthfully, though, it does annoy me, too, when things can be lined up perfectly and they aren't. I mean, why not make it perfect if you can? But most people don't think that way so if you are going to have others do things for you, you have to get over the small stuff and this sure looks really, really small.

@benjesbride , if you have so little space, you'll inevitably have to think harder and you'll have to make compromises. Some of these compromises might save a little money, others ironically will cost a good amount more. But hopefully, by buying a smaller house in a private sale, some money can be saved which would be available to splurge on one or two customized space-saving items. Let's daydream and think about a perfect kitchen for @AMS. She can then gradually eliminate things that are too expensive or don't have enough of an advantage. First of all, I would make all appliances no more than 24" wide. A 24" stove isn't normally what I like to cook on. But in a tiny kitchen that frequently only needs to make food for one person, that's fine. It is possible to find 24" induction cooktops, although that frequently means that there are only three zones. @AMS would need to decide whether that's a problem. I found one four-zone induction cooktop, but I have no idea how well it works. An induction cooktop also puts a little less strain on the venting requirements. So, maybe the hood can be more compact. I'd for once consider not having the customary 3" extra on each side. Next, I would think very hard how much both an oven and a microwave is really needed. That takes up a lot of space. In my first apartment, I lived 8 years without ever needing a microwave. If you have a small household without kids, it's often not that important. Just wait a few seconds longer for the stove to heat things. On the other hand, if this is not acceptable, then consider getting a combined microwave and convection oven (aka SpeedOven). They are expensive, but very space efficient. Or if @AMS wants to be more flexible in how to use the oven, get a combination steam oven (expensive!) and forgo the microwave. It's not a 100% replacement. But in many cases it can do comparable tasks with reasonable efficiency. And it also functions as a very versatile primary cooking appliance. Reduce the number of counter tops, so that there is more space for lots of cabinets with lots of drawers. This means, the remaining counter-tops have to be very efficient. Custom cabinets can allow for all sorts of useful temporary surfaces that fold away after use. Speaking of custom cabinets with so little space, I would consider getting toe-kick drawers and making the cabinets as tall as possible. Use every little bit of available space to your advantage. And if the budget allows for a custom sink, then take a look at this very compact and functional [24" sink[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/am-i-crazy-to-want-a-24-sink-dsvw-vd~4647411). It becomes the primary prep area and eliminates the need for some of the traditional counter tops. Instead of a bulky refrigerator in the kitchen, install space efficient 24" refrigerator drawers. I think, Perlick makes the ones that have the most usable interior space. Not cheap, though. Then put a traditional fridge into the garage for items that aren't used as frequently. Or maybe, if @AMS is really disciplined, forget about extra fridge space and just put a chest freezer into the garage. Finally, depending on just how much cooking @AMS does, she could eliminate the dish washer. Personally, I could never go back to a household that doesn't have one. But some people seem perfectly content to wash by hand. And it certainly does save space. I am sure there are all sorts of other cool tricks. But this is what springs to mind for now. Once, @AMS posts actual drawings and tells us more about what is and isn't important to her, we can proceed to give much more personalized advice.

I’m back to report that I had a reply to my email to the US DA office, yesterday. I have mixed feelings about the email she sent me. I felt she was both contradictory and a bit condescending. She started off by telling me that IF I had contacted them immediately, THEN they would have been happy to replace the rose. This is true, I did wait too long to contact them. I couldn’t decide if I should bother doing so, or not. I also potted ‘Sister Elizabeth’ up temporarily and asked for opinions here, before proceeding. Although I had clearly explained in my email that I had just potted ‘Sister Elizabeth’ up in that small pot temporarily, while deciding what to do with her, she “scolded” me for planting her too high! She said the roots were too close to the surface and were nearly exposed. She went on to say the union should be planted at ground level, yada yada.... This felt particularly insulting to me, as I had already explained that I had PLANNED to put her into the ground, in a gopher cage, deep enough to eventually go ownroot.(before I saw the graft.) I honestly didn’t know if they’d want the rose back, or would want further pictures. Like I said, I’m not looking for extra work, so if I was going to complain, I wasn’t going to go through the trouble of planting her properly. I believe that by mentioning that I had already contacted the UK office and sent pictures of the graft, I accomplished two things. I managed to irritate her from the start, AND I’m being sent a free replacement ‘Sister Elizabeth’. She told me that there was nothing the UK office could do for me, and my email would most likely just be forwarded to her. She did include the obligatory “sorry for your trouble”, and “have a nice day” type niceties. According to my computer, three minutes after she sent this email, I received a receipt for a new ‘Sister Elizabeth’. The balance was zero. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. It will depend on what the new ‘Sister Elizabeth’ looks like. They are replacing the rose, so I’m grateful for that. I can’t help be feel that if I hadn’t told her that I had contacted the UK office and sent photos, that I might not be receiving a replacement. I hope the new one looks better than the first ‘Sister Elizabeth’. Lisa