The following was asked: "Henry, do you know of research indicating mechanical transmission (pruners)?" H.Kuska comment: One place said if there were mites on the pruners. Otherwise no. The thesis that you and I looked at appeared to me to be saying that any transmission without the mite is very difficult.

I used to have the corner lazy susan like susannesl above. i now have the one that pulls out of the cabinet. It is SO SO much better. I also do not like to reach down for bottles. I tried it and nixed it. I too store it in the upper cabinet next to the stove. You never know what will work for you and what will not. I found that I have way more skinny things that stand up than I thought; cutting boards, baking trays, cooling racks, shallow baking dishes (ie pyrex), muffin tins, pie dishes, etc that they fill a large drawer with dividers. I under designed for the amount of stuff that stand up. She shows a skinny cabinet of about 18 inches. I have a 36 inch drawer with dividers that is full! I stand every that I can because it is so much easier to grab when needed. You do NOT have to move anything else to grab it. Here is a link that might be useful:

Wonderful article kaismom, thank you. I loved all but one of the kitchens shown, not bad! The one I didn't like was the dark grey kitchen with the low island. It is such a relief to me not to see all the giant appliances that North Americans demand. The pared back style I really appreciate as well.These kitchens seem lighter, breezier than many I see here. I could see me going thin counter as well, although I admit to loving the thick marbles I see on GW. Interesting to me (as a Canadian) that he grouped Cdn and American kitchen style together. I agree that we have the same kitchen products available to us in North America. That said, at least in TKO homes and design magazines, I do see a difference between the average American and Canadian kitchen. We still love those super large appliances like Americans do (I mean no offence, I have big appliances too, but wish I had the guts to go smaller), but our kitchens do seem a little less ornate and traditional, perhaps a little more willing to dabble into modern and possibly European, design. Maybe I'm wrong, just my impression from GW kitchens and kitchen magazines. I've been meaning to post a thread on house porn - interior design and kitchen design magazines. I've wondered if European design magazines are more available in Canada. There are two Cdn mags I read regularly, plus about 4 European magazines, so I get my European influence through those magazines I guess. Maybe I'll post that thread now - see if I'm missing some awesome magazine out there! House porn is definitely my guilty pleasure (as is the Houzz site!) Thanks again for the article, very interesting!

catherine, hah, I just realized that your email wasn't associated with the message...I received your post in my email account and I hit reply. I just checked, it wasn't from your email account, so I know you didn't get my response! sorry about that. Here is my email: Hi Catherine, First, thanks for the compliment. That is very nice of you to say. Glad you ordered samples from MS&T. Did you see the new colors? If you do order, make sure you talk to Mary Elizabeth there, she is so nice and she would love to know you saw my kitchen on GW or AT. (don't forget they are offering the 10% discount with the code "THERAPY". Now, as far as the grout goes... You will need to grout it. Although it looks like the tiles fit together snug, they have various spaces between them. It is handmade tile and each one varies slightly. Also, The grout gives the tile a different look. The grout sort of fills the space and helps everything look uniform. It's hard to describe, but, even though in the photos it looks like the tiles are not touching, underneath the grout, they are. It is the bevel that causes this. Very hard to describe. I have pictures somewhere of the tile during the process. I'll find them and email some of the photos of the tile pre grout. (send me an email so I can send them directly to you when I find them) Also, there is a 1/2 grout and 1/2 non-grout photo, that shows a lot too. You will also have to tell your installer that the tiles are set on an angle, rather than going across the bottom row first,then the second row, etc. It is more of a pyramid pattern. I know it sounds crazy, but this way you keep the vertical lines straight. Not sure if you want to tell your tile guy or not, but, it took twice as long to do this than was expected. Although, in all fairness, my "tile guy", is a friend who I didn't let see the actual tile until he showed up on a Saturday morning. He thought that they were on a sheet from the photos. He and my hubby worked from 10 am until around 1 am, then they were back at it on Sunday morning to finish laying the tile and then the grouting began on Sunday. They used a piping bag to fill the spaces with grout. I chose Permacrete White for the grout. Bill_V suggested this to me. He said it is the ONLY grout that is white that actually is all white. All the others have some sort of caramel color in them, and since this grout was going to be so critical to the design, I wanted my grout to be really white. Also, this stuff doesn't stain. Kind of important on a white backsplash. Also, the 10% extra rule? Go higher. Waste is much more than that. Ask Mary Elizabeth if you order extra if you can return it. Well, these are all my "tips". I'll find those photos, but I just wanted to get back to you and let you know, that I can't imagine NOT grouting this tile. -Bee