Received my seeds today! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you Kamil and everyone! I'm just about to go start mine! I even got my favorite color, how's that for cool! Maybe we could do a swap based on color next time...Hm, I might have to start one of those based on purple.... :0) Thanks a bunch guys/gals it was fun!

Thanks OldTimeCarpenter1. Any thoughts on Santec or Sigma brand? Our two local plumbing supply stores don't carry California Faucets, which makes me curious as to why. I will have to see if I can find them somewhere to see them in person. I can say that based on what I see online I am not a fan of their logo imprint on the shower trim plate. I hate big logos (another reason why I like newport brass) I will be honest, I don't know much about fixture components. From what I have seen all the brands have plastic parts and from what I have read almost all have at least some components made in China. All I can see and know is how it looks and feels in the showroom. Some brands definitely feel more heavy and solid where as others feel light thin and plastic. I was actually surprised how many shower heads were actually plastic and not metal. I guess as with anything it is a balance between style, quality, and cost. My husband eliminated about 80-90% of the brands & styles when he insisted on a high neck victorian faucet that had a thicker trunk spout. He also did not want any shower trim plates where you could see screws. I want a stylish tub spout, so that eliminated the Delta, Moen and Kohler tub spouts which to me look like clunky builder grade Home Depot/Lowes specials. I also prefer that the shower trim plate have a built in diverter on the trim plate or a separate matching diverter. Kohler had nothing that fit our criteria until they came out with the new Artifacts line, however it is on the pricey side for Kohler. I wouldn't describe it as a "value" line, as it is coming in about 15% more than the newport brass. A quick look at Sigma, Santec, Graff, Calfornia, Rohl, etc....they are all priced higher than Newport Brass. Some by a lot. Are they a much higher quality in comparison?

cmg01 ~ Do you know how the Monogram microwave is different from the regular GE or GE Profile? We're considering the GE Profile PEB2060 but if the Monogram (which is a better-looking unit, IMO) is better, then we might pay for the upgrade... antss ~ Thanks. I will check out the Viking. I do LOVE the Panasonic microwaves -- both the look and their features. However, they don't make their own trim kits (I called and they referred me to Microtrim). I have only about a week to get this delivered for the contractor to install for us, so Microtrim will be cutting it close, and also they only make the trim w/ the slats, not the smooth kind. Most of the other brands I can just order directly from the dealer who got all of our kitchen appliances. We're already getting the Gaggenau Combi-Steam, so thought a "gee wiz bang speed oven" would be overkill (although I'd love one!). That's why we're going for a reg ol' microwave w/ trim kit.

Time for an update. 5 months (to the day) after receiving the NXR, it is finally installed. I ran into issues with cabinets and after exploring all options I could think of, finally gave up and installed the NXR as is. No range hood at this time until a kitchen remodel can be done and that is simply not in the budget anytime soon. The space I had to fit the NXR in is 30 1/8 inches wide. So I was a bit nervous about that. The main problem we ran into was the rear legs digging into the linoleum and stopping rearward progress. The guy helping me had a great idea and we dry soaped a couple of yardsticks, put them under the feet, and slid the range into that tight space. The adjustable feet were not very cooperative. We removed the toe kick and sorta had access to the front feet and no access to the rear feet. We could get one side to adjust, but not the other. The feet would not budge. The mistake we made was sliding the range in place before testing the foot adjustment. So we ended up shimming the left side feet. And finding a level reference was challenging too. I ended up using the oven racks as they seemed to be different from the front lip. I see no signs of any damage to the porcelain. The range was well packed and arrived without incident. I ran the burn in process. That is definitely stinky! And I am amazed at the burner control. From high, there are 3 steps ending in a simmer that looks barely enough to warm your hand. I had to turn off the kitchen lights just to see the flame at simmer. I bought a ChefAlarm and rack clip from Thermoworks to calibrate the oven. I hope to have time to do that soon. Testing oven accuracy Here are some pics of the burners. In the 4 burner shot, the lower left is high, then 1 click down going clockwise until the bottom right is at simmer. So far, I'm quite pleased with the NXR. I just need a new kitchen to go along with it! Edit: one thing I noticed (and it may be entirely normal) is that 30 minutes or so after doing the burn in process for the oven, the top of the oven door and the lip remained too hot to touch. Is that normal?