Caliloo, You have no reason to apologize. I've got total respect for you and most others here. I value all info my tiny brain can soak up and enjoy your posts. I tried my hardest to do as I've learned from past experience and just avoid the posts of users I'd prefer not to converse with. But this one resident complainer shouldn't call people out on a public forum like they do. My apologies to you also if you thought I was talking directly to you on a different topic. It was addressed more to a group as a whole, since I've seen quit a bit of bickering on here lately.

I think Dune matches the best in the picture (but pictures aren't the same as real life). The marble looks good, and very rich. Thebes is too dark, and it looks like Porcelain is too blue. I like the brightness of Papyrus, however, and think it's worth continuing to consider. Good drawing. I hadn't realized there was wall over the windows. That area was there in the previous drawings, but I had interpreted it as ceiling. Question: Is the bottom of the cabinet on a line with the bottom of the hood? Usually it's a lot lower. Looking at your nice drawing, I'm thinking it would look better either to tile the whole wall, or to stop the tile at the bottom of the hood. This can be done, but it's outside of my experience, so you'll have to ask someone else the best way to trim it so that it has a nice finish, and how to set the hood so that it's in the right place vis-a-vis the thickness of the tiling. Doing that with the wall color on the sides of the hood flare will give you a better horizontal illusion.

[Warning-long] I was ready to jump in and say your husband-her son-should be doing more UNTIL...you mentioned he sees his mom every day! I'm in a similar situation; my MIL just turned 90 last week. She lives a couple of blocks away and has dementia; her short term memory is completely shot. She doesn't overtly demand attention as yours is doing, but she has no friends, no activities, no life at all really. So she sits alone all day long. Visits from my husband who stops in twice daily and his brother who comes by weekly are her only contact with the world. What has worked for us is that we divide our commitment to MIL into 'operations' which is my husband's role and 'logistics' which is mine. So for example, he sees her every day, visits, talks, listens to her repeat the same question or phrase, literally, every 2 minutes for the duration of the conversation. I handle the administrative end of her needs: I was the one who figured out how to order copies of her birth certificate needed for ID renewal because she is far too gone to even know she needs one, much less get it. I was the one who advocated for her care, and figured out the billing and financial fallout from the hospital and rehab facilities when she broke her hip-my husband was the one who visited her every single day. I also went to see her but I knew he wouldn't miss a day, and he knew I wouldn't let her be gouged by incorrect charges that would have also freaked out her depression era mind. This balance takes care of her needs and perhaps as importantly it allows each of us to give what we can give best. I am not a patient woman so the dementia-fueled nonsense conversations drive me nuts--not to mention that as her social filters erode she regularly tosses zingers my way with no shame: "Are you wearing THAT to work?" "What happened to your hair? " "I've just never liked professional women". My husband is her adored son and a male. MIL is one of the worst throwbacks to the men-are-gods mindset I've ever met so she never says anything snarky to him. While he doesn't mind answering the same silly question repeatedly, and he is happy to sit and watch tv with her while explaining the plot over and over and over and over, he is terrified and inept at navigating through online or telephone customer service portals and deciphering administrivia paperwork. We also stay in touch with BIL/SIL and try to balance the caretaking with them. Luckily they are both decent people who also want to be sure MIL is ok and it's such a relief not to have it all on our shoulders, although because we're so close we tend to more for her on a daily basis. My husband is a saint, in my book! At this point for your own sanity my advice is pretty simple: stop answering the phone every time she calls. If her own child is visiting *every* *single* *day*, then she isn't left all alone. If she wants or needs more socialization or stimulation then you are actually hindering her taking control of her own life and getting that somewhere-because you are allowing yourself to be used by your MIL in that role. If you are at the point at which you cannot give as much as she is asking of you with grace, it's the sure indicator you need to step back and allow your heart to refill to the point at which you can. Don't try to pour from an empty cup. Just figure out what you can do without resentment, do it and then know in your heart you are doing your best. And please don't lose sight of just what a caring and loving daughter in law you are. Millions of elderly folks live without anyone in their lives. Your MIL is blessed no matter how much or little you handle, whether she knows it or not. Needs also change over time and with elderly relatives the changes are usually more demanding not less. Don't let yourself be drained now because she may well need you at some point for much more than errands and companionship. Taking back your life is going to help her too and taking care of your home and family is going to help your husband, of course. It's not being selfish, it is being wise to stop spreading yourself so thin you are disappearing! Ann

Step number one for serving double cut rib lamb chops is just handing over the credit card. The price is scary. :) When I was a little kid, however, and people asked, "What's your favorite food?", other kids would say "Ice cream" and I'd say "lamb chops". :) I buy them at Whole Foods. They're lovely, tiny New Zealand lamb. I'd like to like Colorado, but I just don't, and I haven't seen California in ages. Ratatouille is dead easy. I do use some wine like Madeira or Port to deglaze after I brown the onions, and I prefer not to overload the herbs. It's eggplant and squash in tomatoes stew, not spaghetti sauce, so I just use basil, or basil and marjoram. If I'm short for time, I'll use good canned tomatoes, but always put in some fresh ripe romas as well. Peas are NOT called for. I just wanted to eat them. :) If you have some veg you just want to use up, you can just throw it in as well. Balance the sweetness or bitterness, and make sure it doesn't overwhelm the basic flavor. Lars, I hear you. Even the Microsoft rep hated 8. I skipped right from XP to 10. The first time I saw 10, when I was helping a friend, it made me cry. Buckets. I'm a dinosaur now, but I was a programmer in my youth. Computers are usually my friends. It made me cry. But now that I know how to find the tree, we've made up. I got a Surface Book, and most of the Windows looks like I'm used to Windows being, and what's different works pretty much like any tablet. I Google every time I get stuck, and have found answers so far. In some ways 10 is weird, but at least it's mostly recognizable.