I agree with a lot of ones that have already been posted, ... and I'll especially say... TRY GUARA. It's so charming. The butterfly flowers knod in the wind and you can see other plants through them. I just love them. I'm going to get more. Yarrow does really well for me... and CERTAIN lavenders have done well. I don't know why, but grosso lavender seems to be the hardest for me to kill. and certain penstemon do better than others. If you kill one type, try another. There are a couple varieties (not sure which) that just keep doing fabulously, while others die very quickly. Mind, I'm probably doing something wrong with them. Morea and Lily of the Nile are pretty tough ladies and they look great no matter what you do to them. Another good one is Chinese Foxglove. They're nice and tall, look very romantic, and are more drought tolerant than other true foxgloves. My roses, in general, seem to be pretty drought tolerant, even though they're mostly only a few months old. :)

Again, thank you all for your advice thus far. I'm posting the final two plans of the day, incorporating many of your suggestions. First is Live Wire Oak's U-shaped plan. I really like this plan. I would sacrifice one set of French doors but not much light. I gain a lot of counterspace, an island prep sink and a very large main sink. My main next-to-water prep space is the island minus the sink, about 3', but I have lots of counterspace to rest mixing bowls, etc. I took the general consensus about aisle widths and am allowing the full 48" at the range, 45" by the fridge, and 36" by the French doors, which would be the less-traveled passageway. Would probably drop the wall cabs to the right of the range all the way down to the countertop for my 'china cabinet'. The second plan is my original Plan 1, updated with some of the features from the U-shaped kitchen: I'd lose the full height super Susan between the pantry and the range but, again, gain lots of counterspace as waiting area (salad to be dressed, pans to be put in oven). I'd have more prep space, 32" on one side of the sink and 24" on the other. I took Lavender Lass's suggestion and tried to line up the range, island and banquette. It will not be perfect, as the chimney breast is not perfectly centered, but it will be close. I should have enough counterspace under either plan to move DH's coffee pot to the countertop, probably that deep corner to the left of the range. Have lots to discuss with DH tonight. Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for your guidance and assistance.

amy and mago, I am liking the ceramic one the more I look at it. I like that it is pulling in the color from rug. OMG Mari, isn't that terrible that I hadn't considered if the lamp is casting the light required for the room? (At times like these, I am glad we are anonymous. lol) Actually, if I have company we are usually not in that room. More likely in the FR which if next to the kitchen. BUT, that is my favorite room to read in so lighting is important. I just tried the ceramic lamp and it works pretty well. The shade is narrow enough that the bulb won't be in anyone's eyes plus it pushes the light down for reading. bac, I was thinking about stacking those pictures, too. OR moving them to a different room. (Lots of empty walls in my house.) lkplatlow, I like that dark metal lamp, too. It is a lamp that I already had in the room by the chair. I think it looks pretty good on that table. Here it is next to the chair with one of the pics I bought yesterday. Here is my other pet peeve on lamps. What is up with the cheap gold looking cords? Thanks again for all the input and feedback. I will take any advice I can get. I am soooooo not good at decorating.

Well, as I've told you, I have 5. Never thought I'd see the day, but if you are a softie and you love cats, it happens. Unfortunately, there are so many poor little cats that need us! Each of my 5 is a rescue that I love dearly. I can't imagine not having any one of them. I downsized to a smaller 1400 sq. ft. house with a small yard, but when I did, my main priority was putting up a cat fence, so my cats could still be outside, but be safe and not roam. (Except that I bring them in after midnight, bc I'm afraid of owls) I love it. I can completely empathize with you, bc once you fall in love with them, it's very hard to let go. The key now is to not put yourself in that position again. Any more kittens falling out of the sky into your lap must immediately go to rescue! The vet bills are to be considered. You've already had experience with that, so you know. One of mine fell a year ago and hurt her spine, causing paralysis in her back legs. For 2 months, I had to do physical therapy with her, carry her to the litterbox, give her meds, clean up all the mess from the diarrhea the meds caused, keep her confined so she could heal, and take her back and forth to the vet, but, I tell ya, the day her little tail twitched, starting the road to almost full recovery, was a very happy day for me. The vet bills were over $2,000. Luckily, I had it at the time. I don't vaccinate my cats. I know that I'm running a risk, but since I was a kid, I've had cats and never vaccinated any of them and they've all been fine. From what I've read, vaccinations aren't always considered safe or necessary. As far as the cats all getting along, don't even worry about it; it will happen. Time, love and patience work miracles. I've integrated cats, dogs, and even potbellied pigs -- all with great success. Generally, let them see each other for awhile w/o interacting and while you are loving and holding them so the other can see that this a new, loved member of the family, then supervised visits, all taking as much time as needed. My animals cost me a lot of money, a lot of time and my heart breaks hard when I lose one of them, but in return, their companionship and unconditional love is amazing. My husband let me down, and my friends can let me down, but my animals never do. I can't imagine life without them. I'd rather be considered a crazy cat lady by some narrow-minded person any day than be a cold, hard-hearted person who thinks they know enough about others to judge.