You know, I posted an additional thank you yesterday and the darn post has disappeared! I wanted to thank KitchenDetective for recommending the bisque soup at Gaido's. At first I couldn't find it on the menu, but then realized that it's listed as Watkins Bisque Soup. I can't thank you enough for that as it's, hands-down, the most delicious soup I've ever eaten! We all LOVED it! If I can't find the recipe at one of the internet recipe sites, I'm going to have to break down and buy their cookbook for it. THANK YOU!!! Natal: we loved our lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, too! It was lovely to sit out on their dock patio and just soak in the atmosphere as we ate. I had their Shrimp Salad and a nice glass of chilled chardonnay. Yummm . . . I miss the place already! Imsoconfused: no, we never made it to Moody Gardens. I'd read on some travel review website that not everything was open yet. Next trip we're going to head there, though. Stinky Gardener: you're welcome . . . I'm glad you enjoyed them :~) Texanjana: We drove by Bishop's Palace several times and, yes, it is gorgeous! Unfortunately, DH only had the patience for one house tour and so we let our 17 y/o DD decide which one and she picked Moody Mansion. BTW, this coming weekend is their BIG multiple home tour event. Wish we could have made it to that! As for hurricane damage, yes we were surprised that there still was some evident. Even along Seawall Blvd. we saw a few places that had never been repaired. They were repairing two of the jetties/piers west(?) of 61st Street and Seawall while we were there. A local said that it was about time! At Moody Mansion, they have markers to show how high the water came up there and it looked to be about 4 feet. The grounds and mansion looked good, but we were told that one car was badly damaged during the hurricane and was out being repaired . . . still, after all this time. The lowest level of the mansion, which housed the kitchen and servants quarters, is still almost completely empty. They took us through area, but there wasn't anything to see really. Looking at the new, high-end, gorgeous homes going up at the east end of the island, I just had to shake my head at it all. IMO, they are so exposed out there and, unless they're all being made out of steel with bullet/hurricane-proof glass, it's hard to imagine them making it through another major hurricane. Lynn

Thank you all for your great feedback!! Let me clarify a bit... The island will be for gathering, eating, kids doing homework, etc. There's a second island closer to the range that will serve as a food prep station. I already have two recessed lights over the center of the island in question. The pendant lights are more or less decorative, but they do provide a nice amount of light. Anyway, it was my lighting guy who suggested the whole curved positioning of the pendants. It sounded like a clever idea at the time, but it looks sorta strange now that it's installed. Maybe it seems awkward because I've never seen pendants arranged like that. Maybe there's a reason they're not arranged like that... teedup1, you're absolutely right about the head shadow on plates. That will definately be a problem with the current placement. You wonderful people have confirmed my gut instinct! I'm gonna move them back and probably alighn them in straight line. Now I've gotta break the news to my builder!! one of the recessed lights is partly included in this picture:

Datura-07, from Ccoombs1's link: Do not consume water that has sat in your homeÂs plumbing for more than six hours. First, make sure to run the water until you feel the temperature change before cooking, drinking, or brushing your teeth, unless otherwise instructed by your utility. (emphasis mine) I would add, that what actually happens is that the water temperature changes twice b/f its ready to use.... I seem to recall reading somewhere that for a house w/the "average" amount of piping for water to flow through it takes somewhere b/w 1 & 2 minutes But, that was a long time ago so I may not remember correctly. I use the water temperature method. You can collect that water & use it to water plants (inside & outside)...that's what I usually do, especially in the summer when I have containers on the back deck & front porch. One thing to remember is that even if you have PVC piping, there are probably copper pipes leading into/out of your hot water tank and possibly the intake from your well or public water source. I think the person who put in a small chef's sink had a good idea. The pot filler wouldn't have to be right over it, as long as it could reach it easily it would be fine...so you get the look & functionality of a pot filler with the safety net of a drain. For leaks inside the wall...yes, there is a possibility of this and it's like a shower head that also comes directly from a wall... But, if you have access from the other side of the wall you may not have to disturb your tiled backsplash for repairs. That's assuming, of course, that your pot filler is on an inside wall. Oh! That brings up another point... If your pot filler is on an outside wall, be sure it is very well insulated to prevent the pipe from freezing & bursting! [For those of us who live in areas where we have below freezing temperatures.] BTW...it's not just pot fillers that are at-risk for overflowing...I did that once when I filled a pot next to my prep sink. The faucet head was docked on the edge of the pot to fill & I got distracted. The advantage I did have, though, is that w/the sink right there I could dump the excess water from the pot and "sweep" the overflowed water into the sink.

Okay. My 2 cents. It appears that the dining room is a bit squishy. Lots of big furniture. My thought would be to remove the sideboard, put a banquette along the wall and shift the dining table over. This is a tad fancier then what you are going for but this is right beside a kitchen peninsula...same layout. I think they shifted the chandelier over so it is centred with the table. If you search for "banquette dining" on PINTEREST you'll get lots of inspiration. Just a thought to give you more breathing room if desired. :) The balance between the beautiful banquet and the open chairs would be perfect (in your style).