I would guess, if you don't have those sunny south windows or like here, you get so many cloudy gloomy days during the winter , that south windows aren't always very bright, just a couple of cheap shop lites with two forty watt fluorescent tubes in each would provide more consistent and dependable light, though hardly the very bright light they'd get in full sun, and they are supposed to be demanding of bright light compared to most "house" palms perhaps. As for the potting I'd repot frequently, so they don't get rootbound, and try to acheive a grittier mix by adding lots of grit or coarse sand to your mix. Ohterwise I have grown mine mostly in Miracle Gro mix , and they do ok, but it's not the best. Not to discourage you , but I did read an opinion somewhere questioning why the past few years, so many garden centers are offering the Majesty Palms for houseplants, since they are difficult according to the author. Conseqently I have avoided the temptation to buy even one , though I do have two other mostly sun loving palms in my collection that have survived for years now, thuogh not at their best perhaps.

The mulch looks fine, can't really go wrong about laying it down. But the beds are a bit short on the vertical aspect.. However, that could be that you are just using it as a border and growing into your native soil, so if that's the case, then it's good too. You can try to grow your vine plants upward so that they don't block your paths.

WOW! Thanks to all for the wonderful comments. I'm pleased with my choice, or should I say my DH's choice, which is why I was a bit concerned if everything would blend. I agree once all the finishing touches are complete, most importantly the backsplash, I will be so happy. vampiressm - I wasn't sure about the green either, but made my choice early on, so I stuck with it there really weren't any other colors I really loved. Anyway, i could always change the paint color down the road. beekeeperswife - you're funny! I'm not sure the 700 lbs of granite will be going anywhere. Its starting to grow on me. I'm loving it! debrak2008 - I'm thrilled that you saved my kitchen as an inspiration! Makes me feel real good about my design and choices. and to those who noticed my Roxy girl - she's a sweet dog! She's been a trooper living through our kitchen demo. I'm sure she'll be excitred to have a new eating area. Anyone with backsplash ideas, please keep them coming. I have no idea what to do.

I don't know anything about this one, but I will say that the ones I have researched in the possibility of buying one, I definitely want one that has the brown saute option like my Aroma cooker, and the slow cooker option and steam as well so it can be multi purpose. Being able to brown and saute prior to cooking all in the same pot is extremely nice and I use that function on my Aroma cooker all the time. Not all of the new type have a lot of those options so seeing all the options on this model is a plus. But I always heavily rely on the real users reviews. If you are getting one whether it be this one or another you should research the various options so you know which ones you definitely want and which ones you can live with out. After using my Aroma cooker for so long now I would not consider a pressure cooker that did not have at the very least those three options and I would probably also want the soup/stew option also. Usually I am able to find equal or better options on sites other than qvc so just do some searching.