Nora ... I echo the admiration of other comments for you efforts ... I'm of the generation when our school had a Victory Garden and have very happy memories, not to mention fortifying familial gardening pattern for a lifetime of enjoyment. May I add to the list of educational benefits to the children, the cross-generational habit/culture .... also the example of starting small [workable money/ time/ experience/ manpower-wise] is HUGE! The children will really feel the importance of their contribution if the scale is small. Visual aides are also valuable ... both for children and adults/community to see the scope of the plan. Re: soil tainted with toxic materials ... raised beds are great, but the pathways will kick up dust and airborne problems unless well-mulched. Because the oldsters and youngsters may be already at risk to airborne toxics. Again, a reason to start small, so as to throughly cover all the bases. Even if the soil test comes back OK/CLEAR, the fact that construction waste was dumped on the site is a major argument in favor of raised beds. Would you be able to use those rocks in the picture for some of the raised beds? They would be so pretty, not to mention FREE!

Thanks, Di! They are actually pretty quick to do after you do a few, I call them the "5 second frosting job". (grin) Even if they aren't perfect, they're fast! Party-music, I like kale with beans too. Well, I actually like beans and I like kale, so it's kind of a natural combo for me and kale is super easy to grow, so I always have some. Those little "sprinkles" on top of the cupcakes are something called "pearls", she had a black and white wedding, and regular sprinkle were just too small, so I bought the bigger pearls at one of the hobby stores that have a cake decorating section, probably Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I think they were a Wilton product. There's another tip you can use too, but I don't know what it is, because I don't remember anything any more. (sigh) Sol, my friend, I'm so glad to see you check in here again. Yes, Madison is just as "hammy" as Makayla was, a drama queen in the making. Or is that Drama Princess? Annie

Guilty of the drop in!!! Excuses of being a work at home mom with small children in the middle of building a house and moving aside, can I say that I'm actually quite intimidated by the depth of knowledge that so many here have to offer? So when I'm here (as spurts allow) I tend to not open my mouth unless it's to offer something I have direct experience with or just a little encouragement. It's the reason I lurked for so long, and sat up late with my husband pouring over things like vent hood overlap margin and cfms. Because there are so many truly knowledgeable folks in these parts! Can I tell you how amazed I am when someone comes on with their rough first draft and pages worth of input are given? I'm struck at how detailed and patient everyone is with something that this visulaizing klutz can't even wrap my mind around! I too hate words like "passe", and "trended out" because if anything the endless options of building has taught me is that there is no right answer. Because unless it's YOUR right answer, by nature of crowd think, it's fleeting. I built my white kitchen knowing that in 6 months to 2 years, something newer, better, more awe-inspiring very well could try and compete for my affections. But I've got kids to raise and values to instill, and I have to hope that when it does come along, I can cheer on the next crowd towards the next design breakthrough while being content with what I have. I will likely never build a 30,000 sq foot remote palace in Montana with a gift wrapping room, a flower cutting room, or get my husband ever take me seriously if were to show him a custom La Canche. But I don't resent the folks who do and I covet the sharing of their end work. Because through their sharing I get the benefit of their global travels, the architects who's fees were more than my house, and their decorators ideas! On the same hand, I value every detail of the suburban remodel. Every effort to go beyond the big box uniform is a spark of creativity, love, and build of home and family. After all, isn't that what these kitchens are for? There something inherently good about a place where people give their experience and knowledge freely. It's up to us to be adult enough to recognize the inherent personalities involved and choose to see the good. I sincerely hope popping in and displaying a milestone in our kitchen and then popping out for a spell didn't contribute to the ruffling of anyone's feathers. I love what betsyhac said... I wish Americans could discuss politics as constructively as the GWers discuss kitchens!

Oh, how could I forget Sara Moulton, Alton Brown and the 2 Fat Ladies! Sara comes across as sincere, down to earth and neighbor-like. I like her cooking style but not a lot of her recipes. Alton Brown and the Two Fat Ladies have very few recipes I'd want to try, but find the shows very entertaining and often informative. Dotmom, Justin Wilson was at one of the sports shows many many years back and a friend and I went to wander around and of course see his show. Well, as it turned out he had JUST left the show as we got in there and wouldn't be back for about quite a few hours. I thought he'd at least be out signing autographs or something but that wasn't the case. We wandered around and waited. Debated about how long to stay but finally gave up. That close. About the only person I've really wanted to see in person. Thought it would be interesting to talk to him a few minutes if it was allowed. Sadly he's gone, but a few of his shows are on YouTube. The ones I saw on there I remember watching. Justin's measuring salt in his hand, throw in a little extra - just shows it's not a science. I got to the point I could smell something and tell if it needed salt. Some friends laughed at me when I measured with my hand and I said If Justin can do it, so can I and they said yeah right, so I took a measuring spoon and poured it in. 1 teaspoon exactly. He also got me using fresh ground pepper on garlic bread. And it are good, I garontee! I have a couple of his cookbooks. Received them as gifts. Not that I really needed them because I copied down a lot of his recipes that interested me. I still use them as a base for others. I just modify to suit my tastes. As a cook should. And I enjoyed his speech. Sort of a Cajun Norm Crosby. And unlike so many, he poked fun at himself rather than feigning offense at every opportunity. Refreshing. And the Two Fat Ladies were fun to watch. It was so obvious they didn't get along. Not sure how they got paired up. They'd snip at each other occasionally and was entertaining. I also like the way ALton Brown interjects some humor and, like America's Test Kitchen, include some of the science and why, for example, some cookies are soft and some are crunchy. One other I forgot is Nathalie Dupree. Again, the older shows were so far superior to those of today (and Alton & 2FL are old shows IMO)