I wish I'd known enough to build up the edge of my island. I love firsthouse_mp 's island. I also second guess myself on not selecting marble and using quartz instead. Wish I'd taken the time to select a custom color for my backsplash tile (I'd prefer it grey). I wish I'd moved the half wall to the right of my fridge over a couple more inches, to allow for a 36" fridge AND necessary trim. Major 'would do differently' if I could again: lighting plan. Not the fixtures, but where and how I located the switches. We have so many switches! Walk here to adjust dimmer A (I have everything on dimmers and hate when the lights are too bright), walk over there to adjust dimmer B, flip 5 switches until I remember which ones control zone C, also, walk around rooms turning everything off after everyone else turns them on and up. Colors - I wanted grey cabinets but ended up with an off white. As others have said, love the kitchen and how it fuctions, so these are relatively minor. Still, when you have something which has turned out so well, you can't help aiming for perfection!

I'm the type that has to clear up misunderstandings very quickly. I have no problem saying I was wrong. Years ago when I started meditating I realized that when our egos get in front of a "situation" nothing good is going to happen. I try to quell my ego and think along the lines of the other person and how they feel. I'm not saying I won't stand up for myself but I am saying that some issues are just to menial to bother. Live is so short and love can be forever if you swallow your pride and fess up you may have screwed up. After a while it becomes so easy. That being said, as a child and young adult, I would NEVER give. lol

I'm so sorry. I was in your shoes this time last year. I knew our almost 13 year old German Shorthair Pointer was at the end of his life, and I was thinking I'd wait until after Christmas, but I realized that I needed to do it the right thing for him even though it was hard for me. We put him down on Dec. 17. :( I probably waited a bit too long, and I didn't realize how much stress I'd been under thinking about whether or not it was the right time until he was gone. There was almost a sense of relief. Missing him wasn't as difficult as wondering and worrying about whether or not I was doing the right thing. We all still miss him terribly, though. When the time comes, I highly recommend getting a vet to come to your house. It was so peaceful and less stressful than taking him to the office.

I save all plastic bags and give them to my sister to crochet mats for the homeless. She can use any that's he can cut loops out of including toilet paper ones if you open the ends instead of tearing down the side. I takes 5 or 600 bags to make one mat. she can also use dry cleaning bags, .like I said it would be any cylindrical bags. The mats are 6 ft long and 2 1/2 feet wide and have a carrying handle and loops to hold them together when they carry them. I save bread bags. I use those for all kinds of things. I guess o got that from my DM. I have just started using worn out socks for rags. My DH goes through socks fast. I use single slippers for on my Swiffer. I saved the bottom part of my old litter box and cleaned it up really good and use that for soaking clothes in OXy CLean. I also save twisty ties. I have some of those nut jars too. Mine had fruit in them at the restaurants I cooked at. Here is the big one. I save almost all of the glass jars that I get. I use them for canning. If they have the rubber inside of the lid they work. I like the small ones, so if I want to give something to somebody They don't have to return the jar. I always make pickled beets and give some away. I boil the lids just like I would Kerr or Ball lids and fill the jars and screw them on tight. I had one jar that wouldn't work once because the lid wouldn't tighten. It just kept turning. I just made sure I used that one first. then I threw it away. I also put other things in them