thanks guys. I will post some pictures as soon as we get the last of it planted. I am not going to plant this weekend tho, have company for the weekend for Mothers Day. But by next weekend, I hope to have the remainder in the ground. I have several things to take pictures of when I am done. We are about 90 percent done with a "shade house" that we built out of pallets with a potting bench in it. All thats left is the roof panels but we need a day with no wind to get them home with no broken pieces cuz they are 12 foot long. I have been using the potting bench like crazy already..I am in love with it! I put in a new bed last fall also and it is flourishing, I did not take or post pictures last fall, but I will do so in the next week or two with the other stuff. Thanks for all the great comments and the inspiration this places provides. Love reading posts and looking at the pictures you post.

Also, another thought... Our fridge has instructions for three installations: panels flush with carcass, panels flush with door w/ 90 degree opening, and panels flush with door w/full opening. We had planned to do flush with carcass, but with 26" panels we're almost at the depth needed for hiding the whole fridge (26.5"). 90 degree door opening needs a cabinet opening of 32 7/8"; full door opening needs a width of 37 7/8". We have 36.5" (we built to accommodate a standard 36" fridge). If we push the fridge all the way back (in which case we could keep the 26" panels and it would just hide the fridge entirely) that means we'd likely have a door opening somewhere between 90 degrees and full...worth it to do it that way? (I'm sure there's some geometry that would tell me exactly how far we'd be able to open the door...)

Kerrys, You might want to post a new thread asking GW granite places they recommend in your area. Then find out who is reasonable in price. There are some stones that are cheaper than others because of where they are located. Virginia Jet Mist is excavated from Virginia. While Calcutta marble is in Italy or Ubatuba from the South of Brazil. Blue pearl is often from Finland. If you live in a larger metro area you might be able to find better choices on granite. The granite is shipped moved from its quarry by ship, truck and then to your local granite yard. This means there is cost involved for the stones that are more rare. There is an abundance of Ubatuba, Verde Peacock, Deer Brown, Santa Cecilia, Giallo... and because of this you can find them cheaper than a more exotic granite like Typhoon Bordeaux, Rain forrest or Copper Canyon. But this does not mean you might not find a good deal. Another idea is remnants. Smaller peices cut up in your kitchen. If you have 40sq feet of counter you might be able to do this. Or an island with a different kind of granite. The focus should be on installation. A good installer will help you find a stone you can afford and that will look stunning once created into a counter. Anyway I am getting off topic of Sharkdiver. Good luck on your granite hunt this school vacation. ~boxer A white island... Looks kinda pretty. Hi Sharkdiver, The possibilities are endless. What do you love? What is your favorite color group? Warms, Cools, blues, reds, greens...? Right now you have some excellent choices. English Oak and possibly the Sweet cream. You are fortunate as these go with so many different granites. Breezygirl has a great point on matching two granite types, although it can be done beautifully. I too, have seen more dark island with light perimeter cabs but you can do anything you want. I posted some images of English oak and granite for you to keep thinking, planning, choosing and dreaming. It will happen you will find the right kitchen plan. ~boxer Ps. Keep in mind I am not positive these are all English Oak but they are similar to the image you posted. And I did not list the granite types not sure what they are, I posted only so you could see the big picture for ideas for your own space. KatyKitchen Juparana by Rocktops Debbie Muses beautiful kitchen Noah Falls A darker island by Sudbury Kitchen Design (boston area) Creamy uppers and dark lowers Encore Kitchen Designs This one is Mascarello Granite and looks beautiful with dark cabs. North York Kitchen

R2-We ordered them last week and they take a few weeks to manufacturer. So no photos yet. Width was the issue for us so we were limited to just a few fabrics in each line. We looked at bali, levelor, at the big box stores. We found good prices at blindsgalore.com. we needed 96 inch width - one window is actually 103 inches. Some solar shades can be made that wide, In the end we had a consultant from budget blinds come out. Guaranteed measurements. Installation. Warranty. The quality seemed better than the standard lines but I don't know that for sure. Cost was actually comparable. I did 16 windows on the main floor and the cost including tax was less than $400 per window. Some of these are quite large. I still have 7 more to buy but I am going to go blindsgalore and install them myself. Good luck!