CMK, that is interesting about eggplant liking pots. I started planting a salad garden in pots and window boxes on my back deck a few years ago. I didn't really think about eggplant though. I'll have to try it this year. I find that leaf lettuce does very well in window boxes. I also grow baby cukes in pots and let them trail down the deck railings. I've also done peppers and tomatoes in pots. I mix in a few small pots of nicotiana (not near the tomatoes...does that really cause problems?? i've heard they should not be combined) so the hummingbirds come to feed. Woodyoak, how deep are the windowboxes you use to grow carrots? And which carrots do you choose to grow in them? I've been seeing more pictures of large pots in amongst plants in the garden and I think I may try to experiment more with that. Does anyone have pictures of pots fully incorporated into their perennial/shrub borders as a focal point? Also, does everyone in wintry climates bring their pots inside in the winter? Has anyone found a type of pot that does not crack with the freeze/thaw cycles of winter?

Here is my list - - Additional blocking in the framing stage to accomodate grab bars, towel bars etc. Additional blocking being the slidebar of the shower also makes it sturdier to use as a grab bar. - Kerdi board for waterproofing - Heated wires throughout the floor including the shower area - Tall niches with shelves sized to fit the costco sized bottles - Tile that is not too slippery for the floor. Also used epoxy grout to make future maintenance easier. - frameless shower doors - we did pay a couple hundred dollars extra for the really clear glass - U-groove frameless - One of the bathrooms is curbless to accomodate access issues. Has nice looking grab bars and a folding teak shower seat that is ADA rated to 400lbs. - LED cans (california code) - Elongated Toto skirted toilets with sanigloss to make the cleaning easier - the special lutron switches where the fans stay on an extra 20 mins to clear all the steam. we used them with panasonic fans which are much much quieter than what we had in the past - wall mounted heated towel rods - hooks instead of towel bars.. I just preferred the more streamlined look of hooks - plug outlets inside the vanity to charge things. - wheeled laundry basket with divers to sort laundry has a niche to be tucked in. - separate toilet stall with a door. We did not do comfort height as we are not overly tall people. Elongated toto toilets with an integrated skirt to make cleaning easier and a GFCI outlet to plug in a washlet. - paper towel holder from Moen that doubles as a grab bar in the ADA bathroom. - accomodated for daylight (skylight or a window) in both the bathrooms to help people to wake up in the morning.. I love the daylight. - radio for listening in the morning. We are big public radio fans - wall mounted lighted makeup mirror - mirror defogger to prevent the mirror from getting steamed up.. - vac pan at the floor level that connects to our central vac system to make daily cleanups a breeze. I am picky about hair on the floor - solid core doors to prevent bathroom noises from being heard outside. I often have to get ready before dawn and the shower noise wakes DH up. - recirculating pump for our tankless to avoid warm water delays. Ours is integrated into the tankless. - Hansgrohe ibox to get the thermostatic control to preset the preferred temprature - Ebbe integrated drain that has a hidden hair snare. - Handheld shower with a longer hose to make it easier to clean the walls. - rain shower on a longer arm so that you can stand away from the wall.

Stinky-gardener mentioned the Sanyo 3-cup rice cooker as one of her favorite things. Same here, I use mine every week, it's such a time saver. I love the small size, used to have a 10 cup Zojirushi which made no sense when all I ever cooked was a couple cups of rice at a time. You will eat more rice if you own one of these handy little counter appliances. Another vote for Netflix, especially streaming. I also love the DVR, it remembers everything I want to record so I don't have to think about it. cooper, if you're reading this have you tried using baking soad instead of barkeeper's friend? It works the same and is much cheaper. I fill a cheap salt shaker (needs to have large holes) with baking soda I buy by the pound at Walmart and leave it out with the dish soap. One of my new favorite things is 100% Argan Oil. Not the stuff Adienne sells on HSN but the pure form that comes in a bottle. It goes on like a serum and disappears into your skin after a couple minutes, after that you can put on face cream if you need it.

Our island is 9' so it qualifies as an archipelago. It is the single most distinctive thing about the kitchen. We love it! Islands are not overdone if they provide awesome function. We have seating at ours and it is the best feature when you have parties as people can access food from all sides. We also have not tired of our Desert Amarillo granite. We love it as much today as when we put it in. The patterns are always interesting to us and people always comment on it. Our knotty alder cabinets, and we especially love all of the the drawers. Don't forget to put in soft close on the drawers. Big deep single Kindred SS sink. Best invention ever. Okay that's four but who's counting?