a_a_svensson's Profile

I have marble counters and love them. However, they are scratched and chipped and etched. Staining really isn't an issue (mine have yet to stain) - it's the etching. Wine, juices, vegetables & fruits, vinegars, etc. all have enough acid to etch your marble if left for more than a couple of hours. Sealing helps, but nothing will prevent this but keeping acids off your counters.

The scratching and chipping are also common. For example, opening a bottle of wine without putting a towel under it can leave a circular scratch on your counters. Chipping around sink edges where large pots come in contact with the edges can also be an issue.

Guests have done the most damage to my counters. Drops of wine/juice left on counters during parties, etc. make up the majority of the marks on my counters.

The softness does have its advantages - marble can be honed/polished in place to remove minor issues. Harder surfaces do not have this option.

I feel that the patina matches my older home, but most people that visit do not appreciate the look. They love the counters until they get close enough to see the etching, chips and scratches. It is worth trying to find older (5-10 years) marble countertops to see if you don’t mind the patina.

There are some lovely alternatives if you want pristine looking counters:

http://roomology.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/alternatives-to-white-marble-countertops/

I agree with the pulled pork/brisket. I've done a lunch for 80+ with pulled pork, coleslaw, rolls and salad. Everything but dressing the salad is done ahead.

I would also recommend lasagna and soups/chilis. Both can be made ahead and reheated and served with a simple green salad and bread.

If you are willing to put a little more time in, make your own tacos are good too. Prep the fillings ahead of time and store in the fridge. Just before serving reheat the warm ingredients (shredded chicken, etc.) to serve.

If you want something a little classier, perhaps a poached salmon would work?

I had several dollhouses growing up and although they are put away now, I'm still very attached. One of my favorites was the Brio dollhouse - Brio 60s and 70s Dollhouse with its Arne Jacobsen style furniture.

Great job and good choice on keeping the child and dog through your renovations :-)

I have also had issue with morning glories being invasive. What about Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata) as an alternative?

It's unclear to me if the methodology would hold for beef in the US. Typically, beef is fed on range land and then finished off in feed lots after reaching a certain size. I see confined feeding applying to only a limited portion of the beef life cycle unless looking at veal. I'm not familiar with lamb, but would assume similar practices based on the large NZ stations (ranches) and seeing pastured sheep in the US.

On my narrow closets (~2' x 4.5' doors on the 2' side) I took out the built in shelf and clothes bar and added a rolling garment rack (mine are metro and have a bottom and top shelf for more storage) that I can pull out into the room. I also added narrow shelves at the back for plastic shoe boxes. By the pictures it appears this has already been done. The final addition was several rows of Bygel wall rods from Ikea with hooks and a few baskets for purse and accessory storage. Now that I can pull the garment rack out of the closet, the wall storage and rear shoe storage is easily accessible.

When I remodeled my the kitchen in my 1916 bungalow I added custom cut hardwired outlet strips (plugmold) along the top of the backsplash right underneath the upper cabinets. This provides me with an outlet every 5" or so. It's probably overkill, but after living with a single awkwardly placed outlet it makes me very happy.

The only issue is if you keep appliances on your countertop plugged in. Then the cords leading up to the outlet strip are more noticeable. Otherwise, they are nearly invisible and allow for a seamless backsplash.

Try these for $525

http://www.sourcecollection.com/furniture/sofasandseating/gentleewebench.html