Kitchen: Still Deciding...

We're still choosing between 2 designs, but now we are simply waiting on price estimates before we make a final decision.  The sticking point is whether we want an eat-in kitchen or not.  Without it we can eat in the dining room or at the island/bar and have a design that's more visually appealing and yielding more storage space for all the kitchen gadgetry I love so much and use every day.  We're also trying to decide on stone color for the counters and what to do about the backsplash.  We've spent so much time choosing appliances and cabinet design that we've ignored the other elements.  I guess we should start thinking about this holistically. 

In the meantime I've been planning other details to make living in that kitchen more pleasant.  I just purchased several sets of cloth napkins to be more green, and I prefer using them anyway because it's nicer to enjoy a meal with a cloth napkin.  And, I can never resist a bargain.  I bought 36 high quality white napkins for a little over 40 cents each online.  The dealer has wonderful reviews so I am hoping these napkins are as good as other customers think.  If not, they can't be any worse than paper napkins!

Green is good.  More green is better.  Jeff & I have always been careful to do things as green as we can, but there was one area that we need to change--we use too many paper towels!  I've been a victim of convenience and I don't want to continue being wasteful.  My goal is to just stop using paper towels which is why I was so happy to find the items below on sale.  I didn't have to pay full price:-) 

Don Aslett 50 Piece Microfiber Cloth & Towel Set

Love these.  I have a few already and they work wonders, but I need more.  They really make cleaning easier.  I like that they scrub, absorb, and polish in one step, and you just need water and no chemicals.  I have severe chemical sensitivities I usually so I can only use natural cleaning products, and I use them with these.  I think they are better for your health/home environment and clean just as well.  I'll be using these everywhere in the house, but most often for the countertops. 

Fuller Brush 22 piece Microfiber Hand Scrub Pads With Holders

Washable!  These will make my life easier, and I already know that microfiber is wonderful for cleaning (quality microfiber that is).  It’s good to invest a few extra dollars for the good stuff because I’ve tried the cheaper ones and they just don’t work well.  I like the hand-held novelty of this to help get into the corners of sinks and tubs or to use when I scrub my pans.