Thank you all very much. I went ahead and bought the Kenwood for $254. You all have been great in helping me narrow down the best possibilities and I think for the price this machine will suit us for a while. My wife is excited as am I.
I don't remember if I told you about her idea for a quilt. I think it is such a great idea I wanted to share it with you. She has gotten together multiple scraps of material she has used over the last 30 years on various projects around the house and will be making a quilt for my 26 y.o. daughter out of that material. I know my daughter will love and cherish it. I know she will be able to remember what each of the different fabrics did around the house as she was growing up. What a nice piece to have in her own family. I have a smart and loving wife!
I do appreciate the care and concern you have all offered to me and I wanted to give something back if I could. I have some expertise when it comes to men and boys and how they process emotions differently from women and girls. I give workshops around the country on this topic for mental health professionals. I have a short video online that summarizes some of this material if you have any interest in the topic. You can find it here.
http://webhealing.com/ws.html
Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a little flash video. Just click play. The material is important since a man's way of healing and responding to stress is very different from women's. This difference, if unrealized, can create big problems in relationships. If you have any questions just let me kow on this thread and I will do what I can.
Thank you all again.
Tom