No Lego's in my house anymore! I know that sounds like a mean mom, but, my DS, only 5yo, doesn't play with his unless it is all organized, and I'm not doing it and he apparently isn't either. Maybe my DS isn't as crazy about it as your kids, but, he is fine with it. I am surprised that his teacher at school says he plays with them there quite a bit. I think it is because he doesn't have them at home and looks forward to it at school. I broke down and bought the Star Wars Legos that he BEGGED me for, last September, and they were all in the floor, in the carpet and that is when I packed them up and they are going in a garage sale as soon as the weather is nicer. I will say that my DS doesn't really like any toy's that much anyway. He likes playing Ninja and Karate-type things. If he REALLY LOVED LEGOS, then, of course, I would suffer the consequences and smile (while cussing under my breath) everytime I stepped on one of things! LOL! I really don't cuss, but have come close after stepping on them!

Wow, harder to find than I thought! Found this twin sheet set, it is used, but looks to be in great shape: http://cgi.ebay.com/LEGOS-LEGO-Twin-Size-Sheet-Set_W0QQitemZ110321748581QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 Another sheet set, this one new: http://cgi.ebay.com/LEGO-CLASSIC-TWIN-SHEET-SET-3-Pieces-NEW_W0QQitemZ300231271110QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 Another new sheet set: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Lego-Classic-TWIN-SHEET-SET-Make-N-Create_W0QQitemZ300277969329QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSheets?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 And one more! http://cgi.ebay.com/LEGO-DUPLO-Building-Blocks-TWIN-3-pc-Sheet-Set-NIP_W0QQitemZ360081537483QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 Here is a Twin Comforter Set, though it is currently out of stock (you can enter your email address and they will notify you when it is in stock): http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Lego-Make-N-Create-Complete-Comforter-Set/2529798/product.html That's all I could find!! Christy :)

The plexiglass shelf overhead runs the full width of his room. Normally DS has it packed with legos, but he is going through a "custom creation" phase and has dismantled most of his ships. LOL! He even has a tall step stool to reach his legos. (His friends think it is so cool that I let him keep a "ladder" in his room!) We had his birthday party a few weeks ago. Several of his school buddies had never been to our house so they wanted to see his room. One friend came running downstairs, grabbed my hand, and said, "Mrs. B! Have you SEEN J's room?" I thought that was so cute! My house may not impress the 39-year-old set, but I score high marks with the 9-year-old group! Nin

Since budget is a big consideration, I think it's great that you can solve some of the issues by trimming. Rather than adding to your budget in the bookshelf corner, I agree that keeping it to the wall mounted shelves and the Boos cart is an excellent idea. Much easier on the budget, and useful for all the reasons you mentioned. You can put some big, nice looking items on the shelves so that it doesn't become visual clutter, and is still useful storage. On a lower shelf like that, a single large roaster can be more visually appealing than a bunch of bowls, for example. You can't plan for everything and things change. For instance, if your rolling needs outgrow your little lowered rolling station, you can, at some point, switch out the cart for a marble topped one at rolling height, and put butcher block on your built-in marble to raise it to counter height. Since you have the lip, you probably wouldn't even need to secure it. Oh! You could actually do that now, get a butcher block to fit there. It would extend your counter space, be convenient to the sink, and protect the marble when you're not using it for pastry. I'm still concerned about that whole end with the fridge but it might just be something you'll have to live with, since you can't move it to the bookshelf area. I really suggest you do a mockup using cardboard boxes and tape to make sure it's going to work for you. It would be a shame to do this whole remodel and then be unhappy. Much better to slow down a little and be sure now. You might find that the corner beside the fridge is just fine and the layout works really well for you! But if it doesn't, better to know now. Or it might be that you can use some of the money you saved on the window seat to put a narrower, built-in fridge in the bookshelf corner. Whatever you can do to make it comfortable, and make it work. BTW, I have a cupboard that opens into a doorway in my currently-being-installed kitchen, and I just love it! Another BTW, if the issues with your hands are soft tissue, I highly recommend Feldenkreis therapy.