I am more of a lurker then a poster....and the conversation side seems to be ver quiet for a long time , then will pick up a bit...then nothing again...sometimes I wish this site wasnt soo split up...anyone else agree ?? HI Sue, Angie, Jim, Remy and all others that have traded with me, thanks so much...looking forward to seeing my garden this spring !!

Over on the conversation side,next door. Carol

Hi, lavender, I feel as if we're old friends from Smaller Homes/Old House sites, so I came looking for you, after reading your current threads in discussions. Thank you for the 'shout-out' about my hood. It was kind, as every post of yours that I've read has been kind and helpful. Also--keep your chin up! We've done what you are proposing, on a very small budget, 'paying as we go', although that did involve refinancing our home several years ago, for the biggest project, a 30'x12' story-and-a-half addition, with a partially covered concrete porch. In all it's taken 16 years, and I'm not finished yet! When we bought our house, it had been a rental for 10 years, on the 3-acre remnant of an old dairy farm. Many potential buyers had viewed it and said that it would take too much work. But I had a vision (actually not my vision at first--my parents saw it and convinced me that the property would work for our then-young family). The yard had been neglected, and sadly all the original woodwork and trim had been removed, but the structure was basically sound. As our family grew, we added rooms and made other improvements (new roof and septic system, as needed). We are DIY'ers, and have an extended family-and-friends network of contractors, woodworkers, excavaters, and painters, so our projects have been made much more affordable than if we'd had to hire out all the work, but you may have the same resources, too. I just want you to know that I understand your dreams, love your ideas and pictures, and I know it can be done!!

I check in every day to see what's happening here. BTW, did you see the post on the discussions side that read, "I'm a manager of zen bougie i have a large gamme of candles and candle holders we produce there is 10 years, i like to have distibuters through the world help me please"? I know this is spam, but for some reason it caught my funny bone and I have been giggling for few minutes. It didn't help when Lindac replied that she has "all the gammes of candles she needs." Oh, my, her comment sent me off into another gale of giggles. Thank you, Lindac, for your witty reply!