We converse, some days a lot others very little. We read different things (me fiction/non and newspapers, DH flight journals and engineering stuff)) and share what the other would find interesting. I will even read specific passages to him that I think are special - it may drive him nuts but he never says that. He'll 'mark' specific passages for me or recommend entire articles. No question I've gained a lot of knowledge from what he's shared with me over the years. Like barb5, religion is not a topic my DH will discuss but spirituality is another story and comes up in our conversations more and more as we get older. If DH manages to remain awake through an entire movie (not a problem in a theater but a DVD at home - forget it!) we will discuss it and often have very different takes on something we just watched together. We have gone through our 28+ years very much as a tag team - sometimes he leads, sometimes I do - one of us usually feels more capable than the other during times of stress but even so we stand shoulder to shoulder. Well, his shoulder is really over my head but you know what I mean! We'll discuss politics but not a lot - usually too depressing! We talk plans and dreams and schemes and never seem to tire of revising THE PLAN. Which is a good thing because The Plan is in a constant state of revision. But that's life - if it's not in flux in some way, it's stagnant and you know how stagnant water stinks. ** note to ttodd ** I'm so curious what your and your DH's astrological signs are. You said, "Dh is a natural 'sharer' and I am far more reserved about deep, emotional feelings. Therefor if we are sitting out on the patio at night together it takes me awhile to 'open up' about deep stuff. I can do it but it's very much learned for me. Not so for DH. When DH gets stressed he clams up and when I'm stressed is when I start to 'share'." I could have written that word for word.

Lynn we are in a very similar place about our house - it's too big for us at this stage of our lives. We use most of the square footage in some way - because it's there - but could easily manage with half ! Our youngest will be graduating from college next May and HOPEFULLY will be employed and able to support himself but who knows? Our older son works for the forest service but those gov't jobs are shakey, to say the least, so we always want to have a place where they can land if needed. So.... we keep the big old house - for now. Stuff? I reached a saturation point many years ago and continually work to pare down. But it's back to that big house thing again - I'm not going to live in empty rooms so there's still far more STUFF than I actually need. When my mom died and I helped my dad move into an apartment, tons of family stuff came my way. Eleven years later when my dad died, the rest of it came to me. We've all talked about this before - the pull of family items and how hard it is to get rid of some things. But it has to be done so over the years I've pared down to the things that have the most meaning and passed the rest on in one way or another. I have dreams (nightmares?) about moving into a small home and having boxes and furniture stacked everywhere because I didn't sort and get rid of enough before moving!! Gifts? I could write a book. Christmas at my in-laws used to make me physically ill with the insane buying and giving of cr@p. It doesn't matter to me a bit how much time is put into the shopping and wrapping, or what the item is. When someone (namely my MIL) is purchasing *stuff* because of a date on a calendar and is obsessed with getting the same # of packages for each person, because that's "just what you do for Xmas" I want no part of it. We'd been married only a short time when I told my DH that I was opting out. He was totally on board. It was a sore spot with everyone in his family for many years but we held firm. We just stopped buying. Our kids would get everything they needed and some of what they wanted all through the year at a time when it made sense to get the item, not an enormous pile o' stuff, all on one day, much of it to be returned, exchanged or donated. And that returning/exchanging all fell to me, of course. A few years of that and we started just donating everything, in the boxes, tags still on. Give me a quiet day, with my family cooking together, laughing and going for a long walk...... THAT'S the gift I want.

shelly do a sreach on the Bulding a Home forum where this topic has been discussed extensively. The foam is wonderful at eliminating air infiltration but it costs more than other options. The pink stuff is the worst at blocking air infiltration, but is cheapest. Cellulose is inbetween foam and pink stuff for being a good air blocker with moderate cost. The best option for you will depend on a bunch of factors including where you live, the type of framing (2x4 vs 2x6) and the type of HVAC system you are using. See xamples below. I have 2x6 framing and used blown cellulose in the walls and attic. I had them put in a few extra inches of cellulose in the attic (R40 vs min code of R30). We live in the mid-atlantic region so we need a nice balance of heating and cooling. Our HVAC is Geothermal. The other option I looked at was foam in walls and attic and high efficiency heat pumps (LP has for heat, electric for AC). The cost for the two options was roughly the same. I picked GT because that is what I always wanted but the other option would have worked well too. I have a friend in FL (on the water) who is remodeling a home. His walls are 2x4 studs and of course FL has big mold issues. He went with foam - the absolute right choice for his application. He wasn't worried about heat - but cooling performance had to be great. If it were me - I would avoid the pink stuff in the walls especially if you are using 2x4's for framing (I would use foam all the way). If you have 2x6 stud walls - look at using foam in the attic and cellulose in the walls. Regardless of what insulation you use, I recommend having the entire interior of the house caulked. They should caulk every stud seam, around all windows and doors, at stud top & bottom plate corners, etc. The goal is to block any path where un-conditioned air can get in. Even if they use foam in the wall cavities - there are still a lot of cracks where air can get into the house. The other thing to keep in mind is that if the house is very tightly sealed, you should consider having either an Heat Recovery Vent or an Energy Recovery Vent (depends on what climate zone you live) connected to your HVAC system to exchange indoor stale air with outside fresh air that is conditioned (the HRV or ERV will do this). I would also recommend installing a de-humidifier into the basement or crawl space if you will have one. Tightly sealed houses are great for energy efficiency , but if they aren't vented correctly other issues like mold and polutants can create other problems. Best of luck.

We have very basic cable so we don't get the channel with that show. I did search to see what it was about though. :) Carrie - Oh bless you. I just can't imagine throwing up that many times...daily! Hiwthi - Oh yeah, we'll let them sniff everything. "So many people dump their cats the minute a baby is born and that is so horrible for the cats and so unnecessary." I agree 100%. It absolutely grates on me to hear how people dump their animals because they're going to have a baby. I also will never let my kids (or anyone) ever hang all over or drag around our or anyone elses pets. Anele - Thanks for the link! Those are some neat looking toys. Bee - "You don't want a surprise?" No. Honestly there's nothing in me (or DH) that wants to wait to find out. I just can't bring myself to buy neutral stuff or decorate a neutral nursery. Maybe we will for #2. On the flip side, if they're wrong.... hooo boy! Won't that be something. Work - I got a chuckle out of the nursery color. Did everyone then start buying you boy clothing? Les - You mentioned about not knowing what they'll look like... I'm sooo excited to see what the baby looks like. Either gender, will it look more like me or DH? A combo? I think it would be so neat to see a little minnie me or DH walking around. :) Oakley - Ha, I'm just the opposite. I look at a newborn baby and think where it comes from and know it's going to hurt more than I can imagine. *cringe* It's amazing to me that our bodies can do all that. I just have to keep telling myself people have babies every day and have been doing it for years and years.... :) We're scheduled to find out the sex Feb. 1st so I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again everyone for the warm wishes. I've really enjoyed reading through all these stories.