Barb...both happy and sad....Happy he is moving forward with his life. Knowing he will go far as long as he stays focused on his studies, and learns to quit being so wasteful. Sad because he is moving on and we will be seeing very little of him in the next 4 years or so. We havent made any new life adventures yet. House needs some TLC. I suppose first we will get used to having a home with just us and the critters and go from there. Chell I used to be a dog and cat groomer. I loved it too. But my employer was a deedeedee. Never had the money to pay me each week and always "owed" me. And she never gave me my tips either.Then at the end of the year she reported more earnings for me than what I had really made.Fortunitly I kept records and proved my case and won, so make sure you don't let the same happen to you. I have kept my clippers, blades and accessories and still will do a neighbors dog or two once in awhile to keep my skills up.....but don't miss the hair stuck in places I did'nt know existed....lol. Love all the pictures the everyone post. Always enjoy seeing ya'lls babies. Regina

Welcome, Dee, Becky and Lisa, glad you could join us! I spent the day dealing with my groundhog problem. He has cleared my back flower bed, and the hole he is digging is going to undermine my shed. Time for solutions! I called Animal Control and they gave me a list of people who will come to your home and trap the critter. Great. I called the first one and he wanted to charge me $100 to trap my groundhog. I'm serious. AND, I guess as an added bonus, he said they would also take it away. NO?! Really!? And I was thinking the critter would live in that trap in my backyard forever. Sorry for the sarcasm, but come on. In any event, a friend of a friend is, hopefully, coming over sometime this week to trap the groundhog AND take him away, free of charge. This guy has already trapped 13, yes, 13 groundhogs at his home/yard this year. This wasn't the most encouraging news I've had recently. Hey, on a more postive note: The first swap for FOTESS will be posted Saturday! Are ya ready!!? Shirley!

les917, I do like the Wisteria, but I have to consider that the room is so tight that the color is magnified. Perhaps it's bouncing off the walls at each other. I mean, just look at the criminal Constellation....looks so gentle and sweet in those photos. But put it on all 4 walls and Holy Cow, that room was radiating BLUE! So, I feared what would happen with that gentle spirit known as "Wisteria". I will be saving that paint chip and might use it down the road. There is one bedroom that still needs to be painted and you just never know, this could be the winner. I must say, that I feel so happy going forward. It was killing me not knowing how to proceed. The Nimbus is calming, not crazy. Now I'm excited to go get that floor and be ready to start the install asap. Thanks everybody for all the great advice.

OMG, (granted that I'm not spending my money and that I know jack about metal roofs) I would slap a dormer over that as fast as I could and flatten the floor. Little space with high ceiling = Lust. MOVE your existing dining table out there with as many chairs as you believe you'll need or use folding chairs and some plywood propped up. "Practice" having meals in that space and change the arrangement around as needed. Yeah, your family will think you're crazy - but so what? :) If you've really got to have another exit to the patio, think about placing it on the short wall. Cause I'd think about leaving the two big plate windows alone. They are bigger than a single patio door. The 5 foot thing is "the rule". I had that and it worked really well for us. I've also worked enough in 8 foot wide galleys to know it can be an issue when two people are moving around in it. For ME, a 4 foot wide "U" would be a nightmare. For you, it might not be so bad - particularly if you never have another person working with you. The oven door isn't the only thing that takes up space. The counter overhangs use 1.5" per side. The drawers stick out about 21-22". Doors stick out whatever size they are. People want to use the trash or the micro. An example of the problem is somebody wants to put stuff away from cleanup while you're trying in the middle of something. Granted this should be happening in your current kitchen, but you have less options for movement in a small U. Another unexpected use for a table, a desk or some sawhorses with plywood are to "try out" the U, umm for about a week. It won't be perfect, but see what you feel like with something sitting in that place and see what walking around it feels like. So check it out in 3D. On paper, my kitchen could have fit a small island in one place. I got an el-cheapo cart with a fold up extension because it easily fit on paper. In real life, I never used it, it felt completely in the way and it ended up being a junk collector. The same small island in the same position might work for someone else.