OK Linda, come on over! I always have an open house for rescue animals. Oh, pardon me, that does not apply here. I've experienced plenty of cold in the past, and I must say that I'm glad I escaped. Not that I like the terrible heatspells we have here in the summer, but I'm glad that right now it feels like a cool summer day. It shows 75 degrees on my patio at mid-day. How about if I send you some of it? Take care. Get warm. Get heater working. Ingrid

We still have a long way to go in terms of being organized. One good thing we did when we bought this house last year was to think in terms of function. We made sure we had a room or area for the crafting, the kid's toys, the main computer and home office stuff. We don't have everything set up or out of boxes yet, but that's only part procrastination. I'm trying to see what stuff we really need and what can live without. Our added benefit to all of this is that I can clean the public areas of the house in about an hour. Visitors will see the playroom when they walk in the door, but that's kid mess and is contained to that area. The living room, dining room, and kitchen areas are relatively clutter free and any mess is a work in progress. Oh and I finally discoverd that sippy cups are huge mess makers so I eliminated them. They gave us a false sense of security and we ended up with more stains and messes because of them. Now the kids will try to help clean up a spill if they make them. It's easier since the drinks are limited to the kitchen/dining room areas of the house instead of all over the house.

Yes- unfortunately the existing piece is actually probably a vanity masquerading as a desk (also a Facebook market find). It is not very ergonomic at all- it sort of traps your thighs in that upside down U thing and thus my husband won’t use it. I thought he’d eventually cave, but 2+ months of passive aggressively moving his paperwork and iPad off of our dining room table and onto our “desk” isn’t working. I’ve got to either replace it or find a 5 foot centerpiece for our diningroom.

Lest you think there is now a biohazard in KY, please let me tell you that there is NOT! My house (built in 1948) is in a subdivision with asphalt streets and driveways - no curbs, no sidewalks. My garage is a basement garage in back - front yard is street level and level with house interior; back of house is one flight of stairs up from yard. Driveway has a 5 ft concrete retaining wall between it and the terrace where the steps come down. No guests come in this way - all use the front door. No one is walking in my driveway. My back garden slopes back to the utility easement. When I hose the driveway to clean the sewage, it becomes greatly diluted due to all the water (we're only talking about probably 1-2 flushes anyway), and since there are raised beds bordered by railroad ties on two sides of the driveway, the water goes UNDER and is never on top of the ground where anyone or a dog walks. That part of the yard/driveway also slopes to the property line side where there is a gravel path back to the utility easement. So, water/sewage goes UNDER the soil and through gravel as well. It's sort of like a giant septic field. Throw some Clorox on as well, and it's just fine. The best plumber in town came up with the idea of the "loosely closed" clean-out in the driveway to avoid sewage in the basement, something far more difficult to properly clean. It works. I should replace the pipe from the house to the sewer but with driveway, two fences, garden, it would be a huge undertaking. Next owner can do that. It doesn't happen very often and is easily remedied. Dinner went very well last night! The short ribs were fabulous, as was the pureed carrots and parsnips, roasted fingerling potatoes and the salad. Dessert was delicious and easy. It was VERY nice to sit and be served and to have a clean kitchen afterwards. DS put away the silver last night, and this AM, emptied the DW, removed the leaf from the dining table and my house is back to normal. It was a nice family meal, good food, pretty table, low effort. I think I was made to be someone who has help! Just call me the Dowager Countess, Lady Violet!