How funny! Great pictures... Gretchen reminds me of one of my hens, who also LOOKS very much like Gretchen...her name is 'Houdini' because the first three days we had her she spent in jumping from one neighbors' yard to another...up onto their roofs...up on our grape arbor, etc. She was the very devil to catch again and earned her name vigorously! *L* Be warned, that scratch barrel will become Gretchen's nesting spot of choice now! :) One of mine once fell in love with a wheelbarrow full of gravel...weirdo. Chicken are nuts. :) Velvet ~:>

Hey guys, I haven't been ignoring your responses :) just got time to respond today. Been cleaning, cleaning and cleaning more drywall dust. (fun, fun) Lorraine- I'm putting ""I am buying things I don't want, with money I don't have, to impress people I don't even like!" on the top of all of my home shopping lists. I love it! Tragusa/Molly - I agree, they look Victorian and I like that style of home but decided not to build a victorian home because I figured I would tire of it quickly....hmmmm. BJ - you're second response, was indeed, as sweet as honey :) and on target. CindyLou-we do have a 2 story foyer but I think it will hang high enough where we won't have to look in it. But I definitely will double check that. Dixie - We have axed the sconce. The main reason is that is in a totally different part of the house and we realized it just didn't work there. Bungeii/lindy - Great minds think alike, right? Even- I'd hang plain lightbulbs everywhere if somebody would like to offer to pay my mortgage LOL Here is what I decided to do. Like Jilliferd, I finally realized that everything does not have to match. I'm not going for the same feel in every room so they don't have to have the same lights. The foyer and formal dining room will have these lights. The kitchen and breakfast area are a lot more comfy and cozy so I'm going to find something in a similar finish but not as victorian/overdone/fancy. I actually slept all the way thru the night last night so this must be the right decision. Ha ha. You guys definitely helped me,more than you can imagine. Thanks! BTW - Worthy, *I* am the servant dahling. boo hoo!

LOL, Sierraeast! A height variance? Considering the house behind me is smushed up to my property AND the foundation is 4 feet above grade, I didn't think I needed one (can you tell I'm a bit annoyed?). I too grew up in a house where practically every room had different colored carpet. AHHH, the good ole 70's! Nascat! That's is so hilarious! I wonder if our kitties will watch anything in particular on TV. They are just so cute right now. We did discover that they were peeing on my DH's work papers. PLEEAASE tell me they won't do this forever. They're female, so I'm surprised. Well,the entire structure isn't even screwed together yet. I wanted to line the inside of the little house before the roof goes on, but the pieces are cut. I bought a big plushy blanket at Marshall's that I'm going to cut to size for each section. The rubber on the bath mats had me concerned. Thanks for the tip about wetting the just as well. The kids are bugging me to finish the structure right now so that's where I'm headed.

Big question---what does your spouse think of the idea?? If he's open to it then explore the possibilities. Consider how you could use the house. As a close by "get away" it offers a big yard, small pool, and lake access. Great things for a family with 3 boys. It wouldn't be too far away if you did have a kids ball game to attend. Owing it would allow for the option of you parents relocating and living in it, or perhaps just staying there part of the time. Or, you might find after living in it part time that you like it so much you want to move into it as is or do a sensitive addition. Or, you might find that after owning it for a while that 2 houses are a pia and decide to sell it! You could do any, or all, of those things while you owned it. But you can't if you don't own it. So should you rush to buy it? NO. Like any real estate purchase look hard before you leap. We had our 2d home inspected BEFORE we bid on it. That gave us a good idea of what was needed and how much repairs/renovation would cost (of course there were many surprise problems) and if we really wanted to pursue it. I checked county records re sales prices, taxes, easements, etc of it and surrounding homes. We talked to the neighbors. We also looked at at least 6 other places after discovering this one to make sure it was a good choice and value. We went from my husbands long declared "I'd never own a second home" to his "Honey, what would you think of buying a house on a small lake and oh, by the way I paddled by one for sale today" to buying it in less than 2 weeks. Now it has been 2 years (and lots of renovation) and every time we are out there (frequently as it's only an hour drive)I comment on how glad I am we bought it. Besides the lake, I love its bright contemporary feel as opposed to our traditional in town home. The lake house better reflects me and makes me happy so I understand your falling in love with such a neat mcm home. In summary, if after you both think it through and are interested, look carefully, come up with an estimate of repair/remodel costs (x1.5 to be realistic!), figure out how much you are willing to pay/market value considering those costs then go for it. If you can't get it for a realistic price walk away. If the condition turns out to be too deteriorated--walk away. Either you'll get another opportunity when no one else buys it or you can console yourself by thinking about all the negatives/ impracticalities/second yard to keep up/ etc. that you missed. Let us know the outcome. PS- If you don't buy it you should suggest they list it on the mcm website Lottaliving.com to help it find an appreciative owner.