I like it too. To make it really successful, first believe in yourself. Tell yourself this is going to work, add color and graphics to your web site so that people will want to see more of your ideas. Do not give away too much of yourself, but use beautiful imagery to illustrate just how much fun your ideas can be. Invite visitors to contact you with their own ideas and then give them an appointment for a free 'analysis' of how you can make their ideas really sparkle. Believe in yourself. Tell yourself that this is going to work. Say it in the mirror to yourself, say it out loud. The first step on the road to success is believeing that you can make the trip. If circumstances change and ideas flow in other directions, go with the flow, thats how genius is born. Roadblocks are not there to stop you, they're there to challenge you to greater achievements. Losing faith in yourself is not an option. Keep on trying, if one thing doesn't work, try another and another until you reach your goal. Create a portfolio for yourself that is composed of some beautiful settings showing some of your work. Use your own yard if you have to, or friend's or neighbors or family members, but you have to show what you can do. And believe that you can do it. Your goal isn't just the web site but the reality of what you really want to achieve, so prove it first and show that proof on your site. Other people will believe in you too when you Believe in yourself. Cheryl

Yes, I am interested in watching this, too. ML, I know what you mean about keeping the contractor busy in winter. Our kitchen contractor, Jim, is not busy. I think he may be doing handyman work, taking anything that comes his way. He has been trying to reach us all week to give us a price on our attic insulation, but we have been working late and shopping in the evenings. We might could get a better price from one of the companies that do only insulation, but in this house, any job Jim wants, Jim gets. He is too great a resource to lose to a rotten economy. DH is working on de-cluttering his office/music room/ library. It is also where my clothes hang on racks to dry (until we get Dad's bedroom empty of the kitchen remodel stuff and strip wallpaper and paint and put in flooring). So the poor front room in this house is a MESS. DH had some kind of paper/receipt/important papers for taxes sorting project going on in there a couple of years ago and he got interrupted. He never got back to it and the dogs knocked the piles of paper from hither to yon. Then I started stacking kitchen remodeling supplies in the entrance because there was no more room in the garage. After I cleaned that up, I put the dog cage there. Just a MESS! At least DH did pick up his scattered papers six months ago. I just have to hope we never get audited for the tax year that ended up on the floor! Every other year's paperwork is neatly packed away in manilla folders. (Maybe because I did it?) So DH is now thinking that he wants more solid bookshelves in there, instead of the ones he has now that are the Sauder or Bush brand of particleboard with a photo of wood on top. They are starting to sway after 20 years or so. We may see if Jim can make built-in shelving, instead. Maybe with some cabinets at the bottom. Jim said "Design it, Nancy and will give you a price." But that was before I got all interested in spending a thousand or two on a far-infrared sauna. We are not exactly rich, so something has to go! Yes, in this economy, we do have opportunities for getting top-notch craftsmen to do little jobs they may have passed up in the past.

I'm finally back! We actually changed the floor plan from 1 1/2 story to a single story which I'm happy about. Funky camper- LOVE those pics. What lovely windows and views! We got this new plan 2 days ago and see several things we want to change then hopefully we can move forward. Changes: Move the entrance of the school room/office to the long blank wall around the corner. Move the DW to the other side of the sink so trash can be to the left of the sink and closer to prep area. Add 2 narrow windows - one on each side of the range. (We didn't care for the look of that side of the house exterior and it's the side that will be seen when driving past the house. We feel this will not only add light but 'up' the exterior look.) After looking at the entry to the schoolroom off the kitchen we think it's better to move the door/entry to the long blank wall around the corner from the kitchen and put the closet where the door was. This will do several things: closer to rest room 2. can be classified as a bedroom for re-sale better layout and more space in school by removing the jutted out closet 4. some wall space in kitchen to hang cute things!!! :) The school room can get messy if we are doing projects so with the door around the corner the mess won't bother me as much 6. I did not like the main bath layout as the architect had it so this simplifies it and makes it like our previous bath which we really liked. How is this?? Does it seem better and more functional? Here's the kitchen layout (remember we will add 2 narrow windows on range wall and change DW location) Questions: 1. Should the main sink move down a little towards the "L" corner and the windows be placed closer together to have an upper at the end next to the coffee bar? 2. It seems a LONG way from the sink to the fridge. Will I get used to this since I'll have a prep sink? 3. Would you put a wall oven and a smaller pantry or leave as is and have range/oven in one unit? I'm really loving the pantry!! DH is considering an induction but we would need to look at the new induction range/oven. 4. Does this seem to work?? The appliance garage will have an actual cabinet door to house my large mixer and food processor. Probably one or 2 shelves about that then open shelving above that. We think this layout will work but are there any small things that you all think could be changed or made better? Getting closer! Sunny

I add my thanks to JoAnn. Hope you're not missing me yet, Sue. Do you figger that we should send the cops looking for some of them, like they did me? (Spelling police, who actually help me out a lot ... are unhappy with this post). ole joyful ... (and they don't like the "joyfuelled" when it shows up, either)