Worms! OK, so maybe I'm strange, but my daughter (now about to turn 15) had composting worms as pets in a little box in yes, our family room. She was about 4 years old then. We got them from that insect project company - the one you can get caterpillars from to watch go through metamorphosis. The kit came with a little book - it was called "Worm Acres." It had projects to learn about worms. She loved those worms! When she finally lost interest, they went to live in our compost. Their descendants are there still. Vermicomposting boxes could be made for the lunch room or classrooms, depending on ick factor issues. (Not everyone is as strange as us, I know.) I've seen plans online for ones made out of Rubbermaid bins. I've heard of lots of schools that have vermicomposting set ups. Some kids are squeamish, of course, but it's amazing how many kids are really comfortable.

Katkin, I am sorry I missed you too! It would be really nice meeting up with gardenwebbers. To bad we don't have a logo that we can pin on when we go to plant sales and exhibits! What plants did you get? We bought a Redland White Sapote, the Sweet Almond, chrysalis,hot dogs, BBQ and lots of homemade cookies (brought some home)- just barely passed the hot chocolate (and it was cool enough sweater weather to really enjoy it.) Denise, I can't remember the name but checked the vendor's list and the only one that mentions butterflies is "Exotic Hibiscus and butterflies". I hope this is the vendor!

Some responses to the items I pointed out earlier... 2 - Foyer closet--I personally prefer hooks + a bench BUT now notice that you don't have a coat closet in the mudroom area. As it is, you will probably hang your 'current season' coat on a hook in the mudroom and store your 'off season' coats in the front closet. Since your foyer closet is so close to the mudroom, I think this will work! :) The foyer does have a spot for a bench which I think is ABSOLUTELY essential (unless you want your guests to wear their shoes indoors at all times.) 3 - Depending on your lifestyle, having space to have guests over to watch TV is nice when you have small kids. It's hard to get out to see a movie and/or friends, so inviting friends over for a movie kills two birds with one stone. We were never 'TV people' before our son was born. It is amazing all of the small ways a person's lifestyle changes when a baby arrives! I'd suggest talking to other parents in your lives (your own parents and your friends who are parents) to try to get an idea of what your life will be like once children enter the picture. 6 - Is there seating room at the island? I know guests can get a little uncomfortable (both physically and socially) standing around while someone is working in the kitchen. I think seating makes their presence seem more comfortable for everyone. :) 7 - As an voracious reader, I find it unlikely those chairs in the study will be your favorite reading nooks, since the natural light will be coming in at your face instead of at your back. Think about where you gravitate toward for reading in your current home. For me, anyway, during the daytime I like to have natural light from behind or next to me. If it's evening, I like a LOT of BRIGHT light above me (can lights galore!) 8 - I also work on the computer. (I work from home full time as a web developer and stay-at-home mom.) Side-by-side is different from back-to-back. If you both spend a lot of time at the computer at the same time, you'll just want to make 100% sure your computer nook is comfortable for everyone. Don't just think about once you're settled in---thinking about coming/going for trips to the kitchen, bathroom, and nursery. (If anyone plans on working at the computer while caring for the baby, I'd recommend a computer set-up near the nursery, at least for the first year of each baby's life.) 9 - If the stair layout is the most economical way, I'm sure you'll get used to it. I just know it would drive ME crazy to have to make a U-turn when I'm SPRINTING to the baby's room to take calm him down before his 'sleep fussing' turns into real crying. :) 10 - Our builder's opinion on the pocket door to the water closet is mostly that they're a pain to use if they are frequently closed. At the risk of over-sharing, our master bath door only gets shut when one spouse worries the aroma will offend the other spouse's senses. So, for us, the inconvenience of sometimes operating a pocket door is worth the aesthetic of having it out of the way 99% of the time. Again, it just totally depends on your lifestyle. I think our builder charges about $150 more for a pocket door vs. a normal door--it's worth finding out what your builder charges before going crazy adding them all willy nilly, of course. :D 11 - If you're not bothered by it, I think skipping a closet door in the bedroom would be fine. For aesthetic reasons, I'd recommend having any closet areas that are visible from the bedroom be anything but shelving. My husband and I are neat freaks and we both worked retail so we know how to fold and stack clothes neatly...and our shelving still never looks tidy. Hanging looks better by far. (I'd personally have a closet door that swings into the room, but that's just a personal preference, not a game changer.) Hope that helps! It's all just my personal opinions. We're only in the planning stages too, so I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. :) (Hope you'll go comment on my floorplan since it sounds like we have similar lifestyles.) Here is a link that might be useful: Floorplan of my 4BR 2-story Minnesota home

I once had a set of patterns that were for baby-quilt blocks. They were little characters made from wooden beads strung on strings, these characters were doing typical children's activities (riding a stick horse...). After I made a woman a photo copied set, she came to visit me and stole my original set as well. (She had never given any indication she would do something like that so I felt no need to keep them out of sight). There were nine patterns in the set and it came out in the 50's. Any ideas where i might find another set. She stole three different pattern sets, but that was the oldest and the one I missed the most.