Terri, I've only used the toaster once, LOL, but it toasted both sides of the bread, so that's a good start! It has some special settings for bagels so it only toasts the cut side and some other settings I haven't played with yet. Gotta read the instructions to use the toaster, go figure! Monique, I will definitely be recreating that jam. It's much like RobinKate's Tomato Marmalade, sans oranges, and it was very, very yummy. Ann T, how could I go wrong? Food, food and more food. (grin) And a good cup of coffee after. Duane, Nancy and I agreed a couple of years ago that we wouldn't tell people that Michigan was actually only about 4 miles south of heaven itself, that we have world class beaches, complete with tides and breakers (and nothing in there wants to sting me, bite me or eat me either). We won't tell them that our wineries are winning medals around the world, that our fresh fruit is second to none, that we're 40 minutes from The Lake and an hour from the symphony and Broadway type plays and musicals, or that even Eddie VanHalen is going to be at the VanAndel this summer. Nope, we're telling them that the humidity is about 100% all the time, that we get 20 feet of snow every winter and that the mosquitos are so big they'll carry off small children. I don't want Michigan to get to crowded, you know. (grin) Annie

Colleen, it's at least better than the bedroom we just did upstairs, it looks kind of like butterscotch pudding and was supposed to just be a medium tan kind of color. I'm not good at determining what color it will be on the wall, it's never what I think it will be. As for the counter, I really did just "podge" it on with the sponge any old way. I liked it better lighter than darker, so I sponged on more of the light stuff. I was shocked that it actually looks OK, LOL. Brad, thank you, I appreciate that. Bobby and Shirl, I definitely still want to move, there is no place on earth that I want to be, no matter how nice the house, except the farm. If it were only the house that mattered, I'd have stayed in Elery's house instead of selling it. Yes, I definitely still want to move. Madonna, isn't it amazing what a little paint and about a week's worth of work will do? Linda, so when are you going to come and visit, just to see the new kitchen in person? Or are you waiting until we build at the farm and see my really NEW "new" kitchen? Heck, I might have to have another Michigan Run when that happens! Annie

I also think that the current floor looks fine with the granite. The darker colors in it are similar, but I guess you are focusing on the background being whiter rather than gold. Your cabinets may look better with the current floor. At this point, because the cabinets are in, you could go ahead and finish the kitchen and live with it for a while before deciding whether you still want to replace the cabinets. When we bought our house, it had a tile floor in the kitchen which we had taken out to replace with wood. Demoing it didn't damage our cabinets. I don't think that its terribly unusual to replace the floor with cabinets in place. The flooring company at the time treated it as business as usual. That time, we did engineered wood which was floated over the smoothed out mortar base in the kitchen area. When we remodeled our kitchen, 5 years ago, we kept the flooring. It had recently been refinished. We knew that we wanted to remodel the family room to take out the big rock hearth and we weren't ready to do it at the time. Because the existing fireplace and hearth cover about 4' by 10', it made more sense to replace the floor after we removed that. We're just about to start the family room part of the project which will include replacing the floor in the kitchen, family room and breakfast room. This time we're doing hardwood so they will be doing a full demo of the floor in the kitchen area around the cabinets to replace it with a plywood subfloor so they can nail down the hardwood.

Ok. I've come to reply several times in the past few days but was unsure how to respond. I agree some of this has been brutal and I've received personal messsges questioning our decisions. I feel like I'm being attacked on multiple levels. All I can say is I'm sorry if I've offended some people here regarding our house but it is our house. Let me begin with explaining the $30,000-$40,000 over budget if I can. We took the house plans that were drawn for us (which we paid for!) and then took them to a draftsman for minor changes and to complete them. We then gave those to 2 different builders for bids. One came in at $240,000 the other at $230,000. (To be honest the second one knew what our budget was and came in at budget but had us paying cash for septic, the screen porch, the appliances and several other things which totaled $30,000) They both said that the screen porch, the longer front porch with full length steps, the detached garage, the detailed exterior trim, the extra Windows above the garage and master and a few other items drove the cost up. It was the total of all of this that made the difference, not just one thing such as the porch. Am I happy about loosing these things, of course not! But I am thankful that I will have a house and a roof over my head. Is it perfect?? Probably not, but again, I'm thankful to be able to have something we can afford and feel blessed to be in a position to build. Believe me.., I fought for the roofline but I am a wife first! My loyalty is to my husband who said we have X amount to spend and I will NOT go over budget. If someone wants to pay for the changes and the added building cost then I'd be happy to let them. Lol Rant over. Mine Devoted Dame- love the suggestion of added Windows. These small things we can pay cash for and I think it will make a big difference. If we swing the closet door out it'll hit the shower door so I think it's staying or.,, some will shudder..., a pocket door! water heater is tankless in the garage. Bedroom 2 will have a full bed on the laundry wall. I considered moving the door from the hallway into the bedroom down to the other end but then it's right across from the kitchen which I won't like. And it's DS's bedroom which as a teen may not be what I want to see while I'm sitting at the island drinking wine and eating Bon-bons! :) Jannicone- thank you!! It's been such a long process and we really are happy! I'm on my phone but will post a larger pic later this evening. Too bad the photos don't open larger! Although I agree with the comments on the roofline it was the final budget cut item. It saved several thousand dollars. I understand that for some the roofline might be a deal breaker but for us it's a give and take. Artist- as I said before we had to make modifications but the square footage is basically the same. It came down to what we feel we can pay off in 10 years and not be house poor. I wanted a screen porch for DH and DD but DH said we have two options: 1. Save and add it in a few years or 2. Install a nice screened gazebo next summer. Cost saving was about $12,000! We also travel extensively for DH's job and with him being blind I usually go with him. His company doesn't pay my way but I've had the opportunity to go all over the world. If we're house poor we can no longer do these things we love to do. It's a trade off I guess! And one that I'm willing to trade. BPathone- thank you for your ideas!! The empty space is for my grand piano and a wall of semi/ built ins. We aren't big TV watchers but we've measured the living area and think it will work. We plan on a couch facing the fireplace/tv area and flanking it with 1 or 2 chairs. We should have about 14 feet across which will work. The entryway door location was part of our original issue. With the lot being rectangular and the garage being in the back (actually we laugh about which is front and which is the back of the house!) we felt it was too awkward for guests to walk from the driveway in the back all the way around the house to the "front" so the French doors are more for front porch access and sitting. The friends entry is off of the driveway and garage in the back but it has the "front door" how confusing is that??? I really like opening up the wall in the school room. That seems to make a big difference. Andy-I love you!!! Yes, some have been brutal and I almost didn't return because of it. DH suggested I delete the entire thread but I wanted to at least listen to what is being said and have received some advice which will be helpful. You are so right..., we DID make that budgetary sacrifice. Others may choose differently and I respect that. I know what we are dealing with is my spouse who's blind and a son with special needs and limited time to pay off this house. I'm truly grateful for everyone's input and respect the feedback we've gotten even if some of it was hard to take. Have a most happy and blessed Thsnksgiving, Sunny