Okay, you guys have convinced me! All the arguments you're using are the ones I would use with someone else, but wasn't using on myself. It's important to get exactly what you want once in awhile. It's important to fit in with your peer group. She's only young once. Wildchild, you're right that it doesn't matter why she wants it, just that she does. And Maddie_in_Ky, Sue_VA, and Paula_PA - you spoke to me, and I'd already thought of how I'd feel if she'd really sad that she didn't get the doll. It's one thing if we couldn't afford it, but that's not the case. So I'm getting a My American Girl doll with shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, medium skin tone, and pierced ears. Just like Chloe - and that's what she wants. Ruthieg_tx and Nikki_nj, thanks for the tip about searching eBay and Target for clothes. I found a soccer uniform (complete with shin guards, soccer socks, shoes and ball) on eBay. It's the same colors as her soccer uniform, and I think she'll like that. So thanks for all the help in figuring this out! And I love that there's a hospital if she cuts the hair off.:)

I just finished The Sea. The articulateness of the author caught me first. Terrific use of language. Reminded me of Rushdie's capabilities. Secondly the character of the narrator who was portrayed as a congenital cowardly sneak with aspirations. Overly self aware with a vivid imagination. Who attempted to rise above his lower class origins by ingratiating himself with the rich family and then by marrying a well-to-do woman. This character was fascinating to me. Where were his morals? Taking pleasure by cruelly beating his dog? Setting grasshoppers on fire? Sociopathic behavior. And then he leads an upright life? Unlikely. Or did the suidcide of the twins produce a profound retreat? Scaring the ambitious curiosity out of him? His later life musings show occasional blasts of honest insight. Overall a dissatisfied follower. By his self-label of dilletant. Was his excessive drinking after his wife's death new behavior? Self pity disguised as self mockery? The author was 60 years old when this was published. Forgot that 10 yrs. is too young for sexual awakening? Never mind. He dealt with human yearnings well which was for me the point of the story. The twin's inability to connect emotionally (happily) with others & their awakening to their own separateness (paths to come) was intolerable. They were marked for self-destruction from birth. When the mute one puts his arm around his sister's shoulders and lays his head against her illuminated the only warm human bond either felt. They could not survive without each other. This makes more sense to me than fear of parental repercussions from the governess' report of hanky panky. The writing was beautiful. I can live with the loose ends. I was cheesed off by the last sentence of the book. "A nurse came out to fetch me, and I turned & followed her inside, and it was as if I were walking into the sea."

Clarification: When I said jigs and jogs /complicated footprint, I did mean the perimeter of the house; however, complicated wall layouts inside WILL increase your price as well. To keep your price reasonable, you want to "stack" your lower and upper walls so they're supported more economically. You say you're "learning the language of architecture" -- good! Because I've been reading this board and LOADS of books, I know ever so much more than I did two years ago! You'll get there too. All of us were wearing the short pants at one point. I MUCH prefer the dining room as a library, and I think BPathHome's inclusion of doors and bookcases is spot on. I also heartily approve BPath's sketch-up of the laundry room. It is EXACTLY what was in my mind. Except that I wouldn't care about the exterior door -- I despise hanging laundry, and I'd see the "hidden away" door in the laundry as something it'd be easy to leave unlocked. Yes, I'm planning to extend the porch on my house (because we're removing the little "indent" and replacing it with a kitchen booth. Pictures -- first the original: Then the updated -- note the simplified roofline (also known as a money-saver) and the longer porch: Giving credit where credit is due, I didn't draw this. MamaGoose did, but her concept and computer skills were perfect. As for the kitchen, if you're going to use the keeping room as your dining area (which I love), I don't think you need the French doors between the kitchen and the great room. I think they'd only be needed if you were having two sitting areas within earshot of one another. If you feel they're necessary, I'd suggest going with a set of double pocket doors (and you can pocket French doors) so that they can completely disappear when you don't want them. The only negative would be that you couldn't put nails in the "back walls" of the pantry, so you'd have to hang your family room artwork from up high (or, if it's small stuff, use command hooks). I'm not great at kitchen layouts, but I am strong on following a path. Think about how you'll move in the kitchen: You'll come in through the garage with groceries ... the pantries are right there where you enter the kitchen -- good; you don't have to walk across the kitchen, interrupting the cook, to put away groceries ... you set the groceries on the end of the island to separate them ... this makes the original island look better because it's closer to the pantries ... you want your refrigerator nearby too: ideally it'd be on the edge of your work space and near the pantry. When it's time to cook, you'll bring your food out of the pantry/fridge storage zone ... where do you set everything to prep it? Is the stove nearby? Where's your garbage? Where do you set your dirty pots and pans? Do you serve plates from the stove or set food on the table? Are your dishes stored in such a place that they're convenient to set on the table? And does all this happen without "backtracking"? Stare at your plan a while, and imagine yourself "going through the motions" of making a typical meal. This'll help you identify problem spots. I think I'd be tempted to shave off the bay window from the master bedroom. It does impede bed placement, and I personally am not into big, fancy master bedrooms.

Laur;a, Just a word of advice from an old guy who has been in half the world... we now know from this thread that you live in Maryland, 3 blocks from the Navy stadium; and you have an adorable daughter whose picture we now have, if someone wanted to look for her. Please be careful how much you put out on this public forum...not everyone in the world is nice. Sorry for the negativism. About the Meyers you are seeing in your local markets... this time of year they are almost certainly from New Zealand, and notably inferior to those produced by California growers or by superior producers like my associates in Guatemala. Next year we will be the biggest single producer of Meyer lemons in the world; and in 2 years Guatemala will be the biggest in the world and the least cost producer.