We are getting off the topic, but I remember the lush yard of my childhood w/ all the clover and watching the honeybees, and the exciting days when we would take the honey out of the hives... I planted clover and I wish all the weedy grass would go away! (No neighbors are going to care here as our lots are set in the middle of woods, and we are out in the country.) My clover has had a tough time (doesn't like sand?), but there is one low-growing weed that I am encouraging as it does not need to be mowed. No mowing is my goal. As for my clems (many of which you all enabled!), they are doing fairly well. I was most impressed w/ Arabella- the best bloomer! I have mostly watered from my rain barrels this summer and it is not very satisfactory because the sand soaks up the moisture so fast (great for watering pots and small areas though). I too have to figure out where to plant the ones I stuck in pots in the spring. Most are going into the rose garden (if the roses don't make it maybe the clems will). I have planted several to climb up my deck railings. I know there is a lot of controversy about adding soil amendments, but I am with the other readers who see the fence as a prime planting ground. Maybe someone who knows more about amendments could help out? I wish you the best of luck in finding them a good place, and would appreciate it if you will wish me luck as well. Thanks, Brandy

Here is our house layout with all of the "easy" to remove walls gone. And here it is with all of the walls gone (chimney is gone as well, but we really can not move that). We can also move the side door a few feet, it has to move anyways because it is about 6" lower that the other floors in the house. The office area is also lower than the rest of the house - and has hard wood floors. Actually, the whole house has hard wood floors, with the dining room/hall being white oak, the kitchen/living room red oak (and perpendicular to the dining room) and the office has white oak, which are again 3" lower than the rest of the house. We can not justify reflooring the entire house, nor is it really an option to remove the flooring then put it back down. There are so many nails it's just too much to do any more than a small patch that way. The pink walls are load bearing. We're ok with removing one of them, but don't really want to remove both. We are also trying to put together a plan that can be done in stages. Thanks for your input! Oh, and here is the whole house as is.

I lifted this from someone's website. It's good info. Ultra suede microfiber comes in different qualities so that's something to be aware of. It's not costly as I purchase it for $2.99 yd at a local fabric mill/outlet. I'm not trying to dissuade or persuade you but I just wish more young families were aware of this "silver bullet". First a photo of a sofa/chaise in an off-white and then the info follows. So microfiber is a bit of a polarizing fabric. Some love it, others hate it. It is undeniable that good quality microfibers provide the best combination of durability, stain resistance and clean-ability. I’m mainly talking about Ultrasuede, here. It really does feel like suede, unlike some cheaper microfibers. And I’ve heard stories of Sharpie disasters on Ultrasuede-upholstered furniture being averted with a rubbing alcohol and elbow grease. Even WHITE! Want to talk double rubs? How does 200,000 strike you? It doesn’t get any better than this. Lots of color options, too (solids). If you are environmentally conscious, Ultrasuede is a great choice, as it is made from 100% recycled fibers.

I asked a similar question a few years back... the pros with in the design section helped me a lot. It is a known maths problem for designers and chickens. Did you know chickens use to be placed in a small living space, similar in how your room is done with sofas and chairs with tv and what nots. Until the problem was addressed the chickens produced more eggs. If you can't make room, take out what is cluttering up. Until you find a nice balance. I can't remember the exact formula, but take total square feet and total up the square foot foot print area of every item that consumes its area within the room's square foot area. Eventually you get the remainder of the total open area. Like chickens people need open area in surroundings. Nobody can live with 1 foot space between another, so find your comfort zone, and use the distance as a perimeter around each sitting location at the walking space. You will find your layout. I would personally look at the couch. Either one... and remove it. Then you will have room for placement