Hi Petunia- I saw your posts where you said something like you are afraid you will never meet anyone. I would bet money with you that I am just as much of a home body as you, if not more. *wink* You will meet someone. When you are ready and when you are not looking or expecting it. Sweeby- I disagree with mentioning kids or marriage on the second date. I agree with you on what you are saying but for some reason it FREAKS guys out. Not only does it freak them out but it is in many magazines and articles about dating not to mention it that soon. Again, I agree it shouldnt be that big of a deal. I have to agree with the person who said the ex is not perfect since she wants kids. I also think he is not perfect because he is not treating you the way you should be treated -as the women in the relationship. Its bad parenting by the parent (not the kid) He allows this kind of stuff to go on. I dont care if he feels guilty or not. You are the adult and the women in the relationship. She is the child. I would not allow myself to be treated in any way other than that. When I am not they are placed on the curb. Yes, it stinks and yes it hurts. Once my head and heart are clear and I am on the outside looking in I clearly see things without my heart involved and I realize that I made the best decision. As far as meeting people on the internet. I have met guys on the net and out. It made no difference where I met them, what they did for a living, or where they lived they were who they were and it wouldnt have mattered where I met them. The same people you would meet out and about are the same people that are on the internet. I personally would use a match maker service that you had to pay for. That would weed out some of the people you wouldnt want anyway. Good Luck Keep us updated. Its a New Year and you are going to meet someone special if you let yourself! *wink*

I think your cabinets are still beautiful and my feeling is if you have no intention of changing the layout, I'd leave well enough alone. Cherry cabinets are always in style and wood cabinets are actually coming back into vogue once again. As for the floors, I love a dark floor in looks, but had one in my condo and HATED the fact that it constantly looked dirty and dusty. I'd reconsider a dark finish. I think your floor finish works too. If the granite cracks, I'd look at a new countertop such as a Taj Mahal quartzite or if you love quartz, one that is warmer than a gray/white. Then have fun with the backsplash. Some other thoughts. How many more years do you intend to stay in the home? That too will determine whether it's worth redoing the cabinets, etc. How do you feel about the cabinets? Are you wanting to make white cabinets because that's what's in? Or do you really love the look and would love it even if it wasn't "in" and trendy? Do you really want to spend the money on new cabinets when the money could be used for other things? A nice cruise for example? Personally, I would never paint gorgeous cherry cabinets white. Painted cabinets will never hold up as long as your cabinets. The person who bought my condo painted the gorgeous bathroom cherry cabinets white, and somehow they look cheap now. (Please don't tell her I said that! LOL.) Thankfully she left the cherry kitchen cabinets.

The house is great just as it is. As others have said, what it needs is a good landscape plan. Add a curved planting area from the corner of the walkway to the end of the house. And plant a specimen tree further out into the yard. You'll be adding value to your home as well as making it look more interesting and welcoming. Be sure to keep the plants from blocking your low windows.

Hi s y, I can't say how much I love this space! It's been amazing, but there are a few irritations that I need to remedy. One big one is the fact that it's detached from my house, with no good covered pathway between the two. I often find myself jumping out of bed because I forgot to lock things up, which isn't bad in the summer, but during Oregon's rainy season, well you can imagine. :) I'm researching solutions that will allow me to remotely control the door lock, heater, music and lights. I'm looking closely at the Brilliant Smart Home solutions. I think the Brilliant Control panel and switches will be a good start towards what I'm envisioning. https://www.brilliant.tech/home?tab=system