Good for you for just doing it! Quilting a real quilt is different than practice sandwiches, you have to deal with different color material which can make it difficult to see where you are going, you have to deal with seams, and you have to deal with the bulk of the quilt. I don't think your quilting thread color is bad; it is a difficult decision which color to use when you have a multi-colored quilt. (I recently made a horrible choice and ruined a good quilt with a bad choice, but I sure learned a lot form that experience and now I pay much more attention to thread color!) Keep up the good work and it will get easier and easier.

I so look forward to when you post. Absolutely gorgeous as always. Love the color of the cabs. You really need to look at the picture up close and personal to see all of the beautiful colors in them. Stunning! BTW, I love the rest of the house as well. Outstanding job.

Welcome to a roller coaster ride of a life time! To start, you(parents and you) need to decide what is the best option. You might try listing all the wants and needs in a list. Keep in mind the possibility of a major life change. Now, generally, building new is faster/cheaper than extensive remodeling. Reason? Building new is just putting together the components of the building. Remodeling is removing, restructuring, and replacing parts of an existing building. Twice the work and labor. The differences depend a great deal on location. We bought a great house that was a foreclosure, built in 1965. I was able to do all the necessary work myself and we got the house for less than the appraised value. Even after all the work, our investments left us with equity. Had I had to have all that work done by others, we would have been over equity and upside down. And there was no structural rework needed. We could not have built new for less money in this area. On that list, include where you want to be 10 and 20 years from now. And projected needs. Will your parents need handicapped access? Is there room for expansion if necessary? Look at the projected changes in the area. How are the demographics changing? Example: My neighborhood was original owners and retirees 10 years ago. In a three block section of our street, there are about 25 homes. In 10 years, half of those homes have been sold. Most of the new families all have children. All of those new families, except one, are in their 30's and 40's. My wife and I were the 'New Kids' when we moved in, now we are the 'Old Couple'. All that change is fine with us, but had we expected things to remain the same(ala retirement home type life) we would have been disappointed. Once you have the wants and needs list in general terms(number of bedrooms/garage or not/single level or two story/and so on), you need to discuss cost. Two houses will cost twice what one will. Two houses will need twice the maintenance---yard mowing/leaf raking/snow removal/etc. One building(shared house/duplex) lessens the individual costs. But impacts personal styles/space differences. Your parents may need easy access down the road. A two story means that will be an issue. A single story/duplex minimizes that issue, but raises the cost of the building. As Virgil posted, you will need help. You need a professional who understands the dynamics of your situation. I'd hesitate to say a realtor would be the best choice. To find the house(s) you finally decide on to be sure, but not what to look for. Realtors are pro's who find/sell properties. There are realtors who can do what you need, but in my experience, those folks are far and few between. You should talk to different trades. Contractors, realtors, architects, and designers and find the person/firm that can best work with you towards your goal. Your feelings about that choice are important, but it will be a long journey. An extra 6-12 months in deciding on the best option will pay off later.

The rectangles make a good border for it and you'll soon have another UFO complete. Well done! (I always look to see if any of the materials were the same ones I sewed with years ago...but none here. I did find a couple in my Aunt's stash of fabric. :))