Thanks for the kind remarks, people. Glad you like my little cottage & gardens, Edna. Yes, Mr. Magoo was a one of a kind little Hammy, Hoggy Doggy. Sadly, he passed away in March 2003. He lived a long, happy 17 years, which was twice the normal expectancy for a dog of his size and weight. He was very heavy, being half Basset Hound and half Black Lab. The only dog I ever saw that could not swim - his body was too dense. He sunk like a freakin' rock! I had to put "floaties" on him so he could swim. He loved it. It was adorable. :) He loved the snow and skateboarding with the kids. Everyone loved Mr. Magoo and he loved them right back. He was a "Happy Little Hound Dog". I miss him very, very much. I built a memorial page to him if you want to go read more about him. It's linked to my son's memorial page, as Magoo was his dog. I'm glad you can see what a special pup he was. I lost my Mikie, too, last summer. I cried for weeks. He never left my side and even protected me many times from snakes. Mike loved the snow too and like making snow angels. (teehee) They loved going for walks up on the meadow with me everyday. At night, Hammy slept on my bed, crowding me all night, hogging the whole bed, and Mike happily slept on a rug on the floor at my side. Mike had a natural radar for tornadoes. When he ran for the basement door you could bet that meant there was a tornado near. He was an 99% accurate meteroligist. I miss them both. My best buddies. They went with me everywhere in my little red pickup. Hammy stood with his front feet on my lap (crushing my legs) so that he could see out. Mike sat on the seat next to me like a kid. Big smiles on their faces. They both wore seat belts. (hehehe) They were very well behaved and friendly pups. Everyone loved my boys. ~ SweetAnnie4u Here is a link that might be useful: My Little Hammy's Memorial Page

I just wanted to chime in to say that I've seen pictures of homes with doors and window sashes that are unpainted wood paired with trim work that is painted, and I thought it looked beautiful. Basically, anything that opened/closed/moved was unpainted wood, and the rest was painted. So that's something to consider as an option. I wished I'd thought of that option before we went with all wood trim and doors in our main floor living areas and all painted trim and doors upstairs (bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry room). We have lots of stained wood (trim, doors, built-ins, etc.) on our main floor, so I understand the challenges of decorating around it and finding colors that work with it. But when you find the right colors to bring out the best in your wood AND give you the vibe you want, it's worth the challenge. There were times (after spending too much time looking at trendy design magazines or web sites) when I second guessed our decision to go with so much wood, but I've come to love it more over the years because of its character and richness. I grew up in a house that had unpainted fir paneled walls in every room (even the bathroom, though the walls in there were varnished), so for a long time I just longed for light, bright, painted walls. After having those for years living on my own, I guess I finally came around to appreciating natural wood again.

Pseudo-tudor. They were building pseudo-colonial and ran out of money after they put in the brick. Thus the roof-shape, which is going in the pseudo-colonial direction, but with a generous helping of pseudo-English manor. The porch, however, is all-American. The door should follow on that theme and look bright, fresh, and gregarious (translate: "pop"). If it were me, I'd go all out hodge-podge: not white-out the tudor, not white-out the brick. Just freshen up the paint, clean out the trees right next to the house (but keep the huge ones in foreground and background 'cos they're worth a fortune towards the value of your house). Spend your money on making sure the upstairs window frames aren't rotted. You might want to be sure those branches aren't overhanging the chimney (where there might be a risk of fire). Make the side patio more enticing. Maybe nifty up the cement, barbecue and cafe table, or, if out West, a hot tub. Or is that your parking area? Heck, build a carport! If the brown grass is an unofficial pathway, make it official, looking like it's supposed to be there. Stepping stones?

My husband had this house prior to is getting married, I am into more modern styles and loving the all white kitchen look that is popular now. How can we update this kitchen without breaking the bank?? An interior designer in town suggest getting rid of all the ornate details and painting cabinets urbane bronze. I am just afraid I will still be unhappy with the change but we aren’t sure how long we will be in the house so just wanting something to make it more appealing to is now and more resealable in the future.