Hi. Joining this long thread a little late. My name is Lisa. I'm 35 and currently a SAHM to two boys, ages 6 1/2 and 4. I finished a post-doc in Clinical Psychology 2 1/2 years ago, before moving from Chicago to the Philly area. I plan to go back to work part-time some day but haven't taken steps in that direction yet. I've been married for 10 years to my dh Scott who is a Neurologist specializing in Epilepsy. This is our 2nd house. We've lived here for 2 1/2 years. It's a new construction house, though we didn't design it (when we purchased it, it was 95% finished). It's (to our mind) not particularly attractive on the outside, but it is very spacious inside and didn't need renovation. That was key for us, as we moved here with very small kids and had just worked hard renovating parts our old house in the suburbs of Chicago. New construction is an anomoly in our neighborhood. The builder had torn down one house, split the lot, and built two houses on it, facing the other direction. So what we have is a big house on a small lot and a funny shaped (long and narrow) back yard. No one has big yards in our neighborhood, and the neighborhood has an "urban light" feel to it, with side walks and homes built close together. We actually like this--we like knowing our neighbors and being able to walk, ride bikes, etc. on the sidewalks. We walk our oldest to 1st grade, which is wonderful as well. I like decorating but feel I am a complete novice at it. I am one of those people who know what I like when I see it but can't always imagine it in my head. Strange for me, since I consider myself a fairly creative person. I guess this is a art unto itself. We have a lot of white walls that need painting rooms that need tweaking. I just keep telling myself that it's a process and there's no hurry. Here are my boys celebrating Hanukkah this year: Here's a family pic. Had to go back to last April to find one of the 4 of us! Here, you can see some of the front of our house (stucco in front, siding and stucco on sides and back):

I just heard an interview with Maya Lin, the artist behind the Vietnam War Memorial in DC, talking about her latest project. I am linking it here - it is pretty amazing and with the Lewis and Clark connection, thought you (and/or your kids) might find it worth looking at for possibilities. The webpage is very complex about what she/they are doing, but fascinating to read. I'll link to the interview, too, in case anyone is interested, but will have to add it later, as it's not available online yet. Edited to add link to Maya Lin interview...it's good! new-maya-lin-art-installments-track-route-lewis-and-clark Confluence project

I think we'll just have to roam Pitigliano to find places to eat - the difficulty there is that not much seems to open early, but I think it will be an interesting experience whatever happens. Here's the web site for Narcisi & Bussi - doesn't look breakfast to me, and I was trying to find a bakery. Since they open at 8:30 AM, we'll probably go there anyway. There is Forno Del Ghetto Di Francesca in the Jewish neighborhood, but I do not know what hours it is open. It may be the only bakery in town, since it is a small town. That yacht is grossly huge - fortunately, I do not generally have to deal with that client - I only get called in when the production department cannot handle the designs sufficiently. I am lucky that I am insulated from clients - my only client is my boss. The furniture that is going into that yacht is huge and overscaled, but I suppose it will look okay once it is in place. In the warehouse, it just looks out of proportion. I'm mainly working on new designs for our New York and London showrooms, and we are putting in a lot of new furniture there, fortunately in stages so that I do not get swamped. Most of my work is somewhat on hold for now, while we finish the furniture for that yacht!

I don't have a window in the kitchen, but the new room has a wider window directly across from the pass-through, so I have the same view as before--it's just 'borrowed'. The playroom is 12 x 24, and there is another window on the same wall as the borrowed view. The front wall has French doors which open onto a porch/patio (entry is covered, but patio is not). Each of the playroom windows has a built-in seat--the one across from the pass-through is used with the drop-leaf table from the old kitchen, for a little breakfast area, but is set up now with a sewing machine for making masks. The other window seat can be added onto for a twin-size platform bed. During the lockdown it was used with a small table as a school desk for elder GS. The back door is half-glass, directly across from a half-glass back entry from the driveway, so there is plenty of light from the new room. If ever we need to convert the new room to an apartment, it will have a private back entry and bathroom, and a private entry to the front porch/patio, although the patio is connected to our front porch. It was built this way in case an elderly parent ever needed to move in, and wanted his own space, but that hasn't happened, and I have only one parent/n-law left. If it needs to be convert, it will be only temporary, and the parent will be part of our family and daily life, so the part of the apartment which would house the bed will be the side opening to the patio, which would allow me to keep my view from the pass-through, although it would probably have some kind of covering--similar to your folding doors--for parent's privacy when needed. I think he would need respite from our noise and activity for at least part of the day. We have a picture window in the DR, which looks onto the glassed-in mudroom (was a back porch which was enclosed some time before we bought the house), so again, borrowed light from the widened opening between the kitchen and DR. On a dark day the kitchen is also kind of dark, but on a sunny day the afternoon light is glorious. :) I still covet kitchens with large windows over the sink, though--and kitchens with separate clean-up zones. I'll try to find some pics of my mess or I'll post a link to my kitchen album if it still works.