I collect blue-and-white china, mostly plates etc that we use everyday. Cookbooks, mostly about bread baking. Kitchen stuff that I find at estate sales and can't resist. That's slowed way down since I'm out of room for it but I love the "what's this?" things. I have old Florida tourist souvenir plates like my grandmother used to collect. Turkish copper kitchen ware like gelatin molds and large platters. Can you tell I like to cook and to eat?? So much of it has come from estate sales, I feel like it's having a second life with me. I'm always looking for something interesting to put in the garden. Oh, and I guess I collect border collies since my sister says "one of something is unique, two is a pair, and three is a collection" and we have three. It would be so much fun to visit each other and see what we all collect in person. Even if I'm not personally interested in it I love to see what someone else is passionate about, that does make it interesting to me. Suzanne

Bunny in your case the profession would be gigolo! Nice work if you can get it. I was never pretty enough and my gag reflex is too strong. Math has haunted me all my life, unfortunately I can't stay away from it as I am in the science field. I can barely keep my two phone numbers straight in my head. Last summer I suffered through college algebra (again) in a vain attempt to raise my GRE anayltical score. Plus studied all the tutorials for the math part in my spare time. I would hate to imagine what kind of score I would have gotten had I not done all of that! Still it wasn't good enough to get into a doctoral program. So if I ever have any spare time again, I will be back at the math tutorials. I just don't have the knack, it's a real struggle. The job I want is to write trite, innacurate platitudes and make a bundle selling books to miserable bourgeoise who dream of being a forest ranger! People say I'm a good writer. Another gig I fantasize about is travel WRITER. You know, go on fantastic trips, and then write about it for the poor slobs stuck in the office! Having had jobs that a lot of people fantasize about being easy and stress free, it is one of my pet peeves. Like the idea that teaching science to kindergarteners is "easy" because it is at a basic level. Yes of course it's easy for a college educated person to understand the science part, but the difficult part in managing the kids with their different perceptions, experience, maturity level, and 15 minute attention spans, etc. It's not just a matter of speaking slower and louder! And to work as a tour guide at a national park you have to put up with years and years of grunt work and moving from park to park. One of my former students works for the National Park Service. Sure he has had some great jobs--he once lived in a lighthouse on an island off the coast of WI on Lake Superior. But i saw him last summer and he says he longs to settle down. He said he wants to finally know where the hardware store is and what box he left that book in. He's lived in five places throughout the country in eight years--FLA, WI, CA, WA, and now ND. Yes, he's finally gotten a job where he can settle down a bit--in the Badlands! Going on a nature hike in a park is fun and relaxing, but it isn't necessarily fun and relaxing for the person who's job it is to lead it. They work hard to make it look easy. Not that I haven't loved my career, but non-competitive and stress free it aint. The visitors feel non-competitive and stress free--but they are on vacation. The employees are not, and all the things that they deal with and take care of are the stresses the visitors are there to avoid. That's what they get paid for, to deal with them so the visitors don't have to. If you live in a tony vacation spot it is even worse. On your way running errands or to the grocery or laundromat you have to pass by folks lounging around on the beach, something you would LOVE to do, if only you had the time! But you're NOT on vacation. It's like torture, lol! I much prefer grungy Allentown where the housing is affordable and the parking is ample and folks are as stuck here as you so might as well smile and make the best of it! But having worked outside most of my life I am unfortunately spoiled for a desk job. It also doesn't suit my personality--I need to be up and doing.

Oh what a cutie! I agree that you have a good reason to not have a lot of time. I've been reminding of that time in my life the last two years that I've been babysitting our grandson. Who cares about decorating when you have a precious little one to love. And I can understand more about why hubby doesn't like changing things or doing more than "has" to be done. He's more worried about being a good daddy and supporting his family than having a "pretty" updated home. Our home was rather sparse with mostly hand me down or used furniture when our first born was a baby. Heck it wasn't much difference by the time our second baby was born. Not saying it wasn't warm and welcoming. It was, but not everything was perfect. I've learned with age, that it's not so important. Perfection, that is. I went through a period where things had to be just so. Maybe it's more living in a unfinished home with a hubby that works a full time job year round and umpires most of the rest evenings and weekends to keep in shape and it pays nice too. We'll be in good shape for retirement and that's a good thing. I'm glad you like the corner door shelf. It's really easy to do. The hardest part was cutting the door in half. It's heavy so it took three of us to do. But if you used two doors you wouldn't have to worry about that. I bought the door through Craigslist since I was going to distress it, it didn't have to be perfect to start with. Habitat Restores are a good source for used doors too. As for the lighting in the entry I was wondering if you'd be able to use a decorative type track lighting in there. They have some really nice looking ones that the "track" curves and all you need is the one box for the fixture.

In re my points about no TV in the MBR 1. I've read that for maximum restfulness, the BR should be used only for sleeping and, not sleeping. I think that makes sense and try to adhere to it. 2. We have a no-TV-no-tech lakehouse and we found that when we stayed there we talked more, read more, and slept more. All things I value 3. Human nature is "path of least resistance". I try to configure my house to encourage behaviors I value most. 4. I personally have a very high sloth quotient. I could easily while away much of a sunny spring day watching really bad TV, like "The Learning Channel". When I am away, my DH has been known to stay up till odd hours watching old PBS documentaries. 5. That said, I forgot about news in the morning. I am now in the habit of going into my office to check the web for news and weather. I miss all of the morning news nonsense and popular culture though! 6. We need the Daily Show, daily, and it's followup. I really miss that at the lake. In re seating areas 1. In this home and the last, we never sat in the MBR. I still don't get that (though I love the lunch date someone described!). If our kids are up, I would want to be near them. If they are asleep, I would probably want to enjoy my house in solitude! 2. That said, right now there are 2 chairs and a settee in my MBR. Frankly more as storage than anything else.