Sweet Briar will remain open!!!! http://m.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_4b2f03d8-a089-5f8c-9c39-6faa19da07ce.html?mode=jqm

Keep us posted! Our seller is being a little difficult on the negotiations; even his agent admits he wants way more than the house is worth. So we'll see. Hoping he's ready to finally move on and will meet us in the middle! Sending good thoughts your way, Amanda!

Geez, APA! Wouldn't it be simpler if we just picked one??? :confused1:

Fingers crossed! We have an offer pending too!! :cheers2: To good news for us both!

I think your colors sound lovely (she says from her sunshine yellow living room). We looked at a house last weekend where the owner was allowing his granddaughter and her young child to stay temporarily. The closets were FULL of piles of unfolded clothes. I mean, floor to ceiling. Worse, when we walked outside we all realized we were covered in fleas. It was a nice home (although dated) that the poor man built with his own hands. He was mortified. I felt so sorry for for him. That said, I MUCH prefer looking at a home without the owner present. That was a really awkward situation.

Oh wow! Wish they weren't so expensive. But sooooooo preeettyyy!! :drool5: Might have to throw these on the Christmas list and drop some hints to the grandparents...

This is why we tried to be very intentional about our name. The name cannot be changed once it is selected, so we needed something that would last us all the way through high school, and provide a professional image for diplomas and transcripts, should the need arise. Although I don't necessarily think "Lastname School" would be unprofessional. For us coming up with a unique name was a fun way to get excited about starting our school. If you don't select a unique name in NC, the school name automatically defaults to "LastNameoftheAdministrator School." If your name is the same as another homeschool in your county, it becomes "SchoolName-LastnameoftheAdministrator." (E.g., St. George's School-Johnson.) If they still match, the state starts tacking on the administrator's initials. So that can get awkward. Easier just to choose something not already in use, IYKWIM. And something you can live with, because you're stuck with it.

Me too -- complete with giant handmade bow. I've been known to blow the family budget on ribbon... Fortunately, the church where I used to work has a parishioner who owns a wrapping paper company. He gives case upon case of wrapping paper to the staff at Christmas. Not just Christmas paper, either -- all kinds, and super nice paper, too! For some bizarre reason, nobody on the staff ever wants more than a couple of rolls, so my old boss calls me when they've taken what they want, and I swoop in and snatch up the rest. I have enough wrapping paper to last me a hundred years (but I'll still take it when she calls in December!).

We're (hopefully) going to be moving in a few months, and we desperately need to clean out. What is the best way to sell some of our stuff? We have a variety of the kinds of things you accumulate over years of living in one place: clothing (kid and adult), furniture, electronics, books, etc. Nothing worth tons of money, but all taken care of and in good condition.

Ironically, ds (not over 5) is quite fastidious and very neat when he eats, ice cream or otherwise. He's conscious of drips. OTOH, dd (definitely OVER 5) has been known to eat like a pig at the trough. This is not limited to ice cream. My dad used to have a solution for drippy ice cream cones -- he'd offer to "clean that up for you." You know, because he was so worried about the mess, not because he wanted a bite of your ice cream... ;)

Very interesting read. Thanks for sharing!

Part of the reason I wanted to buy this new house is because it literally has a Cupboard Under the Stairs. Embrace the weirdness, indeed. :)

The Ralph S. Mouse series by Beverly Cleary was a big hit around here. She also has Ribsy (about a dog) and Socks (a cat). Two different books. We love everything she writes. Dr. Dolittle is another possibility. We haven't read those yet so I can't personally attest.

Well, we're Cair Paravel Classical Academy. I figure if you get the reference, maybe you'll appreciate our literary finesse. If not, maybe it sounds Latin-y enough to pass as an elite private school? We have to have a name in our state, and I'm a Narnia fan, so really that's where it came from. The school name defaults to Lastname School if you don't give the state a unique name. Then again, I kind of like naming things, especially with literary references... Rivendell is on the short list for our new house, along with Mandalay and The Burrow... Yup, I'm a weirdo.

LOVE these ideas -- thank you! Would you like to come design my garden??? :w00t: Really like the idea of painting the porch ceilings; I believe they are bead board but will have to look again the next time I'm over there. Bead board would have been my choice anyway, but I wouldn't have thought of painting it blue. Slate tile was mentioned upthread as well, and that idea is growing on me big time. I'm even thinking of using it inside in the kitchen and mudroom. I am not sure what the big bush is. Not a lilac, I don't think. It's either a crepe myrtle or some kind of green bushy non-blooming tree-type thing (lol -- is that helpful?); either way, it will probably go. The house faces E/NE. It is relatively sunny in the front, with huge shade trees on the sides (elm, oak, walnut, magnolia). I think we will cut down the big evergreen that's visible on the left side of the picture, as it's so close to the house, so that side will get more sun. Climate is temperate (central NC). We're very rural, so no close neighbors (well, except for the goats), but most of the landscaping around here is fairly simple/low maintenance. It's actually a corner lot, and the side porch (which will become a sitting area off the master bedroom) faces the busier road. Sheers out there will be a lovely touch. There are some boxwoods on the property that I'm hoping to relocate... but maybe not too close to the house! Do you have any ideas for what kind of planter you would put on the short column?

Ooh! I love the little brick fence and white picket gate! Wonder if we could beef up the molding around the door like this as well? Cottage garden would be my dream... I just don't know if we'd have time to take care of it at this point. Anybody know how to get that look in a low-maintenance way? Or maybe there's less work involved than I think? Believe me when I say the interior is strip-it-to-the-studs awful. But the layout is wonderful, and we have a way to handle the financing, and it just might be my dream home in the end. DH is going back over there with my dad and his this afternoon to look again. It's a risk, and I'm terrified, but excited too!

Great ideas! I haven't heard of Retro Renovation before but it looks promising. Thanks!

I definitely want the interior and exterior to jibe. For inside, I'm looking for updated, but still traditional. I'm hoping to refinish the original hardwoods throughout (there is some termite damage, but hoping to be able to repair instead of fully replace), probably in a darker stain. Similar dark color on the doors, with glass knobs from a great salvage place nearby. There are gorgeous French doors on the dining room that are original and will stay. I like muted shades of gray and gray-blue, with accents in yellow and/or red and bright white trim. There are a couple of truly horrific stone fireplaces that need to be whitewashed and toned down. Built-ins if I can talk my dad into it. I think a fresh robin's egg blue on the front door will pop against the brick when it's closed and mesh well with the gray inside when it's open. We'll rip out the banister and perhaps replace it with a white and wrought iron railing. In the kitchen I like a dark floor (unfortunately the hardwoods have been torn out and replaced with a badly laid tile, so we'll have to do something else), dark granite or quartz countertops, and white cabinets with a gray or white subway tile backsplash. I'll give the kids some input into their rooms, but I'm thinking light blue/navy/cranberry for ds, and robin's egg blue and cherry red for dd. I tend to gravitate towards white trim (inside and out) but I do like that taupe and black. The slate is really pretty too. My dad knows a guy who does stamped concrete, so we might be able to get that look without the expense. Part of me would like to enclose the porch columns in white to break up the brick, but the arches make that tricky. And I'm not sure it would be authentic to this house anyway. Great ideas, thanks!

I think I would have a hard time painting it, if for no other reason than it would be all but impossible to undo if it was ugly. I have a love/hate relationship with the brick. I think the color is beautiful but there is so much of it! It feels to me like it needs something to break it up, but some landscaping might be enough to draw away from it. The yard is really lovely in the summer (obviously this picture was taken in the winter). There are tons of old trees (including a magnolia -- swoon! -- and a weeping cherry) and a dump truck load of mulch will work wonders. A home nearby that's similar to this one has adorable English cottage-style flowerbeds, which I would LOVE, but they probably would be too time-consuming for me to keep up right now. The entrance off the side porch will actually become part of the master suite, so we plan to enclose that porch completely with a railing, get rid of the steps, and make it a walk-out sitting area from the master bedroom. So railings on the front porch to match would make sense. I'm leaning towards a white and wrought iron railings. I'd like to find something really cute to do with the open patio on the left of the front porch. Not sure yet where the driveway will go, but we might do a circular drive in front. We'll have to replace all the windows and soffits; those will be redone in vinyl. I saw an older red brick house recently with robin's egg blue shutters and door, but I can't decide if that would work here. Bouncing ideas always gets my creative juices flowing!

DH and I are considering buying and restoring a 1930's farmhouse (see pic in the link below). It needs A LOT of work, but I love the interior and can already envision what I'd like to do inside. I'm having more trouble visualizing the exterior. If you were renovating this house, how would you spruce it up... or change it entirely? Landscaping? Adding other materials (like siding or stone) or elements (e.g., shutters)? Changing the structure? Painting? We want it to feel authentic, but some modernization would be okay. We're in the dreaming stage for now, so budget is not an issue -- we can narrow down our options later. http://p.rdcpix.com/v01/l73280945-m0xd-w640_h480_q80.jpg

Aw man, I was hoping you would say it was awful! I have been DYING to do one of those for years! Now I'm definitely making dh promise to take me on one for our 25th anniversary!! Glad you had such a great time!

DH yelled at the cat last night and called it by ds's name!

Don't know if you want a hands-on project, but we enjoyed Scholastic's The Body Book. Lots of printables that you cut out and piece together to make models of various body systems. I think I got the ebook for $1 at one of their myriad online sales!

I would be annoyed, but this is exactly why I would never buy a house on a 40ft lot in a subdivision.

I would probably just think she's really dumb. :tongue_smilie: You're right -- it shouldn't be that hard to remember the name of a person you see that often in a group that small. But I'd see it as a reflection of her, and nothing whatsoever to do with my dd. Some people just really have a hard time with details. DH is like this. DD too. I'm always getting on to them about knowing others' names. The have lots of other great qualities, though!