Jeanne, that photo is absolutely wonderful. I love the tiny hand holding on to Grandpa's finger. What a wonderful keepsake photo. Gracie, I used the Photobucket tools to edit my photo. You can add text in any color, font, etc. I am still learning all the neat stuff on PB but its pretty easy if you follow directions. And when you save something you've done, save it as a copy so the original stays there if needed. OA, thanks for adding my photo to your blog post! hugs, Karen

My favorite colors too. Just fun looking and so unique! You deserve the compliments you are about to get after me. Well done. I mean I don't even like those rockers all that much usually, but I would put those on my porch in a heartbeat!!

Wow, NHB - that is one gorgeous view. We've seen our share of houses perched on mountain sides and that's not for us. I love the more rolling land with the distance views of the mountains. It's not all about the land, of course, it's also lifestyle, and we love the slightly off kilter, hippy aspect aspects of Asheville along with the great dining, outdoor activities, entertainment options, the variety of festivals in the area etc. Last year we went down there with friends for LoxFest which was a hoot! bgj your trips to Knoxville sound like ours to Asheville, looking for the area that fits and is far enough away for peace but still allows us to get there and enjoy the aspects we love. I do want to go to Oak Ridge, though, just to see it! I would prefer to find an existing home and remodel it like we did this one but we haven't seen anything worth putting the time and $$ into. Biggest issue for DH is he won't accept a block basement, it has to be poured so I imagine we'll build. that's another thing to freak out about. We want a smallish house on acreage and if the land is there the house is 3500 sq ft and up - way more than I want to deal with. ellendi I hear you on the need for medical care. Privacy vs isolation is the tricky part but DH and I are partners and neither one of us is going to play the martyr for the other. We'll find a balance or we'll move on. Bottom line is, when I'm happy, he's happy ;-) bpathome we're really neighbors, you know? Several friends live on the main drag east of town. You probably knew/know one or two. And do not get me started on the library! That is honestly one of the hardest things for me to leave - we have the BEST library. shee that fixture is from Sea Gull Lighting but it's old and certainly not current stock. I spray painted it with Rustoleum ORB paint years ago when the look of brass was totally passé.

I like it. I like that it doesn't fit into the current design box. I like the way the entire island is designed as to provide some interest though I'll concede that the edging around the sink may be a little too deep. It looks as if the cooking area would function really well though we don't get to see the rest of the kitchen. Ref and pantry placement. Of course this is coming from someone who for one of her many, many aesthetic iterations of her (hopefully very soon to be) kitchen remodel has putty cabinets, rojo alicante marble, butcher block, brass, and stainless as her finishes. So one could see why this kitchen is appealing to me. Many probably consider those dated finishes but done properly that have a great amount of charm and part of this particular iteration is to look as if it had been done a while ago. Like I said before....I like it!