Thanks to everyone for the lovely photos! Since I live up here in the frozen north, I can't grow most of the macrophyllas, so I've been drooling. Dtd & George - The Ville de Lyon growing through my Endless Summer is a product of my slowness in getting the trellis finished and up. I actually have quite acid soil, but it's too sandy where they are for good plant growth since there's no water available, so I used well-rotted horse manure, plopped by the tractor bucket 8 " deep right on top of the sand. I mulched it with wood shavings (the bed is next to the family woodshop) to keep the weeds down. I guess the horse manure must still be somewhat basic, and since I didn't mix in the native fine sand at all, the blooms are pink. I'm interested to see if over time the color changes on the Endless Summer as the worms and burrowing rodents do their thing and the soil gets more mixed. I do have rhodies in the same area, some in the same unamended manure and some in beds where I mixed the manure into the soil before I got too lazy. The rhodies are all thriving, so it might be a lack of aluminum (?) that keeps it from turning blue. I guess I'll have to try starting a few cuttings and play around with where it's blue and where it's pink. The Penny Mac in the same bed is a mix of cream, pale pink and pale blue, but I don't know if it is pH dependent. (Of course, I could always do a pH test . . . )

Phoggie- I keep running into this plan, when I look up french country kitchens :) Anyway, I thought I'd link it for you...if you don't want a tub, it would be easy to put in a bigger shower with the toilet, and have the current toilet space increase the size of the mechanical room. I would make the laundry area larger, with the sink and more pantry space. This would give you work space on both sides...and easy access to the mechanical room. The garage could have the doors facing the front...and it could be two or three car size. I like the covered back deck, you have the dining room for your bigger table (could add a few feet on the front if necessary) and your nook would be a great breakfast/sunroom space! The kitchen has a really BIG island! The second bedroom could be the office and the guest room would have views out the back. I would put bigger windows looking out the back, from the master bedroom, with the small windows and bed on the 'west' wall. I like this plan...and I don't think you'd need the complicated roof lines. It's basically a rectangle with a garage on the front. A little front porch would be easy to add on, too. If my recommended changes aren't clear (and no one comes along to draw a much prettier house plan) I'll break out the white out and give it a try! LOL Here's the plan, with the link below, having more information. Hope it gives you some good ideas! It's 1800 square feet :) Here is a link that might be useful: Link to houseplan

That's a generous offer they've made you. The deal sounds good for you, financially. And your parents can rent it out after you leave. As for the privacy question, they probably have the same concern. You and your mom should probably have a talk and come up with some rules in advance. No showing up without calling, or whatever. And that works both ways. Three years doesn't sound like a super long time to me. But I'm older, so 3 years would fly by. That could work for you very well, depending on your attitude and whether you all get along well. And your parents will probably love having easy access to their grandson, and you won't have far to go to drop off baby boy for his afternoon with grandma! It's just possible you'll look back on this arrangement with fondness, in the years to come. It's not like you're single with no kids and will be partying every night, doing things you wouldn't want your parents to know about (like I was doing in my 20s). A problem may come in with the cost. As a poster above mentioned, the renovation may cost more than they originally plan on, and then what? In renovating, problems come up. Problems cost money. Decisions are changed, and that costs money. Could you end up paying more than $500? That's a critical thing in this arrangement, since the renovation isn't done yet. Or will they foot the bill for cost overruns, since it's their property? I moved back into mom's house when I was in my 20s, for a while. It worked out fine, and I wasn't particularly close with my mother. I enjoyed spending time with her and seeing her on a regular basis. I still remember that time fondly, and how kind it was of her to let me stay with her during that time, while I got my life on the right track. I'd do it, if the renovation cost issue I mentioned were ironed out beforehand. How nice of your parents to make this offer. You have some great parents. And I'm sure you're a great daughter, which is why they made the offer!

Lavender lass,I was a little taken aback at your comment that it is almost as if I wish my mother was already out of the house. I sure didn't mean for it to sound that way. I would never say anything to hurt my motherâÂÂs feelings. She is wonderful person, but like all of us, she has characteristics that can be challenging. By âÂÂescapeâÂÂ, I meant some alone time with my husband. Moving in with her will be to her advantage as well, as she would never leave her home and I donâÂÂt want some hired caregiver helping her in this last phase of her life. I love my mother, and want to spend time with her before she passes as I have always lived so far away because there are no job opportunities in her area. She has always been there for me and I want to be there for her now. Décor has just never mattered to her and it does to me. Whenever we have discussed my living there, she tells me she would love it and any reference I make to remodeling would happen after she is gone, unless she wants me to tackle a project. My mother has never had anyone pamper her and this is what I want to do for her. She deserves it. I am also moving there as there is a 12 year old boy who needs 2 responsible adults to step in and help. It will be a huge lifestyle change for us, but feels like the right thing to do. But, you are right. It is her home and I am darn lucky to have the opportunity to live there and clean up our financial messes (which are mostly due to husband losing jobs because of the industry he is in and also due to huge medical bills). I hope I donâÂÂt sound too defensive.